Millennial Fevers

Abstract

Millennial Fevers Benjamin McArthur (bio) The advent of a new millennium is nearly upon us, and the media is already having a field day reporting bizarre apocalypticism. The sense of expectancy about the year 2000 (or, more properly, 2001) cuts across a variety of cultists—from UFO believer s to New Agers to conspiracy hounds such as Anthony Hilder and his syndicated TV show “Millennium 2000.” 1 An even darker underside of millennial obsession showed its face in the person of David Koresh and his Branch Davidians. But modern apocalypticism also finds resonance in more reasoned quarters, centering on fears of global environmental collapse and recently on predictions of viral outbreaks such as Ebola that could decimate the human species. 2 With so much of the absurd, the tragic, and the hyperbolic competing for attention, a significant anniversary went virtually unnoticed by the secular press. October 22, 1994, marked the 150th anniversary of the Great Disappointment of 1844, the culmination of William Miller’s prediction of the end of time. That the sesquicentenary swept by unnoticed outside Adventist communities is in one sense surprising, both because of our current mood of fin desiècle apocalypticism and because Millerism has attracted increasing scholarly interest in recent years. But in another sense it simply reflects an older tradition of neglect toward what has been called “America’s most significant millenarian expression.” 3 By conservative estimates, at least 50,000 people waited expectantly for their lord’s return in 1844. Yet coverage of Millerism in college and high school history textbooks tends to be cursory or lacking altogether. 4 Still, Millerite commentary has matured during the past century and a half, and today the movement finds a more complex—and appreciative—interpretation than ever before. This evolution is interesting on its own terms. But Millerite historiography also suggests broader trends in the writing of American religious history. The new appeal of Millerism for historians mirrors a more general engagement of the profession with America’s evangelical and sectarian heritage. This essay, then, speaks not only of a small corner of our religious heritage but more generally to the place of evangelical religion in our professional memory. [End Page 369] William Miller (1782–1849), a farmer from Low Hampton, New York, a veteran of the War of 1812, and a former Deist, began earnestly studying prophetic scripture in 1816 and concluded that Christ’s return to earth would likely occur around 1843. His return would be sudden, cataclysmic, and would precede a thousand-year reign of peace. But Miller was a reluctant prophet. He sat on his conclusions until 1831, when he could no longer in good conscience fail to spread his important message. Thus was born one of the most striking insurgency movements in American religious history. Miller began modestly with scattered invitations to share his message in local pulpits. This plain, unprepossessing biblical autodidact impressed congregations with his premillennial message and inspired revivals in many churches. Although Miller encountered considerable clerical and lay opposition, his evangelistic successes led to an accelerated preaching schedule and growing attention from the New England press. A turning point in his ministry came with a speaking invitation in 1839 from Joshua V. Himes, abolitionist and minister of Boston’s Chardon Street Chapel (a restorationist Christian Connexion congregation). Himes became Miller’s publicist and confidant, the driving force in the Millerite movement. With Himes’s support Miller now entered urban centers with his message. They recruited additional leaders, convened conferences for defining belief and plotting evangelistic strategies, held camp meetings in sprawling tents for public outreach, and undertook an ambitious program of publication to extend their reach even further. A religious movement born in the “Burned-Over District” of upstate New York found receptive hearts throughout the North and West. As 1843 approached public fascination with Miller’s message mounted. Millerite lecturers scoured the country as far west as St. Louis that year, preaching to packed meeting houses. Notables such as Sojourner Truth and John Greenleaf Whittier attended lectures. And press coverage became even more extensive; Horace Greely devoted an entire issue of his Tribune to Millerism. Although such reporting was often satirical or overtly hostile, a certain...