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Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers
publishing articles with conflicting views. This message is to be
found in
Counsels to Writers and Editors, 75-82
.
[xxiii]
The General Conference of 1888
The General Conference session of 1888 was called for Min-
neapolis, 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 them-
selves with certain cautious and conservative leaders from battle
creek who saw what they thought were perils in some of the teach-
ings 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 issued, but it was a simple sheet carrying news about
[xxiv]
the events of the 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 during the conference.
On November 27, 1888, William C. White, a member of the General
Conference Committee, wrote Elder Olsen that “the delegates at the