Ellen G. White

By Don Hawley, 2003

Introduction

There is no doubt that Ellen G. White was one of the most influential women of her era. Even though she died in 1915, this prophetess of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination still directs the lives of millions of church members through her voluminous writings. As one Adventist author put it:

"The influence of the spirit of prophecy [Mrs. White’s writings] is woven into the warp and woof of Adventist faith, life, and organization . . . What we are as a church is a reflection of our faith in the divine authority evident in the writings of Ellen G. White." The White Truth by John Robertson, p. 61.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, the emphasis given portions of quotations in this article are my own.

White’s writings are not to be considered on a par with the writings of any other human being in her lifetime or since. They are recognized as having the same degree of inspiration as that of the Word of God. Morris Venden, a popular Adventist author, put it this way:

"There is hope for every remnant believer today who sometimes feels confused at all the differing views taken by different scholars and commentaries. We have an inspired Commentary that was given for the purpose of settling disagreement among the uninspired commentaries." The Pillars, p. 30.

More important, however, we need to note how Ellen White herself saw her ministry:

"In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit," (Mrs. White’s writings) Testimonies, Vol. 4, pp. 147, 148.

"At that time one error after another pressed in upon us; ministers and doctors brought in new doctrines. We would search the Scripture with much prayer, and the Holy Spirit would bring the truth to our minds . . . The power of God would come upon me, and I was enabled clearly to define what is truth and what is error." Selected Messages, Vol. 3, pp. 31, 32.

"These books contain clear, straight, unalterable truth and they should certainly be appreciated. The instruction they contain is not of human production." Letter H-339, Dec. 26, 1904.

"Yet now when I send you a testimony of warning and reproof, many of you declare it to be merely the opinion of Sister White. You have thereby insulted the Spirit of God." Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 661.

"Those who are reproved by the Spirit of God should not rise up against the humble instrument. It is God, and not an erring mortal, who has spoken." Testimonies, Vol. 3, p. 257.

These are heady claims indeed, and surely the ministry of such an individual invites inspection. Even God said, "Prove me now," and Paul admired those who tested his claims to speak for God.

"The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth." Acts 17:11.

As one who spent most of a lifetime in Adventism, I know that many members consider the person and work of Ellen G. White as sacrosanct—beyond questioning. I do not agree; that is not the biblical approach to professed truth.

I also know that some, having read this far, are already heading for an exit. They are fearful that even a hint of some negative comment about Ellen White might dangerously contaminate their thought processes. I can only hope that others are open-minded enough, and courageous enough, to pursue truth at any cost.

 

My Personal Experience

Following World War II, in 1947 I joined the Seventh-day Adventist denomination and entered the church’s Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. Neither the minister that baptized me nor my theology professors shared with me the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It became clear that salvation was a matter of earning one’s way to heaven through good works, and those good works could be found in abundance in the writings of Ellen G. White. I was determined to purchase heaven with my valiant efforts.

Carefully noting the hundreds of "do’s and don’ts" in White’s writings, I tried to conform in every detail. I gave up my favorite food, hamburgers, and became a vegetarian. I gave up my favorite game, chess. Card playing went by the board, except for Rook—and even that was suspect. Every Saturday night we looked forward to a "clown sundae," a delightful concoction of vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and salted peanuts. However, when I learned Ellen White had denounced food containing large amounts of eggs, milk, and sugar, that too became only a memory.

Although a financially strapped student, I scrimped to buy nearly every book Ellen White ever wrote. In my earnestness, I wanted to know my entire duty before God. I graduated from college with a degree in religion, and a thorough indoctrination into the vital role played by the church’s prophetess. Along with many other Adventists, I saw Mrs.White as virtually the fourth person of the Godhead.

In the ministry my sermons were largely a string of EGW quotes tied together with personal observations, and the mandatory Bible text or two. Frankly, I found the Bible rather boring, and spent most of my time in the "red books." Like most SDA’s, or ex-SDA’s, my memory banks are still full of EGW quotes. And like most, I still have occasional trouble in differentiating between her writings and those of Scripture.

I now prefer a Bible that puts Christ’s sayings in red, but in one of my early books I asked the publishing house to highlight all Ellen White quotes in red, while leaving the Bible texts in black. Interestingly, some years later Ellen’s grandson, Arthur White, sat each week in the Sabbath School class I taught. I mention all this just to point out that I was hardly prejudiced against Ellen G. White. In fact, even now I find this article a difficult assignment, but one that needs to be faced.

 

My Plan

So much has been written on Ellen G. White, that I need to explain my approach to the topic. First of all, this is a relatively brief treatment of the subject; like the tip of the iceberg as opposed to the huge bulk below. Whole books have been written on each of the facets here considered.

Obviously I cannot go into great detail about each matter I deal with, but there is nothing written here that cannot be substantiated. Anyone who needs further proof can find it if willing to do the necessary homework. The books listed in the bibliography may prove helpful.

Anyone who is fearful of continuing with this study is most likely unsure of his present belief system. All the more reason for proceeding.

 

GOSPEL

I have learned from personal experience that when the average Adventist is handed a Bible and asked to come up with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the result is usually a blank stare. One young man stammered, "Well I guess the Gospel is just the whole Bible." Most Adventists assume, as I once did, that the Gospel is composed of Adventism’s "27 fundamental beliefs," along with accumulated traditions and customs.

This is a most serious deficiency. I suggest that the one thing any professed Christian any place on earth should be able to do, is to turn to the Word of God and easily present the pure Gospel. After all, this is the theme of the Bible from cover to cover. In case there are readers who cannot do this, may I offer this help.

The short, short version:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

A more detailed version:

"No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God’s law, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it.

"But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.

"For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us." Rom. 3:20-25.

What a beautiful, gracious plan from a loving Father! Adventists, however, find this simple statement just too good to be true. Their standard response is, "Yes, but . . . You have to keep the law. You can’t do certain things. You must do certain other things."

I cannot digress to discuss this aberration at any length. Suffice it to say that loving obedience to God is a byproduct of salvation, not the basis for it. False religion says, "Good behavior results in salvation," while true religion says, "Salvation results in good behavior." It is misunderstanding this all-important doctrine that leaves most Adventists plagued with guilt, fear, and a lack of joy.

 

Evangelism

There was a time when I called myself a pastor/evangelist, when I was no such thing. The word evangelist comes from the term "evangel" which is defined as the "Good News." My teaching that our only hope for heaven is to work our way with good behavior was anything but good news. Even an ordained minister without the Gospel has no true mission.

I spent nearly six years in a Moslem nation as a missionary, and never preached the Gospel to a single soul. One cannot share what one does not possess. The first thing I did after getting unpacked was to hire a movie marquee artist to paint a life-sized replica of the idol in Daniel 2! How tragic. The 2300-day prophecy didn’t die for Moslems, Jesus did.

 

Two Viewpoints; One Source

Note the following two viewpoints, both from Ellen White.

One:

"We must not trust in our own merits at all, but in the merits of Jesus of Nazareth."

Review and Herald, Apr. 1, 1890.

"The thought that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, not because of any merit on our part, but as a free gift from God, is a precious thought." Gospel Workers, p. 161.

Two:

"In order to let Jesus into our hearts, we must stop sinning." Signs of the Times, Mar. 3, 1888.

"Those only who through faith in Christ obey all of God’s commandments will reach the condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression." SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 6, p. 1118.

Will the real Ellen G. White please stand up? No wonder SDA’s are always arguing among themselves even on key Bible issues. As we will point out later, Ellen often held opposing views on various important subjects.

As Wallace Slattery said, "Is it not interesting that Adventism, which claims to have the truth of God while calling other churches ‘Babylon’ (confusion), cannot even agree on something so basic as justification by faith? Precisely which religion is confused?"

 

Assurance of Salvation

One of the most wonderful gifts God has given his own is the assurance that they will be with him in glory. How sad then, that if you ask a member of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination if he is ready to meet his Savior, his almost certain reply will be, "Well, I hope so." Adventists may sing, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine," but they really are plagued with doubt. The following clear statement from Ellen White is usually the basis for this hesitancy.

"Those who accept the Savior, however sincere their conversion, should never be taught to say or feel that they are saved." Christ Object Lessons, p. 155.

But what does the Bible say?

"And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life: he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:11-13.

Of all people, Adventists make a big thing of Bible prophecy. Note, however, how John defines that gift.

"And the angel said, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’ And he added, ‘These are true words that come from God.’

"Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, ‘No, don’t worship me. For I am a servant of God, just like you and other believers. Who testify of their faith in Jesus. Worship God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.’ " Rev. 19:9, 10.

Ellen White failed to produce the very "essence of prophecy."

Never in its 150-year history has Seventh-day Adventism truly espoused a pure Gospel. One has to wonder what the justification can be for a professed Christian organization that discounts the blood of Jesus Christ.

One of the strongest prophetical voices in the world today, Rick Joyner, makes the following challenge:

"Godliness can become iniquity when reduced to law, and the iniquity of the legalistic is even more destructive than the iniquity of the carnal. Religious legalism has been the most deadly force in human history and it will continue to be a great enemy until the end." The Harvest, p. 163.

PERFECTIONISM

Few false teachings have caused more people to give up on God altogether than has the heresy of "perfectionism." Simply stated, this doctrine holds it is possible in this present life to attain to perfection of character. In fact, to fall short will be to lose out on eternal life.

Adventists argue endlessly about this matter, and of course those who buy into the doctrine lead a life of continual fear because they don’t measure up. I still remember the day, many years ago, when I decided I had to get this problem settled up once and for all. As was my habit I turned not to the Bible, but to the writings of EGW for the answer.

I decided to find every quotation Ellen made that dealt with the subject. The search was fruitless. I ended up with four pages of quotes that seemed to recognize that in this life we will always have to depend on Christ’s righteousness rather than our own. There were six pages, however, that seemed to demand we attain perfection now, as a prerequisite to eternal life. As I type this I have before me those now-yellowed pages that left me in complete turmoil.

Unfortunately, I decided I had better go with the perfectionist view, and in my book Getting It All Together I quoted the following statements—from Ellen White, of course.

"We can overcome. Yes; fully, entirely. Jesus died to make a way of escape for us, that we might overcome every evil temper, every sin, every temptation . . . " Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 144.

"Not even by a thought did He [Christ] yield to temptation. So it may be with us." Desire of Ages, p. 123.

"In order to let Jesus into our hearts, we must stop sinning." Signs of the Times, March 3, 1898.

"To be redeemed means to cease from sin." Review & Herald, Sept. 25, 1900.

" . . . conversion is not completed until he attains to perfection of Christian character." Testimonies, Vol. 2, p. 505.

"Human beings may in this life attain to perfection of character." Acts of the Apostles, p. 531.

"Perfection of character is attainable by every one who strives for it." Selected Messages Vol. 1, p. 212.

When I wrote that book I certainly didn’t have it all together, and I am thankful it is out of print.

Now let’s see what the Bible has to say about the matter.

"The heart is the most deceitful thing there is, and desperately wicked. No one can really know how bad it is! Only the Lord knows!" Jer. 17:9, 10.

"The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who are wise, who want to please God. But no, all have strayed away; all are rotten with sin. Not one is good, not one!" Psalm 14:2, 3.

"We are all infected and impure with sin. When we put on our prized robes of righteousness we find they are but filthy rags." Is. 64:5, 6.

"If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth . . . If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." 1 John 1:8, 10.

Few of us could match the great Apostle Paul for sheer willpower, but he was under no delusion.

"I don’t mean to say I am perfect." Phil. 3:12

This is such a serious item, that I want to quote two other authors. David Seamands warned:

"Perfectionism is a counterfeit for Christian perfection, holiness, sanctification, or the Spirit-filled life. Instead of making holy persons and integrated personalities—that is, whole persons in Christ—perfectionism leaves us spiritual Pharisees and emotional neurotics." Healing for Damaged Emotions, p. 78.

One of Adventism’s leading theologians, Edward Heppenstall, said:

"The pretension to sinless perfection at any time in this earthly life is the root of spiritual pride and self-righteousness . . . Salvation by grace alone means that absolute perfection and sinlessness cannot be realized here and now." Leaflet Is Perfection Possible?, p. 11, 12.

In 1975 an Adventist publishing house put out a book Perfection that brought out the major views prevalent, but the battle still rages. Ellen G. White should have been able, as a prophetess, to set the matter straight, but she never did. Ellen was not in the habit of going back and correcting previous errors. I was happy, though, to read a statement she made only three months before her death.

"I do not say that I am perfect . . . No one is perfect. If one were perfect, he would be prepared for heaven." Review & Herald, July 23, 1970.

 

THE WORD OF GOD

I have already mentioned that it was my practice to immerse myself in the writings of Ellen G. White, rather than in the Word of God. It was so much easier to reach for the "red books" rather than to study the Bible. Ellen’s writings are so thoroughly indexed that one can look up one’s duty in nearly any facet of life.

I was not alone in my practice. In 1977 a Sabbath School Quarterly used Bible quotes only 19 times in three months of study. There were, however, innumerable paragraphs, sentences and half sentences taken from the writings of EGW.

