Resume of Apostasy
LeRoy Edwin Froom is the most prolific and influential author of the “Books of a New Order” — the very doctrinal literature prophesied in Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 204:
Froom’s exact birth details vary across summaries; this archive presently gives December 13, 1890, in Illinois, while Find a Grave gives October 16, 1890, in Belvidere, Boone County, Illinois. His parents are listed on his burial memorial as Dr. John Edwin Froom and Christina Nielson Froom. His wife and children are not yet verified in the current archive. His schooling and ministerial training are connected with Pacific Union College, Walla Walla College, and the Washington Training Center, after which he entered denominational publishing, teaching, and ministerial leadership.
His story is the story of a writer-administrator whose books did what a single sermon could not do. Froom took the post-1904 church into an intellectual and ecumenical argument for doctrines the pioneers had rejected, especially the Trinitarian recasting of the Holy Spirit and the effort to present Adventism as acceptable to evangelical gatekeepers.
Froom died in Takoma Park, Maryland, on February 20, 1974, according to the Find a Grave memorial. He is buried at George Washington Cemetery, Adelphi, Prince George’s County, Maryland, plot 860. The memorial includes grave and marker photographs. This archive has not yet verified the claim that the cemetery itself is Masonic, so the burial record is cited by its documented cemetery name: Leroy Edwin Froom memorial with tombstone photos.
“Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced.”
No single individual did more to rewrite Adventist theology from its pioneer foundations than Froom. His career represents the intellectual wing of the 1904 apostasy building to its theological culmination in 1957.
Career Timeline
| Year | Position / Action |
|---|---|
| 1890 | Born Illinois |
| 1928 | Published The Coming of the Comforter — first major push for Trinitarian Holy Spirit doctrine in Adventism |
| 1930s–1950s | Ministerial Secretary, General Conference — used position to shape pastoral theology |
| 1946–1954 | Published 4-volume Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers — historical revisionism in academic dress |
| 1955–1956 | Secret meetings with Walter Martin and Donald Barnhouse — agreed to restate Adventist theology to gain Evangelical acceptance, concealing these negotiations from the church at large |
| 1957 | Published Questions on Doctrine — the single most divisive book in Adventist history; repudiated by M.L. Andreasen and other faithful pioneers |
| 1971 | Published Movement of Destiny — attempted to cement Trinity doctrine as “always” Adventist |
| 1974 | Died |
The Books of a New Order — Confirmed
Ellen White prophesied:
“Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities, and do a wonderful work.” — 1SM 204.2
Froom’s books fulfill this prophecy:
- The Coming of the Comforter (1928) — Introduced the third-person Holy Spirit as co-equal God, directly contradicting James White’s explicit rejection of the Trinity in Review & Herald (Feb 7, 1856; Sep 12, 1854)
- Questions on Doctrine (1957) — Officially rebalanced Adventism toward Evangelical Protestantism, embracing Catholic-Trinitarian theology
- Movement of Destiny (1971) — Declared the Trinity “always” Adventist, burying pioneer testimony under institutional history
The Walter Martin Compromise
In 1955–1956, Froom met in secret with Walter Martin (author of Kingdom of the Cults) and Donald Barnhouse (editor of Eternity magazine). The goal: convince Evangelical Protestants that Adventists were orthodox Christians, not a cult.
The price was abandoning pioneer doctrines:
- The Atonement was completed at Calvary (not ongoing in the heavenly sanctuary)
- The Trinity is fully embraced (three co-eternal persons)
- Christ took an unfallen human nature (not the fallen nature of Adam’s race)
M.L. Andreasen wrote repeatedly to the GC demanding the book be withdrawn. He was stripped of his ministerial credentials for his protests. Questions on Doctrine remained.
Pioneer Verdict
“The greatest fault we can find in the Reformation is, the Reformers stopped reforming. Had they gone on, and onward, till they had left the last vestige of Papacy behind, such as natural immortality, sprinkling, the trinity, and Sunday-keeping, the church would now be free from her unscriptural errors.” — James White, R&H, Feb 7, 1856
Froom reversed the Reformation trajectory within Adventism. He carried the church back toward Catholic-Evangelical consensus — the exact opposite of the pioneer mission.
Sources: Questions on Doctrine (1957) | 1SM 204 | M.L. Andreasen correspondence | 144000.com/testimonicide | ProPublica EIN 52-0643036