A.T. Jones: THE MAN AND THE MESSAGE

Introduced as the first of the special "1888 Centennial Series," this book is highly recommended by the Adventist Review, the Ministry, and thought-leaders in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The dust jacket asks, "Why did A.T. Jones, often defended by Ellen White, turn against the Adventist Church?" The answer given is, "a fatal flaw in his character." The almost forgotten story of A.T. Jones is catapulted into a vital issue because Ellen White's credibility is intertwined with his career. Why would an inspired prophet "often defend" a man with a "fatal flaw" in his character? Hundreds of times she endorsed his message, even as "the beginning" of the work of the fourth angel of Revelation 18 (cf. Selected Messages, Book One, pp. 234, 235; Review and Herald, Nov. 22, 1892).

Also at stake is confidence in the Lord's choice of an agent to herald that wonderful message. We read that He selected "the very men He did select to bear this special message. … God has chosen the very men He wanted" (Letter H-27, 1894 [1245]1). Why would He make such a bungling appointment? Ellen White insists that Jones was a special "delegated messenger" with "heavenly credentials." His mission was an extremely sensitive one involving unique eschatological import. The Pentecost early rain and the 1888 latter rain were to be interrelated. (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 97; RH, Sept. 3, 1889; Mar. 18, 1890.)

This book follows the decades-long tradition of previous volumes, Captains of the Host by A.W. Spalding, The Fruitage of Spiritual Gifts by L.H. Christian, and By Faith Alone by N.F. Pease, which lay considerable blame on the 1888 messengers themselves for the opposition to their message. They impute focal points of blame onto Jones in particular because of his alleged poor personality, flawed character, and supposed theological error in his righteousness by faith message itself.

The problem the reader must now wrestle with is how to reconcile Ellen White's frequent and glowing endorsements of Jones's message and character with the derogatory judgments Knight's book gives of both.

As an initial step toward clarifying the issue, the reader must recognize that there are "two" A.T. Joneses: (a) There is the 1888-1903 "Lord's messenger" who was highly endorsed and supported by Ellen White (in spite of weaknesses and mistakes, he generally honored his commission and truthfully deserved her commendation. His response to her rebukes was sincere and contrite); and (b) the 1903-1923 Jones is another man, a spiritually sick or deranged individual with failures that become dismal, "like a man who has lost his bearings" (Letter 104, 1911). In the full context of the record of his life and character, (a) and (b) are like day and night. The reader must therefore ponder a fundamental problem: Why should a "splendid man" (as Haskell rated the young Jones to be) degenerate at last to such a spiritual disaster?