as a prophetic voice for the poor and the...

Ellen G. White’s spiritual expe-riences and testimonies havecontributed to the identity ofthe Seventh-day AdventistChurch from its very begin-

ning.1 At a time when it seemed thatprophecy had failed and that WilliamMiller’s message of Christ’s soon returnwas a false hope that had producedonly disappointment and chaos, thetestimony of young Ellen Harmon(later White) captured the hearts andminds of a handful of believers whostill clung to their faith in the move-ment. Her first vision of Jesus leading

the Advent people as they pressed up-ward toward the New Jerusalem pro-vided the disappointed ones withencouragement to continue their jour-ney.2 Her visions were regarded as evi-dence that God was with the tiny rem-nant of the Millerites, and that theywere living in the promised end timeswhen “sons and daughters shall proph-esy.”3 Ellen White played an importantrole in the nascent movement as she re-layed God’s messages to the Sabbatar-ian Adventists. Her messages sustainedtheir hope in the soon coming of Jesus,encouraged their trust in God, and em-phasized the application of scriptural

principles to every aspect of daily life. Adventist pastors, teachers, church

scholars, and administrators have awell-established history of emphasizingEllen White’s spiritual gifts and theircontributions to the church. Her mes-sages are often referred to as “the Spiritof Prophecy.” Despite the fact that shepreferred the term “messenger” overthe title “prophet,”4 church membersand leaders have understood her role tobe that of a prophet.5

The story of Ellen White’s propheticministry is often related in terms of vi-sions that strengthened Adventist com-

14 The Journal of Adventist Education • Summer 2013 http:// jae.adventist.org

B Y G I N G E R H A N K S H A R W O O D

as a Prophetic Voice for the Poor and the Oppressed

mitment to specific doctrines (such asthe Sabbath and the sanctuary) andmessages that led to the creation ofhealth-care, educational, and publishingministries that became central to Ad-ventist identity and mission. Occasion-ally, church pastors and leaders stressher trance-like physical state during vi-sions or specific instances in which she“saw” events that were yet to transpire.These are intended to increase confi-dence in her visions as real events and toprovide evidence of her prophetic gift.

While both apologists and detractorshave wrestled with issues concerning theauthenticity and source ofEllen White’s experiences,her originality, inspiration,and fallibility, as well as theprocess through which herpublished items were pro-duced,6 focusing on theseissues can serve to detractfrom more pressing ques-tions. The church’s currentdiscussions need to scruti-nize Ellen White’s works toascertain whether her con-tributions (spiritual leader-ship, visions and dreams,writings, testimonies, andletters) position her as a“community prophet” inthe biblical sense of thatterm, or primarily as an in-dividual with premonitionsof looming disaster for in-dividuals and the world atlarge. The question, “What does it meanto be a prophet?” needs to be answeredwith a closer and more serious regard forthe Bible’s own testimony. What role didbiblical prophets play in their communi-ties, according to the evidence we candraw from Scripture? Did Ellen Whitealso engage in the tasks central to therole of the biblical prophets? And per-haps most crucially, how are those tasksrelated to the way Ellen White is inter-preted and perpetuated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church?

The Biblical Role of the ProphetLuke presents Jesus’ Nazareth ser-

mon as the key to His own understand-ing of the Messiah’s calling and teach-ings (Luke 4:14-30). In this sermon,

Jesus read the words of Isaiah 61:1, 2 tothe approving worshippers, describingGod’s favor and intervention for thepoor and oppressed, and declaringthose words as being fulfilled in theirmidst through His ministry. Lukechronicles the change in the group’s re-action as Jesus’ teaching emphasizes theinclusive nature of God’s love and in-tervention. Jesus stood in their midst asa prophet, speaking God’s words andproclaiming the good news: The Godof all people is actively working for thehealing and restoration of humanity.Enraged at His depiction of the history

of God’s grace towards Israel’s enemies,the congregation conspired to throwHim off a local cliff.

