ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150

“Ellen White and the Trinity”

Jerry Moon, Ph. D.

Chairman, Church History Department

Andrews University Theological Seminary

“The Da Vinci Cracks and More than a Prophet–Part 2”

Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D.,

Retired Professor of Theology and Church History

Andrews University

It is hard to believe that almost 8 years have past since on October 25, 1998, when I posted the first ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER, dealing with “The Deception of Conscious Life After Death.” That first newsletter was emailed to a couple of thousand persons who had been following with interest my debate with Dale Ratzlaff on the Sabbath/Sunday question. Ratzlaff was a former Adventist teacher and pastor, who left the Adventist church, primarily because he could no longer accept the Sabbath and other Adventist teachings, especially the prophetic role of Ellen White. Incidentally, out of that debate developed my book The Sabbath Under Crossfire–a book the Lord has used to help many people and pastors of different faiths to accept the Sabbath.

Frankly, I would have never imagined that the number of subscribers would grow from a couple of thousand to over thirty thousands, with an average of 100 new subscriptions arriving every week. Furthermore, I never anticipated that the Lord would grant me wisdom and strength to address during the past 8 years so many different current issues from a biblical perspective.

On a personal note I might mention that on more than one occasion, I was ready to throw the towel and call it quit. I felt that I could not afford to invest an average of 100 hours to prepare a newsletters every two or three weeks, while working on a new book and presenting seminars in many parts of the world. What has encouraged me to persevere, have been the many messages of appreciations arriving daily from many parts of the world.

Every time I send out a newsletter, I receive many gracious messages expressing appreciation for the new insights gained on the biblical truth examined. I take this opportunity to let you know that your words of encouragement have meant a lot to me, especially when saddened by the “hate mail” from fellow believers who disagreed with what I wrote.

A special word of thanks goes to those Adventist scholars who have submitted timely essays for our newsletter. They have provided me a welcome relief from the pressure of producing a new newsletter, and they have offered to our subscribers insightful biblical studies on current issues. For example, Prof. Jon Paulien recently contributed two perceptive essays on “Armageddon and the War on Terror.” Other essays from Prof. Paulien will soon be posted. The last two newsletters offered a timely discussion of the Trinity by Prof. Woodrow Whidden and Prof. Jerry Moon from Andrews University.

In the last newsletter, Prof. Moon offered a well structured, brief, but most informative survey of the Trinity controversy in the Adventist church. The study continues in this newsletter, where Prof. Moon outlines the significant contribution of Ellen White in leading our Adventist church to accept the doctrine of the Trinity.

Ellen White Grew in Her Understanding of the Trinity

You may be surprised to discover that Ellen White herself grew in the understanding of biblical truths, such as the Trinity. Prof. Graeme Bradford devotes one chapter of his book MORE THAN A PROPHET to Ellen White’s growth in the understanding of Bible truths. In the case of the Trinity, Prof. Moon shows that she offered her clearest definitions of the Trinity during the course of her debates with Dr. J. H. Kellogg–a most influential Adventist physician who promoted a pantheistic view of the Godhead in his book The Living Temple.

Contrary to what some Adventists believe, Ellen White did not support the anti-Triniterian positions of some of our pioneers. On the contrary, she was largely responsible for leading most of our pioneers to accept the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. An exception was Uriah Smith, who remained anti-Triniterian to the end of his life.

After reading this essay, those who appeal to Ellen White to justify their anti-Triniterian beliefs, they will have to admit their ignorance of what she actually wrote. I am thinking of a message I received today from a lady who left the Adventist church three years ago, because she claims that the church has rejected the anti-Triniterian teachings of Ellen White and accepted instead the Catholic Triniterian doctrine. This message reminded me of the saying that ignorance breeds arrogance.

A careful reading of Prof. Moon’s essay will clear the air of misconceptions about Ellen White and help Adventists appreciate her contribution in developing vital biblical doctrines such as the Trinity. If you wish to express your gratitude to Prof Moon for preparing such an informative essay, feel free to email him your note or comments at <jmoon@andrews.edu>

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UPDATE ON THE DVD RECORDING OF THE DA VINCI CRACKS

In the last newsletter I informed you of my decision to prepare a two hours-video lecture, that examines The Da Vinci Code, not only from a biblical and historical perspective, but also from social and prophetic aspects. I believe that the popularity of The Da Vinci Code–which is heralded as the best seller of all times in US history–tell us volumes about the growing secularization of our society, which conditions people to tolerate without questioning even the desecration of Christ, the central figure of the Christian faith.

During the past few days I have spent considerable time collecting slides and reviewing about 30 powerpoint presentations produced by competent scholars. I also have purchased several books that I am currently reading to prepare myself for the video recording. Most likely I will be spending the next two months preparing for the taping.

Some of you have told me that I should not waste my time examining the false claims of a novel, because after all it is a novel. The problem is that Dan Brown is marketing his book as a FACTUAL NOVEL. In the title page he boldly states: “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.” He has repeated the same false claim in several interviews.

