James White, like Joshua V. Himes, was a member of the “Christian Connexion.” He was baptized at the age of fifteen. He was just on the threshold of young manhood when he first heard of the teachings of William Miller. After listening to one or two Millerite speakers he accepted the views of William Miller and began to preach them, and with success. He grew in power and in repute among Baptists, Methodists, Congregationalists, and Christians, among whom he labored. In the summer of 1843 he was ordained to the ministry in the Christian denomination. — Arthur W. Spalding, Captains of the Host, p. 53.
“Christian Connexion” which James White belonged to, rejected the doctrine of the Trinity.
About her husband, James White, Ellen White had this to say about it:
“He [Jame White]received a commendation that few others have attained. God has permitted the precious light of truth to shine upon His word and illuminate the mind of my husband. He may reflect the rays of light from the presence of Jesus upon others by his preaching and writing.”{E. G. White, Testimonies for the Church Volume 3, p. 502}
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for THE faith which was once delivered unto the saints…” (Jude 3, 4) …The exhortation to contend for the faith delivered to the saints, is to us alone. And it is very important for us to know what for and how to contend. In the 4th verse he gives us the reason why we should contend for the faith, a particular faith; “for there are certain men,” or a certain class who deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. This class can be no other than those who spiritualize away the existence of the Father and Son as two distinct literal, tangible persons.… The way spiritualizers have disposed of or denied the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ is first using the old unscriptural Trinitarian creed, viz., that Jesus Christ is the eternal God, though they have not one passage to support it, while we have plain scripture testimony in abundance that he is the Son of the eternal God.” (James White, January 24, 1846, The Day Star)
“We are told by those who teach the abolition of the Father’s law, that the commandments of God mentioned in the New Testament, are not the ten, but the requirements of the gospel, such as repentance, faith, baptism and the Lord’s supper. But as these, and every other requirement peculiar to the gospel, are all embraced in the faith of Jesus, it is evident that the commandments of God are not the sayings of Christ and his apostles. To assert that the sayings of the Son and his apostles are the commandments of the Father, is as wide from the truth as the old trinitarian absurdity that Jesus Christ is the very and Eternal God. And as the faith of Jesus embraces every requirement peculiar to the gospel, it necessarily follows that the commandments of God, mentioned by the third angel, embrace only the ten precepts of the Father’s immutable law which are not peculiar to any one dispensation, but common to all.” (James White, August 5, 1852, Review & Herald, vol. 3, no. 7, page 52, par. 42)
“Bro. Cottrell is nearly eighty years of age, remembers the dark day of 1780, and has been a Sabbath-keeper more than thirty years. He was formerly united with the Seventh-Day Baptists, but on some points of doctrine has differed from that body. He rejected the doctrine of the trinity, also the doctrine of man’s consciousness between death and the resurrection, and the punishment of the wicked in eternal consciousness. He believed that the wicked would be destroyed. Bro. Cottrell buried his wife not long since, who, it is said, was one of the excellent of the earth. Not long since, this aged pilgrim received a letter from friends in Wisconsin, purporting to be from M. Cottrell, his wife, who sleeps in Jesus. But he, believing that the dead know not anything, was prepared to reject at once the heresy that the spirits of the dead, knowing everything, come back and converse with the living. Thus truth is a staff in his old age. He has three sons in Mill Grove, who, with their families are Sabbath-keepers.” (James White, June 9, 1853, Review & Herald, vol. 4, no. 2, page 12, par. 16)
“As fundamental errors, we might class with this counterfeit sabbath other errors which Protestants have brought away from the Catholic church, such as sprinkling for baptism, the trinity, the consciousness of the dead and eternal life in misery. The mass who have held these fundamental errors, have doubtless done it ignorantly; but can it be supposed that the church of Christ will carry along with her these errors till the judgment scenes burst upon the world? We think not. “Here are they [in the period of a message given just before the Son of man takes his place upon the white cloud, Rev. 14:14] that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” This class, who live just prior to the second advent, will not be keeping the traditions of men, neither will they be holding fundamental errors relative to the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. And as the true light shines out upon these subjects, and is rejected by the mass, then condemnation will come upon them. When the true Sabbath is set before men, and the claims of the fourth commandment are urged upon them, and they reject this holy institution of the God of heaven, and choose in its place an institution of the beast, it can then be said, in the fullest sense, that such worship the beast. The warning message of the third angel is given in reference to that period, when the mark of the beast will be received, instead of the seal of the living God. Solemn dreadful, swiftly approaching hour!”(James White, September 12, 1854, Review & Herald, vol. 6, no. 5, page 36, par. 8)
