Chapter 17 — Ellen G. White’s Use of Extrabiblical Sources

Jud Lake

As we recall Ellen White’s prophetic ministry a century after she laid down her pen, the old allegation that she plagiarized much of her writings continues unabated. From D. M. Can- right’s claim that she was a “great plagiarist” to the contemporary Internet allegations that she copied 90 percent of her material, the charge that Ellen White derived her insights from human authors rather than God persists as the most popular criticism of her prophetic ministry. ^{1On D. M. Canright, see The Life of Mrs. E. G. White, Seventh-Day Adventist Prophet, Her False Claims Refuted (Salt Lake City: Grant Shurtliff, 1998; first published 1919), chap. 10, “A Great Plagiarist,” 111-123; and Ron Graybill, “D. M. Canright in Healdsburg, 1889: The Genesis of the Plagiarism Charge,” Insight, Oct. 21, 1980, 7-10; on the Internet charges of 90 percent copying, see Kevin L. Morgan, White Lie Soap: For Removal of Lingering Stains on Ellen White’s Integrity as an Inspired Author (Millers Creek, N.C.: Honor Him Publishers, 2013), 62, 64, 79, notes 6 and 9, for a list of several anti-Ellen White Web sites that perpetuate this charge.} The underlying issue behind this charge is the way in which Ellen White used her sources. Did she copy mindlessly from other writers of her day, as critics claim, or was something more at work? Was she within the boundaries of “fair use”? Was she honest about using sources? Did inspiration accommodate prophets using the uninspired writings of others? How exactly did she use her sources? In answering these questions, this chapter will (1) provide a concise history of Adventist scholarship on this issue; (2) set forth seven facts about Ellen White’s use of sources; and (3) present five exhibits of how she used her sources.GOP 320.1