Kevin Burton, director of the Center for Adventist Research and assistant professor of church history, has published a new book through New York University Press. “Apocalyptic Abolitionism: How Millennialists Helped Abolish Slavery and Reform America” examines the relationship between apocalyptic faith and social reform in nineteenth-century America.
The book challenges a long-standing assumption among historians that people who strongly emphasized the soon return of Christ tended to withdraw from social and political engagement. “Apocalypticism can actually fuel social reform,” Burton says. “It can make people more active for social justice causes rather than make them withdraw.”
Burton spent nearly a decade researching thousands of historical figures and sources across more than 90 archives and numerous digital collections. His work reveals previously overlooked connections between Adventist pioneers and key abolitionist efforts, including campaigns that helped shape national conversations about slavery before the American Civil War.
“This is the first detailed history of Adventism in the anti-slavery movement,” Burton shares. “The Millerites were not simply involved in the anti-slavery movement in America, but they shaped the entire thing.”
Burton adds that the project also offers an opportunity for reflection. “If we just have great beliefs in theology, that really doesn’t matter that much,” he says. “If it doesn’t change our actions and make us better people in the here and now, then we’re not really preparing to meet God.”
Burton hopes the book will inspire readers to see how deeply faith and action were connected in early Adventism—and how that legacy continues to challenge believers today.