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Conflict of the Ages #5
Great Controversy
"Carries the story of the controversy between God and Satan to its ultimate and glorious conclusion. Beginning with the destruction of Jerusalem and continuing through the persecutions of Christians in the Roman Empire, the apostasy of the Dark Ages, the shining light of the Reformation, and the worldwide religious awakening of the nineteenth century, this volume traces the conflict into the future, to the Second Coming of Jesus and the glories of the earth made new. As the end draws ever closer, the vital issue of loyalty to God will become decisive. In this concluding volume, the author powerfully points out the principles involved in the impending conflict and how each person can stand firmly for God and His truth"--Back cover.
720 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1888
479 people are currently reading
2317 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Gould White
2,182 books546 followersIn brief, Ellen Gould Harmon White was a woman of remarkable spiritual gifts who lived most of her life during the nineteenth century (1827-1915), yet through her writings she is still making a revolutionary impact on millions of people around the world. During her lifetime she wrote more than 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books; but today, including compilations from her 50,000 pages of manuscript, more than 100 titles are available in English. She is the most translated woman writer in the entire history of literature, and the most translated American author of either gender. Her writings cover a broad range of subjects, including religion, education, social relationships, evangelism, prophecy, publishing, nutrition, and management. Her life-changing masterpiece on successful Christian living, Steps to Christ, has been published in more than 140 languages. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Mrs. White was more than a gifted writer; they believe she was appointed by God as a special messenger to draw the world's attention to the Holy Scriptures and help prepare people for Christ's second advent. From the time she was 17 years old until she died 70 years later, God gave her approximately 2,000 visions and dreams. The visions varied in length from less than a minute to nearly four hours. The knowledge and counsel received through these revelations she wrote out to be shared with others. Thus her special writings are accepted by Seventh-day Adventists as inspired, and their exceptional quality is recognized even by casual readers. As stated in Seventh-day Adventists Believe ... , “The writings of Ellen White are not a substitute for Scripture. They cannot be placed on the same level. The Holy Scriptures stand alone, the unique standard by which her and all other writings must be judged and to which they must be subject” (Seventh-day Adventists Believe ... , Ministerial Association, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Washington D.C., 1988, p. 227). Yet, as Ellen White herself noted, “The fact that God has revealed His will to men through His Word, has not rendered needless the continued presence and guiding of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the Spirit was promised by our Saviour to open the Word to His servants, to illuminate and apply its teachings” (The Great Controversy, p. vii). The following is a more detailed account of the life and work of this remarkable woman who, meeting all the tests of a true prophet as set forth in the Holy Scriptures, helped found the Seventh-day Adventist church.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 231 reviews
June 29, 2013
Hard to read even when I was a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, fundamentalist Seventh-day Adventist (thankfully I escaped!). Overly long, extremely repetitive, and poorly written. That's not even getting into the probable plagiarism and historical inaccuracies. Looking back, I'm appalled but unsurprised that a church would try to pass this disaster off as some kind of message from God (as much as Adventists try to avoid admitting it to outsiders, they most definitely do believe that Ellen White was a prophet). Avoid this like the plague. And if you somehow find this in your mailbox (Adventists had a campaign to mail one to every home in America), please, for your sanity, just throw it away.
March 11, 2016
Extremely difficult to tear in half.
I received this book unsolicited in the mail today and was unpleasantly unsurprised to discover its religious origins. Unsolicited mail comes in two forms: religious and credit cards, and I doubted very much that this book would climax in a once-in-a-lifetime low-interest-rate offer.
"The Great Controversy, Past / Present / Future, How Will it End?" - an authorless cover that screams of trying too hard to be ambiguous about the fact that there will be capitalized "He's" and "Him's" splattered throughout the ill-smelling, phonebook-like pages. The back cover yammers on about "a changing world" with "political alliances" and "forces of nature" or something; a blatant continuation of the tip-toeing done to avoid any elusion to its religious content. This is clearly a deliberate measure taken to avoid immediate disposal and/or furious propulsion of the book in the direction of small children and animals.
