Problems in the Christiania Church

Two evening meetings were held during that first week, both attended by 500 people, but on Sabbath, November 7, Ellen White's work for the Christiania church began in earnest. Two serious problems plagued this important church: a lax spirit in regard to Sabbath observance, and fanatical criticism over matters of minor importance. In place of the true test of loyalty, the church members had manufactured tests of their own on dress and photographic pictures. Interpreting the second commandment to apply even to photographs, some had burned pictures of their friends.EGWE 119.2

“Thus a spirit of criticism, fault-finding, and dissension had come in, which had been a great injury to the church. And the impression was given to unbelievers that Sabbath-keeping Adventists were a set of fanatics and extremists, and that their peculiar faith rendered them unkind, uncourteous, and really unchristian in character.”—Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists, 211.EGWE 120.1

“It is true,” Ellen White told them during the course of her visit, “that altogether too much money is expended upon pictures; not a little means which should flow into the treasury of God is paid to the artist. But the evil that will result to the church from the course of these extremists is far greater than that which they are trying to correct.”—Ibid., 212.EGWE 120.2

Mrs. White was not a stranger to the business of handling extremists, She wrote:EGWE 120.3

“Years ago, we had to meet this same spirit and work. Men arose claiming to have been sent with a message condemning pictures, and urging that every likeness of anything should be destroyed. They went to such lengths as even to condemn clocks which had figures, or ‘pictures,’ upon them.EGWE 120.4

“Now we read in the Bible of a good conscience; and there are not only good but bad consciences. There is a conscientiousness that will carry everything to extremes, and make Christian duties as burdensome as the Jews made the observance of the Sabbath....EGWE 120.5

“The second commandment prohibits image worship; but God Himself employed pictures and symbols to represent to His prophets lessons which He would have them give to the people, and which could thus be better understood than if given in any other way. He appealed to the understanding through the sense of sight. Prophetic history was presented to Daniel and John in symbols, and these were to be represented plainly upon tables, that he who reads might understand.”—Ibid. See also Selected Messages 2:319, 320.EGWE 120.6