Steps to Christ? Or Steps to Something Else?

by | Nov 17, 2024 | Adventism, Articles, Ellen G. White | 1 comment

Part 1

The book Steps to Christ, supposedly authored by Ellen White, is THE book that an Adventist would hand someone if they wanted to evangelize another Christian or non-Christian. In fact, many have come to know Christ by reading this exact book. Ty Gibson’s personal testimony shares that he used to be agnostic and came to know Christ through reading Steps to Christ! [1]

But is this book really leading someone to Christ? Was it actually authored by Ellen G. White? Or is it something entirely different? I know—this is a rabbit hole many don’t want to go down, but hang tight and check my work.

Dr. Jud Lake is a distinguished scholar and professor specializing in preaching and Adventist studies. Since 1997, he has been a faculty member at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, where he teaches courses such as “Prophetic Ministry of Ellen G. White” and “Adventist Heritage.” When my wife and I went to Southern Adventist University, we took some classes from Dr. Jud Lake. In fact, I proposed to Jennifer Colburn in one of Dr. Lakes’s classes! (Don’t judge me… LOL)

Dr. Lake asserts that “all the writing came directly from Ellen White.” [2] However, while critics have conceded that editorial assistants incorporated material from Mrs. White’s earlier books, this does not confirm Ellen White as the sole author. Instead, it indicates that certain passages from her prior writings were integrated into the book by assistants such as Ms. Bolton, Ms. Davis, or others who may have been more involved in the actual composition of the text.  Even Dr. Lake admits to this.

Steps to Christ is a compilation from Ellen White’s earlier writings. In 1890, Ellen White assigned her top literary assistant, Marian Davis, to compile from her earlier writings material for a book on how the sinner comes to Christ.” [3]

During this era, Mrs. White’s reliance on material from other authors without proper attribution was a source of discomfort among her editorial team. Her assistants were acutely aware of the extent to which she borrowed from non-original sources, a practice that later caught the attention of the SDA Church. The Church devoted substantial time and resources to examining the content of Desire of Ages, a work on which Ms. Davis was the primary editor, and concluded that a considerable amount of the book had been sourced from other non-SDA authors. This scrutiny highlighted the extent of Ellen White’s uncredited use of outside material. (If you want to see Ellen’s literary stealing details, you can watch this great docu-series by Test the Prophet.)

In 1901, Ms. Bolton expressed her frustration in a “confession,” revealing the tension created by Mrs. White’s lack of transparency around her sources:

“I tried for years to harmonize what seemed to me inconsistency in the work with a worldly literary maxim that requires an author to acknowledge his editors and to give credit to all works from which he quotes. In contending that Sr. White was not open and honest about this matter, I supposed myself standing for a principle of ordinary justice and literary honesty…” [4]

Bolton’s words illustrate the ethical dilemma faced by those close to Ellen White’s work. For years, she wrestled with what she viewed as inconsistencies between White’s practice of borrowing from other authors and the established norms of literary integrity.

Ronald L. Numbers (1942–2023) was a prominent American historian of science and medicine renowned for his extensive research on the interplay between science and religion. Born into a Seventh-day Adventist family—his father was a pastor, and his grandfather served as a General Conference president—Numbers was deeply immersed in the church’s teachings from an early age.

In 1976, while teaching at Loma Linda University, Numbers published “Prophetess of Health: A Study of Ellen G. White.” This groundbreaking work critically examined Ellen G. White, a co-founder and prophetess of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, situating her health teachings within the broader context of 19th-century health reform movements.