Back to the pages: I found them to be thin and of poor quality, with an awful typeface and insufficient margins and line spacing. I thought for certain that the 370 complete and utter wastes of time (read: pages) would be very easy to bisect with a quick "whoosh" of the hands. Alas, I was deceived yet again by the slippery front and back covers, whose plasticky, photoprint texture completely thwarted any and all attempts to draw and quarter the monstrosity. Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed. Two stars. Do not recommend.
I received this book unsolicited in the mail today and was unpleasantly unsurprised to discover its religious origins. Unsolicited mail comes in two forms: religious and credit cards, and I doubted very much that this book would climax in a once-in-a-lifetime low-interest-rate offer.
"The Great Controversy, Past / Present / Future, How Will it End?" - an authorless cover that screams of trying too hard to be ambiguous about the fact that there will be capitalized "He's" and "Him's" splattered throughout the ill-smelling, phonebook-like pages. The back cover yammers on about "a changing world" with "political alliances" and "forces of nature" or something; a blatant continuation of the tip-toeing done to avoid any elusion to its religious content. This is clearly a deliberate measure taken to avoid immediate disposal and/or furious propulsion of the book in the direction of small children and animals.
Back to the pages: I found them to be thin and of poor quality, with an awful typeface and insufficient margins and line spacing. I thought for certain that the 370 complete and utter wastes of time (read: pages) would be very easy to bisect with a quick "whoosh" of the hands. Alas, I was deceived yet again by the slippery front and back covers, whose plasticky, photoprint texture completely thwarted any and all attempts to draw and quarter the monstrosity. Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed. Two stars. Do not recommend.
May 9, 2020
Wow! This was a spiritual and intellectual awakening to me. (I confess to being a christian). This book by Ellen G White; a prophetess and part founder of the now Seventh Day Adventist church. "The Smithsonian magazinenamed Ellen G. White among the "100 Most Significant Americans of All Time".
White demonstrates how scripture portrays a cosmic battle between good and evil, God and Satan - through time. My understanding of this controversy, which has involved the entire universe: helped me to understand God's goal for mankind better, the scriptures and bible. Hopefully leading me closer to God.
White demonstrates how scripture portrays a cosmic battle between good and evil, God and Satan - through time. My understanding of this controversy, which has involved the entire universe: helped me to understand God's goal for mankind better, the scriptures and bible. Hopefully leading me closer to God.
March 31, 2013
I finally, FINALLY finished it! And I'm utterly speechless. I mean, The Great Controversy is a piece of art. And to think it was written by a woman who only had a very low-grade education - third or fourth - is just...wow. I cannot wait to meet Mrs. White in Heaven!
May 3, 2012
the Bad: Some of the chapters are a challenge to get through once you have already read the book.
the Good: This is one of my favorite books of all time. I have literally lost count of how many times I have read it through from cover to cover. I first "discovered" this book when I was 11 years old.
Even if I don't have time or patience to read it all the way through again the last several chapters are worth reading again and again just because of the hope it inspires. When I pick up this book I usually start with The Scriptures a Safeguard and read through to the end from there. God's People Delivered is totally awesome and my favorite chapter.
Bottom Line: Read it. If you can't handle the whole thing, read from about "Liberty of Conscience Threatened" to the end of the book. It's worth it.
the Good: This is one of my favorite books of all time. I have literally lost count of how many times I have read it through from cover to cover. I first "discovered" this book when I was 11 years old.
Even if I don't have time or patience to read it all the way through again the last several chapters are worth reading again and again just because of the hope it inspires. When I pick up this book I usually start with The Scriptures a Safeguard and read through to the end from there. God's People Delivered is totally awesome and my favorite chapter.
Bottom Line: Read it. If you can't handle the whole thing, read from about "Liberty of Conscience Threatened" to the end of the book. It's worth it.
December 6, 2019
This ended up in my mailbox.
