Chapter Fifteen—The Price of Spiritual Leadership

Throughout her life Mrs. White faced criticism by those who were hostile to the Advent Movement. They saw in her a chief spokesman for the movement, and so focused their criticisms on her. In the late 1880’s a man named D. M. Canright left the Adventist ministry and soon began to write against Adventism in general and Mrs. White in particular. And as earlier stated, his writings have been the basis of most of what has later been written against her.WBEGW 114.1

The mere fact that various persons have written against her has in itself created doubts in the minds of some people who would otherwise be favorably disposed. They seem to reason that surely if a person is a good Christian, living a wholly upright life, he would not be the object of such attacks, nor could any plausible charges be brought against him. But on second thought we all know that the price a great, good leader always pays is the price of criticism, sometimes even vicious attack. No great man who ever lived escaped criticism, and often the greater, the finer, the man, the more bitter the attacks. Certainly the Bible prophets did not escape, nor did our Lord, who was harshly described as one who dined with publicans, sinners, and winebibbers.WBEGW 114.2