101 Questions - About Ellen White and Her Writings

Question 23: Can we trust the compilations? (“Compilations and Use of Ellen G. White Writings”)

Our pastor invited a fellow from our conference to a meeting with the elders one night. During this meeting, this fellow said that he felt if Mrs. White were here, she would agree that about 90 percent of her writings are being misused. He mentioned the compiled books, with a specific reference to the book Messages to Young People. His implication was that the compilations cannot be trusted—that the content of these books has been taken out of context and that a great deal of the material was written in letters meant only for the people to which they were mailed and no one else. Are his views valid? Are the compiled books taken out of context, and should we stop using them? 101Q 64.1

There really are two issues inherent in the comments you have referred to. First, would Mrs. White approve of making compilations from her writings, even the unpublished ones? And second, have the compilations been done well, representing fairly her original intent in the individual statements and her overall position on the subject under consideration? 101Q 64.2

Mrs. White has answered the first question for us. In her will, one of the three things that she specifically asked the trustees of her estate to do in regard to her writings was to see to “the printing of compilations from my manuscripts.” So those who wish to say that publishing compilations is an illegitimate use of her writings are in direct conflict with her own instructions to her trustees. (You can find her will in Herbert E. Douglass’s book Messenger of the Lord, a digital version of which is available on the White Estate Web site.) 101Q 64.3

The second question, whether the compilations have been done well, is a matter of opinion. I know that the trustees commit the work of drawing together a new compilation to those whose knowledge and balance in Mrs. White’s writings they trust. When a manuscript is complete, besides reading it themselves, they seek other knowledgeable people to read it with a view toward detecting any imbalance, bias, or omissions that would reflect on the value of the work. Only when they are satisfied that it fairly represents Mrs. White’s views and makes a worthy contribution to the life of the church do they send it out for publication. 101Q 64.4

I have heard various people complain about Messages to Young People. I have also heard others say how much that book has meant to them, even as young people. I am of the opinion that a good deal of the book’s bad press stems from the fact that it tells people truths that they may not want to hear just then. If someone gives the book to a rebellious young person with the idea in mind that this will straighten him or her out, it probably will not be well received. Likely, neither would a Bible. But to young people who want to deepen their relationship with Jesus and represent Him better, the book is a great blessing. In the words of the old saying, the same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay. 101Q 65.1

Ellen White included her letters to private individuals in the Testimonies because she had received divine instruction that the counsel given for one person would benefit others. So criticism of compilations because they contain information originally written to a specific person flies in the face of Mrs. White’s own practice. The original sources of the material used in compilations have always been identified so readers can check the context. 101Q 65.2