Memory, music and Reformation

Adventist theological culture in America

Abstract

By comparing theological thoughts of reformers such as Luther, Zwingliand Calvin with the ideas of Adventist pioneer Ellen G. White, we can better understand how religion appropriates the past to build part of its identity discourse. With this objective in mind, this article addresses, through comparative theology, how thinking about the use of music, as well as its liturgical practice, contributes to the strengthening of an ideal of continuity of the Reformation through Adventist preaching and practice. Thus, an argument from Christian history was constructed that can be applied, as Westhelle (2015) proposes, to contemporary contexts that bring new social and religious challenges.