Dear Pastor ___________,
The Great Controversy volume you asked about was produced around 1'0, if I remember correctly, by an independent ministry called Laymen for Religious Liberty. As far as I know, the leader of that organization sought no permission from the White Estate or the publisher before bringing out his volume. The pages were photo-reproduced from the volume the church's publishing house had printed ?which I believe is contrary to legal practice even for a book that is in the public domain. The pictures that were included in the book sometimes seemed to be there only for sensationalism, not for any actual illustrative value relating to the material printed in the text. The project failed to generate the financial returns the leader expected, and I believe I read that when he could not meet the payments on the large order he had placed, the printer offered the books to others on a highest-bid basis. Apparently they are still being sold, though I do not know by whom. The White Estate does not approve or endorse publications of Mrs. White's writings that are done outside of the denominational channels.
In regard to More than a Prophet, you will find a brief comment on the book posted on our web site, at www.WhiteEstate.org/issues/more-prophet.asp. Our reservations about the book remain. I saw a DVD that featured the author, and this may have been the same one you mentioned. I don't recall the title of it. On the DVD I did not find the same questionable and contentious issues that I feel marred the book. Perhaps he had wider counsel about what to include on the DVD. My concern about the DVD would be that, because it is generally acceptable, it may lend credibility to the contents of the book.
I hope this helps. God bless!
William Fagal
Associate Director
Ellen G. White Estate
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600 U.S.A.
Phone: 301 680-6550
FAX: 301 680-6559
E-mail: mail@WhiteEstate.org
Web: www.WhiteEstate.org
Thank you for your quick reply.
Another question: Is the New Illustrated Great Controversy approved and endorsed by the EGW Estate?
More questions: Our conference passed on an email cautioning us about Graeme S. Bradford's new book
"More Than a Prophet," from Biblical Perspectives. Has that caution been ironed out? Also, the same author
is also one of the main speakers on the DVD "Prophetic Inspiration" sold at our ABCs, is there any caution in regards
to that DVD?
Thanks,
___________,
Thank you for contacting the Ellen G. White Estate. Originally, "Life of Jesus" was the working title for the book that became The Desire of Ages. More recently, that title has been used for a new edition of Christ Our Savior. Edson White, Mrs. White's son, adapted some of her material that was being prepared for The Desire of Ages and published it for children under the title Christ Our Savior. Later her staff reworked it for a new edition under the same title. I think it has been further reworked for the current edition. In that sense it is not a compilation, at least not one done after Mrs. White's death, but neither is it quite an expression of her own writing. Here at the White Estate we would have preferred that the new edition make some of this clearer, but that did not happen. No doubt the book will be a blessing to many people just as it is.
I hope this helps. Thank you for writing, and God bless!
William Fagal
Associate Director
Ellen G. White Estate
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600 U.S.A.
Phone: 301 680-6550
FAX: 301 680-6559
E-mail: mail@WhiteEstate.org
Web: www.WhiteEstate.org
