Inspiration of Ellen White

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People Ellen G. White James White · Joseph Bates J. N. Andrews · Uriah Smith J. H. Kellogg · M. L. Andreasen Edward Heppenstall

Distinctive teachings Sabbath · Conditional Immortality Historicism · Premillennialism Investigative judgment · Remnant Three Angels' Messages Eschatology

Criticism Criticism of Ellen White

Other Adventists Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement Davidian SDA (Shepherd's Rod) Advent Christian Church Church of God General Conference This box: view • talk • edit

The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes that church co-founder Ellen G. White was inspired by the Holy Spirit and possessed the spiritual gift of prophecy which was exhibited in her writings.^[1] Her works are officially considered to hold a secondary role to the Bible, but in practice there is wide variation among Adventists as to exactly how much authority should be attributed to her writings. With instruction she claimed was received in visions, White made administrative decisions, gave personal messages of encouragement or rebuke to church members, and played a major role in doctrinal development.

The debate concerning the validity of her prophetic gift has always been heated, both from within and outside the Adventist church. This debate reached a climax in the 1970s and 80s, and since then the church's position has modified somewhat to place greater emphasis on her humanity and fallibility.^[2] Non-Adventists typically believe she was not a prophet, with many such as Walter Martin seeing her as a genuine Christian nonetheless, and some others as an unchristian deceiver.^{[citation needed]} Criticisms include her literary borrowing from other writers, some of her doctrinal positions taken, and her alleged prominence in the church.

Typical mainstream Adventist scholars today believe^{[citation needed]}:

• she was inspired by God... yet she was not infallible (without error)
• her writings are important to and relevant to the Adventist church today... yet must not form the basis for doctrine
• her writings are inferior to the Bible and non-canonical... yet superior to ordinary Christian literature
• she was culturally conditioned to some degree... yet she was not limited to the culture of her day only, but transcended it to some degree
• she borrowed from other authors... yet was not without discrimination in her inspired usage

There has always been significant variation in the Adventist church regarding White's inspiration. Today both critics and mainstream Adventists believe that segments of the church exist which overuse her writings.^[3] A small minority of the church believes she was infallible. Many "Conservative" Adventists tend to place greater emphasis on her writings and less emphasis on her humanity and fallibility than other Adventists. "Progressive Adventists" (usually referred to as "Liberal" Adventists) tend to view her writings as primarily devotional and pastoral in nature rather than doctrinal. It is generally known among Adventists that a large percentage of those in leadership positions do not believe fully in her inspiration^{[citation needed]}.

Contents 1 Background 2 Terminology 2.1 Spirit of Prophecy 3 Views of her inspiration 3.1 Official beliefs 3.2 Infallibility, inerrancy and verbal inspiration/dictation 3.3 Mainstream 3.4 Progressive (Liberal) 3.5 Critical 3.6 White's own views 3.6.1 "Thought inspiration" 3.6.2 Rejected infallibility 3.6.3 "Lesser light" 3.7 Degrees of inspiration? 3.8 Change over time 4 Sources of her writings 4.1 Plagiarism debate 5 Tests of her inspiration 6 History of views concerning her inspiration 6.1 White's lifetime 6.2 Struggle between fundamentalism and modernism 6.3 New information 7 Critical views 8 Influence 9 See also 10 References 10.1 Additional resources 11 External links 11.1 Supportive 11.2 Critical 11.3 Other

[edit] Background

Debate has always been heated, both from within and from without the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Particularly since the 1970s, there has been much study on Ellen White's inspiration. Two of the most significant critical books in recent times are Prophetess of Health by Ronald Numbers, first published in 1976, and The White Lie by Walter T. Rea in 1982. The former argues that the source of White's health writings was not inspiration from God but from contemporary health authorities. Rea's book demonstrates literary parallels between White's writings and other earlier authors, what critics term "plagiarism" but what some Adventists term "borrowing" or something similar. In response, the church commissioned a study known as the "Life of Christ Research Project", which investigated parallels between White's book Desire of Ages which covers Christ's life, and contemporary sources. The result of the study was that 31% of the book shows literary dependence (although quotations are rarely verbatim).

One of the most significant recent defenses is Messenger of the Lord (1998). Other significant works are Inspiration (1991), Prophets are Human (2004) and a series by George Knight including Meeting Ellen White (1996) and Reading Ellen White (1997). See below for more historical details. Douglass was specially commissioned by the White Estate to write his book. Inspiration also deals with the inspiration of the Bible writers, and not just Ellen White. Supportive books written before The White Lie in 1982 quote unrealistically low figures for the amount of borrowing, as the church was only just becoming more open about the amount of her borrowing. Perhaps this is why the White Estate says of F. D. Nichol's classic 1951 work Ellen G. White and Her Critics,

"On a few points it may not reflect the current state of our knowledge".^[4]

Mrs. White’s present, acknowledged status within the Adventist Church is complex. While her devotional works continue to sell, its conservative and progressive (liberal) theologians continue to disagree about her role in the 21st century Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The progressive (liberal) position generally is that the writings of Mrs. White contain little or no authority for the interpretation or clarification of Biblical doctrine and prophetic eschatology. Rather, they maintain, her books, pamphlets and anthologies may be of use exclusively for devotion and moral exhortation.

The conservative position is generally supportive of using Ellen White as a significant authority on doctrinal matters, while giving the Bible precedence in all matters.