September 4, 2012
I have read this book again over the last couple months, and always find it useful. The first third of the book is basically a history of the reformation, up to the 19th century. The next third or so covers a number of basic Seventh-day Adventist beliefs. The last 12 or 13 chapters are a study in eschatology, looking at prophecies for the end of time. I find this book to be very useful in answering some of the big questions people ask about God. Where is God when bad things happen? Why is there pain and suffering? For me, these things make no sense apart from the paradigm of the Great Controversy. As I see the bigger issues of Satan's rebellion, his charges against God, and God's character being on trial, I find answers that at least make sense to me. Without this paradigm, I don't think I could find answers that would be satisfying.
October 21, 2022
Interesting! Well, I certainly don't like White's prophetical hermeneutics, ecclesiology, her stance on God's sovereignty, or her morality, which I find, frankly, to be inconsistent and tending toward legalism. That said, I love her Christology and her emphasis on glorifying God in out lives.
I don't buy her arguments on the Seventh-Day Sabbath, but I respect them (though sometimes they smell a little bit like a straw man). For what it's worth, I think the Seventh-Day-ers (at least, so far as represented in this book and in the lives of some of the families I know) are genuine, admirable Christians. Just a little bit confused. Like, you know, all the rest of us.
2022 update: Different volume in the series-- given to me by another very nice devotee-- same reaction. Fundamentalism tending toward political paranoia, fueled by simplistic history and selective Bible reading. Yet all this with a really intense emphasis on the glory of the God who expresses himself most fully in Jesus, which of course I'm all for. (Yet she seems not to have much time for Jesus's own words on the Sabbath, which, if you'll recall, the legalists of his day thought were overly lax.)
Keep doing good things, Seventh-Dayers! But don't be paranoid; the government isn't out to get you any more than any of the rest of us. (And don't give me any more books, please)
I don't buy her arguments on the Seventh-Day Sabbath, but I respect them (though sometimes they smell a little bit like a straw man). For what it's worth, I think the Seventh-Day-ers (at least, so far as represented in this book and in the lives of some of the families I know) are genuine, admirable Christians. Just a little bit confused. Like, you know, all the rest of us.
2022 update: Different volume in the series-- given to me by another very nice devotee-- same reaction. Fundamentalism tending toward political paranoia, fueled by simplistic history and selective Bible reading. Yet all this with a really intense emphasis on the glory of the God who expresses himself most fully in Jesus, which of course I'm all for. (Yet she seems not to have much time for Jesus's own words on the Sabbath, which, if you'll recall, the legalists of his day thought were overly lax.)
Keep doing good things, Seventh-Dayers! But don't be paranoid; the government isn't out to get you any more than any of the rest of us. (And don't give me any more books, please)
June 7, 2017
Heresy.
July 8, 2010
In this 5th book in Ellen G. White's Conflict of the Ages series the curtain is pulled back on the battle between truth and error and between Christ and Satan. The book opens with the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem as foretold by Jesus before his death and takes us down through the ages, through those who accepted His truth and the price they paid for it, up through the Protestant reformation and rise of Reason as played out in the French Revolution and finally through the future events revealed to the Apostle John in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Though the last chronologically, this work was actually the first of the Conflict of the Ages series published by the author and contains many pressing truths for the times in which we leave and the events soon to unfold open planet earth and Jesus' final restoration after all things are made new. This book, though written more than 100 years ago still changes many lives and is as relevant today as when it was first published.
February 5, 2008
This book is a most intelligent and insightful account of history from the early Church on through the dark ages and beyond. Mrs Ellen G White wrote this book in 1888 - go woman power! Beware if you're catholic, you might not like what you read about the history of your religion. The version of this book that I have was re-published by "Harvestime Books" and each chapter contains quite a bit of anecdotal information pertaining to the topic of that chapter - be it historical dating and time frames, citations from catholic publications, or quotes from various sources during the period discussed.
Great book, it relieved me of a lot of guilt because I always thought "Christians killed lots of people in crusades and inquisitions"... thats a lie. Wolves in sheep's clothing.
Great book, it relieved me of a lot of guilt because I always thought "Christians killed lots of people in crusades and inquisitions"... thats a lie. Wolves in sheep's clothing.
