“Who Was Ellen G. White?”

Is Ellen G. White, the visionary cofounder of Seventh-day Adventism, relevant beyond her own denomination? Smithsonian Magazine thought so, and included her alongside George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Helen Keller in a listing of the “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time.”[1]

Born in 1827, White suffered a near-fatal injury at age 9, was baptized into the Methodist Church at 12, and faced the “Great Disappointment” at 16. Beginning in 1844, she received many hundreds of visions and prophetic dreams over a 70-year ministry. She wrote some 100,000 pages on a wide range of topics (including education, theodicy, health, psychology, church-state relations, Christology, church governance, history, ethics, prophecy, and homiletics) and traveled across North America, Europe, and Oceania, founding schools, churches, medical institutions, and publishing houses.[2] Her perseverance was reflected in her last words: “I know in whom I have believed.”[3].

Her perseverance was reflected in her last words: “I know in whom I have believed.”

The unity of sola scriptura and the gift of prophecy is key to understanding the reason for Ellen White’s writings. Since the Bible is the “uniquely normative” standard, any prophetic claims must first be tested by the canon, and second accede all claims of authority to the Bible.[4] As such, Seventh-day Adventists see Ellen G. White’s writings as a fulfillment of Scripture, subject to the authority of Scripture, and pointing back to Scripture.

One hundred ten years after her death, Seventh-day Adventists continue to uphold the relevance and tremendous blessing of her prophetic gift.

While Smithsonian used big data to rank Ellen White’s global impact, she anchored her legacy in a Christ-centered, theologically grounded prophetic mission. As she put it: “Whether or not my life is spared, my writings will constantly speak, and their work will go forward as long as time shall last.”[5].

[1] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonianmag/meet-100-most-significant-americans-all-time-180953341/

[2] Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon, The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 2013), pp. 18, 82.

[3] Ellen G. White, Life Sketches of Ellen G. White (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1915), p. 449. See also Ellen G. White manuscript 78, 1910; manuscript 19, 1892.

[4] John C. Peckham, “The Prophetic Gift and Sola Scriptura,” Faculty Publications, Feb. 7, 2021, pp. 400-404.

[5] Ellen G. White to F. M. Wilcox, letter 371, 1907.