[edit] Terminology

Ellen White never claimed the title of "prophet" or "prophetess" because of the stigma attached to the term in her day, which is still apparent today. Rather, Adventists think of her inspiration as a manifestation of the spiritual gift of prophecy described in the New Testament. In particular, the fundamental belief describing Ellen White is titled, "The Gift of Prophecy".^[5]

White recounts one situation where she said before a large congregation that she "did not claim to be a prophetess."^[6] (emphasis in original) This statement generated much discussion and has been misunderstood since, to which she replied,

"Some have stumbled over the fact that I said I did not claim to be a prophet; and they have asked, Why is this? I have had no claims to make, only that I am instructed that I am the Lord's messenger... Early in my youth I was asked several times, Are you a prophet? I have ever responded, I am the Lord's messenger. I know that many have called me a prophet, but I have made no claim to this title."^[6]

"Why have I not claimed to be a prophet? — Because in these days many who boldly claim that they are prophets are a reproach to the cause of Christ; and because my work includes much more than the word 'prophet' signifies."^[6]

However she did not object to others calling her a prophet. Instead, she preferred the term "messenger" because her task involved many lines of work.^[6](c.f. Douglass' book Messenger of the Lord.^[7]). This is also the term used in Fundamental Belief #18 .

Chapter 16: Ellen White’s Self-awareness as a Messenger from Messenger of the Lord

[edit] Spirit of Prophecy

Main article: Spirit of Prophecy (Adventist)

The term "Spirit of Prophecy" has been used by Adventists to refer to Ellen White and her writings (recognizing that it also applied to the Holy Spirit), although some Adventists prefer not to use this term.

[edit] Views of her inspiration

Most Seventh-day Adventists believe White was inspired by God, while most non-Adventists believe that she was not. Most denominationally-employed Adventist scholars today agree that

• she was inspired by God
• her writings are important to the church today
• the Bible is superior to her writings
• she was culturally conditioned to some degree
• she borrowed from other authors
• she was fallible (made mistakes).

However Adventists differ significantly on precisely how culturally conditioned she was, how authoritative her writings are, how fallible she was, how much she borrowed from other authors or was dependent on their views, and so on. Most Adventists generally accept a view of inspiration termed: "thought inspiration" that is supported by two quotes from Ellen White's books.  : "Those who believe that the Bible and the writings of Ellen White are divinely inspired by God impressing thoughts on the prophets’ minds who would then convey the message in the best language and thought frames at their disposal" (Douglass).

However, there are many quotes from her showing that she believed the Bible was dictated. Biblical inspiration

Neither the supportive nor the critical views concerning White's inspiration are monolithic, but both views are themselves highly nuanced and vary significantly in the details. The debate is related to the broader debate concerning Biblical inspiration, which is a hotly debated topic with views including infallibility, inerrancy and other, more liberal views.

Supportive views:

• Infallible, inerrant or verbal dictation. Held by few Adventists today. Some Historic Adventists in the church argue that she is inerrant. Various contemporaries of Ellen White argued for the even stronger view of verbal inspiration.
• Confirming doctrinal developments. The most common Adventist view is that White's writings had a "confirming" not "initiating" role in the doctrinal development of the church, following the group's conclusions based on Bible study.^[8]
• Devotional and pastoral. Those who believe that Biblical writers and Ellen White were inspired but were not given propositional truth; Those who believe that the Bible and the writings of Ellen White are generally inspired but their value is more pastoral than theological. Held by many progressive Adventists (liberal Adventists) and others. (Douglass, "The attempt by some to praise Ellen White for her devotional contributions but to deny her role as a theological messenger separates her life from her ministry."(Douglass, 524,^[9]))

Critical views:

• White was a genuinely spiritual, Christ-centered woman who was also mistaken regarding her inspiration and was unduly influenced by others (Martin and others)
• White was a deceptive false prophet

Many of the major critics are themselves former Adventists.

[edit] Official beliefs

One of the 28 fundamental beliefs of the church is

"18. The Gift of Prophecy:

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G. White. As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. (Joel 2:28,29; Acts 2:14-21; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 12:17; 19:10.)"^[1]

Fundamental number one, "Holy Scriptures", states

"The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. They are... the authoritative revealer of doctrines..."^[1]

See also the General Conference Session statements "Resolution on the Spirit of Prophecy", St. Louis 2005, and "A Statement of Confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy", Utrecht 1995. The former says,

"Her writings continue to be a most positive influence in the life of the Church, providing for it comfort, guidance, instruction, correction, and theological stimulus. Their study will constantly lead the Church back to the Bible as the very foundation of faith and practice."^[10]

[edit] Infallibility, inerrancy and verbal inspiration/dictation

Infallibility of White and stronger views are not taught by mainstream Adventist scholars today. Historic Adventists Colin and Russell Standish write in The Greatest of All the Prophets^[11] that White's writings are inerrant.^{[citation needed]} Some of White's contemporaries believed that she was not only inerrant, but held to the even stronger view(s) of verbal inspiration or verbal dictation. White rejected these claims of all her writings being given by verbal dictation. Dr. D. Paulson wrote,

"I was led to conclude and most firmly believe, that every word that you ever spoke in public or private, that every letter you wrote under any and all circumstances, was as inspired as the ten commandments. I held that view with absolute tenacity against innumerable objections raised to it by many who were occupying prominent positions in the cause" (D. Paulson to E. G. White, April 19, 1906)^[12] White replied,

"My brother, you have studied my writings diligently, and you have never found that I have made any such claims, neither will you find that the pioneers in our cause ever made such claims."^[13]

A. T. Jones and S. N. Haskell caused problems for the church by teaching verbal inspiration and inerrancy.^[14] Jones later rejected her writings. W. W. Prescott once held a verbal inspiration view, but before 1919 he adopted a moderate position.^[15]

See the view of Dennis Priebe.