After the arrest of John the Baptist,Jesus demonstrated His Nazareth claimsthrough His acts of healing among thepoor. When the imprisoned John senthis disciples to ask Jesus whether He wasthe Messiah, Jesus sent them back withthe report that the sick were beinghealed and the good news was beingpreached to the poor. Jesus expected thatJohn, a prophet, would understand Hismessage: God was present, healing thesick, strengthening the weak and down-hearted, opening the eyes of the blind,and working on behalf of the poor. Jesuswas the incarnate manifestation of Godwith us.

Luke records Jesus’ response to theunspoken question: “When the messen-gers of John had departed, He [Jesus]began to speak to the multitudes con-cerning John: ‘What did you go out intothe wilderness to see? A reed shaken bythe wind? But what did you go out tosee? A man clothed in soft garments?Indeed those who are gorgeously appar-eled and live in luxury are in kings’courts. But what did you go out to see?A prophet?’” (Luke 7:24-27, NKJV).7

Jesus challenged the crowds with Hisanswer: “A prophet.” Jesus’ hearers,knowing the history of Israel’s prophets,

understood His meaning:Prophets frequently affrontthe sensitivities of the pow-erful as they declare the ne-cessity of dealing justly andcompassionately in alltransactions and with allpeople, and they regularlysuffered because of it.8

John, and ultimatelyJesus, would follow in thetradition of their predeces-sors. Their calls for rightrelationships (justice andcompassion) disturbed thestatus quo and so were si-lenced by the powerful.Rosemary Radford Reuthercomments on the inherenttension created when aprophet calls for justice andrighteousness. She notes:“Prophetic faith . . . sets

God in tension with the ruling class byhaving God speak through the proph -et(ess) as the advocate of the poor andthe oppressed.”9 Theologian NeilReimer describes the prophet as “a per-son who speaks God’s word and passesjudgment on those who respect or vio-late God’s word.”10

Reimer further points out thatprophets manifest certain core com-mitments that mark them as prophets.First, prophets stress allegiance to keyvalues such as love, justice, freedom,peace, well-being, and moral excellencefor all. Second, they provide critiquesof existing societies based on fulfill-ment or nonfulfillment of those keyvalues. Third, prophets demonstrate “astrong commitment to action . . . to

15http:// jae.adventist.org The Journal of Adventist Education • Summer 2013

esus expected that John, aprophet, would understand His

message: God was present, heal-ing the sick, strengthening theweak and downhearted, openingthe eyes of the blind, and workingon behalf of the poor. Jesus wasthe incarnate manifestation ofGod with us.

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fulfill those values, to honor the com-mandments, and to narrow the gap be-tween prophetic values and existentialreality.”11

Reimer employs the description ofbiblical prophets as tests for “modernprophets” as well. Biblical prophetscalled a community, its leaders, and itselite into accountability concerning thenature of their transactions, particu-larly where the poor, the alien, andthose vulnerable to oppression wereconcerned. They were voices for thevoiceless, those people whose lack ofstatus and position made them easytargets for oppression.

The Prophet asVisionary: RevealingGod’s Vision for Com-munity

While prophets servedseveral functions in Is-rael’s history, none wasmore important thanthat of a visionary. A vi-sionary is an individualwho sees past the surfaceand material/cultural re-alities of any particulartime into a spiritual di-mension where anotherset of values and prac-tices reign supreme. A so-ciety’s core vision pro-vides the basis for meas uringits virtue and morality.

The civil laws Moses gave Israel es-tablished the vision of shalom, the com-munity at peace because its relationshipswere just and compassionate. The visionwas embedded in Israel’s laws, struc-tures, and covenant. Moses made it clearthat Israel’s well-being depended uponfollowing God’s plan for justice andmercy. Biblical scholars and ethicistsalike have described the way in whichScripture links shalom (the longed-forcommunity of peace) and the practice ofjustice that includes and gives special at-tention to the needs of the poor.12 Theprophets who followed Moses critiquedIsrael’s established religious and civilpower structures on the basis of theirown proph etic visions or their under-

standings of the divine paradigm for so-cial relations.