Numbers comments on Fanny Bolton’s experience as a literary assistant to Ellen White.  He states that,

“Many of her (Frances “Fanny” Bolton’s) employers’ publications (Ellen White’s writings) were not only paraphrased from other sources but written in their final form by privately hired editors.  The material coming from Ellen White’s own hand she described as being ‘illogically written, full of illiteracies, awkward writing, and often wrong chronology.’ [5] Upon divulging these secrets, she probably lost her job.” [6]

Fanny didn’t know who to turn to since any opposition to Ellen White would bring hostility to her career.  So she turned to Dr. Merritt Kellogg, who was with Mrs. White in Australia at the time of this particular incident. Merritt Kellogg was a friend of the White family and the half-brother of J.H. Kellogg, the Kellogg we all know from our cereal boxes. Fanny came to Merritt one day and said:

“Dr. Kellogg, I am in great distress of mind.  I come to you for advice for I do not know what to do.  I have told Elder [George B.] Starr what I am going to tell you, but he gives me no satisfactory advice.  You know,” said Fanny, “ that I am writing all the time for Sister White.  Most of what I write is published in the Review and Herald as having come from the pen of Sister White, and is sent out as having been written by Sister White under inspiration of God.   I want to tell you that I am greatly distressed over this matter for I feel that I am acting a deceptive part.  The people are being deceived about the inspiration of what I write.  I feel that it is a great wrong that anything which I write should go out as under Sister White’s name, as an article specially inspired of God.  What I write should go out over my own signature,  then credit would be given where credit belongs.”  I gave Miss Boulton [sic] the best advice I could, and then soon after asked Sister White to explain the situation to me.  I told her just what Fanny had told me.  Mrs. White asked me if Fanny told me what I had repeated to her, and my affirming that she did she said, “Elder Starr says she came to him with the same thing.”  Now said Sister White, with some warmth, “Fanny Boulton shall never write another line for me.  She can hurt me as no other person can.”  A few days later Miss Boulton was sent back to America.” [7]

While many Adventist apologists like Dr. Jud Lake will quickly come to Ellen White’s defense and deface the personal testimony of Fanny Bolton, one still must understand the internal struggle these literary assistants dealt with.  They were tasked to write articles that would then get stamped with Ellen White’s name and claimed they came directly from God.  Do you not see the problem with this literary manipulation?

Since Fanny Bolton’s personal testimony is usually belittled and her personal character discredited, I’d like to present a piece of evidence from Edward S. Ballenger, who obtained a signed and witnessed document personally testifying that Fannie was a literary assistant for Ellen White from 1895-97 and that Fannie claimed she was the author of Steps to Christ and that Ellen White took the manuscripts and published them under her own name:

As long as these literary assistants served Ellen White in a way that was positive to ‘the work,’ they were applauded.  In the case of Fanny Bolton, Ellen clearly used her talents in a way that only benefited Ellen’s work.  Once Fanny expressed any concern about the idea of Ellen plagiarising, true to Ellen White, she would have ‘visions’ from God that would condemn Fanny for working against the Lord’s work.

In a letter written to another literary assistant, Marian Davis, Ellen wrote:

“She (Fanny) becomes at times as verily possessed by demons as were human beings in the days of Christ. And when these paroxysms are upon her, many think she is inspired of God. She is fluent, her words come thick and fast, and she is under the control of demons. Then she claims that she has done the very things in my service I have told her in no case to do, that she has substituted her words for my words.” [8]

Ellen never truly addressed the root of her issues: her own dishonesty, fraud, and plagiarism. However, she made it abundantly clear that others could not comprehend the significant work of the Lord’s Messenger:

“Should I attempt to vindicate my course to those who do not appreciate the spiritual character of the work which is laid upon me; it would only expose myself and the work to misconception and misrepresentation. To present the matter before other minds would be useless, for there are but few who are really so connected with God [who] see beneath the surface appearance as to understand it. This work is one that I cannot explain.” [9]

Steve Daily, in his book Ellen G. White A Psychobiography, rightly points out:

“To talk about the spiritual character of her work, when it was overwhelmingly based on plagiarism and fraud, takes a lot of nerve.  To suggest that others could not understand the nature of her work because they were not enough “connected with God” is even worse and an insult to God. Of course, Ellen could not explain her work, because there is no explanation, justification, or rationalization for literary theft, gross deception, and attributing such things to the Almighty.” [10]

So, did Ellen G. White write Steps to Christ?  Are all the words in this small book, written to lead others to Christ, penned with only the messenger of the Lord’s own words, coming from the throneroom of God?  What would happen to the inspiration of this book and this author if other literary assistants wrote the words, as well as took the words from other books?