The subtle way in which Dan Brown mingles fiction with facts, is leading many people to doubt the divinity of Christ, the trustworthiness of the Bible, and the genuineness of the Christianity itself. A recent survey indicates that even in America 60% of the people who read The Da Vinci Code or have seen the movie, believe that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children from her. Such a belief is held only by 30% of the people who have not read the book or seen the movie.

Issues Pertinent to Adventists

I believe that The Da Vinci Code raises a number of questions that are pertinent to us as Seventh-day Adventists. For example, on pages 232-233 we read: “Christianity honored the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagan’s veneration of the day of the sun.” There are several mistakes in this statement. First, Dan Brown falsely accuses the early Christian of observing the “Jewish Sabbath,” when in reality they observed the “Christian” or even better the “biblical” Sabbath. Christianity was hardly Jewish during the fist three centuries until Constantine.

Second, Brown makes Constantine the originator of Sunday observance, when it is well documented that Sunday observance began in the early part of the second century, almost two centuries before Constantine. All what Constantine did was to make Sunday a civil holiday in A. D. 321. Lastly, he associates the observance of the “Jewish Sabbath” by the early church, with their human view of Christ, their goddess worship, and their sexual mysticism. Within such a context, Sabbathkeeping is part of the perverted early Church religion fabricated by Dan Brown.

A compelling response to the false and deceptive claims of The Da Vinci Code, can help people appreciate not only the trustworthiness of the NT witness to Jesus Christ, but also the prophetic significance of the endtime perverted worship promoted by Dan Brown.

Reviving Religious Sex

In a biblical response to The Da Vinci Code, entitled “Reviving Religious Sex?” Dr. Vishal Mangalwadi writes: “The Da Vinci Code promotes salvation through sex more effectively than its predecessors because it is an engaging novel. It teaches ‘sacred sex’ not on the basis of Pagan philosophy, Jungian psychology, or quantum physics, but by invoking the authority of Jesus – albeit a Gnostic rather than Jewish Jesus.

“Those unfamiliar with the rituals of ‘sacred sex’ may not realize that the novel alleges that Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples was a sexual ritual: the ‘Cup’ (Chalice) that Jesus offered to his disciples was the vagina of Mary Magdalene. In Tantra, this ritual is called Yoni Chakra Puja or Swadhistana Sattva – the worship of the second chakra, that is, the vagina. . . . It is easy to miss the point of Brown’s interpretation of Leonardo’s painting of the Last Supper because Brown follows the tantrik tradition of using suggestive rather than explicit language.” (http://www.cbn.com/special/DaVinciCode/Mangalwadi_ReligiousSex.aspx).

“Religious sex” is only one of the several critical issues raises by The Da Vinci Code, that I intend to address in the video taping. During the next two months, I will invest the available time in preparing a two hours powerpoint lecture, which hopefully will help many people understand the significance of the cultural phenomenon of The Da Vinci Code from a social and prophetic perspective.

UPDATE ON THE PUBLICATION AND RECORDING OF MORE THAN A PROPHET

In the last newsletter I informed you about the publication of Prof. Graeme Bradford’s manuscript More than a Prophet. This is the first and only book that I have offered to publish as part of the Biblical Perspectives Series. The reason I have taken on this project, is because I firmly believe that this study is urgently needed to restore confidence in the gift of prophecy manifested in the writings, preaching, and teachings of Ellen White.

At this time I am pleased to share three exciting news. The first good news is that this past week I met with the printer, Gregg Patterson, to check the galley proofs and everything look great. Gregg has ressured me that the book More than a Prophet will be delivered to me by the end of this week, on June 30. For any printing need you can reach Gregg by phone at 269-2177, extension 571 or by email at gpatterson@patterson-printing.com

You can see the attractive cover of More than a Prophet at http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/BradfordOffer/offer.htm By next week all the orders we have already received will be speedily processed. If you have not ordered your copy yet, you are still in time to benefit from the pre-publication offer. See the details at the end of this newsletter.

The second good news is the release last week of the CD which contains the books and articles by Prof. Graeme Bradford. The third good news is that last Tuesday, June 20, Prof. Bradford recorded at the Avondale media studio in Australia, a two hours live DVD lecture dealing with the highlights of his book More than a Prophet. The lecture is illustrated with 120 powerpoint slides. You will find the lecture most enlightening. It offers you an informative preview of the issues relating to Ellen White, which are discussed more fully in the book More than a Prophet.

Both the DVD disk with Prof. Bradford’s lecture and the CD disk with his writings, will be packaged together in the same album. The special introductory offer for this CD/DVD album is $50.00, instead of $100.00. The price includes the airmailing expenses to any foreign destinations. You can also order the complete package of Prof. Bradford’s CD/DVD album and his book More than a Prophet for only $70.00, instead of $125.00. See the details at the end of this newsletter.

Who is Prof. Graeme Bradford?

