Ellen G. White and Her Critics

Chapter 6—What Do Adventists Claim for Mrs. White’s Writings?

Charge: Seventh-day Adventists make of Mrs. White’s writings another Bible, and she herself encouraged that attitude. EGWC 87.1

The evidence presented in support of this charge consists of certain statements by church leaders that speak highly of her writings and strongly encourage the reading of them; and statements by Mrs. White in which she declares that God has given to her messages of counsel and guidance for the believers in the Advent movement and that those messages should not be taken lightly. EGWC 87.2

But it is incorrect to conclude from these that Mrs. White placed her writings on a par with the Bible or above it. She made no claim to have given another Bible. She ever pointed to the Scriptures as the one source of truth and light, the Book that should be the Christian’s first and chiefest source of spiritual instruction. She spoke of her writings as an inspired commentary—albeit a commentary and not another Bible—which is intended of God to throw light upon the Scriptures and to lead us continually to a more diligent study of them. EGWC 87.3