February 21, 2017
The death of the Apostles brought an end to the sacred history recorded in the Bible save for the prophecies of the future in the Books of Daniel and Revelation, however the message of the Gospel and the history of the Church continued. The Great Controversy, the final volume of Ellen G. White’s Conflict of the Ages series in which the history of the Christian Church is chronicled from the destruction of Jerusalem to the end of sin and the recreation of Earth. At almost 700 pages, the events of the last two millennia are touch with special emphasis on the Reformation, the message of 1844, and the climax of the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan at the end of time.
The Great Controversy focuses entirely on the Christian Age with White beginning the history with the how Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire yet at the same time was watered down with the influences of paganism and other errors. Yet White emphasizes that like Biblical Israel, even though the majority of Christians worshiped—unknowingly—in error, some still held to the truth of Scripture. Then over the course of the next 250 pages, White describes the Protestant Reformation from Wycliffe through the Pilgrim Fathers arrival on the shores of the New World. White then transitions to the events leading up to Great Disappointment of 1844 and the Biblical explanation for the significant event that occurred in Heaven. White explains how the Great Controversy is effecting those living not only when she first wrote the book but to the reader today and how it our decisions will effect where we stand during the events she describes at the end of the book with the second coming of Christ and the destruction of sin.
The Great Controversy is the last of the five-book Conflict of the Ages series and is a mixture of non-Biblical history as well as explanations of the prophetic events of Daniel and Revelation that have and yet to occur through to the end of sin. This book shows that God’s message of love through His law is still relevant today as it was from the beginning of Genesis and before, even with the attempts by Satan to undermine it or simply overthrow it for his own vision. As in even book in this series Ellen White wants the readers of The Great Controversy to know that the present world of sin will not last and there will be an end, yet it is up to the reader to decide where they will stand in relation to Christ and Satan.
The Great Controversy focuses entirely on the Christian Age with White beginning the history with the how Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire yet at the same time was watered down with the influences of paganism and other errors. Yet White emphasizes that like Biblical Israel, even though the majority of Christians worshiped—unknowingly—in error, some still held to the truth of Scripture. Then over the course of the next 250 pages, White describes the Protestant Reformation from Wycliffe through the Pilgrim Fathers arrival on the shores of the New World. White then transitions to the events leading up to Great Disappointment of 1844 and the Biblical explanation for the significant event that occurred in Heaven. White explains how the Great Controversy is effecting those living not only when she first wrote the book but to the reader today and how it our decisions will effect where we stand during the events she describes at the end of the book with the second coming of Christ and the destruction of sin.
The Great Controversy is the last of the five-book Conflict of the Ages series and is a mixture of non-Biblical history as well as explanations of the prophetic events of Daniel and Revelation that have and yet to occur through to the end of sin. This book shows that God’s message of love through His law is still relevant today as it was from the beginning of Genesis and before, even with the attempts by Satan to undermine it or simply overthrow it for his own vision. As in even book in this series Ellen White wants the readers of The Great Controversy to know that the present world of sin will not last and there will be an end, yet it is up to the reader to decide where they will stand in relation to Christ and Satan.
February 23, 2017
I tried to read it, and failed. The book is written in such awkward language that it felt like it was written by someone who learned English by reading archaic translations of the Bible, but who had no true education in writing. Did the author use this obtuse language on purpose to make sure only the truly devout would muscle through? Or is that how she assumed good fiction and non-fiction is done?
January 9, 2016
One of the greatest books I've ever read...
August 18, 2008
Best companion book to the Bible I could ever recommend.
January 9, 2014
One of the best books I have ever read. It goes through the history of the Church from The destruction of Jerusalem to the second coming of Jesus. Some say that The Great Controversy is not historically accurate but from my study what is found in this book matches up great with what the historians have written. I have read J.A. Wylie and D'Aubigne as well as several other history books concerning this historical period. I have found this book to be Biblical. I have not found anything that is at odds with what the Bible says. If you read a passage in this book that does not match with what you have previously believed, study the Bible to see what the Bible says. I believe you will find this book to be an accurate, beautiful and inspiring book.
