A Historical Sketch of the Views of Ellen White's Authority in Relationship to the Bible's Authority
Location
Seminary Room N310
Start Date
10-2-2023 10:10 AM
End Date
10-2-2023 10:40 AM
Description
The Bible and the Bible alone or Sola Scriptura are often expressions that one may hear among Protestant churches. When one engages with the Adventist church though, it may feel like the Bible plus something else or rather someone else. The Adventist church openly acknowledges and accepts Ellen White as exercising the role of a prophet. What does this mean though in relation to the famous and foundational understanding of the Protestant movement, Sola Scriptura? How do Adventists view the relationship between the Bible and Ellen White? Do they stand on equal ground? Is she an addition to Scripture to be included in the Bible Canon? The central undergirding theme in all these questions is that of authority. George Knight identifies that “the question of authority has been central to Adventism through all its developmental stages” and that “Adventism’s position on authority . . . will determine its future” (George R. Knight, A Search for Identity the Development of Seventh-Day Adventist Beliefs [Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Association, 2000], 192). Although these two statements primarily focus on Adventism’s approach to the Bible, they apply indefinitely to Adventists view and use of Ellen White’s writings. The authority of Ellen White’s role as a prophet and her writings have been a point of contention and confusion since the foundation of the Adventist church. What I hope to demonstrate in this paper is that throughout Adventist history, from 1844 to present day, we have been consistent in our view of her authority always being subservient to the Bible but not always in practice.
A Historical Sketch of the Views of Ellen White's Authority in Relationship to the Bible's Authority
Seminary Room N310
The Bible and the Bible alone or Sola Scriptura are often expressions that one may hear among Protestant churches. When one engages with the Adventist church though, it may feel like the Bible plus something else or rather someone else. The Adventist church openly acknowledges and accepts Ellen White as exercising the role of a prophet. What does this mean though in relation to the famous and foundational understanding of the Protestant movement, Sola Scriptura? How do Adventists view the relationship between the Bible and Ellen White? Do they stand on equal ground? Is she an addition to Scripture to be included in the Bible Canon? The central undergirding theme in all these questions is that of authority. George Knight identifies that “the question of authority has been central to Adventism through all its developmental stages” and that “Adventism’s position on authority . . . will determine its future” (George R. Knight, A Search for Identity the Development of Seventh-Day Adventist Beliefs [Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Association, 2000], 192). Although these two statements primarily focus on Adventism’s approach to the Bible, they apply indefinitely to Adventists view and use of Ellen White’s writings. The authority of Ellen White’s role as a prophet and her writings have been a point of contention and confusion since the foundation of the Adventist church. What I hope to demonstrate in this paper is that throughout Adventist history, from 1844 to present day, we have been consistent in our view of her authority always being subservient to the Bible but not always in practice.
Comments
Breakout Session