Ellen White continues to evoke hostile attack, intense scrutiny, and spirited support in the South Pacific Division, where a lively tradition of discussion about the prophet has evolved.

In 1999, the South Pacific Division (SPD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church developed a five-page "Strategy Document for a Better Appreciation of the Ministry and writings of Ellen G. White," and more recently held a summit on the prophet.

The summit convened February 2–5, on the campus of Avondale College, drawing 104 participants from the division’s vast territories. Guest presenters from the United States were historian Gary Land from Andrews University; New Testament specialist Jon Paulien from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University; and James Nix, director of the White Estate at the General Conference headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Local presenters included a ranger of specialists in biblical studies, theology, history, medicine, and church leadership. A series of narratives by a woman and several men under the title "My Personal Journey with Ellen White" was a heart-warming feature of the three evening programs. The Church intends to augment these testimonies with those of others and publish them as a book.

Topics included inspiration; Fundamentalism, and its impact on Adventism; biblical perspectives on prophets and prophecy; and the responsibility of a faith community to test claims that individuals have the gift of prophecy. There was discussion of why Ellen White’s writings are not considered in the same way as the biblical canon. The Dammon affair, in which Millerite preacher Israel Dammon was arrested while leading a noisy meeting soon after the Great Disappointment of 1844, was also discussed.

In addition, Don McMahon, a medical specialist from Melbourne, reported on his comparison between lifestyle principles found in Ellen White’s writings and those of other nineteenth-century health reformers. McMahon’s analyses offered a fresh way to assess Ellen White’s health writings.

The summit built solidly upon the foundation of the International Prophetic Guidance workshop of 1982, probably the most important event of its kind in SDA history relative to Ellen White. It demonstrated the value of biblical studies, systematic theology, and historical studies for those who would understand well and apply faithfully Ellen White’s writings.

A twelve-page sheaf of responses from summit attendees now informs the ongoing work of the SPD Biblical Research Committee as it seeks to lead the Church to implement Ellen White’s legacy in a modern setting.

For a report on the summit, see the February 21, 2004, edition of the SPD Record. The Web site also includes an editorial, four interviews, and many letters on this topic throughout issues published in February and March 2004.

EMAIL THIS ARTICLE