1. Ellen White, a Source of Truth

Dale Ratzlaff, Ellen G. White, Feature, Truth About Adventist "Truth"

Ellen White as a source of truth is perhaps the underlying error of the SDA church. Fundamental Belief No. 18 includes the following statement.

…As the Lord’s messenger, her [Ellen G. White’s] 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.1 (emphasis added)

Officially, Adventists believe the writings of Ellen G. White (EGW) are inspired on the same level as the Bible.2 Because she is the later inspired writer, many SDAs hold that her interpretation of the Bible is to be preferred over the meaning the biblical text itself conveys.3 While it is true that the writings of EGW contain some good material,4 it is equally true that they contain gross error.5 Her early writings6 are legalistic and very condemning of nearly all other churches. She saw the Catholic Church as “Babylon” and the “Harlot” of Revelation and the Protestant churches which did not accept SDAs unique teaching on the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 as “fallen churches” and the “daughters of Babylon.”7

Ellen White did not invent SDA erroneous theology, but she cemented it into the foundation of Adventism. The writings of Ellen White support, and are often the chief support, for all of their unbiblical doctrines. And here is the Adventist dilemma: many within Adventism would like to jettison EGW as “a continuing and authoritative source of truth” and the unbiblical doctrines supported by her writings. To do so, however, would cause a serious crisis in Adventism. To avoid this crisis, Adventist leadership has used over a dozen different tactics of dealing with known error without ever admitting to the error.8

It is incredible that SDAs still hold the writings of Ellen G. White to be authoritative and inspired on the same level as Jeremiah and other Old Testament prophets.9 Consider the following questionable, unbiblical, or even heretical statements.

We are placed here on probation to see if we will prove worthy of eternal life.10

For a period of time Christ was on probation. He took humanity on himself, to stand the test and trial which the first Adam failed to endure. Had he failed in His test and trial, He would have been disobedient to the voice of God, and the world would have been lost.11

Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their con-version, should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved.12

A view of things was presented before me in which the students were playing games of tennis and cricket. Then I was given instruction regarding the character of these amusements. They were presented to me as a species of idolatry, like the idols of the nations.13

Since the flood there has been amalgamation [sexual union] of man and beast, as may be seen in the almost endless varieties of species of animals, and in certain races of men.14

Jesus had older brothers.15 (emphasis added)

Ellen White gave a number of failed prophecies16 including the statement that “Old Jerusalem would never be built up.17

Regarding the wearing of wigs, she said, “Many have lost their reason, and become hopelessly insane, by following this deforming fashion. “18

Ellen white wrote that Satan had taken full possession of the churches which rejected Adventist’s reinterpretation of the failed 1844 prophecy.19

Ellen White said,

In these letters which I write, in the testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you that which the Lord has presented to me. 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.20

I have the most precious matter to reproduce and place before the people in testimony form. While I am able to do this work, the people must have these things, to revive past truth, without one heretical sentence, in that which I have written. This, I am instructed, is to be a living letter to all in regard to my faith.21 (emphasis added)

Our Faith Founded on Truth…I have been pleading with the Lord for strength and wisdom to reproduce the writings of the witnesses who were confirmed in the faith and in the early history of the message. After the passing of the time in 1844, they received the light and walked in the light, and when the men claiming to have new light would come in with their wonderful messages regarding various points of Scripture, we had, through the moving of the Holy Spirit, testimonies right to the point, which cut off the influence of such messages.

When the power of God 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. Men will arise with interpretations of Scripture which are to them truth, but which are not truth. The truth for this time, God has given us as a foundation for our faith. He Himself has taught us what is truth. One will arise, and still another with new light, which contradicts the light that God has given under the demonstration of His Holy Spirit. A few are still alive who passed through the experience gained in the establishment of this truth. God has graciously spared their lives to repeat and repeat till the close of their lives, the experience through which they passed even as did John the apostle till the very close of his life. And the standard bearers who have fallen in death, are to speak through the reprinting of their writings. I am instructed that thus their voices are to be heard. They are to bear their testimony as to what constitutes the truth for this time.

