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Ellen G. White A Psychobiography
This explosive work contains a great deal of highly documented material on the life and movement of Ellen G. White that Adventists in general, to say nothing of the public, will not know. The book is not a classic psychobiography, although history and psychology are the primary disciplines employed. It also contains a sprinkling of theology and personal reflection to make it a unique blend. The most striking evidence presented raises major questions about the prophet’s mental and moral health. It is a must read for anyone who truly wants to understand Seventh-Day Adventism and its prophetic founder.
A devastating work. What Numbers and Rea started, your book will finish!
—John Dart (1936-2019), longtime religion editor, Los Angeles Times
I enjoyed the writing and the stories. The anecdotes you included enriched the content. Your writing was personal, and I think readers will feel that you are writing to them, and makes the book of increased value. There is the same question with Joseph Smith. Why do people stay in the face of such documentation? What are the forces that keep them tied to source documentation of fraud?
—Dr. Robert Anderson, psychiatrist, author, Inside the Mind of Joseph Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon
I found the material fascinating, a powerful polemic!
—Ronald Numbers, William Coleman professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison, author, Prophetess of Health
A devastating work. What Numbers and Rea started, your book will finish!
—John Dart (1936-2019), longtime religion editor, Los Angeles Times
I enjoyed the writing and the stories. The anecdotes you included enriched the content. Your writing was personal, and I think readers will feel that you are writing to them, and makes the book of increased value. There is the same question with Joseph Smith. Why do people stay in the face of such documentation? What are the forces that keep them tied to source documentation of fraud?
—Dr. Robert Anderson, psychiatrist, author, Inside the Mind of Joseph Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon
I found the material fascinating, a powerful polemic!
—Ronald Numbers, William Coleman professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison, author, Prophetess of Health
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
364 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 16, 2020
31 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 4, 2021
I was reared in this religion and remained a member for 50 years. 20 years ago I started questioning and researching Adventist history and Ellen White. Much of the content in this book wasn’t new to me but I wish it had been written when I was weeding through tons of information. It would have been a good starting point because it lays out most of the issues about EGW that history has to offer and it is well referenced. Any objective person who can be honest with themselves and who is exposed to the evidence that this book brings forth is forced to conclude that Ellen was guilty of illegal and immoral behavior, lying, deception, and fraud, along with some serious psychological pathology. This is a book that is well researched, well written (although he repeats himself a bit) and written by a pastor, SDA historian, and psychologist. I highly recommend it to anyone questioning Adventism.
Quote: “For twenty-four years, I taught university classes in Adventist history, religion, and psychology and wrote a number of books on these subjects as well, but I have never incorporated my training as a licensed psychologist and historian into the same book. This is a book that I feel uniquely qualified to write.” --Steve Daily
Quote: “For twenty-four years, I taught university classes in Adventist history, religion, and psychology and wrote a number of books on these subjects as well, but I have never incorporated my training as a licensed psychologist and historian into the same book. This is a book that I feel uniquely qualified to write.” --Steve Daily
April 2, 2021
Recommended for post-Adventists. It may be hard to follow for those without an SDA background or exposure. The book was mostly neutral but became less so as the book went on. This is unfortunate, because I think true believing SDAs would gain something from this, but I doubt most EGW fans will see more than a smear campaign.
Things I liked: the footnotes. Don't skip them. A lot of the most interesting details are there and I wish they were incorporated into the text itself.
As the book is a psychobiography, emphasis is put on what EGWs motivations might have been. Early on, her head injury must have been traumatic, not just in the obvious physical sense, but emotionally and mentally as well. Of course I was taught that God turned her tragedy into a blessing and in the way it is told, any conversation or questions are shut down. This book tries to unpack what it must have been for a 9-year-old girl who was the youngest of eight to become an instant invalid.
I also liked how the author lined up visions with what was going on at the time. The picture of who EGW was or who she might have been as an adult became clearer after realizing that the majority of these self-proclaimed messages from God were reactionary to things she didn't like. One that stood out for me, was how the Lord never seemed to have a problem with sports or outdoor recreation until EGW watched some kids playing and having a picnic. Afterward, she wrote a scathing letter condemning their behavior, all supposedly based on a recent vision. I wondered if maybe EGW was resentful about the fun she wasn't allowed to have as a child due to her injury. It would be such a human reaction, especially from one with so much power.