Several years ago, an adult Sabbath School Quarterly actually confessed:

"In practice, if not in theory, the writings of E.G. White have been elevated to an almost verbally inspired touchstone of interpretation which has resulted in an essentially biblically illiterate membership."

That is a strong admission for a people who have always prided themselves on being number one in Christendom when it comes to interpretation of Scripture.

In 1983 President Reagan designated that year as the "Year of the Bible" in honor of Gutenberg’s achievement. The SDA denomination instead chose to designate 1983 as the "Year of the Spirit of Prophecy"—that is the "Year of Ellen G. White."

It is from EGW that Adventists get their endless lists of "do’s and don’ts," and many of these are so contrary to Bible principle, that some SDA’s end up thinking the Word is contradictory or even incomprehensible. I could give many examples, but let me quote from my book Set Free!, page 185.

"If I show up in my Seventh-day Adventist congregation next Sabbath wearing a gold bracelet, I know I will be criticized by many. However, if during the following week I have a jeweler remove an inch of bracelet and install a watch face, all will be well. Then I can attend church at ease.

"One lady wears small ear studs and is condemned. Next to her in the same pew another woman is wearing a brooch the size of a saucer, but no one notices.

"A string of imitation pearls is not acceptable. But if those same pearls are arranged down the front of a dress as buttons, no problem.

"If my wife should appear next Sabbath wearing a neck adornment, she would be criticized. If I should appear next Sabbath without my neck adornment (necktie), I would be criticized!"

Few things have caused more trouble in Adventism than the earth-shaking matter of wearing a wedding ring. It became a problem because Ellen said:

"Not one penny should be spent for a circlet of gold to testify that we are married." Testimony to Ministers, p. 181.

An open-minded study of Scripture makes it clear that jewelry is an Adventist problem rather than a biblical one. To bolster their prohibitions against jewelry, SDA’s usually quote the following text.

"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency, and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God" 1 Tim. 2:9, 10.

Adventists tend to miss the point of the text, that the Bible is a book of principles, and one important principle has to do with modesty. Someone marching around town attired in sackcloth and ashes in order to call attention to himself, would not be dressed modestly. It is interesting to note that although the above text specifically mentions "braided hair," Ellen White generally wore her hair in braids!

I like what one former Adventist lady had to say, "Being worldly doesn’t concern wearing a flower in your hat, or a ring on your finger; it means acting ugly, hateful, and selfish."

An Infallible Prophetess

Robert W. Olson, former secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate, has stated:

"We cannot use Ellen White as the determinative final arbiter of what Scripture means. If we do that, then she is the final authority and Scripture is not. Scripture must be permitted to interpret itself." Ministry, Dec., 1990, p. 17.

That may seem like a sound, straightforward approach, but the fact is that such honesty came as the result of pressure. I personally can testify that through the years denominational members were not carefully instructed in such a manner. Leaders were perfectly aware that the average layman was inclined to put EGW over Scripture, and did little to change that situation—for reasons that will be discussed later in the section called "Control."

I was present at the 1980 General Conference Session when a debate erupted over the use of a single word in the 27 Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists. In the June 3, 1971, issue of the Review, an editorial stated:

"The Bible is an infallible guide but it needs to be infallibly interpreted" for the safety of the saints. What was really needed, the quotation continued, was for Adventists to let the Spirit of Prophecy [EGW’s writings] "be confirmed among us and become in fact a counselor, guide and final court of appeal among God’s people."

People with this bent prevailed at the 1980 session, and the word "only" was removed from the 1^st Fundamental Belief that had read, "The Holy Scriptures are the only infallible revelation of His will."

Officially, since that time, SDA’s have two infallible sources of truth. This makes things a bit sticky when the two sources disagree. Some Bibles have a center column that points out other texts that correlate with the one at hand. Now it is possible to buy a Bible where the center columns offer a correlation with specific statements from the writings of Ellen White! In a showdown, I fear Ellen’s viewpoint would prevail with most Adventists.

 

WRITING ASSISTANTS AND INFLUENCE OF OTHERS

I can recall the night, as a new Adventist, I first read the little facsimile books entitled Spiritual Gifts. These were among Ellen White’s earliest writings. Although I found the material very interesting, I was a bit surprised at the short, choppy sentences, the poor spelling, and the errors in grammar. Later, when I read the smooth cadences of Desire of Ages, I was even more surprised. How could the writing of an author improve so dramatically, especially without formal training? Finally, I learned how that came about.

First, let us see what Ellen says about her writing.

"I am just as dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord in relating or writing a vision as in having a vision." Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 2, p. 293.

In other words, she claims that the very words in which her visions are recorded are of divine inspiration. She further comments:

"No one should have a right to influence me in any way in reference to my responsibility and my work in bearing my testimony of encouragement and reproof.

"My husband never stood in my way to do this . . . I have not one person in the world who shall put any message in my mind or lay one duty upon me." Selected Messages Vol. 3, pp. 66, 67.

"I have not been in the habit of reading any doctrinal articles in the paper (the Review and Herald), that my mind should not have any understanding of anyone’s ideas and views, and that not a mold of any man’s theories should have any connection with that which I write." Selected Messages, Vol. 3, p. 63.

In the same volume, pp. 459, 460, Ellen’s son Willie is quoted from a letter written in 1928:

"Previous to her work of writing on the life of Christ and during the time of her writing, to some extent, she read from the works of Hanna, Fleetwood, Farrar, and Geike . . . and her habit of using parts of sentences found in the writings of others and filling in a part of her own composition, was not based upon any definite plan nor was it questioned by her copyist and copy writers until about 1885 and onward."

Here we have bold claims that no one in the world had any real influence on her writing. Now, let’s see what her own husband says.

"I think [my] wife has been more severe than the Lord really required her to be in some cases. Satan has taken great advantage . . . Elder Butler and Haskell have had an influence over her that I hope to see broken. It had nearly ruined her." Letter from James White to D. M. Canright, May 24, 1881.

"The pressure has been terribly hard upon my poor wife. She has been impressed very much by Elders Butler and Haskell." Letter from James White to D. M. Canright, July 13, 1881.

James White died August 6, 1881, 23 days after writing this last letter. More than anyone else on earth, he probably knew the truth of the matter.

Dr. J. H. Kellogg, a close associate of the White’s, reported:

"These men [Adventist leaders] have frequently cut out large chunks of things that Sister White had written, that put things in a light that was not the most favorable to them, or did not suit their campaigns that way; they felt at liberty to cut them out so as to change the effect and the tenor of the whole thing, sending it out over Sister White’s name." Ellen G. White, D.M. Canright, p.25.

On that same page Canright quotes two other knowledgeable gentlemen.

"This is to certify, that I was proof-reader in the Review and Herald office here for six years, beginning in 1898. Many times when testimonies from Mrs. White were received, passages were cut out and left out as it suited those in authority in the office." (Signed) W.R. Vester.

G.W. Amadon, for many years head printer in the Review office:

"You know, in the days of the Elder [Elder James White], how her writings were handled, just as well as I do."

Amadon was intimating that Ellen’s husband manipulated his wife’s writings to suit himself.

Although EGW apparently was greatly influenced in her writing by various leaders, it was her permanent staff of secretaries that carried the bulk of the load.

"Marian Davis would sometimes change words. She would divide sentences because she realized that shorter sentences made a greater impact. She would eliminate repetition. She constructed the book in its present form. Ellen White called Marian Davis her ‘bookmaker.’ Without her (or someone like her) we would never have had The Desire of Ages or Steps to Christ or Christ’s Object Lessons or The Ministry of Healing or Education or Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing. In the case of all of these works, she selected key passages from Ellen White’s writings and put them together in book form." Ministry, Dec. 1990, pp. 17, 18.

But is it true that everything that got into Ellen’s books originated with her? August 11, 1945, H. Camden Lacy wrote the following to LeRoy Froom.

"Sr. Marian Davis was entrusted with the preparation of Desire of Ages and . . . she gathered her material from every available source . . . She was greatly worried about finding material suitable for the first chapter (and other chapters too for that matter) and I did what I could to help her, and I have good reason to believe that she also appealed to Professor Prescott frequently for similar aid."

It seems that there were several "ghost writers" involved with the Ellen G. White manuscripts; everything did not come direct from God in the form of inspiration as she herself claimed.

 

PLAGIARISM

Having authored several books, I know just how much "borrowing" goes on in the field of writing. Someone has said "If you copy from one book it is called plagiarism; if you copy from two or more, it is called research." Often those who are influenced by the writings of others give credit, while other times they merely paraphrase.

When the charge of plagiarism is leveled at Ellen White, however, it takes on different meaning. She has led her readers to believe that all of what she has written came from God’s throne, not from human sources. Not so. I was disappointed when I first learned that some of my favorite EGW "gems" were lifted from the labors of others. Let me give two concrete examples.

Famous EGW quote:

"I testify to my brethren and sisters that the church of Christ, enfeebled and defective as it may be, is the only object on earth on which He bestows His supreme regard." Testimonies, Vol. 1, p.15, Melbourne, Australia, December 23, 1892

Fifty years earlier!

"But the church of Christ, enfeebled and defective as it may be, is that only object on earth on which he bestows his supreme regard." From The Great Teacher, pp. 158-160, by John Harris, 1842.

The following "filler" appeared in the Review, Vol. 37, No. 6, January 1871. It was called "Selected" which meant they were not sure who wrote it.

"The great want of this age is men. Men who are not for sale. Men who are honest, sound from center to circumference, true to the heart’s core—men who will condemn wrong in a friend or foe, in themselves as well as others. Men whose consciences are as steady as the needle to the pole. Men who will stand for the right if the heavens totter and the earth reel."

Thirty years later Ellen took this same item, remodeled it, and claimed it as her own.

"The greatest want of the world is men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right through the heavens fall." Education, 1903, p. 57.

So much of EGW’s book Sketches From the Life of Paul was copied from Conybeare and Howson’s Life and Epistles of the Apostle Paul, that the publisher threatened a law suit if her work was not suppressed. It was then withdrawn from sale, and for many years has not been listed among her books.

Arthur White, EGW’s grandson:

"To Ellen White, W. C. White, and Ellen White’s literary staff, there was no dishonesty, no deceiving of the people in the manner in which her work was done." Adventist Review, Feb. 23, 1984, p. 19.

Willie White, EGW’s son:

"In the early days of her work, Mother was promised wisdom in the selection from the writings of others, that would enable her to select the gems of truth from the rubbish of error. We have all seen this fulfilled, and yet when she told me of this, she admonished me not to tell it to others." Adventist Review, Feb. 23, l984, p. 5.

Ellen White claimed, "When writing these precious books, if I hesitated, the very word I wanted to express the idea was given to me." (Selected Messages, Vol. 3, pp. 51, 52.) Later we learn that in many, if not most cases, the "very word" came from other pens.

General Conference President, A. G. Daniells, noted:

"In Australia I saw The Desire of Ages being made up, and I saw the rewriting of chapters, some of them written over and over again." Spectrum, Vol. 10, No. 1, May 19, 1979.

One might wonder why, if God gave Ellen White the appropriate words as she claimed, it was necessary to rewrite several times.

Several years ago an SDA pastor, Walter Rae, wrote a book entitled The White Lie. Like me, he had looked at EGW as virtually the fourth person of the Godhead, holding her writings at least on a par with the Bible. However, in his studies he came across what seemed to be possible plagiarism. Incredulous, he dug deeper and came up with massive copying without giving credit. He claimed that even words spoken by angels had been lifted from other sources.

Although even-handed readers had to admit his charges appeared proven, the denomination tried to keep his findings from becoming widely known. One SDA author attempted to deal with those who had become informed by writing a rebuttal called The White Truth.

 

A Resolution

In a commendable attempt to get to the truth about Ellen White’s plagiarism, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists appointed Fred Veltman, Ph. D., to do an in-depth study in 1980. Veltman, at that time chairman of the Relgion Department of Pacific Union College, Angwin, California, was well suited for the task. He held a doctoral degree in hermeneutics from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.

Arthur White, Ellen’s grandson, was extremely concerned about such a study, and expressed a number of concerns in writing. Nevertheless, the study went ahead.

It may have been because the book Desire of Ages is a favorite of so many SDA’s that Veltman chose that volume for special study. At first he didn’t find too much indication of copying, but soon found out why. In an interesting comment, Veltman said:

"By the time you are reading Ellen White, the material has been through Marian Davis’ hands, and it’s been edited, so that you don’t have Ellen White at that stage . . . There is no question that Ellen White has used sources more than we have understood her to use. Ellen is not only dependent—by the way that is not new; Walter Rae said that—but Ellen White also has followed the development of thought where a writer has developed a thought." Adventist Currents, June, 1985.

We cannot take time here to give a detailed report on the plagiarism study, but much information is available for those who might be interested. Following are some conclusions Veltman reached and reported in Ministry, Dec. 1990, pp. 11-18.

Most of the content of Desire of Ages was borrowed; it did not originate with Ellen G. White.

Ellen used a minimum of 23 sources of various types of literature, including fiction, in her writings on the life of Christ. Many of the source books utilized today would be classified as "historical fiction."

