Answer to Spalding's Twilight Zone

In 1947, while reasearching for his upcoming book on SDA history, Spalding writes H.C. Lacey to ask him an important question:  "How prove the unity of the faith in our succession if our pioneers were Arians, and we are Athanasians?"

As Gary puts it: "The answer was obvious: you can't prove a unity of faith when the faith completely changes. There was no question that the pioneers rejected the Trinity and not just a Catholic version. There is no question that as of 1947 the church was avowedly Athanasian. So if you can't prove a succession of faith that is unchanged from the inception of the Advent Movement, don't even try. Just leave it alone. Don't mention it."  (link)

Yet, two years later in Spalding's book, (used by SDA schools for many years), the early SDA Pioneer's had miraculously become Trinitarian.  Thus, definate "proof" of the unity and succession of faith in our denominational history from past to present.  Instead of accepting Lacey's advice of NOT trying to prove a succession of faith between the early Pioneers and the modern church; Spalding resorted to Froom's methodology of twisting, and distorting historical facts in order to sustain any position desired.

"The pioneers dug for truth as for hidden treasure. James White, Joseph Bates, Hiram Edson, John N. Andrews, and others quarried out the building stones to make the temple....First, they found therein, and they believed in, the father-hood of God....Second, they found the ineffable mystery of the oneness of God in the Trinity: the Father of all, the Son who is the Saviour of mankind, and the Holy Spirit through whom the grace of God is ministered to men."  (Captains of the Host, A. W. Spalding, p. 214, 1949, emphasis supplied )