In the last newsletter I mentioned that Prof. Graeme Bradford has served the church with distinction as a pastor, evangelist and professor in the theology department of Avondale College, in Australia. He has written books and numerous articles, prepared a Bible Course for Global Mission, and he is currently preparing a Revelation Seminar course together with Prof. Jon Paulien for the South Pacific Division.

       Prof. Bradford’s interest for the study of the prophetic ministry of Ellen White, was sparked by his painful awareness of thousand of Adventists who have left and are leaving the church, because they have found inaccuracies or mistakes in Ellen White’s writings. They assumed that inspired prophets are inerrant all the time, no matter the topics or circumstances of their writings.

According to Prof. Bradford, in many cases the departure of church members could have been prevented, had they been given the opportunity to understand what the Bible teaches regarding the gift of prophecy, namely, that prophets are human. There are times when they communicate a message from God, but there are also times when they speak their own mind.

Prof. Bradford reaches this conclusion through a careful study of how the gift of prophecy was manifested in Bible prophets. In fact he devotes the first 100 pages of his manuscript, to an analysis of the biblical understanding of the working of the prophetic ministry. This provides the basis for evaluating the ministry of Ellen White in the second part of the study.

A Timely Book to Reclaim Former Adventists

More than a Prophet is a timely book that can restore confidence in the prophetic ministry of Ellen White and help reclaim former Adventists who have left the church because of unresolved questions about Ellen White’s writings. Somebody told me that in the Loma Linda area there are far more former Adventists outside the church, than Adventists inside the church.

I became aware of this situation when I was invited to speak at the Seventh-Day Baptist church in Riverside, California (very close to La Sierra University). The church meets in a recently built impressive two million dollars sanctuary. The congregation consists of about 500 members. I am told that it is the largest Seventh-day Baptist Church in America, possibly in the world. What surprised me is that both the pastor and 90% of the members are former Adventists.

The Pastor, Gabriel Orzani, used to be the Director of Youth Ministry in the Middle East Division. The members are mostly professional people who used to be local officers in Adventist churches. Surprisingly, some of the members are medical doctors currently teaching at Loma Linda Medical School. In fact, on Saturday evening we were invited to a party held in the mansion of a medical doctor who teaches in the Loma Linda Medical School.

What drove most of these former Adventists to join the Seventh-day Baptist church, is their disenchantment with certain Adventist doctrines, especially the prevailing view that all what Ellen White wrote is the result of divine inspiration. When they became aware of inaccuracies and errors in her writings, they felt that they had been deceived and thus decided to leave the church. Since the Seventh-day Baptist observe the Sabbath, they decide to join that church.

Reasons for Publishing More than a Prophet

The reason I decided to publish Prof. Graeme Bradford’s book More than a Prophet,  is because I am constantly approached by people who have left or are considering leaving the Adventist Church over the question of Ellen White. For example, this past week I received a message from an Adventist couple who picked up in their Pastor’s office the book entitled The Cultic Doctrines of Seventh-day Adventists by Dale Ratzlaff, a former Adventist pastor and teacher. They wrote to me saying that the reading of this book has badly shaken their confidence in Ellen White. They asked me if I had written something that could help them find answers to the attacks against Ellen White. I reassured them that help is on the way. In a few days Prof. Bradford’s book will be out and it will help them greatly.

It is noteworthy that an increasing number of Adventists are leaving or considering leaving the Adventist church, not to go back into the world, but to join other Christian churches, which in their view are truer to Scripture. Often, their major problem is the acceptance of the prevailing view that Ellen White is the infallible authority on everything she wrote.

Prof. Bradford’s Stated Objective

Prof. Bradford firmly believes that our Adventist church cannot afford to ignore this problem much longer. This is what motivated him to write More than a Prophet. In the introduction he clearly states his objective , saying: “Let me say from the outset, I write this book as one having great confidence in the prophetic gift as it has been used in the ministry of Ellen White. After reading and studying the evidence for and against her work, I emerge as a strong believer. However, I also realize that the Adventist Church has not always used this gift wisely. Despite her protests during her lifetime, after her death unrealistic expectations were placed upon her writings by those who saw her as a means to settle questions on a variety of subjects. It is imperative that the Church places her ministry where the Bible would have it placed. If this is not forthcoming then the gift that God designed to be a blessing can become counterproductive.”

The Loss and Recovery of the Ellen White’s Prophetic Gift

More than a Prophet defends the true nature of Ellen White’s ministry, by showing how her ministry was perceived by herself, her son “Willie,” and church leaders who worked closely with her. These leaders, including the General Conference President A. G. Daniells, who assisted Ellen White for many years in the preparation of her books, expressed their fears at the 1919 Bible Conference, that the Church was heading in a wrong direction in its understanding and use of her ministry. A few ultra-conservative leaders wanted to glorify Ellen White as an infallible authority on everything that she wrote and said.

Unfortunately, the few ultra-conservative won the day, and the worst fears expressed at the 1919 Bible Conference by the close associates of Ellen White, were realized. The cultural pressures brought upon the Church, caused the ultra-conservative to promote an unrealistic and inaccurate understanding of Ellen White’s ministry. This has resulted in the perception still prevailing today in the mind of many Adventists, that Ellen White’s writings are like “fax messages” she received directly from God.

