Sorry, Bob, that's not a reason, either. We're the people of the Book, testing history with the Bible, not just relying on it.

Our church published, taught and believed in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. Have you seen some of the publications by all the church leaders - yes, all of them!! - of the 19th and some in the 20th century saying so? That's the bedrock difference with our 30 year old trinitarianism (it wasn't official belief till 1980). Yes, Jesus is God because he is begotten of God in the express image of his person. SDA trinitarianism, in contrast, is not like the Nicene Creed, did you know?

Several leading pastors living till the 50s & 60s held to their conviction on that historic teaching, because it's in the Bible and SOP, and their students & fellow church members agreed with them. Judson Washburn, Charles S. Longacres, and W R French: leading theologians and evangelists, and well documented. Their story is told, here, too: http://theprophetstillspeaks.co.uk/SBDH.htm

When mentioning James White, don't forget towards the end of his life he wrote a letter saying that the arguments for the trinity was starting to make more sense to him than the arguments against the trinity. And if you were to read Mrs. White's letters in the White Estate vault, there as quite a bit of corrispondence with Elder Washburn over how, dispite his massive quoting of Mrs. White, that she keep telling him that he does not understand her message. He kept making excuses to accept the quotes he liked but reject these messages saying that his understanding of Adventism was wrong.

If what you say is true, God didn't have a choice. He was eternally all alone in a dark, empty universe until the day Jesus happened. Or, do you have evidence to suggest God wasn't alone?

I don't really mind being the only one here saying so, but it's a bit odd, really, too:

Is Jesus the literal Son of God, "begotten in the express image of the Father's person, and in all the brightness of his majesty and glory, one equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily", as Ellen White wrote, as it is written in Heb 1:1-4 and many places else in the Bible?

What does this mean? - written in relation to Heb 1
And then, this
What's her point? What's she getting at?? Doesn't sound like January's first week's lesson, does it: what's the difference?

Maybe this'll help some.
Any clearer, now?

Whatever they objected to in the Nicene Creed - and there remain objectionables there, what is objectionable in today's 1980 and onwards SDA trinity teaching??

Yes, it's an SDA doctrine, for it's very different to the Nicene Creed, actually. More pertinent to us: it scraps the teaching that Jesus is the pre-existent only begotten Son of God. Now, that's objectionable.

Judson Washburn and the others, famous or not, who objected to the Nicene Creed's mysticism and its other problems, mostly didn't live to see Adventism formally adopt its own trinitarianism. I hope 1980 wasn't the year chosen to introduce the fundamental beliefs the trinity doctrine as central as the Bible only for being at least ten years after the last of the famous theologians opposing the trinity doctrine had died. It's just possible that the famous few would have objected as Milian L. Andreasen objected to Questions on Doctrine 40-odd years prior to 1980. OTOH, it may truly have been one campaign of objections too many, all at once, with the debate on Christ's humanity on top of the righteousness by faith dispute in full swing already.

30 years into our trinitarian history, it's time, now, to sort out the trinity doctrine debate and confusion in our church, as it has been waiting its turn. Yes, it's the doctrine that's opposed, not the three Powers of heaven.

The issue is man doesnt understand the nature of the GodHead, how Christ can be the Son and at the same time be the Creator, the great I AM, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Lord of the Sabbath, and yes, everlasting Father....

2 Thessalonians 2:15-17
King James Version (KJV)
15Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
17Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Those who believe that Christ is not from the same "eternity past" as in "from ever lasting to everlasting" just as is attributed to YHWH in the OT - have an issue in Micah 5:2 where the same term is used as in Ps 90:2 for YHWH and eternity past. And the result is that they in fact believe that God the Father spent "eternity alone" without Christ before that in-finite-time birth/creation of Christ.

As for Ellen White saying that Christ was never made/created/born of God before His incarnation --
-------------------------------------------------------

We don't understand??

Why, he's "God himself in the person of his Son".

As for "everlasting father", since he clearly isn't God the Father, who is God his Father, how is this to be interpreted? What about Jesus the Second Adam and what that means for us? He who is God's eternal Son is become the everlasting human Father of mankind, especially of those who believe.

Your first text shows that God our Father cannot be replaced by Christ as our divine Father, as God the Father isn't Christ, not so: how about what I just suggested, above.

Does being of the same nature as God his Father prevent him being God's own Son from eternity? Being the self-existent Son is compatible with being God's only begotten Son: she speaks of both.

Why get hung up over eternity and Christ's pre-existence with his Father: Christ created eternity - for he is above everything created, being himself the uncreated begotten Son of the Eternal God. He is the Word and Wisdom of God, too, so was with God from the beginning. Remember, PP 34.1 says Prov 8:22-30 applies personally to him, agreeing, of course, with Ps 90:2 about Father and Son. Prof. Richard Davidson wrote in the ATS journal that in Prov 8:23 "set up" means to be born: now, Sister White and the Bible combine to posit that, as v.23 there, before creation. Given Jn 1:1, what's all this discussion about? The Word of God was begotten as God's own Son: what could be simpler a Bible truth.

She also says, btw, that he is the Son of the infinite God. Being divine, he is also infinite by nature, but equally Son of the infinite God. It's not in his divine nature to trumpet that, though.

It should be in our Christian nature, too, not to want to understand God to the uttermost question for the sake of a rationalised doctrine - the trinity doctrine: how close is such an enquiry to wanting to be like God, knowing everything? And, the Adversary who went that far and never relented, also denied that the Son of God is the Son of God, exalted rightfully above Lucifer, the highest created being in heaven and the universe - the highest being in heaven after God's Son. Lucifer refused to have Christ as his Lord, denying his supremacy over angels as the Son of God.

Best not to put in to the teaching of Christ's pre-existent existence an aloneness of his Father that isn't there except in our imagination: we reckon there's a difference, but Scripture & SOP assure us there isn't. The answer is, simply: No. Is our "reckoning" by faith or more by reason?

No, Bobryan, that not what I said, or what I believe.

If you can find it without too much trouble, I'd like to see that quote.

Regarding the trinity doctrine, it may have been better to call our view of the deity something else, to make it clear we don't subscribe to all the particulars of what other denominations call the trinity, but I can see the rationale for adopting the label. Ellen White who is very precise in her selection of words never used the term herself.