Another interesting point. Near the beginning of her life, she went into trances in public. But as time went on, her visions were conveniently private. Coincidentally, this was when Adventist culture was less receptive to that type of display. And another. She condemned non-SDA reading and fiction. Two points here. One, she monetarily benefited from people reading her books and only her books. Two. Disallowing people to read outside literature allowed her to copiously borrow words from others. The plagiarism critique is nothing new, and during my seven year stint working for the church (and selling her books nonetheless), several attempts at damage control were put in place. The big argument being that it was common practice at the time. However, why did the church publishing houses face lawsuits if this were the case? Another detail that has been swept under the rug.
The book did a good job putting EGW into the context of her time. I might have even sympathized with her.
Could she have been a sociopath? Now that's something to ponder, especially considering her accusations that her editor was possessed by Satan, yet EGW hired and fired her four times! Her editor eventually and quite literally went crazy. My question is, if you truly thought this person was possessed, wouldn't you distance yourself from them? You wouldn't continue to hire and fire them. Nor would any true Christian write letters to multiple people declaring that your employee was possessed by devils. Seems pretty manipulative to me...
Another thing I hadn't noticed is her complete lack of responsibility. I remember being told that Jesus would have come already if only people would have done what they were supposed to. I wonder now of that was in response to being questioned about timeline problems in her visions of Christ's second return. But the culture has also painted EGW as the ever-protagonist and all problems stem from the White Estate or a General Conference President or someone taking her out of context. I remember being told that God made errors in his visions to her and had to send follow-up visions to fix them!
Over the last few years, I've become a Mormon hobbyist. I've been waiting for a book that comes close to comparing EGW to Joseph Smith. While there were little direct comparisons made by the author, I was able to spot several troubling similarities between the two prophets and subsequent religions.
Back to the review. I didn't have patience for the anecdotes at the start of each chapter and I skipped them. I also thought the book could have been organized better. It's been a long time since I studied the early church and I was unclear on the "seven-year theory" and the "shut-door theory" until the end of the book. That was unfortunate since they continued to be referenced throughout. I think the summary at the end should have been at the beginning. Oh well. It was worth the nine bucks.
Things I liked: the footnotes. Don't skip them. A lot of the most interesting details are there and I wish they were incorporated into the text itself.
As the book is a psychobiography, emphasis is put on what EGWs motivations might have been. Early on, her head injury must have been traumatic, not just in the obvious physical sense, but emotionally and mentally as well. Of course I was taught that God turned her tragedy into a blessing and in the way it is told, any conversation or questions are shut down. This book tries to unpack what it must have been for a 9-year-old girl who was the youngest of eight to become an instant invalid.
I also liked how the author lined up visions with what was going on at the time. The picture of who EGW was or who she might have been as an adult became clearer after realizing that the majority of these self-proclaimed messages from God were reactionary to things she didn't like. One that stood out for me, was how the Lord never seemed to have a problem with sports or outdoor recreation until EGW watched some kids playing and having a picnic. Afterward, she wrote a scathing letter condemning their behavior, all supposedly based on a recent vision. I wondered if maybe EGW was resentful about the fun she wasn't allowed to have as a child due to her injury. It would be such a human reaction, especially from one with so much power.
Another interesting point. Near the beginning of her life, she went into trances in public. But as time went on, her visions were conveniently private. Coincidentally, this was when Adventist culture was less receptive to that type of display. And another. She condemned non-SDA reading and fiction. Two points here. One, she monetarily benefited from people reading her books and only her books. Two. Disallowing people to read outside literature allowed her to copiously borrow words from others. The plagiarism critique is nothing new, and during my seven year stint working for the church (and selling her books nonetheless), several attempts at damage control were put in place. The big argument being that it was common practice at the time. However, why did the church publishing houses face lawsuits if this were the case? Another detail that has been swept under the rug.
The book did a good job putting EGW into the context of her time. I might have even sympathized with her.