Part 2

The crumbs of evidence point in a common direction.  We don’t have just one or two people claiming that Ellen White borrowed other authors’ writings to put in her ‘inspired’ writings.

George Washington Amadon (1832–1913) was a significant figure in the early Seventh-day Adventist Church, contributing extensively as a printer, editor, and church leader. Amadon dedicated approximately 50 years to the Review and Herald Publishing Association, serving in various roles, including typesetter, printer, and editor. He edited the Youth’s Instructor from 1858 to 1864 and again from 1867 to 1869. In 1861, upon the incorporation of the Review and Herald Publishing Association, he was elected vice president.[11]

George was also a close friend of the White family. In his book The White Lie, Walter Rea shares a recorded interview with Amadon in which he discusses his knowledge of Mrs. White’s literary borrowing. And just in case you might be concerned that George might be lying, the interview was stenographically recorded.

I knew a large share of it [“How to Live”] was borrowed. … [With reference to “Sketches from the Life of Paul”] I said that Sister White never writes the prefaces to her books; I happen to know that others write them; and I said it has been stated formally in the preface of the book that such things had been taken from other works, that what had been copied verbatim ought to have been in quotation marks, or set in finer type, or in footnotes or something of the sort the way printers generally do ..She never reads the proof ..Sister White never in the Office sat down and read proofs properly …You know in the days of Elder James White how her writings were handled just as well as I do.” [12]/[13]

The list goes on and on.  Well, respective people who knew the Whites and were knowledgeable of how they operated.  Most of these individuals knew the Whites personally:

Arthur G. Daniells

“Minister, administrator; noted as one of the strongest leaders of the Adventist Church; president of the General Conference 1901-22. Close personal friends of the Whites; in Australia:

 

Now you know something about that little book, “The Life of Paul.”  You know the difficulty we got into about that.  We could never claim inspiration in the whole thought and makeup of the book, because it has been thrown aside because it was badly put together.  Credits were not given to the proper authorities, and some of that crept into “The Great Controversy” – the lack of credits … Personally that has never shaken my faith, but there are men who have been greatly hurt by it, and I think it is because they claimed too much for these writings.” [13a]

Benjamin L. House

“College professor of religion; present at the 1919 Bible Conference:

 

But such books as “Sketches [from] the Life of Paul,” “Desire of Ages,” and “Great Controversy,” were composed differently, it seems to me, even by her secretaries than the nine volumes of the Testimonies.” [13b]

Willard A Colcord

“Minister, editor, religious liberty secretary of the General Conference:

 

The making use of so much matter written by others, in Sister White’s writings, without quotes or credits, has gotten her and her writings into quite a lot of troule.  On of the chief objects in the late revision of “Great Controversy” was to fix up matters on this kind; and one of the chief reasons why “Sketches from the Life orf Paul” was never republished was because of serious defects in it on this ground.” [13c]

Camden Lacey

“Professor of Bible and biblical languages at five Adventist colleges; minister.  Personal friend of the Whites:

 

Sr. Marian Davis was entrusted with the preparation of “Desire of Ages” and .. she gathered her material from every available source … She was greatly worried about finding material suitable for the first chapter (and other chapters too for that matter) and I did what I could to help her; and I have good reason to believe that she also appealed to Professor Prescott frequently for similar aid, and got it too in far richer and more abundant measure than I could render.” [13d]

Healdsburg Ministerial Association

“A report in the local town paper of their comparison study of five books from which they determined Ellen White had copied; March 20, 1889:

 

Elder Heale would have the Committee believe that she [Ellen White] is not a reading woman.  And also, ask them to believe that the historical facts and even the quotations are given to her in vision without depending on the ordinary sources of information. … Would not any literary critic, Judging from the quotations advanced and a comparison of the passages indicated, conclude that Mrs. White in writing her “Great Controversy,” vol. iv, had before her the open books and from them took both ideas and words?” [13e]

Ellen White not only used the work of others without giving them proper credit, but she actively tried to hide this, denying it outright. In doing so, she was willing to harm the reputations of others or isolate them if necessary. From an ethical perspective, her actions were highly questionable, and the evidence suggests there is more than enough reason for serious doubt about her integrity.

