Confession of R. S. Donnell

At the turn of the century there developed in certain of the Adventist churches in Indiana a strange, unscriptural view that men in this present life could acquire “holy flesh.” Without going into details, we may say that this teaching led to certain fanatical acts, and gave promise of worse. Even the president of the Indiana Conference, R. S. Donnell, was directly involved. At the 1901 General Conference session Mrs. White spoke in clear-cut condemnation of this strange doctrine, for she ever condemned all things weird and fanatical. Present at this session was Elder Donnell. His response was made the next day. We quote in full his words as reported in the official minutes:WBEGW 69.2

“I feel unworthy to stand before this large assembly of my brethren this morning. Very early in life I was taught to reverence and to love the Word of God; and when reading in it how God used to talk to his people, correcting their wrongs, and guiding them in all their ways, when a mere boy I used to say: ‘Why don’t we have a prophet? Why doesn’t God talk to us now as he used to do?’WBEGW 70.1

“When I found this people, I was more than glad to know that there was a prophet among them, and from the first I have been a firm believer in, and a warm advocate of, the Testimonies and the Spirit of prophecy. It has been suggested to me at times in the past, that the test on this point of faith comes when the Testimony comes directly to us. As nearly all of you know, in the Testimony of yesterday morning the test came to me. But, brethren, I can thank God this morning that my faith in the Spirit of prophecy remains unshaken. God has spoken. He says I was wrong, and I answer, God is right, and I am wrong. Yea, let God be true, and every man a liar. I am very, very sorry that I have done that which would mar the cause of God, and lead any one in the wrong way. I have asked God to forgive me, and I know that he has done it. As delegates and representatives of the cause of God in the earth, I now ask you to forgive me my sins, and I ask your prayers for strength and wisdom to walk aright in the future. It is my determination by the help of God, to join glad hands with you in the kingdom of God.”—The General Conference Bulletin, April 23, 1901, p. 422.WBEGW 70.2

We ask: Would a gossipy woman, intent on creating a sensation by exposing the frailties of men, as gossips are wont to do, have elicited from Elder Donnell that kind of repentant statement? Something told him that what she said only too truly described his mistakes and his spiritual danger.WBEGW 70.3