August 9, 2021
I felt obliged to read this because a colleague gave it to me although it's not something I would generally have picked up myself. From the blurb on the back it gives the impression that it may be some kind of political/religious thriller but it's actually Christian propaganda. Not really my thing and it certainly didn't change my views.
August 28, 2015
Rating: 5 stars.
Ellen G. White is such an amazing person. She and the SDA church pioneered education, hospital and health. I love reading this book, specially during service if the pastor is talking about something frightfully boring.
Ellen G. White is such an amazing person. She and the SDA church pioneered education, hospital and health. I love reading this book, specially during service if the pastor is talking about something frightfully boring.
December 19, 2012
This book needs to be read by everyone to know what is coming on the world, and how the great controversy will end between Christ and Satan.
November 19, 2016
The book started strong but about midway, I began noticing severely flawed theology... so much so that I was unable to finish it!
March 12, 2013
Not sure why its taken me years to get to this book. I've dabbed at it over the past few years, heard a thing or two about it, read a chapter here and there but its done. The Great Controversy wouldn't be the first book from this author that I would recommend based upon where a person is in relation to their understanding of God. If your view of God is that of a lightning pelting, fire & brimstone, unmerciful, unforgiving ruler, then yes, you'll most likely be spooked and miss out on how wonderful of a book this really is.
Its unfortunately that perception trumps reality in many instances, so my heart goes out to those who've been burnt by Bible thumping Christians who've probably knocked folks over the head with this book (and the Bible for that matter). It's just plain wrong. It is a total misrepresentation of the character of God and anyone who truly is a follower/believer in the Most High. Before any more of this review is written, a deep, heart-felt apology goes out to all who've had any type of experience with a church, believer, relative that fits the description mentioned in this paragraph (beat over the head with the Bible, etc).
Having said that, I'll commence my review. The first ten chapters or so set the stage with a lot of history. If you've struggled to stay away in History class, then beware trying to get some tracking going with this book. This isn't to say that its boring, however, there's a ton of historical accounts that may leave you wondering "When are you gonna get to the good stuff" Be patient. She's setting the stage for later. Hang in there :) (Sidenote: I lament the fact that didn't appreciate History until later in my academic career) If you do have an appreciation for History, then buckle your seatbelt because the author unloads a ton information that you'll want to go research yourself. As you do so, you'll find that this book is hard to put down.
Around chapter 12 or so it starts getting a bit closer to home with the French Revolution, bits on the formation of the Americas (as it relates to Biblical prophecy) and the fulfillment of some of those prophecies. She then breaks and provides the needed filler information spending the next few chapters outlining symbols & characters in the Bible that are critical to understanding the home stretch chapters. Most folks get spooked during this time, however, this was not my experience. Had I read this book 5 years ago, probably so. The difference ( I think) came as a result of having a radical shift in perspective about the character of God. The home stretch chapters then seen more so as light towers on a raging sea as opposed to the headlights of MAC truck coming full speed ahead. The final chapters will activate the imagination indeed. I'm surprised this hasn't been turned into a movie (then again, maybe it's best that it hasn't :/
The four stars isn't due to any lack on the book's behalf, just was more of "I really liked it" as opposed to it being "amazing."
Its unfortunately that perception trumps reality in many instances, so my heart goes out to those who've been burnt by Bible thumping Christians who've probably knocked folks over the head with this book (and the Bible for that matter). It's just plain wrong. It is a total misrepresentation of the character of God and anyone who truly is a follower/believer in the Most High. Before any more of this review is written, a deep, heart-felt apology goes out to all who've had any type of experience with a church, believer, relative that fits the description mentioned in this paragraph (beat over the head with the Bible, etc).
Having said that, I'll commence my review. The first ten chapters or so set the stage with a lot of history. If you've struggled to stay away in History class, then beware trying to get some tracking going with this book. This isn't to say that its boring, however, there's a ton of historical accounts that may leave you wondering "When are you gonna get to the good stuff" Be patient. She's setting the stage for later. Hang in there :) (Sidenote: I lament the fact that didn't appreciate History until later in my academic career) If you do have an appreciation for History, then buckle your seatbelt because the author unloads a ton information that you'll want to go research yourself. As you do so, you'll find that this book is hard to put down.
