Ellen Chat Conversation

Ellen White addressed the issue of inappropriate printing at the Battle Creek publishing house in a solemn warning read to the Review and Herald Board in November 1901. She stated that the managers "have united with the force of the enemy by consenting to print papers and books containing the most dangerous errors that can be brought into existence" (PH151 19). This was a serious departure from God's design for the institution. The concern was not about a specific location where workers were told not to print certain things, but rather about what had already been printed that should never have been allowed. Ellen White explained that "God's design in the establishment of the publishing house at Battle Creek was that from it light should shine forth as a lamp that burneth" (PH151 19). The managers had been repeatedly told "of the sacredness of God's office of publication and of the importance of maintaining its purity" (PH151 19). The spiritual danger extended beyond just the content being published. Ellen White warned that the managers "have failed to see the evil influences of such erroneous sentiments on typesetters, proof-readers, and all others engaged in the printing of such matter. They have been spiritually asleep" (PH151 19). The printing of error was affecting the spiritual condition of the workers themselves. This situation was part of a broader pattern of problems at Battle Creek in the 1890s and early 1900s, where worldly business practices and a departure from divine principles had crept into the institution's operations. --- 💡 **You might also want to explore:** • What specific reforms did Ellen White call for at the Battle Creek publishing house? • How did Ellen White describe the proper relationship between the Battle Creek and Pacific Press publishing houses? • What principles did Ellen White give for maintaining the sacredness of denominational publishing work?