1919 Bible Conference Minutes Concerning Ellen G. White -- Introduction

1919 Bible Conference Minutes Concerning Ellen G. White - Introduction

By Sydney Cleveland

Seventh-day Adventists have long considered Ellen White to be a Divinely-inspired prophet just like the prophets of the Bible. She was a prolific writer — producing an estimated 100,000 handwritten pages of manuscripts, for a total of 15 to 20 million words. Even though the church's leaders claim they do not believe in verbal inspiration they have carefully treasured every word Ellen White wrote. To safeguard her words microfilm duplicates of her manuscripts have been established in various locations around the world. The Ellen G. White Estate, a subsidiary of the General Conference of SDA, supervises her manuscripts, revises her books and publishes new compilations of her writings.

At first look, Ellen White's literary accomplishments were far above average — especially considering she only had a third-grade education. But you may not know what she wrote by hand was subsequently copied and edited by her secretaries (Davis, Robinson, White, Bolton), then further revised, enlarged and improved by copy editors and book committees at the church's publishing houses. However, all the improvements made during her lifetime were subject to her approval.

Ellen White was also privileged to own a personal library containing nearly 2,000 books. These facts are clearly stated by Ellen White, her secretaries, her book editors, the White Estate, the Seventh-day Adventist church, and even by those who firmly believe in Ellen White's Divine inspiration.

Ellen White Claimed to be Divinely Inspired

But was Ellen White inspired by God? Were her writings inspired by God in the same way Bible writers were inspired? Did she write out what she received directly from God through visions? Were the words she wrote inspired by God? Did she copy the writings of other authors? And if she copied, did she admit she copied? Specifically, what was the source of Ellen White's writings? In the following quotations she is very specific as to the source of her letters, articles, and books:

"Some are ready to inquire: Who told Sister White these things? They have even put the question to me: Did anyone tell you these things? I could answer them: Yes; yes, the angel of God has spoken to me. ... But ... for the future, I shall not belittle the testimonies that God has given me, to make explanations to try to satisfy such narrow minds, but shall treat all such questions as an insult to the Spirit of God." — Testimonies, vol. 3, pp. 314-315, written in 1873.

"The Lord has seen fit to give me a view of the needs and errors of His people. ...I have faithfully set before the offenders their faults and the means of remedying them, according to the dictates of the Spirit of God. ... Thus has the Spirit of God pronounced warnings and judgments ..." — Testimonies, vol. 4, page 14, written in 1876.

"I am just as dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord in relating or writing a vision, as in having the vision. It is impossible for me to call up things which have been shown me unless the Lord brings them before me at the time that He is pleased to have me relate or write them." — Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, p. 293, written in 1860.

"Although I am as dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord in writing my views as I am in receiving them, yet the words I employ in describing what I have seen are my own, unless they be those spoken to me by an angel, which I always enclose in marks of quotation." — Review and Herald, Oct. 8, 1867, quoted in Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 37.

"In my books, the truth is stated, barricaded by a 'thus saith the Lord.' The Holy Spirit traced these truths upon my heart and mind." — Letter 90, 1906, quoted in Ellen G. White, by Arthur L. White, vol. 4, p. 393.

"As my pen hesitates a moment, the appropriate words come to my mind. ... When writing these precious books, if I hesitated, the very word I wanted to express the idea was given to me." — Selected Messages, vol. 3, pp. 51-52.

"I arose at three o'clock in the morning to write to you. God was speaking through clay. You might say that this ... was only a letter. Yes, it was a letter, but prompted by the Spirit of God, to bring before your minds things that had been shown me. In these letters which I write, in the testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you that which the Lord has presented to me. I do not write one article in the paper expressing merely my own ideas. They are what God has opened before me in vision." — Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 67, written in 1882.