Around chapter 12 or so it starts getting a bit closer to home with the French Revolution, bits on the formation of the Americas (as it relates to Biblical prophecy) and the fulfillment of some of those prophecies. She then breaks and provides the needed filler information spending the next few chapters outlining symbols & characters in the Bible that are critical to understanding the home stretch chapters. Most folks get spooked during this time, however, this was not my experience. Had I read this book 5 years ago, probably so. The difference ( I think) came as a result of having a radical shift in perspective about the character of God. The home stretch chapters then seen more so as light towers on a raging sea as opposed to the headlights of MAC truck coming full speed ahead. The final chapters will activate the imagination indeed. I'm surprised this hasn't been turned into a movie (then again, maybe it's best that it hasn't :/
The four stars isn't due to any lack on the book's behalf, just was more of "I really liked it" as opposed to it being "amazing."
July 8, 2017
This is excellent documentation demonstrating the fact of the universal apostasy after Christ and his apostles. I recommend it to everyone, though I do not concur with the proposition that Reformation, nor Seventh-Day Adventism, is the way back to God (I am a sincere devotee of restoration through Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God). This book gave me a greater appreciation for all of the many Reformers and their sacrifices to break the stranglehold of the apostate Roman Catholic Church.
June 14, 2014
I put off reading this book for years. Then, when I finally dig in, it was one of those books where so had to grab a dictionary and a highlighter because there was just so much history and "wow". It's not an easy read but it can absolutely become a life changing read. It also inspired / motivated me to read my Bible more. It out several a bible stories in historical context for me which made the stories and conditions in which the characters lived more "impactful".
December 2, 2014
Religious propaganda
Religious pap
Seventh day adventists believe that if humans dont observe the Sabbath on the seventh day ie Saturday then we're all going to hell and eternal damnation. What a load of bollocks!
I enjoyed the chapter about the angels and fallen angels. Satan was once a heavenly angel of the highest order named Lucifer before he became power hungry and fell.
Religious pap
Seventh day adventists believe that if humans dont observe the Sabbath on the seventh day ie Saturday then we're all going to hell and eternal damnation. What a load of bollocks!
I enjoyed the chapter about the angels and fallen angels. Satan was once a heavenly angel of the highest order named Lucifer before he became power hungry and fell.
September 5, 2007
Powerful, instructive, informative and thought provoking reading -- I found this many years ago as a used book quite serendipitously and plunged right into it. It remains in a prime spot on the shelf for dipping into from time to time.
March 11, 2014
Super interesting! It has so much information. Great Christian history book.
November 21, 2015
all the good parts in this book are plagiarized.
September 14, 2020
Don’t fill my mailbox with your dumbass propaganda, Ellen
Read
August 7, 2019I am unable to give a rating to that book because depending on the approach you have, it will be entirely different. As a history book, I would give it a 2 stars at most. As a Bible study and religious book, I would give it more. While the author has put a lot of work in creating a book that talks about Protestantism, the history of this movement only covers half of the book. The other half, which I could not finish, is based on spirituality and analysis of the Bible. For someone who is well versed in the Bible, it is certainly interesting. For someone who is not, reading that part quickly becomes tedious and I was unable to finish the whole book. The fact that the format is also almost like a Bible makes it hard to read: thin pages, lot of bulky texts.