Throughout Israel’s history, theprophets reminded those in more se-cure economic positions that God hadcalled them to protect the vulnerable.Prophets provided their hearers with avision of right relationship and as-serted ultimate accountability to a Godwho stood in the place of family tothose without the protection that ge-netic relationships offer.13 The prophetsannounced God’s evaluation of the na-tion in terms of their degree of faith-fulness to this righteousness.

While Christians sometimes empha-size the predictive element of a proph et’swork, this may cause them to miss theprophet’s core message. God’s messen-gers counsel individuals and communi-ties to walk in God’s paths so that theywill move toward life rather than tospend their energy on harmful activitiesand projects that will eventually returnto dust. History is not simply the un-folding of God’s predetermined plan:Humans have an ongoing role in shap-ing both the present and the future.Focus on prophecy’s predictive elementmay lead Christians to deny human re-sponsibility for their community’s fate,and to behave as if their present actionshave no bearing on the future.

Jim Wallis, an evangelical Christiancommitted to faith-filled living amongthe poor in Washington, D.C., wrote that

“Prophecy is not future telling, but artic-ulating moral truth.”14 God’s proph etsoften reveal more about present obliga-tions and privileges than exact detailsconcerning future events. They call hu-manity to trust in God’s revelation as theguideposts for their earthly journey,dealing justly and compassionately—however inconvenient, counter-intuitive,or risky such standards might be.

From this perspective, the prophets,even when their visions include predic-tive elements, are much more than fu-ture-tellers. The legitimate prophet aidsthe recipients of his or her messages by

supplying a vision of therighteous community. He orshe can be tested by thecongruence of that visionwith the laws God has al-ready given for human rela-tionships. Further, the lifeand the message of theprophet need to reveal per-sonal commitments reflect-ing the vision.

The identification ofthese components enablesus to evaluate Ellen Whitethrough the lens of themoral and scriptural role ofa prophet. We can askwhether she demonstrated apassion for the central val-ues evidenced by the bibli-cal prophets, critiqued soci-

ety in terms of these values, worked tonarrow the gap between these valuesand the experiences of people withinsociety, and maintained a sustained as-sessment of the social trajectory of herown church and society.

We can also use this lens to evaluatehow Ellen White is being presentedin Seventh-day Adventist churches,schools, and literature today. Do thefocus and application of her propheticvision represent a continuance of thevalues and missions of the biblicalprophets?

Ellen White: Prophetic Visionand Mission

Ellen White offered a metavision—an over-arching view—of God’s inten-tion for human life and the structures


rom this perspective, theprophets, even when their vi-

sions include predictive elements,are much more than future-tellers. The legitimate prophetaids the recipients of his or hermessages by supplying a vision ofthe righteous community.

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of human relationships. She was clearthat humanity was created in the imageof God with a divinely given purpose:the care of creation and one another.She called on Christians to relieve thesuffering of distressed humanity, to ex-tend hope, healing, and education tothe poor. She saw that Christians, andAdventists in particular, were to be en-gaged actively in peacemaking: the on-going process of demonstrating God’slove and healing presence. She insistedthat the compassionate life of Christwas to be the model for the individualbeliever; the laws of Moses and the ad-monitions of the prophets were toguide institutional and national efforts.She critiqued individuals, Christianity,and society when they failed to adhereto God’s vision. She asserted boldlythat the neglect of the needs of thepoor commanded God’s attention:

“In the great cities there are multi-tudes living in poverty and wretched-ness, well-nigh destitute of food, shelter,and clothing; while in the same cities arethose who have more than heart couldwish, who live luxuriously, spendingtheir money on richly furnished houses,on personal adornment, or worse still,upon the gratification of sensual ap-petites, upon liquor, tobacco, and otherthings that destroy the powers of thebrain, unbalance the mind, and debasethe soul. The cries of starving humanityare coming up before God.”15