Bradford argues that those with an unrealistically high view of Ellen White are most prone to rejecting her writings, such as J. H. Kellogg, A. T. Jones and others.^[16]

According to evangelical Kenneth Samples,

While "making Ellen G. White the infallible interpreter of Scripture... has never been the official position of the church, in a practical way many leaders within Adventism have asserted this."^[17]

[edit] Mainstream

"The Inspiration and Authority of the Ellen G. White Writings"^[18] document issued by the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, "A statement of present understanding". From the Adventist Review, December 23, 1982. This document has had worldwide review and input, and subsequent use and respect, although not an official, voted statement. Contains 10 affirmations and 10 denials. It concludes that a proper understanding will avoid the two extremes of regarding her "writings as functioning on a canonical level identical with Scripture, or... considering them as ordinary Christian literature."^[18]

One core value of the Adventist Theological Society, the more conservative of the two Adventist theological societies, is:

"The Society believes that the writings of Ellen G. White possess more than pastoral authority and that in them God has spoken as He did through prophets and apostles of old, to instruct His people concerning His will and the course He would have His people pursue. The Bible alone is the only foundation of Seventh-day Adventist doctrine; Ellen White’s writings, while subject to and judged by the Scriptures, are an invaluable tool for illuminating Scripture and confirming church teaching."^[19]

The Adventist Society for Religious Studies has no belief statement nor membership restrictions based on doctrine.

Conservative group Adventists Affirm upholds

"the Spirit of Prophecy writings as inspired counsel and illumination on the Bible".^[20]

The church and Ellen White herself have always taught that the Bible is the ultimate authority, not her writings. This is the stated official position of the church. However there have been tendencies amongst some throughout the history of the church to give more prominence to White's writings than the Bible.^[21] Other Adventists admit to having held dangerous views regarding her inspiration in the past:

[Cliff Goldstein quote]

See Douglass, 440-441 for some historical quotes.

The church pioneers including Ellen White herself believed that acceptance of her prophetic ministry should not be used as a test of church fellowship. See the class outline by Jerry Moon.^[22]

Clifford Goldstein, who has been described as a "church apologist"^[23]

"I can accept that Ellen White, even as a prophet, was fallible, both in her life and writings. Her prophetic ministry, in my thinking, is not diminished if she made mistakes, grew in her understanding of doctrine and theology, changed her mind on doctrinal and theological issues, even, at one point, had an erroneous view of the Sabbath or of the law in Galatians, or didn't fully understand some of her own visions. I can accept that her humanity intruded upon her work and ministry (tell me that Moses', John the Baptist's, or Peter's didn't intrude upon theirs). Inspiration doesn't automatically include inerrancy."^[24]

Yet he limits her fallibility, believing that she could not be wrong on a topic such as the investigative judgment on which she wrote extensively.^[25] He reached this position

"by a long and sometimes torturous road... In my earliest days as a new Adventist, I held what I now deem an erroneous and potentially dangerous view of Ellen White's ministry and inspiration, a view prevalent in the church and one that has caused many, such as Dale Ratzlaff, to leave."^[26]

Graeme Bradford states that he struggled for 20 years over questions and doubts until satisfied he had the answers, and the publication of his book.

Alden Thompson also states that it has been a difficult journey for him to adjust his notion of Ellen White's prophetic gift, especially since her writings were so formative in his early spiritual journey.

Many other Adventists claim that White's writings played an important role in their spiritual journey.

Willie White and A. G. Daniells supported a more moderate view of Ellen White's writings as "thought inspiration".

Authors such as Arthur Patrick, Alden Thompson, Graeme Bradford and many others have a more progressive or liberal view.

[edit] Progressive (Liberal)

Progressive Adventists argue for a reduced dependence on White's writings, and emphasize her human fallibility. Yet they appreciate and respect her Christian ministry.

Many advocating a more progressive view of White believe that the official church is still overly protective of her writings and prophetic gift.

[edit] Critical

According to critic Dale Ratzlaff,

"One cannot understand the Bible correctly when continuing to read the writings of Ellen White."^[27]

The website "The Ellen White Research Project" (formerly EllenWhite.org) is the leading critical website.

Some critics claim to know Adventist church leaders who also disbelieve in White's prophetic gift.^{[citation needed]}

See #Critical views below.

[edit] White's own views

Some of White's statements on how inspiration or revelation from God works are found in the introduction to The Great Controversy and pages 15 to 23 of Selected Messages volume 1. (ref - "The Lesser and the Greater Lights", see below). These have been compiled by the White Estate into a document "Ellen G. White's Understanding of How God Speaks", along with one of her letters.

She described revelation as "thought inspiration", in the above references which is distinct from stronger concepts of inspiration, but she wrote at least twice that the Bible was "dictated" by the Holy Spirit.

[edit] "Thought inspiration"

"The Bible is written by inspired men, but it is not God's mode of thought and expression. It is that of humanity. God, as a writer, is not represented. Men will often say such an expression is not like God. But God has not put Himself in words, in logic, in rhetoric, on trial in the Bible. The writers of the Bible were God's penmen, not His pen. Look at the different writers.