Could she have been a sociopath? Now that's something to ponder, especially considering her accusations that her editor was possessed by Satan, yet EGW hired and fired her four times! Her editor eventually and quite literally went crazy. My question is, if you truly thought this person was possessed, wouldn't you distance yourself from them? You wouldn't continue to hire and fire them. Nor would any true Christian write letters to multiple people declaring that your employee was possessed by devils. Seems pretty manipulative to me...
Another thing I hadn't noticed is her complete lack of responsibility. I remember being told that Jesus would have come already if only people would have done what they were supposed to. I wonder now of that was in response to being questioned about timeline problems in her visions of Christ's second return. But the culture has also painted EGW as the ever-protagonist and all problems stem from the White Estate or a General Conference President or someone taking her out of context. I remember being told that God made errors in his visions to her and had to send follow-up visions to fix them!
Over the last few years, I've become a Mormon hobbyist. I've been waiting for a book that comes close to comparing EGW to Joseph Smith. While there were little direct comparisons made by the author, I was able to spot several troubling similarities between the two prophets and subsequent religions.
Back to the review. I didn't have patience for the anecdotes at the start of each chapter and I skipped them. I also thought the book could have been organized better. It's been a long time since I studied the early church and I was unclear on the "seven-year theory" and the "shut-door theory" until the end of the book. That was unfortunate since they continued to be referenced throughout. I think the summary at the end should have been at the beginning. Oh well. It was worth the nine bucks.
April 29, 2021
I was raised and lived most of my life (so far) within the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. Over the last few decades, I went on a slow intellectual journey that eventually led me to leave the denomination all together. The information found in this book (amongst a lot of other reasons), that I found in previous publications, was partly instrumental in that journey. Most of what the author writes about Ellen G White and her history has been known for many years by the administrators and scholars within the denomination but has either been swept under the carpet or rationalised away. The evidence shows Ellen G White to be, as the author concludes, '... the most successful plagiarist and con artist of all time.' Many lay-Adventists wouldn't know a lot, if any, of this historical evidence. If they did, they would be overwhelmed with cognitive dissonance (which they would need to resolve) or psychological denial (which would allow an uneasy peace).
What makes this book different from the many others that have been written to expose Ellen G White and her relationship to Adventism, and which have many of the same facts, is that this book takes a psychological approach to the topic. Steve Daily is an excellent, clear writer who is a qualified psychologist and theologian, among other things. Daily's psychological approach to the historical evidence is compelling and persuasive.
This book will be significant to anyone interested in Ellen G White (author and co-founder of Seventh-day Adventism) and is, in fact, essential reading for them. There is a highly conservative group of members within Adventism who will probably avoid reading this book. But for anyone who wants to face the truth about Adventism and its founding "prophetess", this will be a revelation for many and will raise confronting questions about the organisation of which they are members.
Ellen G White: A Psychobiography is a riveting analysis that should send shockwaves through the Adventist community and, most positively, provoke the denomination to come clean about its past.
Extra note: I do have one criticism of Steve Daily. In the Introduction to the book, Steve Daily writes, 'I have prayed that if my own attempt at psychobiography provided in this book will do more harm than good, God will not allow it to be completed or published.' This borders on the same psychological manipulation that he accuses Ellen G White of. The idea that God will supernaturally (I assume) stop the book being published if it will cause harm implies that, now that it has been published, God must have allowed it to be. All through the book, Daily criticises (rightly) that Ellen White claimed that God was behind her proclamations. This comment by Daily implies that God is somehow responsible for his book otherwise God would have stopped it. Daily is clearly a Christian believer (that is obvious from several comments made throughout the book). I hope he turns a critical eye to his own use of God-language to justify the existence of his own writings and takes responsibility for the existence of his book rather than imply that God is responsible.
What makes this book different from the many others that have been written to expose Ellen G White and her relationship to Adventism, and which have many of the same facts, is that this book takes a psychological approach to the topic. Steve Daily is an excellent, clear writer who is a qualified psychologist and theologian, among other things. Daily's psychological approach to the historical evidence is compelling and persuasive.
