As various authors have demonstrated,(1) there can be no denying that there are points of connection between Koresh\u2019s Branch Davidians and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Koresh himself had been a Seventh-day Adventist for a couple of years before joining the Branch Davidians.(2) \u00a0The Branch Davidians trace their roots to the teachings of Victor Houteff. Houteff\u2019s teachings were rejected by both his local Seventh-day Adventist church in Los Angeles (1930)(3) and the corporate church (1934).(4)<\/p>\n
Despite being disfellowshipped (a process by which a person is removed from membership of the Adventist Church), Houteff continued to claim that he was a Seventh-day Adventist; and, through his publication, The Shepherd\u2019s Rod<\/em>, and other means, pursued a mission to call for reform in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Indeed, Houteff only formalised the name The Shepherd\u2019s Rod Seventh-day Adventists to enable his pacifist followers to avoid conscription during World War II.(5)<\/p>\n Not only do the Branch Davidians recognise Ellen G. White, considered a prophet by Seventh-day Adventists, as one of their Seven Shepherds (6) and reference her writings extensively, but the Branch Davidians also share presuppositions with Seventh-day Adventists regarding, for example, an emphasis on the end of time, the emergence of latter-day prophets, and the concept of \u2018present truth\u2019. In addition, Branch Davidians\u2019 beliefs and practices are still evident to a greater or lesser degree in some groups on the edges of Seventh-day Adventism; and, in the spirit of Houteff\u2019s mission to reform, Branch Davidians continue to recruit primarily from the Seventh-day Adventist Church.(7) Even after the Manchester Inquest into the deaths of Britons during the Waco siege, while the church was still in horror and shock, a Branch Davidian was found to be recruiting disaffected members at the 1997 South England Conference camp meeting.(8)<\/p>\n Historical background<\/strong><\/p>\n In a journey spanning over 60 years, and involving several leadership crises, Houteff\u2019s Shepherd\u2019s Rod morphed into David Koresh\u2019s Branch Davidians, a group that today\u2019s Seventh-day Adventists do not recognise and one that is not part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.<\/p>\n Theologically, one of the ways in which Victor Houteff<\/strong> diverged from the Seventh-day Adventist Church was through his literal interpretation of the characteristics and identity of the 144,000 of Revelation chapter 7. He linked his interpretation with both perfectionism<\/strong>\u2013 an unbiblical teaching stemming largely from the work of M. L. Andreason that suggests believers need to attain a state of sinlessness before Christ\u2019s return \u2013 and, over time, a literal return of Jesus to the newly emerging nation of Israel. In 1935 Victor moved from Los Angeles, CA to Waco, TX, anticipating a move to Palestine with the 144,000 within a year or so.(9)<\/p>\n After his unexpected death, Florence Houteff,<\/strong> Victor\u2019s much younger second wife, assumed the leadership. Along with her leaders, she predicted that Jesus would return on 22 April 1959. She called all their followers to Mt Carmel, the name of the property in Waco, TX, for the Passover, prior to relocating to Israel as and when revealed by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus didn\u2019t return at the specified time, the Shepherd\u2019s Rod splintered into several groups.(10) In 1962, Florence herself renounced the teachings and closed the church.(11)<\/p>\n During this tumultuous period after the death of Victor, Benjamin Roden<\/strong>, a convert from Judaism, assumed the leadership of the group and became the lawful owner of the property. The links with Judaism and the nation of Israel grew. He established a vegetarian village in Israel (1958) and settlers\u2019 rights (1960) for his followers.(12) More emphasis was placed on the seven festivals of the sanctuary.(13) Just before the death of Benjamin in 1978, Lois Roden<\/strong> claimed that she had received a revelation that the Holy Spirit was female and subsequently commenced her publication SHEkinah, edited by a long-term follower, Perry Jones.(14) Hence, she also assumed the leadership, and, using a legal injunction, excluded her son, George Roden,<\/strong> from leadership, as she did not think he was fit to be the next prophet.(15)<\/p>\n With the emergence of feminist theology in other Christian circles, Lois\u2019s emphasis on the Holy Spirit as female propelled her onto the wider stage at a number of Christian conferences. After being asked to leave the Tyler Seventh-day Adventist church, Vernon Howell<\/strong> (who later changed his name to David Koresh<\/strong>) arrived at Mt Carmel in 1981. (16) He was well received as a carpenter, and after a few months he went to California to pursue a career in the music industry. He was unsuccessful, and on his return in 1983 he impressed Lois Roden, who endorsed him as the next prophet and called her followers to come to Mt Carmel and hear him speak.