Mrs. White insisted that if any alterations were made to her writings, God alone directed these changes, presenting Himself as the one who reveals “the condition of things.” [14] Ironically, her own words about honesty and openness seem to reflect back on her, as she failed to uphold the standards she expected of others. She appeared to believe that the ethical principles guiding other authors didn’t apply to her. Given her strong assertions about moral integrity and divine law, it’s difficult to justify her own acts of plagiarism, especially in light of her repeated denials of any such borrowing from other writers.

Consider if Ellen White’s own words applied to herself:

“In the Christian world today fraud is practiced to a fearful extent. God’s commandment-keeping people should show that they are above all these things. The dishonest practices which mar the dealing of man with his fellowman should never be practiced by one who professes to be a believer in present truth. God’s people do great harm to the truth by the least departure from integrity.” [15]

Ponder on these strong statements published in Sons and Daughters of God: (emphasis applied)

We Shall Not Lie, or Bear False Witness, February 27

 

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Exodus 20:16.

 

The ninth commandment requires of us an inviolable regard for exact truth in every declaration by which the character of our fellow men may be affected. The tongue, which is kept so little under the control of the human agent, is to be bridled by strong conscientious principles, by the law of love toward God and man.A

 

False-speaking in any matter, every attempt or purpose to deceive our neighbor, is here included. An intention to deceive is what constitutes falsehood. By a glance of the eye, a motion of the hand, an expression of the countenance, as falsehood may be told as effectually as by words. All intentional overstatement, every hint or insinuation calculated to convey an erroneous or exaggerated impression, even the statement of facts in such a manner as to mislead, is falsehood. This precept forbids every effort to injure our neighbor’s reputation by misrepresentation or evil surmising, by slander or tale-bearing. Even the intentional suppression of truth, by which injury may result to others, is a violation of the ninth commandment.B2

 

He [Jesus] teaches that the exact truth should be the law of speech. “Let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay.” … These words condemn all those meaningless phrases and expletives that border on profanity. They condemn the deceptive compliments, the evasion of truth, the flattering phrases, the exaggerations, the misrepresentations in trade, that are current in society and in the business world. They teach that no one who tries to appear what he is not, or whose words do not convey the real sentiment of his heart, can be called truthful.…

 

Everything that Christians do should be as transparent as the sunlight. Truth is of God; deception, in every one of its myriad forms, is of Satan.… We can not speak the truth unless our minds are continually guided by Him who is truth.C3/[16]

Understand that in Ellen White’s supposedly divine understanding, ‘deception, in every one of its myriad forms, is of Satan.’ Do we truly understand the ramifications of this statement?  How should we handle the evidence of a woman claiming to be the messenger of the Lord, not just a prophet but more than a prophet, who plagiarised and then continued to lie about where her content came from?  Claiming that ONLY God had given her this information.

Ellen White deliberately used and even modified the works of other authors without acknowledging them. Given her strong beliefs about honesty and integrity, it would have been easy for her to inform readers that her work incorporated ideas from other writers (alongside insights she claimed to receive from God) and to give those writers the credit they deserved. However, her choice to borrow so extensively from others without attribution strongly suggests that she understood that doing so might lead readers to question how much of her work was genuinely inspired versus adapted from existing, non-inspired sources.

Part 3

Many Adventists will claim that Ellen White has been exonerated of these old plagiarism charges. The issue isn’t really whether she plagiarized; the evidence convicts her as guilty as charged. As time has passed, more and more evidence has accumulated.

In August 1992, Walter Rea published a letter to his friends, officially notarized by the State of California, entitled, Who Lied Them or Me? The contents of this letter reveal that the SDA Church conceded to almost all of the major points dealt with in his groundbreaking book The White Lie. Here is a portion of this letter. You can read it in its entirety here:

————————————————————————————————–

Dear Friends:

In the December 1991 issue of Spectrum, which calls itself The Journal of the Association of Adventist Forums, there appeared an article by Jerry A. Gladson, entitled “Convert To Scholar: An Odyssey In Humility.” Jerry Gladson is Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs of the Psychological Studies Institute, an interdenominational graduate school of Psychology and Religion in Atlanta, Georgia. Previous to this he was Professor of Religion at Southern College [now Southern Adventist University], from which he received his B. A. He holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Old Testament from Vanderbilt University.