Ellen White’s metavision includedthe fundamental components of uni-versal inclusivism, compassion for all,respect for human rights and dignity,and an insistence on justice in everytransaction. She reaffirmed the Hebrewprophets’ social vision by pointing in-dividuals to Scripture for answers tocontemporary social problems. In The

Ministry of Healing, dedicated to “med-ical missionaries,” she reflected on theendeavors of those who wish to im-prove the state of the nation:

“How the unemployed and thehomeless can be helped to secure thecommon blessings of God’s providenceand to live the life He intended man tolive, is a question to which many areearnestly endeavoring to find an answer.But there are not many, even among ed-ucators and statesmen, who compre-hend the causes that underlie the pres-ent state of society. Those who hold thereins of government are unable to solvethe problem of poverty, pauperism, andincreasing crime. They are struggling invain to place business operations on amore secure basis. If men would givemore heed to the teaching of God’sword, they would find a solution ofthese problems that perplex them.”16


Ellen White, speaking at Loma Linda, California, in 1906. She was a popular speaker on a wide range of topics ranging from charity andbenevolence to prophecy and healthful living.

From the perspective of EllenWhite’s writings, many of the mostcritical social issues could be resolvedthrough implementing Israel’s laws re-garding the necessity of justice andcompassion. She testified to the imper-ative of justice in economic affairs, justas in personal relations:

“God’s word sanctions no policy thatwill enrich one class by the oppressionand suffering of another. In all our busi-ness transactions it teaches us to putourselves in the place of those withwhom we are dealing, to look not onlyon our own things, but also on thethings of others. He whowould take advantage ofanother’s misfortunes inorder to benefit himself,or who seeks to profithimself through another’sweakness or incompe-tence, is a transgressorboth of the principles andof the precepts of theword of God.”17

Hebrew law was builton the understandingthat every person is cre-ated to be God’s stewardand is obligated to man-age his or her life andpossessions from thatperspective. All followersof God, including thoseof privileged inheritance,must acknowledge thatthe talents, abilities inskilled entrepreneurship, and moneymanagement that set them apart eco-nomically from others are gifts fromGod and need to be treated as such.

Ellen White also made it clear thatwhen a society functions on the basisof a different paradigm, where personalgratification and indulgence are justi-fied by an ethic of radical individual-ism, the net result is human sufferingand the conviction that God is indiffer-ent to the pain of the poor. She re-buked those who contributed to others’warped views of God by their disregardof His claims on their resources:

“God has made men His stewards,and He is not to be charged with the

sufferings, the misery, the nakedness,and the want of humanity. The Lordhas made ample provision for all. Hehas given to thousands of men largesupplies with which to alleviate thewant of their fellows; but those whomGod has made stewards have not stoodthe test, for they have failed to relievethe suffering and the needy.”18

Ellen White made it clear thathuman misery is not God’s intent. Is-rael’s laws were God’s plan to ensure Is-rael’s future by building in safeguardsto check grinding poverty and removeboth the temptation and structures

that create permanent class inequities.According to Ellen White, observablemisery in the United States could be atleast partially corrected if the principlesgoverning Israel were utilized as guide-lines for commerce and relations. Andchurches, as God’s representatives onearth, must extend effort to correct theimpression that true peace and pros-perity are possible without just transac-tions, institutions, and accessible struc-tures for recourse.

The Inclusivity of Ellen White’sVision

In the first chapter of her book Stepsto Christ, Ellen White traced God’s in-clusive love to all humanity, drawingon the Luke 4:18 description of Christ’s

earthly mission. After describing Jesus’healing activities, she noted: “Everysoul was precious in His eyes. While Heever bore Himself with divine dignity,He bowed with the tenderest regard toevery member of the family of God. Inall men He saw fallen souls whom itwas His mission to save.”19 It is impor-tant to note that Ellen White did notsimply make generic statements aboutChrist’s love that could be easily ac-cepted without creating any internaldiscomfort or dissonance. She chal-lenged the human tendency to applythe gospel commission narrowly to

those most like one’s self.She cited the Good Samari-tan story as the definitivestandard for radical inclu-sivity:

