Unpublished White Materials Released on the Web
By AT News Team, July 21, 2015: Last Thursday (July 16), the centennial of the death of Ellen G. White, the most prominent cofounder of the Adventist movement who held credentials as an ordained minister for most of her life, about 50,000 pages of her unpublished letters, diaries and manuscripts were released on a web site operated by the White Estate. This is the same collection that has for a number of years been available to researchers and students at several White Research Centers located at Adventist universities around the world.
The materials date from 1845 to early 1915. They are typed transcripts of her handwritten originals prepared by typists under her supervision or White Estate staff. Some of the handwritten originals no longer exist.
The first release of White’s materials that were not published during her lifetime was the book Medical Ministry published in 1932. In that same decade researchers began to be permitted to study unpublished and original materials at the White Estate office with the provision that nothing could be published without permission from the estate trustees.
White’s will named five trustees who inherited her literary materials and copyrights, explained Andrew McChesney, news editor of the Adventist Review, in an article last week. She “had written especially strong counsel to some of them,” Dr. James Nix, director of the estate, is quoted by McChesney. “So they were not excited about the materials being released. If you were president of the General Conference, why would you want some pastor in the middle of the United States reading about you from the pulpit?”
In the 1980s the research centers began to be set up with copies of the files of unpublished materials, and the rules for researchers were softened. Today all of the individuals named in the materials and their close relatives are dead, so there is really no problem with the materials being made public.
Over the years since that time a number of books have been published that are “compilations” of both unpublished and published materials on specific topics. The original versions of all her periodical articles, pamphlets and books are also currently published.
Nix does not “expect any surprises to emerge from these documents,” McChesney wrote. “The materials have been gone over by researchers for years,” he quoted Nix.
Last year the first volume of an annotated version of this collection was published. It is planned to eventually publish the entire collection in a scholarly set of reference books with background notes on all of the names mentioned, discussions of the issues covered in the materials, etc. The first volume includes both a transcription and photographs of the handwritten original of the oldest White document, a letter from 1847.
“This is a watershed moment in Ellen White studies,” wrote Adventist historian Dr. Michael Campbell in a review of the volume in the most recent issue of Andrews University Seminary Studies (Spring 2015, pages 228-233). He referenced two other significant books on the same topic that have come out in the last two years. (See list below.) But, Campbell cautioned, “Since the first volume took well over a decade to produce, and only covers a small fraction of [the 8,000-plus documents], unless the level of production increases, at the current pace the project will take over two centuries to finish.”
Campbell urged the White Estate to involve a network of Adventist historians to help with the process. He also suggested that future volumes need to include information on the cultural context of the materials. For example, “the notion of the ‘cult of domesticity,’ which defined the roles of men and women during antebellum America” is ignored in the volume.
A link to the newly-released collection appears at the top of the White Estate’s Web site: www.ellenwhite.org
The three new books on White and her literary production:
Timothy L. Poirier, editor (2014). The Ellen G. White Letters & Manuscripts with Annotations, 1845-1859. Hagerstown, Maryland: Review & Herald Publishing Association.
Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon, editors (2013). The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia. Hagerstown, Maryland: Review & Herald Publishing Association.
Terry Dopp Aamodt, Gary Land and Ronald L. Numbers, editors (2014). Ellen Harmon White: American Prophet. New York City: Oxford University Press.
The article in referring to Ellen White says that she “held credentials as an ordained minister for most of her life” which is very misleading. Ellen White was not ordained as a minister.
It is a fact as stated. If you send me an email at atoday@atoday.org with your address, I will send you photos of her credentials. — Monte Sahlin, CEO of Adventist Today
Three years ago at Southwestern’s EGW Research Center we received enough requests for copies of EGW’s credentials that we included the best copy available in our newsletter along with pointers to more images and information. Here’s the link:
https://library.swau.edu/assets/documents/ahc/newsletter_2012fall.pdf
At the time Ellen White was offered an ordination plus license as a minister by the brethren, but she declined it. So this article is being misleading!
Why don’t you release it to all .Nothing to hide right
Adventist Today published photos of her ministerial credentials more than a year ago, and they have been available on the official White Estate web site longer than that. Evidently some individual’s prejudices are stronger than documented facts that have been known to historians for more than 100 years. — Monte Sahlin, CEO of Adventist Today
Monte,
It may be a fact as stated, but you state the facts in such a way as to obscure the truth.
In a letter dated Nov. 17, 1935, Dores E. Robinson replied on behalf of W. C. White (Ellen White’s son and Robinson’s father-in-law) in response to a query concerning Ellen White’s ministerial credentials. He wrote: “[W. C. White] tells me that Sister White was never ordained, that she never baptized, nor did she ever give the ordination charge to others.”
Summary
From 1871 until her death in 1915, Ellen White was issued ministerial credentials. From 1871 to 1887 she was credentialed by the Michigan Conference, and from 1884 until her death, she was credentialed as a General Conference Minister. On one of the credentials (1885), the word “ordained” is struck through.
