FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS M y introduction to Ellen White (1827-1915) and her writings was certainly less than ideal when I was in my early teens I began attending church sporadically in Communist East Germany. While some people had strong objections to her prophetic ministry, others employed her writings to release tirades against the “sinners in the hands of an angry God.” 1 Maybe you can relate to my experience of getting to know her as an old woman who apparently enjoyed criticizing people with a wagging hand. However, Ellen White herself felt uncomfortable transmitting messages of reproof that God had given her for specific people, because she thought these messages were too harsh. 2 When I began discovering her writings for myself, I saw that most of what she wrote does not belong in the category of rebuke and reproof but are aids for a better understanding of Scripture, growing closer to Jesus, making sense of the conflict between good and evil, living a healthy and fulfilled life in this world, and anticipating life on the new earth. Even the nine volumes of Testimo- nies for the Church do not contain merely admonitions to specific people and churches with particular prob- lems in distinct circumstances but also biographical material and helpful advice. However, even much of the rebuke in these volumes could be summarized as follows: Be more lov- ing to your spouse, family, fellow believers, and neighbors. Admittedly, we usually cannot stand reproof and rebuke. God’s prophets in biblical times frequently experienced persecution, even martyr- dom (Luke 11:46-51; Acts 7:52; Rom. 11:3). Yet blaming His prophets for the messages misses the mark, as they only function as God’s instrument communicating messages that origi- nate with God. Nature and Purpose of Prophetic Ministry When I became more acquainted with the stories of biblical prophets and the life and person of Ellen White, I began to appreciate them as individuals who were not free from mistakes but who wanted to submit themselves to the Holy Spirit’s guid- ance and sanctifying influence. I dis- covered that besides foretelling future events and thundering messages of warning, biblical prophets reminded God’s people of His mighty, miracu- lous, and glorious actions in history. They also emphasized the need to remember God’s past sayings and Love NUMBER 18 By Denis Kaiser teachings, and pointed His people to the Word of God already known (cf. Isa. 8:20). Their recounting of victo- ries and failures illustrates that spiri- tual victories can only grow out of a close and living connection to God. Their messages were to awaken trust and confidence in God’s guidance, to bring about a closer and more faithful relationship to God, and to point to Jesus Christ as the promised substitute and divine-human Messiah. Reciprocal Love Such appeals make sense only if the intended audience has some freedom of choice. Unless we were created with a free will, we would be mere robots, unable to love and experience satisfac- tion and fulfillment. Only freedom of choice and God’s prevenient and sanc- tifying grace make possible reciprocal love between Him and His people. Witness of God ’ s 22 Adventist World - nad | January 2015