"I am only an instrument in the Lord's hands to do the work he has set for me to do. The instructions that I have given by pen or voice have been an expression of the light God has given me. I have tried to place before you the principles that the Spirit of God has for years been impressing upon my mind and writing on my heart." — Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 691, written in 1889.

"I have written many books, and they have been given a wide circulation. Of myself I could not have brought out the truth in these books, but the Lord has given me the help of His Holy Spirit. These books, giving the instruction that the Lord has given me during the past sixty years, contain light from heaven, and will bear the test of investigation." — Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 35, written in 1906.

The evidence is plain that Ellen White believed she was Divinely inspired. She consistently taught that her visions were her source for the information she wrote in her letters, books, articles, and testimonies. Her husband, James White, strongly defended her claims:

"(Ellen White) does not 'obtain the sentiments' of her visions 'from previous teaching or study.'" — James White, in A Word to the "Little Flock," p. 22, written in 1847.

Evidence of Dishonesty

But during her lifetime, and over the succeeding years, information has repeatedly surfaced indicating Ellen White had not been honest about the source of her information. Especially in the past two decades have researchers uncovered such a mountain of evidence proving Ellen White's plagiarism that the Seventh-day Adventist church was compelled to undertake its own investigation.

Walter Rea Demonstrated EGWs Plagiarism

In January of 1980, Walter Rea (then an SDA pastor and college Bible teacher) presented to church leaders the evidence he had discovered. Rea demonstrated Ellen White had copied so much from other authors that there is hardly an original thought in any of her books. This was a terrible shock to Seventh-day Adventism. So the General Conference sponsored the church's own eight-year investigation of The Desire of Ages (then thought to be the most authentic of her many books) to determine if Ellen White really copied.

Fred Veltman Demonstrated EGW Lied

The denomination's research team was led by their own Dr. Fred Veltman, (then Chairman of the Religion Department of Pacific Union College). After Dr. Veltman's initial presentation, a summary was published in the October and December, 1990, issues of the Seventh-day Adventist church's official Ministry magazine for clergy.

Most SDAs pastors and lay people have no idea the Veltman report exists even though the full text is available through Pacific Union College. The official Veltman report frankly concluded that not only had Ellen White voraciously copied the works of other writers, but both she and her co-workers had deliberately lied to cover up the truth. Here are two conclusions of the Veltman report:

"It is of first importance to note that Ellen White herself, not her literary assistants, composed the basic content of the Desire of Ages text. In doing so she was the one who took literary expressions (copied) from the works of other authors without giving them credit as her sources (plagiarism). Second, it should be recognized that Ellen White used the writings of others consciously and intentionally. ... Implicitly or explicitly, Ellen White and others speaking on her behalf did not admit to and even denied literary dependency (copying) on her part." — "The Desire of Ages Project: The Conclusions," Ministry, November, 1990, p. 11.

When Dr. Veltman was questioned about Ellen White's repeated claims that she only wrote what the Lord had shown her in vision and had not copied the works of other authors, he replied:

"I must admit at the start that in my judgment this is the most serious problem to be faced in connection with Ellen White's literary dependency (copying). It strikes at the heart of her honesty, her integrity, and therefore her trustworthiness." — Ibid., p. 14.

The official report of the Seventh-day Adventist church concluded Ellen White consciously and deliberately copied from other writers, and that both she and her associates did not admit and even denied she copied! The myth that Ellen White wrote under the direct inspiration of God simply does not square with the facts.

How wide-spread was Ellen White's copying? Dr. Veltman concluded she had copied so much from other writers that:

"The content of Ellen White's commentary on the life and ministry of Christ, The Desire of Ages, is for the most part derived (copied) rather than original. ... In practical terms, this conclusion declares that one is not able to recognize in Ellen White's writings on the life of Christ any general category of content or catalog of ideas that is unique to her." — Ibid., p. 12.

The 1919 Bible Conference

Remember, this was not what Ellen White's opponents were saying about her; this was the conclusion of the Seventh-day Adventist church's own carefully chosen official research team! But all this was nothing new to the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist church.

