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How do you tell if something is inspired? Pfandl shares with us that the way to tell if something is inspired is if it "resonates" with us:
After all, with so many false prophets and false teachers out there, they wanted to be careful. Knowing their concerns, and understanding them, the minister said to them: “This is something you have to come to on your own, through a personal conviction of the Holy Spirit. Take time to read her writings. Some things will resonate clearly with you right away; other things you might have questions about. But just read the books yourself and then come to your own conclusion about them. In the end, her writings are really the best and ultimate testimony regarding their origins.”Is this how God wants us to decide whether or not something is "inspired"? Are we to subject it to our own feelings in order to find out if it "resonates" with our soul? I find that the teachings of Gandhi "resonate" with me, but I sure don't believe he was inspired the way the Bible was! What if someone finds the Book of Mormon "resonates" with their heart? Would Adventists tell that person to accept Joseph Smith as a prophet because his writings "resonated"?
It is unlikely a new Adventist would be able to discern whether or not Mrs. White was a true prophet based simply upon reading one of her books. To begin, the books most often pushed on new members are Desire of Ages and Steps to Christ. The first book contains a large amount of material "borrowed" from at least 23 different Christian authors (including fictional accounts) and was put together by a professional writer named Marian Davis. The second book was written by Fannie Bolton and given to Mrs. White who took it and published it under her own name. Given this, how can one get a good sense of whether or not Mrs. White was inspired by reading these works?
There is only one valid and objective method of deciding whether or not Ellen White was a prophet. That method is to test her against the Biblical Tests of a Prophet. Any other method is sheer folly.
Over and over throughout the entire Quarterly, Elder Pfandl keeps re-emphasizing the importance of the Sanctuary doctrine and its foundation in Scripture.
...so, too, did the early Advent believers come to a new understanding of the sanctuary truth through their study of Scripture and by God’s guidance in the prophetic ministry of Ellen White.Ironically, the Sanctuary doctrine is the doctrine with the least Biblical support--the doctrine that hinges the most upon the "inspiration" of Ellen White. Every Adventist should understand the truth about this doctrine, and a good starting point is the document that Dr. Raymond Cottrell, a long-time Seventh-day Adventist theologian, wrote on the Sanctuary. Please click here to read it.
In Wednesday's lesson Pfandl reaches into the depths of cultic brainwashing, accusing those who dare to put Ellen White to the Biblical tests as "spilling the blood of prophets":
Despite all the evidence for the integrity and validity of Ellen White’s ministry, even among us there are those who are, in a sense,spilling “the blood of the prophets.” Among us, as in ancient Israel, there are those who in various ways, subtle and sometimes not so subtle, are working to destroy confidence in the prophetic ministry of Ellen White. It has been that way from the beginning, and we can be sure it will be right up to the end, as well. Just about every charge leveled against her and her works are similar to the charges leveled against the prophets of old and against the Word of God itself.Perhaps Pfandl is hoping to frighten into silence those who do not believe Ellen White passed the tests of a prophet by giving them a dire warning about "spilling the blood the prophets." Sure, its good to be careful and thorough in our studies. But once we have prayed for guidance and examined the evidence thoroughly and come to a conclusion, we must act on our conscience, not be frozen in fear. Do not let Pfandl's bloody guilt-trip statement dissuade you from investigating the claims of Ellen White for yourself and sharing your findings with others.
NO MAN HAS A RIGHT TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN OR CANNOT BELIEVE ABOUT ELLEN WHITE!
Elder Pfandl obviously put a lot of hard work into this Quarterly. I do not know him, but he seems sincere in his beliefs. I respect and understand his beliefs because I was once a strong believer in Ellen White. My belief in Ellen White was based upon "partial information", much the same as we find in this Quarterly. Once I found out the other side of the story, I was able to make an accurate decision regarding the inspiration of Ellen White. Elder Pfandl writes in closing:
More than enough evidence has been given for anyone to make an informed decision regarding the gift...With all due respect to Elder Pfandl, whose main intent appears to be converting people to his point of view, this Quarterly is a biased and entirely one-sided approach to Ellen White. It does not even begin to paint a fair and accurate picture of her. There is no possible way that anyone could make an accurate assessment of Ellen White's "gift" by reading this Quarterly.
Are you willing to learn about the other side of Ellen White? Then I have a challenge for you. I challenge you to read the writings of her critics. Yes, we are as one-sided in our viewpoint as SDA corporate executives are in theirs. But hopefully, by comparing both viewpoints, you will get the full picture of Ellen White and be able to make an accurate assessment of her inspiration.
Brother Anderson's EGW Collection
Robert Sander's Truth or Fables
Seventh-day Adventists have long claimed to be the one and only remnant church of Bible Prophecy. They teach that one of the identifying marks of the true remnant church of Revelation is the presence of the Spirit of Prophecy. They teach this gift was manifested in the life and teachings of Ellen White.
This book shatters the myths about Ellen White, revealing where she obtained her health message and how she used it to amass a fortune. It shows how she publicly forbid others from eating meat, and from drinking tea and alcohol, while secretly she did the opposite. Likewise, the leaders of today's Adventist institutions pay homage to Ellen White with their lips while they quietly plot a course contrary to her divine instructions.
As you read this book you will discover why, in recent decades, literally hundreds of thousands of Adventists have redefined their belief in Ellen White.
The National Sunday Law. It is the ultimate conspiracy. As the story goes, wicked Christian leaders unite in a fiendish plot to murder all the Seventh-day Adventists who refuse to join them in worshipping on Sunday. Just in the nick of time, Jesus returns to save the holy Adventists and rain brimstone down upon the evil Sunday-keeping Christians.
Sound like a bizarre piece of fiction? Amazingly enough, there are those who claim this scenario came from Bible prophecy! Does the Bible really teach this treacherous conspiracy? Or is it a cunning deception hatched by a group with their own agenda and foisted upon unsuspecting Christians to coerce them to join God's true remnant church?
Jesus never promised a true prophet would appear in the last days. Instead, He said false prophets would arise who would deceive, if possible, the very elect.
Was Ellen G. White a true prophet or a pretender?
There is only one way to find out.
This book compares the life and teachings of Seventh-day Adventist prophet Ellen G. White with the seven Biblical tests of a prophet.
Examine the evidence and judge for yourself.
It has been extolled as "God's final message to the world" and the "truth for the end of time". The author, Ellen G. White, prophetess of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, claimed divine aid in writing the book.
Is this book, like the Bible, a divinely inspired writing, the product of visions and angelic communications? Or is it a cleverly disguised fraud, pieced together from the writings of others, contradicting both the Bible and known historical facts? Does the Great Controversy paint an accurate picture of history? Or does it rewrite history, slant the facts, and blur reality in order to promote a group's hidden agenda?
Beware! The answers may blow your mind!