An American author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ellen G White is known for her theological writings. She was listed among the 100 most significant Americans of all time by the Smithsonian magazine. Her critics considered her quite controversial. This was largely due to her claims of having received over 2,000 visions of God.
Her biographer was her grandson, Arthur L White. He had mentioned that she was the most translated female author in the non-fiction category. A wide range of subjects was covered by the writings of Ellen G White. They included religion, prophecy, nutrition, social relationships, and many other subjects.
She had written over 5,000 articles and 40 books. Today, more than 200 titles of Ellen G White are available in the English language. Among all her books, the most notable is The Desire of Ages, Steps to Christ, and The Great Controversy.
1. Steps to Christ
This book by Ellen G White was first published in 1892. In the same year, Review and Herald Publishing Association, a Seventh-day Adventist publisher, purchased its copyright. As a result, it was printed by the publisher four years later.
A new first chapter called ‘God’s Love for Man’ was added in 1893. This addition was made on the request of the Seventh-day Adventist publishing house in the United Kingdom. Steps to Christ became Ellen G White’s most popular and widely read book. It was printed in over 150 languages across the world.
The book defines the subjects such as the nature of man, what a Christian’s life should be, and salvation. Several titles of this book have been distributed with different cover illustrations over the years. The Road to Redemption, Happiness Digest, and The Path to Peace are some of the known titles.
2. The Desire of Ages
First published in 1898, this book of Ellen G White is about the life of Jesus Christ. It is a part of her five-volume series called Conflict of the Ages. The book’s title is based on the prophecy of Jesus Christ in Haggai 2:7 from the Old Testament.
This series makes devotional comments on Bible history right from Genesis to the Christ’s second coming. When it was written for the first time, the book had much larger content. It, therefore, was divided into three separate volumes before its publication.
These volumes were The Desire of Ages, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, and Christ’s Object Lessons. Sunnyside Historical Home, located in New South Wales was the place where this book was written.
3. The Great Controversy
Published in 1858, it became a part of the 4-volume set called Spiritual Gifts. Later the four volumes got published separately. In this book, Ellen G White describes the theme as the cosmic battle between Jesus Christ and Satan. It mentions that the battle has been going on since its beginnings in heaven.
The book further says that it would go on until its final end. This is when the remaining faithful people of God will be placed in heaven. Later, the world would be destroyed and recreated. The 4-volume set was expanded to a 5-volume series titled The Conflict of the Ages. In 1911, the 5-volume series was again expanded and published.