In the article he says “neither have we dealt adequately with the questions raised by Walter Rea regarding Ellen White. Although his claims tended to be overstated, the church has gradually come to concede almost all his major points. In 1990, Fred Veltman reported to the church at large his findings in two articles appearing in Ministry Magazine, “The Desire of Ages Project, The Data” (October 1990, December 1990) careful to point out that he had examined only a small section of The Desire Of Ages, thus making it difficult to generalize, Veltman concluded that Ellen White did use sources without giving credit, and that she, at times even denied doing so. The Desire Of Ages, he noted, was dependent on secondary materials. On the whole, an average of about 31 percent of the 15 chapters was in some way indebted to other material. Worse, her history, chronology, and theological interpretation often cited confidently by Adventists were not always reliable.” Spectrum, volume 21, number 5, December 1991.

While it is true that the church has tried to conceal information from it’s members as to what issues have been resolved by the studies of both Fred Veltman and myself, some of those issues have been admitted and / or resolved. Some of these are:

      1. There was massive borrowing on all levels of Mrs. White’s writings. The church had never before either known or admitted such borrowings to the membership or the public, no matter what we continue to read from the Review or other writers. (Glendale Tapes, 1990).
      2. What was written was not always accurate, that is, she made mistakes. It cannot be said therefore that she was always speaking for God. (Robert Olson, Ron Graybill, Glendale and Long Beach Tapes).
      3. Others helped her to do the gathering of material and also to do the writings. (Graybill paper, 1919 Bible Conference).
      4. All of what she said she saw did not come from visions. (Don McAdams, Ron Graybill, Robert Olson Papers, White Estate).
      5. All that came to the church in these writings were not inspired. (1919 Bible Conference, Robert Olson, White Estate, etc.).
      6. She was influenced by others in what she wrote and those that influenced her never claimed to be influenced by God or inspired themselves. (1919 Bible Conference, Robert Olson, White Estate).
      7. White ate meat most of her life and did not take much of the advice she claimed came from God. (White Estate papers, Ron Graybill study.).
      8. She was not as uneducated and unread as we have always been told.[17]

Later in his letter, Walter Rea references back to a 1980 meeting that was convened at Glendale Adventist Hospital. He writes:

“No one can change history no matter how or why they try, and that history is–that the then President of the General Conference, Neal Wilson, at my urging, asked eighteen scholars of the Church to meet with me and review my material on January 28, 29, 1980, at the Glendale Adventist Hospital. Those scholars were:

      1. Ralph Thompson, G.C. Chairman
      2. R. McAdams, College President
      3. W. Olson, White Estate
      4. Jack Provonsha, Loma Linda Minister
      5. L. Calkins, Conference President
      6. L. Richards, Bible Dept. P.U.C
      7. E. Douglass, Pacific Press
      8. Mrs. Ottilie Stafford, English Dept.
      9. E. J. Harden G.C. Education
      10. C. Torkelson, Administration
      11. G. Johnsson, Andrews University
      12. D. Venden, Loma Linda Minister
      13. Harold Lance, Attorney at Law
      14. O. Waller, English, Andrews University
      15. R. Lesher General Conference
      16. Mervyn A. Warren, Oakwood College
      17. Walter D. Blehm, President Pacific Union
      18. J. Wiley, Attorney at Law, U.S.C. Law

At the end of the meeting they made the following recommendations.

      • That we recognize that Ellen White, in her writings, used various sources more extensively than we had previously believed.
      • That, as soon as possible, a plan be developed for thoroughly informing our church administrators concerning the nature and extent of Ellen White’s use of sources.
      • That immediate study be given to a plan for educating the church in easily grasped steps on the subject of inspiration and Ellen White’s use of sources.
      • That an in-depth study on the writing of the Desire of Ages be implemented.
      • That a person trained in scholarly methodology be asked to work with Elder Rea.
      • To express our appreciation to Elder Rea for the enormous amount of work he has done.