From the Ellen G. White Estate http://ellenwhite.org/content/file/records-pertaining-ellen-g-whites-ministerialordination-credentials#document
William, it is true that Ellen White had a unique role; it is not true that she did not have a status and role of spiritual leadership over men recognized by the credentials of an ordained minister. The fact that she did not have a ceremony is not unique. The original set of ministers who founded the Church did not have such ceremonies either. That does not make them not ordained ministers.
Could you send me photos or documents on Ellen White credentials?
Look at page two of the newsletter linked below:
https://library.swau.edu/assets/documents/ahc/newsletter_2012fall.pdf
Did all that Ellen White wrote come from visions? If so, she must have had a lot of visions if she wrote so many articles. And if all the articles that she wrote did not come from a vision then where did she get the information for the article? I get confused on her writings. When she writes to a pastor or a church member telling them what to do, where does she get the information? Lots of SDA take from her what they want and leave the rest alone. But OH they believe in her writings. SDA have asked me “Do you believe in Ellen White?” Well, I though on this question many times. The first thing that comes to mind is, there is ONLY ONE THAT WE BELIEVE IN AND THAT IS CHRIST. Am I right. We are to have Christ our ONLY one that we need to believe in.
The way our SDA church puts her is not right. Do you think if she were alive she would except the way SDA members put her?
When Elder Wilson was asked in a interview on what to use for personal study,(something like that) and he answered Ellen Whites writings, he did not even say the Bible. That was VERY SAD TO hear. I don’t know any more what I believe. BUT ONE THING I DO KNOW THAT CHRIST IS MY GOD AND I BELIEVE IN HIM.
I do have a question, Can a person be a SDA and not BELIEVE in Ellen White? Is our doctrines all about her or Christ?
I doubt EGW’s shopping list, thank you notes, journal entries, etc can be expected to be the result of visions. As a main player in the history of the denomination, her correspondence and other personal writings are valuable sources to piece out the church’s past though.
Ingrid, the scripture that helped me to answer your question is Luke 24:25, Jesus speaking:
“Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!”
It’s best to read the entire chapter to get the context. There are many other bible admonitions to believe in the prophets, but I like this one best because it is Jesus Himself speaking.
Ingrid, Walter is of course correct. The following simply offers support for his answer from Ellen White herself:
This quote (which may not be the best since it refers to an incident that occurred among early Sabbath believers during the formative years leading up to the establishment of the SDA church), is found in “The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1, Page 783,” and is as follows:
“Remarkably, Ellen White reported that the “discordant views” of Arnold and others were resolved and ‘our meeting ended victoriously. Truth gained the victory.’ According to J. N. Loughborough’s later interview with a conference participant, the turning point came when Ellen White, while in public vision, raised a Bible aloft, and turned to and recited a number of Bible passages pertinent to the issues under dispute. David Arnold [who later became the first president of the New York Conference (1862-1863)] subsequently held the visions of Ellen White in high regard, even to the point of urging that they be made a test of fellowship, a position that both Ellen and James White rejected and for which Ellen cautioned Arnold.”
To put that in plain everyday language, Ellen (and James) White rejected making a belief in Ellen’s visions a test of church fellowship/membership. That remains the position of the SDA church today.
Ingrid, Ellen White said that belief in her spiritual gift was not to be a test of fellowship. Anyone who tells you that you must believe she was a prophet in order to be an Adventist is denying her teaching.
Indexes of Ellen White’s letters and manuscripts–including summaries, biographical notes and links to the full text–are also available at egw.swau.edu.
This is what appears at the end of a lengthy search published by the White Estates regarding the question of Ellen White’s ordination:
Summary
From 1871 until her death in 1915, Ellen White was issued ministerial credentials. From 1871 to 1887 she was credentialed by the Michigan Conference, and from 1884 until her death, she was credentialed as a General Conference Minister. On one of the credentials (1885), the word “ordained” is struck through. (In the 1888 Yearbook she was also listed among the California Ministers.) Throughout the years, her name was listed along with ordained ministers rather than licentiates, although her biographical information sheet and the testimony of her family indicates that she did not receive ordination at the hands of church officials.
Compiled by the Ellen G. White Estate, Inc.
October 2012
^ 1 See RH, Sept. 10, 1872, p. 102, Sept. 16, 1873, p. 110, Aug. 25, 1874, p. 79, Aug. 26, 1876, p. 63, Oct. 5, 1876, p. 106, Oct. 4, 1877, p. 107, Oct. 17, 1878, p. 127, Oct. 16, 1879, p. 134, Oct. 14, 1880, p. 253, Oct. 11, 1881, p. 237, Oct. 10, 1882, p. 637, Oct. 9, 1883, p. 636, Oct. 21, 1884, p. 668, Nov. 17, 1885, p. 717, Oct. 26, 1886, p. 668, Nov. 1, 1887, p. 684.
