White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America

Abstract

randi for inspiration. (57, 237) While this may be true for the theologically elite in the movement as Kaiser demonstrates, others such as George Knight have observed, in vernacular Adventism the “dictation imagery” was taken as much more than metaphorical in reinforcing the absolute reliability of inspired texts whether biblical or those of Ellen White. The issue behind the verbal-plenary concept was the need for the texts to have authority. Inerrancy and verbal inspiration were the means to that end. Kaiser overlooks this issue. Some Adventist scholars, shaped by their convictions that Ellen White’s charisma bore the mark of the divine, and in light of her own ‘all of God or all of Satan’ binary account of the source of her gift, have been reluctant to offer any critique of the actual content of the writings she generated. In this study, Kaiser concedes that Ellen White on occasion may have misunderstood her own revelations, “neglected” to correct individuals for their wrong views, and neglected to set out a “systematic explanation” of inspiration, (100) but he seems unwilling to engage in a critique of the content of her writings as he so very ably does for the other voices he discusses. For example, in his discussion of Alonzo T. Jones’s evolving viewpoint on inspiration he considers Jones to be entirely at fault for his inadequate views. There is no consideration that a lack of perspicuity or inconsistency in Ellen White’s texts contributed in any way to Jones’s difficulties. Nor is there any discussion of the extent to which Ellen White herself may have nurtured Jones and her readers in general in their inadequate views through her strong emphasis on the authority to be accorded her charisma. Some discussion of both of these would have contributed to a more complete picture. The value of Kaiser’s study of the development in Adventist thinking on inspiration is enhanced by his careful, thorough enquiry into the context of his sources and by the breadth of the sources his study embraces. He draws not only on Seventh-day Adventist periodical literature but relevant periodicals from other faith traditions and has accessed extensive correspondence and unpublished material recently made available by the custodians of Ellen White’s literary estate. This has enabled him to challenge and clarify numerous misinterpretations. While a detailed list of contents helps to guide the reader, the lack of an index is an unfortunate editorial decision complicating access to the book’s truly excellent content. Kaiser’s abundant, richly detailed footnoting provides a valuable aid for those who wish to understand the nuances of the debate or undertake further study of their own on the topic.