by Kevin M. Burton, 2015
So what is a testimony? Jerry Moon has explained that it is a “general term for a believer’s declaration or profession of faith, either spoken to one or more individuals, or written, or lived, from which are derived several more specialized meanings in Adventist usage.”1 One such specialized meaning in Adventism is taken from Ellen G. White’s Testimonies for the Church, as well as her other various publications that include Testimony or Testimonies in the title. This definition of “testimony” became prominent as White received “visions with messages for others.”2 The first Testimony for the Church appeared in 1855 and the final volume, No. 37, was published in 1909. In total, Ellen White produced nearly 5,000 pages of Testimonies within 54 years, which are now combined in nine volumes known as Testimonies for the Church.3____________________
1. Jerry Moon, “Testimony, Testimonies,” The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia, (2014)
2. Denis Fortin, “Testimonies for the Church,” The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia, (2014)
3. Ellen G. White, Testimony for the Church, No. 33 (Battle Creek, MI: Review and Herald, 1889)