It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man's words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts. But the words receive the impress of the individual mind. The divine mind is diffused. The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and will; thus the utterances of the man are the word of God."^[28]

But she wrote many times about "the inspired words", and even wrote two strong passages supporting the belief that the Bible is dictated.

He who is the father of lies, blinds and deceives the world by sending his angels forth to speak for apostles, and make it appear that they contradict what they wrote when on earth, which was dictated by the Holy Ghost. ^[29]

The scribes of God wrote as they were dictated by the Holy Spirit, having no control of the work themselves. ^[30]

[edit] Rejected infallibility

(Reference - Ashworth, below)

"The Sacred and the Common" in Chapter 2 - Ellen G. White and Her Writings

[edit] "Lesser light"

Ellen White clearly and repeatedly stated that the Bible is the ultimate authority, and not her writings. She used a number of metaphors to illustrate that her writings were inferior to the Bible. The most well known is that her writings were a "lesser light" pointing to the "greater light" of the Bible:

"Little heed is given to the Bible, and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light" (Review and Herald, January 20, 1903).

Warren Ashworth stated,

"1. She consistently refused to be the arbiter of truth. No doctrinal position was to be determined and defended on the basis of 'Ellen White says.'

2. She wanted all to 'wrestle' with the Scripture.

3. Using her as final arbiter would inevitably lead to biblical illiteracy.

4. In order to have any lasting credibility with our own church members, let alone with Christians of other faiths, all of our doctrines must be based solely and completely on the Bible."^[31]

Yet God also did use her to correct doctrine.^[32]

Ellen White's writings are not placed on a par with the Bible, as quoted above.

However, others point out her "confirming" role for theology.

"In relation to her role within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ellen White wrote: “Besides the instruction in His Word, the Lord has given special testimonies to His people, not as a new revelation, but that He may set before us the plain lessons of His Word, that errors may be corrected, that the right way be pointed out, that every soul may be without excuse.”

Ellen White was given an important role in defining doctrinal truth and error: “At that time [after the 1844 disappointment] one error after another pressed in upon us; ministers and doctors brought in new doctrines. We would search the Scriptures with much prayer, and the Holy Spirit would bring the truth to our minds. Sometimes whole nights would be devoted to searching the Scriptures and earnestly seeking God for guidance. Companies of devoted men and women assembled for this purpose. The power of God would come upon me, and I was enabled clearly to define what is truth and what is error.”[xiv][xiv]

In 1905, Ellen White wrote that “there is one straight chain of truth and not one heretical sentence, in that which I have written.”

Her quote: “God sets no man to pronounce judgment on His Word, selecting some things as inspired and discrediting others as uninspired. The testimonies have been treated in the same way; but God is not in this.”

She also claimed that at times when she couldn't think of the right word to write, God would give her the exact word.^{[citation needed]}

She stated, "In regard to infallibility, I never claimed it; God alone is infallible."

[edit] Degrees of inspiration?

Debate concerning whether to divide between the inspired and uninspired.

Adventists tend to believe White, who taught that there do not exist different degrees of inspiration among the prophets of God. In 1884 General Conference president George I. Butler published a series of 10 articles in the Review and Herald.^[33] Five years later, White claimed she had received a vision showing that the articles were in error.^[34]

Most Adventist literature including the White Estate, the 10 affirmations and denials document, Fred Veltman, etc. appear to dislike the idea of dividing between so-called inspired and uninspired portions because it could lead to the dismissal of portions at whim, especially if they are challenging to an individual's life. Douglass quotes prominent early leaders who ended up losing all belief in White after dividing her writings in this manner.^{[citation needed]}

Protestant theologian Wayne Grudem has argued for a distinction between Old Testament prophets and New Testament prophets.^[35] This has influenced some within the progressive/liberal camp (such as Desmond Ford) to see Ellen White as a "New Testament prophet", with lesser authority than a prophet as described in the Old Testament (as someone speaking God's words), and more subject to the spiritual discernment of others.

[edit] Change over time

Adventist scholars accept that Ellen White grew in her doctrinal understanding over time. The 1888 Bible Conference was a great insight for many in the church, when the centrality of Jesus and righteousness by faith became clearer. In particular Alden Thompson's book Escape from the flames: how Ellen White grew from fear to joy - and helped me do it too^[36] argues that growth occurred.

Many authors claim that a shift took place in her writing after the 1888 Minneapolis General Conference. Her major books about Christ were produced after this event, including Steps to Christ (1892), Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing (1896), The Desire of Ages (1898), Christ's Object Lessons (1900), as well as the early chapters of The Ministry of Healing (1905).

[edit] Sources of her writings

White and her contemporaries listed a number of sources of her writings, the most prominent being the inspiration of God:

• Visions
• Other people
• Other authors - for example The Great Controversy relies heavily upon works by other church historians such as James Aitkin Wylie, d'Aubigné and Sylvester Bliss.
• Editors or literary assistants

See also George E. Rice, Luke, a Plagiarist?, 1983.

Adventist authors have pointed out that many of the criticisms leveled at Ellen White's writings actually apply to the biblical authors as well. In particular, some believe that not all biblical content was derived from visions, although most Adventists still believe it is "inspired":

• Research: Inspired writers may supplement revelation with research (Luke 1:1-4, etc.) (Thompson, 157)
• Scribes or literary assistants (Romans 16:22, etc.) (Thompson, 160)
• Editing and compiling (Proverbs 25:1, etc.) (Thompson, 163)
• different emphases on scripture, etc.

