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When Light And Darkness Collide
The “Great Controversy” is a Christian classic written by the most prolific writer in American history, Ellen Gould White. This best-selling book has been printed and reprinted in many editions and in many languages since its first edition in 1888.
Paperback
Published January 1, 2024
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August 28, 2026
The book makes the case for the concept of a universal war between right and wrong, good and evil, that happens to ensnare humanity.
The first twenty or so chapters offer a highly white-washed version of the formation of the Christian religion, formation of the papacy, and its march through the centuries.
The remainder of this nearly 500-page book makes the case for a massive, global, if not universe-wide battle between God and his army of angels, and Satan and his army of fallen angels. Satan, of course, being God’s son. How human of them.
It speaks of an all-powerful God having to deal with an insurrection and government in Heaven. It gives God and Satan very human attributes and reveals the thinking of man during a time of trade between societies, during a time of profound ignorance, when every good or bad thing that happened was attributed to either and angel or a demon. Blood sacrifice was still common.
If nothing else, this book inspired me to debate its merits with others steeped in the Christian religion, but it is a tedious read heavily reliant on Biblical passages, which, for the average reader, is already in need of translation into a more consumable version of English. It is overly wordy with constant repetition. Points are belabored for endless pages. There is no question the word count could be reduced by 60-70% without losing depth and meaning.
What disturbed me is the hint of glee reflected in Ms. White’s words when she described, abundantly, the suffering of the non-believers that a return of Jesus unleashes. It is a blood-soaked read while giving short-shift to the bloodshed that followed Christianity through the ages.
Much of the read is couched in militaristic terms, reflecting the need and desire to treat the spread of Christianity as a war against evil, but the foundation of the book is about Father against son. Two egotistical men butting heads and dragging the human race into the fight.
If you are old school and prefer the fire and brimstone approach to obedience to a deity, this book was written for you. It has been sanitized for Christian consumption.
But if your preference is the modern, more love than smite version of Christianity, I would not recommend you waste time reading this book, unless tedium isn’t a problem. There are better written books on this subject. Much shorter with translations of Biblical text.
The first twenty or so chapters offer a highly white-washed version of the formation of the Christian religion, formation of the papacy, and its march through the centuries.
The remainder of this nearly 500-page book makes the case for a massive, global, if not universe-wide battle between God and his army of angels, and Satan and his army of fallen angels. Satan, of course, being God’s son. How human of them.
It speaks of an all-powerful God having to deal with an insurrection and government in Heaven. It gives God and Satan very human attributes and reveals the thinking of man during a time of trade between societies, during a time of profound ignorance, when every good or bad thing that happened was attributed to either and angel or a demon. Blood sacrifice was still common.
If nothing else, this book inspired me to debate its merits with others steeped in the Christian religion, but it is a tedious read heavily reliant on Biblical passages, which, for the average reader, is already in need of translation into a more consumable version of English. It is overly wordy with constant repetition. Points are belabored for endless pages. There is no question the word count could be reduced by 60-70% without losing depth and meaning.
What disturbed me is the hint of glee reflected in Ms. White’s words when she described, abundantly, the suffering of the non-believers that a return of Jesus unleashes. It is a blood-soaked read while giving short-shift to the bloodshed that followed Christianity through the ages.
Much of the read is couched in militaristic terms, reflecting the need and desire to treat the spread of Christianity as a war against evil, but the foundation of the book is about Father against son. Two egotistical men butting heads and dragging the human race into the fight.
If you are old school and prefer the fire and brimstone approach to obedience to a deity, this book was written for you. It has been sanitized for Christian consumption.
But if your preference is the modern, more love than smite version of Christianity, I would not recommend you waste time reading this book, unless tedium isn’t a problem. There are better written books on this subject. Much shorter with translations of Biblical text.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review