Ellen White Today

[Gregory Matthews]

George R. Knight, Reding Ellen White: How to Understand and Apply Her Writings.  Review & Herald, 1997 & 2015, 140 pages.

Amazon is selling for $11.00.

As a member of the Seventh-day Adventist clergy, I firmly believe that prospective SDA members  must be instructed in the history and development of this denomlination.  This instruction must include the tole and purpose of Ellen White, one of our early founders.  I consider this instruction to be critical..

Dr. George Knight is an academic historian who has written much on the history and development of Adventism.  The above book deals with the role and purpose of Ellen White. It addresses the following issues:

*  The fundamental purpose of her writings.

*  Principles of interpretating her writings.

*  The application of her writings to the life of the SDA Christian.

I think that this book ought to be given to every person who is considering becoming a SDA member.  

In addition, this book will be a help to present members in helping them to wade through the "junk" the is often circulate about her.

NOTE:   This book does not address current issues related to the actual authorship of her writings.

  

 

[Gregory Matthews]

Reclaiming The Prophet:  An Honest Defense of Ellen White's Gift.

Amazon is selling for $!8.00

This book is written by eleven SDA Scholars who believe that there is much about EGW and her work that needs to   be corrected.  The following link takes you to a review of the book.

https://adventistbookcenter.com/reclaiming-the-prophet.html

The following link provides much more information about the book and the authors.  In addition, it provides a full copy of the Introduction to the book.

https://adventistbookcenter.com/amfile/file/download/file/1892/product/10775

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

For those interested in the Reading Ellen White book that Amazon isselling for $11, the follwing informs as to the content:

 

Reading Ellen White: How to understand and apply her writings.

 

Author: George K. Knight

 

                                                          Contents

                                                         Part One

                                           Preliminary Considerations

                                                                                                                Page

1.     Which Is the Inspired Counsel?                                                        13

2    The Purpose of Ellen Writings                                                           16

3     The Relationship of Ellen White’s Writings to the Bible                   21

4.    Compilations: Official and unofficial                                                30

5.   Read With a Plan                                                                                 36 

                                                     Part two

                                        Principles of Interpretation

6.              Begin With a Healthy Outlook                                                43

7.              Focus on the Central Issues                                                  46

8.              Emphasize the Important                                                       51

9.              Account for Problems in Communication                            58

10.              Study All Available Information on a Topic                        63

11.              Avoid Extreme Interpretations                                            70

12.              Take Time and Place Into Consideration                          77

13.              Study Each Statement in Literary Context                       85

14.              Recognize Ellen White’s Understanding of the Ideal

                   and the Real                                                                      90

15.              Use Common Sense                                                          95

16.              Discover the Underlying Principles                                100

17.              Realize That Inspiration is Not Infallible, Inerrant, or Verbal                            105

18.              Avoid Making the Counsels ”Prove” Things They

                 Were Never Intended to Prove                                         113

19.              Make Sure Ellen White Said It                                         119

20.              A Few more Principles of Interpretation                      124

 

                                                    Part Three

                                    Principles of Application

  

21.      Applying the Counsel to My Life: a Question of Faithfulness     131

22.      Applying Counsel to Others. A Question of Loving Care           134

 

 

 

[phkrause]

I have his Daily Devotional from 2008 I believe called: Lest We Forget, by him. It's actually a book I was going to recommend that our friend Gustave might be interested in reading? I've been rereading it again this year, and enjoying it more this time!! But I'm not sure it's still available for purchase?

[Gregory Matthews]

The SDA Church has withdrawn from sale the book: Reclaiming the Prophet.

See:

https://atoday.org/has-reclaiming-the-prophet-a-new-book-on-ellen-white-been-deep-sixed/

 

[Gregory Matthews]

The White Estate has issued a response as to why they have requested that the book Reclaiming the Prophet, not be published and circulated. I have posted this in the thread White eState Responds.

[Gregory Matthews]

For another review of "Reclaiming the Prophet." see:

https://atoday.org/reclaiming-the-prophet-a-thorough-review/

[Kevin H]

Interesting article. I'm sad that the book was taken out of circulation. The issues we are trying to deal with in Mrs. White is actually a prophecy on how we will be dealing with the Bible at the end. 

Revelation 13 talks about the last day deceptions as being able to call fire down from heaven. This goes back to Elijah on Mt. Carmel where only the true God could answer by fire coming down. Thus Revelation 13 tells us that the final deception will be convincing. All our senses will tell us that his powerful being is Jesus. He will say many of the same words that came from Jesus' lips, do many of the same acts... but in a way that brings a different message; encouraging us to go along with the system. Instant healings will focus on God's power instead of us cooperating with God's laws, such as the laws of health as we find in the health message. 

