Note: This post will likely only be relevant to you if you are a Seventh-day Adventist.
I'm currently about to start work on an article about Ellen White. For those non-Adventists who have decided to read on anyway, a short answer is that Adventists believe that Ellen White had the spiritual gift of prophecy. She has written numerous literature on God, health and temperance. And for the record, we don't believe either her or her writings are as important as God and the Bible.
Anyway, the reason for this post is because I want to hear from you. Hear why you feel Ellen White is still relevant to the young people of today. Or maybe you don't feel that way?
I want to hear from you.
Technorati tags: Ellen White, EWG, Adventist
6 comments:
Hey Melody,
That sounds like a noble venture.
I wrote something on the relevancy of Adventist beliefs and the shifting meanings of Ellen White over at The Spectrum Blog. Some other young grad school Adventist have also commented on the topic in fresh ways.
Come join the conversation.
Wasn't a big fan of EGW until I did the Adventist Heritage semester at Avonjail. I think it was because people had previously used EGW to bash others over the head with, when in fact she was pretty cool, had a lot of interesting things to say and didn't like people using her to do the bashing over the head thing.
(Yes, yes, I know I was kind of the one who asked you to write the article about the relevance of EGW, but it's just too tempting to comment! Good luck with it :)
I believe Ellen White was inspired and that if her writings are followed, we will be a happier people. We will also not be deceived at the end of time if we believe in her as Prophet of God.
I believe the same Holy Spirit that inspired her to write is the same one that inspired the prophets in the Bible.
the relevance i can draw from her writings are not specific do and do not do things. I can draw guildlines from her writings but they can never be as specific as do not go to the theatre. She wrote for her time period not for mine and i must respect that boundary.
Ellen continues to be important because of her example of courage, conviction, and pioneering spirit. Not everything she said or did applies to us today directly, but it's how she lived her life that continues to inspire us. Her life, I think, is a great case study of how God uses and works with a frail, weak and sinful human being. I think the best book by Ellen is 'Life Sketches.' It's a great introduction especially for youth and young adults, I think.
I love her writings. When I want some good reading, I usually pick up one of her books. She definately points us towards God and not herself.
When teaching the youth, I avoid thate dreaded "Ellen White says.." when trying to get them to straighten up. Instead I use it when I am trying to get them to give their hearts over to Christ and dedicate themselves.
The challenge we face these days is presenting her in the way that God had chosen her to be... To lead us back to the Bible.
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