Ellen G. White (1827-1915) was one of the co-founders of the Seventh-day Adventist church, a prolific author, and named by the Smithsonian as one of the “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time”. [1] But there is much controversy surrounding Ellen G. White (EGW). Some believe she was a fraud who claimed special visitations from angels, and a variety of websites criticize her as a deceiver and false prophet. However, others believe she was a prophet and promote her as a messenger from God. In fact, it seems the arguments over her ministry and writings focus almost exclusively on whether she was or was not a “prophet,” whether she was inspired by God or not.

But to me, this is an irrelevant matter because being inspired by God does not turn a human being into an infallible divine being. Prophets and apostles of God continue to make mistakes and get things wrong. Consider Peter—after he was restored to unity with Jesus, and Jesus instructed Him to “feed my sheep” (John 21:17), he made mistakes; for instance, he was wrong about who a Christian should associate with, and he had to be corrected publicly by Paul (Galatians 2:11). Or consider Balaam and King Saul, who were blessed with the spirit of prophecy and prophesied messages from God—but who eventually turned away from God and led the people into destruction.

No, the relevant question is not whether EGW was blessed with any special inspirational insights; the only relevant question for us today is: Is what she wrote true? Regardless of whether she had a special gift of prophecy or whether she was merely a committed Christian sharing wisdom, we should be determining for ourselves whether or not what she wrote is true—that is the only relevant question. If what she wrote is true, then we are blessed by following the truth. If it is false, then we are harmed by following lies.

Sadly, far too many people don’t approach life in this way, because this method requires them to think for themselves, reason for themselves, and come to comprehend reality for themselves in order to be able to know whether what is written is true or not. This requires giving up the immature ways of the newborn believer in Christ and becoming mature, “for the mature [are those] who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14 NIV84).

The mature think, reason, study, and comprehend. The immature—the children, those still in elementary school—look to the teacher, the parent, the pastor, or the “prophet” to tell them the answer. They may have a good heart with a sincere desire to do right, they may be eager to please and love Jesus, but they do not know why something is right or wrong; they still need someone else to tell them what is right and what is wrong, just like a child needs a parent to tell them whether it is okay to eat this or that or when it is safe to cross the street.

Immature Christians do this, and they, in fear of making a mistake, look to some external authority to tell them what to do and what to believe. They will often use righteous-sounding statements like, “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it,” as they recite a proof text that makes them feel secure—but all too often, they act in ways that violate God’s design laws for life! Why? Because they themselves do not understand right from wrong; their security is in doing what some other person has told them is right. Thus, the immature argue over whether EGW had the gift of prophecy because, if she did, they are secure in following what she said. They are just like the child who says, “The teacher said so, and that settles it.” They don’t know why; they only know that the one in authority has said it is this way.

Conversely, for those who have concluded EGW was a false prophet or not inspired by God, they also do not consider whether what she wrote was true or not. They conclude that since she was not inspired by God, her writings must be false and should not be read.

But this immature way of approaching life is like a child who, when asked the answer to the math problem, what is 2 plus 2, answers “4,” but when asked how they know it is 4, they say, “Because the math teacher said so.” They don’t know how to solve problems; they don’t know the principles of mathematics, but they know this one right answer because the teacher told them it was the right answer. These people find security by trusting someone else to solve the problem and tell them the answer. Sadly, many good-hearted Christians live like this, and, within the Adventist community, will insist EGW was inspired because then they don’t have to understand for themselves. And, perhaps even more sad, are the many who have concluded she was not inspired and, thus, refuse to examine her writings at all.

So, who was Ellen G. White?

She was a believer in the Bible and taught that it alone should be the standard of the Christian faith:

The Bible, and the Bible alone, is to be our creed, the sole bond of union; all who bow to this Holy Word will be in harmony. Our own views and ideas must not control our efforts. Man is fallible, but God’s Word is infallible. Instead of wrangling with one another, let men exalt the Lord. Let us meet all opposition as did our Master, saying, “It is written.” Let us lift up the banner on which is inscribed, The Bible our rule of faith and discipline (The Review and Herald, December 15, 1885, emphasis mine).

