Ellen G. White and Her Critics

Two Passages Compared

Now, compare this with her statement in The Present Truth, March, 1850, page 64: “The excitements and false reformations of this day do not move us.” She speaks of some false ministers who really do not believe what they themselves preach, and adds, “I saw that our message was not to the shepherds who have led the flock astray, but to the poor hungry, scattered sheep.” It is true that Mrs. White is here speaking of deception in terms of false time-setting rather than Spiritism, but her two statements have this basic point in common: they deal with deceptions on the part of certain false ministers or shepherds. For these false shepherds who are given over to deception and delusion, she says that we have no message. For “honest souls, who have been deceived,” she expresses hope. EGWC 228.3

Incidentally, who are these “honest souls, who have been deceived,” and who are to “have a chance to receive the truth”? In this instance they are persons whom various Adventist preachers had converted to the belief that Christ would come at a certain time according to a revised interpretation of the 2300-day prophecy. Now, were these various Adventist preachers confining their preaching to those who had been in the Millerite movement? No, declare Mrs. White’s critics, these other Adventist leaders had broad vision, and early in 1845 were out preaching on every side to all who would listen, and bringing in converts. Therefore, we may reasonably conclude that their “flock” included men and women won from the world after 1844. EGWC 229.1

Then these “honest souls, who have been deceived” consist, at least in part, of people drawn directly from the world. Such people, according to the charge before us, were considered by Mrs. White and her associates as outside the pale of mercy. Yet Mrs. White describes these people as “honest souls” for whom she and her associates had a “message.” EGWC 229.2