Connecting with Jesus or Ellen White?

There is a new program sponsored by the SDA church entitled Connecting With Jesus. More aptly it should be called connecting with Ellen White. As you can see by the artwork from the site the rays of the light are very specifically shining upon Ellen White. The Website proposes to get 10 Ellen White books to church members around the world. Of course this would be the way that the effort is connecting to Jesus because Ellen White writes about Religious subjects. Of course by this logic you could say the D.L. Moody, Charles Wesley or any number of authors were connecting to Jesus by reading their material. That this is limited to Ellen White shows that the real intent is to connect the church members with Ellen White who they incorrectly label as the Spirit of Prophecy.

Here is an example of the extra Biblical nature of Ellen White from Patriarchs and Prophets. Here is the material from Chapter 1 study guide.

Quote:

PATRIARCHS AND PROPHETS Chapter 1: Why Was Sin Permitted? 1. In heaven, Lucifer began to insinuate doubts concerning God’s law that governed the angels. How does he continue to attack God’s law? 2. What steps did Lucifer take that caused a spirit of dissatisfaction to grow among the angels? How did the loyal angels respond during this time? 3. The counsel and entreaties of the loyal angels opened a door of hope to the angels blinded by Satan’s deceptions; had they heeded, they might have broken away from his snares. How does this encourage you to witness to those who seem to have fallen beyond hope? 4. Why did God not destroy Satan, but see fit to allow sin to run its course? https://connectingwithjesus.netadven...Prophets-1.pdf

Notice these are questions, however it is their feeling that these questions will be answered from the material in Chapter one of Patriarchs and Prophets. And if you believe Ellen White they would be correct as she does answer those questions which the Bible does not address. Specifically for people who probably don't realize the difference between what the Bible says and what EGW says. Here are the problems.

1. In heaven, Lucifer began to insinuate doubts concerning God’s law that governed the angels. How does he continue to attack God’s law?

The Bible first of course does not equate Satan with Lucifer that is church tradition. Neither does the Bible say that Satan insinuated doubts concerning God's law that governed the angels. Even though many people do not realize the historical developments that equated Lucifer of Isaiah 14 to Satan it is none the less an historical fact that most Bible Commentaries note today. For more see Who is Lucifer (Satan Misidentified) After my article is a list of quotes from several commentaries, dictionaries and encyclopedias. Of course many more could be added, so be sure to read the evidence before merely discounting the idea because it is not consistent with the tradition one may have grown up with.

2. What steps did Lucifer take that caused a spirit of dissatisfaction to grow among the angels? How did the loyal angels respond during this time?

Again the Bible records nothing of steps of this supposed Lucifer to cause dissatisfaction, nor does it say how loyal angels responded. A lot of this is taken from the verse in Revelation "there was war in heaven" however that is only one interpretation of that verse e.g. that there really was a war in heaven. The rest is taken from the Lucifer myth as put forth in the early church fathers.

3. The counsel and entreaties of the loyal angels opened a door of hope to the angels blinded by Satan’s deceptions; had they heeded, they might have broken away from his snares. How does this encourage you to witness to those who seem to have fallen beyond hope?
4. Why did God not destroy Satan, but see fit to allow sin to run its course?

Again nothing in the Bible about this.

A fictional version of things as if they are presented in the Bible is a cause for concern. Many may say that Isaiah 14 is allegorical for Satan. However to be an allegory the information must be presented somewhere in the Bible as an unequivocal statement. Otherwise as an allegory it would have to be defined by the speculation that Satan did all those things in heaven. In which case it becomes nothing more then a speculation. Ellen White does not however say that this material is in the Bible hence the need for her input as a prophet and the use of the term Spirit of Prophecy. This gives authority and allows for non Biblical material to be accepted as if it was from the Bible.

Not that much of this is new to Adventism it is not, she is merely taking traditions and codifying it for Adventism. with the imprimatur of the truth backed by the prophet whose writing are viewed as the Spirit of Prophecy. Which leads to the problem of Connecting with Jesus program. It is simply a veiled attempt to promote Ellen White as a spiritual authority. Most likely an attempt to build up Ellen White in the world, increasing her impact in the third world and trying to recapture the authority of Ellen White as a prophet in the Adventist population of the first world.