Let’s ask some hard questions.
If the Bible clearly teaches “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deut. 6:4), why would Ellen White repeatedly speak of “three holiest beings” or a “heavenly trio” instead of “one God in three Persons”? Why would she describe the Father and the Son as having separate, tangible forms (Early Writings, p. 54), language that sounds more like Mormon tritheism than Nicene Christianity?
The Historic Trinity vs. Ellen White’s “Two Trinities”
Historically, the doctrine of the Trinity was hammered out in the Councils of Nicea (325 A.D.) and Constantinople (381 A.D.) as a response to heresies. The Church confessed: one Being (ousia) in three Persons (hypostases). Not three gods. Not three beings united in purpose.
But Ellen White muddled this. SDA theologian Jerry Moon himself admits that her writings contain “two distinct varieties of Trinitarian belief,” one supposedly “based on Scripture alone” and the other allegedly influenced by “Greek philosophy” (i.e., the historic creedal Trinity).
Since when does biblical truth come in two competing versions? Does Paul ever present two models of the gospel (Galatians 1:8-9)? Did Jesus ever say, “You can believe in Me as the eternal Son, or as a created being—choose whichever fits your interpretation”? Of course not. Truth is singular. Heresy comes in variations.
If Ellen White truly had the prophetic gift, why would her writings give birth to doctrinal division rather than unity in the knowledge of the true God (John 17:3)?
The Problem of “Unity in Purpose”
At first glance, that looks fine. But read carefully: it doesn’t say one Being in three Persons. Instead, “one God” is defined as a unity of three Persons, which is precisely how Mormons define their Godhead: three distinct divine beings united in purpose.
If the SDA creed reads more like Mormon theology than Nicene orthodoxy, what does that say about its source?
Even SDA leaders admitted this openly. At the 1980 Dallas GC Session, Leif Hansen suggested changing “unity” to “unity in purpose” to avoid implying “physical unity.” Neal C. Wilson, then president of the GC, agreed. In other words, they deliberately framed their doctrine of God in tritheistic terms.
"The statement about the Godhead and the Trinity goes on to use the noun "He". Later as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are discussed, we use the same pronoun "He". I do recognize and accept the Trinity as a collective unity, but I would have a little difficulty applying the pronoun "He" to the Trinity or the Godhead."✳
Tell me, does this align with Christ’s command to baptize “in the name [singular] of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19)? Or does it smuggle in a foreign god of “three beings” wearing the mask of unity?
Ellen White’s Vision: A Tritheistic God
Ellen White claimed she saw in vision that the Father had a “form” just like Jesus (EW, p. 54). That is a claim of separate tangible bodies, not one immaterial, indivisible divine essence.
But Scripture declares: “God is spirit” (John 4:24). He does not have body parts, form, or limitations like man (Num. 23:19). Ellen White’s vision directly contradicts the historico-grammatical reading of Scripture.
Can we call someone a true prophet if her visions distort the very nature of God, contradict the Bible’s plain teaching, and lead millions into a false conception of the Trinity?
Illustration: Marriage vs. Being
SDA theologians like Jerry Moon often compare their “Trinity” to a marriage: just as husband and wife are “one flesh” but two separate beings, so the Father, Son, and Spirit are one God but three beings.
But ask yourself: if your neighbor told you he had three separate houses that are “one house” because they share the same address, would you buy it? Of course not! Unity of purpose doesn’t erase ontological distinction. The biblical Trinity is one Being—not three houses, not three gods, not three beings in contract.
Division in the SDA Church
Dr. Michael Campbell, in 1919: The Untold Story of Adventism’s Struggle with Fundamentalism, documents that Ellen White’s confusion over the Trinity left the SDA church divided. Some adopted the “creedal Trinity” (the majority today), while others clung to Ellen White’s “three beings” model (mostly offshoots).
If Ellen White was truly a prophet of God, why did her words leave a legacy of theological division instead of truth and clarity? Did Isaiah or Jeremiah leave Israel divided about who Yahweh was? Or did they proclaim Him as the one true God?
Conclusion: Which God Will You Worship?
The biblical God is eternal, indivisible, and one in Being—Father, Son, and Spirit coequal and co-eternal Persons. This is the God Christians have confessed for centuries.
The SDA god, however, shifts between Ellen White’s “three beings” and the official “unity of three Persons.” That’s not the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That’s not the God revealed in Christ.
So let me ask you: If your prophet leads you to worship a god more like the Mormon tritheistic godhead than the one true God of Scripture, can you really say she was inspired by the Spirit of Truth? Or does this bear the marks of a false prophet who points to another god (Deut. 13:1–5)?
Friend, the issue is not academic—it’s eternal. Jesus Himself said: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
Which God do you know? The biblical Trinity—or Ellen White’s “three beings”?
| Doctrine of God | Biblical Trinity | Ellen G. White’s “Two Trinities” | Mormon Godhead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definition | One God in three eternal Persons (Father, Son, Spirit). One Being, not three beings. | 1. “Heavenly Trio” – three holiest beings united in purpose, mind, and character (tritheistic). 2. “Creedal Trinity” – borrowed terms but redefined, still emphasizing “unity in purpose” not in Being. | Three separate gods (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost) united in purpose. |
| Nature/Essence | One divine essence (ousia). Eternal, indivisible, immaterial. | Three beings with separate forms and tangible bodies (Early Writings, p. 54). | Three distinct gods, each with a tangible body (Father & Son with flesh; Spirit is a personage of spirit). |
| Unity | Ontological unity: one Being, three Persons. | Relational unity: “like a marriage,” united in purpose but separate beings (Jerry Moon). | Relational unity: same purpose, not one Being. |
| Historical Source | Nicene Creed (325 A.D.), Constantinople (381 A.D.). | Ellen White’s visions + SDA redefinition of Trinity (1919 Bible Conference & 1980 Dallas GC). | Joseph Smith’s revelations (Doctrine & Covenants). |
| Scriptural Basis | Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 1:1; 2 Cor. 13:14. | Forced reinterpretation of “heavenly trio” into Trinity language. | None; openly rejects historic Christian creeds. |
| Result | Unity and orthodoxy across centuries of the church. | Division within the SDA church (two camps: “creedal” vs. “heavenly trio”). | Cult outside historic Christianity. |
✳General Conference Session of the SDA Church. Excerpts from the "Session proceedings" of the "Seventh business meeting" of the "Fifty-third General Conference session" (April 21, 1980, 3:15 P.M.)
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