Adventists and Inspiration-1

by Alden Thompson

It had fallen my lot to teach a college course in inspiration/revelation. As goals for the class, I wanted my students to learn to read their Bibles reverently, but without fear, and to appreciate the ministry of Ellen White. We would study Ellen White’s experience and writings, but our first interest would be in Scripture. The menu would be varied: prophetic experiences, proverbs, prayers, parallel passages, to mention some of the appetizers. The entrée (i.e., the tougher problems) would come toward the end of the term: The use of the Old Testament in the New, the distinction between literal and symbolic in visions, and analysis of enduring elements in eschatological (end-time) passages. Finally, as a choice morsel for dessert, Ellen White’s classic statements on inspiration.

For some time I had been experimenting with assignments that would expose students to Scripture and encourage them to arrive at their own thoughtful conclusions while allowing me to monitor their spiritual pulse. A typical assignment simply required the students to react to reading material in a meaningful way. After they had worked their way through some 20 assignments and grappled with various problems, I wanted them to experience the remarkable blending of realism and assurance that the Ellen White statements offer. The plan seemed sound–answers always make more sense after you see the problems. But I was in for a jolt.

The class proved a delight to teach. A sprinkling of new Christians injected a certain simplicity and vibrancy into our discussions, a helpful counterbalance to the probing questions of the more skeptically inclined. When students expressed surprise at their discoveries in Scripture, I referred to Ellen White’s statements, pointing out how this godly woman placed these passages in perspective while maintaining faith.

During the term our School of Theology staff also dealt with the inspiration issue in several local churches. Where members had left to join independent Adventist fellowships, inspiration had been a key issue.

As I took my turn at these off-campus appointments, I became impressed with the urgency of our task at the college. Churches stood torn and bleeding, with loved ones and friends wrenched apart and anger, hostility, fear, and sorrow much in evidence. Were we at the college to blame for failing to educate the church? In question-and-answer sessions, members were not shy about expressing themselves.

One brother mused, "If I hadn’t attended a camp meeting class on inspiration last summer, I would be with the dissident Adventists right now." Another brother declared, "If you had told me these things eight years ago, I would have tossed you right out of the church." That, of course, made it easier to explain the reputed "cover-up." A pastor or teacher wants to share material that will help members grow, but if they are not ready for it, what can he do?

As the academic term drew to a close I made a weekend trip to one of the troubled churches. As I retired late Saturday evening at the home of a church family, I fell asleep with an oft-repeated line ringing in my ears–"If only we could have had meetings like these six months ago, we might have saved our church family."

Sunday morning I awoke early, reached for the stack of inspiration/revelation assignments in my briefcase, and began to read.

The students were to compare the Old Testament eschatological passages (Isaiah 65, 66 and Zechariah 14) with a New Testament passage (Revelation 21, 22) and to "comment on how one determines which elements from the Old Testament have permanent value."

Jarring response

Suddenly, I was jarred wide awake by the following response: "In Zechariah it seems like the day of the Lord is an establishing of an earthly kingdom, not a heavenly one so much, and it also seems like the people of that time looked for its soon fulfillment in their day. The question I have is Why have Adventists taken some texts and left others to suit their own interpretation? It is the same in Isaiah, too. How do you really tell if there is a permanent or lasting value in them? I’m really mixed up, and my faith in Adventism dwindles a bit here, because it seems we have misused the Scriptures. What do we have to stand on?"

A question mark and a single word cried out from the middle of the page: "?Help"

"If we can’t trust in a prophet’s words because they aren’t directly word-for-word inspired, and we can’t tell whether something has lasting value for us today, how do we personally apply the Bible if we don’t know? Has the Adventist tradition simply pulled texts out of context so that we have a totally made-up theology? Please bring back our confidence or explain why."

Hardly a ringing confirmation of my course objectives! I picked up the next paper. More of the same (the students were roommates):

"As I read the passages listed I was almost shocked to find those texts that our church has always believed to be about the kingdom/heaven. Ideas have been presented in this class that have made me wonder–is there any validity in what the inspired men of old have written?"

The student admitted to being "frightened" at some of her thoughts. "Maybe I’m not the kind who can handle the real truth." Then came a postscript with a ray of hope:

"This class has been a real strength to my overall view of the Bible, helping me to realize that the men of Scripture were humans as we are and not so infallible. I guess I’m just a little confused."

How can we build a faith that endures? The two young ladies who had expressed their alarm were committed Christians, a positive influence on campus. Why was their house of faith in trouble?

Monday morning the final assignment of the term came due: "Read the introduction to The Great Controversy, pp. v-xii, and Selected Messages, book 1, pp. 15-58. Give your personal reaction."

After the class I began to read the papers. Joy and relief! The Spirit had been at work. The two roommates wrote:

"I wish we had read these at the beginning. They made so plain everything we have studied. Ellen G. White told exactly how to use her writings and the Bible. I wish everyone would read it so there wouldn’t be so many problems today."

"As I read those books I wondered why they weren’t required at the beginning of the quarter. I was very impressed. They answered a lot of my questions about dealing with Ellen White’s writings and the Scriptures. Why has there been so much hassle about her writings when she has the answers right there?"

My students now read those passages at the beginning of the term as well as at the end. Why are these statements so powerful? Ellen White didn’t address the issues raised by Zechariah 14 and Isaiah 65, 66. Nevertheless, the students were reassured, perhaps because while doubt gives birth to doubt, faith multiplies faith.

The company we keep

The company we keep has a bearing on our spiritual life. When we read Ellen White’s statements on inspiration, we are in the company of a believer. Should we run across an unsettling passage in God’s Word, she reassures us, telling us that she has been there before and that she still believes. In an age of skepticism, we need that kind of help.

I believe the lessons learned from this experience can benefit the church. While the study of the Bible brings joy and light, it can also be frightening and dangerous. We dare not proceed without imploring God to send His Spirit to guide and bless. Complacency in our study of the Word may mean that we will have to learn lessons through tears and heartache. At the peak of the 1888 crisis Ellen White described the danger in a testimony to the church:

"As real spiritual life declines, it has ever been the tendency to cease to advance in the knowledge of the truth. Men rest satisfied with the light already received from God’s word, and discourage any further investigation of the Scriptures. They become conservative, and seek to avoid discussion.

"The fact that there is no controversy or agitation among God’s people should not be regarded as conclusive evidence that they are holding fast to sound doctrine. There is reason to fear that they may not be clearly discriminating between truth and error. When no new questions are started by investigation of the Scriptures, when no differences of opinion arise which will set men to searching the Bible for themselves, to make sure they have the truth, there will be many now, as in ancient times, who will hold to tradition, and worship they know not what." –Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 706, 707.

We need to learn the great value of Ellen White’s writings on inspiration, which are realistic about the humanity of the writers of Scripture while reassuring us of God’s presence in His Word.

If Ellen White held such a practical and balanced view of Scripture, why has such a view not been more widely held in the church?

The next part of this series will attempt to answer this question, by focusing on Adventist history, including some of the struggles we have had with that mysterious blend of the human and divine in Scripture.

–Alden Thompson, Adventist Review, September 5, 1985.