Book Review: Two by Ron Numbers

I recently read two books by Ron Numbers, Prophetess of Health and The Creationists. These books were both easy to read. One thing I appreciate about Ron Numbers' writing, is that he is very good at presenting what happened, according to his research, in an unbiased manner.

Prophetess of Health discusses Ellen White and how she came to advocate the importance of good health. I was not disturbed about her plagerism of others work, many other people at that time were doing the same thing. The problem is that she tended to deny the influence of others. In spite of that, I sensed that Dr. Numbers thought highly of what she accomplished. The high point of the book is when he compares her to Mary Eddy Baker.

This book was so explosive, because Adventists have tended to deify Ellen White. She was human like the rest of us. She was not perfect just like the rest of us. This is frequently what happens when an infinite God uses finite people to do his work. Another book about Ellen White, that I highly recommend is Inspiration by Alden Thompson. I have heard that Escape from the Flames deals with similar issues, but I haven't read that book.

The second book traces the history of Scientific Creationism and describes the work of the major proponents. Again he is very neutral when he approaches this subject. I did not realize how influential Adventist thinking was on this subject. But it was the Adventists who led the way, mainly because the six day creation is related to the Sabbath doctrine.