I rest my case. With that kind of endorsement, would any of you have done any differently? It was only when the Church backed out of the Agreement that I then wrote The White Lie so that all who wanted to know could know what the committee had promised they should know. Who lied, them or me? Now that you know we love you all.

[ signed ]

Walter T. Rea[18]

—————————————————————————————————

Rea’s letter provides strong evidence that SDA leaders have been inconsistent and, at times, deceptive in managing the legacy of Ellen White. While publicly defending her image and the belief that her writings were purely inspired, evidence from the Glendale meetings (1919 Bible Conference held in Takoma Park, Maryland) and subsequent actions suggest that, privately, they admit her work was not entirely original or solely inspired by God. This disconnect has led to ongoing attempts to reframe her work, involving frequent re-evaluation, reinterpretation, and a series of apologetic efforts to keep her image intact.

These leaders seem to recognize significant issues surrounding White’s writings that cannot be ignored. Instead of fully disclosing these complexities to the church community, however, they appear to be subtly distancing the church from her influence. Rather than educating the church on the entire truth, they seem focused on gradually reducing her prominence—almost rebranding her legacy to make her teachings seem less central over time. This approach avoids direct transparency, allowing them to reshape White’s influence without openly addressing the concerns about her work’s originality and inspiration.

Now, we circle back to the original question of this article.  Was Steps to Christ authored by Ellen G. White?  Suppose there was literary theft, poor ethics, and a concealing of the literary borrowing. Can we not logically conclude, based on Ellen White’s own statements, that the work is a work of deception and thus from Satan?

‘Truth is of God; deception, in every one of its myriad forms, is of Satan.… We can not speak the truth unless our minds are continually guided by Him who is truth.” [19]

With this in mind and the correct backdrop to the literary borrowing around Ellen White, I’ll leave you with a few comparisons to ponder concerning Steps to Christ:

 