See above. Critics who hold to a strong form of inspiration such as inerrancy have accused Adventists of diminishing the inspiration of scripture in order to uphold Ellen White.

Her son Willie White wrote about the literary assistants in 1900: "...But none of Mother's workers are authorized to add to the manuscripts by introducing thoughts of their own. They are instructed that it is the words and thoughts that Mother has written, or spoken, that are to be used."^[37]

In 1981 the church hired Vincent L. Ramik, a Roman Catholic lawyer specializing in copyright law, to investigate the charge of plagiarism. He concluded strongly in The Ramik Report that Ellen White was not a plagiarist:

"Based upon our review of the facts and legal precedents, we conclude that Ellen G. White was not a plagiarist and her works did not constitute copyright infringement/piracy."

(See Adventist Review, Sept. 17, 1981^[38])

Later editions of The Great Controversy had citations inserted.

[edit] Plagiarism debate

During the 1970s several scholars, including Adventist pastor Walter T. Rea, were researching White's dependence on other authors, such as Alfred Edersheim. The church commissioned Raymond Cottrell and Specht to study the literary dependence of Desire of Ages--they suggest a dependency of less than 2.6%. Later, Fred Veltman was commissioned to examine the book Desire of Ages in a scientific manner. His study, the Life of Christ Research Project, was completed in 1988 and concluded that, of the 15 random chapters sampled, approximately 31% of sentences in the book showed a literary dependency of at least one word. Others such as Rea suggest that as much as 90% could exhibit parallels. However, this claim has never been verified or proven. See here for examples.

Some scholars have argued that many of the parallels consist of a single shared word only. Only a small number are large, verbatim quotations. Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon argue that parallels such as White's view on inspiration published in Special Messages vol. 1, 21 which parallels Calvin E. Stowe, Origins and History of the Books of the Bible (1867), 19-20 displays a different theological thought. Hence, they argue, words found in common do reflect original thoughts by White.

[edit] Tests of her inspiration

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

Tests cited by supporters... tests cited by critics... discussion of views of biblical tests...

Supportive arguments which are used include claims of miraculous physical signs which were present, the accuracy of her health message, predictions, character of her life, and so on.

A. G. Daniells did not think that miraculous signs were the best kind of evidence to produce,^[39] but rather the fruit of her ministry (see http://www.whiteestate.org/books/mol/Chapt38.html#reference8)

She mentioned the phrase, 'the truth as it is in Jesus' hundreds of times. The primary test that Bradford suggests in Prophets are Human is whether or not her writings point the reader to Jesus.

[edit] History of views concerning her inspiration

There has been much debate regarding the nature of her inspiration, both within and without the Adventist church. There have been many particularly significant developments since the 1970s when the discussion was particularly fierce. Throughout the history of the debate both more progressive/liberal and more conservative factions are clearly identifiable.

Most recently, "the information age has thoroughly democratized the discipline of Ellen White Studies."^[40] There exist a plethora of influential websites arguing both points of view.

View of inspiration of Scripture have tended to be linked to the view of inspiration of Ellen White^[41]

[edit] White's lifetime

Even during Ellen White's lifetime Adventists had different views regarding the nature of her prophetic ministry. She corrected both people who downplayed her writings, and those who elevated them too highly. She rebuked both those who downplayed or rejected her writings, such as A. T. Jones and also those who elevated her writings too high, such as a Dr. D. Paulson letter to White:

"I was led to conclude and most firmly believe, that every word that you ever spoke in public or private, that every letter you wrote under any and all circumstances, was as inspired as the ten commandments. I held that view with absolute tenacity against innumerable objections raised to it by many who were occupying prominent positions in the cause"^[42]

White replied,

"My brother, you have studied my writings diligently, and you have never found that I have made any such claims, neither will you find that the pioneers in our cause ever made such claims."^[43]

During her life she constantly fought for her followers to focus on Scripture, and not to use her writings as the arbiter of truth.

Two Millerites claimed to have had visions prior to Ellen White – William Ellis Foy (1818–1893), and Hazen Foss (1818?–1893), Ellen White's brother-in-law. Adventists believe the gift offered to these two men was instead passed on to White.^[44] Soon after White's death, Margaret Rowen claimed to receive visions, and formed the short-lived Reformed Seventh-day Adventist Church.^[45] Many others such as Victor Houteff and Jeanine Sautron also claimed the prophetic gift.^[46]

In 1866, Snook and Brinkerhoff published the critical work The Visions of E.G. White Not of God. Later in 1889 Dudley Canright, after his break with the church two years earlier, published Seventh-day Adventism Renounced.^[47] It was the biggest attack on Ellen White's credibility in the nineteenth century, bringing together the accusations of previous critics.^[48]

A. T. Jones and S. N. Haskell caused problems for the church by teaching verbal inspiration and inerrancy for not only the Bible but White's writings as well.^[49] Against them were Willie White and A. G. Daniells, who supported several statements from Ellen White advocating a more moderate view of thought inspiration.

