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Understanding Ellen White Ellen G. White 2015 Copyright © 2018 Ellen G. White Estate, Inc. Information about this Book Overview This eBook is provided by the Ellen G. White Estate. It is included in the larger free Online Books collection on the Ellen G. White Estate Web site. About the Author Ellen G. White (1827-1915) is considered the most widely translated American author, her works having been published in more than 160 languages. She wrote more than 100,000 pages on a wide variety of spiritual and practical topics. Guided by the Holy Spirit, she exalted Jesus and pointed to the Scriptures as the basis of one’s faith. Further Links A Brief Biography of Ellen G. White About the Ellen G. White Estate End User License Agreement The viewing, printing or downloading of this book grants you only a limited, nonexclusive and nontransferable license for use solely by you for your own personal use. This license does not permit republication, distribution, assignment, sublicense, sale, preparation of derivative works, or other use. Any unauthorized use of this book terminates the license granted hereby. Further Information For more information about the author, publishers, or how you can support this service, please contact the Ellen G. White Estate at [email protected]. We are thankful for your interest and feedback and wish you God’s blessing as you read. i ii Contents Information about this Book . .i Acknowledgments . viii Introduction . ix Ellen White’s passion for the love of God in Christ . .x Ellen White’s orientation toward Scripture. xiii Chapter One - The Gift of Prophecy in Scripture . 16 The Old Testament evidence . 16 The New Testament evidence . 19 Successors of the Old Testament prophets . 19 The apostle word group . 20 Prophets and prophesying . 23 The New Testament prophet . 24 Key passages . 27 1 Corinthians 12-14 . 27 The book of Revelation . 29 The New Testament prophet and current Adventist issues . 30 Chapter Two - Revelation and Inspiration: Ellen White’s Understanding . 36 Definition of important terms . 37 General revelation . 37 Special revelation . 38 Prophetic revelation . 38 Inspiration . 38 Illumination . 39 Common views on inspiration . 39 Verbal inspiration view . 40 Illumination or encounter view . 40 Thought inspiration view . 41 Ellen White and thought inspiration . 41 Some problematic paradigms . 42 Ellen White’s incarnational view of inspiration . 44 Visionary experiences and pictorial depictions . 46 Words and instructions . 47 Chapter Three - Ellen White and Scripture. 53 iii iv Understanding Ellen White Ellen White’s relation to Scripture . 54 Ellen White and her contemporaries . 58 Chapter Four - The Authority of Ellen White’s Writings . 63 Canonical and noncanonical prophets . 63 Not “degrees of revelation” . 65 Prophetic authority does not mature . 66 Prophetic authority and the Advent movement . 67 Prophetic authority in today’s changing world . 70 Chapter Five - How to Read Ellen White’s Writings . 75 1. Begin with a healthy outlook . 75 2. Study Ellen White’s writings in the light of Scripture . 76 3. Focus on central issues . 77 4. Account for problems in communication . 80 5. Study all available information on a topic . 81 6. Avoid extreme interpretations . 83 7. Study each statement in its historical and literary context 84 8. Recognize Ellen White’s understanding of the ideal and the real . 86 9. Use sanctified common sense . 88 Chapter Six - Ellen White as God’s Spokesperson . 93 How the visions happened . 93 What the visions accomplished . 94 Understanding the dynamics of receiving and communicating her visions . 94 When and where she received visions . 95 What she remembered from her visions and when . 96 Visions revealing the past, present, and future . 97 Understanding what she was shown . 98 Temporary misinterpretation of some aspect of a vision . 99 Divine correction for incorrect counsel . 101 Dramatic predictions of world events . 102 Chapter Seven - Humanity of the Prophets . 106 Human feelings . 107 Personal growth . 109 Cultural dialogue . 111 Unfolding message . 113 Chapter Eight - Ellen White and the Development of Seventh- day Adventist Doctrines . 118 Contents v Ellen White’s role in the development of Seventh-day Adventist doctrines . 120 Second advent of Christ . 120 Observance of the seventh-day Sabbath . 121 Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary . 122 Three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 . 123 Conditional immortality and annihilation of the wicked . 124 Ellen White and distinctive Seventh-day Adventist doctrines 125 Theological themes in Ellen White’s writings . 126 The great controversy . 126 Salvation and atonement . 127 Chapter Nine - How Ellen White Did Her Writing . 130 The writing process . 131 Compilations . 134 Regular books . 135 Topical collections . 135 Reference collections . 135 Devotional readings . 136 Contextualized compilations . 136 How the White Estate makes compilations . 137 Translations, adaptations, and paraphrases . 137 Chapter Ten - Ellen White Criticisms and D. M. Canright . 146 Historical overview of D. M. Canright . 146 Canright and contemporary Ellen White criticisms . 150 Chapter Eleven - Ellen White and Sources: The Plagiarism Debate . 158 Historical summary . 158 1887-1907 . 158 1907-1933 . 159 1933-1970 . 162 1970-2012 . 164 Retrospective summary and present understandings . 165 The definitional and legal issues . 166 Ellen White’s use of literary sources . 167 The inspiration issue . 168 The ethical/moral issue . 170 Chapter Twelve - Understanding Ellen White and the “Shut Door” . 180 vi Understanding Ellen White Millerite disappointment view (October 1844 to about January 1845) . 180 Ellen White’s experience . 181 The Bridegroom view (January 1845 to about January 1847) 182 Ellen White’s contribution . 184 The sanctuary view: January 1847 to fall 1848 . 186 Ellen White’s contribution . 186 The sealing message and the open door: 1849 through 1852 187 Ellen White’s contribution . 188 Theological integration . 188 Ellen White’s contribution . 189 Misconception and growing understanding . 190 Chapter Thirteen - Ellen White and Science . 195 Sound advice at the time, but less obviously useful today . 196 Statement 1: Dangerous wigs . 197 Statement 2: Toxic.
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