White’s literary assistants, particularly Marian Davis, are responsible for the published form of The Desire of Ages.

Note that such a frank article appeared in Ministry magazine, rather than in the Adventist Review where it would be readily available to lay people.

Robert Olson, former secretary of the White Estate, did admit in the Adventist Review, Feb. 23, 1984, that "50 percent or more" of the book Great Controversy "was drawn from other sources."

Worthy of special note is the matter that troubled Veltman most of all.

"Implicitly or explicitly, Ellen White and others speaking on her behalf did not admit to and even denied literary dependency on her part . . .

"I must admit at the start that in my judgment this is the most serious problem to be faced in connection with Ellen White’s literary dependency. It strikes at the heart of her honesty, her integrity, and therefore her trustworthiness." Ministry, Dec., 1990, pp. 11, 14.

God says:

"I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me." Jer. 23:30, 32.

 

 

COMPILATIONS

Apparently Ellen G. White planned for denominational leaders to continue publishing books that would be compilations from her writings. That was a highly dangerous decision, because it permits leadership to manipulate her writings to serve their own ends—even if it means completely changing the original, and obvious, meaning.

Would any of us be able, even if we wanted to be evenhanded, to be capable of deciding which quotations should be included and which left out without being swayed by personal bias? How could we turn off our subconscious mind to the extent it wouldn’t dictate to our conscious mind?

I’m even more concerned, however, with the ellipses, those little series of dots that appear from time to time in Ellen White compilations. I always assumed they represented material left out because it was insignificant or redundant, but that turns out to be a naive assumption. The Adventist Review for Dec. 15, 1988, p. 10, presented a warning about false teachings.

"Three or four dots (. . . .) indicate that words have been omitted. Sometimes used for brevity, this device can also be used by crafty writers to delete evidence against their argument. By the use of the ellipses, a statement can be made to say the very opposite of its original intent."

Let me present an actual misuse of ellipses in an Ellen G. White compilation. Sister White was answering a lady who had written for advice.

"I have received your letter, and in reply to it I would say, I cannot advise you to return to D unless you see decided changes in him. The Lord is not pleased with the ideas he has had in the past of what is due a wife . . . If [he] holds to his former views, the future would be no better for you than the past has been. He does not know how to treat a wife." Adventist Home, p. 343.

When I first read this portion I didn’t pay too much attention to the ellipsis. I assumed I had been spared plowing through some irrelevant material. When I learned what was removed, I knew better. More than half the paragraph was excised; this is what is missing.

"At one time I spoke very plainly to D in regard to his responsibilities to his wife. It is very clear to me that would be a mistake for you to be united again while your love for him is quenched. He cannot make you happy unless his views are changed. You have a duty to perform to your mother. You should not place yourself in a position where you would be miserable and unhappy, and . . ." E. G. White Letter 148, 1907.

Notice that one sentence was cut right in half. Considering the topic, do you feel the excised material is irrelevant? From my experience I feel safe in saying that the leaders who did the verbal surgery thought it best that laity not be allowed even to consider the following two comments:

"a mistake for you to be united again while your love for him is quenched."

"You should not place yourself in a position where you would be miserable and unhappy."

The Seventh-day Adventist denomination has in later years made some progress in dealing with divorce and remarriage, but at the time Adventist Home was released leadership was interested only in keeping the denomination’s skirts clean. They were not that interested in facing up to the needs of hurting people. They didn’t want members to know that EGW had said love could be quenched, or that in some situations a reconciliation should not be attempted.

The next section will present another even more blatant attempt to mislead, but just this one should be enough to warn of the dangers inherent in compilations.

CONTROL

According to Paul the splintering of the Body of Christ into competing denominations was never in God’s plan. Denominations come into being, and remain in place, because certain men love the feeling of power that comes with control. The religious leaders in Christ’s time didn’t like his theology, but that was not the main reason they called for his crucifixion. The hatred of the Pharisees for Jesus was because he presented a serious threat to the religious power structure of that day. Christ called for servant leadership, and they didn’t want to give up their beloved perks.

Local elder, Normann Shaw, of Clarendon Street Seventh-day Adventist Church, Nottingham, England, wisely observed:

"The church is in grave danger of establishing an oral law based on her (EGW) counsels, just as Judaism did based on the rulings of the scribes. We say that we have no creed but the Bible, yet we have burdened ourselves with the most elaborate creed of all: the books, letters, and articles of Ellen White." Ministry Magazine, Feb., 1989.

One reason Adventist leaders too willingly have allowed members to think of Ellen White as virtually the fourth person of the Godhead, is that her writings then provide a powerful means of controlling the church body. Following is an EGW statement that has been used over and over to keep the members in line.

"I have been shown that no man’s judgment should be surrendered to the judgment of any one man. But when the judgment of the General Conference, which is the highest authority that God has on earth is exercised, private independence and private judgment must not be maintained, but be surrendered." Testimonies, Vol. 3, p. 492.

How’s that for a weapon to keep the sheep in line! Is it honest, however, to deliberately ignore statements on the same topic by the same author at later dates? The above statement was made in 1875; now let’s look at some others.

[1895] "I do not find rest in spirit. Scene after scene is presented in symbols before me, and I find no rest until I begin to write out the matter. At the center of the work matters are being shaped so that every other institution is following in the same course. And the General Conference is itself becoming corrupted with wrong sentiments and principles." Testimonies to Ministers, p. 359.

[1901] "That these men should stand in a sacred place to be the voice of God to the people as we once believed the General Conferences to be, that is past.

"The voice of the General Conference has been represented as an authority to be heeded as the voice of the Holy Spirit. But when members of the General Conference Committee become entangled in business affairs and financial perplexities, the sacred elevated character of their work is to a great degree lost. The temple of God becomes a place of merchandise, and the ministers of God’s house as commercial business men." General Conference Bulletin, 1901, pp. 25, 76.

 

Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth

In spite of the fact that much of Christ’s healing ministry had to do with the casting out of demons, Seventh-day Adventism has for decades been opposed to following in the Lord’s footsteps. I have never heard it claimed that evil spirits no longer exist, but apparently they are not to be challenged in their nefarious endeavors. At least one SDA minister I know who sought to help victims of demon possession had his ministerial credentials lifted.

In the early 80s, in spite of the opposition of denominational leaders, successful exorcisms were taking place—even in the Loma Linda Medical Center itself. Finally, in an attempt to put a stop to such activity, leadership asked the Biblical Research Institute to prepare a special report. The result was a 60-page document issued in 1983 entitled "Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance Ministry and Seventh-day Adventists."

On page 28 of that document appeared the following statement taken from Ellen G. White Letter 96, 1900.

"We are none of us to seek to cast out devils, lest we ourselves be cast out."

Now that is a heavy duty admonition, and when I first read it I underlined it twice! Could any warning be plainer than that? Surely that settles the matter once and for all. Well, not exactly. Later I learned that the following qualifying phrase had been omitted.

"Unless we know that we have a commission from on high . . ."

Leaving off this qualifying portion completely changes the original intent of the author, a woman they claim was speaking for God himself! There is no way that the compilers could accidentally have lopped off this portion of the sentence. This is a case of deliberate fraud!

While the report carefully garnered every negative statement they could find that EGW had written on the subject, they also carefully avoided any positive statements. Statements such as these.

"I saw that if the church had always retained her peculiar, holy character, the power of the Holy Spirit which was imparted to the disciples would still be with her. The sick would be healed, devils would be rebuked and cast out, and she would be mighty and a terror to her enemies." Early Writings, p. 227.

"Souls possessed with evil spirits will present themselves before us. We must cultivate the spirit of earnest prayer, mingled with genuine faith to save them from ruin, and this will confirm our faith. God designs that the sick, the unfortunate, those possessed with evil spirits, shall hear His voice through us." Ms 65b, 1898.

"Satan takes possession of the minds of men today. In my labors in the cause of God, I have again and again met those who have been thus possessed, and in the name of the Lord I have rebuked the evil spirit." Selected Messages, Vol. 2, p. 353.

How much confidence can we place in those who engage in such deliberate manipulation?

I must also mention the important part money plays in the promotion and continuing use of the writings of Ellen White; large profits are realized from the sale of her books.

 

Mythology

Even mythology is sometimes utilized to keep members in awe of their prophet. I still remember while I was in college someone from the Ellen G. White Estate displayed the large 18-pound Bible that Ellen supposedly held up at arm’s length for approximately 45 minutes while in vision! When it was my turn to try to match her, I managed less than one minute. Surely this was proof enough for anyone that EGW was a true prophet of God.

In 1919 Elder A. G. Daniells, then world president, said:

"I have heard some ministers preach, and have seen it in writing, that Sister White once carried a heavy Bible—I believe they said it weighed forty pounds—on her outstretched hand, and looking up toward the heavens quoted texts and turned the leaves over and pointed to the texts, with her eyes toward heaven. I do not know whether that was ever done or not. I am not sure. I did not see it, and I do not know that I ever talked with anybody that did see it." Bible Conference of 1919.

Today the White Estate admits that any evidence that she ever held up any large Bible for a great length of time is tenuous and cannot be validated. Wallace D. Slattery makes an interesting observation:

"My aide in my last SDA teaching position in Pennsylvania was a great-granddaughter of Sister White. I discussed this supposed event with her, and she agreed that undoubtedly it never happened. She telephoned her mother, who worked at the White Estate in Washington, D.C., and asked her, ‘Why do you still show that big Bible to people who come in, when you know that the event never took place?’ Her mother answered, ‘But you should see their faces when they see it!’" Are Seventh-day Adventists False Prophets? A Former Insider Speaks Out, p. 5.

Do you have trouble with trusting church members deliberately being manipulated in that fashion?

 

Ellen White’s Own Control Methodology

A careful look at Ellen White’s writings indicates that she too was highly interested in maintaining control over church members.

"In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit. There never was a time when God instructed His people more earnestly than He instructs them now concerning His will and the course that He would have them pursue." Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 147.

"If you lessen the confidence of God’s people in the testimonies He has sent them, you are rebelling against God as were Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Testimonies, Vol.5, p. 66.

"There will be a hatred kindled against the testimonies which is satanic. The workings of Satan will be to unsettle the faith of the churches in them." Letter 40, 1890

Notice how cleverly and powerfully the following statement is worded, so as to defuse any questioning.

"Satan is . . . constantly pressing in the spurious—to lead away from the truth. The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. . . . Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testimony." Letter 12, 1890

If you dare question the writings of Ellen White, you yourself become an end-time sign of Satan’s evil schemes. No wonder a "Mrs. White says . . ." will effectively bring to a halt almost any religious discussion among Seventh-day Adventists. Bluntly stated, it’s a matter of "believe or die."

Although Ellen G. White died in 1915, she still exerts tremendous control over millions of Seventh-day Adventists from beyond the grave.

 

CULTISM

Not too long ago Ruth Tucker wrote a book Another Gospel that Ministry magazine admitted was fairly and kindly written. In it the author gives the classical description of a cult; please read it slowly and carefully.

"A ‘cult’ is a religious group that has a ‘prophet’-founder called of God to give a special message not found in the Bible itself, often apocalyptic in nature and often set forth in ‘inspired’ writings.

"In deference to this charismatic figure or these ‘inspired’ writings, the style of leadership is authoritarian and there is frequently an exclusivistic outlook, supported by a legalistic lifestyle and persecution mentality." p. 16.

Any honest-hearted and open-minded person can see immediately that this definition applies with perfection to Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science—and Seventh-day Adventism.

Tucker goes on to note that Adventism is not as totally "cultic" as the others, because it holds to many orthodox Christian beliefs. However, that poses a problem. The teachings of the other three mentioned above are so aberrant that careful students can detect the falsehood; but not so easily with Adventism. As Mary Poppins said, "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down."

If Adventism is a full-blown cult, or even cultic, that fact can be attributed directly to its "prophet-founder," Ellen G. White.

 

 

SELECTIVITY

Although Seventh-day Adventism claims virtually all of EGW’s writings came right from the throne, members are very selective about what portions they decide to heed. If they really went all the way with Ellen White:

They wouldn’t have photographs of loved ones displayed in their homes.

They wouldn’t ride bicycles.

They wouldn’t play tennis.

They wouldn’t play chess, checkers, or cards.

They wouldn’t dance.

They wouldn’t wear wigs.

They wouldn’t eat meat.

They wouldn’t eat cheese.

They wouldn’t eat ice cream.

They wouldn’t go bowling.

They wouldn’t attend movies.

They wouldn’t attend opera.

They wouldn’t eat between meals.

They wouldn’t wear a wedding ring.

They wouldn’t use black pepper.

They wouldn’t eat vegetables and fruit at the same meal.

They wouldn’t take out life insurance.

They wouldn’t drink tea or coffee.

This list is by no means exhaustive, just exhausting. But as I have already said, most Adventists make exceptions for their pet activities, while frequently condemning other members in areas that do not entice them.

