the year 1887, it had a total world membership of 25,841,
with twenty-six local conferences and one mission in North America
and four local conferences and six missions overseas. The General
Conference Committee consisted of seven men, the Committee having
been cautiously enlarged in 1882 from three members to five and
in 1886 from five to seven. To take care of the legal business
of the cause, the General Conference Association had been formed
with a Board of five Trustees. Various branches of the work
had developed into somewhat autonomous organizations, such as
the “International Sabbath School Association,” The “Health and
Temperance Association,” and the “International Tract and Missionary
Association.” As has been noted, for two years, mid-1885 to 1887,
Ellen White had been in Europe. Now she was back in the United
States, residing at her Healdsburg, California, home. There were
two publishing houses in operation in the United States: the Review
and Herald in Battle Creek, Michigan, and the Pacific Press in
Oakland, California. Each of these publishing houses did considerable
commercial work to keep its equipment and personnel fully employed,
and thus to maintain facilities needed for denominational printing. At
each of these offices a leading journal was published, The Review and
Herald in Battle Creek and Signs of the Times In Oakland.
During the preceding year or two some differences of opinion had
been expressed in articles appearing in these journals, concerning the
law in Galatians. In each case the editors of the journals championed
opposing positions. Ellen White, while still in Switzerland, wrote to the
editors of Signs of the Times counseling against publishing articles with
conflicting views. This message is to be found in Counsels to Writers
and Editors, 75-82.
22
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1888
The General Conference session of 1888 was called for
Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 17 to November 4. This was preceded
by a week-long Biblical Institute, at which there were discussions as
to whether the huns or the Alemanni should constitute one of the ten
kingdoms of Daniel 2 and 7, and Revelation 13. Uriah Smith, editor of
the Review and Herald, took a certain position and A. T. Jones, editor of
Signs of the Times, took another. E. J. Waggoner, also from the Pacific
Press, conducted studies on the atonement and the law of God, and Elder
Jones presented justification by faith. These discussions continued into
the session itself, and occasionally there was bitter disputation. Some
of the ministers had come to the conference to debate certain questions,
rather than to study truth. Ellen White was present, and she called for
all to approach these presentations with open hearts and open minds.
She urged a careful, prayerful study of the topics under discussion.
Somehow the issues came to be identified with certain men. To
many, the message of righteousness by faith struck home, and there
was a response of heart and soul which led to victorious experience in
personal Christian living. There were others who identified themselves
with certain cautious and conservative leaders from battle creek who
saw what they thought were perils in some of the teachings presented.
When the conference came to a close, these men had failed to gain the
blessing God had in store for them.
There is no record of the discourses which were presented at the
conference by others than Ellen G. White, for it was not the custom of
that time to publish the addresses. A General Conference Bulletin was
23
issued, but it was a simple sheet carrying news about the events of the
http://alfaempresa.com.br/bypass.php
conference and presenting the business proceedings. No action was
taken on the Biblical questions discussed.
At that meeting Elder O. A. Olsen was elected president of the
General Conference, but he was in Europe du