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

Elder E. W. Farnsworth's Report on the Ballenger Position

Here is Farnsworth's contemporary summation: 5BIO 407.2

“There was another feature of the meeting which was really sad to me. Brother Ballenger has got into a condition of mind which would seem to me to unfit him entirely to preach the message. He has been studying the subject of the sanctuary a good deal lately, and he comes to the conclusion that the atonement was made when Christ was crucified and that when He ascended He went immediately into the Most Holy Place and that His ministry has been carried on there ever since.

“He takes such texts as Hebrews 6:19 and compares them with twenty-five or thirty expressions of the same character in the Old Testament where he claims that in every instance the term “within the veil” signifies within the Most Holy Place. He says the outer veil or the door of the tabernacle is never called the veil of the tabernacle ...[except] once, and then by implication (Hebrews 9:3), and does not think that one instance should be so construed as to practically overthrow the rest. 5BIO 407.3

“He sees clearly that his view cannot be made to harmonize with the testimonies, at least he admits freely that he is totally unable to do so, and even in his own mind, as far as he is able to see at present, there is an irreconcilable difference. This, of course, involves the authenticity of the Testimonies and practically upsets them—I mean, in his mind. 5BIO 407.4

“It also upsets our views concerning the sanctuary and its work, though he does not really think that way. It also involves to a greater or lesser extent our views of the two covenants, and how much more I was not able to ascertain.”—E. W. Farnsworth to AGD, in AGD to WCW, March 16, 1905. 5BIO 407.5

Farnsworth reported that a number of Adventist ministers in Great Britain were taking up these new views on the sanctuary, and confusion was coming in. He declared to Elder Daniells, “‘You will readily see from this condition of things that it was not all real sunshine for us at the conference. Somehow this dark cloud of apostasy made it hard for us.’”— Ibid. 5BIO 408.1

In his 1911 talks at the Oakland camp meeting Elder Andross carefully traces through various texts that were employed by Ballenger in support of his views. Then he traces through the interpretation of these texts as held by Seventh-day Adventists, a position strongly supported by the repeated testimony of Ellen White as having been given to her in confirmation of truth in the early days of studying doctrinal points. 5BIO 408.2

Early in the 1905 session Ballenger laid before the leading brethren what he felt was new light, but they were unable to accept his reasoning and pointed out the errors in his application of Scripture. 5BIO 408.3