CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

In the recent years there has been a questions concerning the authority of the Ellen

White writings. Many scholars have been attacking the books of the Ellen White whether

it was inspired by God or her own ideology.

“The Bible makes it clear that the true source and seat of authority is in God. (Ps

83:18). As Creator and Lord of all nature and history, God has the right to exercise

authority over mankind (Isa 45:22, 23). In Old Testament times God delegated his

authority to certain people called prophets (1 Sam 3:20; 9:9) with whom he

communicated through visions and dreams (Num 12:6). They were God’s spokespersons

to the people (Ezek 24:21), just as Aaron was the spokesperson for Moses (Ex 4:16). In

the New Testament, Jesus delegated his authority to his disciples and the New Testament

prophets. Paul, therefore, could say in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 “you received the Word of

God which you heard from us . . . not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, as the Word

of God.” 1

1
Gerhard Pfandl, the Authority of Ellen G. White writings.

1
 Another question is how can we know that it was inspired by God? Some even

goes on asking that is she considered as one of the Prophet? Can we compare her writings

to that of the Bible? The book of Ellen White has become problematic in some of the

churches, even many of the Adventist do not consider her writings as sacred. The last

question is how can we believe that God is the source her authority? In fact, “Scripture is

God’s message for all time and all people. It is the measuring rod, the yard stick, against

which everything else has to be measured. It is the supreme guideline for every Christian.

The writings of Ellen White on the other hand are God’s messages for a particular people

– His remnant church, at a particular time in history – the end time. Her writings are not a

new or additional standard of doctrine, but a help for the church in the time of the end.2

Hence her writings have a different purpose from Scripture; they are “the lesser light to

lead to the greater light” (CM 125).

This paper will attempt to address the correct understanding of inspiration and the

authority of Ellen White writings, this will help us to know whether we should, regard

her writings as functioning on a canonical level identical with Scripture, or we should

consider them as ordinary Christian literature.

Statement of Problem

Who is Ellen White to the Adventist Church? What were the sources of her

authority? Can we consider her as a prophetess? Are the books of Ellen White inspired?

What are her roles in the Adventist Church? What are the contributions of her writings

2
Ibid

2
towards spiritual growth? All these questions have caused much debate and confusion

and providing solution to them are noteworthy.

Purpose of Study

The aim of the study is to address the correct understanding of the inspiration and

the authority of the Ellen White writings, and her role in the Adventist Church.

Objective

The objective of the research is to help us to know the authority of Ellen White

writings. It will also clarify people’s idea concerning the inspiration of Ellen G. White

Writings. Furthermore, it will address the contributions and the roles of the Ellen G.

White writings towards the growth of the Adventist church. Finally, the research will

seek to throw much light on why the Ellen G. Writings are very important.

Focus on the study

The paper focuses on the meaning of inspiration in the entire bible, how the Old

and New Testament authors was inspired. It will also focus on how God influence Ellen

White in her writings.

Methodology and Procedure

This is the comparative study which will deals with the authority of the Ellen G.

White writings with respect to the Bible, whether her writings were inspired or not. After

that, we will look at her role in the Adventist Church.

3
 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Many scholars have come out with the criticism on the writings of Ellen G.

White, some of them are sayings that her writings were not inspired. Many scholars goes

on saying that she copied some ideas from different people, therefore her books were not

inspired. Hence the need to survey some of the views that have been propounded by such

scholars.

According to Challies, Ellen G. White talks about the Sabbath day as Saturday but

he said that statement from Ellen White is not true because the New Testament clearly

shows Christians worshipping together on Sunday rather than Saturday, this means that

some of her teachings are false.3

Challies continuing by saying that, Ellen White has stated that, God does not

eternally torment sinners, but that the dead enter into soul- sleep until the second coming

and the last judgment. At that time punishment for sinners will be that they cease to

exist,4 according to him this teaching is false.

