An Investigation to Determine Ellen White's Concepts of Revelation
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Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Master's Theses Graduate Research 1991 An Investigation to Determine Ellen White's Concepts of Revelation, Inspiration, "the Spirit of Prophecy," and Her Claims About the Origin, Production and Authority of Her Writings James H. Burry Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/theses Recommended Citation Burry, James H., "An Investigation to Determine Ellen White's Concepts of Revelation, Inspiration, "the Spirit of Prophecy," and Her Claims About the Origin, Production and Authority of Her Writings" (1991). Master's Theses. 31. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/theses/31 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Order Number 1348182 An investigation to determine Ellen White’s concepts of revelation, inspiration, "the spirit of prophecy," and her claims about the origin, production and authority of her writings Burry, James H., M.A. Andrews University, 1992 Copyright ®1991 by Burry, James H. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Aibor. MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE ELLEN WHITE'S CONCEPTS OF REVELATION, INSPIRATION, "THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY," AND HER CLAIMS ABOUT THE ORIGIN, PRODUCTION AND AUTHORITY OF HER WRITINGS A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by James H. Burry August 1991 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE ELLEN WHITE'S CONCEPTS OF REVELATION, INSPIRATION, "THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY," AND HER CLAIMS ABOUT THE ORIGIN, PRODUCTION AND AUTHORITY OF HER WRITINGS A thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts by James H. Burry APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: Ch airteegt, Dr. Theol Chairteegt, Jo: . Baldwin,Ph.D. Fernando L. Canale, Ph.D. Datevapproved' Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ® Copyright by James H. Burry 1991 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE ELLEN WHITE'S CONCEPTS OF REVELATION, INSPIRATION, "THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY," AND HER CLAIMS ABOUT THE ORIGIN, PRODUCTION AND AUTHORITY OF HER WRITINGS by James H. Burry Chair: P. Gerard Damsteegt Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Thesis Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE ELLEN WHITE'S CONCEPTS OF REVELATION, INSPIRATION, "THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY," AND HER CLAIMS ABOUT THE ORIGIN, PRODUCTION AND AUTHORITY OF HER WRITINGS. Name of researcher: James H. Burry Name and degree of chair: P. Gerard Damsteegt, Dr. Theol. Date completed: August 1991 Problem Questions persist about the authority and role of the writings of Ellen White in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Since the church accepts her as a prophet, this study seeks to determine Ellen White's concepts involving the processes of revelation, inspiration and the usage of the phrase "spirit of prophecy." Her claims about the origin and authority of her writings then help to determine a more consistent usage for the spirit of prophecy. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Method A descriptive systematic approach begins with computer CD-ROM word studies on Ellen White's concepts of revelation, inspiration and the phrase "spirit of prophecy." After determining these concepts, they serve as presuppositions for investigating her claims about the origin and resultant authority for her writings. Results Ellen White's basic concepts of revelation, inspiration and "spirit of prophecy" differ slightly from current definitions held by many Adventists. These answer almost every question that has come up about her writings. The origin and authority she claims for her writings are consistent with her presuppositions about the basic concepts. However, the authority claimed for Ellen White's work is more extensive than what is generally supposed. Several recommen dations are made for adjusting the SDA Church position regarding her writings. Conclusion An internally consistent position about the writings of Ellen White is possible if her understanding about the revelation-inspiration process and the origin of the spirit of prophecy are considered. The authority of her writings in the church and the proper role for them in biblical interpre tation should be determined in this light. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To my wife, Una, without whom I perhaps never would have started this thesis, and certainly never would have finished it iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.................................. vii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION........................................ 1 Purpose of This S t u d y ............................. 3 Methodology, Limitations ......................... 4 Working Definitions ............................. 6 II. REVIEW OF MAJOR STUDIES ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY............................. 7 Discussion of the Spirit of Prophecy in Historical Perspective ..................... 7 The Crisis Over the Spirit of Prophecy .... 7 A Brief History of the Issues Involving the Spirit of Prophecy....................... 9 Current Position Statements About the Spirit of Prophecy...................... 13 Four Categories of Questions About the Spirit of Prophecy ........................ 16 Is the Spirit of Prophecy Truly Prophetic in Nature? ....................... 17 Dissection of the Spirit of P r o p h e c y ..........20 Limited Application for the Spirit of Prophecy.......................... 21 Should the Spirit of Prophecy be Used as Doctrinal or Just Pastoral Counsel? . .21 The Systematic Approach to the Study of the Underlying I s s u e s ...................... 24 Previous SDA Studies on the Four Underlying Issues ....................... 25 Concepts: Revelation, Inspiration, Spirit of Prophecy.......................... 25 Origin of the Writings of Ellen W h i t e ..........27 The Authority of the Spirit of Prophecy .... 29 Purpose and Role of the Spirit of Prophecy . .30 Conclusion and Justification for This Study . .31 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. III. ELLEN WHITE'S CONCEPTS OF REVELATION, INSPIRATION, "SPIRIT OF PROPHECY" .............. 33 Ellen White's Understanding of the Revelation-Inspiration Process .............. 35 Confusion of Revelation With Illumination . 35 Origin and Nature of Special Revelation . .37 Ellen White's Understanding of Revelation . 39 Terminology: Revelation-Inspiration P r o c e s s ...................................