“By this parable the dutyof man to his fellow man isforever settled. We are to carefor every case of sufferingand to look upon ourselvesas God’s agents to relieve theneedy to the very uttermostof our ability. We are to belaborers together with God.There are some who mani-fest great affection for theirrelatives, for their friendsand favorites, who yet fail tobe kind and considerate tothose who need tender sym-pathy, who need kindnessand love. With earnest heartslet us inquire, ‘Who is my

neighbor?’ Our neighbors are not merelyour associates and special friends; theyare not simply those who belong to ourchurch, or who think as we do. Ourneighbors are the whole human fam-ily.”20

In a period of American historycharacterized by nativism, religious tri-umphalism, class hatred, and racial di-vision, she pushed her readers to reac-quaint themselves with the inclusivepractices of the One whom they calledLord. She stated unequivocally:

“The life of Christ established a reli-gion in which there is no caste, a reli-gion by which Jew and Gentile, freeand bond, are linked in a common


ll followers of God, includ-ing those of privileged in-

heritance, must acknowledgethat the talents, abilities in skilledentrepreneurship, and moneymanagement that set them aparteconomically from others aregifts from God and need to betreated as such.

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brotherhood, equal before God. Noquestion of policy influenced Hismovements. He made no difference be-tween neighbors and strangers, friendsand enemies.”21

In other elaborations on this theme,she became quite specific about theuniversal nature of obligation to one’sneighbor. At a time when various raceswere labeled as inferior or sub-humaneven by the scientists of the period, sheinsisted that every individual was our“neighbor”:

“He [Jesus] showed that our neigh-bor does not mean merely one of thechurch or faith to which we belong. Ithas no reference to race, color, or classdistinction. Our neighbor is every per-son who needs our help. Our neighbor isevery soul who is wounded and bruisedby the adversary. Our neighbor is everyone who is the property of God.”22

Ellen White thus spoke for a Godwho recognized the human race as onepeople, and who demanded that all beincluded in the circle of care.

Ellen White and theProphetic Brief

Ellen White saw speaking for justiceas a part of her assignment from God.“I was instructed,” she wrote, “that Imust ever urge upon those who professto believe the truth, the necessity ofpracticing the truth. . . . I was chargednot to neglect or pass by those whowere being wronged. . . . Disagreeablethough the duty may be, I am to re-prove the oppressor, and plead for jus-tice. I am to present the necessity ofmaintaining justice and equity in allour institutions.”23 While her influencewas greatest within Adventism, she didnot limit her commentary to Adventistpractices. Her remarks could be quiteemphatic, as when she declared:

“The cloak of religion covers thegreatest crimes and iniquity. Allheaven beholds with indignation,human beings, the workmanship ofGod, reduced to the lowest depths of

degredation. . . . These professed Chris-tians read of the suffering of the mar-tyrs, and. . . . wonder that men couldever possess hearts so hardened as topractice such inhuman cruelties to-wards their fellow-men, while at thesame time they hold their fellow-manin slavery. . . .The names of such arewritten in blood, crossed with stripes,and flooded with agonizing, burningtears of suffering. God’s anger will notcease until He has caused the land oflight to drink the dregs of the cup ofHis fury, and until He has rewardedunto Babylon double.”24

Ellen White pronounced a similarjudgment against both the nation andthe churches that did not take a standagainst slavery: God’s “anger burnsagainst this nation, and especiallyagainst the religious bodies who havesanctioned and have themselves en-gaged in this terrible merchandise.”25

When President Abraham Lincolndeclared a day of prayer and fasting forthe war, she responded: “Great men,


This sculpture of the Good Samaritan represents the attitude of service at Loma Linda University and Hospital in Loma Linda, California.

of the few. While there are many moreexamples in each of these areas (and sev-eral others as well) that demonstratehow Ellen White functioned as aprophet during her lifetime, these areadequate to conclude this sketch of herlife and work.