Now, this book was given to me by a colleague who knows I love to read History book. Thus, i decided to take a chance since I did not know much about Protestantism. Yet, as soon as I looked upon the book design, I suspected that something was different. The desire of the publisher to be sensational made me weary of the academic reliability of the book. Additionally, one can check at the end of the book a section that offers the reader options for Bible study. There is nothing inherently wrong with all that. However, it does make one question the reliability of the writer on the subject. Regardless, I took a chance and started reading the book anyway. After all, once I start something, I might as well finish it (except in this case I could not). Soon enough it was clear that the writer relied as much on historical sources as on his faith. While most historians tend to have an ideology that permeates through their writings, in this case it is overtly obvious. The writer uses faith to explain historical events and often interprets a person's thoughts based on their faith (even though he makes no reference as to where he found such information). Additionally, she has a strange way of telling the history of Protestantism. She starts with the Roman Empire and progresses through what we call the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages. Strangely enough, she asserts that "true Christians" laid hidden during most of these periods while "false Christians" such as the ones believing in the Roman Church had perverted Christianism. Some movements are mentioned such as the Waldesiens or the Albigois but not enough references are given to truly convey the idea that they are the "hidden true Christians", ancestors of Protestantism. The writer also makes the mistake of defending the case of Protestantism against the Roman Church purely on a religious basis, which makes sense when you give a sermon in a church but does not when you write a history book. However, the writer was clearly more interested in the former when he wrote his book. For example, she criticizes the role of the Pope as being overtly arrogant and displaying much wealth and power, in contrast to Jesus Christ. Yet, this shows a deep misunderstanding of the Papacy's role. In fact, as the Western Roman Empire crumbled, the only authority that had the power and the legitimacy to fill the power vacuum was the papacy. Since then, its role was not just religious, it was also political. Religion and politics in Christian Europe were deeply intertwined and if one does not understand that, one cannot understand why the papacy always had a paradoxical balance between religion and political power. Obviously, this does not invalidate the criticism it received for its numerous abuses but it should be present in a history book. Finally, the author insists upon the fact that Protestants hold the "truth" and that Papists (a term that is usually derogatory when employed by a protestant) deny that "truth". Once again, the author lacks the ability to distance oneself from one's feelings in order to analyze events. Consequently, the book is written more like a pamphlet than an actual history book. In the end, this is most likely the intent of Ms. White. However, if one is looking for a history book about Protestantism, while this one does have valuable information, I would suggest to look elsewhere.
Now, this book was given to me by a colleague who knows I love to read History book. Thus, i decided to take a chance since I did not know much about Protestantism. Yet, as soon as I looked upon the book design, I suspected that something was different. The desire of the publisher to be sensational made me weary of the academic reliability of the book. Additionally, one can check at the end of the book a section that offers the reader options for Bible study. There is nothing inherently wrong with all that. However, it does make one question the reliability of the writer on the subject. Regardless, I took a chance and started reading the book anyway. After all, once I start something, I might as well finish it (except in this case I could not). Soon enough it was clear that the writer relied as much on historical sources as on his faith. While most historians tend to have an ideology that permeates through their writings, in this case it is overtly obvious. The writer uses faith to explain historical events and often interprets a person's thoughts based on their faith (even though he makes no reference as to where he found such information). Additionally, she has a strange way of telling the history of Protestantism. She starts with the Roman Empire and progresses through what we call the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages. Strangely enough, she asserts that "true Christians" laid hidden during most of these periods while "false Christians" such as the ones believing in the Roman Church had perverted Christianism. Some movements are mentioned such as the Waldesiens or the Albigois but not enough references are given to truly convey the idea that they are the "hidden true Christians", ancestors of Protestantism. The writer also makes the mistake of defending the case of Protestantism against the Roman Church purely on a religious basis, which makes sense when you give a sermon in a church but does not when you write a history book. However, the writer was clearly more interested in the former when he wrote his book. For example, she criticizes the role of the Pope as being overtly arrogant and displaying much wealth and power, in contrast to Jesus Christ. Yet, this shows a deep misunderstanding of the Papacy's role. In fact, as the Western Roman Empire crumbled, the only authority that had the power and the legitimacy to fill the power vacuum was the papacy. Since then, its role was not just religious, it was also political. Religion and politics in Christian Europe were deeply intertwined and if one does not understand that, one cannot understand why the papacy always had a paradoxical balance between religion and political power. Obviously, this does not invalidate the criticism it received for its numerous abuses but it should be present in a history book. Finally, the author insists upon the fact that Protestants hold the "truth" and that Papists (a term that is usually derogatory when employed by a protestant) deny that "truth". Once again, the author lacks the ability to distance oneself from one's feelings in order to analyze events. Consequently, the book is written more like a pamphlet than an actual history book. In the end, this is most likely the intent of Ms. White. However, if one is looking for a history book about Protestantism, while this one does have valuable information, I would suggest to look elsewhere.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2023
Sometimes you’ve got to see what the other guys are saying. This is apparently a book written by one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventists, Ellen G. White. Much of the book is a diatribe against the Catholic Church, which is probably to be expected from any Protestant-adjacent Christianity. What I guess I don’t understand about any of that is that there can be any doubt that Christians disagreeing with each other sprang up any later than the very earliest Christians. You can find tangible evidence for this not only in Acts but Paul’s letters, written to communities he’d visited that he thought (this is the charitable way to describe it) required further clarification, with even the apostles themselves failing to reach consensus (chiefly on the point of whether or not Jewish tradition belonged in a Christian life).
