Adventist History

Fifty Years Since "Questions on Doctrine" 1957-2007

A new Ph.D. dissertation and annotated edition of Questions on Doctrine is bringing new attention to what is regarded as the most controversial book in Seventh-day Adventist history. The dissertation (search for "Questions on Doctrine" under keyword search), completed in 2005 by Julius Nam, assistant professor of religion at Loma Linda University, is a descriptive analysis that looks at the historical background leading up to and aftermath of this important book. What is particularly significant is how Nam divides the pro- and anti- forces both inside and outside the church (ultimately coming up with four significant groups). Knight distills some of the best of Nam's research (one of his doctoral students) into a useful introduction that provides helpful background information as one reads the book. The annotated edition was significant enough that the Adventist News Network issued a press release.

More Than a Prophet by Graeme Bradford

More Than a Prophet (Berrien Springs, MI: Biblical Perspectives, 2006; $25) is the third book since 2004 by Graeme Bradford about the life and ministry of Ellen G. White. His previous two books, Prophets are Human and People are Human talk about the role and authority of Ellen White in dialogue format between several fictional characters. At several points through his fictional dialgoue he refers to a paper he had written. It seems likely that More Than a Prophet, which reads much more like a series of lectures, is the outgrowth of his research and the most extensive summary of his views about Ellen White and Adventism. It is interesting to note that unlike his two previous books which were published by the Australian Signs Publishing Company and distributed through official church channels, this latest book was not published by a denominational publishing house hinting that there may have been problems with the manuscript (Bradford is far from inerrant with frequent typos along with a generous number of historical and grammatical errors).

Since its publication the book has been cotnroversial. On Sept. 14, 2006, the White Estate published a response stating that it did not endorse the book (contrary to the claim by Bacchiochi in the preface that the book was endorsed by officials of the Ellen G. White Estate) and that they in fact have significant concerns and that a fuller, more-detailed critique will be forthcoming. Recently Bradford responded to the White Estate in a statement. So why is this book generating so much buzz? Although Bradford's first two books only received a minimal amount of attention (Denis Fortin published a critique and Angel Rodriguez published a review in the BRI newsletter [April 2005]) the overall package that he presents has not been thoroughly dealt with by the church. So what are the problematic areas?

• Do prophets make mistakes?
• What is inspiration?
• Did Ellen White grow theologically in her understanding of truth?
• Is Ellen White's description of end-time events still relevant?
• What is the meaning of the 1919 Bible Conference for the church?
• How did the church come to teach inerrancy?
• What role did Questions on Doctrine have?
• What does it mean to be an Adventist historian?

While the answers to some of these questions may seem obvious, they represent a growing body of Adventists who view Ellen White more as a devotional writer than as an inspired prophet with a continued, authorative message for the present. While Bradford does not say she is not inspired, his continual appeal to her culture seems to have resonated with more liberal theologians in the church and at the same time struck a dissonent chord among others. Thus, despite the poorly developed arguments in the book, the potential ramifications of Bradford's views for the present have made this book controversial. The reality is if Bradford's views are accepted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church it would represent a significant shift in the official stance of the church toward the life and ministry of Ellen G. White.

Ellen G. White Estate World Advisory

Every five years the Ellen G. White Estate holds an advisory in which the Spirit of Prophecy coordinators from each division of the world church, White Estate research center directors, the directors of the three White Estate Branch Offices, and the main staff of the White Estate in Silver Spring, Maryland, and any members of the White Estate Board of Trustees meet to discuss issues. The meeting was held at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, October 12-15, 2006, located in Silver Spring, Maryland. The group meets to discuss current issues in Ellen White studies and proposes possible actions for the White Estate board to consider.