Steps To Christ (Ellen G. White—1892) The Great Teacher (John Harris—1836)
“The Father loves us, not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us. Christ was the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world.[20] “…the father loves us, not in consequence of the great propitiation, but that he provided the propitiation because he loved us; because he was bent on obtaining a medium through which he could pour out the ocean-fulness of his love upon us.”—pg. 105-6
“Jesus said, “Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.” John 10:17. That is, “My Father has so loved you that He even loves Me more for giving My life to redeem you. In becoming your Substitute and Surety, by surrendering My life, by taking your liabilities, your transgressions, I am endeared to My Father…[21] “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again because I lay down my life for the sheep;” in other words, ‘My Father loves you with a love so unbounded, that he even loves me the more for dying to redeem you. … by sustaining your liabilities, by surrendering my life as an equivalent for your transgressions…the Father loves me…” —pg. 106
Steps To Christ (Ellen G. White—1892) Sermons, Vol. I (Henry Melville—1853)
“It is true that repentance does precede the forgiveness of sins; for it is only the broken and contrite heart that will feel the need of a Saviour. But must the sinner wait till he has repented before he can come to Jesus? Is repentance to be made an obstacle between the sinner and the Saviour? The Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he can heed the invitation of Christ…It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ, that leads to genuine repentance.” [22] “We do not, of course, deny that there must be repentance before there can be forgiveness; and that it is only to the broken and contrite heart that Christ extends the fruits of his passion…But the question is, whether a man must wait until he has repented before he applies to Christ…And it is here, as we think, the mistake lies, a mistake which turns repentance into a kind of obstacle between the sinner and Christ. The scriptural doctrine in regard to repentance is not, that a man must repent in order to his being qualified to go to Christ…but there goes forth virtue from the Redeemer himself, strengthening us for that repentance which is alone genuine and acceptable.” —pg. 160-1
Peter made the matter clear in his statement to the Israelites when he said, “Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31. We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ.[23] St. Peter sufficiently laid down this doctrine, when he said of Christ, to the high priest and Sadducees, “him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and foregiveness of sins.”we can no more repent without Christ than be pardoned without Christ…”—pg. 161
Steps To Christ (Ellen G. White—1892) Sermons (Henry Melville—1844)
No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3. The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare…” [24] No calamity can befall the meanest amongst us, no anxiety disquiet him, no joy cheer him, no prayer escape him, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which he takes no immediate concern…We are told…that “he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”…the occupation is just as individual as though there were none other upon the earth to engage the watchfulness of Deity.” —pg. 296
When men go forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning; when the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor man gathers his children about the scanty board, each is tenderly watched by the heavenly Father. No tears are shed that God does not notice. There is no smile that He does not mark. If we would but fully believe this, all undue anxieties would be dismissed. Our lives would not be so filled with disappointment as now; for everything, whether great or small, would be left in the hands of God, who is not perplexed by the multiplicity of cares, or overwhelmed by their weight.[25] “…when he goes to his daily toil or his daily prayers, when he lies down at night, or rises in the morning, or gathers his little ones to the scanty meal, the poor man is tenderly watched by his God; and he cannot weep the tear which God sees not, nor smile the smile which God notes not…Then would all undue anxieties be dismissed…disappointments would be avoided, and hope would never make ashamed; for we should leave every thing, small as well as great, in the hands of Him who cannot be perplexed by multiplicity, nor overpowered by magnitude…” —pg. 143-5
Steps To Christ (Ellen G. White—1892) Walks and Homes (Daniel March—1866)
“You are not to wait for great occasions or to expect extraordinary abilities before you go to work for God. You need not have a thought of what the world will think of you. If your daily life is a testimony to the purity and sincerity of your faith, and others are convinced that you desire to benefit them, your efforts will not be wholly lost. The humblest and poorest of the disciples of Jesus can be a blessing to others. They may not realize that they are doing any special good, but by their unconscious influence they may start waves of blessing that will widen and deepen, and the blessed results they may never know until the day of final reward. They do not feel or know that they are doing anything great. They are not required to weary themselves with anxiety about success. They have only to go forward quietly, doing faithfully the work that God’s providence assigns…” [26] “The humblest and poorest of the disciples of Jesus can start waves of blessings that shall deepen and widen and flow forever. You need now know, you need not suspect that you are doing anything great; you need not worry yourself with busy anxieties about success. You have only to go on quietly, faithfully, doing the work which God’s providence assigns…You need not wait for great occasions, you need not ask for extraordinary abilities, you need not have a thought what the world will think of you; only let your daily walk be a living testimony unto Jesus, and God will keep that testimony in the world, widening and deepening and intensifying in power, long as the Gospel shall be preached for the salvation of men.” —pg. 222-3
Steps To Christ (Ellen G. White—1892) Important Questions (James Smith—1859)
“Who has the heart? With whom are our thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has our warmest affections and our best energies? If we are Christ’s, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. All we have and are is consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things.[27] “Who has the heart? With whom are our sweetest and warmest thoughts? Who has our best energies?If we are on the Lord’s side, our thoughts are with him, and our sweetest thoughts are of him. If we are on the Lord’s side, we have consecrated ourselves and all we have to his service…We desire to bear his image, breathe his spirit, do his will, and please him in all things.” —25-6

 

(The chart below was taken from Walter Rea’s book The White Lie)

Steps to Christ
E. G. White, 1892
Night Scenes in the Bible
Daniel March, 1868-1870
[96] If we take counsel with our doubts and fears, or try to solve everything that we cannot see clearly, before we have faith, perplexities will only increase and deepen…But if we come to God…and in humble, trusting faith make known our wants to Him…who governs everything with his will and His word, He can and will attend our cry, and will let light shine into our hearts. Through sincere prayer we are brought into connection with the mind of the Infinite. We may have no remarkable evidence at the time that the face of our Redeemer is bending over us in compassion and love, but this is even so. We may not feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us in love and pitying tenderness.

