The Ellen G. White Writings

Does the Evidence Justify the Claim to Authority?

Ramm in his definition of “authority” declares that the one who makes such a claim must in turn give a “responsible account for the claim to right or power.” Ellen White puts it a little differently: EGWW 68.6

“God gives sufficient evidence for the candid mind to believe.” “He gives evidence, which must be carefully investigated with a humble mind and a teachable spirit, and all should decide from the weight of evidence.” Testimonies for the Church 5:675. EGWW 69.1

It may be well to pause occasionally to recount these evidences: EGWW 69.2

What is the nature and influence of these writings—their relationship to the Bible? EGWW 69.3

What have the Spirit of Prophecy counsels done for those who accept them and let them guide in their lives? EGWW 69.4

What has been the influence of Ellen White’s voice in the development of the church and in its work? Have the counsels led to success or to disappointment and failure? EGWW 69.5

What has been the influence of the counsels in meeting crises? Has not the church been saved in every instance? And what of those who have veered away, certain that they had new and great light for the people? If you are personally acquainted with some such, examine for a moment their state of mind and their relationship to their fellow men, and if they are now deceased, what of their last days? EGWW 69.6

Can one instance be cited where the church or its members—when the counsels have been followed sincerely, rationally, and faithfully—have been misled by the Spirit of Prophecy? Has it let us down at any point? EGWW 69.7

So marked was Ellen White’s influence that when she passed to her rest in the summer of 1915 a then widely read journal, The Independent, editorialized her and Seventh-day Adventists: EGWW 69.8

“Her revelations were in the nature of instructions to their disciples, mostly aimed at their spiritual life, not forgetting to forbid the sins of custom and fashion.... Saturday was the Sabbath; and the Lord’s coming was close at hand.... EGWW 69.9

“Of course, these teachings were based on the strictest doctrine of inspiration of the Scriptures. Seventh-day Adventism could be got in no other way. And the gift of prophecy was to be expected as promised to the ‘remnant church’ who had held fast to the truth. This faith gave great purity of life and incessant zeal. No body of Christians excels them in moral character and religious earnestness.... And in all this Ellen G. White has been the inspiration and guide.” The Independent, Aug. 23, 1915. Quoted in Messenger to the Remnant, p. 126. EGWW 70.1

And what of her counsels in the area of science? She had three years of formal schoolwork. She was a busy housewife and a person called upon to travel and engage in public labor. In the 1860’s and subsequently her counsels embodied much that dealt with the fields of physiology and nutrition. Anything less than divine guidance would have led her to make pronouncements that in a few years would have been ridiculous. But what are the facts? EGWW 70.2

The facts are that declarations made 70, 80, and even 100 years ago and more, many of which seemed quite out of line at the time, are being verified with such precision that little room is left for question or doubt. And E. G. White statements—which in the 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s were by some confidently declared to be in conflict with “the facts” and at times used as examples of the unreliability of the Spirit of Prophecy in the field of science—now stand out as strong exhibits of its certainty and reliability. We might call attention to prenatal influence, the subtle harmful effects of tobacco, the perils of hypnosis, cancer germs, and alcohol and drugs as potent factors in giving rise to birth defects. EGWW 70.3

How is it that the writings of a person unschooled in the fields of science penned so long ago are now enjoying the support of the most painstaking scientific investigations? Is it so with the works of science of that day or even a decade or two ago? How is it that a number of investigations conducted painstakingly by scientists reveal that the incidence of several serious diseases is lower among Seventh-day Adventists than among the population as a whole? Also that on the average Adventists live longer? “Adventist advantage” is the way Time magazine ⁷ designates this fact as it reports on a five-year survey. Moreover, in certain nutritional circles it is declared that Seventh-day Adventists are the find of the century! EGWW 70.4

What weight do these accumulated evidences carry? Do they give a responsible account for the one through whom the counsels came to us? EGWW 71.1