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My position is that EGW taught that her writings were subject to the authority of the Bible, as Protestants commonly understand it to be. In other words, she taught that if the Bible contradicted what she had written, the Bible was to rule. Unfortunately, some Adventists present themselves as believing that her writings had the authority to explain the Bible. In other words, the Bible was subject to her understanding. In some cases, that is more than a mere presentation. It is an actual belief. Gustave is correct. Adventists sometimes present themselves as being quite like Catholics. Sometimes that is true. The position of some SDAs as to the authority of the General Conference, meeting in session, is quite similar to the Catholic position on the College of Bishops, when it meets in magisterium. NOTE: If I have the title wrong, Gustave may correct me.

Mrs. White said that she was not infallible, I fear that too many Adventists limit her fallibility to what she had to say about how inspiration works. I am saddened that when she said that if we find a contradiction between what she said and the Bible to follow the Bible. But the typical Adventist use of this guidance is to make her say "I dare you to try to find a contradiction between her and the Bible." Mrs. White tells us that exegesis is our job. That her job was to warn people of wrong choices, to point out neglected parts of the scripture, and to make applications of Biblical principles. She would not say things that would confuse people even thought later new discoveries or more careful reading helps us to see it clearer. For example; she talks about the innkeeper in Luke 2, but she's actually talking about attitudes that we have in our hearts and how we treat people. The word mistranslated "inn" is "kataluma" Although translators knew this was "guest chamber" they did not know just what a kataluma was so they guessed that it was a second work for "inn". They guessed wrong. Families lived in 20 to 40 room buildings called an insula. Some of these rooms were open court yards for cooking, some were storage rooms. Several families, but usually extended families would share an insula. (The fool who wanted to tear down his barn and build a bigger one was not a single home out in the country with a red barn across the street. No, he wanted to throw out his relatives and change their living areas into his storage rooms.) We are not to picture Jesus on the sulfa with only Mary, Martha and Lazarus. No, it was Mark, Martha, Lazarus and who knows how many others from the insula. Anyway, each insula had one room called the -- you guessed it-- kataluma. The kataluma was a room for out of town family to stay in when in town. But if Mrs. White was to point out that the original Christmas tradition is dysfunctional families having a reunion, people would have scratched their heads. Another, when the pigs ran into the sea, Mrs. White drew lessons for us in how it would not be wise for us to have a livelihood in say tobacco, alcohol etc. by saying that the Jews should not have been raising pigs there. That area was a gentile area, the only Jews there were like the parodical son, but most people, especially in her day, would think that Jesus was hanging around Jewish areas. Another is associating the woman with a bad reputation washing Jesus' feet with her hair in the home of Simon the Pharisee with Mary in the home of Simon the Leper, and there by also associating Mary with the woman caught in adultery. The woman with the bad reputation in Luke 7 was at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Mary's took place on the Monday night of Passion week. These are places where Mrs. White's counsel says that as we learned more about the Bible, we need to move with what we are learning about the Bible. We are not to insist "I don't care what on earth a kataluma was, Mrs. White mentioned the innkeeper so there WAS AN INN!!! Or insist that these gentiles needed to be Jewish, or insist that Mary was the woman with a bad reputation and caught in adultery. Nor do I have to give up Mrs. White's role as a prophet, and learning the lessons she has for me. +

She played a critical role in changing the bald eagle’s trajectory toward extinction Doris Mager, who 44 years ago famously camped in a vacant bald eagle nest in Central Florida to boost awareness of the species’ plight, lived until the end an extraordinary, extroverted and high-energy life full enough for three people, maybe more, her son agrees. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/11/17/famed-eagle-lady-doris-mager-of-florida-dies-at-98-after-soaring-life/?

The General Conference has posted a 47-minute interview with Ted Wilson on the Internet. People have been allowed to comment on that interview. In addition, those comments are not moderated, so, comments are immediately posted for the world to see. I have posted the following: The video link to my comment is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJGibAIQLbM Gregory Matthews