Dec 10, 20213 min read

Episode 8: Ellen in Real Life - Part 1

Ellen G. White is one of the most well-known figures in Adventism.

She was a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Adventists regard her as a "prophet." She's even listed on Smithsonian's 2014 list of "100 Most Influential Americans of all time."

That's a big legacy. And with that legacy comes a lot of lore, tradition and baggage.

So how do we find out who Ellen White really was, and what her role in the Adventist church should be?

This is Part 1.

Guests: Dwain Esmond and Michael Campbell

Ellen White addressing denominational leaders at the 1901 General Conference Session, which brought about major structural reorganization of the Adventist Church. Courtesy of the White Estate.

Dive Deeper

Book | Ellen White Pocket Dictionary by Michael Campbell and Jud Lake

Written by one of our guests, Michael Campbell, this handy reference book defines important terms and historical facts about Ellen White and the early Adventist Church.

From the description:

"This book includes not only basic terms of reference--such as people, publications, or places, but also specific words, or jargon, familiar to people who lived during Ellen G. White's lifetime."

Website | Ellen White Estate

The Ellen White Estate was established after the death of Ellen White on July 16, 1915. It was detailed in her will to preserve her writings and make them available to the public.

The White Estate has curated "Issues and Questions Regarding the Inspiration, and the Life and Work of Ellen White" section, where the estate answers common questions about the nature of Ellen White's prophetic gift and writings.

Website | Ellen White's Writings

Maintained by the White Estate and completely free.

This searchable digital collection includes all her published books, and published writing from Adventist Publications like the Review and Herald, and most personal letters.

Ellen White's writings are available in 138 languages, including English, Chinese, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Romanian, Russian and Spanish.

Book | Ellen Harmon White: American Prophet edited by Terrie Aamodt

An academic, historical analysis of Ellen White, this book includes essays from both Adventist and secular scholars, giving a unique view of Ellen's life, work and impact.

From the description:

"In America, as in Britain, the Victorian era enjoyed a long life, stretching from the 1830s to the 1910s. It marked the transition from a pre-modern to a modern way of life. Ellen Harmon White's life (1827-1915) spanned those years and then some, but the last three months of a single year, 1844, served as the pivot for everything else. When the Lord failed to return on October 22, as she and other followers of William Miller had predicted, White did not lose heart.

Fired by a vision she experienced, White played the principal role in transforming a remnant minority of Millerites into the sturdy sect that soon came to be known as the Seventh-day Adventists. She and a small group of fellow believers emphasized a Saturday Sabbath and an imminent Advent. Today

that flourishing denomination posts eighteen million adherents globally and one of the largest education, hospital, publishing, and missionary outreach programs in the world.

Over the course of her life White generated 70,000 manuscript pages and letters, and produced 40 books that have enjoyed extremely wide circulation. She ranks as one of the most gifted and influential religious leaders in American history and this volume tells her story in a new and remarkably

informative way. Some of the contributors identify with the Adventist tradition, some with other Christian denominations, and some with no religious tradition at all. Their essays call for White to be seen as a significant figure in American religious history and for her to be understood within the

context of her times."