by Robert Folkenberg
Originally appearing in From the G.C. President Jan 22, 1996 through April 22, 1996 under the title Off the Back Burner.
What are the possible results of not letting Ellen White fulfill her job description to "comfort". . . "and to correct those who err from Bible truth" (EW:78; 3SM:32)? The Great Controversy theme continues to be the plumb line by which Ellen White comforts, corrects, and specifies what is truth. This theme provides the glue of coherency to her insights that provide a distinctive and integrated unity in theology, education, health, etc.
Let me ask a few questions: could it be that confusion and ambiguity regarding the role of Ellen White leads to the fog of pluralism that may, at times, separate church members? Could it be that misunderstanding, misusing, or not using Ellen White contributes to what some call the "fragmenting" of Adventism? Could it be that some of the predicaments of church organizations and institutions are due to subconsciously modeling secular principles rather than consciously searching for the distinctive principles provided by the open of inspiration? Could it be that silent adaptation to culture and society has affected faithfulness in stewardship because some have lost the sense of the influence of the prophetic gift through Ellen White? Could it be that the unprecedented percentage of those Adventist-grown youth who leave the church do so because 1) they sense no identity with a distinctive "movement," in part because of a distorted understanding of Ellen White's role, and 2) suffer historical amnesia regarding her life and contribution? Could it be that some new members leave because they lack instruction regarding the role of Ellen White and her clear teaching regarding "the everlasting gospel" in the context of the Three Angels' Messages?
Could it be that the effect of these questions is further amplified when some declare that Ellen White is irrelevant in the 1990s, that her 19th-century eschatology merely reflects the social/political tensions of her day, and that her method of using contemporary sources disqualifies her as a reliable messenger? And that her biblical insights are, in some way, inferior to those of the Reformers and modern biblical scholars, etc?
Next we will ask Ellen White what she means by The Great Controversy theme.
What does Ellen White mean, or include in the Great Controversy theme? Here is her answer: "The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, [that is] the restoration in the human soul of the image of God. From the first intimation of hope in the sentence pronounced in Eden to that last glorious promise in the Revelation, They shall see his face; and His name shall be in their foreheads,' the burden of every book and every passage of the Bible is the unfolding of this wondrous theme man's uplifting the power of God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.' He who grasps this thought has before him an infinite field of study. He has the key that will unlock to him the whole treasure-house of God's word" (Ed:125, 126).
The goal of redemption is not just "forgiveness" but to restore in men and women the image of their Maker. We can summarize the gospel with the word, "restoration." Note: "The very essence of the gospel is restoration" (DA:824). This emphasis makes Seventh-day Adventist theology unique. This insight (the restoration of the image of God in the redeemed) becomes a germinal seed from which the Great Controversy theme grows into its unbendable, central trunk and its many coherent branches. It affects all Seventh-day Adventist teachings and becomes the litmus test for all doctrines. When one attempts to attach alien doctrinal branches to the Great Controversy theme trunk, alarms should go off in the church body. Marrying strange theology with Adventist theology can justifiably be described as "patchwork theology," and gives others the right to say that Adventists have given Ellen White a "wax nose," bending it to suit our personal views.
Next, Ellen White describes further what she means by the Great Controversy theme.
In our last segment we discovered that The Great Controversy theme is the "key I that unlocks, to the student, the whole treasure-house of God's word" (Ed:125-6).
With this theme informing Ellen White's basic instruction in theology, health/medical matters, educational philosophy, etc., she was able to "correct specious error and to specify what is truth" (1SM:32). Not to recognize this integrating principle opens the door to Adventism's confusion and ambiguity on key doctrines. This confusion and ambiguity may be the cause of pluralism's fog that tends to divide denominational workers and alienate church members.
Ellen White knew how to make the Bible's central theme exceedingly relevant to the church's mission and to the daily experience of every Christian: "The Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be compared with Scripture [hermeneutical principle]. The student should learn to view the Word as a whole, and to see the relation of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand central theme, [that is] God's original purpose for the world, of the rise of the great controversy, and of the work of redemption. He should understand the nature of the two principles that are contending for supremacy, and should learn to trace their workings. . . . He should see how this controversy enters into every phase of human experience; how in every act of life, he, himself reveals the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now deciding upon which side of the controversy he will be found" (Ed:190; see also PP:596).
In this paragraph we see how theology for Ellen White is not a string of pearls tied together by a limited world view or paradigm. Calvin would look at the Bible and read it through the lens of his own paradigm. Luther, Schleiermacher, Barth, Brunner, Bultmann, to name but a few, would see in the Bible what they were looking for, limited as they were by their philosophical presuppositions. All saw certain basic truths none saw the integrating factor of The Great Controversy theme. Some saw more of the fullness of God's character than others and their theologies reflected their view. Compare the picture of God that Luther, Calvin, or Wesley saw and then note how their pictures of God informed their theologies.
Next we will let Ellen White challenge us further about where to focus our theological energies.