Ellen G. White: The Early Elmshaven Years: 1900-1905 (vol. 5)

Pantheistic Teachings and the General Conference of 1903

As leading workers approached the General Conference session, which was to open on March 27 in Oakland, California, the proposed book The Living Temple was a matter of deep concern. On March 16, Ellen White wrote to Dr. Kellogg: 5BIO 292.3

You are not definitely clear on the personality of God, which is everything to us as a people. You have virtually destroyed the Lord God Himself.—Letter 300, 1903. 5BIO 292.4

Again on April 5, while at the session, she wrote to the doctor: The specious, scheming representations of God in nature carry their charming, soothing influence as a peace and safety pill to give to the people, in the spiritualistic views [Note: This term does not refer to spiritualism as we speak of it today, but to spiritualizing certain truths.] that Satan has instituted in your theories.—Letter 301, 1903. 5BIO 292.5

She wrote to him a second letter on the same day. In this letter she said: 5BIO 292.6

Your ideas are so mystical that they are destructive to the real substance, and the minds of some are becoming confused in regard to the foundation of our faith. If you allow your mind to become thus diverted, you will give a wrong mold to the work that has made us what we are—Seventh-day Adventists.—Letter 52, 1903. 5BIO 292.7

Early in the session, in one of her talks Ellen White had declared: Those who stand as teachers and leaders in our institutions are to be sound in the faith and in the principles of the third angel's message. God wants His people to know that we have the message as He gave it to us in 1843 and 1844. We knew then what the message meant, and we call upon our people today to obey the word, “Bind up the law among My disciples.”—The General Conference Bulletin, 1903, 32. 5BIO 292.8

On April 3 she had warned: 5BIO 293.1

Spurious scientific theories are coming in as a thief in the night, stealing away the landmarks and undermining the pillars of our faith. God has shown me that the medical students are not to be educated in such theories, because God will not endorse these theories.

The most specious temptations of the enemy are coming in, and they are coming in on the highest, most elevated plane. These spiritualize the doctrines of present truth until there is no distinction between the substance and the shadow. 5BIO 293.2

You know that Satan will come in to deceive if possible the very elect. He claims to be Christ, and he is coming in, pretending to be the great medical missionary.—Ibid., 87. 5BIO 293.3

As mentioned in an earlier chapter, Ellen White fully intended on several occasions at the 1903 General Conference to meet pantheistic teachings explicitly and face to face in an open meeting where Dr. Kellogg and his views would be completely exposed. But in each case she was restrained from doing so. While at the session she was instructed in vision that she “‘must not say anything that would stir up confusion and strife in the conference.’”—DF 15c, W. A. Spicer, “How the Spirit of Prophecy Met a Crisis,” Copy A, p. 30. 5BIO 293.4

That the General Conference session should come to a close without the issues being squarely met was a matter of deep perplexity to not a few, including her own son, W. C. White. Most came to see that somehow in the providence of God He does not always deal with such matters precipitously. He did not do so in dealing with Lucifer when he fell in heaven. Things must develop to a certain point before the issues could be met in a way that all would understand what they were and take a safe stand. And so it was seen in 1903 in the case concerning the pantheistic teachings. 5BIO 293.5