I was a third-generation Seventh-day Adventist. Ellen White was as much a part of my childhood training as was the Bible. During my sixteen years of education in SDA schools I was taught that Sister White’s twenty million words were just as inspired as the Bible. I was taught that she was a genuine prophet just like the Bible prophets, therefore she never erred or contradicted God’s Word. I hardly knew where the Bible left off and Ellen White’s writings began. So, for ten years as an ordained minister of the SDA Church, I faithfully preached the writings of Ellen G. White to my congregations. I taught them what I had been taught — not knowing that much of my theology was based on and influenced by her writings.
After 32 years of membership I discovered that my salvation was not tied to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I accepted the Bible as the all-inspired, all-sufficient Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). As I focused on God’s Word through inductive Bible study, I began to see inconsistencies in what I had believed. Those inconsistencies made me question how a pastor could conscientiously continue to teach what went beyond and often contradicted Scripture. So I ended my employment with the Seventh-day Adventist denomination in July of 1990 by voluntarily resigning and returning my ministerial credentials. Shortly after I requested that my membership be dropped.
Then, while pastoring a non-denominational Christian church, I spent a year sorting through the beliefs I had held to determine whether they were based on Scripture or on Ellen White. The information I gathered during that research compelled me to write this book. I grew through both experiences and have never regretted my decisions to move beyond the myths in Seventh-day Adventism.
What do I mean by the word “myth?” The dictionary defines a “myth” as “an ill-founded belief held uncritically by an interested group.” So I have written this book, not to criticize anyone’s beliefs, but simply to offer facts that I and many others before me have uncovered — facts that have had a revolutionary effect on my life.
Why You Should Read This Book
If you are not a Seventh-day Adventist, this book will help you understand the stranglehold Ellen White has upon the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. The information you will receive from this book will enable you to be a powerful witness for God as you expose the myths of Ellen White.
On the other hand, if you are a Seventh-day Adventist this book will help you realize you experience life from a perspective different from mainstream Christianity. You are a member of “The Remnant Church.” You may intellectually admit some people in other churches will be saved, but you call them “Babylon.” There is a Grand Canyon between you and the rest of Christianity — deliberately created by Ellen G. White. This book will help you evaluate the legitimacy of your separation from God’s “other” people and the theology which created it.
Theology and Eschatology
Not just theology but also eschatology separates you from mainstream Christianity. At the heart of the Seventh-day Adventist view of end time events is the doctrine that the Sabbath is the “seal of God,” and that worshipping on Sunday is the “mark of the Beast.” You probably accept this as the great distinction between those who are saved and those who are lost. You believe this because you were taught both the Bible and “the Lord’s Messenger” proclaim this “truth.”
What you may not know is that the Bible does not say the Sabbath is the Seal of God. Neither does the Bible say worshipping on Sunday is the Mark of the Beast. And never, in all of the Bible, is there any statement that the Seventh-day Adventist denomination is “The Remnant Church.” All of that came from Ellen White. But what about the rest of the twenty-seven [now 28] doctrinal beliefs of Adventism? Are they Biblical? This book will help you examine the evidence.
Divine Inspiration
You probably were also taught that, as the “Lord’s Messenger,” Ellen White was as much inspired by God as was any of the Bible prophets. No doubt you were told about the many miracles “proving” her visions were from God. You honestly believe what she wrote was directly the result of her divinely-inspired visions, and that nothing she wrote ever contradicted the Bible.
What you won’t know until you read this book is those beliefs are myths. You have simply been“White-washed” by generally well-meaning people who never questioned anything they heard about Ellen White. They blithely repeated the same old myths, believing they were true. There is no logical reason for you to follow blindly in the well-worn ruts of their footsteps.
If your beliefs about Ellen White are factual you will find them strongly affirmed in this book. But if you believe myths, you will be challenged to examine facts. This book is a first step in validating your belief system.
Salvation
If you are a Seventh-day Adventist, you probably do not know if you are saved. Because of Ellen White’s writings, many of you question whether you are good enough to be saved, so you fear the day Christ returns. You work hard to perfect your character so you can stand before God without a mediator. And you believe that if you discard the writings of Ellen White you will lose eternal life. If any of those beliefs are even remotely a part of your theology, you have been White-washed.
Individual Conscience
If you are employed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a pastor or teacher you may be familiar with Ellen White’s statement appearing in the Preface of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual:
“When the judgment of the General Conference, which is the highest authority that God has upon the earth, is exercised, private independence and private judgment must not be maintained, but be surrendered.” — Ellen G. White, Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 492, (written in 1875).
Is the General Conference really God’s highest authority on earth, or is it the Bible? Does God really expect you to surrender your own ability to think and reason? Is even your Bible to be interpreted by Ellen White and the General Conference? This book will help you decide what you will respect as the highest authority in your life.
Personal Responsibility
Elder Robert Olson recently addressed the mounting evidence demonstrating that Ellen White’s writings contain error by saying:
“I don’t believe it’s the role of the White Estate to determine what is time-conditioned (a product of her times rather than Divinely-inspired by God) and what is not. That’s up to individuals as they apply Ellen White’s counsels to their lives.” — Robert Olson in Ministry, Dec. 1990, p. 18.
Your church admits Ellen White erred, but it is not going to tell you which of Ellen White’swritings are in error. How will you make your personal decision? What criteria will you use to determine truth?
Because of her claim to Divine inspiration, it is of first importance to examine what the Seventh-day Adventist Church itself has already concluded about Ellen White’s writings. Next, take time to discover whether her writings agree or disagree with the Bible. Only then will you be certain that you are following God’s leading in your belief system and in your lifestyle. You need to read this book so that information will be available to you.
It is my hope that through this book you will be able to share my joy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His saving grace, and be able to confidently proclaim your own salvation through Him. I encourage you to use this book to strengthen your knowledge of the Bible and to discount any ill-founded belief you may have held. To this end, may the Gospel of Jesus Christ inspire and enlighten our lives as we all grow in the knowledge of His grace!
White Washed. Copyright © 2011 by Sydney Cleveland. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2011. Revised and enlarged 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2011. All Scripture quotations—except where otherwise noted—are from Holy Bible, New International Version, © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved. Life Assurance Ministries, Inc.
White Washed is a comprehensive look at Ellen White’s prophecies, practices and publications. Sydney Cleveland examines her claims of inspiration, her dreams and visions, the doctrines she endorsed, her personal practices which opposed her teachings, and the effects of her claims on the Seventh-day Adventist church. This book is a well-documented overview of the little-known reality about Ellen White and her long service to Adventism.
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