A Question On Tea and Coffee PDF

Subject: A Question on Tea and Coffee Jul.
31st, 2003
? Question
Ellen White states that "Tea and coffee drinking is a sin". She calls them 'idols'. Was she going through a "growing phase"
and at the time she wrote this tending towards a legalistic viewpoint, and later changing her stance when she came to
understand more regarding grace? I understand that the drinking of tea and coffee has never been made a test of (SDA)
church fellowship. Believing in Ellen White as a prophet, to my understanding, has been part of the core beliefs of
adventism. Therefore a correct understanding of this statement (and others on the subject) is necessary before we dismiss
Ellen White and all she says.
I look forward to your reply to this query.
Regards,
_______
! Answer
Dear _______,
Thank you for contacting the Ellen G. White Estate. I don't think we caqn attribute Mrs. White's comments in this case to
an early, legalistic phase. The expressions you mentioned come from Letter 44, 1896:
Tea and coffee drinking is a sin, an injurious indulgence, which, like other evils, injures the soul. These darling idols
create an excitement, a morbid action of the nervous system; and after the immediate influence of the stimulants is gone, it
lets down below par just to that degree that its stimulating properties elevated above par. {Counsels on Diet and Foods, p.
425}
This is eight years after the momentous General Conference session in 1888, where Mrs. White and others led in exalting
the "matchless charms of Jesus" and the message of righteousness by faith. She published Steps to Christ in 1892 and in
1896 her new opening chapter, "God's Love for Man," was added to Steps to Christ for a new edition published that year.
She was also at work on The Desire of Ages, which would be published in 1898. So the evidence is against saying that this
statement was the product of a legalistic phase in her experience which she later outgrew.
Instead, we find her opposition to these indulgences to be quite consistent through her term of service as the Lord's
messenger. According to James White, in 1848 Mrs. White received instruction in vision, warning us against tobacco, tea,
and coffee. As far as we know, this was the first instruction regarding health that she received, and in it the Lord saw fit to
include tea and coffee along with tobacco. In 1870 James White wrote, "It was twenty two years ago the present autumn,
that our minds were called to the injurious effects of tobacco, tea, and coffee, through the testimony of Mrs. White. God
has wonderfully blessed the effort to put these things away from us, so that we as a denomination can rejoice in victory,
with very few exceptions, over these pernicious indulgences of appetite" (Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 495, 496).
This statement shows that Mrs. White's view had not changed in those 22 years, and that the church was quite solidly with
her on it.
We find her writing about these matters in the pivotal year of 1888, when she was emphasizing righteousness by faith so
strongly:
R. H., Feb. 21, 1888 732. The stimulating diet and drink of this day are not conducive to the best state of health. Tea,
coffee, and tobacco are all stimulating, and contain poisons. They are not only unnecessary, but harmful, and should be
Page 1/3 © Ellen G. White Estate

Subject: A Question on Tea and Coffee Jul. 31st, 2003
discarded if we would add to knowledge temperance. {Ibid., pp. 420, 421}
And in the 1890 publication "Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene," she wrote as a part of the "Christian
Temperance" portion,
The habit of drinking tea and coffee is a greater evil than is often suspected. Many who have accustomed themselves to the
use of stimulating drinks, suffer from headache and nervous prostration, and lose much time on account of sickness. They
imagine they cannot live without the stimulus, and are ignorant of its effect upon health. What makes it the more
dangerous is, that its evil effects are so often attributed to other causes. {Ibid., pp. 421, 422}
In 1909, in an appearance at the last General Conference session she would ever attend, she spoke about health reform.
Near the beginning of that talk she said,
Those who have received instruction regarding the evils of the use of flesh foods, tea and coffee, and rich and unhealthful
food preparations, and who are determined to make a covenant with God by sacrifice, will not continue to indulge their
appetite for food that they know to be unhealthful. God demands that the appetites be cleansed, and that self-denial be
practiced in regard to those things which are not good. This is a work that will have to be done before His people can stand
before Him a perfected people. {9T 153, 154}
So it seems clear that this was not just a passing phase for her. It was a message she proclaimed throughout her life as a
part of what the Lord showed her for His people.
Does the fact that we do not dismiss people from the church for this indicate that it is any less serious, or that she was
wrong to call it sin? No, for we do not apply church discipline for every sin. We can all be thankful that we don't! Who of
us would be left? Mrs. White spoke of gossip, for instance, as sin, but her remedy for it was not to disfellowship anyone
who gossiped; it was not to tolerate its practice, not to listen to it and to rebuke it when it arose. Here's one such statement:
Difficulties are often caused by the vendors of gossip, whose whispered hints and suggestions poison unsuspecting minds
and separate the closest friends. Mischief-makers are seconded in their evil work by the many who stand with open ears
and evil heart, saying: "Report, . . . and we will report it." This sin should not be tolerated among the followers of Christ.
No Christian parent should permit gossip to be repeated in the family circle or remarks to be made disparaging the
members of the church. {5T 241, 242}
We could give other illustrations, but this will suffice.
As I understand it, the sin in using these things is that they are harmful to the body, which God has told us to care for
properly as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19, 20). We are not our own, and when we belong to Christ we may not
feel at liberty to do as we please if it is contrary to His will. Paul said, "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23).
When Greek philosophy came into the Christian church, even as early as New Testament times, the division that it made
between body and soul led some to abase the body in an effort to purify the soul, and others to claim that what one did in
the body had no effect on the soul. The New Testament clearly counters both views. As Seventh-day Adventists, we
believe in the unity of our human nature. What we do in the body affects the mind and the spiritual being, and vice-versa.
An emphasis on healthful living *as part of God's will and instruction for us* is entirely appropriate for us. Mrs. White is
in harmony with such a perspective. The validity of it does not change with time or neglect.
I hope the information here and these thoughts accompanying it may be helpful to you. May the Lord bless and guide you
as you seek to honor Him.
--------
William Fagal, Director
Ellen G. White Estate Branch Office
Andrews University
Berrien Springs, MI 49104-1400 USA
Phone: 269 471-3209

Subject: A Question on Tea and Coffee Jul. 31st, 2003
FAX: 269 471-2646

Website: www.WhiteEstate.org or www.egwestate.andrews.edu
E-mail: [email protected]

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Subject: A Question on Tea and Coffee Jul.

I look forward to your reply to this query.

Page 1/3 © Ellen G. White Estate

discarded if we would add to knowledge temperance. {Ibid., pp. 420, 421}

We could give other illustrations, but this will suffice.

Page 2/3 © Ellen G. White Estate

FAX: 269 471-2646

Page 3/3 © Ellen G. White Estate

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