Matthew Farfan

Adventism in Quebec: The Dynamics of Rural Church Growth, 1830-1910 is the title of a recent book by Denis Fortin, a professor of theology at Andrews University. The book traces the rise and decline of Adventism in its various forms in the southern part of the Eastern Townships. Originating out of the Millerite, or Second Advent, movement of the 1840s, the Sabbatarian form of Adventism that later developed into the Seventh-Day Adventist Church flourished for several decades in the Eastern Townships.

Adventism in Quebec is the account of a religious movement that reached its zenith well over a century ago, and which declined dramatically in a relatively short time. The book is organized by chapter, with several chapters devoted to the rise of William Miller and his teachings, and to the eventual schism that rocked the Advent movement, resulting in the evolution of two distinct branches of Adventists – the Seventh-Day Adventist and the Advent Christians. These early chapters are particularly interesting. Later chapters focus upon the various congregations and conferences operating in the region. The book is well-written, informative and easy to read. It contains several appendices and numerous archival photographs that complement the narrative nicely.

Though Adventism in Quebec focuses essentially on the Seventh-Day Adventists, given its more general title, it should have devoted more space to the Advent Christians, which still maintain a couple of churches and one camp in the region, and to explaining the differences between these two distinct movements which sprang from common roots and which are often confused in people’s minds.

A criticism of a purely technical type is that the printing program used by the publishers was obviously not equipped to handle French accents. The result is that in many of the French names that appear in the book there are bizarre gaps (i.e., blank spaces) where a letter with an accent should be. Other than that, the book is an excellent addition to anyone’s collection of Eastern Townships historical material.

Adventism in Quebec was published by Andrews University Press in 2004. It is 202-pages in length, and includes archival photographs, a table of contents, an index, and appendices. It is available in soft-cover and retails for $19.99. Click here to order a copy: http://www.andrews.edu/universitypress/catalog.cgi.