How to Read and Interpret Ellen White?

With thousands of manuscript pages available, reading and understanding Ellen White’s writings can seem daunting. Some of the statements may also seem strange or unusual in a modern setting, but the same principles we use to understand and interpret the Bible can be used to understand Ellen White’s writings.

Here’s your quick guide:

• Read with a heart open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. After all, the same Holy Spirit was present and inspired both the Bible and Ellen White’s writings (2 Pet. 1:20-21).
• Come with an open mind. Put aside any preconceived ideas and prejudices you may have. Read the sources for yourself, and don’t necessarily rely on how others have interpreted a particular passage.
• Make sure that you understand the vocabulary, as a particular term or word may have changed meaning over the last century. For instance, Ellen White described teaching as “the nicest work,” using the word “nice” to mean ‘exacting’ or ‘with great precision’—a meaning we still use today when we say “Nice job.”

Just as we do for Bible study, compare passage with passage. Make sure that you have read comprehensively on the topic before drawing conclusions.

Study the context and remember the big picture of why she wrote. Keep in mind that she framed her writings within the Great Controversy theme, with Jesus as the focus. Ask: Who was she writing to? What was the issue? This is where annotated volumes of Ellen White’s writings may help.

Look for the underlying biblical principles which will help in understanding the passages.

Avoid extremes. Don’t be a sensational reader who looks for anything startling to focus on, to the exclusion of everything else she wrote about.

Finally, don’t neglect Bible study. Use Ellen White’s writings to complement, but not replace, your study of the Bible.