(17)<\/p>\n At this time, he was intimately involved with Lois Roden, so that the child of the prophet would be the Chosen One.(18) \u00a0George claimed that the relationship had commenced with rape, and reported Howell to the authorities.(19) The relationship ended early in 1984 on the day when Howell married Rachel Jones, the 14-year-old daughter of Perry and Mary Bell Jones \u2013 long-time followers of The Shepherd\u2019s Rod (in Texas, at this point in time, girls aged 14 were legally able to marry with parental permission).<\/p>\n At every opportunity, George continued to challenge Howell in a tussle over leadership. After a fire at their press building, George, on the basis of alleged eyewitness testimony, accused Howell of setting it.(20) As a result, the group split, with some following George, but the majority following Howell. Howell had to leave the Mt Carmel property. The ultimate showdown between George and Howell occurred when George challenged Vernon as to who could resurrect Anna Hughes, a believer who had died at Mt Carmel some twenty years earlier. Howell, with seven followers, entered the Mt Carmel property and, while allegedly trying to gain evidence that George had interfered with the corpse, was involved in a shoot-out that left George injured. This resulted in a court case where Howell\u2019s accomplices were acquitted and Howell\u2019s case ended in a mistrial.(21) George Roden was sent to jail for contempt of court and for disregarding his mother\u2019s earlier legal injunction excluding him from leadership. Howell returned to Mt Carmel and paid the back taxes to establish himself there.(22)<\/p>\n Howell visited Israel; Australia (with Clive Doyle, a long-term follower of the Branch Davidians); Hawaii; and the UK, recruiting followers.(23) The first significant recruit was Marc Breault (1986), who subsequently recruited Steve Schneider (1986), an active church member in the Diamond Head Adventist Church, Hawaii.(24)<\/p>\n Schneider visited the UK (1988, 1990) and based much of his recruitment activity around Newbold College. His focus was on Koresh\u2019s self-belief in his ability to unlock and explain the seventh seal spoken of in Revelation 8:1 \u2013 something only the Lamb of God could do. He was remembered for using the phrase, \u2018the truth that will blow your mind\u2019 Koresh\u2019s visit in 1988 and 1989 followed up the interests Schneider had made. At Newbold, they were successful in influencing Livingstone Fagan, John McBean and Cliff Sellors. Fagan was most influential in the Nottingham area, McBean in the Manchester area, and Cliff Sellors and others in the London area.(25) Followers were encouraged to go to Mt Carmel for the Jewish festivals and the summers. A number also moved there with their families. Some family members were successful in encouraging their relatives to leave Mt Carmel and return.<\/p>\n In August 1989, Howell released an audio tape titled \u2018New Light\u2019. This tape reported his claim that God had told him to procreate with all the women in the group to establish the \u2018House of David\u2019. He also claimed that God had told him to start building an \u2018army for God\u2019 to prepare for the end of days and the salvation of his followers.(26) At this point some of the Branch Davidians, such as Marc Breault, left the group and warned others, including the authorities, of several issues on the compound, including polygamy, sexual relationships with underage girls, and child abuse.(27) \u00a0Later, a courier delivering a broken package became aware of probable infringements of the Firearms Act and reported this to the authorities.(28)<\/p>\n In 1993, these developments led to the raid on 28 February and the start of the siege by federal agents that, after 51 days, culminated in a fire and the discovery of 75 bodies, 25 of which were children. It is also noted that the Waco Tribune-Herald published articles on the \u2018Sinful Messiah\u2019 on Saturday 27 February, detailing the illegal activities at Mt Carmel and noting that \u2018the law watches, but has done little\u2019.(29)<\/p>\n Subsequent to the end of the siege, the dispute over the title of the property continued, with George Roden\u2019s divorced wife, Amo, claiming ownership. Clive Doyle and other followers remained on the site and built a chapel.(30) As of 2006, some of their followers were still expecting David Koresh to return to this earth, despite him not returning in December 1996 or late August 1999 as they had calculated.