I'm mostly in agreement with you, Tom. I'm not getting into the "begotten" thing, tho.

Richard,

Was it just, to persecute a lifelong servant of the Church, fire and strip him of his pension, because he blew the trumpet on the Evangelical meetings? M.L. Andreasen was standing up against error, infiltration and apostasy. At his advanced age I believe it broke him. It's a very sad story and shows the spellbinding influence of groupthink. How many shunned him because they were "just following orders" ?

As the saying goes, a society (or organization) is only as good as its treatment of weak & elderly members.

On the other hand, Donald Barnhouse (Eternity Magazine) and Walter Martin (Kingdom of the Cults, etc.) had the ear of the GC leadership and were welcome guests.

Ellen White had assistants to prepare the books that kept her materials, notes, sermons, etc.. and she herself did a lot of editing as she saw what she had written before did not fully express the idea or belief as most good editors do. This was a normal process which was done with all her writings especially when they went to be republished, some try to put a sinister spin on it but it was nothing but a normal work of any writer, to do the review of the work and editing and she looked at every final proof..

Here is from the White estate...

...Did any of the literary assistants alter the thoughts or make additions as the writings passed through their hands? This question is answered clearly by the written statements of several of Mrs. White's helpers:

"None of Mother's workers are authorized to add to the manuscripts by introducing thoughts of their own."--W. C. White to G. A. Irwin, May 7, 1900.

"From my own knowledge of the work, as well as from the statements of Sister White herself, I have the strongest possible ground for disbelieving that such a thing [the adding of thoughts by the copyist] was done."--Marian Davis to G. A. Irwin, April 23, 1900.

"In all good conscience I can testify that never was I presumptuous enough to venture to add any ideas of my own or to do other than follow with most scrupulous care the thoughts of the author."--D. E. Robinson, 1933, White Estate Document File 107g.

Mrs. White wrote voluminously on many topics. To supplement what was written specifically for a definite book, the literary assistant gathered other related gems of thought from her writings--books, published articles, manuscripts, letters, and discourses. Working together, Mrs. White and her assistants planned the outline of the books and prepared the matter chapter by chapter. In its final form, the manuscripts were read and given approval by Mrs. White herself and then sent to the printer....

Someone may interject here: “But the translators changed only errors of grammar and construction. They did not add new thoughts or make sweeping changes.” That is correct. Neither did Mrs. White's literary assistants. What evidence is presented to support the charge that “the manager of one of their largest publishing houses … did not suppose that Mrs. White ever prepared a whole chapter for one of her popular subscription books. They were all the work of others”? The answer is, No evidence at all. Obviously there were changes of words in revising grammar and of phrases in smoothing literary construction. But that was true of the translators' work on the Revelation.

We have found repeatedly that the critic's charges have been proved groundless....

We freely admit that her grammar and literary constructions, at times, were not perfect, and that literary assistants did, by making certain grammatical corrections, improve the clarity and give a certain polish to the writing. But that is something fundamentally different from what is being charged. And what proof can we present that the charge is false? Strictly speaking, we ought not to be required to defend Mrs. White against a charge which is based on hearsay and gossip and supposition, and the indirect testimony of an unnamed manager speaking to an unnamed individual.

But so great is the power of hearsay, so fatal a fascination has gossip and supposition for many minds, that a critic always has


[473]

a heavy advantage. He needs only to start a rumor in circulation, to tell a plausible story with a certain intonation of the voice, in order to play havoc with a reputation. Against the unsupported charge that Mrs. White was so hopelessly unlettered and ignorant that any quality or worth in her writings was edited in by assistants, some very specific evidence may be presented...


.....Her assistants were called upon, not to do creative, original work on her manuscripts, not to change the thought or intent, but simply to correct possible errors of grammar, to improve sentence structure, and the like, which, for lack of a better word, is sometimes described as polishing a manuscript. It would have been a


[486]

very unprofitable use of Mrs. White's time if she had done this painstaking, detail work.

All the polishing in the world will not make a pebble into a precious stone. Nor does polishing change in any way the intrinsic quality of a diamond. The polishing only makes the quality more evident. Even so with Mrs. White's writings and the so-called polishing done by literary assistants.*.....

...

Teresa -
If your mind is already made up, there's little point in asking for evidence.