Two quotes from the above mentioned Ellen G. White Estate search re Ellen White’s ministry/ordination:
“A. Ellen White’s Biographical Information Form
On March 5, 1909, Ellen White’s biographical information form was filled out by her assistant, Mary Steward, as requested for General Conference records. Question 19 asked, “If ordained, state when, where, and by whom.” The line was marked with an “x” indicating that she had not been ordained, just as an “x” was recorded for question 26, “If remarried, give date, and to whom.”
“E. Statement by Ellen G. White’s Family
In a letter dated Nov. 17, 1935, Dores E. Robinson replied on behalf of W. C. White (Ellen White’s son and Robinson’s father-in-law) in response to a query concerning Ellen White’s ministerial credentials. He wrote: “[W. C. White] tells me that Sister White was never ordained, that she never baptized, nor did she ever give the ordination charge to others.”
One would have to be naive or very misled to believe that everything a “prophet” (she preferred messenger) said came from God. Has the church stopped teaching what the woman herself said about inspiration? As a denomination we never believed in the inerrancy of the Bible; she said God is not on trial in the Bible, and the Bible is infallible as a guide to salvation (not in words, facts, etc.) It’s stories don’t always agree because of the different writers.
Would our founders say EGW was more inspired than the Bible? As she once said–where is our common sense?
I believe EGW was visionary. By the common use of the word, she was a mystic. Whether you like that word or not, it’s true in the current use of the term. At the same time, she experienced “thought inspiration” and used the term “I was shown.” That didn’t always mean in a vision or dream. She was also a researcher and had a full library.
She said “God inspired the men (writers) of the Bible–they were not his pen.” We have never believed that scripture or inspired writings were dictated by God. The writers wrote in the terminology and knowledge of their time; that is both the Jewish OT and NT and any other inspired writer.
The OT was the Bible of Jesus, and it was read aloud in their meeting houses. (There were no synagogues at that time historians tell us, and the temple was far away.) Jesus spoke as a Jew of His time, but He lived dependent on God the Father through prayer.
Alfredo:
I looked at the Ellen G. White Credentials document you referred to.
Did you not notice that the word “Ordained” has about eight little slash marks crossing it, essentially crossing it out?
Instead of proving that she was ordained, this proves that she was NOT ordained! Just to be sure, I checked it under magnification.
Good observation, Erick. I’m glad the reference I provided was useful for you. On the other hand, you may have read a little too much in between the lines of my post. I offered the image at the request of someone who wanted to see it. That’s all. I’d rather let people do their own analysis and draw their own conclusions.
What do you see in the many more copies issued later that do not have the word crossed out?
I just read in E.G. White’s biography: When they asked her about being ordained, she said “I’ve been ordained of the LORD”. That seemed good enough for her. Sometimes we forget who’s church this. Why do we waste our time praying if we refuse to accept the answer we get. She also said “The LORD puts criticism in the same category as pride”. gca
Yes you can be a Seventh-day Adventist and not acknowledge Ellen White. There are many in that category that worship in SDA churches I look at her writings as complimentary to the Bible and it broadens my understanding of much of the Bible.
I think we need to be careful when we consider the role of a prophet versus the various other roles of people in the church. It is unlike any other in that God did not give us permission to appoint or vote for anyone to assume that role. Nor do we have the authority to vote a prophet out of that role. God alone has the prerogative to appoint whom He will for this. In this sense, the function of a prophet in the church is definitely unique.
For this reason, I believe it is irrelevant and misguided to try to use the fact that Ellen White was a female who held (and continues to hold) an exceptionally important place in the founding and guiding of the SDA church, as an argument in favor of WO.
Although others may very well have desired to ordain EGW, there is no evidence that she herself desired to be an ordained minister. She had a position given to her by God alone that could not be voided by anyone. There was no reason for her to desire any other position.
Others disagree, but I personally don’t see the issue of WO to be a moral issue. I see it as simply what the church body has decided is appropriate for this time and place in the history of the world. If the next time this is brought to a vote the majority says YES, I will accept it without any reservations.
What is so unfair about this response is it was not appropriate at this time in all places, and a choice was given for different areas to make their decision for their area or church. Perhaps that sort of “do as I want” is a moral issue. Especially after the main seminary scholars studied it and came up, as many before them had, with the conclusion it was not biblical to deny women to be ministers or other leaders.
Again I say it was clearly cultural and influenced by the various other religions in each region of the world.
EM:
To me personally, timing is the issue. The church also had problems with the racial issue early in our church’s history. Even EGW wrestled with that. The question then was if pushing forward too fast would do the work of the church more harm than good. Were mistakes made then? A good argument can be made for a YES answer. Perhaps the same can be said of the WO issue today. Some feel that the time is right, even well past due! Others disagree.
God help us! is my sincere prayer.
There is no earthly or biblical reason that demands all the church operate exactly alike when it is in a multi-cultural world. Allowing a vote on that premise was a grave mistake.