Seventh-day Adventist prophetess, Ellen G. White, is revered by Adventists as God's mouthpiece to His "Remnant Church". Fundamental Belief #18 teaches, "As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction."

The obvious question for any Christian is, "How does the Seventh-day Adventist Church deal with two authorities -- the Bible and the teachings of Ellen White?"

George. A. Irwin, General Conference President stated,

"It is from the standpoint of the light that has come through the Spirit of Prophecy (Mrs. White’s writings) that the question will be considered, believing as we do that the Spirit of Prophecy is the only infallible interpreter of Bible principles, since it is that Christ, through this agency, giving real meaning of his own words." (from the tract The Mark of the Beast, p. 1, G. A. Irwin, General Conference President)

Jan Paulsen, the current General Conference President stated,

The historic sanctuary message, based on Scripture and supported by the writings of Ellen White, continues to be held to unequivocally. And the inspired authorities on which these and other doctrines are based, namely the Bible supported by the writings of Ellen White, continue to be the hermeneutical foundation on which we as a church place all matters of faith and conduct. Let no one think that there has been a change of position in regard to this. (Jan Paulsen, "The Theological Landscape," 2002, http://www.adventistreview.org/2002-1524/story3.html)

Arthur White, grandson of Ellen White, and for years the head of the Ellen G. White Estate, made the following claim,

"Seventh-day Adventists are uniquely fortunate in approaching the question of inspiration of the prophets. We are not left to find our way, drawing our conclusions from writings of two thousand years and more ago, that have come down to us through varied transcriptions and translations.

With us it is an almost contemporary matter, for we had a prophet in our midst. It is generally granted by the careful student of her works that the experience of Ellen G. White was no different from that of the prophets of old. What is more, rather that having in our possession only a few chapters of a handful of letters as is the case of the extant records of the Bible prophets, we have the full range of Ellen G. White's writings, penned through a period of 70 years. She wrote in the English language, so we are not confronted with the problems of translation". (The Ellen G. White Writings, page 15)

Clearly Ellen White, as God's mouthpiece to his "Remnant Church", the "only infallible interpreter of Bible principles", the "Word made flesh", is in an extremely unique and influential role. Seventh-day Adventists view her word as the voice of God -- clearer and more complete even than the Bible.

There are many precious truths contained in the Word of God, but it is "present truth" that the flock needs now. (Early Writings, p. 63)

In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit. (Testimonies, Vol 4, p. 147)

She is considered to be much more than a prophet -- which would include even Moses.

Why have I not claimed to be a prophet?--Because in these days many who boldly claim that they are prophets are a reproach to the cause of Christ; and because my work includes much more than the word 'prophet' signifies. (Selected Messages, Vol 1, p. 32)

She herself wrote,

There is one straight chain of truth without one heretical sentence in that which I have written." — Ellen G. White, Letter 329A, 1905

In these letters which I write, in the testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you that which the Lord has presented to me. I do not write one article in the paper expressing merely my own ideas. They are what God has opened before me in vision–the precious rays of light shining from the throne. (Testimonies, Vol 5, page 67)

The Spirit of God works upon my mind and gives me appropriate words with which to express the truth. I am also greatly strengthened when I stand before large congregations.– (Selected Messages, Vol 3, page 51, Letter 90, 1907)

I am trying to catch the very words and expressions that were made in reference to this matter, and as my pen hesitates a moment, the appropriate words come to my mind. (Selected Messages, Vol 3, page 51, Letter 123, 1904)

Yet now when I send you a testimony of warning and reproof, many of you declare it to be merely the opinion of Sister White. You have thereby insulted the Spirit of God. You know how the Lord has manifested Himself through the spirit of prophecy. Past, present, and future have passed before me. I have been shown faces that I had never seen, and years afterward I knew them when I saw them. I have been aroused from my sleep with a vivid sense of subjects previously presented to my mind; and I have written, at midnight, letters that have gone across the continent and, arriving at a crisis, have saved great disaster to the cause of God. This has been my work for many years. A power has impelled me to reprove and rebuke wrongs that I had not thought of. Is this work of the last thirty-six years from above or from beneath? (Testimonies to the Church, Vol 5, p. 64)

It obviously comes as a shock to most Adventists to learn that Ellen White's mental faculties were significantly impaired for some time. Here is how she describes it.

I had indulged the desire for vinegar. But I resolved with the help of God to overcome this appetite. I fought the temptation, determined not to be mastered by this habit. For weeks I was very sick; but I kept saying over and over, The Lord knows all about it. If I die, I die; but I will not yield to this desire. The struggle continued, and I was sorely afflicted for many weeks. All thought that it was impossible for me to live. You may be sure we sought the Lord very earnestly. The most fervent prayers were offered for my recovery. I continued to resist the desire for vinegar, and at last I conquered. Now I have no inclination to taste anything of the kind. This experience has been of great value to me in many ways. I obtained a complete victory." (Letter 70, 1911, reproduced in Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 485)

One can be sure that this was no ordinary vinegar like we use today.

Let's examine how vinegar was made in the mid-1800s. Here are two recipes for homemade vinegar taken from Miss Leslie’s Directions for Cookery, published in 1851:

CIDER VINEGAR: Take six quarts of rye meal; stir and mix it well into a barrel of strong hard cider of the best kind; and then add a gallon of whiskey. Cover the cask, (leaving the bung loosely in it,) set it in the part of your yard that is most exposed to the air; and in the course of four weeks (if the weather is warm and dry) you will have good vinegar fit for use.

WHITE VINEGAR: Put into a cask a mixture composed of five gallons of water, two gallons of whiskey, and a quart of strong yeast, stirring in two pounds of powdered charcoal. Place it where it will ferment properly, leaving the bung loose till the fermentation is over.

As you can see from these recipes, vinegar in the mid-1800s was made with ingredients such as "strong hard cider" and "whiskey." In your grocery stores today the alcohol content of vinegar is much lower — around .5% alcohol, which is quite small. Can you imagine how much catsup you would have to consume to produce the effect that Ellen White's "vinegar" produced!

Over time we will endeavor to identify the approximate time period that Ellen White was under the influence, and which of her writings were produced during this time period. Her statement above certainly adds new meaning to the term "spirit" of prophecy. What "spirit" was she under?