Fortunately, this misconception is slowly being corrected today, as numerous recent studies have shown the human aspects of Ellen White’s life and writings. Adventism is gradually returning a full circle by coming back to a more biblical understanding of her gift, that acknowledges her prophetic gift, while recognizing at the same time her human limitations. This intriguing story is revealed in Bradford’s More than a Prophet.

A Corrective Message from Elder Kenneth Wood

Few days ago Elder Kenneth Wood called me to discuss my comment about the reluctance of the E. G. White Estate to inform the church at large about Ellen White’s human limitations. For the sake of the younger generation, I need to mention that Elder Wood served with distinction for many years as the Editor of the Adventist Review. He is a most gracious Christian gentleman with whom I interacted on numerous occasions when he was Editor of the Adventist Review. He does not agree with me in everything that I write, but he does not allow a disagreement to make him disagreeable.

For the past 25 years Elder Wood has served has the Chair person of the Board of Trustees of the E. G. White Estate. He called me to point out that my comment about the E. G White Estate is inaccurate, because especially during the past 10 years their office has endeavored to promote a balanced understanding of inspiration of Ellen White’s writings. I apologize for my inaccurate characterization of the E. G. White Estate. I was not aware that their office is actively involved in correcting some of the misconceptions regarding the inspiration of Ellen White.

Elder Wood mentioned that already 25 years ago, in one of his last editorial (October 21, 1982) he wrote: “Scripture is quite clear that God alone is infallible. Human beings, though inspired and used mightily of God, do err at times. Biblical examples are numerous.” He goes on saying: “I quoted Ellen White’s comment: ‘Though some of these men wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, yet when not under its direct influence they sometimes erred.’”--Sketches From the Life of Paul, p. 214.

Elder Wood notes that the failure to understand the human limitations of a prophet, is “one reason that few Seventh-day Adventist are disturbed by criticism of Ellen White’s character or literary practices. . . . In dealing with a subject such as inspiration, it is essential that a right balance be given to both the human and inspired aspects of the prophet. For this reason the White Estate published the 587-page book, Messenger of the Lord, in l998.”

Thank you, Elder Wood, for correcting my inaccurate statement. It is reassuring to know that efforts are under way to help our Adventist members gain a balanced understanding of the prophetic ministry of Ellen White. Apparently, the problem is not the lack of information, but the difficulty to uproot popular misconceptions that have developed over the years.

A similar example is the recent effort of our Adventist church to expose the problems of the traditional application of the number 666 to the Pope’s title Vicarius Filii Dei. In spite of the research done by trustworthy Adventist scholars, and the clear and compelling reasons given by Dr. Angel Rodriguez in the Sabbath School Lesson of June 1-7, 2002, there are still a significant number of Adventists who are determined to hold fast to the traditional application of 666 to Vicarius Filii Dei. This goes to show that legends do not easily die.

COMMENTS ABOUT PROF. BRADFORD STUDIES ON ELLEN WHITE

Several church leaders and scholars have already requested a review copy of More than a Prophet which will be mailed to them in few days as soon as the book comes off the press. Eventually I will post their comments in this newsletter. For the time being I am posting the comments issues on two booklets Prophets are Human and People Are Human: Look What they Did to Ellen White! These two booklets are a shorter and simpler abridged version of More than A Prophet. The main difference is that the two booklets do not have the extensive documentation of over 60 pages of footnotes and do not offer the fuller analysis of the issues related to the prophetic ministry of Ellen White, found in More than a Prophet.  Yet, both the abridged two booklets and the unabridged version of More than a Prophet, are essentially the same in content. They both call for a recovery of a balanced view of Ellen White–a view that recognizes both her divine inspiration and her human limitations. Thus, the comments already released for the two booklets largely apply to More than a Prophet, since the same view and arguments are presented in both publications

These Are a Sampling of Comments by Church Leaders

“Thanks for the copy of your excellent book, Prophets are Human. I have given it a careful reading and am thrilled with what you have done. It is just what we need. It is at once readable, informative, and convincing for anyone who is sincerely looking for truth. The Lord Himself surely helped you produce this work.”

Bob Olson

Former Director of the White Estate in Washington, D.C.

“Dr. Bradford has provided the church with a much-needed resource. While the reader will find the book confronting at times and very likely will not agree with everything it contains, the author is to be commended for bringing long-standing and difficult issues out into the open and addressing them in a manner that is not only credible but congruent with Scripture. In short, it is a stimulating and provocative read for the intelligent Christian.”

Dr. Lester Devine

Director, Ellen G. White SDA Research Center

“Graeme Bradford is an honest seeker who writes honest answers to questions about Ellen White.  Prophets are Human should give help to many other seekers. I commend this book.”

