In 1919, the world was reeling from the destructive forces of World War I, American Protestants were uniting against Modernism in defense of the inerrancy of the Bible, and Adventists were recovering from the 1915 death of Ellen White, their beloved prophet.

Needing to confirm the movement’s identity in rapidly changing times, some 65 Adventist leaders, editors, and Bible teachers met from July 1 to August 9, 1919, in Columbia Hall on the campus of Washington Missionary College near Washington, D.C. Their discussions were candid and often heated, prompting A.G. Daniells to occasionally ask stenographers to stop their recording work. Minutes of the conference were buried in the archives and would eventually be rediscovered in 1974. Today, the Seventh–day Adventist Church continues to grapple with issues raised at this epochal event.