Jerry Thomas has done something that would have been unthinkable forty years ago--he has re-edited one of Ellen White's books. First produced in 1898 primarily to serve the colporteurs who went door-to-door with the message, The Desire of Ages remained the flagship of our "missionary" publications. Church members grew up often memorizing the sentences and paragraphs. It was inspired, sacred writing, introducing readers to the life and teachings of Jesus. Somehow the sonorous phrases blended in with the many quotations from the good old King James Version of the Bible.

But now Thomas has boldly gone where no other dared tread. After honing his editorial skills as book editor at Pacific Press for ten years, he turned to Ellen G. White's classic work and was able to shorten it by almost half. An example is the following passage, taken from the concluding paragraphs of chapter 8 in each of the two books. First, from The Desire of Ages:

"It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.

"As we associate together, we may be a blessing to one another. If we are Christ's, our sweetest thoughts will be of Him. We shall love to talk of Him; and as we speak to one another of His love, our hearts will be softened by divine influences. Beholding the beauty of His character, we shall be 'changed into the same image from glory to glory.'" 2 Cor. 3:18. (DA, p. 83.)

Then here is the same passage as it is turned out by Thomas:

"It would be good for us to spend an hour every day thinking about the life of Jesus. We should use our imagination to put ourselves in each story, especially the stories from the last week of his life. The more we think about His great sacrifice for us, the more confidence we'll have in Him, and the more love we will feel. The more we study and think and talk about Jesus, the more like Him we will become." (Messiah, p. 54)

There you have it--two paragraphs, eight sentences, trimmed down to one paragraph, four sentences. Throughout the book, 835 pages condensed to 447.

Thomas deleted many of the allusions to Scripture, and where Ellen White quoted biblical passages using the King James Version, Thomas uses a modern one, the New Century Version.

What was wrong with the classic Desire of Ages that it should need any changes? For one thing, it was written in a day when people were used to sonorous phrases. In fact, as a major colporteur book, the more pages it had, the better bargain it looked to the prospective buyer. People nowadays are used to more direct writing in their newspapers and magazines, and the phrasing in the book seems to take too long to "get to the point." The newer version updates the style.

What is most significant about this book is that it represents the first time ever for an official permit to change the wording of a prominent White publication. Years ago, when translations of the Testimonies to the Church series were being considered, a condensed form in English called Testimony Treasures was produced to aid the translators. These books were never promoted to English speakers, however. There have been innumerable reprints of books like Steps to Christ and The Great Controversy in different formats, type styles, and illustrations, even titles; but always the wording has remained the same. This book, Messiah, is being heavily promoted by Pacific Press in all the local churches of the nation, with videotaped endorsements from recognized denominational leaders and with featured "camp meeting" discounts. This is done to reassure the faithful that the revision is indeed OK.

But some thoughtful readers ask if this represents a retreat of sorts from the concept of "inspiration." If Ellen White was an inspired writer, then why were not her very words sacred?

If we can rewrite this book, what about her other books? Furthermore, does this admission that her writing style was affected by her environment suggest that some of her ideas were likewise influenced by the intellectual and theological outlook of her time?

It will be interesting to see how the book is received by church members. Some who have been brought up on The Desire of Ages may think this version sounds too matter-of-fact, lacking in majestic overtones; it doesn't "sound like" Ellen White, quite. Some, on the other hand, will appreciate the added readability level. And, of course, any who are involved in translating the book to another language will find this particularly useful. Those who found resemblances in phrasing to other writers contemporary with Ellen White may find that these presumed "borrowings" are harder to trace. Perhaps the passing of a century is not too soon for rethinking the way we present our story of the life of Christ.