William Johnsson, Ph. D.,

Editor, Adventist Review

“Neither the critics nor the defenders of Ellen White have given adequate attention to the full range of biblical and historical evidence. That makes this book much more important than the easy to read style might suggest. Bradford’s book is must reading for anyone interested in Ellen White’s inspiration.”

Jon Paulien, Ph. D.,

Chair, New Testament Department, Andrews University.

“Not everyone will agree with every point that Bradford asserts, but all of us must of necessity agree with his major thesis—that the church and its members will be healthier when they get as much as possible of the truth about Ellen White on the table and then disseminate it far and wide. Only in that way can the criticism of those who have built upon false conception be put to rest.”

George R. Knight, Ph. D.,

Professor of Church History

Andrews University Theological Seminary

“In his new book People Are Human, Graeme Bradford effectively builds up a holistic and truthful picture of Ellen White, her growing understanding of Scripture, and her exhortations to advance more fully in the knowledge of the Bible. Now every church member has easy access to information hidden in the archives, which is needed to form a balanced view of her character and inspiring ministry.”

Hans LaRondelle, Ph. D.,

Professor Emeritus of Theology

Andrews University Theological Seminary

“It is vital that every Seventh-day Adventist have a clear understanding of the issues discussed in this book. For too long too many, both friend and foe, have been drawing conclusions on this topic on the basis of little information, misinformation or suppositions which do not stand up under scrutiny. Graeme Bradford has my highest admiration, not only for the very readable manner in which he has addressed some significant issues surrounding the life and writings of Ellen White, but also for his personal integrity and commitment to the truth. I strongly commend this book to the reader and thank Graeme for his work.”

Barry Oliver M. A., Ph. D.,

General Secretary, Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific

FOREWORD TO PROPHETS ARE HUMAN

By Laurie Evans, President of the South Pacific Division

Prophets are Human is one of those books that is born out of adversity and controversy. The catalyst for it centers around the increasing criticism and accusations that have been leveled at Ellen G White and her writings by those intent on destroying her credibility as an inspired writer and one through whom the gift of prophecy was manifest. Much has been published, circulated via videos and promulgated on the internet with this objective in mind.

This book has been written to show the arguments brought against Ellen White are, in the main, based on an incorrect understanding of inspiration and how this gift is manifest through the biblical prophets. The author, by analyzing the human side of Bible writers as revealed in scripture, shows clearly that the problems encountered, which have caused many to lose their faith, are not so much with her writings as they are with unbiblical expectations of them. In short, the book makes the very important point that the same criticisms brought against Ellen White can to a large degree be brought against many of the authors of Scripture.

The book has been written in a very captivating and engaging story form that makes it easy to read and difficult to put down. The main characters ask questions that thoughtful people have pondered and stumbled over for decades. The answers given by “the pastor” are both biblical and faith affirming.

Graeme Bradford has done an excellent job in dealing with issues in connection with Ellen White and inspiration that for far too long have gone unaddressed. This book is long overdue and will do much to restore confidence in the authority and validity of the gift of prophecy as evident in the writings of this woman who has left such a rich legacy not only for the Seventh-day Adventist Church but for the world at large.

I commend the author for recognizing the need to provide answers to difficult questions, and strongly recommend the reading of this book which I believe will be very rewarding to the honest seeker of truth.

Laurie Evans

President, South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Your Help is Needed to Promote More than a Prophet

Publishing a most timely book is a futile effort, if the book does not reach the people who need it. This is why I need your help in informing your church members and friends about the release of More than a Prophet.

To make it possible for many people to benefit from More than a Prophet, I have decided to offer the book by the case of 30 copies for only $5.00 per copy, instead of the retail price of $25.00. This means that the total cost for a case of 30 copies is only $150.00, instead of the retail price of $750.00.

As a token expression of gratitude for your promotional effort, I will add 2 free complementary copies to your order. This means that you will receive 32 copies of More than a Prophet, when you order a case of 30 copies. To promote the book, you can download the picture of the cover and the information about the book by clicking at http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/BradfordOffer/offer.htm The details on how to order More than a Prophet in single copies or by the case, are given at the end of this newsletter.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THE END OF THE NEWSLETTERS

          A detailed description of the special offers on goods and services is provided at the end of this newsletter. Here is a brief listing of the announcements that are expanded at the end of this newsletter.

1. CALENDAR OF FORTHCOMING WEEKEND SEMINARS for the months of June and July 2006. See the details at the end of this newsletter.

2. PROF. BRADFORD NEWLY RELEASED BOOK MORE THAN A PROPHET, HIS CD ALBUM WITH HIS WRITINGS, AND HIS DVD LIVE LECTURE ON ELLEN WHITE. All the three new releases, (the book, the CD album, and the DVD album) are being offered for the first time at an introductory price. See the details at the end of this newsletter.

3. PROF. JON PAULIEN PUBLICATIONSIN ONE CD ALBUM.  The album contains more than a dozen of books and scores of articles written during the past 20 years of research. See the details at the end of this newsletter.

4. DR. BACCHIOCCHI’S NEW DVD ALBUM ON THE MARK AND NUMBER OF THE BEAST. See the details at the end of this newsletter.

5. TAGNET SPECIAL NEW WEB HOSTING OFFER for Adventist churches and members. TAGnet provides an incredible number of services to our churches and members. This newsletter comes to you through their gracious and efficient service. For detail information, visit their website at http://www.netadventist.org or

http://home.tagnet.org/ You may also call their office 800 - 9TAGNET

6. SPECIAL OFFER ON THE PACKAGE OF ALL THE RECORDINGS DONE BY DR. BACCHIOCCHI. The package consists of 5 albums which are offered for only $100.00, instead of the regular price of $500.00. See the details at the end of this newsletter.

7. PROF. JON PAULIEN’S 60 CD DISKS containing 120 lectures that explain verse by verse the book of Revelation. See the details at the end of this newsletter.

8. SPECIAL OFFER ON HITACHI PROJECTORS: HITACHI has offered an additional discount to help especially our churches and schools in developing countries. For examples, the special offer for the new 2000 LUMENS PROJECTOR CP-X250 IS ONLY $1095.00, instead of the previous SDA price of $1995.00.  See the details at the end of this newsletter or call me at 269-471-2915

9. SPECIAL OFFER ON NEW TOSHIBA LAP TOP TECRA A8 released on June 28, 2006. See details at the end.

10. REMOTE PRESENTER: Special offer on the smallest and most powerful REMOTE  powerpoint presenter by Honeywell.  See the details at the end of this newsletter.

“Ellen White and the Trinity”¹

Jerry Moon, Ph. D.

Chairman, Church History Department

Andrews University Theological Seminary

In 1846 James White dismissed the doctrine of the Trinity as “the old unscriptural trinitarian creed.”² A century later, in 1946, the denomination he co-founded voted a “Fundamental Beliefs” statement that specifically endorsed the doctrine of the Trinity. That most of the early leaders among Seventh-day Adventists held an antitrinitarian theology, and that a major shift has since occured, has become standard Adventist history³ in the 43 years since E. R. Gane wrote an M.A. thesis on the topic.⁴ What is now disputed by some is Gane’s second hypothesis, that Adventist co-founder Ellen G. White (1827-1915) was “a trinitarian monotheist.”⁵ Since the 1980s, that view has come under intense attack from some writers.⁶ This renewed scrutiny of the role of Ellen White in the development of the Adventist Trinity doctrine has raised enough questions to warrant a fresh examination of the issue.

In the previous newsletter we identified six stages in the development of the Adventist doctrine of God, from opposition to the Trinity doctrine, to acceptance of the basic concept of one God in three eternal divine persons.⁷ In the second part of our study I will present evidence in support of a fourfold hypothesis: (1) That Gane’s characterization of Ellen White as a “trinitarian monotheist” is accurate regarding her mature concept of God, from 1898 onward. In the 1840s, however, she did not yet have all the components of that view in place. Her mature view developed through a 40-year process that can be extensively documented. (2) That her writings describe two contrasting forms of trinitarian belief, one of which she consistently opposed, and one that she eventually supported. (3) That Ellen White’s developing understanding exerted a strong influence on other Adventist writers, leading eventually to a substantial degree of consensus in the denomination; and (4) that the method by which early Adventists came to this position was by disallowing tradition from having any normative authority and insisting on Scripture alone as the basis for doctrine and tests of membership.

This rejection of tradition led them initially to some heterodox views that received severe criticism from the broader Christian community. Their dependence on Scripture, however, brought them eventually to what they believe is a more biblical view of the Trinity.⁸ This material will be presented under four subheadings, (1) Evidences for Change, (2) Varieties of Trinitarianism, (3) The Development of Ellen White’s Doctrine of God and Its Influence on Other Adventist Writers, and (4) Conclusions.

EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE

At the core of the debate is the question whether Ellen White’s position on the Trinity ever changed. Some assume that she never changed, that either she always believed in the Trinity or never believed in the Trinity.⁹ There is ample evidence, however, that Ellen White’s beliefs did change on a number of other issues, so it is entirely plausible that she grew in her understanding of the Godhead as well.

When she declared in 1849, “We know we have the truth,”¹⁰ she was referring to the beliefs that Sabbatarian Adventists held in distinction from other Christian groups. She did not mean that there was no more truth to be discovered or that Adventists would never need to change any of their views. “We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn,” she wrote in 1892. “God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed.”¹¹

My argument that her views did change is based on the recognition that at every stage of life her knowledge of God and His will was a combination of what she had learned through ordinary means such as parental training, church attendance, Bible study, and personal experience, and—after December 1844—what she received through visions. Furthermore, she herself considered her visions as an educational process that continued in cumulative fashion throughout her lifetime.¹² Consequently, her personal understanding, especially in the early years, contained some elements not fully consistent with her later beliefs, because neither her Bible study nor her visions had yet called her attention to those inconsistent elements.

Reckoning of the Sabbath

For instance, after her first vision in December 1844, she continued to observe Sunday as the Sabbath for almost two more years. She had not yet learned about the seventh-day Sabbath. A second example of a changed view was the discovery in 1855 of the¹³ “time to commence the Sabbath.” For nine years after they accepted the seventh-day Sabbath, the Whites and most of the Sabbatarian Adventists observed the Sabbath from 6:00 p.m. Friday to 6:00 p.m. Saturday. Not until J. N. Andrews in 1855 demonstrated from Scripture¹⁴ that the biblical Sabbath begins at sunset, did Ellen White very reluctantly acknowledge that for nine years Adventists had been ignorant of the biblical time to begin the Sabbath.¹⁵

Health Reform

A third example is what Adventists have historically called health reform. Until 1863, most of them, including James and Ellen White, were heavy meat eaters, even slaughtering their own hogs. Not until after basic denominational organization had been achieved, was the attention of the movement called to a broader platform of health principles, including complete abstinence from eating pork products and the strong recommendation of vegetarianism.¹⁶

In view of these and other areas of conceptual development, it is not particularly surprising that Ellen White should show both development and change in her view of the Godhead. Her writings about the Godhead show a clear progression, not primarily from anti- to pro-trinitarianism, but from relative ambiguity to greater specificity. Some of her early statements are capable of various interpretations, but her later statements, 1898-1905, are explicit to the point of being dogmatic. Her change of view appears clearly to have been a matter of growth and progression, rather than reversal, because unlike her husband and others of her associates, she never directly attacked the view of the Trinity that she would later support.

VARIETIES OF TRINITARIANISM

The conceptual key that unlocks the enigma of Ellen White’s developmental process regarding the Trinity is the discovery that her writings describe at least two distinct varieties of trinitarian belief. One of these views she consistently opposed throughout her adult ministry, and the other she eventually endorsed. The trinitarian concept that she opposed was one that “spiritualized” the members of the Godhead as distant, impersonal, mystical, and ultimately unreal. The concept that she favored portrayed God as personal, literal, and tangible. She did not initially recognize His trinitarian nature, but when she did, she would describe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as real individuals, emphasizing Their “threeness” (individuality) as willing, thinking, feeling, and relational persons, and explaining Their oneness in terms of nature, character, purpose, and love, but not of person. The basis of these differentiations will become clearer as we examine the historical context and process of her developing thought.

The Development of Ellen White’s Understanding of the Godhead

Three pieces of evidence are particularly significant for reconstructing the historical context of Ellen White’s earliest references to the Godhead: (1) the role of “spiritualizers” in post-disappointment Millerism; (2) the polemics of James and Ellen White against those spiritualizers; and (3) a contemporary Methodist creed that the Whites (and other early Adventists) repeatedly cited in support of their rejection of traditional trinitarianism.

In the post-disappointment period of 1845, many former Millerites “spiritualized” the second coming, by interpreting the biblical prophecies of Christ’s return as having a spiritual, not literal meaning.¹⁷ Hence the spiritualizers could believe that Jesus did come on October 22, 1844, not literally, but “spiritually.” This view led to a wide range of aberrant behavior. Among the most extreme were the “no work” fanatics who believed that the seventh millennium had already been inaugurated as a Sabbath of perpetual rest, and that the way to demonstrate saving faith was to refrain from all work. Others of the “spiritualizers” dabbled in “mesmerism,”¹⁸ joined the Shakers,¹⁹ or even became followers of occult spiritualism.²⁰

James and Ellen White believed this teaching was false, because it took a Bible doctrine that they believed was clearly intended to be “literal” and made it nonliteral or “spiritual.” The core belief of Millerite Adventism was the literal, bodily, premillennial second advent. To the early Adventists, if the second advent were not a literal, bodily return of the same divine-human Jesus who ascended, but rather some subjective spiritual “revelation” to the individual heart or mind, then the teaching of His literal return had been not just modified, but destroyed—hence the phrase “spiritualize away.” To “spiritualize away” meant to take something intended as literal, and by calling it “spiritual” to so radically change the concept that it no longer had any real meaning.

Opposition to Spiritualizing Tendencies

For this reason both James and Ellen White came early to the conviction that they must oppose this spiritualizing as rank heresy. Ellen’s polemics against this doctrine and its resulting behaviors are well known.²¹ James also wrote repeatedly in the post-Millerite Day-Star against these spiritualizing tendencies.²²

One of James’s polemics against the spiritualizers included a remark about the Trinity that implied a similarity of belief between the spiritualizers and the trinitarians.²³ Apparently some of the “spiritualizers” were supporting their error by reference to what James called “the old unscriptural trinitarian creed.” James charged that both the “spiritualizers” and the traditional trinitarians “spiritualize[d] away the existence of the Father and the Son, as two distinct, litteral [sic], tangible persons.”²⁴

In maintaining that the Father and the Son are “real,” “literal” persons, the Whites certainly didn’t doubt that “God is spirit” (John 4:24),²⁵ but they insisted that as Spirit, God is still Someone real, tangible, and literal; not unreal, ephemeral, or imaginary. They felt that the terms used for Trinity in the creeds and definitions they knew of, made God seem so abstract, theoretical, and impersonal, that He was no longer perceived as a real, caring, loving Being. Thus the attempt to make Him “spiritual” rather than literal, actually “spiritualized Him away,” that is, destroyed the true concept of who He is and what He is like.