Ellen White said that never should males attend women who are giving birth. She also warned that " ‘women’s secret parts’ . . . should never be exposed to men, and women physicians should ‘utterly refuse to look upon the secret parts of men.’ " EGW had much more to say about individuals consulting opposite-sex physicians than she says about wedding rings, but the former admonition is ignored while the latter has been made into a federal case.

 

The Role of Women

In Early Writings Ellen makes an interesting observation.

"There is no example given in the Word for brethren to wash sister’s feet; but there is an example for sisters to wash the feet of brethren. Mary washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. I saw that the Lord had moved upon sisters to wash the feet of brethren and that it was according to gospel order." p. 117.

Why are Adventists ignoring this clear instruction? In spite of her sex, Ellen White did very little to advance the cause of women in the Seventh-day Adventist organization.

If God truly is speaking through Ellen G. White, is it not dangerous for individual Adventists to pick and choose from among her multitudinous admonitions?

Let us keep in mind that the real reason for observing all the "do’s and don’ts" has to do with earning one’s way to heaven. They take the place of trusting only in the blood of Jesus for salvation. Rick Joyner weighs such an attitude in the balance, and finds it wanting.

"Godliness can become iniquity when reduced to law and the iniquity of the legalistic is even more destructive than the iniquity of the carnal. Religious legalism has been the most deadly force in human history and it will continue to be a great enemy until the end." The Harvest, p. 163.

THE INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT

Seventh-day Adventists are very proud of "their doctrines," such as the Sabbath, the state of the dead, and the annihilation of the wicked. Actually, those doctrines were around a long time before there was such a thing as an SDA. There is only one doctrine that originated with, and is the sole possession of Adventism, and that is the teaching of the Investigative Judgment. It is also the one doctrine held by SDA’s that no non-Adventist theologian has ever recognized as biblical.

After the "great disappointment" of 1844, the Advent band needed some explanation for what went wrong. The story is that the following day a man by the name of Hiram Edson was walking through his cornfield, pondering recent events. Midfield he stopped abruptly as the Lord revealed to him the truth about what happened on October 22. Instead of Christ coming out of the Most Holy of the heavenly sanctuary to come to this earth, he had instead entered into the Most Holy for the first time since his resurrection.

There are some serious problems with this neat explanation of the Great Disappointment. The story of that cornfield experience was handed down by another pioneer, J. N. Loughborough. In each of his five accounts the story varied, the original enlightenment finally turning into a full-fledged vision.

If Hiram Edson really had such an experience, surely it would have been reported in the Adventist publications of that time. However it was never so much as mentioned. Only in 1882, when he was 75 and nearing death, did Edson at last write out his cornfield experience. It was hand-written on yellow notebook paper, and only five pages survived. No major Adventist figure ever referred to Edson’s encounter in letters, articles, pamphlets or books published prior to 1892. If there ever were a "vision in the cornfield," it affected no one at the time.

The first writer on what would become known as the SDA sanctuary doctrine was a Millerite lay preacher by the name of Owen Crosier. In 1851, he penned an article on the subject for the Day Dawn that convinced James White and other Adventist leaders. He dealt with the sanctuary in other publications as well, but at no time did he allude to Edson’s cornfield experience. A short time later he repudiated his sanctuary teaching and left the Advent movement.

 

The Investigative Judgment Investigated

Years later most Adventists came to believe that the doctrine of the "Investigative Judgment" was part and parcel of the Crosier sanctuary teaching, but such is not the case. Actually the idea of an investigative judgment wasn’t thoroughly accepted until fifteen years after the disappointment. This doctrine, peculiar to Adventism, proved to be a source of trouble almost from the beginning. Through the years, many leading theologians and scholars left the ranks of Adventism because of its teaching.

In context, it should be evident that the judgment implied in Daniel 8:14 refers back to the little horn power that desecrated the temple and persecuted the people of God. Strangely, Adventists instead decided the judgment was to be upon God’s people! To build a case for this idea, it was necessary to link Daniel 8:14 with Leviticus 16 and the Day of Atonement.

In 1958, a questionnaire was sent to twenty-seven Adventist scholars considered to be highly qualified in biblical language and exegesis. All twenty-seven replied that it was impossible to make a linguistic connection between Daniel 8:14 and Leviticus 16! The majority also asserted that there is no contextual evidence in Daniel 8 for the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment.

As a result of this inquiry, the General Conference president agreed that a special committee should be formed to get this matter settled once and for all. The committee, made up of the best minds the denomination had to offer, wrestled with the matter on and off for a period of five years. Finally, without even making a final report, the committee gave up and disbanded. In spite of this failure, and in spite of the fact few Adventist theologians would even write on the topic, the denomination went right on teaching the Investigative Judgment as Bible verity.

To hold to a non-biblical teaching is indefensible, but the greatest tragedy is that the concept of an investigative judgment almost inevitably leads to legalism and perfectionism. And this in turn produces fear and guilt, resulting in a crippled witness for Christ.

 

A Doctrine Exalted

Not only was the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment not repudiated, it was exalted to the highest position.

"The correct understanding of the sanctuary is the foundation of our faith." EGW in the Great Controversy, p. 409.

Other leaders, including world president A. G. Daniells, agreed that this particular doctrine should be considered the very foundation stone of Seventh-day Adventism. This is very strange in the light of what I read in the Word of God.

"No one can lay any other foundation than the one we already have—Jesus Christ." 1 Corin. 3:11.

Jesus is the Rock; all else is mere sand. When the final winds blow I fear those who are trusting in a doctrine for their security may be found wanting. And this precarious situation can be laid at the feet of Ellen G. White. It is possible to judge the extent of the denomination’s reliance on EGW for its sanctuary doctrine by a two-part article entitled "The Sanctuary Truth," that appeared in the Adventist Review of Nov. 6, 13, 1980. The article contains more than 250 lines quoted from Ellen White and only one verse from the Bible (Dan. 8:14).

Why So Unmovable?

Many of those who have left the Seventh-day Adventist denomination because of the Investigative Judgment doctrine have been the brightest and best. Since Herculean efforts by the denomination’s top scholars failed to provide biblical support, why is there such a death grip on this failed doctrine? The answer is two-fold, and as is so often the case EGW plays the key role.

The best presentation summary of the SDA view of the Investigative Judgment in current Adventist literature is the chapter entitled "The Investigative Judgment" in the book The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White. Once EGW has set something in cement, how can there ever be an admission of error or a change of course?

"When the power of God [read EGW] testifies as to what is truth, that truth is to stand forever as the truth. No after suppositions contrary to the light God has given are to be entertained." Counsels to Writers and Editors, p. 31.

Since this doctrine is the self-confessed "foundation" of Seventh-day Adventism, to remove the foundation would be to destroy the superstructure. Note what one of the leading voices of Adventism, LeRoy Froom, had to say.

"Indeed, if there is no actual Sanctuary in heaven, and no ministering Great High Priest serving therein; and if there is no Judgment Hour message to herald from God to mankind at this time, then we have no justifiable place in the religious world, no distinctive denominational mission and message, no excuse for functioning as a separate church entity today." Movement of Destiny, p. 542.

You said it, LeRoy, not I!

 

The Destruction of Assurance

The greatest evil of the Investigative Judgment is that it destroys the assurance of salvation God wants his people to enjoy. When Jesus died on the cross he said, "It is finished," but SDA’s say, "The critical part only got started in 1844." I see Christians wearing buttons that read "Paid in Full," but as an Adventist my button would have to have read "Partial Payment." Adventists sing "Blessed Assurance," but what they really have is miserable doubt. No wonder they as a people are filled with doubt, fear, and uncertainty.

It is impossible to have true rest in Christ if you are frightened that "today may be the day when my name comes up in judgment!" Obviously this attitude is premised on the legalistic concept of the scales rather than the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. The Investigative Judgment doctrine strikes at the very heart of the Gospel. Paul said in Galatians 1:6-9, it is a "cursed" teaching.

I have a computer that permits me, with the mere touch of a button, to bring up vast amounts of information. But God has to rely on a set of dusty old books to find out what is in our hearts? I don’t think so. Jesus says, "I know my sheep." At any moment in history Jesus knows exactly who belongs to him; he doesn’t need to carry on investigative research.

No Need to Fear a Judgment

EGW says:

"Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator." The Great Controversy, p. 425.

God says:

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

EGW says:

"So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God." The Great Controversy, p. 480.

God says:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." John 5:24

There is no reason to judge the saints. If we were judged according to our own righteousness, there would be nothing to consider but "filthy rags. If we are judged according to Christ’s righteousness, there is nothing to consider but his perfection.

There will be a judgment to determine the punishment of the wicked.

 

Our Judgment is Past, Not Future

There is one aspect of judgment that few Christians understand. When Mary found Jesus in the garden after his resurrection, the Lord told her not to hold on to him since he had to return briefly to the Father. The reason for this was so that he might appear before the Father to have his earthly mission judged. Was his sacrifice on the cross, his shed blood, sufficient for guilty man? Praise God, the answer was "yes!"

You may say, "Well, that was a foregone conclusion." True, it was in a sense a formality, but one that needed to be played out before an observing universe. The import thing to understand is:

I was crucified with him at Calvary.

I was buried with him in the tomb.

I was resurrected with him in the garden.

I was judged with him before the throne.

"There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him." John 4:18

My judgment is past, and I have eternal life in him now. Hallelujah!

KELLOGG

Back in the early 1980s a young man, Ronald Graybill, was an associate secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate. That means he had unlimited access to the inner recesses of the estate vault with its many secrets that were kept from Adventist laymen.

In 1983, Graybill received his Ph. D. in history from Johns Hopkins University. For his doctoral dissertation he produced a 229-page manuscript entitled "The Power of Prophecy." Ron had planned to make a slightly expanded edition of his dissertation into a book by the same name, even stating the selling price. However, by the time the leading brethren got through with him, he decided that the price of publishing such frank material might be higher than he cared to pay. He did hope to make some version of his research available at a later date, but to my knowledge this has never happened. I am indebted to Adventist Currents of Oct. 1983 for printing some of Graybill’s extensive research. After reading this abbreviated report, I can see why Adventist leaders needed to muzzle Graybill at any cost. The numbers in parentheses represent pages in the dissertation.

I have already mentioned that the key word in a hierarchical denomination is "power" or "control." Because of her prophetic mantle, no one in Seventh-day Adventism wielded as much authority or power as did Ellen G. White. Graybill pointed out that when General Conference president G. I. Butler in 1888 resisted the teaching of E. J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones regarding the law, Ellen White concluded he had been in office "three years too long." Butler retired to Florida in disgrace. Graybill explains that Mrs. White’s "authority was independent and superior to the General Conference president. If she chose to, she could topple him." (p. 149).

During the 1890s, when Ellen White was serving in Australia, A. G. Daniells and W. C. White [EGW’s son] became president and vice-president, respectively, of the new Australian Union Conference. Six months later, at the historical General Conference session of 1901, "Mrs. White called for a reorganization of the church, and Daniells . . . was promptly appointed chairman of the large ‘committee of council’ to affect [sic] the reorganization."

Rumors were that Daniells and W. C. White had devised a plan that they would be president and secretary, respectively, of the General Conference and that Willie White would also head the Foreign Mission Board. Although EGW vigorously denied any such plot, that is the way it turned out, with Willie also appointed to the General Conference Committee, the Finance Committee, and made chairman of the Publications Committee.

"One obstacle remained," Graybill wrote, for Ellen White to achieve "complete control of the denomination’s machinery: Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. (p. 156). The battle between the two giants began, but the outcome was certain. As Graybill said, "Kellogg had ‘talents.’ Ellen White had ‘revelations.’ " (p. 160).

Some time ago I was fortunate to obtain a book entitled "The Kellogg File Closed 1907; Reopened 1986. I think it best to reprint here the introduction to that fascinating volume.

"The early 1900s were stormy years for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This was a time of rapid growth and expansion not only in America but also overseas for the organization. There had been a recent reorganization of the General Conference; however, there remained one final obstacle preventing the complete control of all aspects of the work. The Battle Creek Sanitarium in general and Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in particular because of their prestige, influence and size became, as it were, the Sword of Damocles over the General Conference. The order of the day under A. G. Daniells, President of the General Conference, became ‘Rule or Ruin.’ It is common knowledge among Adventists as to the fate of both the Battle Creek Sanitarium and Dr. Kellogg; however, little is known about the other side of the story. Much has been written and said about Dr. Kellogg and the turmoil surrounding Battle Creek at that time with most of this information being of a damaging and derogatory nature. The official version of this entire affair leaves one with the impression that Dr. Kellogg received more than fair and just treatment at their hands.

"Fortunatly for our generation an exact transcript was made of the final interview between two of the Elders of the Battle Creek Church and Dr. Kellogg. Now for the first time the reader has the opportunity to examine the other side of the controversy."

Kellogg’s dealings in the past with "the brethren" had been such that he knew enough to hire a professional stenographer to record every word of the interview at Dr. Kellogg’s home, October 7, 1907. Since this was a lengthy interview I can refer briefly only to certain items, but those who are knowledgeable about reports from that time will find a few comments of interest.