[336] While we take counsel with our doubts and fears, or try to solve the problem of the universe in the cabinets and laboratories of science, or to explore the depths of eternity with the feeble taper of human reason, we shall only increase our perplexity and deepen our disappointment…

[339] But let them go up to the mount of God…in humble, trusting prayer…that the supreme power governing the universe,,, and look only to him who sees everything at one view and governs everything with a word…Let them believe that…he will hear their voice and attend to their wants. And then the darkness and perplexity will vanish from their minds…

In every act of sincere prayer the soul comes into living contact with the infinite Mind. We see no face vending over us with looks of compassion. No voice answers to our humble cry. No hand is let down for us to grasp…as the child seeks the parents supporting hand.

Steps to Christ
E. G. White, 1892
God’s Will Known and Done
Almon Underwood, 1860

[96] Another element of prevailing prayer is faith. “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently gently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6….

But to claim that prayer will always be answered in the very way and for the particular thing that we desire is presumption.

[291] Another requisite of prevailing prayer is faith. He that cometh unto God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.” Heb. 11:6…You are not to expect it to come in a particular way, nor necessarily at just such a time.

 

. . . To Be Continued . . . Part 4 Released Tomorrow!

[1] Seeking What They Sought, “What Is an Adventist? | Ft. Ty Gibson,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_EN_9ucEWw&t=5407s

[2] Lake, “Ellen White Authored Steps to Christ,” http://www.ellenwhiteanswers.org/answers/steps-to-christ/

[3] Lake, “Ellen White Authored Steps to Christ.”

[4] Bolton, A Confession Concerning “The Testimony of Jesus Christ,” pg. 445

[5] Ballenger-Mote Papers, “Frances E. Bolton to George Mattison, February 24, 1926.”

[6] Numbers, Prophetess of Health, pg. 195.

[7] Kellogg, “Statement,” [1908]. Mrs. White’s side of the Fanny Bolton story is given in W.C. White and D.E. Robinson, The Work of Mrs. E.G. White’s Editors (St. Helena, California: Elmshaven Office, 1933)  Miss Bolton was a talented but troubled young woman, who later spent some time in a state mental hospital.

[8] Ellen G. White, The Fannie Bolton Story, n.d.

[9] Ellen G. White Estate, Manuscript Release No. 926: The Fannie Bolton Story (Ellen G. White Estate, 1982), 27.

[10] Steve Daily, Ellen G. White A Psychobiography, pg. 199.

[11] Ellen G. White Estate, “George Washington Amadon (1832-1913) / Martha Dormer Amadon (1834-1937),” https://ellenwhite.org/people/19249

[12] Amadon, “An Authentic Interview, pp. 3336.”

[13] “The White Lie: Walter T. Rea, Chapter 11”

[13a, b, c, d, e] “The White Lie: Walter T. Rea, Chapter 11”

[14] Ellen Gould White, Selected Messages From the Writings of Ellen G. White, Book 3 (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1980), 64.

[15] Ellen White, Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2 (Southern Publishing Association, 1977), 437.

A1 Letter 15, 1895.

B2 Patriarchs and Prophets, 309.

C3 Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 105, 106.

[16] Ellen Gould White, Sons and Daughters of God (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1955), 64.

[17] Walter Rea, Who Lied Them or Me?, n.d.

[18] Walter Rea, Who Lied Them or Me?, n.d.

[19] Ellen Gould White, Sons and Daughters of God (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1955), 64.

[20] Ellen Gould White, Steps to Christ (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 13.

[21] Ellen Gould White, Steps to Christ (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 14.

[22] Ellen Gould White, Steps to Christ (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 26.

[23] Ellen Gould White, Steps to Christ (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 26.

[24] Ellen Gould White, Steps to Christ (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 100.

[25] Ellen Gould White, Steps to Christ (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 86.

[26] Ellen Gould White, Steps to Christ (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 83.

[27] Ellen Gould White, Steps to Christ (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 58.

1 Comment

  1. Olivia

    You know… it seems as if every single time someone or something happens that Ellen “Doesn’t” want to happen, God all of a sudden steps in… LOL

    Reply

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