A third piece of evidence confirms that James was indeed linking the spiritualizers with traditional trinitarians—two groups that were in almost every other way theological opposites. Furthermore, a Methodist creed of the same period, and the way this creed was quoted and rebutted by early Adventist writers,²⁶ support the suggestion that there was some agreement between Ellen White’s earliest statements about the person(s) of God, and her husband’s rejection of the “the old unscriptural trinitarian creed.”

The Question of God’s Form

The suggestion that there is a dual linkage here—spiritualizers with philosophical trinitarians, and Ellen’s concept of a personal God with James’s antitrinitarianism—may sound far-fetched to many readers. But consider the wording of a typical trinitarian creed of the time. One aspect of traditional trinitarianism espoused by some Protestant creeds, but rejected by several early Adventists, was the somewhat curious statement that “There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts.”²⁷ Early Adventists read this creedal statement as describing a shapeless, amorphous God who could morph from one to three and from three to one because He had no certain form. This they vigorously refuted, citing several Bible passages that portrayed God as having both “body” and “parts.”²⁸

The question of God’s form was evidently on the mind of Ellen White as well,²⁹ because twice in early visions of Jesus, she asked Him questions related to the “form” and “person” of God. In one early vision, she “saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and the Son. I gazed on Jesus’ countenance,” she said, “and admired His lovely person. The Father’s person I could not behold, for a cloud of glorious light covered Him. I asked Jesus if His Father had a form like Himself. He said He had, but I could not behold it, for said He, ‘If you should once behold the glory of His person, you would cease to exist.’”³⁰

About 1850 she reported, “I have often seen the lovely Jesus, that He is a person. I asked Him if His Father was a person and had a form like Himself. Said Jesus, ‘I am in the express image of My Father’s person.’”³¹ Thus she gained visionary confirmation of what her husband had written in the Day-Star in 1846, that the Father and the Son are “two distinct, literal, tangible persons.”³² In terms of the trinitarian question, this statement is ambiguous. By itself it contains nothing contradictory to early Adventist antitrinitarianism, nor does it directly contradict her trinitarian statements of 1897-1905.

Other hints of her early views came in 1858 with the publication of the first volume of Spiritual Gifts.³³ Her belief in the Holy Spirit is not in question, for she links the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in Christ’s baptismal narrative. But she does not mention the Holy Spirit in connection with the divine councils about creation and the plan of salvation. These statements, like the 1850 statements above, were ambiguous, in³⁴ the sense that they could be read without conflict from either a trinitarian or non-trinitarian point of view.

Christ Pre-existent with the Father

Perhaps her first statement that clearly disagreed with her antitrinitarian colleagues came in 1869 in a landmark chapter, “The Sufferings of Christ,” where in the opening paragraph she asserted on the basis of Heb 1:3; Col 1:19; and Phil 2:6 that Christ in His pre-existence was “equal with God.”³⁵ Here it became evident that if no one else was listening, her husband was. Though James White’s early statements about the Trinity were uniformly negative,³⁶ by 1876 and 1877 he was following his wife’s lead.

In an editorial comparison of the beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists with Seventh Day Baptists, James included the Trinity among the doctrines which “neither [SDAs nor SDBs] regard as tests of Christian character,” that is, tests of fellowship. James now held that one could believe in the Trinity and still be an Adventist in good standing, because the Trinity was nota test of membership. “Adventists hold the divinity of Christ so nearly with the trinitarian,” he continued, “that we apprehend no trial [controversy] here.”³⁷ Clearly James was moving away from his early polemics against trinitarianism. A year later, 1877, in a Review article titled, “Christ is equal with God,” he showed he was in sympathy with certain aspects of trinitarianism. “The inexplicable trinity that makes the godhead three in one and one in three is bad enough,” he wrote, “but ultra Unitarianism that makes Christ inferior to the Father is worse.”³⁸

In asserting Christ’s equality with the Father, James was echoing what his wife had written eight years earlier. For another evidence of her leading her colleagues, note that her assertions that Christ was uncreated³⁹ preceded by more than two decades Uriah Smith’s published acceptance of that concept.⁴⁰

Building a Triniterian View

Brick by conceptual brick, (perhaps without even being aware of it herself) she was slowly but surely dismantling the substructure of the antitrinitarian view, and building a trinitarian view. In another clear break with the prevailing semi-Arian consensus, she declared in 1878 that Christ was the “eternal Son.”⁴¹ Ellen White did not understand his eternal Sonship to imply derivation from the Father. Sonship in His preexistence denoted that He was of the same nature as the Father, in unity and close relationship with the Father, but it did not imply that