The Outcome of Ellen White’sVisions

Seventh-day Adventists have longembraced Ellen White’s vision of thechurch united with God in the missionof healing and redemption of human-ity. Churches, hospitals, and educa-

tional centers stand as wit-nesses to the seriousnesswith which the membershave taken her counsel, andgreat respect has beenshown for her propheticgift. At the same time, eventhose who hold her in highesteem may be unaware ofthe social implications ofher messages. Ellen Whitewas a voice for the poor anddisenfranchised, and in-sisted that the Isaiah 58 mis-sion to break the yokes ofthe oppressed, feed the hun-gry, clothe the naked, andhelp the poor was “of thehighest importance. . . .Thisis our work,” she wrote.35

Twenty-first century Ad-ventists need to re-examinethe church’s response to the

woman they regard as God’s messen-ger. How is the prophetic voice of EllenWhite appropriated and utilized in themodern church? How is her story pre-sented in our schools? What does theSeventh-day Adventist Church teach(and neglect to teach) about EllenWhite and her messages? Do her writ-ings function for the church as pro -phetic proclamations did for Israel,raising awareness of God’s intentionsand standards (justice and compas-sion) for both interpersonal and corpo-rate relationships? Do her writingsserve as prophetic invitations to be partof God’s liberating and redemptive ac-tion for humanity? Do they challengethe church to be more just and com-passionate in its dealings, more inclu-

professing to have human hearts, haveseen the slaves almost naked and starv-ing, and have abused them, and sentthem back to their cruel masters andhopeless bondage. . . . They have de-prived them of their liberty and free airwhich heaven has never denied them,and then left them to suffer for foodand clothing. In view of all this, a na-tional fast is proclaimed! Oh, what aninsult to Jehovah!”26 Of a similar inten-sity was her warning to a Sabbath-keeper with proslavery sentiments:“Unless you undo what you have done,it will be the duty of God’s people topublicly withdraw theirsympathy and fellowshipfrom you.”27

Ellen White also spokeout against poverty, op-pression, and injustice inAmerican society. Shewas a consistent advocatefor the poor, and de-scribed engagement withtheir lives as a Christianmandate: “Christ’s fol-lowers are to learn allabout the woes of thepoor in their immediatevicinity and in their owncountry, be they white orblack.”28 She called theFugitive Slave Lawscrimes against God’s law:“The law of the land re-quiring us to deliver aslave to his master, we arenot to obey”29; declared slavery as a na-tional crime, counseled against partici-pating in the military during the patri-otic fervor of war— “I was shown thatGod’s people, who are His peculiartreasure, cannot engage in this perplex-ing war, for it is opposed to every prin-ciple in their faith”30; and spoke for thefair treatment of workers, and againstthe oppression of freed persons in thepost-Reconstruction South.31

Ellen White also addressed Americanracism and the realities of continuedwhite oppression. She boldly describedthe obstacles faced by any endeavor tochange the situation and the underlyingeconomic motivation of those who re-sisted improving the situation:

“One of the difficulties attending

the work is that many of the white peo-ple living where the colored people arenumerous are not willing that specialefforts should be put forth to upliftthem. When they see schools estab-lished for them, when they see thembeing taught to be self-supporting, tofollow trades, to provide themselveswith comfortable homes instead ofcontinuing to live in hovels, they seethe possibility that selfish plans will beinterfered with—that they will nolonger be able to hire the Negro for amere pittance: and their enmity isaroused. . . . Some act as if slavery had

never been abolished.”32

Although it created great tension,she spoke boldly for the reform of un-righteous attitudes and unjust practiceswithin the church. At various times, sheaddressed the condition of institutionalworkers, the distribution of churchfunds for special projects, ministry toAfrican-Americans,33 the care for theelderly, and fair wages for women inministry.34

When necessary, Mrs. White calledinstitutional leaders into accountabilityfor injustice toward their underlings,and in 1901 she demanded a restructur-ing of the church to redistribute the or-ganizational and decision-making powerthat had been concentrated in the hands


wenty-first century Advent -ists need to re-examine the

church’s response to the womanthey regard as God’s messenger.How is the prophetic voice ofEllen White appropriated and uti-lized in the modern church?How is her story presented in ourschools?