An earnest attack was made against Dr. Kellogg because of his book "Living Temple." Actually it contained nothing he hadn’t been teaching for 15 years, and Ellen White was familiar with that teaching.

Kellogg held the book from publication for several months waiting to see if any criticism came from EGW. When there was none, he then sent copies to all the union presidents for study and comment; no recriminations.

When a negative article appeared in the Review, Kellogg immediately had the book withdrawn from circulation and packed in boxes.

At a council held the previous year, Kellogg had asked the chairman to appoint a committee to revise the book, and promised to go along with whatever they decided was not in harmony with the Bible or denominational teachings.

Kellogg told Prof. Prescott, "Take this book of mine and revise it; go through it from one end to the other; and you make a cross on the margin and you underscore anything you think is wrong in this book, and I will take it out." Prescott promised to do so, but under pressure from A. G. Daniells he failed to keep his promise.

Next Kellogg wrote to Willie White, "I propose to take out of the book certain pages which contain the matter which has been objected to, and to change the name of it to The Miracle of Life, and now I want to know what your mother [EGW] thinks about that." He also wrote EGW directly that he accepted what she had written about the Living Temple as from the Lord, and that he had removed the book from circulation.

A fraudulent letter was concocted to make it appear that Kellogg was warned to change his course before the fire of February 20, 1902.

Thirty-four days after this interview, on November 10, 1907, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg was cast out of the Battle Creek congregation without a trial. The charges against him were being antagonistic "to the gifts now manifest in the church" and allying himself "with those who are attempting to overthrow the work for which this church existed."

The full account of the Kellogg interview contains a lot more pertinent material, much of it dealing with the way leading brethren used Mrs. White to achieve their ends. The "Kellogg problem" was nothing more than a concerted effort by Willie White, Prof. Prescott, and A. G. Daniells to force the sanitarium medical work to come under their authority. The san was a private corporation, and that they could not tolerate. The record shows there was little they would not stoop to in order to win their battle.

The end result of the warfare was the establishment of a chasm between the SDA ministry and the SDA medical work that still exists today. Dr. Kellogg unselfishly offered rights to his cereal creations to the Adventist church, stating that it could "make enough money out of it to support the entire denominational work." Mrs. White turned down the offer to capitalize on cornflakes, fearing it would take up too much time and effort in a secular endeavor. The multi-millions of dollars that could have gone into denominational coffers, went instead into the pockets of the doctor’s brother, W. K. Kellogg. Perhaps it is just as well.

 

HEALTH REFORM

Shortly after becoming a member of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination I learned about the "health message." I’m glad I did, since I still consider it to be largely viable and a boon to longevity. I’m still a vegetarian, and no doubt more faithful to the "health message" than the average SDA.

My problem is with the accepted account of how this message came through Ellen G. White. Early in my service as an Adventist pastor I referred to the health message to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the lady who proclaimed it had to be a true prophet. No ordinary mortal could have come up with such a body of knowledge unless it came directly from God’s throne.

Let us, however, do a bit of further checking. I will refer often to the scholarly work Prophetess of Health: A Study of Ellen G. White by Ronald L. Numbers. Numbers in parentheses represent pages in his book.

On June 5, 1863, in the little Michigan town of Otsego, Ellen White received the vision that became the foundation for the Adventist health message. This revelation revealed that SDA’s were to give up eating meat and other stimulating foods, shun alcohol and tobacco, and avoid drug-dispensing physicians. When ill, they should rely solely on Nature’s remedies: fresh air, sunshine, rest, exercise, proper diet, and water. Adventist sisters were to give up their fashionable dresses for "short" skirts and pantaloons similar to the Bloomer costume, and all believers were to curb their "animal passions." (p. x)

All that sounds very familiar to knowledgeable SDA’s, but please note the date of the vision, June, 1863. Were these truly revolutionary ideas God was passing along for the first time? The truth is that virtually none of it was new, but rather quite well known.

1830s. Both in the United States and in Europe there was a growing body of literature dedicated to preserving life and health. The common theme was: the importance of a proper (often meatless) diet, plenty of sunshine and fresh air, regular exercise, adequate rest, temperance, cleanliness, and sensible dress. (p. 49) Sound familiar?

This decade of the 1830s also saw the advent of a fervent health crusade led by one Sylvester Graham. He advocated:

Sweet cream instead of butter

Milk and eggs were suspect

Cheese permitted only if mild and unaged

No flesh foods

Two meals better than three

No condiments such as pepper, mustard, cinnamon, cloves

Salt not good

No tea, coffee, alcohol, or tobacco

Sugar worse than meat

No medicines

Always sleep in a well-ventilated room

Physical exercise

Don’t send children to school at an early age; let them romp

Water the only truly good drink

No white flour; use unbolted wheat flour (Graham flour)

Frequent bathing

No restrictive clothing such as corsets, etc.

Infrequent intercourse; perhaps once a month

Graham claimed complete originality, refusing to admit his indebtedness to others

Again, does this sound familiar? Is should be obvious that the "Adventist health message" was widespread before there was such a thing as a Seventh-day Adventist.

1840s. In 1843, Joseph Bates adopted Grahamism, and in 1848, John Loughborough began using Graham bread and reading the Water-Cure Journal. About the same time J. P. Kellogg, John Harvey’s father, raised his children in the current health reform movement. In the late 1840s Roswell F. Cottrell (great grandfather of the present R.F. Cottrell, I believe, who is editor of Adventist Today) began experimenting with vegetarianism and daily bathing. All of these men were closely associated with the Whites, and no doubt had an influence on their thinking. (pp. 73-79)

1850s. It was during this period that Dr. Harriet Austin came up with an ugly looking creation called the "American costume," consisting of a relatively short dress worn over trousers. For years Ellen White tried to foist this outfit upon Adventist women, but after a great deal of heated controversy finally gave it up.

1860s. In the winter of 1862-63, two of the White family’s sons came down with the diphtheria then sweeping the country, and the parents were deeply concerned. Then Ellen read an article in the Yates County Chronicle in which a Dr. James C. Jackson described his highly successful water treatments for curing diphtheria. When hydropathic fomentations were applied to the boys, they recovered. That generated Ellen White’s enthusiasm for hydrotherapy, a system she praised all her life.

Dr. Numbers points out that "by June of 1863 Seventh-day Adventists were already in possession of the main outlines of the health reform message. What they now needed to become a church of health reformers was not additional information, but a sign from God indicating his pleasure." This came in the form of Ellen White’s first health reform vision on June 5, 1863.

 

That Borrowing Problem Again

In much of her health message, Ellen White was indebted to L.B. Coles and Horace Mann.

L.B. Coles:

" . . . it is as truly a sin against Heaven, to violate a law of life, as to break one of the ten commandments."

E.G. White:

"It is as truly a sin to violate the laws of our being as it is to break the ten commandments."

L.B. Coles:

"The sympathy existing between the mind and the body is so great, that when one is affected, both are affected."

E.G. White:

"The sympathy which exists between the mind and the body is very great. When one is affected, the other responds."

Horace Mann:

" . . . if the race had not been created with ten times more vital force than it now possesses, its known violations of all the laws of health and life would, long ere this, have extinguished it altogether."

E.G. White:

"If Adam, at his creation, had not been endowed with twenty times as much vital force as men now have, the race, with their present habits of living in violation of natural law, would have become extinct."

In 1849, Ellen White put out a broadside in which she warned church members they should "never apply to earthly physicians." That phrase, without explanation, was deleted from her first book Experience and Views. (pp. 77, 155, 156).

 

Adventism and Sex

In 1974 an Adventist author, Charles Wittschiebe, exploded onto the denominational scene with a book entitled God Invented Sex. From the comments I heard, it would appear most SDA’s were convinced sex was invented by the devil. Studies have indicated that sexual dysfunction in Adventist families is at least as prevalent as in U.S. families in general; perhaps worse. When Lorabel Hersch researched the topic, she learned that the two denominations with the most cases of sexual abuse are Mormons and Seventh-day Adventists. Adventist Today, Mar/Apr, 1997.

How did Adventists come to be so uptight about sex? Ellen White warned Christian wives not to "gratify the animal propensities" of their husbands, but to seek instead to divert their minds "from the gratification of lustful passions to high and spiritual themes by dwelling upon interesting spiritual subjects." Husbands who desired "excessive" sex she regarded as "worse than brutes" and "demons in human form." (p. 157) So much for a normal sex life.

In 1864, Ellen White published her very first book on health entitled An Appeal to Mothers: The Great Cause of the Physical, Mental, and Moral Ruin of Many of the Children of Our Time. This volume dealt with the horrors of masturbation ("solitary vice"), that according to Ellen included among other things: imbecility, dwarfed forms, crippled limbs, misshapen heads, absentmindedness, irritable disposition, forgetfulness, disrespect for parental authority, disobedience, ingratitude, impatience, lack of frankness, diminished interest in spiritual things, heredity insanity, affection of the liver and lungs, neuralgia, rheumatism, affection of the spine, diseased kidneys, loss of sight, weakness in the back and loins, cancerous humors, and the head decaying inwardly! (p. 152)

EGW apparently garnered this information from the earlier health reformers, although Ellen claimed she had not read on the subject previously and the publishers, taking her at her word, put a note in the book to that effect. These wild claims were so patently false that the volume was allowed to fade away, and Ellen wrote little about sex the rest of her life. By the time her last book on health came along, The Ministry of Healing, there was no mention of masturbation or marital excess. (pp. 150- 154).

 

Other Inconsistencies

In the 1830s a highly unscientific theory called "phrenology" was introduced into the United States. This rather weird concept claimed that a person’s character could be "read" by carefully examining the shape of the skull. In 1862, Ellen White denounced phrenology, along with psychology and mesmerism, as a tool of Satan. Two years later, however, she traveled to Dansville, New York, to have Dr. James Jackson "read" the heads of her own two boys! Allusions to the practical use of phrenology also began to appear in her writings. (p. 149)

Ellen White stated clearly, "No butter or flesh meats of any kind come on my table." Testimonies, Vol. 2, p.487.

World president of Adventism, A. G. Daniells said in 1919, "I have eaten pounds of butter at her table myself, and dozens of eggs. I could not explain that in her own family if I believe that she believed those were the Lord’s own words to the world."

As a young SDA minister I memorized the following statements of Ellen White in regards to the eating of flesh foods.

"The meat diet is the serious question." Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 388.

"Let not any of our ministers set an evil example in the eating of flesh meat. Let them and their families live up to the light of health reform." ibid., p. 399.

"Can we possibly have confidence in ministers who at tables where flesh is served join with others in eating it?" ibid., p. 402.

"Not an ounce of flesh meat should enter our stomachs." ibid., p. 380.

When I read these statements of Ellen White in 1947 I immediately gave up eating meat of any kind, and have not partaken of "an ounce" since. You can imagine, then, my disappointment in learning that EGW herself ate meat from time to time, even oysters. She didn’t gain the victory over her appetite for meat until January of 1894. (p. 172).

Her behavior is interesting in the light of the following statements she herself made:

"I do not preach one thing and practice another. I do not present to my hearers rules of life for them to follow while I am an exception in my own case." Ellen G. White Letter 12, 1888.

"Above all things, we should not with our pens advocate positions that we do not put to a practical test in our own families, upon our own tables. This is a . . . species of hypocrisy." Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 468.

I should mention that I no longer avoid flesh foods in order to work my way to heaven. I do so because after years of study I am convinced it is God’s plan for my life, and that the matter has both physical and spiritual ramifications.

Perhaps I have said enough about "the health message." I appreciate and still practice it, but it didn’t come down from the throne of God to Ellen White on golden plates.

CONTRADICTIONS AND ERRORS

So much could be said in this portion, but a few observations will have to suffice. The problem of error must be addressed when a human being is lifted to the high position of infallibility. Note what a former world president of Seventh-day Adventism, G. A. Irwin, had to say about the possibility of contradictions or errors in the writings of Ellen White.

"It is from the standpoint of light that has come through the Spirit of Prophecy [EGW] that the question will be considered, believing as we do that the Spirit of Prophecy is the only infallible interpreter of Bible principles, since it is Christ through this agency giving the real meaning of his own word." The Mark of the Beast, p. 1.

We have already shown that Ellen White herself proclaimed her writings to be above reproach, the very voice of God.

"It is God, not an erring mortal who has spoken." Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 682.

"The Bible must be your counselor. Study it and the testimonies God has given; for they never contradict His Word." Selected Messages, Vol. 3, p. 32.

Let’s examine just a few things that would seem to indicate otherwise.

EGW, on one hand:

"God loves honest-hearted children, but cannot love those who are dishonest.

"The Lord loves those little children who try to do right, and He has promised that they shall be in His kingdom. But wicked children God does not love . . . When you feel tempted to speak impatient and fretful [sic], remember the Lord sees you, and will not love you if you do wrong." An Appeal to the Youth, Battle Creek, Mich., Steam Press, 1864, pp. 42, 62.

EGW, on the other hand:

"Do not teach your children that God does not love them when they do wrong." Signs of the Times, Feb. 15, 1892

EGW says that only prayers offered by SDA’s have any real meaning.