We are not to receive the words of those who come with a message that contradicts the special points of our faith. They gather together a mass of Scripture, and pile it as proof around their asserted theories. This has been done over and over again during the past fifty years. And while the Scriptures are God’s Word, and are to be respected, the application of them, if such application moves one pillar from the foundation that God has sustained these fifty years, is a great mistake. He who makes such an application knows not the wonderful demonstration of the Holy Spirit that gave power and force to the past messages that have come to the people of God.22 (emphasis added)

The above quote penned in 1904 demonstrates the cultic heart of Adventism. Adventist “truth” is primarily founded on the early experience of those who went through the 1844 debacle. Further, Ellen White makes it patently clear that this so-called “truth” that was confirmed “through the moving of the Holy Spirit” (her visions and testimonies) is the plumb line to which any interpretation of Scripture must be aligned. This is clearly placing her writings as a “source of truth” over the witness of Scripture, something no Christian, at least no Protestant Christian, would ever do!

Today, Adventist leadership realizes that the church needs the writings of Ellen White more than ever. About 300,000 Adventists are leaving the SDA church every vear.23 In what appears to be a desperate attempt to stop the exodus, the denomination has launched “Connecting With Jesus”.

The largest global book distribution project in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church…Sponsored by the General Conference and the world divisions in cooperation with the Ellen G. White Estate, the project entitled “Connecting With Jesus” will provide ten Ellen White books with study guides to two million Adventist families around the world during a five year period. The books and study guides will be published in many languages at subsidized prices that all can afford…In the beginning of the Advent movement, God worked through Ellen White to help shape the mission and message of the church. Making these heaven-sent messages available to new church members, as well as to others who do not now have access to them, will help assure the on-going unity of the church, both theologically and organizationally.24

While the Adventist church claims to be a Bible based church, the leaders know very well that Bible study without Ellen White interpretation will lead members out of the church. Her writings serve as a prism through which Adventists interpret Scripture. This is why it is imperative for questioning Adventists to determine once and for all the veracity of the writings of Ellen White. Unless they lay aside her writings, they will be unable to see the unity and truth of Scripture.25

Endnotes

  1. For a list of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventists, see: www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental/index.html
  2. In recent years much new evidence has surfaced which demonstrates the many problems associated with the writings of Ellen White. In order to keep these as “inspired writings,” SDAs have had to liberalize their concept of inspiration to allow for such things as massive plagia-rism, historical errors, suppressed visions, inaccurate statements, and contradictions to the Bible.
  3. “Adventists who deny this historic equation (Bible study + EGW confirmation = Adventist distinctives), for whatever reason, are forced to go back into the confusion…To ignore history would put us back to the same uncertain playing field where all other churches are each contending that it alone believes in ‘the Bible and the Bible alone.’ The deep doctrinal struggles within Evangelicalism today are fought by strongly convinced men and women who believe their positions rest on the Bible only. Without Ellen White, that same impasse would continue to fragment the Adventist denomination.” Quoted from Robert S. Folkenburg, From the G.C. President, “Off the Back Burner,” January, 22-April 22, 1996.
  4. Much of the best material is copied from others. See Walter T. Rea, White Lie, (M & R Publicaitons, Box 2056, Turlock, CA 95381).
  5. See Ratzlaff, Cultic Doctrine; Anderson, White Out and Cleveland, White Washed for many examples. (All published by LAM Publications, LLC.
  6. Early Writings is a title of one of EGW’s books. However, I use the term here to include all of her early writings, many of which contain serious, even heretical, error.
  7. Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1, pp. 135, 140, 155, 156, 169, 172.
  8. Cultic Doctrine, see chapter, “Lumps Under the Rug”.
  9. Review & Harold. 1928-5-11.
  10. Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, p. 198.
  11. Ellen G. White, SDA Bible Commentary, p. 1082.
  12. Ellen G. White, Christ Object Lessons, p. 155.
  13. Ellen G. White, Counsels to Teachers, p. 350.
  14. Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 3, p. 75.
  15. Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 87.
  16. See White Washed and White Out, for a number of other illustrations of White’s failed prophecies.
  17. Early Writings, p. 75.
  18. Ellen G. White, Review & Harold, 1871-10.
  19. Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1, p. 189.
  20. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 67.
  21. Paulson Collection of Ellen G. White’s letters, 019.007.
  22. Ellen G. White, Notebook Leaflets from the Elmshaven Library, 1904, p. 157. See also Paulson Collection of Ellen White Letters, p. 208.
  23. http://news.adventist.org/data/2005/06/1120249432/index.html.en
  24. http://www.connectingwithjesus.org
  25. This has been confirmed by the author in conversations with hundreds of former Seventh-day Adventists.

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Dale Ratzlaff
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