According to Dirk Anderson, there is no a single word in the New Testament

indicating that Christ would move from Holy to Most Holy place at a certain point in

3
https:// www.challies.com/article

4
Ibid

4
history mean while Ellen G. White has stated that Christ move from Holy place to most

Holy place in 1844.5

Dick Anderson also stated that Ellen White some time omit a very important part

of the verse in order to suit her teachings. The reason she omit is because it contradict

some of the Adventist teachings.6

According to Anderson, Ellen White is saying that the Sabbath is the seal of

which it is not true, he said the New Testament states that the Holy Spirit is the seal of

God.7

A scholar also said that Ellen White has failed in so many prophecies she stated:

1. She said some people who were at the present of 1856 conference meeting will be

alive and remain upon the earth to be translated at the coming of Jesus, mean while they

are all dead and gone now. (vol. 1,p. 131). 2. She predicted the day and the hour of the

coming of Christ (vol 1,p. 59) of which the bible did not say that.8EGW Was an

Evangelist before She Was Called to the Prophetic Ministry A. Call to Evangelism 1. At

age 15, she immediately began leading other teens and young married to Christ B. Call to

Prophetic Ministry 1. 16 at Great Disappointment, Oct. 22, 1844 2. 17th birthday, Nov.

26, 1844 3. 17 at first vision, late December 1844/January 1845 C. Evangelism, the work

of making faithful disciples for Jesus, was the foundation of her prophetic ministry 1. She

saw her primary identity as a disciple and lover of Jesus. 2. She saw her primary work as

5
www.nonsda.org

6
Ibid

7
Ibid

8
1timothy4-13.com/files/bible/sda_morefailed.html

5
bringing others to love and serve Him too (General Conference Biographical Information

Blank, 1909).

Thomas 1961 said Ellen White supported William Miller that Jesus Christ would

return in first in 1843 and then 1883. He said since she supported him and does not

happened, then she is a false prophet.9

9
https://Calm.org/forum-rules

6
 CHAPTER 3

Who is Ellen G. White?

Ellen G. White one of the founders of the SDA Church, was born on 26 Nov., 1827

in a Methodist Episcopal family. Together with her family she became a member of the

Millerite Movement. She survived the disappointment of Oct. 22, 1844. Through her,

God gave visions that strengthened the infant Church/Movement. Two years after the

disappointment, she married James S. White a young Millerite preacher and they had four

children in which only two survived. 10

Together with her husband, they worked tireless to help the infant Church to grow.

The husband died in 1881 but she continued to work in America, Europe, Africa and

Australia. She died in 1915 at the age of eighty-seven. She was a good public speaker

and a prolific writer. She has to her credit “over our thousand articles to various

denominational publications. She authored several dozen books on a wide range of

topics, and she conducted a vigorous correspondence with people all over the world

(Rice, 195).11

Throughout her life, she received many visions and instructions which guided the

Church in many ways. Though she never called herself a prophet, she did not object to

being called so either. The ministry of Ellen G. White is regarded as the manifestation of

10
Gerhard Pfandl, the role and importance of E.G White

11
Ibid

7
the spirit of prophecy in the SDA Church. A leader of the Church states that God through

her life and ministry, Ellen White gave the “remnant church a gift whose value is beyond

estimation.” Because without the Spirit of Prophecy in the SDA Church, the Church

would not have achieved all the successes it can boost of today (Folkenberg, “Reading

Ellen G. White: The Need for Balance,” 1993). As Szolos-Farkas points out, she

became a “sign” of the remnant by helping the Church identify its doctrines and she

“determined the particular doctrinal foundation which was to give the Remnant the

inalienable and unalterable elements of its spiritual identity.” Her role in the Church

authenticates its claim as the eschatological remnant (Szolos-Farkas, 71, 72).12

Ellen G. White was an evangelist before she was called to the Prophetic Ministry.

At age 15, assurance she began leading other teens and young couples to Christ. After the

Great Disappointment, Oct. 22, 1844 on her 17th birthday, she had her first vision. The

work of making faithful disciples for Jesus was the foundation of her prophetic ministry.

She saw her primary identity as a disciple and lover of Jesus. She also saw her primary

work as bringing others to love and serve Him too.13

The role of White in the formative years of the Remnant Church was very

important and it continues to be beneficial even today. It is therefore not surprising that

her ministry is considered as the manifestation of the Spirit of prophecy in the Church. 14

12
Ibid

13
General Conference Biographical Information Blank, 1909.

14
Ibid

8
 Was her Messages Inspired?

"The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God,

given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were

moved by the Holy Spirit. In this Word, God has committed to man the knowledge

necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. They

are the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of

doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God's acts in history. (2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Tim.

3:16, 17; Ps. 119:105; Prov. 30:5, 6; Isa. 8:20; John 17:17; 1 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 4:12.)".15

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 all16 teaching and experience must be tested. (Joel

2:28, 29; Acts 2:14-21; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 12:17; 19:10.)".