This book will be significant to anyone interested in Ellen G White (author and co-founder of Seventh-day Adventism) and is, in fact, essential reading for them. There is a highly conservative group of members within Adventism who will probably avoid reading this book. But for anyone who wants to face the truth about Adventism and its founding "prophetess", this will be a revelation for many and will raise confronting questions about the organisation of which they are members.
Ellen G White: A Psychobiography is a riveting analysis that should send shockwaves through the Adventist community and, most positively, provoke the denomination to come clean about its past.
Extra note: I do have one criticism of Steve Daily. In the Introduction to the book, Steve Daily writes, 'I have prayed that if my own attempt at psychobiography provided in this book will do more harm than good, God will not allow it to be completed or published.' This borders on the same psychological manipulation that he accuses Ellen G White of. The idea that God will supernaturally (I assume) stop the book being published if it will cause harm implies that, now that it has been published, God must have allowed it to be. All through the book, Daily criticises (rightly) that Ellen White claimed that God was behind her proclamations. This comment by Daily implies that God is somehow responsible for his book otherwise God would have stopped it. Daily is clearly a Christian believer (that is obvious from several comments made throughout the book). I hope he turns a critical eye to his own use of God-language to justify the existence of his own writings and takes responsibility for the existence of his book rather than imply that God is responsible.
April 1, 2021
A stunning eye opener
I am a third generation SDA and over the years I’ve always sensed something was amiss with our claims of doctrinal superiority primarily on the basis of the prophetic legacy of Mrs White. It is with a mixture of relief and regret that this book has answered a lot of questions for me. I have spent a lifetime trying to reconcile the hybrid of Adventist “truth” and Biblical “Truth” with considerable damage to my mental balance caused by trying to serve two masters diametrically opposed to each other. But, I’ve got no place to go because my roots run deep in Adventism. So, the dysfunction will be my enduring legacy. What I will do, moving forward, is to determine, with God’s grace, which doctrinal artifacts should be jettisoned in order to become a beneficiary of the New Covenant blessings and still remain in the ‘Family’. These are all good people looking for the soon return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I, for one, want to be among the faithful when Christ returns.
JAW
I am a third generation SDA and over the years I’ve always sensed something was amiss with our claims of doctrinal superiority primarily on the basis of the prophetic legacy of Mrs White. It is with a mixture of relief and regret that this book has answered a lot of questions for me. I have spent a lifetime trying to reconcile the hybrid of Adventist “truth” and Biblical “Truth” with considerable damage to my mental balance caused by trying to serve two masters diametrically opposed to each other. But, I’ve got no place to go because my roots run deep in Adventism. So, the dysfunction will be my enduring legacy. What I will do, moving forward, is to determine, with God’s grace, which doctrinal artifacts should be jettisoned in order to become a beneficiary of the New Covenant blessings and still remain in the ‘Family’. These are all good people looking for the soon return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I, for one, want to be among the faithful when Christ returns.
JAW
August 22, 2021
Excellent book. Well researched and documented. I think this is a good book for ex-Adventists and current Adventists to read. There are a lot of things that Ellen White did that people don't realize and should be educated about. I was a 5th generation SDA and had lots of questions in the past few years. I always questioned this "prophet" that was held up as high as God in the church. It's been truly eye opening and informative to read about her hypocrisy, plagiarism and overall lying to those she was trying to take advantage of. Horrifying. I know a peace now that I never had while in the church. It was always about guilt and never "being good enough" for Heaven. Thank God I've seen the light. It's the Bible and IT alone.
January 30, 2022
Daily shines a light on many of the of the most egregious areas of controversy surrounding Ellen G. White’s visions and writings. Meticulously footnoted, the contradictions, blatant plagiarism, and most unconscionable statements are laid bare for everyone to see. The book ultimately asks if the Seventh-day Adventist Church stands by these statements and paints the institution into a corner of either rejecting these heinous examples and acknowledging that some inspired writings were incorrect, or holding to the status quo. This book would be five stars if the writer could set aside his personal animosity and take a higher, more unbiased tone in many of his explications.
January 28, 2025
Incredibly thorough and well documented book. Highly recommend for any questioning or former Adventists. Or for anyone considering joining the SDA organization.