She was a thinker, someone who thought for herself and advocated that every individual is made in the image of God with their own unique individuality, ability to think and reason, and is never to surrender their minds to the control of another—but that all are to develop their God-given capacity to comprehend and discern for themselves:

Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator—individuality, power to think and to do. The men in whom this power is developed are the men who bear responsibilities, who are leaders in enterprise, and who influence character. It is the work of true education to develop this power, to train the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men’s thought. … Instead of educated weaklings, institutions of learning may send forth men strong to think and to act, men who are masters and not slaves of circumstances, men who possess breadth of mind, clearness of thought, and the courage of their convictions (Education, p. 17, emphasis mine).

All whom God has blessed with reasoning powers are to become intellectual Christians. They are not requested to believe without evidence; therefore Jesus has enjoined upon all to search the Scriptures. Let the ingenious inquirer, and the one who would know for himself what is truth, exert his mental powers to search out the truth as it is in Jesus. Any neglect here is at the peril of the soul. We must know individually the prescribed conditions of entering into eternal life. … We cannot allow these questions to be settled for us by another’s mind, or another’s judgment. … We cannot trust the salvation of our souls to ministers, to idle traditions, to human authorities, or to pretentions. … The Lord positively demands of every Christian an intelligent knowledge of the Scriptures (The Review and Herald, March 8, 1887, emphasis mine).

We must study the truth for ourselves. No man should be relied upon to think for us. No matter who he is, or in what position he may be placed, we are not to look upon any man as a criterion for us. We are to counsel together, and to be subject one to another; but at the same time we are to exercise the ability God has given us, in order to learn what is truth. Each one of us must look to God for divine enlightenment. We must individually develop a character that will stand the test in the day of God (Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 109, 110, emphasis mine)

She was an advocate of truth, evidence, and facts—the scientific method over claims, proclamation, and feelings:

God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His Word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth, will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith (Steps to Christ, p. 105, emphasis mine).

Experience is said to be the best teacher. Genuine experience is indeed superior to mere theoretical knowledge, but many have an erroneous idea as to what constitutes experience. Real experience is gained by a variety of careful experiments, made with the mind free from prejudice, uncontrolled by previously established opinions and habits. The results are marked with careful solicitude. … That which many term experience is not experience at all. … There has not been a fair trial by actual experiment and thorough investigation, with a knowledge of the principles involved in the action (Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, pp. 109, 110, emphasis mine).

If we mistake the wisdom of man for the wisdom of God we are led astray by the foolishness of man’s wisdom. Here is the great danger of many in Battle Creek. They have not an experience for themselves. They have not been in the habit of prayerfully considering for themselves, with unprejudiced, unbiased judgment, questions and subjects that are new and that are ever liable to arise. They wait to see what others will think. If these dissent, that is all that is needed to convince them that the subject under consideration is of no account whatever. Although this class is large, it does not change the fact that they are inexperienced and weak-minded through long yielding to the enemy, and will always be as sickly as babes, walking by others’ light, living on others’ experience, feeling as others feel, and acting as others act. They act as though they had not an individuality. Their identity is submerged in others; they are merely shadows of those whom they think [are] right. Unless these become sensible of their wavering character and correct it, they will all fail of everlasting life; they will be unable to cope with the perils of the last days. They will possess no stamina to resist the devil, for they do not know that it is he. Someone must be at their side to inform them whether a foe or a friend is approaching. They are not spiritual, therefore spiritual things are not discerned. They are not wise in those things which relate to the kingdom of God. Neither young nor old are excusable in trusting to another to have an experience for them. Said the angel: “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm” (Jeremiah 17:5). A noble self-reliance is needed in the Christian experience and warfare (Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 2, p. 129).

She was humble and knew her writings (The Testimonies) are subordinate to the Bible:

God’s Word is the unerring standard. The Testimonies are not to take the place of the Word. Great care should be exercised by all believers to advance these questions carefully, and always stop when you have said enough. Let all prove their positions from the Scriptures and substantiate every point they claim as truth from the revealed Word of God (Evangelism, p. 256, emphasis mine).

The Spirit was not given—nor can it ever be bestowed—to supersede the Bible; for the Scriptures explicitly state that the Word of God is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. … Isaiah declares, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20) (The Great Controversy, Introduction, p. vii, emphasis mine).

 She was a worshiper of the Creator and understood that God’s law is design law:

There is no such thing as weakening or strengthening the law of Jehovah. As it has been, so it is. It always has been, and always will be, holy, just, and good, complete in itself. It cannot be repealed or changed. To “honor” or “dishonor” it is but the speech of men (Prophets and Kings, p. 625, emphasis mine).