The Authority of Ellen G. White Writings

The Bible makes it clear that the true source and seat of authority is in God. (Ps

83:18). As Creator and Lord of all nature and history, God has the right to exercise

authority over mankind (Isa 45:22, 23). In Old Testament times, God delegated his

15
The Inspiration and authority of the Ellen G. White writings, an ad hoc committee of the
General Conference,1982.
16
Ibid

9
authority to certain people called prophets (1 Sam 3:20; 9:9) with whom he

communicated through visions and dreams (Num 12:6). They were God’s spokespersons

to the people (Ezek 24:21), just as Aaron was the spokesperson for Moses (Ex 4:16). In

the New Testament, Jesus delegated his authority to his disciples and the New Testament

prophets. Paul, therefore, could say in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 “you received the Word of

God which you heard from us . . . not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, as the Word

of God.”17

Scripture is God’s message for all time and all people. It is the measuring rod, the

yard stick, against which everything else has to be measured. It is the supreme guideline

for every Christian. The writings of Ellen White on the other hand are God’s messages

for a particular people – His remnant church, at a particular time in history – the end

time. Her writings are not a new or additional standard of doctrine, but a help for the

church in the time of the end. Hence her writings have a different purpose from Scripture,

they are “the lesser light to lead to the greater light” (CM 125). 18

It was concluded, therefore, that “a correct understanding of the inspiration and

authority of the writings of Ellen White will avoid two extremes: (1) regarding these

writings as functioning on a canonical level identical with Scripture, or (2) considering

them as ordinary Christian literature.19

Ellen White left her readers in no doubt about the source of her writings. There were

only two possibilities, “God is either teaching His church, reproving their wrongs, and

17
Ibid

18
Biblical Research Institute General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Copyright April, 2004

19
Ibid

10
strengthening their faith, or He is not. 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” (5 T 671). In a letter to the church in Battle Creek she wrote, “I do not

write one article in the paper, expressing merely my own ideas. They are what God has

opened before me in vision—the precious rays of light shining from the throne. . . .” (1

SM 27).20

Because the source of what she wrote was divine, her words have authority. To those

who refused to accept her writings as having divine authority she said, “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. You know how the Lord has

manifested Himself through the Spirit of prophecy [a metonym for the writings of Ellen

White]” (1 SM 27).21

At the same time she emphasized her submission to the Bible, which she called “the

greater light” (CM 125). “We are to receive God’s word as supreme authority” (6T 402),

she wrote, and “The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible

revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and

the test of experience”(GC vii). Therefore, she said, “the testimonies of Sister White

should not be carried to the front. God’s Word is the unerring standard . . . Let all prove

their positions from the Scriptures and substantiate every point they claim as truth from

the revealed Word of God” (Ev 256). At a meeting held in the Battle Creek College

20
Ibid

21
Ibid

11
library on the eve of the General Conference of 1901 she told the leaders, “Lay Sister

White right to one side. Don’t . . . ever quote my words again as long as you live, until

you can obey the Bible” (SpM 167).

Can we consider her as a Prophetess?

Christ warned us against false Christians and prophets (Matt 24:14). John also tells us

that claims to the prophetic gifts must be tested (I John 4:1). Four Primary tests may be

applied to anyone who claims the gift of prophecy. All must be met before the prophetic

gifts can be accepted as genuine.

The Old Testament highlights the constant conflict between false prophets and the

prophets of the Lord. Distinguishing between them in the past was difficult, but it had to

be done. The Israelites asked the Lord, "How shall we know the word which the Lord has

not spoken?" (Deut. 18:21). John wrote to the church, “Beloved, do not believe every

spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have

gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Since this topic is very important, the Lord gave

His people some guidance.

1. Fulfilled Prophecies: Moses told the Israelites: "When a prophet speaks in the

name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing

which the Lord has not spoken" (Deut. 18:22; cf. Jer. 28:8, 9). At first glance this

is a good test, yet it is often difficult to apply. In order to know whether someone

is a true prophet, we have to wait for the fulfillment of the prophecy he or she

spoke about. In order to help their hearers, prophets sometimes gave within their

12
 long-term prophecies a short-term one that was quickly fulfilled (Jer. 28:16, 17).