Seven decades earlier, and four years after Ellen White's death, the Seventh-day Adventist church assembled it's top leadership, theologians, editors, and scholars in an attempt to arrive at a mutually acceptable decision about the validity of Ellen White's ministry. They met at church headquarters in Takoma Park/Washington, D.C., during a Bible Conference which was to last most of July and on into August.

More than fifty people attended those meetings including:

Arthur G. Daniells, President of the General Conference

G. B. Thompson, Field Secretary of the General Conference

W. W. Prescott, Field Secretary of the General Conference

C. S. Longacre, Secretary of the Religious Liberty Association

F. M. Wilcox, Editor of the Review and Herald

L. L. Caviness, Associate Editor of the Review and Herald

W. E. Howell, Editor of the Christian Educator

A. O. Tate, Editor of the Signs of the Times

M. C. Wilcox, Book Editor for the Pacific Press

T. M. French, Head of the School of Theology at Emmanuel Missionary College (now Andrews University)

W. H. Wakeham, Bible Teacher at Emmanuel Missionary College (now Andrews University)

C. M. Sorenson, History Teacher at Emmanuel Missionary College

M. E. Kern, President of Foreign Mission Seminary ( now Columbia Union College)

H. C. Lacey, Religion Teacher at Foreign Mission Seminary

C. L. Taylor, Head of the Bible Department of Canadian Junior College

J. N. Anderson, Bible Teacher at Washington Foreign Mission Seminary

W. G. Wirth, Religion Teacher at Pacific Union College.

On July 30 and August 1 the meetings focused especially on Ellen White as the "Spirit of Prophecy." According to the official minutes, eleven times during those two days the highest officers of the Seventh-day Adventist church were asked for an authoritative decision on her inspiration — and eleven times they avoided that decision. The flavor of their discussions is savored through the following brief excerpts:

The Issues at the 1919 Bible Conference

"F. M. Wilcox: 'I think we have to deal with a very delicate question, and I would hate terribly to see an influence sweep over the field and into any of our schools that (Ellen White's) Testimonies were discounted. There is great danger of a reaction, and I do feel concerned. I have heard questions raised here that have left the impression on my mind that if the same questions are raised in our classes when we get back to our schools, we are going to have serious difficulty. I believe there are a great many questions that we should hold back and not discuss. ... I cannot conceive that it is necessary for us to answer every question that is put to us. ... I think if we destroy faith in them (the Testimonies), we are going to destroy faith in the very foundation of our work. ... And unless these questions can be dealt with most diplomatically, I think we are going to have serious trouble.'"

"J. N. Anderson: 'Can we hold those things back and be true to ourselves? And furthermore, are we safe in doing it? Is it well to let our people in general go on holding to the verbal inspiration of the Testimonies? When we do that, aren't we preparing for a crisis that will be very serious some day?'"

"C. L. Taylor: 'I think we have made a great big mountain of difficulty to go out and fight against. ... If we must lay aside what Sister White has said interpreting history ... as unreliable, and also lay aside as unreliable (her) expositions of Scripture, the only natural conclusion for me, and probably a great many others, would be that the same authorship is unreliable regarding organization, regarding pantheism, and every other subject that she ever treated on; — that she may have told the truth, but we had better get all the historical data we can to see whether she told the truth or not.'"

"A. G. Daniells: 'I think more mischief can be done with the Testimonies by claiming their verbal inspiration than can with the Bible.'"

"M. E. Kern: 'The question is, ... how can we feel, and believe and know that there is an inconsistency there, — something that is not right, — and yet believe that the Spirit of Prophecy (Ellen White) is inspired? ... The question is how to present these matters to the people.'"

