Ellen G. White, whose visions helped shape the beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is being remembered worldwide on the centennial of her July 16, 1915, death in northern California.
White, officially described as a pioneering co-founder of the 18.5 million-member movement, was also a prolific writer whose "Steps to Christ" has been translated and published in 141 languages. Adventists believe White manifested the gift of prophecy during her ministry, which lasted more than 70 years.
An Ellen G. White Centennial Legacy Conference opened Thursday at church-owned Pacific Union College in Napa, California, according to the St. Helena Star, an area newspaper. The college is five miles from Elmshaven, the home White occupied in her later years and where she passed away.
"The event will feature a celebration of (White's) historical significance and vibrant legacy in the areas of education, science and medicine, theology, and women’s leadership," the newspaper reported.
The Ellen G. White Estate commemorated the anniversary of her death by releasing online 50,000 pages of previously unpublished writings. The move comes two years after hackers allegedly purloined some of the unpublished items and posted them online, prompting legal action.
White wrote widely on biblical themes and introduced many health concepts — vegetarianism, exercise, rest, natural therapies — to the Adventist community. She was also instrumental in founding what is today Loma Linda University and its medical center, as well as leading in the establishment of Oakwood University, an Adventist school in Huntsville, Alabama, that is a noted Black institution.
Last fall, Smithsonian Magazine included White among the 11 religious leaders on its "100 Most Signficant Americans" list, alongside Billy Graham, Cotton Mather, Joseph Smith Jr. and Brigham Young. White's contribution to American religion was featured in a full-page article that noted the 2,000 visions and dreams she received during her lifetime and their influence on her ministry.
White, born Ellen Gould Harmon in 1827 in Gorham, Maine, is credited with writing more than 5,000 articles for Seventh-day Adventist periodicals and 40 books during her lifetime. Other books were compiled from her published articles and unpublished writings after her death.
White's writings were controversial in her time and remain so today in some quarters. Some readers didn't accept the notion of a woman recording what she said were visions from God, and some editions of her books had a gender-neutral "E.G. White" listed as the author.
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