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Why Ellen White?


Gregory Matthews

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[The following is a question that I was asked in a public, non-SDA forum and the answer that I gave--GM.]

 
 
Gregory Matthews
Gregory Matthews, studied at Andrews University (1968)
Brief answer: Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) believe that there is a spiritual gift of prophecy that is stated in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and that Ellen G. White, met the requirements of that Scriptural passage.
SDAs believe that in the developing days of the SDA denomination, EGW gave administrative guidance as to the development of the denomination that often came from God. The SDA denomination of some 20,000,000 people would not be the international Church that it is today absent the guidance EGW, in the following areas:
* Healthcare: SDA Clinical facilities are located around the world.
* Education: SDAs have an international school system that goes fr om primary school to university level.
* Publishing: SDA literature is published, in house, in many languages.

In addition, EGW strongly supported SDA entry into evangelism in nations around the world. We have in China today congregations where hundreds of persons worship publicly in SDA churches. In Russia today we have a Seminary where we train our clergy and we also freely publish our religious materials.

Expanded answer: To accurately answer this question, I must address some other issues: The SDA understanding of what constitutes a Biblical prophet is that the prophet is presenting a message from God. SDA understanding of a Biblical prophet differs from a common understanding today, such as Jean
Dixon, that a prophet predicts the future.
SDAs do not teach that EGW predicted either the SF Earthquake or what is commonly called 9/11. But, if we were to think that she did predict that, we would not consider that to be the fulfillment of the Biblical test of a prophet.

In addition neither the SDA Church, nor EGW, teach that her writings hold authority over the Bible. On the contrary, it is taught that in all, the Bible has authority over her writings. IOW, if her writings are contradicted by the Bible, the Biblical position is to rule.
On this basis, The Bible is the authorative stadard, period.

Earlier, I stated that EGW gave administrative advice to the SDA denomination in its developing days. That advice was given to individual members as well as to denominational leaders. Sometimes it included personal rebuke. Sometimes it included advice as to the direction that we should go. One example of this was in the establishment of what is now Loma Linda University School of Medicine. The importance of her administrative advice in the development of the SDA denomination cannot be understated.
On a personal basis, EGW was a human person who was not infallible. Her spiritual development occurred as it does in the rest of us--progressively over her lifetime. In the later years of her life, she understood spiritual issues differently from what she had understood in her early years. The fact that God used her did not make either perfect or infallible.

In short, we believe that the evidence that EGW was used by God in the development of the SDA denomination lies in demonstrating what it has become as a result of following her advice.

 
 
 
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Gregory

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Could not access the link?? Kept getting an error message "504"

phkrause

By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1}
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17 minutes ago, phkrause said:

Could not access the link?? Kept getting an error message "504"

The whole website of Quora is down.

                          >>>Texts in blue type are quotes<<<

*****************************************************************************

    And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
    There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
    Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

       --Shakespeare from Hamlet

*****************************************************************************

Bill Liversidge Seminars

The Emergent Church and the Invasion of Spiritualism

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6 minutes ago, B/W Photodude said:

The whole website of Quora is down.

Thank you

phkrause

By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1}
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