Messenger of the Lord

The Value of Compilations

In her will, Ellen White authorized “the printing of compilations from my manuscripts.” MOL 529.7

Throughout her 70-year ministry, her daily agenda and prodigious writing schedule were phenomenal when compared to others, then and now (as we studied in chapter 11). She rarely had the leisure to devote consecutive weeks exclusively to writing a book from start to finish. ⁹ For many years she spent entire summers attending numerous camp meetings, speaking once or twice daily in almost continuous succession. ¹⁰ Many years she would be away from home for months. She traveled through Europe three times in two years, speaking almost every day, constantly holding interviews and writing personal testimonies. ¹¹ MOL 529.8

Throughout this ministry, she had little time to organize the various subjects scattered throughout these messages, most of which were either soon out of print, of limited circulation, or had never been published. Thus, it seems natural that at the end of her life she would want her messages to be made available in an organized manner. The most efficient procedure would be to classify these materials by subject and to make them available in systematic and balanced publications. MOL 529.9

One of the chief benefits of a well-organized compilation (such as Evangelism or Counsels on Diet and Foods) is that readers are able to get a broad and balanced picture of what Ellen White said on a given subject. Everyone benefits when hitherto unpublished materials such as diaries, manuscripts, and sermons are accessed and properly integrated in such a compilation. MOL 529.10

Nevertheless, questions always arise whenever anyone tries to “organize and systematize” the past. Why? Because no absolutely objective media reporter, historian, or theologian exists. To the degree that “experts” pursue their bias, no matter how intellectual their work may appear, to that extent their data may be suspect by someone. This potential weakness in any academic effort is greatly increased when compilers string together selected quotations to favor their personal views. MOL 530.1