The transgression of the physical law is the transgression of God’s law. Our Creator is Jesus Christ. He is the Author of our being. He has created the human structure. He is the Author of physical laws as He is the Author of the moral law. And the human being who is careless and reckless of the habits and practices that concern his physical life and health sins against God (Kress Collection, 1985, p. 46, emphasis mine).

The same power that upholds nature is working also in man. The same great laws that guide alike the star and the atom control human life. The laws that govern the heart’s action, regulating the flow of the current of life to the body, are the laws of the mighty Intelligence that has the jurisdiction of the soul. From Him all life proceeds. Only in harmony with Him can be found its true sphere of action. For all the objects of His creation the condition is the same—a life sustained by receiving the life of God, a life exercised in harmony with the Creator’s will. To transgress His law, physical, mental, or moral, is to place one’s self out of harmony with the universe, to introduce discord, anarchy, ruin (Education, p. 99, emphasis mine).

Men and women cannot violate natural law by indulging depraved appetite and lustful passions, and not violate the law of God. Therefore He has permitted the light of health reform to shine upon us, that we may see our sin in violating the laws which He has established in our being. All our enjoyment or suffering may be traced to obedience or transgression of natural law. Our gracious heavenly Father sees the deplorable condition of men who, some knowingly but many ignorantly, are living in violation of the laws that He has established. And in love and pity to the race, He causes the light to shine upon health reform. He publishes His law and the penalty that will follow the transgression of it, that all may learn and be careful to live in harmony with natural law. He proclaims His law so distinctly and makes it so prominent that it is like a city set on a hill. All accountable beings can understand it if they will. … To make plain natural law, and urge the obedience of it, is the work that accompanies the third angel’s message to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 3, p. 161, emphasis mine).

She was a believer in the full divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father,–one in nature, in character, in purpose,—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace” (Isa. 9:6). His “goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2) (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34, emphasis mine).

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). It is not physical life that is here specified, but immortality, the life which is exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life. Physical life is something which each individual receives. It is not eternal or immortal; for God, the Life-giver, takes it again. Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. “I lay it down of myself” (John 10: 18), He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as His personal Saviour. “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). This is the open fountain of life for the world (Selected Messages, Vol. 1, p.296, emphasis mine)

There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ (Evangelism, p. 615, emphasis mine).

She believed in Jesus as our only Savior.

But let none deceive themselves with the thought that God, in His great love and mercy, will yet save even the rejecters of His grace. The exceeding sinfulness of sin can be estimated only in the light of the cross. When men urge that God is too good to cast off the sinner, let them look to Calvary. It was because there was no other way in which man could be saved, because without this sacrifice it was impossible for the human race to escape from the defiling power of sin, and be restored to communion with holy beings,—impossible for them again to become partakers of spiritual life,—it was because of this that Christ took upon Himself the guilt of the disobedient and suffered in the sinner’s stead. The love and suffering and death of the Son of God all testify to the terrible enormity of sin and declare that there is no escape from its power, no hope of the higher life, but through the submission of the soul to Christ (Steps to Christ, p. 31, emphasis mine).

Ellen White also believed in the nearness of the Second Coming; that the war between Christ and Satan is a universal war and that all intelligent beings, angels and humans, are caught up in it; that the war is not one of might and power but of principles and motives, a spiritual war, a war over who we trust and whose methods (God’s or Satan’s) we prefer.

After years of my own research, I have determined that EGW was a humble friend of God who spent her life doing all she could to uplift Jesus and the truth He presented about His Father for the purpose of saving souls from sin. The Bible teaches that spiritual things are spiritually discerned, so to the degree EGW wrote anything that is true and harmonizes with the Bible, it is because the Spirit of God enlightened her understanding on these things. But it is a waste of time and energy to argue over her inspirational status; the relevant question for each of us, whether the message under consideration is from EGW, a pastor, or me, is: is it true? Each person must be fully persuaded in their own mind (Romans 14:5), for this is the only way for your heart and mind to be healed and transformed.

I encourage you to embrace the principles that EGW espoused—to be a thinker, a lover of truth, to pursue the truth, to evaluate the evidence for yourself, and when concepts or ideas are presented to you by any source, including EGW, to make the Bible your standard of truth—check everything by it and believe, not because someone in authority has told you, but because you understand the truth for yourself.

[1] Frail, T. A. (November 17, 2014). “Meet the 100 Most Significant Americans of All Time”. Smithsonian. Retrieved February 2, 2018.