"I saw that as the Jews crucified Jesus, so the nominal churches had crucified these messages [of the Investigative Judgment], and therefore they have no knowledge of the way into the most holy, and they cannot be benefited [sic] by the intercession of Jesus there. Like the Jews, who offered their useless sacrifices, they offer up their useless prayers to the apartment which Jesus has left." Early Writings, p. 261.

Bible:

"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results." James 5:16.

Half Man/Half Beast

Early in her ministry, Ellen White made some very unfortunate statements.

"But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere." Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 3, p. 64.

"Every species of animal which God had created were preserved in the ark. The confused species which God did not create, which were the result of amalgamation, were destroyed by the flood. Since the flood there has been amalgamation of man and beast, as may be seen in the almost endless varieties of species of animals, and in certain races of men." Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 4, p. 75.

Well-known pioneer, Uriah Smith, took Ellen’s proclamation at face value, and got more specific about the "certain races of men" she mentioned. He pointed out that we see with our own eyes the result of man-animal crosses in "such cases as the wild Bushmen of Africa, some tribes of the Hottentots, and perhaps the Digger Indians of our own country." The Visions of Mrs. E. G. White, A Manifestation of Spiritual Gifts According to the Scriptures, p. 103.

With the racial tensions of our day, we can imagine how well Ellen’s teaching on this topic would play! The idea that men and beasts could have sex and come up with creatures that were part of each was widely prevalent in Ellen White’s time, and as was too often the case she took things she read and presented them as very truth. Now we know that God never allowed "amalgamation" of man and beast, but even in recent times apologists for EGW have been trying to get her off this troublesome hook.

 

Origin of Volcanoes

In describing the world-wide flood, Ellen wrote:

"At this time immense forests were buried. These have since been changed to coal, forming the extensive coal beds that now exist, and also yielding large quantities of oil. The coal and oil frequently ignite and burn beneath the surface of the earth. Thus rocks are heated, limestone is burned, and iron ore melted. The action of the water upon the lime adds fury to the intense heat, and causes earthquakes, volcanoes, and fiery issues. As the fire and water come in contact with ledges of rock and ore, there are heavy explosions underground, which sound like muffled thunder. The air is hot and suffocating. Volcanic eruptions follow . . ." Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 108, 109.

That may have been good geology then, but now we know that volcanoes are caused by internal geological pressure forcing the earth’s molten core—magma—to the surface, not by fire and water coming in contact with ledges of rock and ore.

Unfortunately Ellen White almost never retracted anything she wrote.

In 1884, EGW thought the return of Christ was so imminent that Adventists should become celibate.

"In was not in accordance with our faith or God’s will, that our missionaries should fill their hands with cares and burdens that were not essential to the work . . . I was shown that Brother and Sister V had departed from God’s counsel in bringing into the world children . . . The time is and has been for years, that the bringing of children into he world is more an occasion of grief than joy . . . Satan controls these children, and the Lord has but little to do with them . . . The time has come when, in one sense, they that have wives be as though they had none." Ellen G. White, MS 34, 1885.

How many SDA’s would there be in the world today if Adventist leaders had faithfully promoted Ellen’s admonition? And since she "was shown" by the Lord that this was his will, why didn’t they take it seriously?

 

Other Items

In 1862, Ellen White predicted England, during the Civil War, would declare war against the North. Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 259.

Ellen White predicted she would be among those translated at the Lord’s coming, rather than being resurrected. Early Writings, p. 15, 16.

In the 1850s, EGW predicted that Christ would return in a "few months." Early Writings, p. 67.

"You may say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him." Deut. 18:20-22.

In 1856, Ellen White made a startling prediction. This was a vision given May 27 at a conference in Battle Creek, Michigan.

"I was shown the company present at the Conference. Said the angel: ‘Some food for worms, some subjects of the seven last plagues, some will be alive and remain upon the earth to be translated at the coming of Jesus.’ " Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 131.

Facts:

All have been food for worms, not just some.

None have been subject to the seven last plagues as they have not begun.

None are alive and remaining on the earth to be translated.

The vision has failed 100 percent!

The message certainly was clear, and when I first became an Adventist some were still claiming that somewhere someone from that conference could still be alive—and thus Ellen’s words still true. Now, of course, this prediction has been swept under the rug along with other failed proclamations.

One can sense how difficult it must be for the guardians of the Ellen G. White Estate to explain the unexplainable. Robert Olson, former secretary of the Estate, honestly admitted:

"There are instances in her writings in which she differed with herself. I have to say I just don’t have an explanation for that kind of thing . . . For instance, in one place she says that the Tower of Babel was built before the Flood. Well, in Patriarchs and Prophets that’s corrected. You will find that kind of thing—occasionally she differs with herself. We have to acknowledge fallibility. It’s there." Ministry, Dec., 1990, p. 17.

 

PERSONAL

The Bible makes it clear that the prophets were, in addition to being God’s ministers, very human. Ellen G. White was never allowed this luxury. Instead she has been shielded from honest scrutiny, and hidden behind a wall of myths. Of course it does seem that she had much to do with this approach herself.

To many Adventist members it would come as a shock to learn that neither Ellen nor James were easy to live with. Graybill points out that beginning in 1865 with James White’s several strokes, the last decade and a half of the White marriage was a stormy affair punctuated by lengthy separations. He says, "When his [James’] problems came in conflict with Ellen’s charismatic calling, he had to be moved."

At one time Ellen said to James, "In trying to fix me over you may destroy your usefulness, my freedom, and bring me into a position of restraint, of embarrassment, that will unfit me for the work of God." Ellen’s main concern was for her influence, and she suggested that if they had to "walk apart the rest of the way," she hoped that at least they would not try to "pull each other down."

Writing to Lucinda Hall, Ellen commented, "If my presence is detrimental to his happiness God forbid I should ever be connected with him." James came right back with, "I shall use the old head God gave me until He reveals that I am wrong. Your head won’t fit my shoulders. Keep it where it belongs, and I will try to honor God in using my own."

As James became a liability to his spouse’s all-important influence, Graybill says, "she drew away form him and curtailed his activities in every way she could. Ellen was pained by James’ failure to provide her with the companionship and understanding she longed for, but that could be endured. It was when he became a liability to her leadership that he had to be restrained." (pp. 26, 37, 39, 41, 53.)

Ron Numbers noted from Adventist historical records,

"On the one hand, James was not the easiest man to get along with. ‘He was of an eager, impetuous nature, and not seldom gave offense,’ wrote one pioneer Adventist historian. He was also excessively jealous of his wife’s friendship with real or imagined rivals in the church hierarchy and refused on occasion to sleep in the same house with her. On the other hand, he was a person quick to forgive and to make amends, and he had his own cross to bear—living with a woman whose criticisms and reproofs came backed with divine authority." Prophetess of Health, p. 181.

 

Relations With The Children

Due to their travels, the Whites were much away from their children. Graybill comments, "[The White’s] conviction that God had called them enabled them to escape the guilt which tortures any parent sensitive to the needs of children when that parent chooses to pursue a public career."

He continues that Mrs. White’s letters to her sons show Edson labored under "constant unfavorable comparisons" with "our sunshine," "pure sweet," "good natured" Willie—"the best boy" Edson would ever see. Ellen often reminded Edson that his life was "a mistake," "worse than useless" and "a failure." (pp. 65, 66.)

 

Relations With Others

There was continual bad blood between the Andrews, Stevens, and White families. J. N. Andrews once complained that the visions of Ellen White concerning him were "such a source of terror and distress" to him that he could not "make that use of them that is such a blessing to others. (p. 18).

Extremely harsh statements against these co-workers were plainly stated in a pamphlet published for the church in 1860. The hardest blow was directed against the denomination’s first overseas missionary, J. N. Andrews. In March of 1872, his beloved wife Angeline died. Nearly three years later, Andrews and his two children, ages 12 and 17, sailed for Europe to establish the Adventist work on the continent in Switzerland.

Andrews returned to America, and in 1878 buried both his daughter, Mary, and his brother, William. Since he was in poor health, he did not return to Europe until the next year. In 1883 Ellen wrote to Andrew’s assistant, B. L. Whitney, stating that Andrews had "given the impression of suffering when he has endured no more than ordinary laborers in their first experience in this work." She regarded him as having "a diseased mind." She also thought he would probably die, and said she "could not pray for his life, for I consider he has held and is still holding [up] the work in Switzerland." She went on to tell of his sin of dwelling on himself, and of mourning for his wife and daughter as he had done.

I don’t know how well I could have handled such scathing rebukes, but Andrews wrote back to "Sister White" saying,

"I humble myself before God to receive from His hand the severe rebuke which He has given you for me . . . I beg you to believe me as ever, one who sincerely desires to follow the right." Adventist Currents, Feb., 1985.

When he wrote this Andrews was a dying man, and he passed away a few months later.

 

The Double Standard

Seventh-day Adventists have already heard much from Ellen G. White about faithful tithe paying; leadership sees to that. However, it is unlikely that most members have been allowed to read the following quotes from Ellen’s pen.

"God grant that the voices which have been so quickly raised to say that all the money invested in the work must go through the appointed channel at Battle Creek, shall not be heard. The people to whom God has given His means are amenable to Him alone. It is their privilege to give direct aid and assistance to missions . . ." Spaulding and Magan Collection, pp 174-177.

On January 22, 1905, Ellen White wrote a letter to the president of the Colorado Conference in which she said:

"Be careful how you move. You are not moving wisely. The least you have to speak about the tithe that has been appropriated to the most needy and the most discouraged field, the more sensible you will be.

"It has been presented to me for years that my tithe was to be appropriated by my self to aid the white and colored ministers who were neglected . . .

"I have myself appropriated my tithe to the most needy cases brought to my notice. I have been instructed to do this, and as the money is not withheld from the Lord’s treasury, it is not a matter that should be commented upon, for it will necessitate my making known these matters, which I do not desire to do, because it is not best . . .

"If any person shall say to me, ‘Sister White, will you appropriate your tithe where you know it is most needed?’ I shall say, ‘Yes, and I will; and I have done so.’

" . . . I would not advise that any should make practice of gathering up tithe money. But for years there have now and then been persons who have lost confidence in the appropriation of the tithe who have placed their tithe in my hands, and said that if I did not take it they would themselves appropriate it to the families of the most needy minister they could find. I have taken the money, given a receipt for it . . ." ibid., p. 215.

"The Lord has made us individually His stewards. We each hold a solemn responsibility to invest our means ourselves. God does not lay upon you the burden of asking the conference or any counsel of men, whether you shall use your means as you see fit to advance the work of God." Special to Battle Creek, pp. 41, 42.

"The Lord has not specified any regular channel through which means should pass." Letter from EGW, Cooranbong, Australia, August 15, 1898.

If there is one thing Adventist leaders are touchy about, it is not having all tithes and offerings placed directly in their hands for distribution as they see fit. The fact that Ellen White suggested another course is a well-kept secret.

It is easy to observe in Scriptures how Peter, Paul, and others, grew in the Lord from year to year. Of what value is a person who is incapable of growth? Yet, Ellen White was not allowed this possibility. Paul Gordon, Secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate, has proclaimed:

"We can get into a trap by suggesting that we can trust Ellen White in later years more than in earlier years . . . If we categorize Ellen White’s statements as written when she was immature versus mature, it can often be only a judgment call on our part. Such a judgment puts the validity of inspiration in the hands of the reader." Letter to the editor, Gleaner, North Pacific Union paper.

That is a dangerous attitude; one that has caused great trouble for many. It is like saying that the New Testament shows no additional light beyond what is found in the Old Testament. There needs to be more judgment "in the hands of the reader." For too long have denominational leaders expected laymen to put their minds in neutral, while the men at the top do all the thinking.

SHUT DOOR

Perhaps the most significant SDA secret was that of the "shut door." I began hearing a faint whisper about this matter when I was still a young Adventist preacher, but it was clear that the subject was strictly taboo. Finally through the years I gleaned that in her first vision Ellen G. White proclaimed that the door of mercy was forever shut to any but the little Adventist band that had believed, contrary to Scripture, that Christ would return on October 22, 1844. All others were doomed to hell. Evangelism was to cease; working for the salvation of souls would be a denial of what God had shown Ellen. There came a quiet admission of this error, but it was also claimed that this belief was held by the pioneers for only a short time. Ellen quickly set them straight on the matter.

Ron Numbers spells out the problem in some detail:

"By 1851, the Whites had abandoned much of their shut-door doctrine. They would still grant no opportunity for salvation to those who had heard and rejected the 1844 message, but they allowed the door might be cracked sufficiently to permit the entrance of children, Millerites who were willing to accept the seventh-day Sabbath, and a few other honest-hearted souls who had not rejected the October 22 message. The problem was what to do with all of Ellen’s inspired testimonies indicating the door of mercy had been shut. In an attempt to take care of this embarrassment, she and James collected her early writings, systematically deleted passages that might be construed as supporting the shut door, and published the edited version as Ellen’s first book, A Sketch of the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen G. White (1851). From then on the Whites publicly denied that Ellen had ever been shown that the door was shut, although James apparently admitted on occasions that perhaps young Ellen had been unduly influenced by shut-door advocates at the time of her first vision." Prophetess of Health, p. 27.

