Interrupted on his path to Harvard, a young Uriah Smith threw in his lot with the first Sabbath-keepers. Soon his talents became indispensable to the growing church. He was put in charge of the church paper, the Adventist Review and Sabbath Herald, and his sharply worded opinions became familiar to thousands of readers. He had much to say about prophecy and sharply-worded criticism of slavery and Catholicism. Often he found himself brought into controversy--and sometimes booted out of his position as top editor--but he continued to "stand by the pillars."

Gary Land creates a detailed portrait of this brilliant writer and inventor. We see how he frustrated other church leaders--including the Whites--and yet was always able to mend fences with those he had angered. We see how his understanding of justification by faith changed and how his statements on prophecy have held up over time. And finally, we measure the legacy of this man whose voice narrated the early years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.