[edit] Struggle between fundamentalism and modernism

For much of the 20th century, the Adventist church had an unrealistically high expectation of Ellen White's writings, according to contemporary mainstream scholarship. Adventist views about Scripture and Ellen White were influenced by the wider debate within Protestantism regarding revelation and inspiration. A debate had been brewing between liberalism and fundamentalism, which reached a peak in the 1920s with the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy. This controversy saw a polarization between the two extremes, which saw Adventism lose its more moderate position. Impacted by the prevailing views of inspiration in the wider climate, the Adventist church took a fundamentalist stance towards Scripture and Ellen White. It continued to grapple with the struggle between fundamentalism and modernism from White's death in 1915 until about 1970.^[50]

While many scholars in the church have adopted a "thought inspiration" view of the Bible, and reject inerrancy, a poll taken in 2001 shows that 64% of the Seventh-day Adventist membership still believes that the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches.^[51]

In 1926 the General Conference even published a college textbook which argued for so-called verbal inspiration, while rejecting verbal dictation and Ellen White's several statements of thought inspiration.^[52] Daniells, Prescott and Willie White were sidelined. The loss of the moderate position has caused problems for the church which continue to the present day.^[53] Prescott expressed some serious concerns in a letter to Willie in 1915. H. M. S. Richards saw her as fallible, and when accusations such as plagiarism arose decades later, he reported that he was not disturbed because he had heard them all before at the 1919 Conference.^[54]

The 1919 Bible Conference^[55] was a significant theological milestone in Adventist history, but the significance of the discussions about Ellen White were not recognized until the rediscovery of the conference transcripts in 1973. The discussion occurred within the context of issues related to prophetic interpretation, and how to relate to change after her death. The conference served to polarize Adventist theology into "liberal" and "conservative" camps which continue to impact the church today.^[56] Today's views were evident at the 1919 Conference and remain today.^[57]

Also in 1919, D. M. Canright published the critical work Life of Mrs. E.G. White, Seventh-day Adventist prophet: her false claims refuted.^[58] He is the best known and most influential early critic, and his work has been the basis for much subsequent criticism.^[59]

Other books published during this period include The Abiding Gift of Prophecy ([(version in DjVu) by A. G. Daniells (1936) and Believe His Prophets by Denton E. Rebok (1956), which are both fully available online from the White Estate. In 1951 Francis D. Nichol published the classic apologetic work Ellen G. White and Her Critics (DjVu version).^[60] According to the White Estate, this book

"...after 50 years is still the most comprehensive response to various charges against Ellen G. White. Though on a few points it may not reflect the current state of our knowledge, its reasoning is incisive and its perspectives helpful."^[61]

Walter Martin claims that Nichol argues masterfully, but in defending her so strongly, weakens his case.^{[citation needed]} In 1955 Thomas Jemison published A Prophet Among You,^[62] which became a standard college textbook for decades.

[edit] New information

The years 1970-1982 brought challenging information and heated discussion. While the Adventist church today still strongly upholds White's prophetic gift and personal spirituality, its views are more moderate and more emphasis is often placed on her human, fallible side.

In 1970, Adventist William Peterson wrote the article "A Textual and Historical Study of Ellen G. White's Account of the French Revolution" in the journal Spectrum.^[63] It acted as a catalyst for the study of Ellen White's use of other writings ("source criticism"). This has been termed "borrowing" by supporters, or "plagiarism" by critics. Arthur Patrick has written,

"Prior to that time, many had perceived her writings as the all-inclusive, authoritative encyclopedia of Adventist thought and practice."^[64]

F. D. Nichol's classic defense has since been found to be wanting in some respects.^[65] Alden Thompson has rated this as one of the most influential Spectrum articles.

In 1973, Arthur L. White published The Ellen G. White Writings.

In 1976, then-Adventist Ronald Numbers published Prophetess of Health, which asserted her health messages actually came from contemporary sources, not from visions from God.^[66] An updated edition was published in 1992. See A Critique of the Book Prophetess of Health^[67] by the Ellen White Estate. Numbers was ultimately removed from church employment.

In 1979, the minutes from two days of the 1919 Bible Conference were published by the journal Spectrum,^[68] and are now available from an official church website.^[69] The complete minutes had been rediscovered in 1974. This information has since played a large part in the church's understanding. The key issue during those two days of the conference was the nature of the inspiration of Ellen White.

In 1980, the White Estate and the Biblical Research Institute decided to begin a study of White's inspiration and other topics. This was described by then General Conference President Neal C. Wilson in two articles in the Adventist Review.^[70] A scholarly committee met at the Glendale Adventist Hospital in January 28 and 29 to discuss Rea's studies into White's use of sources. The committee members and its conclusions are reported in a letter by Rea. Wilson reported,

"The initial report from this very competent committee indicates that in her writing Ellen White used sources more extensively than we have heretofore been aware of or recognized."^[71]

The controversial dismissal of Desmond Ford from ministry and teaching position following his reinterpretation of the investigative judgment, peaked with the meeting in August 1980. This event was influential in the perception of White's inspiration. Ford still accepts her gift of prophecy as legitimate.

In 1981 Robert W. Olson published a booklet 101 Questions on the Sanctuary and on Ellen WhitePDF (410 KB)^[72] and "The 'Shut Door' Documents" in 1982.

In 1982, the first International Prophetic Guidance Workshop was held.

Also in 1982, Adventist Walter Rea published the critical book The White Lie,^[73] which documents literary parallels with other authors of her times, following several years of discussion with church leaders and scholars. He claimed to be tired of waiting for his views to be heard. The book elicited several responses.^[74] Rea's employment by the church was terminated.

There has been diversity within the church since 1982.

