Francis David Nichol (February 14, 1897 – June 6, 1966) was a Seventh-day Adventist 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 (Adventist), Joseph Bates and her hus ...

board of trustees, and considered the leading twentieth-century apologist 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,

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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 and ...

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

Loma Linda Loma Linda (Spanish for "Beautiful Hill") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 24,791 at the 2020 census, up from 23,261 at the 2010 census. The central area of the c ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and in 1920 he graduated from Pacific Union College in the Napa Valley 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 Francis McLellan Wilcox (1865–1951) was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, administrator and editor of the ''Review and Herald'' (now the ''Adventist Review'') for 33 years. Biography He was an early student of South Lancaster Academy (today ...

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 Loma Linda University (LLU) is a private Seventh-day Adventist health sciences university in Loma Linda, California. , the university comprises eight schools and a Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist educatio ...

Loma Linda, California Loma Linda (Spanish for "Beautiful Hill") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 24,791 at the 2020 census, up from 23,261 at the 2010 census. The central area of the c ...

and Pacific Union College 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 DjVu ( , like French "déjà vu") is a computer file format designed primarily to store scanned documents, especially those containing a combination of text, line drawings, indexed color images, and photographs. It uses technologies such as ima ...

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