(31)<\/p>\n Discontinuities<\/strong> Having identified some of the primary points of contact between Koresh\u2019s Branch Davidians and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the development of the movement from Victor Houteff to Vernon Howell (David Koresh), I will now proceed to outline those elements that might appropriately be described as major points of discontinuity. The graphic above summarises a range of theological developments that emerged. These changes demonstrate a tremendous shift in belief and practice, arising from someone who claimed authority directly from God. The focus moves from a rational study of Scripture to following the sensational ramblings of a charismatic leader whose word \u2018was gospel\u2019.(32)<\/p>\n The onus is on each one of us to ensure that we are diligent students of the Bible, and, like the Bereans, test teachings by the Scriptures so that we can be sure of what we believe (Acts 17:10, 11). We need to have confidence in the sufficiency of the ministry of Jesus and the resultant assurance of salvation (Romans 8:1). We need to live authentically, with our actions being congruent with our beliefs. We need to teach people to swim in any context, rather than damming the ocean and living as a recluse.33\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 commission remains: \u2018As the Father has sent me, so I send you\u2019 (John 20:21, NRSV).<\/p>\n (1)<\/strong> Cari Hoyt Haus and Madlyn Lewis Hamblin, In the Wake of Waco: Why Were Adventists Among the Victims? (Hagerstown, MD: Review & Herald, 1993), pp. 141-158; Kenneth G. C. Newport, The Branch Davidians of Waco: The History and Beliefs of an Apocalyptic Sect (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006); James D. Tabor and Eugene V. Gallagher, Why Waco? (Berkley, CA: University of California\u00a0Press, 1995) pp. 43-51. (2)<\/strong>\u00a0Albert A. C. Waite, \u2018From Seventh-day Adventism to David Koresh: the British Connection\u2019, AUSS, vol. 38, no. 1, spring 2000, p. 112 \u00a0(3)\u00a0<\/strong>William Claiborne and Jim McGee, \u2018The Making of David Koresh\u2019, Spectrum, vol. 23, no. 1, May 1993, p. 18 (4)<\/strong>Tabor and Gallagher, p. 35 (5)<\/strong>\u00a0George W. Reid, \u2018The Branch Davidians\/Shepherd\u2019s Rod \u2013 Who Are They?\u2019 Adventist Review, 1 April 1993, pp. 6, 7 (6)<\/strong>\u00a0Kendra Haloviak Valentine, \u2018The Waco Wars Revealed: Reflecting on Waco 25 Years Later\u2019, Spectrum Magazine<\/a>\u00a0(accessed 18 February 2023), p. 12 (7)<\/strong>\u00a0Catherine Wessinger, Branch Davidians, 1981-2006: An Extended Profile, with Material from Internal FBI Documents<\/a>, Academia \u00a0(accessed 22 February 2023), p. 7 (8)<\/strong>\u00a0David Marshall, \u2018Editorial: Steady As She Goes\u2019, Messenger, vol. 102, no. 21, 10 October 1997, p. 3 (9)\u00a0<\/strong>Tabor and Gallagher, p. 37 (10)<\/strong>\u00a0Lowell Tarling, The Edges of Adventism (Bermagui South, NSW: Galilee), pp. 125-142 (11)<\/strong>\u00a0Reid, pp. 6, 7 (12)\u00a0<\/strong>Newport, pp. 123, 124; and The Two Branches<\/a> (accessed 26 February 2023) (13)<\/strong> Tabor and Gallagher, p. 39 (14)\u00a0<\/strong>Waite, p. 114 (15)<\/strong>\u00a0Tommy Witherspoon, \u2018District Judge throws out Roden\u2019s leadership lawsuit<\/a>\u2019, 28 January 198\u00a0\u00a0(accessed 26 February 2023) (16)<\/strong>\u00a0Waite, pp. 112, 113 (17)\u00a0<\/strong>Wessinger, p. 1 (18)<\/strong>\u00a0Tabor and Gallagher, p. 41 (19)<\/strong>\u00a0Wessinger, p. 1\u00a0(20)<\/strong> Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0(21)<\/strong> Waite, p. 116 (22)<\/strong> Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0(23)<\/strong> Wessinger, pp. 1, 2 (24)<\/strong> Joel Sandfur and Charles Liu, \u2018Apocalypse at Diamond Head: Remembering Waco\u2019, Spectrum, vol. 30, no.1, May 1993, p. 3 (25)<\/strong> Albert A. C. Waite and Laura Osei, \u2018The British Connection\u2019, Spectrum, vol. 23, no. 1, spring 1993, pp. 36-38 (26)<\/strong> Ashley Fantz, \u2018Who was David Koresh?<\/a>\u2019 \u00a0(accessed 26 February 2023) (27)<\/strong> Waite, p. 119 (28)<\/strong> Peter Van Saint, \u2018I\u2019ve kept my story secret for the last 25 years \u2013 I didn\u2019t want to take this to my grave\u2019<\/a>, CBS 48 Hours \u00a0(accessed 11 January 2023) (29)<\/strong> Mark England and Darlene McCormack, \u2018Sinful Messiah \u2013 7-part series<\/a>\u2019, Waco Tribune-Herald,\u00a027\u00a0 February 1993\u00a0(accessed 2 February 2023) (30)<\/strong>\u00a0Newport, p. 178 (31)<\/strong>\u00a0Newport, p. 329 (32)<\/strong>\u00a0Haus and Hamblin, p. 95 (33) <\/strong>Caleb Rosado, \u2018Lessons from Waco II\u2019, Ministry, vol. 66, no. 8, August 1993, p. 18<\/p>\n Dr Steve Currow is the Principal of Newbold College of Higher Education, Bracknell, UK<\/p>\n![\"Waco](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-6-1.jpg\")
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