Chapter 20 — Making Ellen White Relevant to Third Millennials

Dwight K. Nelson

Can the religious writings of an American female author from the agrarian nineteenth century be successfully promoted to the cosmopolitan, urbanized, and sophisticated third millennial generation today? Irrespective of her prodigious literary output, can the writings of one who wrote by the light of lanterns, who traveled by horse-drawn buggy and sleigh, by coal-burning railroad and steamship, connect with a generation of readers who in nanoseconds can interact 24/7 on-screen with both individuals and live events (financial, political, military, sports, entertainment, social, or spiritual) half a planet away? Is it even possible for this generation to find through the writings of Ellen White the inspiration to personally connect with the living Christ, to seek after a friendship with the Eternal?GOP 369.1

The questions are rhetorical, and this paper assumes their answer is yes. But the compelling question is—how? How can the writings of Ellen White be presented, promoted, packaged to a generation that has grown up with minimal or no exposure to her in either their homes or their congregations? To seek answers is the task of this paper.GOP 369.2

It has become fashionable in some circles to define generations or ideologies in terms of “modern” or “postmodern.” ^{1Art Lindsley defines these two terms: “Perhaps no two people would agree completely on any definition of ‘modernism’ and ‘postmodernism.’ Generally, though, modernism is considered to be a way of thinking that reigned in the West since the Renaissance or at least since the Enlightenment. It emphasizes such things as rationality, order, coherence, unity and power. Postmodernism is an alternative way of thinking that has come on strong only since the mid-twentieth century. Consciously rejecting its predecessor, postmodernism emphasizes emotion, diversity, and mystery, refusing to paper over the differences among people. Relativism of many kinds fits well with postmodernism” (Art Lindsley, True Truth: Defending Absolute Truth in a Relativistic World [Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Books, 2004], 58, 59).} But the reality is that the differentiation this nomenclature once suggested is blurring, and the relevance of these two terms is now questionable. What is clear for the contemporary church is that this third millennial generation—whatever they are called and however they are defined—must be reached. How can the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy become relevant to a contemporary generation of readers?GOP 369.3

Certainly an apologetical approach to her writings could opt for the amassing of arguments/ evidences from history, science, health, et al., that “prove” the veracity of the positions she espoused. Such “proofs” could theoretically strengthen the validity and relevancy of Ellen White to third millennials.GOP 369.4

But the truth is that this generation is not drawn to apologetics. Like their postmodern elders, they long ago abandoned the notion of capital-T Truth, subscribing instead to pluralism’s little-t truths—i.e., “you have your truth, he has his, she hers, and I have mine—but let us live (and let live) in an uncritical circle of acceptance and toleration.” Thus, against the postmodern backdrop of “there is no such thing as universal truth” (which, of course, is a self-contradicting claim), an apologetical strategy to present Ellen White to a new generation may not suffice.GOP 370.1

What if, instead, we examined the psychosocial profile of this generation, called the millennials, and sought to connect with them on the level of their own communication style and philosophical bias?GOP 370.2