Ellen White: Woman of Vision

The Ballenger Teachings

A. F. Ballenger, a brother of E. S. Ballenger in southern California, for a time was a minister in Great Britain. Associated with him in the work in Britain were such men as E. W. Farnsworth and E. E. Andross. The latter, in a series of talks given in 1911, gave a little of the background of the Ballenger experience: WV 477.4

[In early 1905] A. F. Ballenger was over in Great Britain while I was there, and he had not been very thoroughly instructed in some points of the faith. He had been preaching around over the country on certain practical points of the faith, and had had considerable success in that line, but he had not been thoroughly grounded in the doctrinal points of the faith. One night while laboring with me in London, it came his turn to preach on the subject of the sanctuary. He did so, but he was very much discouraged over his efforts on the subject of the sanctuary that night. And then he said, “If the Lord will help me, I will never preach again until I know what I am preaching. I am not going to get it from our books. If our brethren could obtain it from the original sources, why can't I? ... I will go to the books or commentaries and all these various sources from which Elder Uriah Smith obtained light on the subject of the sanctuary, and I will get it from the same sources that he did. I will not know it because Elder Uriah Smith knew it, but I will know it because God is teaching it to me directly” (DF 178, E. E. Andross, “Bible Study No. II,” July 13, 1911, pp. 13, 14). WV 477.5

Elder Andross then explained that Ballenger did not realize the source from which Elder Smith obtained the sanctuary truth. There was earnest Bible study by the pioneers of the Advent movement, and with them was the messenger of the Lord. As the brethren continued their study, there was in their midst one through whom the Spirit of God was able to point out what was truth and what was error. WV 478.1

Elder Ballenger considered his discoveries as new light and early in the 1905 session laid before the leading brethren his “discoveries.” Not surprisingly, the brethren were unable to accept his reasoning, and pointed out the errors of his application of Scripture. WV 478.2

In her Tuesday afternoon address to the session, Ellen White's mind turned to the teachings on the sanctuary truth that were being quietly met by church leaders. WV 478.3

She told of how in the early days errors crept in, and how the Lord sent her into the field to meet fanaticism and misleading teachings. She declared: WV 479.1

We shall have to meet these same false doctrines again. There will be those who will claim to have visions. When God gives you clear evidence that the vision is from Him, you may accept it, but do not accept it on any other evidence; for people are going to be led more and more astray in foreign countries and in America. The Lord wants His people to act like men and women of sense (The Review and Herald, May 25, 1905). WV 479.2

In an obvious reference to A. F. Ballenger and some of his friends attending the session, she said, “I am praying that the power of the Saviour will be exerted in behalf of those who have entered into the temptations of the enemy” (Ibid.). WV 479.3