Understanding Ellen White

Chapter Three - Ellen White and Scripture

R. Clifford Jones

Seventh-day Adventists value the life and ministry of Ellen G. White. Having died in 1915, “Sister White,” whose life and work are believed by Seventh-day Adventists to have met the criteria of a prophet, wrote prodigiously, leaving a body of writings that has guided the denomination since its inception. Yet she has not been without detractors and to this day continues to attract a horde of admirers and critics alike. UEGW 45.1

One topic that has piqued the interest of people familiar with Ellen White, and that has provided fodder for debate, if not controversy, is the relationship of her writings to Scripture. The result of many debates on the issue has been confusion, fueled in part by well-meaning admirers who claim, among other things, that her writings (1) are on par with Scripture, (2) were meant to be an extension of, or addendum to, the Bible, and (3) may be used as the basis of doctrine. UEGW 45.2

what did Ellen White think of the relationship between her writings and Scripture? What claims did she make about her writings, vis-a-vis Scripture? Did she believe that her writings, being those of an inspired prophet, were on the same functional level as the Bible? Did she ever say that the words she penned were an extension of Scripture and could be used as the basis for doctrine? And if her writings are not to be viewed as being on par with Scripture, what then are we to make of her claims of inspiration? UEGW 45.3

Answers to these and attendant issues need to be understood. Because it is crucial to contextualize Ellen White, her understanding of the relationship of her writings to Scripture must be examined in relation to that of some other nineteenth-century “prophets,“ ¹ namely Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, and Ann Lee. UEGW 46.1