What bothers me considerably more is the notion that if you’re not happy with how the Church is functioning you simply find another version, which is something that continues to this day. And in order to justify this, key doctrinal differences are created and, in the case of White, a whole alternate history to explain that, really, those darn Catholics have been wrong basically all along, but definitely at the point in which the Church supplanted the Roman Empire as the unifying body of western civilization.
White’s grasp of history, then, much less the Bible itself, as demonstrated in these pages, as tenuous for any number of reasons, a chapter and verse proselytizer who is difficult to take seriously by the unconverted. But on the other hand (within the book White is an uninterested observer, but in actual history she was a teenaged prime mover), I now have a much better idea of what the heck the Seventh-day Adventists are: like a lot of Christians (including the Left Behind set, including even Catholics, of which my parents were always obsessing over), they seem to base a lot of their faith on the imminent end of the world, which for these guys was supposed to be 1844. Until it didn’t happen. And they subsequently, er, revised their estimation. Nearly two hundred years later, still waiting…
So it was worth a look. But I would hate to be a person who takes it seriously. So many people, when they think of Christians at all, have no idea there are so many different kinds. Or they were Christians when they were children, or they grew up hearing how terrible and idiotic Christians are. And a lot of them believe the world would be better without any of them. Easy to say in a world still heavily affected by the vast history and tradition that permeates nearly every culture. Try saying it when that impact is silenced. We seem more determined than ever to get that job done. None of these splinter groups help. Most of them are derived from prior traditions trying to reassert themselves, and no one seems to have noticed. Wonderful. But you’ve gotta have faith.
What bothers me considerably more is the notion that if you’re not happy with how the Church is functioning you simply find another version, which is something that continues to this day. And in order to justify this, key doctrinal differences are created and, in the case of White, a whole alternate history to explain that, really, those darn Catholics have been wrong basically all along, but definitely at the point in which the Church supplanted the Roman Empire as the unifying body of western civilization.
White’s grasp of history, then, much less the Bible itself, as demonstrated in these pages, as tenuous for any number of reasons, a chapter and verse proselytizer who is difficult to take seriously by the unconverted. But on the other hand (within the book White is an uninterested observer, but in actual history she was a teenaged prime mover), I now have a much better idea of what the heck the Seventh-day Adventists are: like a lot of Christians (including the Left Behind set, including even Catholics, of which my parents were always obsessing over), they seem to base a lot of their faith on the imminent end of the world, which for these guys was supposed to be 1844. Until it didn’t happen. And they subsequently, er, revised their estimation. Nearly two hundred years later, still waiting…
So it was worth a look. But I would hate to be a person who takes it seriously. So many people, when they think of Christians at all, have no idea there are so many different kinds. Or they were Christians when they were children, or they grew up hearing how terrible and idiotic Christians are. And a lot of them believe the world would be better without any of them. Easy to say in a world still heavily affected by the vast history and tradition that permeates nearly every culture. Try saying it when that impact is silenced. We seem more determined than ever to get that job done. None of these splinter groups help. Most of them are derived from prior traditions trying to reassert themselves, and no one seems to have noticed. Wonderful. But you’ve gotta have faith.
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