101 Questions on the Sanctuary and on Ellen White

100. Why Doesn’t The White Estate Tell Us?

Why doesn’t the White Estate tell us about these problem situations and facts before others ferret them out? QSEW 109.1

Throughout the years the White Estate staff has been small and has been too busy to engage in pure research. It has made efforts, however, to share its growing body of information. QSEW 109.2

In 1933 W. C. White and D. E. Robinson issued a document, Brief Statements, etc., cited above, were specific acknowledgment is made that Ellen White, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, appropriated gems from the writings of others. That document was offered for sale, 27 pages for 25 cents. Apparently not many were concerned about the subject as the existence of the document was soon forgotten. It was not to be resurrected until current discussions aroused an interest in Ellen White’s literary activities. QSEW 109.3

In 1935 W. C. White addressed the issue at the Advanced Bible School in Angwin, California. He asked “Can the descriptions of scenes and events copied from other writers find a proper place in the inspired writings of a messenger of God?” He then answered the question. (See “Address to Faculty and Students at the Advanced Bible School,” June 18, 1935, Page 11.) QSEW 109.4

In 1951, F. D. Nichol published his Ellen G. White and Her Critics, which included sixty-five pages (pages 403-467) on plagiarism-related issues. During the next twenty-five years there seemed to be little or no concern among Adventists as to the propriety of Ellen White’s use of the works of other authors. Even Walter Rea could write, in 1965: QSEW 109.5

“Controversy has flared from time to time concerning close similarities or outright adaptations in Mrs. White’s writings drawn from other contemporary sources. If God in His infinite wisdom chooses to sanctify the thoughts of Conybeare and Howson, Wiley, or Edersheim and bring them to our attention by the pen of Ellen G. White or anybody else, so be it. I have established myself in the writings of Mrs. Ellen G. White, regardless of the human problems involved.”—Claremont Dialogue, Volume II, Number 2 (1965), pages 31, 34, 36. QSEW 109.6

Arthur L. White dealt with the question of Ellen White’s use of historical sources in 1969 (see his supplement, Spirit of Prophecy, Volume IV, pages 507-549); in 1973 (see The Ellen G. White Writings, pages 107-136); in 1974 in a series of lectures in Switzerland; in 1978 when the talks given in Switzerland were published in the Review and Herald (Issues of January 12 to February 2); and in 1979 in a series of seven Review articles (July 12 to August 23). The latter two series, now available in a reprint, include three articles on the writing of The Desire of Ages. QSEW 109.7

Also in 1979 The White Estate published pamphlets on “Ellen White’s Use of Uninspired Sources,” and “How The Desire of Ages Was Written.” QSEW 110.1

Similarly, the fact that a conference of Bible and history teachers was held in 1919 was completely lost sight of until a member of the White Estate staff noticed an incidental reference to the conference in an old Review. This led to a search for the minutes which were eventually located in the General Conference Archives. The “minutes” really are not proper minutes at all, but a 1250-page stenographic report of the day-by-day discussions of the conference. The fifty delegates could not decide what to do with this record, so A. G. Daniells simply filed it away among the unorganized keepsakes of the General Conference. The establishment of the General Conference Archives in 1973 has made these and other materials available to those interested in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist church. QSEW 110.2

Criticism of the White Estate and church leaders for “hiding information,” it would seem, is not justified. QSEW 110.3