eeting carried away very different impressions. Many felt
that it was one of the most profitable meetings that they ever attended;
others that it was the most unfortunate conference ever held.”
DIFFERING ATTITUDES TOWARD RIGHTEOUSNESS BY
FAITH
Ellen White was much in the field during the next two years,
endeavoring to lead the churches and conferences to a deeper, fuller
understanding of the important message of righteousness by faith. She
spoke of this Bible truth as one which, though “new to many minds,”
was in reality “old truth in new Framework.”—Ellen G. White, The
Review and Herald, July 23, 1889, reprinted in Selected Messages, B.
1, p. 355.
She was able to report during the following General Conference
session, held in Battle Creek from October 18 to November 5, 1889,
that “the spirit that was in the meeting at Minneapolis is not here. All
moves off in harmony. There is a large attendance of delegates. Our
five O’clock morning meeting is well attended, and the meetings good.
All the testimonies to which I have listened have been of an elevating
character. They say that the past year has been the best of their life; the
light shining forth from the word
24
of God has been clear and distinct—justification by faith, Christ our
righteousness. The experiences have been very interesting.
“I have attended all but two morning meetings. At eight O’clock
Brother Jones speaks upon the subject of justification by faith, and great
interest is manifested. There is a growth in faith and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”—Ellen G. White manuscript 10,
1889, published in Selected Messages 1:361.
Unfortunately, several among the leaders of our work connected
with the General Conference and our institutions at Battle Creek ranked
themselves on the negative side and established in the very heart of
the work of the church a hard core of resistance. Within the next few
years, many of those who had placed themselves in this camp saw
their mistake and made heartfelt confessions. But there were some
who stubbornly resisted. Some of these, connected with the business
interests of the church and our institutions, made their influence felt
well through the 1890’s. It was of such that Ellen White in 1895 wrote
as recorded on page 363: “The righteousness of Christ by faith has
been ignored by some; for it is contrary to their spirit, and their whole
life experience.”
In this volume, from page 76 and onward, frequent reference will be
found to Minneapolis and its aftermath, and to the experience of some
who were involved.
At the session of 1888, the General Conference Committee was
materially changed. O. A. Olsen was called from Europe to take the
presidency of the General Conference, replacing George I. Butler. Elder
Butler was ill, and, although not present at the Minneapolis Conference
session, had placed himself
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with those on the negative side of the issue. He went into a period of
retirement and cared for his invalid wife for ten years or more, then
made a good comeback and again occupied positions of responsibility
in the denomination.
Elder Olsen, a man in full sympathy with the emphasis placed on the
truth of righteousness by faith, and one who was ever loyal to the spirit
of prophecy counsels, found it difficult to meet certain of the problems
at Battle Creek. Particularly hard were problems arising from the rapid
development of institutions and the enlargement of the work in Battle
Creek to the detriment of the work elsewhere.
CONSOLIDATION AND ITS ATTENDANT PROBLEMS
At the General Conference session of 1889, consideration was given
to problems arising from the operation of two large publishing houses,
one in Battle Creek and the other on the Pacific Coast. A committee
of twenty-one was appointed to give study to the consolidation of
the denomination’s publishing interests. The action also called for
consideration of a similar organization “for the purpose of controlling
all our educational interests and owning the property, thus bringing
them under one general management; also, another to control our health
institutions.”—The General Conference Bulletin, Nov. 6, 1889, 149.
This committee brought its report to the session of 1891. The proposal
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made was that the General Conference Association, as the corporation
formed to represent the legal interests of the church, s