“Here we might mention the Trinity, which does away the personality of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, and of sprinkling or pouring instead of being “buried with Christ in baptism,” “planted in the likeness of his death:” but we pass from these fablesto notice one that is held sacred by nearly all professed Christians, both Catholic and Protestant. It is, The change of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment from the seventh to the first day of the week.” (James White, December 11, 1855, Review & Herald, vol. 7, no. 11, page 85, par. 16)
“The “mystery of iniquity” began to work in the church in Paul’s day. It finally crowded out the simplicity of the gospel, and corrupted the doctrine of Christ, and the church went into the wilderness. Martin Luther, and other reformers, arose in the strength of God, and with the Word and Spirit, made mighty strides in the Reformation. The greatest fault we can find in the Reformation is, the Reformers stopped reforming. Had they gone on, and onward, till they had left the last vestige of Papacy behind, such as natural immortality, sprinkling, the trinity, and Sunday- keeping, the church would now be free from her unscriptural errors.” (James White, February 7, 1856, Review & Herald, vol. 7, no. 19, page 148, par. 26)
“Jesus prayed that his disciples might be one as he was one with his Father. This prayer did not contemplate one disciple with twelve heads, but twelve disciples, made one in object and effort in the cause of their master. Neither are the Father and the Son parts of the “three-one God.” They are two distinct beings, yet one in the design and accomplishment of redemption. The redeemed, from the first who shares in the great redemption, to the last, all ascribe the honor, and glory, and praise, of their salvation, to both God and the Lamb.” (James White, 1868, Life Incidents, page 343)
“The inexplicable Trinity that makes the Godhead three in one and one in three, is bad enough; but that ultra Unitarianism that makes Christ inferior to the Father is worse. Did God say to an inferior, “Let us make man in our image?”” (James White, November 29, 1877, Review & Herald)
Concerning the Divinity of Christ
Since the SDA church wasn’t trinitarian then many accused them to reject the divinity of Jesus. For example, James White wrote an article about an encounter with a trinitarian where he had to explain to him that even though they, he and Ellen White reject the trinity, that didn’t mean that they reject the divinity of Christ, he wrote:
“We have not as much sympathy with Unitarians that deny the divinity of Christ, as with Trinitarians who hold that the Son is the eternal Father, and talk so mistily about the three-one God. Give the Master all that divinity with which the Holy Scriptures clothe him. ..”(from : Review and Herald June 6, 1871 James and Ellen White’s – Western Tour.)
“This missionary seemed very liberal in his feelings toward all Christians. BUT AFTER CATECHIZING US [James and Ellen White were both present along with two other Adventists] UPON THE TRINITY, AND FINDING THAT WE WERE NOT SOUND UPON THE SUBJECT OF HIS TRIUNE GOD, he became earnest in denouncing unitarianism, which takes from Christ his divinity, and leaves him but a man. Here, as far as **OUR VIEWS** were concerned, he was combating a man of straw. WE DO NOT DENY THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. WE delight in giving full credit to all those strong expressions of Scripture which exalt the Son of God. WE believe him to be THE DIVINE PERSON addressed by Jehovah in the words, “Let us make man.” He was with the Father before the world was. He came from God, and he says, “I go to him that sent me.” The apostle speaks of Christ as he now is, our mediator, having laid aside our nature. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (James White, June 6, 1871, Advent Review and Herald of the Sabbath) (Bracket and emphasis in caps and bold supplied)
“The principal difference between the two bodies is the immortality question. The S. D. Adventists hold the divinity of Christ so nearly with the trinitarian, that we apprehend no trial here. And as the practical application of the subject of the Gifts of the Spirit to our people and to our work is better understood by our S. D. Baptist brethren, they manifest less concern for us on this account.” (James White, Review and Herald, Oct 12, 1876)
“In the divine law, and in the gospel of the divine Son, are the tests of Christian character. And it is with an ill grace that those who have been splitting up into petty sects during the nineteenth century over forms of church government, matters of expediency, free and restricted salvation, trinity and unity, whether we may sing any good hymn in church, or only the Psalms of David, and other matters which constitute no test of fitness for Heaven, now pounce upon us, and display any amount of religious horror, simply because we regard strict conformity to the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus the only true tests of Christian character. (James White, RH Oct, 12, 1876)
“We invite all to compare the testimonies of the Holy Spirit through Mrs. W., with the word of God. And in this we do not invite you to compare them with your creed. That is quite another thing. The trinitarian may compare them with his creed, and because they do not agree with it, condemn them. The observer of Sunday, or the man who holds eternal torment an important truth, and the minister that sprinkles infants, may each condemn the testimonies’ of Mrs. W. because they do not agree with their peculiar views. And a hundred more, each holding different views, may come to the same conclusion. But their genuineness can never be tested in this way.” {James White, Review and Herald of the Sabbath, June 13, 1871}
Signs of the Times – April 25, 1878
Questions Answered.
