Francis David Nichol (February 14, 1897 – June 6, 1966) was a

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

editor, of the church's main newsmagazine, and supervising editor of the

Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary The ''Seventh-day Adventist Commentary Reference Series'' is a set of volumes produced primarily by Seventh-day Adventist scholars, and designed for both scholarly and popular level use. It includes the seven-volume ''Seventh-day Adventist Bibl ...

, author, and also chairman of the

Ellen G. White Estate Ellen Gould White ( née Harmon; November 26, 1827 – July 16, 1915) was an American woman author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with other Adventist leaders such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, she ...

board of trustees, and considered the leading twentieth-century

apologist Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...

for the prophetic ministry of

Ellen G. White Ellen Gould White (née Harmon; November 26, 1827 – July 16, 1915) was an American woman author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with other Adventist leaders such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, she wa ...

. In 1965, Walter Martin described him as "the most able Adventist apologist."Walter Martin, ''The Kingdom of the Cults''. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany Fellowship, 1965, p384

Biography

F. D. Nichol was born 14 February 1897 in

Thirlmere Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria and the English Lake District. The Helvellyn ridge lies to the east of Thirlmere. To the west of Thirlmere are a number of fells; for instance, Armboth Fell and Raven Crag both ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia to John and Mary Nichol who became Adventists after reading a discarded copy of the ''Review and Herald'' (now the ''

Adventist Review The General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Its headquarters is located in Silver Spring, Maryland and oversees the church in directing its various divisions an ...

''). In 1905 when Francis was eight years old his family emigrated to Loma Linda,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, and in 1920 he graduated from

Pacific Union College Pacific Union College (PUC) is a private liberal arts college in Angwin, California. It is the only four-year college in Napa County. It is a coeducational residential college with an almost exclusively undergraduate student body. PUC is accre ...

in the

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...

with a Bachelor of Theology degree. In 1921 he joined the editorial staff of '' Signs of the Times'' and in 1927 became associate editor of the ''Review and Herald''. He became editor in 1945 upon the retirement of Francis M. Wilcox and held this post until his death in June 1966. Nichol was a prolific author and wrote several works including ''Answers to Objections'' (1932/1952) and ''The Midnight Cry'' (1944). He was also chairman of the

board of trustees and the supervising editor of the ''

''. He wrote two apologetic works supporting the prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White: ''Ellen G. White and Her Critics: An Answer to the Major Charges that Critics Have Brought Against Mrs. Ellen G. White'' (1951; available online), and ''Why I Believe in Mrs. E. G. White'' (1964). The standard biography of Nichol is: Miriam G. Wood and Kenneth H. Wood, ''His Initials Were F.D.N.: A Life Story of Elder F. D. Nichol, for Twenty-one Years Editor of the Review and Herald'' (1967). A commemorative issue of the ''Review and Herald'', dated 10 June 1966, that contains a life sketch of F. D. Nichol by Raymond F. Cottrell and other tributes can b
read online
Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California and

have both named buildings in his honor. Nichol Hall at Loma Linda University currently serves as classroom, office, and laboratory space for the Schools of Allied Health Professions and Public Health while Nichol Hall at Pacific Union College serves as a men's dormitory.

References

External links

''Ellen G. White and Her Critics''
online at the

website. See als
Adventist Archives version
in DjVu format.
Nichol, Francis D. (1947). ''Reasons for Our Faith''. Washington, D.C. Review and Herald.
Accessed April 8, 2011 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichol, Francis D. Pacific Union College alumni Seventh-day Adventist religious workers 1897 births 1966 deaths Ellen G. White Estate American Seventh-day Adventists Australian Seventh-day Adventists People from Loma Linda, California

Biography

See also

References

External links