The Colorado Incident

In 1904, as conditions in the South were growing more acute, W. O. Palmer, a field representative of the Southern Missionary Society, went to Colorado to solicit funds among the churches. One congregation contributed about $400, some of which was tithe money. The whole procedure was admittedly irregular. The Colorado Conference saw the act as wrong and censurable. And its president was prepared to deal sternly with the hapless, errant intruder in his vineyard.EGWCPT 13.2

On January 22, 1905, Ellen White, then visiting in Mountain View, California, learned of the details and wrote what has now become known as the “Watson letter.”EGWCPT 13.3

This letter is used today by several independent ministries to justify their solicitation and acceptance of tithe funds from their fellow church members. Extracts are sometimes published, but not always has the entire document been reproduced—for reasons which quickly become obvious.EGWCPT 13.4

For example, an edited version of the letter has been circulated by one independent ministry with a significant deletion: “I would not advise that anyone should make a practice of gathering up tithe money.”EGWCPT 13.5

The letter was a short one by Ellen White standards—just seven paragraphs. We reproduce it here in its entirety:EGWCPT 13.6