Trust and Doubt: Perceptions of Divine Inspiration in Seventh-day Adventist History (1880-1930)

The Topic The belief in the divine inspiration of Scripture has come under scrutiny in North America from the 1850s to the 1920s as critical scholars questioned traditional hermeneutical presuppositions and conservative Protestant theologians retreated into more strict theories of inspiration. In that context various Seventh-day Adventist leaders formulated their individual understandings of the nature, manner, and result of the inspiration of the Bible writers and Adventist visionary Ellen G. White. The Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe the views that selected influential Seventh-day Adventist thinkers held concerning the divine inspiration of the Bible writers and Ellen G. White from 1880 to 1930. In order to outline such a history of Adventist perceptions of divine inspiration, based on a study of selected individuals, it was necessary to describe each thinker’s affirmations and objections, underlying sources and influences, and the historical context in which they made their statements. The Sources This was a documentary study based primarily on published and unpublished primary sources produced by selected Seventh-day Adventists between 1845 and 1930. Both primary and secondary sources were used for background, historical context, and perspective. The most heavily used primary sources were periodicals, the correspondence collections of the Ellen G. White Estate, and other archives containing Adventist resources. Conclusions The study identified five general stages in the development of Seventh-day Adventist perceptions of divine inspiration. (1) From 1845 to 1883 they believed in the divine inspiration of both Scripture and Ellen White’s writings without clarifying the particulars. Scripture was nevertheless seen as having supreme authority, being the only basis for faith and practice. (2) From 1883 to 1888 the theory of degrees of inspiration gained some influence within the denomination in the attempt to vindicate White’s writings against critics. (3) That theory experienced its demise after 1888 when various people connected to the Signs of the Times advocated the verbal inspiration of Scripture and, in some cases, of White’s writings. (4) Her return to the United States in 1900 and the subsequent Kellogg crisis urged several advocates of verbal inspiration either to modify their view or to reject her inspiration altogether. (5) After the controversy over the correct interpretation of the tāmîd (continual, daily) in Daniel 8 and the revision of the Great Controversy in 1911, relations of the proponents of verbal and thought inspiration swayed between severe tensions and collegial cooperation. Adventist discussions about inspiration revolved primarily around perceptions of Ellen White’s inspiration. Throughout her life, Ellen White maintained, however, a dynamic view that allowed for diverse non-dominating operations of the Holy Spirit, which did not fit any particular theory of inspiration

The language of thought as a logically perfect language

Between the end of the nineteenth century and the first twenty years of the twentieth century, stimulated by the impetuous development of logical studies and taking inspiration from Leibniz's idea of a characteristica universalis, the three founding fathers of the analytic tradition in philosophy, i.e., Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein, started to talk of a logically perfect language, as opposed to natural languages, all feeling that the latter were inadequate to their (different) philosophical purposes. In the second half of the twentieth century, however, the very idea of a logically perfect language ceased for various reasons to seem attractive to analytic philosophers. Thus, it might appear that this idea could be classified together with the many other bizarre ideas that from time to time surface in the history of philosophy-an idea that perhaps had a beneficial impact on the development of twentieth century logic, but which can now be put to rest. In this brief note, I contend that this conclusion may be too hasty. Indeed, if a well-known empirical hypothesis advanced in 1975 by Jerry Fodor turns out to be true, then there is a logically perfect language, after all. More precisely, I argue that, if it exists, Fodor's language of thought possesses the main characteristics a logically perfect language is required to have

Mathers Systematic Theology - Chapter 2

INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES 2.1 The Inspiration of the Scriptures involves the accurate recording of the revelation. 2.1.1 Central Passages establish the inspiration of the Scriptures. 2.1.1.1 2 Timothy 3:16-1

Consciousness and Inspiration in the Delsartean Theory

Elena Randi observes how the analysis of the relationships between the moral and the physique constitutes a main theme in Delsarte’s theory. As far as the general subject of his study is concerned, Delsarte draws inspiration from the thought of the French idéologues . But as regards the nature of the intérieur , he takes a similar position to Degérando’s or Maine de Biran’s. These intellectuals, after participating in the movement of the idéologues , started investigating the same issues, but argued against their conclusions. Combining some views of Biran’s with concepts taken from the late eighteenth century debate on physiognomy and with Engel’s theories, Delsarte builds up a theory and a very structured system of acting. Randi illustrates some major issues therein expressed

Ion: Plato’s Defense of Poetry

This reading of Plato's Ion shows that the philosophic action mimed and engendered by the dialogue thoroughly reverses its (and Plato's) often supposed philosophical point, revealing that poetry is just as defensible as philosophy, and only in the same way. It is by Plato's indirections we find true directions out: the war between philosophy and poetry is a hoax on Plato's part, and a mistake on the part of his literalist readers. The dilemma around which the dialogue moves is false, and would have been recognized as such by Plato's contemporaries. Further, it is intrinsically related to a false, but popular, view of language. So the way out of the false dilemma of the dialogue is the way out of the war between philosophy and poetry, and also makes one see what is false about the view of language which makes such war plausible

A Modern Polytheism? Nietzsche and James

Polytheism is a strange view to hold in modernity. Connected as it is in the popular imagination with archaic, animistic, magical, prescientific systems of thought, we don’t hesitate much before casting it into the dustbin of history. Even if we are not monotheists, we are likely to think of monotheism as the obviously more plausible position. The traditional arguments for the existence of God, which have been enormously influential in Western philosophy of religion, do not necessarily rule out polytheism but they are clearly formulated with monotheism in mind. While there could be multiple first causes, intelligent designers, or beings than which nothing greater can be conceived, the simplest and most natural..

Our Space: Being a Responsible Citizen of the Digital World

Our Space is a set of curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments. Through role-playing activities and reflective exercises, students are asked to consider the ethical responsibilities of other people, and whether and how they behave ethically themselves online. These issues are raised in relation to five core themes that are highly relevant online: identity, privacy, authorship and ownership, credibility, and participation.Our Space was co-developed by The Good Play Project and Project New Media Literacies (established at MIT and now housed at University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism). The Our Space collaboration grew out of a shared interest in fostering ethical thinking and conduct among young people when exercising new media skills