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sive in its decision-making process,more committed to the liberation ofthe oppressed? If her story and writingsare utilized primarily to sustain groupidentity and establish authority and le-gitimacy for distinctive doctrinal posi-tions, then has she ceased to be a trulyprophetic voice in Adventism?

Ginger HanksHarwood, Ph.D., isAssociate Professorof Religious andTheological Studiesin the H. M. S.Richards School ofDivinity at LaSierra University,

Riverside, California. Among the classesshe teaches are the History of Seventh-day Adventism, Ellen White and theChurch, and Adventism in Global Per-spective. Dr. Harwood also does first-person scholarly and popularized presen-tations about Ellen White, addressingher life story and views on various issues.

NOTES AND REFERENCES1. For an overview of Sabbatarian Adventists’

struggle to consolidate a group identity and therole Ellen White’s visions and testimonies playedin that process between the Great Disappoint-ment of 1844 and the organization of the Sev-enth-day Adventist Church in 1863, see GeorgeR. Knight, A Search for Identity: The Developmentof Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs (Hagerstown,Md.: Review and Herald Publ. Assn., 2000).

2. Ellen White’s description of her vision isincluded in her book, Early Writings of Ellen G.White (Washington, D.C.: Review and HeraldPubl. Assn., 1945), pp. 13-20.

3. See Beverly Beem and Ginger Hanks Har-wood, “‘Your Daughters Shall Prophesy’: JamesWhite, Uriah Smith, and the ‘Triumphant Vindi-cation of the Right of the Sisters’ to Preach,” An-drews University Seminary Studies 43:1 (Spring2005):41-58. Also, Ginger Hanks Harwood andBeverly G. Beem, “‘It Was Mary That FirstPreached a Risen Jesus’: Early Seventh-day Ad-ventist Answers to Objections to Women as Pub-lic Spiritual Leaders,” Andrews University Semi-nary Studies 45:2 (Autumn 2007):221-245.

4. “To claim to be a prophetess is somethingthat I have never done. If others call me by thatname, I have no controversy with them, but mywork has covered so many lines that I cannot callmyself other than a messenger, sent to bear a mes-sage from the Lord to His people, and to take upwork in any line that He points out” (Ellen G.White, Selected Messages [Washington, D.C.: Re-view and Herald Publ. Assn., 1958], Book 1, p. 34.

�

5. For review of the basic Adventist under-standing of the role of Ellen White, see Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . A Biblical Exposition ofFundamental Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Boise, Idaho: Pa-cific Press Publ. Assn., 2005), pp. 247-261.

6. For two recent examples of very extensiveefforts to provide a solid overview and defense ofEllen White as a prophet, see Graeme S. Brad-ford, More Than a Prophet: How We Lost andFound Again the Real Ellen White (BerrienSprings, Mich.: Biblical Perspectives, 2006), andHerbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord: TheProphetic Ministry of Ellen G. White (Nampa,Idaho: Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 1998).

7. Texts credited to NKJV are from the NewKing James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980,1982, Thomas Nelson, Ind., Publishers. All rightsreserved.

8. Elsa Tamez has developed the analysis ofthe nature and relationship between the elitesand those whose life efforts enrich them. Shesays, “oppression is historical in character andthat the basic points of reference for understand-ing it are two identifiable and opposed groups.The oppressors are rich and influential peoplewho never feel satisfied with what they have;their basic concern is to accumulate wealth. Theyturn to oppression and make use of variousmethods that bring them gain in one or anotherfashion. Oppressors are idolaters who follow falsegods that can lend an aura of legitimacy to theiractions; Yahweh, the God who demands that jus-tice be done because he is himself justice andlove, will not serve their purpose. The oppressedare the impoverished, the slaves, the day laborers,the widows, the resident aliens, and the orphans.All are poor and lack both social standing andpower” (Bible of the Oppressed, Translated fromSpanish by Matthew J. O’Connell [Maryknoll,N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1982], p. 53).