Will Elder White or Smith please explain what is meant by sinning against the Holy Ghost, and what the Holy Ghost is? E. S.
Ans. The sin against the Holy Ghost in the days of the first advent of Christ was to attribute the power of God manifested in the miracles of Christ to the work of Satan. At one time they charged our Lord with casting out devils through Beelzebub, the prince of devils. Matt. 9:34 ; Mark 3:22 ; Luke 11:15. Those who now attribute the work of the Holy Spirit was manifested in the gifts of the church to the power of Satan, commit the sin which has no forgiveness. This sin has been committed by those restless spirits, who have gone out from us declaring that the gift of prophecy, which has been graciously manifested to our people be the work of Satan. The work of these is to tear down. They cannot rest unless they are accursing the remnant, that keep the commandments of God under the third message.
THE FATHER IS A PERSON, THE SON IS A PERSON but the Holy Ghost is the same as the Holy Spirit. IT IS A DIVINE INFLUENCE EMANATING FROM THE FATHER AND THE SON, and probably is never manifested to the children of men only in connection with the ministration of holy angels, when these come forth from the world of from glory to minister unto the children of men, these are enveloped with the light and glory which surrounds the throne of God. When these are brought in connection with God’s people they partake of that light and glory, which gives them peace and joy. This accounts for those happier emotions enjoyed by the assembly of the saints. The attending angels of each one of them is present. Also seasons of darkness of the people of God are occasioned by the presence of fallen angels, permitted to come forth from Satan and the realms of darkness, to try the faith of the people of God. – James White
2. In creation, and in the institution of law, the Son was equal with the Father. In the beginning, before the fall, God said, ” Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Gen. 1:26. Compare with this statement, words that are found in one of the gospels: “In the beginning was the Word [Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1: 1. It was God the Father that said to God the Son, “Let us make man.”
[note: Some may view the term “God the Son” a trinitarian expression…. James White apparently used the phrase back in 1881]
3. In his exaltation, before he humbled himself to the work of redeeming lost sinners, Christ thought it not robbery to be equal with God, because, in the work of creation and the institution of law to govern created intelligences, he was equal with the Father. The Father was greater than the Son in that he was first. The Son was equal with the Father in that he had received all things from the Father. The reader may now look upon the Father and the Son, to use a common figure, as a great creating and law-instituting firm.
4. It was when Christ left this firm in order to be a mediator between the offending sinner and the offended Deity, that Christ “made himself of no reputation,”‘ as expressed by the apostle. He left the glory of creation and the glory of instituting and administering law with the Father when he entered upon the humiliating work of redeeming lost sinners. And since that time the Father alone has represented the law, and Christ has stood as mediator in behalf of the transgressors of that law. (James White, January 4, 1881, Review & Herald; found in EGW Review and Herald Articles, vol. 1, page 244)
“Many of the pioneers, who shared with us these trials and victories, remained true till the close of life, and have fallen asleep in Jesus. Among these is the faithful warrior who for thirty-six years stood by my side in the battle for truth. God used him as a teacher and leader to stand in the front ranks during the severe struggles of those early days of the message; but he has fallen at his post, and, with others who have died in the faith, he awaits the coming of the Lifegiver, who will call him from his gloomy prison-house to a glorious immortality.” {RH, November 20, 1883 par. 6}
“The Most Holy, containing the Ark of the ten commandments, was then opened for our Great High Priest to enter to make atonement for the cleansing of the Sanctuary. If we take the liberty to say there is not a literal Ark, containing the ten commandments in heaven, we may go only a step further and deny the literal City, and the literal Son of God. Certainly, Adventists should not choose the spiritual view, rather than the one we have presented. We see no middle ground to be taken.”{Parable by James White, p. 16, Para. 1, [MATT25]; ND JW PARA 16.1} (Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, June 9, 1851), Source click HERE
Elder D. E. Robinson, who was closely associated with the White family, stated in an interview that James White never accepted the doctrine of the Trinity. — James White, “Mutual Obligations,” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 37:25, June 6, 1871, p. 196. Hereafter designated a Review: This reference presents an exhibit of James White’s views, but nothing is stated regarding the Trinity.
Personality of God, Jame White, The Review and Herald June 18, 1861 pg. 28; Also published in The Review and Herald June 25, 1861 pg. 36