Adventists accept the Bible as their only creed and hold certain fundamental beliefs to be the teaching of the
Holy Scriptures. These beliefs, as set forth here, constitute the church's understanding and expression of the
teaching of Scripture. Revision of these statements may be expected at a General Conference Session when
the church is led by the Holy Spirit to a fuller understanding of Bible truth or finds better language in which
to express the teachings of God's Holy Word." 6
To be noted also in our discussion is the fact that the Seventh-day Adventist community is not a monolith
organization. The doctrinal positions range from the liberal to the most conservative with on-going heated
discussions within the church body. Such progressive search for the present truth (truth with contemporary
relevance to our society at our time) is in accordance with the Adventist ethos, and congruent with a
dynamic, progressive understanding of God's revelations to humankind.
I. The Prophetic Gift of E.G. White
The Spirit of Prophecy (Rev.19:10; 1 Cor. 12:10; 13:2) manifested in the counsels and writings of E. G.
White has been a contentious issue within and outside the Adventist Church. Critics accuse Adventists' use
of White's instructions and biblical interpretation as an extra-Biblical authority. This the Adventist Church
has repeatedly denied. In Questions on Doctrines (1957), Seventh-day Adventists Believe (1988), Handbook
of Seventh-day Adventist Theology (2000), the following affirmation and reaffirmation regarding the
Adventist Church's view of Ellen White are documented. "We do not regard the writings of Ellen G. White
as an addition to the sacred canon of Scripture. We do not think of them as of universal application as is the
Bible, but particularly for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We do not regard them in the same sense as
the Holy Scriptures, which stand alone and unique as the standard by which all other writings must be
judged. Seventh-day Adventists uniformly believe that the canon of Scripture closed with the Book of
Revelation. We hold that all other writings and teachings, from whatever source, are to be judged by, and are
subject to, the Bible, which is the spring and norm of the Christian faith." 7
"The writings of Ellen White are not a substitute for Scripture....Seventh-day Adventists fully support the
Reformation principle of sola scriptura, the Bible as its own interpreter and the Bible alone as the basis of all
doctrines. The founders of the church developed fundamental beliefs through the study of the Bible; they did
not receive these doctrines through the visions of Ellen White. Her major role during the development of
their doctrines was to guide in the understanding of the Bible and to confirm conclusions reached through
Bible study." 8
The history and function of Ellen White's prophetic gift as a literary postcanonical prophetess within the
Seventh-day Adventist Church include: 1) Ellen White acknowledges the supreme authority of God's Word,
the Bible, in her own words, "In His Word, God has committed to men the knowledge necessary for
salvation. The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They
are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrine, and the test of experience." 9 "The Spirit was not
given--nor can it ever be bestowed--to supersede the Bible; for the scriptures explicitly state that the Word
of God is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested..." 10 "Little heed is given to the
Bible, and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light." 11 "Yet the fact that
God has revealed His will to men through His Word, has not rendered needless the continued presence and
guiding of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the Spirit was promised by our Savior, to open the word to His
servants, to illuminate and apply its teachings. And since it was the Spirit that inspired the Bible, it is
impossible that the teaching of the Spirit should ever be contrary to that of the Word." 12
Ellen White states that her testimonies, both general and personal, written under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, are designed to call attention to biblical principles in order that errors can be corrected, the right
way more clearly seen, so that persons may be warned of errors in belief and lifestyle and called back to a
closer relationship with God and to a deeper study of His Word. 13
Based on White's own evaluations, an understanding is arrived at regarding her role as a prophetess in the
context of biblical understanding of prophet and prophecy. A prophet is one who not only foretells