Are Her Writings of Current Importance?

At times certain Adventists inquire: Are Mrs. White’s writings of current importance? They seem to deal largely with incidents and experiences of the days past in our church history. It is hard to understand how anyone would ask this question and still believe that the Bible is of value today, for the Bible deals largely with events of the long ago, with Philistines, Canaanites, Hivites, and numerous other evil “ites.” It tells of ancient wars, of stiff-necked Israelites now long dead, and of civilizations long vanished. Even the New Testament tells much about theological controversies now forgotten, such as that on circumcision. Then why is the Bible spiritually significant and timely? The answer is ready: The historical incidents are simply the framework on which are hung the spiritual lessons, and it is the lessons that are important. For example, the controversy over circumcision provides the setting for the great spiritual truth that no works of the flesh avail for our salvation.WBEGW 108.3

Even so with Mrs. White’s writings. There are long passages, for example, that deal with the happenings at Battle Creek Sanitarium. But they provide a setting for the presentation of principles vital to our medical work so long as time shall last. If a book written two thousand years ago about events of that time can have a priceless quality today, why should it be difficult to believe that writings of less than a hundred years ago are spiritually valuable today? Really, the question is not when something was written, but who inspired the writing.WBEGW 109.1