A.T. Jones: THE MAN AND THE MESSAGE

The Charge of Pantheism

For example, the author darkly suggests that "it is probably no accident that the three foremost ministerial proponents of righteousness by faith in the 1890s—Jones, Waggoner, and Prescott—all got entangled in pantheistic language and sentiments." Readers will naturally conclude that there is danger in "the concept of the indwelling power of Christ … inherent in the 1888 message" because it "easily crosses the border into pantheism" (cf. pp. 214, 215).

Pantheism is the false doctrine that an impersonal God is in everything, including the grass and trees.

Thus the phrase "no accident" implies that pantheism is a built-in feature of what Ellen White described as the "most precious message" of the 1888 era (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 91). How could she have been so naive?

In the same vein are repeated allegations that Jones's message during the time of Ellen White's endorsements spawned the heretical "holy flesh" fanaticism in Indiana at the close of the century, and eventually led to his own apostasy. If these serious charges are true, the content of his message of righteousness by faith must be suspected of poisonous error.

Our concern is not to defend Jones per se, but what Ellen White says is the "most precious message" he was commissioned of the Lord to proclaim.

Strangely, Knight does not substantiate his charge that Jones became "entangled in pantheistic language and sentiments." In fact, not one word from him is quoted expressing the slightest tinge of it.

However, the author assumes he has evidence for his charge in three sources: (a) friends or enemies claimed that he taught or supported pantheism; (b) Dr. Kellogg claimed that he endorsed the pantheism in The Living Temple; (c) Jones's The Consecrated Way to Christian Perfection supposedly exhibits "the problem."

Items (a) and (b) are subjective judgments. The opinions of others are open to question. Jones's friends or enemies could well have been caught up in the general excitement of the time, assuming that Jones was entangled also. Neither is Kellogg's claiming Jones's support in his Living Temple preface sufficient to condemn him for pantheism, because he also claimed Ellen White's support for his ideas.

In this respect there is a fine line between truth and error. Ellen White's Testimonies, Vol. 8, p. 260, her Review and Herald article of May 30, 1899, and her "God in Nature" chapter in Education come close to that fine line. They do not teach pantheism, but Kellogg thought they did. If Jones said something in complete harmony with the Ellen White statements cited, prejudiced opponents could seize upon it as suspect.

In those hectic days Jones may or may not have read and understood Kellogg's book manuscript. Members of modern reading committees have been known to pass a manuscript for publication that they had not read carefully. Either way, it can only be condemnation of Jones by default.

A charge like this deserves some foundation in fact. As characteristically open as Jones was in expressing himself, there must certainly be abundant objective evidence of pantheism from his own pen or voice—if he believed it. But there is none. Even if some rare intimidating statement could be wrested to make him appear as an offender for a word, certain it is that in over-all context Jones never taught pantheism.

3. We do have objective evidence to examine in The Consecrated Way, but it also is negative. Knight believes he sees pantheism there, but what he sees is Jones's linking the human experience of righteousness by faith with the Saviour's work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary. From the beginnings of the Adventist movement Ellen White linked the two, and The Great Controversy in particular emphasizes the relationship (cf. pp. 425-432). There is a vast difference between an impersonal God dwelling in trees and grass and Christ dwelling in the believing human heart by faith (cf. Ephesians 3:17). Neither can His Vicar, the Holy Spirit, indwelling the believer, be fairly called pantheism.

The reason the Pacific Press did not market Jones's book in 1905 (written well before that date) is not that the editors could actually find pantheism or heresy in it, but because by the time the book was printed the author had gone to the wrong side of the Battle Creek crisis.

Fortunately, The Consecrated Way is widely available today so that anyone can see the evidence for himself. If pantheism is Christ dwelling in the believer's heart by faith, cleansing it through His High Priestly ministry, then the Apostle Paul had to be a pantheist (cf. Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 3:17; Colossians 1:27; Hebrews 7:25, etc.).