God has already allowed us to find in the Bible the same issues such as the copying. Too many Christians are in danger from having a faith not built on the Bible, but on the idea that the Bible is some sort of magical book, the philosophy of Fundamentalism.  As we find fault with Fundamentalism, people see it as a criticizism of the Bible and think they are defending the Bible by avoiding, or explaining away these issues. But the day is coming where our excuses will not stand. The Bible will not fall, but too many will think that the Bible falls because Fundamentalism falls. But why do we need this unreliable book when we have "Jesus" right here with us who we can turn directly to and not need the Bible. 

We will be the ones saying "I'm sorry, but who you  we think is Jesus is actually Satan." We will very likely hear with tears in his voice "How can Satan cast out Satan?" We will have dear "Loved ones" such as beloved "Grandma" crying because we are rejecting Jesus. We will feel that we are lost for rejecting Jesus. Just as the real Jesus felt in the garden, that he was going to be lost for his choices. Those who go through the 144,000 expirence, are willing to follow the Bible no matter what. Willing to do what is right because it is right. Willing to follow Jesus in doing what is right even though he felt like he was giving up eternal life.  We will look like we have lost our minds in rejecting this "Jesus" and our beloved "Grandma" in order to follow that book. 

Even thought there may be  problems with this book, at least it is discussion and looking at the issues. Who says that we need to come to the exact same applications that the book suggests? But, we need to look at the issues and background. The article says: 

Quote

Paul E. McGraw, the academic dean at Hong Kong Adventist College, paints Ellen White as a highly effective preacher. He explains how her preaching influenced her style of writing—in particular, when she retells the biblical narratives. Consequently, he says, “her writing tends to be more homiletical than exegetical” (p. 74).

I'd like to suggest that there are at least a third choice besides the two offered here of "honiletical" or "exegetical".  How often do you find someone in the Bible quoting another Bible writer exegetically? Very few if any. Yes, often they use a homiletical and devotional style, but even more often, and the same with Mrs. White, is an applicational through analogy use. Different Bible writers quoting each other, and even people who may have been prophets over the centuries, rarely use exegesis. Usually it is applying Bible principles to local situations, and a fair amount of homiletical/devotional, but if we think that we only have the two choices of holiletical or exegetical, we will miss the point. 

Another quote:

Quote

Valentine points to Ellen White as a “messenger with a New England style.” Knowing more about the directness of the New England “plain speech,” and realizing that Ellen White came from that region, helps us to understand the rather blunt way in which she often addressed the recipients of her testimonies.

Have you looked at other prophets? Have you looked at people in history who could well have been prophets? One thing that they all have in common is what has been described here as "New England 'plain speech'" Somehow I don't think you can make a strong argument that Amos came from New England. Joachin of Italy, gave a message of returning to historism and to look for a litteral second coming of Jesus. He also said that the office of the Pope can either be used by God for reformation, and if not, that the office would be used by Satan. He also made applications of the Bible to his day, including how to prepare for the second coming soon after his lifetime.  He also wrote people testimonies in "plain speech". Hildegard of Bingham, encouraged a health message of how to stay healthy and simple treatments, made applications of the Bible to her day,  and wrote people testimonies in "plain speech".  Julian of Norwich, gave a message to win souls by the love of Jesus instead of the fear of hell, made applications of the Bible to her day, and wrote people testimonies in plain speech. Joan of Arc, made applications of the Bible to her day and wrote people testimonies in plain speech. William Foy told the Millerites that while Jesus could come according to Miller's preaching, that there were groupings of three things that they needed to find and study from the Bible first, and testimonies in "plain speech". Harriet Tubman used Bible promises and applications to lead slaves to freedom, and would tell those she was leading what to do in "plain speech."

The law of God is absolute, but the applications are NOT absolute. Let's say that we were escaping, being lead by Harriet Tubman, and we just want to argue over whether she was doing a careful exegesis of the text, or else we would throw her out... Or we took a "plain speech" that she gave to someone in a different group, that we read in a letter, and insist that she give us the EXACT same message and apply it to each and everyone she is leading or we will throw her out... or we just wanted to use her as a devotional/homiletical prophet. Ms. Tubman's ministry would not be of much use to us. Why do we think that these steps would be more useful with Mrs. White?
 

[Gregory Matthews]

Thank you for the time and effort that you put into writing the above.