Dramatic Productions In SDA Institutions

Chapter 1—The Value of Visual Presentation

Visual presentations have long been known to be an effective means of communication. They were often used by God Himself when enlightening His prophets. Many times in scripture a prophet would preface his description of a scene shown him by God with the words, “I saw.” Ellen White commented on this fact while in Europe where she had to meet some fanatics who were claiming pictures are prohibited by the second commandment, so should be destroyed: DPSDAI 2.1

“The second commandment prohibits image worship; but God Himself employed pictures and symbols to represent to His prophets lessons which He would have them give to the people, and which could thus be better understood than if given in any other way. He appealed to the understanding through the sense of sight. Prophetic history was presented to Daniel and John in symbols, and these were to be represented plainly upon tables, that he who reads might understand.”—Selected Messages 2:319, 320. DPSDAI 2.2

The Ellen G. White reference is well illustrated in Ezekiel’s experience in which the power of God was dramatized: DPSDAI 2.3

“At one time the prophet Ezekiel was in vision set down in the midst of a large valley. Before him lay a dismal scene. Throughout its whole extent the valley was covered with the bones of the dead. The question was asked, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ The prophet replied, ‘O Lord God, Thou knowest.’ What could the might and power of man accomplish with these dead bones? The prophet could see no hope of life being imparted to them. But as he looked, the power of God began to work. The scattered bones were shaken, and began to come together, ‘bone to his bone,’ and were bound together by sinews. They were covered with flesh, and as the Lord breathed upon the bodies thus formed, ‘the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.’”—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 4:1165. DPSDAI 2.4