Those were questions that the Seventh-day Adventist leadership wrestled with back in 1919 just four years after Ellen White's death. They clearly recognized their dilemma: how do we admit Ellen White was not verbally inspired — how do we admit she is unreliable in every area — and yet still keep people's faith in the church, its organization, and its doctrines? On the other hand, how do we as leaders who know these things about Ellen White maintain our own integrity by continuing to teach the old Seventh-day Adventist myths? And if we do teach the old myths about Ellen White, aren't we just setting up the church for a future crisis when the truth does come out?

Leadership's Verdict in 1919

Those were the issues. What was their verdict? It became very evident to the Seventh-day Adventist leadership that Ellen White's influence on the membership of the church was too great, and the alternatives too risky for any official statement to be made repudiating her ministry.

It is helpful, however, to look at what those top leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist church unofficially agreed on concerning Ellen White back there at the 1919 Bible Conference. They did agree on eleven critical issues regarding Ellen White's ministry:

1. Ellen White was not verbally inspired.

"A. G. Daniells: 'I take the position that the Testimonies are not verbally inspired, and that they have been worked up by the secretaries and put in proper grammatical shape. ... It is no kind of use for anybody to stand up and talk about the verbal inspiration of the Testimonies, because everybody who has ever seen the work done knows better, and we might as well dismiss it!'"

"F. M. Wilcox: 'I have known for long years the way in which Sister White's works were brought together and her books compiled. I have never believed in the verbal inspiration of the Testimonies.'"

"G. B. Thompson: 'They are not verbally inspired, — we know that, — and what is the use of teaching that they are?'"

2. Ellen White was not infallible as a person.

"A. G. Daniells: 'Now on infallibility. ... When you take the position that she was not infallible, and that her writings were not verbally inspired, isn't there a chance for the manifestation of the human? ... And should we be surprised when we know that the instrument was fallible, and that the general truths, as she says, were revealed, then aren't we prepared to see mistakes?'"

3. Ellen White was not infallible in her interpretations of the Bible.

"C. L. Taylor: 'I would like to ask you to discuss for us the exegetical value of the Testimonies. ... May we accept the explanations of Scripture that she gives? Are those dependable?'

A. G. Daniells: 'It may be that in some very critical matters there may be some difficulties.'"

4. Ellen White is not an authority on which translation of the Bible to use.

"A. G. Daniells: 'I do not think Sister White meant at all to establish the certainty of a translation. I do not think she had that in mind, or had anything to do with putting her seal of approval on the Authorized Version or on the Revised Version when she quoted that.'"

5. Ellen White is not accurate on history nor on the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

"A. G. Daniells: 'I have never gone to her writings, and taken the history that I found in her writings, as the positive statement of history regarding the fulfillment of prophecy. ... We were warned against using Sister White as a historian. She never claimed to be that. We were warned against setting up statements found in her writings against the various history that there is on a fact. ...'

H. C. Lacey: '... Isn't the final proof of the spirit of prophecy its spiritual value rather than its historical accuracy?'

A. G. Daniells: 'Yes, I think so.'"

6. Ellen White is not to be used to settle controversies arising from different interpretations of Scripture.

"W. W. Prescott: 'Some of the brethren here remember very well a serious controversy over the interpretation of the 8th chapter of Daniel, and there were some of the brethren who ranged themselves against what was called the new view, and they took her writings to uphold their position. She wrote to those brethren and instructed them not to use her writings to settle that controversy.'

J. N. Anderson: 'How far would you take that word from Sister White to be a general statement about her writings?'

A. G. Daniells: 'I think it was especially on the case then, but I think we have to use the same judgment about using her writings in other cases.'"

7. Ellen White's "health messages" are not blanket regulations for everyone.

"A. G. Daniells: 'Take this question of health reform. It is well known from the writings themselves and from personal contact with Sister White, and from common sense, that in traveling and in knowledge of different parts of the world, that the instruction set forth in the Testimonies was never intended to be one great wholesale blanket regulation for peoples' eating and drinking.'"