The cover of the shut-door secret was completely blown in 1979 when a friend of mine briefly obtained from the White Estate vault a letter that Ellen White wrote to Joseph Bates dated July, 13, 1847. He then photographed it, and it appeared in print in Adventist Currents, July, 1984. The dark secret was out, as excerpts from that letter as shown below make clear. Ellen is telling Bates about a meeting she attended in Exeter, Maine.

"Many of them did not believe in a shut door. I suffered much at the commencement of the meeting. Unbelief seemed to be on every hand.

"There was one sister there that was called very spiritual. She had traveled and been a powerful preacher the most of the time for twenty years. She had been truly a mother in Israel. But divisions had risen in the band on the shut door. She had great sympathy, and could not believe the door was shut. I had known nothing of their difference. Sister Durben got up to talk. I felt very sad.

"At length my soul seemed to be in an agony, and while she was talking I fell from my chair to the floor. It was then I had a view of Jesus rising from His mediatorial throne and going to the holiest as a Bridegroom to receive His kingdom. They were all deeply interested in the view. They all said it was entirely new to them. The Lord worked in mighty power, setting the truth home to their hearts.

"Sister Durben knew what the power of the Lord was, for she had felt it many times, and a short time after I fell she was struck down and fell to the floor, crying to God to have mercy on her. When I came out of vision, my ears were saluted with Sister Durben’s singing and shouting with a loud voice. Most of them received the vision, and were settled upon the shut door". Adventist Currents, July, 1984.

Here, in 1847, we have Ellen with another vision confirming her original vision concerning the "shut door." Later she indicated that disagreement with her on this matter constituted the unpardonable sin.

On June 29, 1851, in Camden, New York, Ellen had another vision on the shut door:

"Then I saw that Jesus prayed for his enemies, but that should not cause us or lead us to pray for the wicked world, whom God has rejected . . . our sympathy must be with Jesus, and must be withdrawn from the ungodly . . . I saw that the wicked could not be benefited by our prayers now."

Also in 1851 Ellen White wrote:

"The Holy Ghost was poured upon us, and I was taken off in the Spirit to the city of the Living God. Then I was shown that the commandments of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ relating to the shut door could not be separated . . .

"My accompanying angel bade me look for the travail of soul for sinners as used to be. I looked but could not see it; for the time of their salvation is past." Ellen G. White letter in Present Truth, 1, 3, pp. 22-23.

So the incontrovertible truth is that instead of holding this false teaching for a brief period, and then setting the members straight, Ellen White firmly held onto error for seven years. Later she deliberately tried to claim otherwise.

And what about that very first vision that introduced the error, the one that established her as a prophet? Robert Olson of the White Estate had to admit, "Ellen misinterpreted the vision!" One Hundred and One Questions on the Sanctuary and on Ellen White, p. 58.

How much confidence can we place on a professed prophet who seriously misinterprets her very first vision?

 

CHARISMA

Generally speaking, Adventists are quite uninformed about the work of the Holy Spirit, and they fear his ministry. Although the movement began with the fullness of charismatic gifts, that part of Adventist history has been carefully edited out. Leadership is not enthusiastic about sharing control with the Holy Spirit, and he is only welcome in an Adventist congregation if he behaves himself. This is a dangerous attitude as the Holy Spirit is sovereign God, and according to Scripture he often has behaved "strangely." That was true at Pentecost, when the disciples were accused of being drunk at nine in the morning.

Early Adventists were a charismatic lot; many of them had come out of the "shouting Methodists." Their meetings were interspersed with shouts of "Glory!" "Hallelujah!" and "Praise God!" Enthusiastic singing was accompanied by rigorous hand clapping and shouting. The gifts of healing and prophesying were common, and frequently participants were prostrated or "slain in the Spirit." There was even some laughing in the Spirit and speaking in tongues. Meetings lasted well after midnight, and as the people made their way home shouts of praise rang out on the night air. On one occasion, with the White’s present, an Adventist meeting became so boisterous that neighbors called the sheriff! At the trial of the group leader that evening, a local farmer testified:

"I have been young, and now am old, and of all the places I ever was in, I never saw such a confusion, not even in a drunken frolic."

Of course they were drunk—drunk in the Spirit just as were the disciples at Pentecost.

Here are a few quotes to enlighten us. Ellen wrote:

"Singing, I saw, often drove away the enemy, and shouting would beat him back and give us the victory."

The voice of weeping could not be told from the voice of shouting. It was a triumphant time . . . "

"The Spirit caused Clarissa to laugh aloud."

Sister Eliza Smith reported, "Before I was aware, I was clapping my hands, and shouting, ‘Glory to God.’"

Ellen again: Brother Ralph "broke out in a new tongue, unknown to us all." The interpretation had to do with a trip Ellen White was to make.

According to The Early Years, Vol. 1, p. 200, the first SDA missionary, J. N. Andrews, received his call to serve God oversees through a message in tongues spoken by a Brother Ralph, and interpreted by a Brother Chamberlain!

James White recalled,

"While a brother was anointing his wife, the room was filled with the power of God. I was standing, but with difficulty. I fell upon my face, and cried and groaned under the power of God . . . We all lay on the floor under the power of God. We are perfectly free."

Ellen: "Brother Baker was healed, and he glorified God with a loud voice; he had a baptism of the Holy Ghost."

By the 1890s Ellen White seemed to be discouraging any vocal expressions of enthusiasm. Ministry, October, 1991, pp. 10-12.

Things certainly have changed since the early days of Adventism. In many SDA congregations today, things are so terribly "decent and in order," that a funereal atmosphere prevails.

Not only does the deadness we see today deprive members of their right to earnestly praise the Savior who has bought them with his blood, but there are serious consequences beyond that. My wife and I have been involved with the great Renewal that has been sweeping the world since 1994. I am under conviction it is the most important thing God is doing on earth today, and the beginning of the Latter Rain.

In this most exciting time of earth’s history, most SDA’s are either unaware of what is happening outside their ranks, or are moving in opposition to what the Holy Spirit is doing. Much of this apathy or resistance must be laid at the feet of Ellen G. White, as she is the one who put the damper on the enthusiastic worship and praise the Bible calls for.

 

The Visions

Although no prophet mentioned in the word of God had more than seven visions, the Seventh-day Adventist denomination claims Ellen White had somewhere between 400 and 2,000!

Graybill observes a significant correlation between the trend in the 1860s and 1870s toward the sober and sedate worship service of present customs and the incidence of Mrs. White’s visions:

"A careful search for specific visions reveals that Mrs. White experienced only about a dozen during the 1860s, only three in the 1870s, and none thereafter . . . This distribution of visions matches well the declining frequency of other manifestation of religious excitement in Adventist circles. The two phenomena waxed and waned together. Adventist Currents, Oct., 1983.

 

BIBLE CONFERENCE OF 1919

In 1974, Dr. F. Donald Yost found two packages wrapped in paper at denominational headquarters in Takoma Park, Maryland. Inside were some 2,400 pages of typewritten material from stenographic notes taken at a Bible Conference held in 1919. The problems we have discussed in this paper were also discussed back then. Following are a few quotes taken from that part of the conference dealing with the ministry of Ellen G. White.

A. G. Daniells:

"Well, just how much of that is genuine [about Ellen White holding a huge Bible], and how much has crawled into the story?—I do not know. But I do not think that is the kind of proof we want to use. It has been a long time since I have brought forward this sort of thing—no breath in the body and the eyes wide open. That may have accompanied the exercise of this gift in the early days, but it surely did not in the latter days."

A. G. Daniells:

"It is not our position, and it is not right that the spirit of prophecy [EGW] is the only safe interpreter of the Bible. That is a false doctrine, a false view. It will not stand. Why, my friends, what would all the people have done from John’s day down to the present if there were no way to understand the Bible except through the writings of the spirit of prophecy! It is a terrible position to take! That is false, it is error. It is positively dangerous."

A. G. Daniells:

"There are some, I must confess, who will hunt around to find a statement in the Testimonies and spend no time in deep study of the Book."

F. M. Wilcox:

"Back in the 60s or 70s a General Conference in session passed this resolution—they said, we recognize that the Testimonies have been prepared under great pressure and stress of circumstances, and that the wording is not always the happiest, and we recommend their republication with such changes as will bring them to a standard."

W. W. Prescott:

"If a man does not believe in the verbal inspiration of the Bible, he is still in good standing; but if he says he does not believe in the verbal inspiration of the Testimonies, he is discounted right away. I think it is an unhealthful situation. It puts the spirit of prophecy above the Bible."

A. G. Daniells:

"That is the way a lot of things got into the Testimonies. They were many of them written for individuals in various states of health, and then they were hurried into the Testimonies [by whom?] without proper modification."

C. L. Benson:

"Out in the field we have stressed the importance of the spirit of prophecy more than the Bible, and many of our men are doing it right along. They tell of the wonderful phenomena, and many times they get their entire sermon from the spirit of prophecy instead of the Bible. If a break comes between our schools and the field we are in a serious place." [Today in Adventism there is a "break" between the schools and the field.]

A. G. Daniells:

"We do know, and it is no kind of use for anybody to stand up and talk about the verbal inspiration of the Testimonies, because everybody who has ever seen the work done knows better, and we might as well dismiss it."

M. E. Kern:

"We certainly do have difficulty in showing the people which is human and which is divinely inspired."

M. E. Kern:

"All of Sister White’s articles and books are with us, and her letters, too, and many think that every word she has ever said or written is from the Lord. We have had sanitariums built on account of letters she has written from a depot somewhere."

A. G. Daniels:

"When you take the position that she was not infallible, and that her writings were not verbally inspired, isn’t there a chance for the manifestation of the human? If there isn’t, then what is infallibility?"

F. M. Wilcox:

"It seems to me I would have to accept what she says on some of those general policies or I would have to sweep away the whole thing. Either the Lord has spoken through her or He has not spoken through her."

A.G. Daniells:

"Well, now, which statement shall we take, the original or the revised? [Speaking of the book Great Controversy]

B. L. House:

"My real difficulty is just here: Sister White did not write either the old edition or the revised, as I understand it."

A. G. Daniells:

"What do you mean by saying that she did not write either edition?"

B. L. House:

"As I understand it, Elder J. N. Anderson prepared those historical quotations for the old edition, and Brother Robinson and Brother Crisler, Professor Prescott and others furnished the quotations for the new edition. Did she write the historical quotations in there?"

A. G. Daniells:

"No."

W. W. Prescott:

"In my mind, there is a difference between the works she largely prepared herself and what was prepared by others for sale to the public."

W. W. Prescott:

"When I talked with W. C. White about it (and I do not know that he is an infallible authority), he told me frankly that when they got out ‘Great Controversy,’ if the did not find in her writings anything on certain chapters to make the historical connections, they took other books, like ‘Daniel and the Revelation,’ and used portions of them; and sometimes her secretaries, and sometimes she herself, would prepare a chapter that would fill the gap."

J. N. Anderson:

"Can we hold something in the back of our head that we are absolutely sure about, and that most of the brethren stand with us on? – can we hold those things back and be true to ourselves: And furthermore, are we sage in doing it? Is it well to let our people in general go on holding to the verbal inspiration of the Testimonies? When we do that, aren’t we preparing for a crisis that will be very serious some day?

I have quoted at some length because I want to show that as far back as 1919 the leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination knew and discussed the many problems concerning the writings of Ellen G. White. I believe they swept it all under the rug, rather than facing up to the problem, because they didn’t trust the lay people’s ability to deal with truth. Anderson was correct when he pointed out they were "preparing for a crisis that will be very serious some day." Walter Rae initiated that crisis with his book The White Lie, and it is an ongoing problem.

To his credit, W. W. Prescott, Educational Secretary of the General Conference, in a letter to Elder W. C. White urged that things be set right. The letter is dated three months before the 1919 conference.

"It seems to me that a large responsibility rests upon those of us who know that there are serious errors in our authorized books and yet take no special effort to correct them. The people and our average ministers trust us to furnish them with reliable statements, and they use our books as sufficient authority in their sermons; but we let them go on year after year asserting things which we know to be untrue. I cannot feel this is right. It seems to me we are betraying our trust and deceiving the ministers and people. It appears to me that there is much more anxiety to prevent a possible shock to some trustful people than to correct error . . .

"After giving the best of my life to this movement I have little peace and satisfaction in connection with it, and I am driven to the conclusion that the only thing for me to do is to do quietly what I can do conscientiously, and leave the others to go on without me.. Of course this is far from a happy ending to my life-work, but this seems to be the best adjustment that I am able to make.

"The way your mother’s writings have been handled and the false impression concerning them which is still fostered among the people have brought great perplexity and trial to me. It seems to me that what amounts to deception, though probably not intentional, has been practiced in making some of her books, and that no serious effort has been made to disabuse the minds of the people of what was known to be their wrong view concerning her writings. But it is no use to go into these matters. I have talked with you for years about them, but it brings no change. I think however we are drifting toward a crisis which will come sooner or later and perhaps sooner. A very strong feeling of reaction has already set in."

