X. Himes—In Later Life Espouses Conditionalism

It is not commonly known that JOSHUA V. HIMES, ^{1616) JOSHUA VAUGHN HIMES (1805-1895), remarkable publicist, promoter, and organizer of the North American Advent Movement, was powerful m the desk, but more so m the editorial chair and publisher’s office. First a minister in the Massachusetts Christian Connection, he became pastor of the noted Chardon Street Chapel, Boston. A crusader by nature, he attacked the evils of the day-the liquor traffic, slavery, et cetera. His church was the headquarters of all sorts of social and religious reforms. Starting the Signs of the Times in 1840 and later the daily Midnight Cry, he produced charts tracts, books, and hymnals. He fostered the notable succession of camp meetings and Second Advent conferences. He finally became an Episcopalian clergyman.} in the Advent Christian Quarterly for July, 1869, tells how, about 1860, he began to restudy the “Life and Death question,” particularly the doom of the wicked. As a result, he came to accept the position of Conditionalism, and states at the close of his article: “Every frank examination of any branch of this great question of life and death eternal strengthens my convictions that eternal life is ‘the gift of God,’ while ‘the wages of sin is death.”’ And J. V.’s son, William Himes, editor of the journal, adds in an illuminating editorial:CFF2 662.3

“But he has left cavilers without an excuse by his frank and interesting exposition on the Life and Death question. While many of his coadjutors have become conservative he [J.V.] has been growing more radical [Conditionalist] with age.” ^{1717) Advent Christian Quarterly, vol. 1 no. 1 (July, 1869), pp. 6, 9, 10, 77.}CFF2 663.1

Strangely enough, the Conditionalist teaching was adopted by still other groups not classed among evangelical Christians. The story of that adoption is a matter of historical record and will be given as a part of the over-all historical picture.CFF2 663.2