Mike,
Not unimpressed at all. However I was raised as an Adventist to believe in the bible and bible alone as the final word. In my lifetime (I am 43) I have seen a shift in our position as a church from the bible and bible only (sola scriptura) to the bible and EGW. This is not a surprise because even when some members were saying the bible and bible only, they were liberally quoting EGW. At least now we are being honest and saying we believe in the bible and other sources namely EGW.

It does put us in a tenuous position because we can no longer take to task the Mormons who say they believe in the bible as well as The Book of Mormon which was written by their prophet.... Nor can we criticize the Jehovah Witnesses for using a bible of their own making....

Mike wrote, "And where would we be without Sister White? Obviously God thought we needed His help through her gift, otherwise He wouldn't have bothered calling her to serve the church as a prophet. Why do you suppose God felt we needed help understanding the Bible? Could it be because we needed help interpreting the prophecies?"

We would be where the early church was perhaps? They didn't even have the New Testament to read because it was still happening....

As for correct prophetic interpretation, 1Cor 13:1-2 If I make use of the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am like sounding brass, or a loud-tongued bell. (2) And if I have a prophet's power, and have knowledge of all secret things; and if I have all faith, by which mountains may be moved from their place, but have not love, I am nothing.

So which is more important? Interpreting prophecies or love?

Mike wrote, "In my book it's not any different than the inspired commentaries of Matthew, Luke, Peter, Paul or John. Where would we be without their inspired insights?"

Mike,
Your position is somewhat puzzling from this standpoint, the words or thoughts of those who were inspired by God or called to be a prophet were not included in the bible. Should everything that an inspired (by God) person writes be included in the bible? I mean those letters that Paul wrote are now part of the New Testament. Should we include the writings of EGW in the bible also, since you view them equally?

Steve, my position on Sister White is not unusual or uncommon. Many good and genuine SDA's feel as as I do. People felt that way about Paul during and shortly after his tenure as a messenger and prophet of God. Not all were in agreement though. It was years before his espistles were canonized. Many of the espistles floating around in those early years were closely scrutinized and found to be uninspired. The criteria used to come to the such conclusions depended mostly on whether or not they agreed doctrinally with the existing canonized word of God.

In my opinion Sister White passes the test. Do I consider her on par with Paul and John. Do I consider Paul on par with John? I believe each apostle and prophet are uniquely called and chosen by God for a specific time and purpose. Sister White was called by God to do a specific work for Him and the Church. Whether she is as inspired as Paul or John is not, in my mind, the real question. They were all inspired by the same Holy Spirit, but each one was called because God was meeting a specific need at the right time and place. Who am I to reject God's chosen messengers and prophets?

Mike,
Here is the church's position, do you agree or disagree with its position (emphasis mine)?

In the Statement of Fundamental Beliefs voted by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists at Dallas in April, 1980, the Preamble states: "Seventh-day Adventists accept the Bible as their only creed and hold certain fundamental beliefs to be the teaching of the Holy Scriptures." Paragraph one reflects the church's understanding of the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, while paragraph seventeen reflects the church's understanding of the writings of Ellen White in relation to the Scriptures. These paragraphs read as follows:

1. The Holy Scriptures

The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. In this Word, God has committed to man the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God's acts in history. Support is found in these Bible passages: 2 Peter 1:20,21; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; Psalms 119:105; Proverbs 30:5,6; Isaiah 8:20; John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 4:12.

17. The Gift Of Prophecy

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. Support is found in these Bible passages: Joel 2:28,29; Acts 2:14-21; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 19:10.

The following affirmations and denials speak to the issues which have been raised about the inspiration and authority of the Ellen White writings and their relation to the Bible. These clarifications should be taken as a whole. They are an attempt to express the present understanding of Seventh-day Adventists. They are not to be construed as a substitute for, or a part of, the two doctrinal statements quoted above.

AFFIRMATIONS

We believe that Scripture is the divinely revealed word of God and is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
We believe that the canon of Scripture is composed only of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments.
We believe that Scripture is the foundation of faith and the final authority in all matters of doctrine and practice.
We believe that Scripture is the Word of God in human language.
We believe that Scripture teaches that the gift of prophecy will be manifest in the Christian church after New Testament times.
We believe that the ministry and writings of Ellen White were a manifestation of the gift of prophecy.
We believe that Ellen White was inspired by the Holy Spirit and that her writings, the product of that inspiration, are applicable and authoritative, especially to Seventh-day Adventists.
We believe that the purposes of the Ellen White writings include guidance in understanding the teaching of Scripture and application of these teachings, with prophetic urgency, to the spiritual and moral life.
We believe that the acceptance of the prophetic gift of Ellen White is important to the nurture and unity of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
We believe that Ellen White's use of literary sources and assistants finds parallels in some of the writings of the Bible.

DENIALS

We do not believe that the quality or degree of inspiration in the writings of Ellen White is different from that of Scripture.
We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White are an addition to the canon of Sacred Scripture.
We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White function as the foundation and final authority of Christian faith as does Scripture.
We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White may be used as the basis of doctrine.
We do not believe that the study of the writings of Ellen White may be used to replace the study of Scripture.
We do not believe that Scripture can be understood only through the writings of Ellen White.
We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White exhaust the meaning of Scripture.
We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White are essential for the proclamation of the truths of Scripture to society at large.
We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White are the product of mere Christian piety.
We do not believe that Ellen White's use of literary sources and assistants negates the inspiration of her writings.
We conclude, therefore, that a correct understanding of the inspiration and authority of the writings of Ellen White will avoid two extremes: (1) regarding these writings as functioning on a canonical level identical with Scripture, or (2) considering them as ordinary Christian literature.

I agree! (with what you posted on the bottom of page 3)

Considdering what was quoted from the 27 fundamental beliefs and what has been said that what Ellen White wrote must not be contrary to established scripture, holy canon, then doesnt it follow naturally that one must be able to find ALL our major beliefs trough studying the bible ONLY? If there is a belief that cannot be made out of biblestudy only, one that requires study of Ellen Whites books, where does that put us in the christian spectra? Not among the sola scriptua denominations but ironically enough just besides the roman catholics who add to the scriptures trough the words of popes and church fathers.
So the question stands thus, can ALL of our beliefs be made trough study of bible only without required references to EWs books?

/Thomas

Thomas, good point. Yes, all of our 27 doctrinal beliefs can be proven from the Bible and the Bible only. However, it must never be forgotten that God placed His stamp of approval upon them through the inspired gift of Sister White. It is her inspired confirmation, more so than anything else, that gives credibility to our doctrines. Otherwise it would be next to impossible to confidently believe in some of our more unique truths (i.e., the pre-advent judgment, the mark of the beast, the historical application of the seven trumpets, etc). Without the inspired insights of Sister White we could not believe so firmly in our hotly debated doctrines.

In answer to your question, Thomas, I believe they can be doctrinally. It isn't what the Bible says that is the problem, but how people, gropus, etc. have been interpreting it.

In his time, the apostle Paul even warned against false doctrines/teachings creeping into the church.

The function of Ellen White's lesser light is to lead us back to the truth of the Bible, the Greater Light.

How are these latest round of posts about Ellen G White related to the Whose Are We? topic?