Perhaps F. M. Wilcox hit at the heart of the matter when he said:

"I think the Testimonies of the Spirit of God are a great asset to this denomination, and I think if we destroy faith in them, we are going to destroy faith in the very foundation of our work."

ELLEN WHITE’S ACCIDENT

Most Seventh-day Adventists are aquatinted with the fact that early in life Ellen G. White was involved in a serious accident. When only nine Ellen was hit in the nasal area of her face by a thrown rock. Unconscious, and bleeding profusely, she was carried to a nearby store. After a brief period of consciousness, she again lapsed into unconsciousness and remained in that condition for three weeks. Upon coming to once again, she had no recollection of what had taken place. It was necessary for her to remain in bed for many weeks, and her face was markedly deformed.

As far back as 1887, medical personnel have suspected Ellen’s visions were the result of her early injury. Drs. John Kellogg and W. J. Fairfield described her symptoms as those of hysteria. Dr. Fairfield wrote:

"You are undoubtedly right in ascribing Mrs. E. G. White’s so-called visions to disease. It has been my opportunity to observe her case a good deal, covering quite a period of years, which with a full knowledge of her history from the beginning, gave me no chance to doubt her attacks to be simply hysterical trances. Age itself has almost cured her." W. J. Fairfield letter, Dec. 28, 1887.

Speaking in greater detail, Dr. Kellogg wrote:

"I have seen Mrs. White when in vision quite a number of times between 1852 and 1859, in every instance she was simply in a state of catalepsy. In each instance she was suddenly seized, fell unconscious, and remained unconscious during the full time the fit lasted; every vital function was reduced to the lowest point compatible with life; pulse almost stopped and very infrequent breathing so slight as to be imperceptible except when she uttered short sentences; pupils dilated to great width, sense of hearing blunted; in fact all her senses so blunted that she could neither see, feel nor hear; in fact was wholly unconscious, yet her mind was acutely active, the action being automatic and wholly involuntary, the whole vision being a conglomerated mental rehearsal of previous conceptions, scenes, meditations, and suggestions so vividly reproduced on her mind as to be to her a living reality."

Dr. William Long, chief physician at the Adventist Battle Creek Sanitarium, wrote:

"Mrs. White’s visions were the result of a diseased organization or condition of the brain or nervous

Wallace Slattery has made the following statements after reading an account by Dr. Delbert Hodder, an SDA pediatrician with a subspecialty in neurology. The latter was struck by the similarity between Sister White’s visions and partial-complex seizures.

"Hodder noted Ellen’s various manifestations: lack of awareness of surroundings, open eyes lifted upward without blinking, imperceptible breathing, normal heartbeat, symptoms of anxiety including hand-wringing; all followed by lethargy, impaired vision and hearing, and often, mental depression.

"Partial-complex seizures can occur at any time during a subject’s life and may occur as the result of stress. Breathing is often imperceptible, and although eyes may remain open, the subject may be unconscious of his surroundings. The subject often displays graceful upper body movements, as well as hand-wringing. Unusual behavior may occur. Perseveration of speech—continued repeating of a word or phrase (such as ‘glory, glory’)—often occurs. The subject often experiences illusions or hallucinations based on his own experiences, and emotions such as fear or pleasure may be enhanced. Personality traits that commonly differentiate partial-complex behavior from normal behavior include paranoia, anger, dependency, religiosity, sadness, philosophical interest, and lack of humor. These characteristics would not all appear in all patients, of course." "Visions or Partial-Complex Seizures?" Evangelica, 2, 5 (1981).

In 1985, Dr. Molleurus Couperus, a retired SDA physician, did extensive research on the possibility that Mrs. White’s visions were the result of her childhood injury. Only a few quotations can appear here.

"The stone hit Ellen on the nose . . . Girgis has observed that the temporal lobe is peculiarly vulnerable to injury because of its location low in the skull behind the eye orbit. There the skull bone is thinnest and puncture wounds can penetrate the brain with relatively little force. Landolt and de Jong also have emphasized the fragility and vulnerability of the temporal area of the skull, one reason that resulting temporal lobe epilepsy is so common . . .

"For a head injury to produce a coma or unconsciousness lasting some three weeks is not common and usually suggests a severe brain insult. In a report of 105 children who suffered a skull injury followed by a period of unconsciousness, in only four patients did this last longer than twenty-four hours. However, patients sustaining head injuries, have remained unconscious afterward for three weeks and still survived; but in such cases there are nearly always serious after effects . . .

"Out of a group of 574 patients who had head injuries, 46 percent developed epileptic seizures. The impaired memory, nervousness, inability to concentrate, and excessive fatigue were all symptoms Ellen White had for several years following her head injury . . "

In regards to Ellen’s first recorded visionary experience, Couperas wrote:

"Certain features of this vision suggest that it may have been a temporal lobe seizure . . . All of these (fear, bright light, and darkness) are frequently experienced in temporal lobe seizures, as they were in many of Ellen’s visions."

Dr. William Sadler, who was well acquainted with Ellen White wrote in 1912:

"It is not uncommon for persons in a cataleptic trance to imagine themselves taking trips to other worlds. In fact, the wonderful accounts of their experiences, which they write out after these cataleptic attacks are over, are so unique and marvelous as to serve as the basis for founding new sects, cults, and religions . . . It is an interesting study in psychology to note that these trance mediums always see visions in harmony with their theological beliefs . . . Nearly all these victims of trances and nervous catalepsy, sooner or later come to believe themselves to be messengers of God and prophets of Heaven: and no doubt most of them are sincere in this belief. Not understanding the physiology and psychology of their afflictions, they sincerely come to look upon their peculiar mental experiences as something supernatural, while their followers blindly believe anything they teach because of the supposed divine character of these so-called revelations."

There may be a sense of fear or the hallucination of smelling something, which Ellen White experienced a number of times as the smell of roses, or simply "flowers . . . "She also often saw a bright light at the beginning of her visions, a light that would flood the room, or would appear in various intensities, colors, and shapes. The seeing of bright lights and various colors is very common in the partial complex seizures of epileptics.

Waxman and Geschwind pointed out that hypergraphia is a common phenomenon with temporal lobe epilepsy patients. This means there is a tendency for the patient to write extensively. To reach 100,000 pages before she died in 1915, Ellen would have had to average at least three and a half pages every day of her life, in health or in sickness, on Sabbaths, and when traveling or attending conferences. She also kept a diary and an extensive journal.

An easily observable trait in the temporal lobe epileptic is perseveration, or the tendency to repeat words, phrases, or sentences. Ellen often began her visions with the cry of glory, glory, glory. In an article she wrote in an 1849 Present Truth, she used the phrase "I saw" or "I was shown" eleven times in thirteen sentences. Her writings are filled with instances where she repeated words three or more times in a row.

All events are serious to temporal lobe epileptics. They may become excessively concerned with moral issues and involve themselves with rights and wrongs of rather trivial affairs. They tend to be remarkably without humor, and overly emphasize the qualities of good and evil, right and wrong. This is accompanied by a sense of divine mission and authority.

Hyposexuality has been shown to be a frequent symptom in temporal lobe epilepsy, manifesting itself in frigidity or low sexual drive. (This material by Dr. Mollerus Couperus appeared in Adventist Currents for June, 1985.

Thomas Babb, Ph. D., a professor of Neurology at the University of California, differed in his thinking from Dr. Couperas in regards to the person and ministry of Ellen White. He said:

"It seems to me that her behavior is a unique case report that would interest psychiatrists more than epileptologists. Most of the behavior patterns described throughout her life sound more like the actions of a self-absorbed egomaniac than the obsessive activity of a dependent personality which is typical of temporal lobe epileptics . . . Rather, I interpret Ellen White’s ‘visions, etc.’ as her own complex constructions designed to establish herself as unique among a religious group . . . The overall behavior of Ellen White seems to be very willful, egotistical, and even devious in some respect (e.g., her plagiarisms) . . . The prolonged recovery and tangled personal history of Ellen White seem more consonant with a woman trying to capture and hold recognition and respect in her life after years of pain and incapacity.

 

 

CONCLUSION

In this paper we have examined in some detail the life and ministry of Ellen G. White; now it is time to come to some conclusions. Lest some challenge our right to judge, I would like to submit the following quotes reminding us how Ellen judges her own work.

"In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouths of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit." Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 661.

"Physically I have always been a broken vessel; and yet in my old age the Lord continues to move upon me by His Holy Spirit to write the most important books that have ever come before the churches and the world." Testimonies, Vol. 5, pp. 67, 68.

When any person audaciously claims to be God’s principle agent on the face of the earth, then that person’s work must be subjected to the most careful scrutiny. And if millions of people are going to order their lives according to that agent’s ministry, then the work of the one making the claims must be above reproach.

The first blunt question we must ask is, Was Ellen G. White a true prophet of God? On the basis of the evidence we have presented, the clear answer is, No. Too much of her work is opposed to the teachings of the Word of God, even the Gospel itself. Jesus said:

"Anyone who isn’t helping me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. Matt. 12:30.

What then shall we make of EGW’s writings and teachings? Let’s take a clue from Ellen herself.

"This work is of God, or it is not. God does nothing in partnership with Satan. My work . . . bears the stamp of God or the stamp of the enemy. There is no halfway work in the matter. The Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of the devil. Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 230.

If one who claims to be a true prophet proves to be otherwise, then that person automatically becomes a false prophet, either deliberately or inadvertently working on the side of the enemy. A serious matter indeed.

It seems to me that false prophets come in at least three different forms:

Deliberately and knowingly false.

Victim of a mental illness.

Deluded in regards to a calling.

Personally, I do not see Ellen White fitting into the first category. I do not believe she one day sat down and decided to be a false prophet, opposing the things of God.

Much evidence is available (we only touched on the findings) to suggest that Ellen White suffered a mental illness due to her childhood injury, and that this illness precipitated her visions. We must consider that possibility.

The other option is that Ellen White did not fake her mission, nor was she mentally ill, but simply was under a strong delusion that God had called her to the role of prophet.

Although we may differ in regards to what kind of false prophet Ellen G. White was, the important thing to keep in mind is that she was not a true prophet of God. The fact that she said many good things must be put aside; it is too dangerous a pastime to attempt to sort out the "good" from the "bad."

A Larger Problem

Having reached such a conclusion, we are still faced with a major problem. As a young SDA minister I used to say, "If I ever gave up on Ellen White, I also would have to give up on the Seventh-day Adventist denomination." I was not alone in such thinking.

"Our position on the Testimonies is like the key-stone to the arch. Take that out and there is no logical stopping-place till all the special truths of the Message are gone . . . Nothing is surer than this, that the Message and visions (of Mrs. White) belong together, and stand or fall together." Review and Herald Supplement, August 14, 1883.

I would like to agree that this is the only rational stand possible. It is like a mathematical formula: EGW=SDA, and SDA=EGW. There is no scalpel keen enough to separate the two without both entities dying in the process. I occasionally have met individuals who think they can have one without the other, but this in itself is a delusion.

The splintering of God’s people into separate denominations was never God’s plan, and today we are seeing proof that Jesus is coming for a Bride rather than a harem. Denominationalism is becoming more and more sublimated; people are either leaving or refusing to see denominationalism as a mandatory entity in our time. Biblical Babylon is a fit representation of the confusion denominations have generated, and the devil has benefited from the "divide and conquer" strategy.

"After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. He gave a mighty shout, ‘Babylon is fallen . . . Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, ‘Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her." Rev. 18:1, 2, 4.

In preparation for the return of Jesus to take his Kingdom, the Body of Christ is being called out. And it is being called into balance, by Jesus himself.

"The time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way., For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23, 24.

For centuries Christendom has been divided between those who uphold the Word (Logos) at the expense of the Spirit (Rhema), and those who have upheld the Spirit (Rhema) at the expense of the Word (Logos). Neither position represents the true worshiper, and only true worshipers are going to leave this earth with their Lord.

 

The Final Test

Due partly to their belief in a long-dead "prophet," Seventh-day Adventists are largely unaware that the vital gift of prophecy is once again moving in our midst. For centuries the Christian church has been stumbling along as ineffectively as a blind man. "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Prov. 29:18.

Today, as was the case at Pentecost, we once again are experiencing what Joel prophesied:

"In the last days, God said, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they will prophesy. Acts 2:17, 18.

This last great outpouring is seen in the powerful Renewal now sweeping the earth. People may accept it or reject it, but before long they will be unable to ignore it. The intensity of events about to explode upon the world will divide professed Christians into two camps; it will be civil war. By this process, God will "Gideonize" his army, and the loyal core that remains will then be united with their King in the climactic battle against the forces of evil. We are in the process right now of deciding which side we are going to fight on.

The last great moves of God will be orchestrated by the Holy Spirit, so we dare not live apart from him. If you do not at this moment have an intimate, living experience with the Spirit of God, do not rest until you do. Sound doctrine alone will not see you through to the Kingdom.

"The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let each one who hears them say, ‘Come.’ Let the thirsty ones come—anyone who wants to. Let them come and drink the water of life without charge . . .

"He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon!’

"Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!