9. Ruether continues her observation, noting:“The prophets in Hebrew Scripture and Jesus inthe Gospels are figures in conflict with religious es-tablishments, denouncers of the use of religion tosacralize unjust privilege and to ignore the needs ofthe people” (Rosemary Radford Ruether, “Proph -etic Tradition and the Liberation of Women: AStory of Promise and Betrayal,” in Neal Reimer, ed.,Let Justice Roll: Prophetic Challenges in Religion,Politics, and Society [Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Lit-tlefield Publishers, Inc., 1996], pp. 59, 60).

10. Ibid., p. x.11. Ibid.12. Mark Allman, an ethicist, traces the rela-

tionship between the experience of the shalomcommunity and living in right relationship ac-cording to God’s laws. See Who Would Jesus Kill:War, Peace and the Christian Tradition (Winona,Minn.: Anselm Academic, Christian BrothersPublications, 2008), p. 69.

13. As theologian José Miguez Bonino hasnoted: “Righteousness-justice is seen as the distin-guishing characteristic of the kingdom—andhence as the mark of God’s faithful action andpeople’s correspondingly faith-full obedience. Thecondition of the poor and oppressed in fact be-comes the test of God’s redeeming presence and ofhuman justice” (Toward a Christian Political Ethics

[Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983], p. 84).14. Jim Wallis, God’s Politics: Why the Right

Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It (SanFrancisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2005), p. 72.

15. Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church(Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn.,1911), vol. 9, p. 12; and _________, Welfare Min-istry (Washington, D.C.: Review and HeraldPubl. Assn., 1952), p. 173.

16. _________, The Ministry of Healing(Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn.,1942), p. 183.

17. Ibid., p. 187. 18. “Parable of the Rich Man,” Review and

Herald 71:26 (June 26, 1894):401, 402.19. Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ (Mountain

View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 1908), p. 12.20. __________,“Our Duty to the Poor and

Afflicted,” Review and Herald 72:1 (January 1,1895):1, 2.

21. __________, The Ministry of Healing, op.cit., p. 25.

22. __________, Christ’s Object Lessons(Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publ.Assn., 1941), p. 376.

23. __________, Selected Messages, op. cit.,Book 1, p. 33.

24. See __________, Spiritual Gifts (Wash-ington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publ. Assn.,1944), vol. I, pp. 189-192.

25. Ibid.26. __________, Testimonies for the Church,

vol. 1, p. 257.27. Ibid., p. 360.28. Ellen White to “Brethren in Responsible

Positions in America,” July 24, 1895 (B-5-1895).29. __________, Testimonies for the Church,

op. cit., vol. 1, p. 202.30. Ibid., p. 361.31. The following is one example of her cri-

tique of American efforts toward the emanci-pated slaves: “Much might have been accom-plished by the people of America if adequateefforts in behalf of the freedmen had been putforth by the Government and by the Christianchurches immediately after the emancipation ofthe slaves. Money should have been used freely tocare for and educate them at the time they wereso greatly in need of help. But the Government,after a little effort, left the Negro to struggle, un-aided, with his burden of difficulties” (Testi-monies for the Church, vol. 9, p. 205).

32. Ibid., pp. 204, 205.33. For example, “Our colored ministers are to

be treated with consideration. This has not alwaysbeen done. These men are to be encouraged to ob-tain a thorough knowledge of the truth. They areto learn how to be efficient in teaching the truth toothers. And when they are faithfully engaged inwork they should receive their hire. Rememberthat they must have bread” (ibid., p. 223).

34. For a careful look at Ellen White’s work toensure justice within various church enterprises,see Gilbert M. Valentine, The Prophet and thePresidents: Ellen White’s Influence on the Leader-ship of the Early Seventh-day Adventist Church(Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 2011).

35. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8,section “Our Work for Today,” p. 159.


as a prophetic voice for the poor and the...

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