8. Ellen White copied from other authors without giving credit to them, and while claiming to be inspired of God.

"A. G. Daniells: 'Now you know something about that little book, (Sketches From) the Life of Paul (originally published in 1883). You know the difficulty we got into about that. We could never claim inspiration in the whole thought and make up of the book, because it has been thrown aside because it was badly put together. Credits were not given to the proper authorities, and some of that crept into The Great Controversy. ... I suppose you all know about it and knew what claims were put up against her, charges made of plagiarism, even by the authors of the book, Conybeare and Howson, and were liable to make the denomination trouble because there was so much of their book put into (Sketches From) the Life of Paul without any credit or quotation marks. ... I found it out, and I read it with Brother Palmer when he found it, and we got Conybeare and Howson, and we got Wylie's History of the Reformation, and we read word for word, page after page, and no quotations, no credit, and really I did not know the difference until I began to compare them. I supposed it was Sister White's own work! ... There I saw the manifestation of the human in these writings. Of course I could have said this, and I did say it, that I wished a different course had been taken in the compilation of the books. If proper care had been exercised, it would have saved a lot of people from being thrown off the track. ...'

"W. W. Prescott: 'I do not want to charge anybody. But I do think great mistakes were made in that way. ... When I talked with W. C. White about it ... he told me frankly that when they got out Great Controversy, if they did not find in her writings anything on certain chapters to make the historical connections, they took other books, ... and used portions of them. ...'"

9. Ellen White's Divine inspiration is questionable.

"F. M. Wilcox: 'I would like to ask, Brother Daniells, if it could be accepted as a sort of rule that Sister White might be mistaken in details, but in the general policy and instruction she was an authority. ... It seems to me I would have to accept what she says on some of those general policies or I would have to sweep away the whole thing. Either the Lord has spoken through her or He has not spoken through her; and if it is a matter of deciding in my own judgment whether He has or has not, then I regard her books the same as every other book published. I think it is one thing for a man to stultify his conscience, and it is another thing to stultify his judgment. It is one thing for me to lay aside my conscience, and it is another thing for me to change my judgment over some views that I hold.'

A. G. Daniells: 'We did not create that difficulty, did we? We General Conference men did not create it, for we did not make the revision. We did not take any part in it. We had nothing whatever to do with it. It was all done under her supervision. If there is a difficulty there, she created it, did she not?'"

10. If Ellen White's writings have to be corrected, how can one claim the rest of her work was inspired?

"W. W. Prescott: 'Here is my difficulty. I have gone over this (The Great Controversy) and suggested changes that ought to be made in order to correct statements. These changes have been accepted. My personal difficulty will be to retain faith on those things that I cannot deal with on that basis. ... If we correct it here and correct it there, how are we going to stand with it in the other places?'"

11. If the church had told the truth about Ellen White it would not be in the difficulty it is now.

"G. B. Thompson: 'I think we are in this fix because of a wrong education that our people have had. If we had always taught the truth on this question, we would not have any trouble or shock in the denomination now. But the shock is because we have not taught the truth!'"

1919 Bible Conference Minutes Under Lock and Key!

After addressing each of these issues and coming to unofficial agreement on them, GC President A. G. Daniells requested that the official minutes of their discussions be locked up for the next fifty years. The best opportunity for church leadership to communicate "the truth" about Ellen White had passed.

The official records of the 1919 Bible Conference were filed away until December of 1974, when Dr. F. Donald Yost discovered them wrapped in paper in a vault at the General Conference. The packages contained some 2,400 typewritten pages transcribed from the official stenographic notes taken at the meetings. Pertinent excerpts were printed in Spectrum, Volume 10, Number 1, but that issue is no longer available from Spectrum. A reproduction of Spectrum's 1919 Bible Conference articles is available in booklet form from Sydney Cleveland, 172 Suncrest Drive, Greenwood, IN 46143 for $9. To read the electronic version of the 1919 Bible Conference Minutes click here.

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