Messenger of the Lord

Six Basic Principles Reflected in Letter From Ellen White

The portion of her letter that dealt especially with accepting government aid, about three and one-half typewritten pages, was later published in Testimonies to Ministers. ⁸ In it six basic principles ⁹ are reflected: MOL 221.6

Denominational decisions must be based on “correct principles.” “Let these men [Religious Liberty leaders] read the book of Nehemiah with humble hearts touched by the Holy Spirit, and their false ideas will be modified, and correct principles will be seen, and the present order of things will be changed.” ¹⁰ MOL 221.7

Applying these “principles” should be done by leaders nearest to the problem. “Let the Lord work with the men who are on the ground, and let those who are not on the ground walk humbly with God, lest they get out of their place, and lose their bearings.” ¹¹ MOL 221.8

“True principles” must be differentiated from false principles. Although Ellen White strongly advocated the principle of religious liberty, she never used the phrase “separation of church and state.” She urged church leaders not to “build up a wall of separation between themselves and the world, by advancing their own ideas and notions.” ¹² To not think clearly would “move ... workers to make them take a course which will bring on the time of trouble before the time.” Wrong thinking would “cut off any favors” by withdrawing “from the help that God has moved men to give, for the advancement of His cause.” ¹³ MOL 221.9

False principles do not originate with the Holy Spirit. In Old Testament times the Lord “moved upon heathen kings to come to [Nehemiah’s] help ... which they so much needed.” Refusing government aid was “zeal ... not according to knowledge.” In reference to Battle Creek leaders, Ellen White was clear: “The movement they have made to pay taxes on the property of the Sanitarium and Tabernacle have manifested a zeal and conscientiousness that in all respects is not wise nor correct. Their ideas of religious liberty are being woven with suggestions that do not come from the Holy Spirit, and the religious liberty cause is sickening.” ¹⁴ MOL 221.10

Correct concepts of stewardship undergird correct religious liberty principles. God “owns the world” and “has placed His goods in the hands of unbelievers, but they are to be used in favor of doing the works that must be done for a fallen world.” ¹⁵ MOL 222.1

Throughout history God has moved “upon hearts of kings and rulers in behalf of His people.” He used Cyrus and Darius of Persia, to help Nehemiah. “Proper persons ... [should] set before those who have means and influence, the needs of the work of God.... They should seek to bring the truth before the men in high places, and give them a fair chance to receive and weigh evidence.... What they would give we should be privileged to receive.” Further, with false principles of stewardship and religious liberty the church has “put away from us privileges and advantages that we might have had the benefit of, because we chose to stand independent of the world.” ¹⁶ MOL 222.2

Seventh-day Adventists must use wisdom in deciding what and when to implement the “correct principles” in the area of government aid. Adventists are told that “we need not sacrifice one principle of truth while taking advantage of every opportunity to advance the cause of God.” ¹⁷ Twice in her counsel on government aid, Ellen White admonished that leaders should exercise “the wisdom of the serpent, and the harmlessness of the dove [that] we might obtain advantage from them [men in high places], for God would move upon their minds to do many things in behalf of His people.” ¹⁸ Further, leaders should avoid “taking extreme positions, and burdening themselves over matters that should not be taken up or worried over.” ¹⁹ MOL 222.3

Wisdom in avoiding “extreme positions” would also advise caution in accepting government aid with latent strings attached that would compromise or restrict church programs or principles, then or in the future. Government aid should be rejected if it compromises the church’s purpose, but it should not be rejected because of reasoning based on false principles. MOL 222.4

Government aid, or aid from anyone willing to give it, should be gratefully accepted if, in the taking, “truth is to have a standing place and ... uplifted in many places in regions beyond.” ²⁰ Solusi Mission and College was the beginning of scores, perhaps hundreds, of Seventh-day Adventist educational and medical institutions on most all continents where “truth” has “a standing place” because of government assistance. Most European and African countries require church-related schools to be licensed by the government. After being licensed, government funding follows. The record shows that truth need not be compromised because of this connection; without the connection, there would be no “standing place” for truth in those countries. MOL 222.5