In this new episode of Weimar University’s podcast, we examine the book Reclaiming the Prophet and tackle key questions about prophecy, infallibility, and the sources that shape our understanding of truth.

<p>In this new episode of Weimar University’s podcast, we examine the book Reclaiming the Prophet and tackle key questions about prophecy, infallibility, and the sources that shape our understanding of truth.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Weimar University

David Shin

Dojcin Zivadinovic

Reclaiming the Prophet?

What does the Bible have to say of the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet?

Why would God give us a prophet and then we be confused?

You water down the concept of a prophet and therefore Ellen White is not unique and I don't have to listen to her.

Oh and Christian perfection, I don't want to even, I don't want to talk about that.

People say Ellen White, Victorian era, 1800.

What we are doing is that we are becoming prophets and we become the standard authority in saying what is inspired and what is not.

How much is a prophet affected or not affected by historical context?

If a prophet is just affected by culture, then he's just 1 of us.

And then whose fault is it that it's confusing?

That doesn't mean Ellen White as a person is infallible.

Will we say the Bible is I would say the Bible is From the Review and Herald January 20 1903.

She says sister white is not the originator of these books.

I Had my doubts with Ellen White Let's set the stage It's May 2025 and the Ellen White estate receives a copy of a book called Reclaiming the Prophet, an honest defense of Ellen White's gift.

It's on the bookshelves of the Adventist Book Center, and they review the book, and then they consult with Pacific Press.

And after the consultation, Pacific Press decides not to further circulate or reprint the book.

There's a big controversy brewing online about this book and to be clear we're not the white estate.

We're here at Weimar University and we are in support of the White Estate and Pacific Press's decision.

And I thought it'd be good if we sat down and had a conversation about this book.

This is from page 36 of the book Reclaiming the Prophet, and I quote, "...when therefore attempting to distinguish between a true prophet and a false 1, it's best not to think in either or terms." Now, let's hold that thought.

Whatever it means to believe a psalmist and a murdering adulterer cannot be 1 and the same person, or that Mother Teresa and Jimmy Swaggart or Ellen White and Joseph Smith, for that matter, have nothing in common.

It means there is an inability to see the gray conflicting ambiguities and the in-between." This is on page 38.

Well, we do have in the Bible a test of the true prophet.

The Bible says, by the fruits you shall know them, And there are several other tests.

They have been physical phenomena associated with true prophets, usually true prophets, and in the Bible they're described as they fall into unmovable state.

And Balaam, he says, I see with open eyes.

Ellen White had open eyes during visions.

She didn't have no breath coming out of her nostrils.

Her heart was beating, but no breath came out.

They put mirrors and different types of devices to see if any moisture is coming out of her mouth.

She never blinked for hours, and she never had contortions like spiritualist mediums, or she never had grimaces, it was all solemn and holy.

She would say glory, glory, glory, and then enter into vision.

And people, doctors, non-believers would investigate.

She had more than 100 public visions where people would come and investigate her state.

And then she comes out of visions, people would say that even more convincing was when she comes out of vision and she relates how God spoke to her and told her.

Sometimes the secrets of other people's hearts that nobody knew.

Sometimes the things that happen in the great controversy in heaven.

And so we have several tests of the prophet.

We know Joseph Smith, his fruit, polygamy, adultery, embezzlement, theft.

Usually other prophets, people who claim to be prophets, in their life, there's always something.

And even the enemies of Ellen White, Kenwright, who was her enemy, when he came to her funeral and he said, there goes a blameless Christian.

Even Candide, who was a critic of Ellen White.

He says there's nothing you can, you know, She was a Christian woman.

In other words, he couldn't find anything in her deportment in life.

He went to Colorado for months with James White and Ellen White, spending time together during vacation, during travels, high pressure situations.

And he never had anything in his book to say, she acted unchristian, or she, you know, lied, or she stole money, you know, or she did adultery, or anything like that.

They agree with scriptures, physical phenomena, and a few other tests of the prophet.

But those are important ones that you can tell.

And then the most important thing about the prophets is that the prophets, when God speaks to a prophet, God makes sure that when they write theological matter for the church, that there is no consequential message, errors, or theological errors that could confuse the believers.

And so God preserves the writings of the prophet, or communication of the prophet, sometimes even through sermons, in their sermons and writings, God does not allow the prophet to go into theological error, because that would mislead the people.

So the Holy Spirit not only inspires the person, the Holy Spirit is there to ensure that when the prophet writes it, it's accurate in its theological concept, and so that it would not be misleading or misunderstood.

This goes to the biblical text in Isaiah 55, 11, which states that God says, my word that I sent to my prophets will never come back to me void." So that means that if God sends a word of warning or correction to the prophets, so the prophet can warn the church or correct the church or advise the church, God makes sure that he takes care of the message, so that the message doesn't get corrupted before it reaches the audience.

Because if the message gets corrupted before it reaches the audience, then what?

Why Did God even send the vision to the prophet so that the prophet can mess it up?

And then the word of God comes back to God without effect or void.

And this is what Ellen White was talking about.

People keep claiming that Ellen White, she writes and you can kind of, you don't have to accept her writings are correct, because you never know when she's true or she's in error.

And so this is the difference between a local pastor or an evangelist who is a man of God, he tries to preach the good word, but he can make errors, he can make mistakes, he can have misinterpretation of scriptures.

But the prophet is someone speaking in God's behalf to a higher level of accuracy, so that the people of God can clearly hear God's voice, and not with human opinion.

Balaam is trying to manipulate and say something, but he can't.

The Holy Spirit comes in and edits and reformats and he's saying stuff that later on the Magi use to find Jesus.

And then in the book of Acts, you see where Peter says that the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of David.

It tells you that the Holy Spirit is also there in the delivery and the utterance of the message.

Yeah, that doesn't mean Ellen White as a person is infallible.

And this is where this book merges the distinction.

It says that Ellen White never claimed to be infallible, And that's true.

She says, I, as a person, I'm not infallible.

I can have wrong opinions and wrong ideas, but when God tells me to speak, then it's the Word of God.

And God makes sure that the Church receives true correction and true advice, not mixed with human opinion.

Actually, John Andrews, in early Adventism, he had some misapprehension about Ellen White's ministry.

He believed she was a prophet because he saw the physical phenomena.

He saw the gift of her life and her prophecy, how it was helping the church.

But a few times she would say something that he didn't agree with, like she told him don't marry this woman or not gonna be the best for you, and he, you know, people have their own opinion, don't want to believe.

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Reclaiming the Prophet?

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