In 1988 Adventist Fred Veltman completed his study, the Life of Christ Research Project DjVu, which investigated literary parallels between White's Desire of Ages (about the life of Christ) and contemporary literature.^[75] He had been commissioned by the church in 1982 to conduct this study, prompted by the challenges of Rea and others. Of the 15 random chapters sampled, it was found that approximately 31% of sentences in the book showed a literary dependency of at least one word. For Veltman's summary of the results, the two-part series in Ministry magazine may be helpful: "The Desire of Ages project: the data"^[76] and "the conclusions".^[77] One statement by him:

"I am under the strong conviction, now more than before I began this research, that the issue is not one of deciding if Ellen White was a prophet or merely a religious leader. It is not a case of all or nothing, of either/or. Nor is it the problem of deciding which of her messages are inspired or when she exchanged her prophetic hat for an editorial cap."^[78]

Dr. Roger W. Coon,^[79] David J. Conklin,^[80] Dr. Denis Fortin,^[81][82] among others, undertook the refutation of the accusations of plagiarism.

The church has increasingly become aware of the reality of the literary parallels. Of the currently known parallels, the next most dependent book is The Great Controversy with 20% dependency on sources. It is also the most historical of the set in the Conflict of the Ages series.

In 1991, Alden Thompson published Inspiration: Hard Questions, Honest Answers.^[83] It was published by the church press Review and Herald. See the review by evangelical Clark Pinnock.^[84] In 1992 a group of authors from the Adventist Theological Society published a conservative response, Issues in Revelation and Inspiration.^[85] See also the article by Alberto Timm.^[86] Conservative scholar Samuel Koranteng-Pipim and Historic Adventists Colin and Russell Standish also produced self-published works around this time. The competing publications illustrate the internal debate within the church.

From 1996 to 1999 Adventist historian George Knight published a series of books on Ellen White - Meeting Ellen White: A fresh look at her life, writings and major themes (1996),^[87] Reading Ellen White: How to understand and apply her writings (1997),^[88] Ellen White's World: A fascinating look at the times in which she lived (1998),^[89] and Walking With Ellen White: Her everyday life as a wife, mother, and friend (1999).^[90] These popular books are both informative and readable.

Several media productions have made an impact since the late 90s. In 1998 a critical video Seventh-day Adventism: The Spirit Behind the Church^[91] was released by Jeremiah Films. The video is critical of both Ellen White and the Seventh-day Adventist Church and features several former Adventist pastors. It elicited Adventist responses.^[92] In 2005 a supportive video documentary Keepers of the Flame[5] hosted by Dr. Allen Lindsay includes a discussion of Ellen White.^[93] Videos from the 2005 Ellen White Summit held at Gladstone Park Conference Center, which featured numerous experts, are available online. In 2006 another supportive video, Prophetic Inspiration[6] was produced by scholars from Avondale College.

In 1998 Herbert Douglass published Messenger of the Lord, after being commissioned by the Ellen G. White Estate to write the book. It is used as a textbook at some Adventist places of higher learning. See Alden Thompson's review.^[94] Also in 1998, Juan Carlos Viera published The Voice of the Spirit.

Critical works include Ellen G. White: The Myth and the Truth by Asmund Kaspersen (1999) and Beware This Cult! An insider exposes Seventh-day Adventism and their false Prophet, Ellen G. White by Gregory G. P. Hunt (chapters relating to Ellen White available online).

In February 2004, a series of Australasian Record articles appeared featuring Arthur Patrick and Bruce Manners.^[95]

In 2005, Alden Thompson published Escape From the Flames,^[96] which also incorporates a personal account of the author's journey.

Graeme Bradford has published three books on Ellen White starting with Prophets are Human in 2004.^[97] In it he argues for a more realistic view of Ellen White as a godly woman and someone with the genuine prophetic gift, yet having human imperfections nonetheless. See the review by Denis Fortin.^[98] People are Human was the second title. The third in the series, More Than a Prophet (2006) has been somewhat more controversial,^[99] and is freely available online.

The forthcoming "Encyclopedia of Ellen G. White" is expected for release in 2007 or 2008. It is edited by Jerry Moon and Denis Fortin of Andrews University, and will contain contributions by dozens of scholars. According to Seeking a Sanctuary, it will be very conversative.

In 2007, the play Red Books was produced, featuring a dialogue on views of White's inspiration drawn from interviews of over 200 individuals.

[edit] Critical views

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

Could borrow from Ellen G. White#Criticisms and Ellen G. White#Response to criticism

The validity of her prophetic ministry is typically denied by those outside the Adventist church, although there are exceptions. More positive criticism came from evangelical Walter Martin of the countercult Christian Research Institute, who "rejected White’s prophetic claims", yet saw her "as a genuine Christian believer", unlike her contemporaries Joseph Smith, Jr., Mary Baker Eddy, and Charles Taze Russell. Kenneth Samples, a successor of Martin in his interaction with Adventism, also denies White's prophetic claims yet "believe[s] she, at minimum, had some good biblical and theological instincts."^[17] Others view her in a more negative light, as deceptive.

The most prominent early critic of the Adventist church and Ellen White was D. M. Canright, an early leader who later left the movement. According to evangelical Walter Martin, most subsequent criticism of the church has been based on his work.

Contemporary critic former Adventist Dale Ratzlaff has been described as the "fountain head" of all critics.^[100]

According to Samuele Bacchiocchi, most criticisms of White come from former Adventists, many of whom were church pastors.^[101] In the intense debates regarding her inspiration during the 1970s, Adventists Walter Rea and Ronald Numbers wrote material considered critical of Ellen White by much of the church, and subsequently left.

Physicians Molleurus Couperus and Delbert H. Hodder suggested White's visions were due to temporal lobe epilepsy or partial-complex or psychomotor seizures. Another physician, Donald Peterson, has responded.^[102]

[edit] Influence

See also: Ellen G. White#Historic legacy

According to evangelical author Kenneth Samples, "No Christian leader or theologian has exerted as great an influence on a particular denomination as Ellen White has on Adventism."^[103] According to the "Valuegenesis" studies, the percentage of self-identified Adventists studying in Adventist schools who read White's writings at least once a week was 13% in 1990 and 6% in 2000.^[104]

A 2004 survey of American Protestant pastors by The Barna Group showed those under 40 "championed" Ellen White as an author who had influenced them.^[105]

[edit] See also

• Ellen G. White: life, writings, James White, Willie White, White Estate
• Biblical inspiration, Revelation, Prophet and Prophecy
• Seventh-day Adventist Church

[edit] References

[edit] Additional resources

• Mapping the Past: Exploring the Development of Adventist Theology by Fritz Guy, Ph.D.
• Inspiration/Revelation: What It Is and How It Works by Roger W. Coon from the Journal of Adventist Education. Alternative url.
• Raymond Cottrell article
• An Analysis of the Literary Dependency of Ellen White: We Analyse, You Decide by David J. Conklin
• Ellen G. White as a Writer: Part III - The Issue of Literary Borrowing by Roger W. Coon
• Ellen G. White as a Writer: Case Studies in the Issue of Literary Borrowing by Denis Fortin
• The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia Forthcoming publication in the Review and Herald, by Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon
• Ellen White and the SDA Church by Bert Haloviak, from a series of two presentations at the Sligo Adventist church, Oct. 22 and 29, 1980.
• Shifting Views of Inspiration: Ellen G. White Studies in the 1970s] by Donald R. McAdams in Spectrum magazine 10, no. 4. This is generally considered the best article on the '70s era.
• The Significance of Ellen White's Head Injury by Molleurus Couperus, Adventist Currents, June 1985.
• Olson, Robert W. (1982-04-11). The 'Shut Door' Documents. Retrieved on 2006-10-20.
• Secondary reference: a helpful introductionCameron, Bruce N.. What About Ellen White?. SabbathSchoolLessons.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-20.

• Check comment ""There was no question in Ellen G. White's mind about the over all inspiration of The Great Controversy, although possibly 50 percent or more of the material in the book was drawn from other sources." (Ellen G. White's use of historical sources in The Great Controversy, by Robert W. Olson, Adventist Review, February 23, 1984.)" found on a webpage.
• McMahon, Don (1995). Acquired or inspired: exploring the origins of the Adventist lifestyle. Warburton, Victoria: Signs Publishing Company. Asserts that White's health principles are largely accurate. Book website
• Leonard Brand, Don S. McMahon (2005). The prophet and her critics: a striking new analysis refutes the charges that Ellen G. White "borrowed" the health message. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press. ISBN 0-8163-2057-8, OCLC 56592480. 
• "Ellen White and her critics" by Leonard Brand. Dialogue
• George Knight. "Visions and the Word". Adventist Today
• Rene Noorbergen. Prophet of Destiny (publisher's page)
• Ellen G. White and the Protestant Historians by Donald McAdams
• George Knight article in Adventist Today
• Was Ellen White a Plagiarist? from the Biblical Research Institute
• Spectrum 1986 Aug issue with special section on White
• "The Church 'drifting toward a crisis': Prescott's 1915 Letter to William White" by Gilbert M. Valentine
• "The Inspired and Inspiring Ellen White" papers by Arthur Patrick: "Part 1: 1982 in Historical Perspective", "Part 2: Assessing Five Examples of the Documented Evidence"
• http://www.atoday.com/magazine/2004/03/summit-ellen-g-white-writings
• http://www.signsofthetimes.org.au/archives/2005/may/article10.shtm

[edit] External links

[edit] Supportive

• Ellen G. White Estate, the official Ellen White website
  • The Complete Published Ellen G. White Writings. Text version available here.
  • Issues & Answers Regarding Inspiration and the Life and Work of Ellen G. White, a comprehensive list of online resources.
• Ellen White and Adventism, from ATissue. A comprehensive list of articles
  • Re-visioning the Role of Ellen White, and other papers index of some of Arthur Patrick's papers, Avondale College research associate
• Jerry Moon's lecture outlines
• Informative Rebuttals to Criticisms
• Ellen White Defend.com
• EllenWhiteAnswers.org by Jud Lake, professor of Preaching and Adventist Studies at Southern Adventist University
• "The Gift of Prophecy", chapter 17 in Seventh-day Adventists Believe... A Biblical Exposition of 27 Fundamental Doctrines, by the Ministerial Association
• "Ellen G. White's Writings and Their Relation to the Bible", question 9 in Questions on Doctrine

[edit] Critical

• The Ellen White Research Project Independent source of information about Ellen White by Dirk Anderson, Dale Ratzlaff and others
• exAdventist Outreach (formerly SDAOutreach.org) Former Seventh-day Adventist pastor Mark Martin's research: A true prophet?
• LAM Publishing Source of books by former Adventist pastor Dale Ratzlaff
• Let Us Reason 7th Day Adventism and Law Keepers Directory: Is there a prophet among you?
• Theotokos Seventh-day Adventism - A Catholic + Biblical perspective: Ellen White

[edit] Other

• Debate (1–4 5–14) between evangelical Walter Martin and Adventist Bill Johnsson on the John Ankerberg Show