1876–1962
Summary
Milian Lauritz Andreasen was a Danish-American Seventh-day Adventist pastor, educator, theologian, and one of the most respected systematic Bible scholars of his generation. Born in Denmark in 1876, he emigrated to the United States and was converted to the Adventist faith. He served as president of the Danish-Norwegian Seminary in the early 1910s, was elected to the General Conference Committee on Nominations in 1909, and authored the classic theological volumes The Sanctuary Service (1937), The Faith of Jesus, and The Book of Hebrews. He died in 1962 at the age of eighty-six.
Conversion and Education
Per the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists (and the Adventist record), Andreasen was born in Denmark in 1876 and emigrated to America. He was converted to the Adventist faith as a young man and entered the colporteur ministry. Movement of Destiny (Herbert E. Douglass) preserves his own recollection of those colporteur years, including a youthful zeal that he later judged to have been “the fire of fanaticism” in his application of health-reform principles: “While selling religious books in his youth, M. L. Andreasen lived on granola. He carried it with him, mixed it with water, and ate it twice daily” (The Messenger of the Lord, p. 401, par. 8; refcode MOL 401.8).
Early Ministry and the General Conference (1902–1913)
The earliest General Conference record of Andreasen lists him as a licentiate in 1902. The April 1, 1902 General Conference Bulletin gives his address: “Wm. Lewsadder, 314 North B St., Monmouth, Ill. M. L. Andreasen, 150 North Humboldt St., Chicago, Ill.” (General Conference Bulletin, April 1, 1902, page 614.7; refcode GCB April 1, 1902, page 614.7).
By 1909, at the General Conference session that year, Andreasen was a regular delegate and a member of the Committee on Nominations: “Committee on Nominations: O. A. Olsen (chairman), M. L. Andreasen, E. K. Slade, E. E. Andross, Chas. Thompson, W. B. White, H. H. Burkholder, M. N. Campbell, H. F. Schuberth, Daniel Isaak, F. W. Spies, J. V. Willson, H. H. Dexter, S. F. Svensson, W. J. Fitzgerald, J. B. Beckner, W. A. Westworth, A. J. Haysmer, C. Santee, H. S. Shaw, Wm. Guthrie, J. N. Anderson” (General Conference Bulletin, May 16, 1909, page 24.3; refcode GCB May 16, 1909, page 24.3).
By 1913 Andreasen was president of the Danish-Norwegian Seminary at Hutchinson, Minnesota. The May 20, 1913 General Conference Bulletin records: “After this good report, we shall listen to a report from the Danish-Norwegian Seminary, to be read by Prof. M. S. Reppe. This report is written by the president of the Seminary, M. L. Andreasen” (General Conference Bulletin, May 20, 1913, page 59.18; refcode GCB May 20, 1913, page 59.18).
Honor Guard at Ellen White’s Funeral (1915)
When Ellen White died on July 16, 1915, Andreasen was named one of the six honor guards who stood watch at her body during the public viewing in the Battle Creek Tabernacle. Life Sketches records: “For two hours preceding the service the body lay in state in front of the rostrum.” (Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, p. 463, par. 1; refcode LS 463.1). The same paragraph names six guards of honor, two serving at a time, the second of whom was M. L. Andreasen of Hutchinson, Minnesota.
Theological Author and Educator (1920s–1958)
Per the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, Andreasen served as president of Hutchinson Theological Seminary (later Union College) and was for many years the most influential Adventist systematic theologian. His writings — The Sanctuary Service, The Faith of Jesus, The Book of Hebrews, and his commentary on the Letters to the Churches — shaped Adventist theology through the mid-twentieth century. He served on the General Conference faculty of the Adventist Theological Seminary and was a popular instructor at ministerial institutes for several decades.
Death (1962)
Per the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, Andreasen died in 1962 at the age of eighty-six.