Yet the predictions of a false prophet could also be fulfilled (Deut. 13:1, 2). This

suggests that this test is not sufficient, in itself, to know whether a prophet is from

God.

2. Correct Theology/ To the Law and the Testament: This test assumes that people

had already received messages from the Lord and that they were able to use them

to grade new revelations. For example, since God's law prohibits worshipping

idols, a prophet who led others to worship other gods would be a false prophet

(Deut. 13:2). The message from a new prophet had to agree with God's former

revelations (Isa. 30:8). The people hearing the new revelation had to have a deep

personal knowledge of God's Word. This allowed them to use that knowledge to

test the truthfulness of the new revelation. In the New Testament God's revelation

through Jesus became the central test, with the written Word, to show whether a

prophet was true (1 John 4:2, 3; John 17:17). Although this test is more difficult

to falsify, it can be falsified. The apostle Paul wrote about "false apostles . . .

transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan

himself transforms himself into an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:13, 14). Yet those

who know the truth as it is in Jesus will not be deceived.

3. Ethical Test: False prophets do not live up to God's laws and do not clearly speak

out against sin. The prophet Ezekiel accused false prophets, "You have

strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked

way to save his life" (Eze. 13:22). False prophets were also arrogant (2 Peter.

2:18), deceitful (Acts 13:6-10), and often preached only for pay (2 Peter. 2:3, 13).

13
 Their lives were not in line with God's revealed word. People can give the

impression of being holy, even saying all the right things, yet Jesus said they are

like wolves dressed in sheep's clothing (Matt. 7:15).

4. By Their Fruit: Jesus Himself established this test. He said: "You will know them

by their fruits. . . . Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit"

(Matt. 7:16, 17). It is close to the third test, but it goes beyond it by asking, what

are the results of the ministry of a person who claims to be a prophet? Does his or

her ministry build up the church? This test requires time, but lies and deception

are sooner or later revealed.22

Since Ellen White qualify on the above statements as to who a prophet or Prophetess

is, then we can say that she qualify to be a prophet or prophetess.

The Role of Ellen G. White to the Adventist Church

Throughout her life, she received many visions and instructions which guided the

Church in many ways. Ellen G. White has helped the church in both spiritual and

physical ways.

Spiritually, God has used her message to inspire the church. Through her, God gave

visions that strengthened the infant Church/Movement, first in America and to the entire

world-wide. Together with her husband, they worked tireless to help the infant Church to

grow. She has to her credit “over our thousand articles to various denominational

publications.

22
www.whiteestate.org

14
 She authored several dozen books on a wide range of topics, and she conducted a

vigorous correspondence with people all over the world (Rice, 195). A leader of the

Church states that God through her life and ministry, Ellen White gave the “remnant

church a gift whose value is beyond estimation.”

Physically, she encourages the church to build schools, hospitals, printings press

of which she first stated.

15
 CHAPTER 4

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Since the bible makes it clear that the true source and seat of authority is in God.

(Ps 83:18). As Creator and Lord of all nature and history, God has the right to exercise

authority over mankind. The old and the new Testament is the source of authority,

therefore, we can only compare other writings to that of the Bible. As we have seen from

the book of Ellen G. White, since the author is in line with the bible and her words does

not go contrary to the both Old and New Testament, we can say that her writings was also

inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In addition to, Ellen G. White has passed the four stages of a true prophet;

1. Fulfilled Prophecies: In 1848, she was shown that a paper should be printed, and

from this small beginning the publishing work would be like streams of light that

would go clear round the world (Life Sketches, p. 125). Surely we have seen these

words fulfilled as Seventh-day Adventists in 1954 distributed $17,000,000 worth

of literature in 197 languages.

She also predicted that Spiritism will be more in USA, now it has come to pass.

(Ellen G. White, pp. 5, 6. (See Early Writings, p. 87.).23

23 www.Four Bible Tests of the True Prophet.

16
 2. Correct Theology:She always points people to Christ and the law of God

3. Ethical Test: she clearly speaks about the law of God and live by it

4. By their fruits: she was very humble but always tells the truth.24

Though nearly a century has elapsed since Ellen White laid down her pen, her

inspired and therefore authoritative writings continue to be a guiding and unifying factor

in the rapidly growing Seventh-day Adventist Church. We can therefore say that the

writings of Ellen G. White was inspired by God.

24
Ellen White as an Adult: Marriage, Motherhood, and Ministry by Jerry Moon

17