There were a few places that I thought he over-reached or should have just shared the evidence and let the reader come to their own conclusions.
But overall, I enjoyed the book, and even as a long-time and well-informed Adventist turned former Adventist, there were still some things that I found surprising.
I found myself frequently flipping to the references in the back for more information!
There were a few places that I thought he over-reached or should have just shared the evidence and let the reader come to their own conclusions.
But overall, I enjoyed the book, and even as a long-time and well-informed Adventist turned former Adventist, there were still some things that I found surprising.
I found myself frequently flipping to the references in the back for more information!
April 5, 2021
A fitting conclusion to Daily's other works on Adventism and Ellen G White. He's been at it for a lifetime!
While this book is ridiculously repetitive (the first half assaults the reader with "as will be shown later" and the second half is peppered with "as shown previously") the overall point is well made and documented.
While this book is ridiculously repetitive (the first half assaults the reader with "as will be shown later" and the second half is peppered with "as shown previously") the overall point is well made and documented.
May 2, 2021
Very enlightening indeed
Very enlightening indeed. Steve Daily appears to stay as unbiased an objective as is possible in writing about deciet that has duped so many.
Very enlightening indeed. Steve Daily appears to stay as unbiased an objective as is possible in writing about deciet that has duped so many.
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September 15, 2021Found it helpful….to understand her actual role and the reality of so many things that bring up questions.
November 30, 2024
Like Steve Daily (whom I knew at La Sierra University, where he served as Chaplain), I’ve "been there, done that, and got the T-shirt for it."
I was baptized into the SDA church in 1981. During that time there were three major scandals that were in effect: the appearance of The White Lie, by Walter Rea, revealing the high degree of Ellen White’s plagiarism; the defrocking of professor and minister Dr. Desmond Ford, who had documented the falsity of the Investigative Judgment doctrine and the Sanctuary doctrine, showing that these beliefs were unbiblical; and the Dr. Davenport affair, in which it was discovered that tithe monies had improperly been invested in losing investment schemes.
I fought hard to maintain my adherence to the denomination through all of this and was greatly aided by the denomination’s book, Questions on Doctrine, that downplayed the role of Ellen White and pooh-poohed the continuing relevance of historical and heretical SDA beliefs. Sadly, this book was later disavowed by the leaders who replaced those who initially had made it available. I had been attracted to the denomination, because Adventists knew their Bible better than any other group of people I had encountered. Sadly, their reliance on Ellen G. White was kept from me until it was too late. Her profession of the "Shut Door" doctrine alone - aside from the myriad errors and wrong-doings listed by Steve Daily - qualifies the woman as a false prophet: she can be wrong about a lot of things, but not upon an issue treating salvation.
(View my reviews on Walter Rea's book, The White Lie and Prophetess of Health: A Study of Ellen G. White by Ronald L. Numbers)
I was baptized into the SDA church in 1981. During that time there were three major scandals that were in effect: the appearance of The White Lie, by Walter Rea, revealing the high degree of Ellen White’s plagiarism; the defrocking of professor and minister Dr. Desmond Ford, who had documented the falsity of the Investigative Judgment doctrine and the Sanctuary doctrine, showing that these beliefs were unbiblical; and the Dr. Davenport affair, in which it was discovered that tithe monies had improperly been invested in losing investment schemes.
I fought hard to maintain my adherence to the denomination through all of this and was greatly aided by the denomination’s book, Questions on Doctrine, that downplayed the role of Ellen White and pooh-poohed the continuing relevance of historical and heretical SDA beliefs. Sadly, this book was later disavowed by the leaders who replaced those who initially had made it available. I had been attracted to the denomination, because Adventists knew their Bible better than any other group of people I had encountered. Sadly, their reliance on Ellen G. White was kept from me until it was too late. Her profession of the "Shut Door" doctrine alone - aside from the myriad errors and wrong-doings listed by Steve Daily - qualifies the woman as a false prophet: she can be wrong about a lot of things, but not upon an issue treating salvation.
(View my reviews on Walter Rea's book, The White Lie and Prophetess of Health: A Study of Ellen G. White by Ronald L. Numbers)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews