1888—Issues, Outcomes, Lessons

Practical righteousness

Nine weeks before the conference began, Ellen White pleaded with her brethren to remember their Christianity at the forthcoming meeting. To the “brethren who shall assemble in General Conference” she wrote: “Let every soul now be divested of envy, of jealousy, of evil surmising, and bring their hearts into close connection with God. If all do this, they will have that love burning upon the altar of their hearts which Christ evinced for them. All parties will have Christian kindness and Christian tenderness. There will be no strife; for the servants of God must not strive.... 88IOL 3.7

“The correct interpretation of the Scriptures is not all that God requires. He enjoins upon us that we should not only know the truth.... We are to bring into our practice, in our association with our fellowmen, the spirit of Him who gave us the truth.” ¹⁹ 88IOL 4.1

Somehow a misunderstanding developed as to the topics to be presented at the institute preceding the General Conference. According to W. C. White, Butler had written him a letter in which “he gave a list of the subjects which he said he supposed would come up for consideration. Among these he named prominently the 10 kingdoms, and the law in Galatians.... Elder Butler has forgotten it, and does not admit that he ever wrote such a letter.” ²⁰ 88IOL 4.2

Waggoner and Jones came fully prepared with their theological and historical ammunition, but, for whatever reason, Uriah Smith and his friends had made no special preparations. They did, however, bring several hundred copies of Butler’s pamphlet on Galatians, which they distributed to the delegates. ²¹ 88IOL 4.3

Unfortunately, Ellen White’s appeal for kindness and tenderness was largely ignored when the ministerial institute convened on Wednesday, October 10, one week before the opening of the General Conference session. A. T. Jones’s lectures on the 10 kingdoms, presented on the second day of the institute, resulted in discussion that at times became acrimonious. Still, Sister White was hopeful that a good spirit could somehow prevail. On Sabbath afternoon, October 13, she preached on the love of God and then called for testimonies. “Many bore testimony,” she wrote, “that this day was the happiest of their lives.... This was a season of refreshing to many souls, but it did not abide upon some.” ²² 88IOL 4.4

Ellen White blamed both Elder Butler and Elder Smith for blocking the way so that truth and light were treated as unwelcome guests. At 2:30 in the morning of October 15 she wrote to Butler, “I have not the least hesitancy in saying that a spirit has been brought into this meeting, not of seeking to obtain light, but to stand barricading the way, lest a ray should come into the hearts and minds of the people through some other channel than that which you had decided to be the proper one.” ²³ 88IOL 4.5

As the ministerial institute merged into the General Conference session, the presentations included earnest messages by Waggoner on righteousness by faith in Christ, but these were looked upon with suspicion by the Butler-Smith party. Smith no doubt expressed the feelings of many when he declared, “Brother Waggoner’s six preliminary discourses on righteousness we could all agree to; and I should have enjoyed them first rate had I not known all the while that he designed them to pave the way for his position on Galatians.” ²⁴ 88IOL 4.6

The discussion on the law in Galatians left the eastern and western brethren further apart than ever. Existing aggravations were only worsened when the two sides confronted each other with their opposing views. One of the most regrettable consequences of the bitter spirit manifested by Butler, Smith, and company toward Waggoner and Jones was that these animosities were directed against Ellen White as well. With this development, a much more important issue than the 10 kingdoms or the law in Galatians was at stake: acceptance or rejection of Ellen White as a special spokesperson for the Lord. 88IOL 4.7

Actually, the Butler-Smith people were suspicious of Sister White even before the session began because of the friendship between her son and Waggoner and Jones. They were sure that she was part of the “conspiracy” from California. Concerning this change in their attitude toward her, Ellen White wrote: “It was evident that a delusion was upon our brethren. They had lost confidence in Sister White, not because Sister White had changed but because another spirit had taken possession and control of them.” ²⁵ 88IOL 4.8

Sister White characterized the attitude of the Butler-Smith party as rebellion. She declared: “The position and work God gave me at that conference was disregarded by nearly all. Rebellion was popular. Their course was an insult to the Spirit of God.” ²⁶ 88IOL 4.9

“My brethren have trifled and caviled and criticized and commented and demerited, and picked and chosen a little and refused much until the testimonies mean nothing to them.” ²⁷ 88IOL 5.1

The rejection of Ellen White was accompanied by a rejection of everything she stood for, including Waggoner’s presentations on righteousness by faith. She wrote Butler, “The spirit and influence of the ministers generally who have come to this meeting is to discard light.” ²⁸ It appears that most of the 96 delegates were caught up in this spirit of cynicism and unbelief. Note the terms just quoted: “nearly all” had rejected the prophet’s authority; “the ministers generally” were opposed to new light. Tragically, the prophet was led to pen these almost unbelievable lines: “In Minneapolis God gave precious gems of truth to His people in new settings. This light from heaven by some was rejected with all the stubbornness the Jews manifested in rejecting Christ.” ²⁹ 88IOL 5.2

“Had Christ been before them, they would have treated Him in a manner similar to that in which the Jews treated Christ.” ³⁰ 88IOL 5.3

The implications of this unholy attitude are staggering to contemplate. Ellen White held our spiritual ancestors responsible, to some degree at least, for prolonging our world’s long night of misery. She declared: Satan “prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world.” ³¹ 88IOL 5.4