Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce (1989)

268 Pages·2010·1.03 MB·English

by  Ellen G. White

Testimonies on Sexual
Behavior, Adultery, and
Divorce
Ellen G. White
1989
Copyright © 2017
Ellen G. White Estate, Inc.

Information about this Book
Overview
This eBook is provided by the Ellen G. White Estate. It is included
in the larger free Online Books collection on the Ellen G. White
Estate Web site.
About the Author
Ellen G. White(1827-1915)isconsideredthemostwidelytranslated
American author, her works having been published in more than 160
languages. She wrote more than 100,000 pages on a wide variety of
spiritual and practical topics. Guided by the Holy Spirit, she exalted
Jesus and pointed to the Scriptures as the basis of one’s faith.
Further Links
A Brief Biography of Ellen G. White
About the Ellen G. White Estate
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Preface
When this compilation was produced, it was not intended for
general circulation. It was designed to assist church administrators
and other ministers in their efforts to maintain high moral standards
in the church, balancing mercy with justice in dealing with members
involved in questionable or immoral conduct. However, the book
has proved so helpful, and the demand for it so widespread, that it is
now being made generally available as part of the Christian Home
Library series.
Readers will note that many of the letters in this volume were
addressed to errant ministerial laborers. Since Ellen White corre-
sponded largely with ministers and other gospel workers, this should
come as no surprise. However, in spite of the faults and sins of those
to whom she wrote, Ellen White had great confidence in the ministry
of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. At the age of 85 she sent two
messages to be read to the General Conference session of 1913. In
the first message she assured the delegates,
“While I still feel the deepest anxiety over the atti-
tude that some are taking toward important measures
connected with the development of the cause of God in
the earth, yet I have strong faith in the workers through-
out the field, and believe that as they meet together
and humble themselves before the Lord and consecrate
themselves anew to His service, they will be enabled to
do His will.”—Selected Messages 2:401, 402.
In her second and final message to the conference Ellen White
declared:
“When in the nightseason I am unable to sleep, I lift
my heart in prayer to God, and He strengthens me and [6]
gives me the assurance that He is with His ministering
servants in the home field and in distant lands. I am
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encouragedandblessedasIrealizethattheGodofIsrael
is still guiding His people, and that He will continue
to be with them, even to the end.”—Selected Messages
2:406.
These expressions of confidence make clear that the moral prob-
lems dealt with in the letters quoted in this volume were not general
or widespread. Nevertheless, since contemporary moral problems
are similar to those of past decades, we believe that many letters
written by Ellen White a century ago contain warnings and appeals
that need to be heard today. Concerning the use of her letters, Ellen
White said:
“IamendeavoringbythehelpofGodtowriteletters
that will be a help, not merely to those to whom they are
addressed, but to many others who need them.”—Letter
79, 1905.
The present compilation is not designed to serve as a manual of
rules for dealing with immorality, infidelity, or unscriptural divorce
and remarriage. No manual could cover every possible moral irregu-
larity. When W. C. White was asked for an authoritative statement
from his mother that would serve as a standard by which to settle all
cases of unscriptural marriage, he replied:
“After reading the documents I sent you today, you
will say, well, he has not given me anything authorita-
tivefromSisterWhitethatdirectlyanswersthequestion.
But I think you will see from what I am sending you
that it was Sister White’s intention that there should not
[7] go forth from her pen anything that could be used as a
law or a rule dealing with these questions of marriage,
divorce, remarriage, and adultery. She felt that the dif-
ferent cases where the devil had led men into serious
entanglementsweresovariedandsoserious, thatshould
she write anything that could be considered as a rule
for settling such cases, it would be misunderstood and
misused.”—W. C. White to C. P. Bollman, January 6,
1931.
We concur fully with Ellen White’s view. Moral problems are
complex. No two situations are exactly alike. Each will require
careful study; and although the differences may be minor, each
situation will require its own solution. The Holy Spirit will always
be needed as a divine Guide and Counselor to help those who are
grappling with moral problems.
All given names in this book are genuine, but, in the various
problem cases cited, letters of the alphabet have been substituted for
the surname. All chapter titles and sub-headings have been supplied.
It is our hope and prayer that in the hands of an ever-learning and
truly caring church, the materials in this compilation will contribute
to the elevation of moral standards in the church, and at the same
time provide comfort, encouragement, and hope for those whose
complex moral problems seem beyond human solution.
The Trustees of the
Ellen G. White Estate
Contents
Information about this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Section 1—Marriage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 1—Important Facts and Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 2—Cautions and Counsels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 3—Individuality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 4—Remarriage of Widows and Widowers . . . . . . . . 25
Section 2—Married to an Unbelieving Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Chapter 5—The Christian Spouse’s Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Section 3—A Mutilated Spouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Chapter 6—Counsels to Walter and Laura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Chapter 7—Admonition to Walter’s Second Mother-in-law . 57
Chapter 8—Failure of Walter’s Second Marriage . . . . . . . . . 63
Section 4—Separation and Grounds for Divorce . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Chapter 9—Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Chapter 10—Grounds for Divorce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Section 5—Licentiousness and Adultery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chapter 11—The Sin of Licentiousness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Chapter 12—Disregard of the Seventh Commandment . . . . 86
Chapter 13—Dealing with Impure Thoughts and Suggestions 90
Section 6—Other Sexual Evils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Chapter 14—Sexual Excess within Marriage. . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Chapter 15—Petting and Premarital Sex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Chapter 16—Homosexuality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Chapter 17—Masturbation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Chapter 18—Child Abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Section 7—Counsels to People with Moral Problems. . . . . . . 115
Chapter 19—A Housewife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Chapter 20—A Long-Standing Adventist and His Mistress 118
Chapter 21—A Hospital Worker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Chapter 22—A Sanitarium Superintendent . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Chapter 23—A Would-Be Sanitarium Superintendent . . . . 137
Chapter 24—A Medical Doctor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Chapter 25—A Literature Evangelist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
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