Language Simplified by Helpers.--The articles that were simplified [by Fannie Bolton] on the childhood of Jesus were not satisfactory to me. The matter was diluted altogether too much, and the life and spirit did not appear.--Lt 84, 1895. {PM 209.1}
Edson, you are at liberty to select from my writings the matter that is needed for the proposed simple tracts and booklets for the Southern field. We send you some articles on the child life of Jesus [A SERIES OF FIVE ELLEN G. WHITE ARTICLES UNDER THE TITLE OF "CHILD LIFE OF JESUS," WHICH APPEARED IN THE YOUTH'S INSTRUCTOR, NOVEMBER 21, 1895, TO JANUARY 2, 1896.
EDSON ADAPTED MATERIAL ON THE LIFE OF CHRIST RECEIVED FROM HIS MOTHER, ELLEN WHITE, AND PREPARED THE WELL-KNOWN BOOK CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR (THE STORY OF JESUS), WHICH FIRST APPEARED IN 1896, AND IS STILL AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND A FEW NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGES.
THE STATEMENTS QUOTED ABOVE SHOULD NOT BE UNDERSTOOD TO BE AUTHORIZATION BY ELLEN WHITE TO SIMPLIFY ALL OF HER WRITINGS.] that may be a help to you. As you will see, they are in two styles. Sister Bolton, my copyist, has had little time for the preparation of the simple form, and you may be able, yourself, to simplify in a way that will suit you better. You are the one who can best prepare the matter you need, for you are acquainted with the Southern field. You will know how simple to make the truth so as to be understood, and what portions to select.... {PM 209.2}

If you had the task given you of handling Old and New Testament writings, you would see large improvements to be made, great additions and subtractions and changes of expressions; you would put in words and ideas to suit your standard of how it should appear. We should then have Fannie Bolton's life and expressions, which would be considered by you a wonderful improvement; but disapproved of God. Letter 7, 1894, p. 1. (To Fannie Bolton, February 6, 1894.) {1MR 34.1}

You and he have evidenced your opinion of your own judgment--that it was more reliable than Sister White's. Did you consider that Sister White has been dealing with just such cases during her life of service for the Master, that cases similar to your own, and many varieties of cases, have passed before her that should make her know what is right and what is wrong in these things? Is a judgment that has been under the training of God for more than fifty years of no preference to those who have not had this discipline and education? Please consider these things.--Letter 115, 1895, p. 4. (To Fannie Bolton, Nov. 26, 1895; 3SM p. 60.) {2MR 87.4}


I tell you that there is not a semblance of truth in her [FANNY BOLTON, ONE OF ELLEN WHITE'S LITERARY ASSISTANTS FOR A SHORT PERIOD IN AMERICA AND A FEW YEARS IN AUSTRALIA, WAS AT TIMES TEMPTED TO MAKE RIDICULOUS AND UNSUSTAINED CLAIMS FOR HER CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE COPYING AND EDITING OF E. G. WHITE MATERIALS. HER CLAIM TO BE SOMEWHAT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF STEPS TO CHRIST IS WITHOUT FOUNDATION. A CONFESSION ON HER PART IN 1901 SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT.] statements. My copyists you have seen. They do not change my language. It stands as I write it. . . . {9MR 23.1}
My work has been in the field since 1845. Ever since then I have labored with pen and voice. Increased light has come to me as I have imparted the light given me. I have very much more light on the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which I shall present to our people if my way is not blocked by such influences as the influence exerted by Fannie Bolton. Such a work as hers calls for my pen and voice to contradict her statements, in order to save poor souls from being entirely swamped by her assertion that she has received the Holy Ghost. This is another phase of her desire to exalt herself as ordained by the Lord to bear a message to His people. The Lord did not send her, yet she ran. She will not honor the cause of God, but will mislead others. {9MR 23.2}

Another example of the changing of pronouns can be found in comparing the following statement first published in The Signs of the Times, September 27, 1899, and then republished in Ye Shall Receive Power in 1995:

Signs of the Times, September 27, 1899
“The Lord would have every one of His children rich in faith, and this faith is the fruit of the working of the Holy Spirit upon the mind. It dwells with each soul who will receive it, speaking to the impenitent in words of
warning, and pointing them to Jesus, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. It causes light to shine into the minds of those who are seeking to co-operate with God, giving them efficiency and wisdom to do His work.”

Ye Shall Receive Power, page 59
“The Lord would have every one of His children rich in faith, and this faith is the fruit of the working of the Holy Spirit upon the mind. He dwells with each soul who will receive Him, speaking to the impenitent in
words of warning, and pointing them to Jesus, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. He causes light to shine into the minds of those who are seeking to cooperate with God, giving them efficiency and wisdom to do His work.”

The Lord would have every one of His children rich in faith, and this faith is the fruit of the working of the Holy Spirit upon the mind. It dwells with each soul who will receive it, speaking to the impenitent in words of warning, and pointing them to Jesus, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. It causes light to shine into the minds of those who are seeking to cooperate with God, giving them efficiency and wisdom to do His work. {YRP 59.2}

The Lord would have every one of His children rich in faith, and this faith is the fruit of the working of the Holy Spirit upon the mind. It dwells with each soul who will receive it, speaking to the impenitent in words of warning, and pointing them to Jesus, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. It causes light to shine into the minds of those who are seeking to cooperate with God, giving them efficiency and wisdom to do His work. {YRP 59.2}