Theology
More than once, Ellen White’s counsel prevented the church from making serious theological errors.GP 111.4
Fanaticism. In the 1840s and 1850s, Mrs. White had to combat fanaticism of various kinds. Some people claimed to be perfect, others that no one should work anymore, and still others kept setting times for Christ’s return.GP 111.5
There were some who professed great humility, and advocated creeping on the floor like children, as an evidence of their humility. They claimed that the words of Christ in Matthew 18:1-6 must have a literal fulfillment at this period, when they were looking for their Saviour to return. They would creep around their houses, on the street, over bridges, and in the church itself.GP 112.1
I told them plainly that this was not required; that the humility which God looked for in His people was to be shown by a Christlike life, not by creeping on the floor. All spiritual things are to be treated with sacred dignity. Humility and meekness are in accordance with the life of Christ, but they are to be shown in a dignified way (LS 85, 86).GP 112.2
Righteousness by faith. The 1888 General Conference in Minneapolis was marked by theological controversy. Until that meeting, most Seventh-day Adventists believed that by obeying the commandments with the help of the Holy Spirit, they could achieve righteousness acceptable to God. E. J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones, however, taught that even with the help of the Holy Spirit, humanity’s obedience can never satisfy God’s law; that Christ’s imputed righteousness alone is the basis of our acceptance by God; and that we continually need the covering of Christ’s righteousness, it is not just for our sins of the past.GP 112.3
Many people in leadership positions, including G. I. Butler, the General Conference president, and Uriah Smith, the editor of the Review and Herald, opposed this teaching. They feared it would undermine the law and the Sabbath. Ellen White’s strong support for Waggoner and Jones at Minneapolis, however, saved the church from legalism.GP 112.4
Pantheism. At the 1903 Autumn Council, the General Conference Committee The Blessings of the Prophetic Gift wrestled with the issue of pantheism in Dr. Kellogg’s book The Living Temple. Pantheism teaches that God is not a personal being but the life force in all living things. After spending a whole day discussing the matter, Elder Daniells, the president of the General Conference, considered it to be time to adjourn the meeting, but he dared not call for a vote. People were too confused and uncertain, and he didn’t wish to take a step that would solidify any conclusions. So he closed the session, and everyone went to their lodgings.GP 113.1
When Daniells arrived at his house, a group of people was waiting for him. They appeared to be very happy, and one of them said, ” ‘Deliverance has come! Here are two messages from Mrs. White.’ ”GP 113.2
“No one can imagine,” said Elder Daniells later, “the eagerness with which I read the documents that had come in the mail while we were in the midst of our discussions. There was a most positive testimony regarding the dangerous errors that were taught in ‘The Living Temple.’ “ GP 113.3
In the first letter, Ellen White had written, ” ‘I have some things to say to our teachers in reference to the new book The Living Temple. Be careful how you sustain the sentiments of this book regarding the personality of God. As the Lord presents matters to me, these sentiments do not bear the endorsement of God. They are a snare that the enemy has prepared for these last days.’ “ GP 113.4
In the second letter, she told Daniells, ” ‘After taking your position firmly, wisely, cautiously, make not one concession on any point concerning which God has plainly spoken. Be as calm as a summer evening, but as fixed as the everlasting hills.’ “ GP 113.5
The next morning the delegates met again. After prayer, Brother Daniells rose and told the brethren that he had received two very important messages from Sister White. Everyone was curious to hear the letters, and they sat in thoughtful silence while he read them. As statement after statement setting forth the false teaching in the book The Living Temple was Arthur G. Daniells (1858-1935) read, many loud “Amens” could be heard, and tears flowed freely.GP 113.6
With this, the matter was settled as far as the delegates were concerned. Even Dr. Kellogg promised to withdraw the book and to correct those parts that had raised objections; however, he never carried out this promise.GP 114.1
Why did this message come at exactly the right time? When Sister White received a letter of appreciation from Brother Daniells, she replied to him,GP 114.2
“Shortly before I sent the testimonies that you said arrived just in time, I had read an incident about a ship in a fog meeting an iceberg. For several nights I slept but little. I seemed to be bowed down as a cart beneath sheaves. One night a scene was clearly presented before me. A vessel was upon the waters, in a heavy fog. Suddenly the lookout cried, ‘Iceberg just ahead!’ There, towering high above the ship, was a gigantic iceberg. An authoritative voice cried out, ‘Meet it!’ There was not a moment’s hesitation. It was a time for instant action. The engineer put on full steam, and the man at the wheel steered the ship straight into the iceberg. With a crash she struck the ice. There was a fearful shock, and the iceberg broke into many pieces, falling with a noise like thunder upon the deck. The passengers were violently shaken by the force of the collision, but no lives were lost. The vessel was injured, but not beyond repair. She rebounded from the contact, trembling from stem to stern, like a living creature. Then she moved forward on her way.GP 114.3
“Well I knew the meaning of this representation. I had my orders. I had heard the words, like a living voice from our Captain, ‘Meet it!’ I knew what my duty was, and that there was not a moment to lose. The time for decided action had come. I must without delay obey the command, ‘Meet it!’ GP 114.4
“This is why you received the testimonies when you did. That night I was up at one o’clock, writing as fast as my hand could pass over the paper.” GP 114.5
The guidance God has given the Seventh-day Adventist Church through the writings and counsel of Ellen G. White have blessed not only numerous individual members through the years but also the church and its institutions. This in itself comprises strong evidence that God worked through her in a special way.GP 114.6