“I hope that the author would withdraw or at the very least drastically revise this book.”

Since the words and ministry of Ellen White are currently being discussed on Reinventing the Adventist Wheel, I thought I would comment on the way the Adventist Church continues to misuse her writings. I am particularly disturbed that “The Clear Word” continues to be sold to Adventist schools and advertised a “new easy English edition” that “will make God’s word come alive for those who are learning English”. Talk about an unsophisticated audience!

The following comments are taken from reviews of the “Clear Word” as it first appeared as “The Clear Word Bible”.

from CLEAR WORLD “BIBLE": A letter from David Newman, Editor of Ministry Magazine July 28, 1994

The author has intertwined so much of Ellen White into his commentary that the general effect has been to canonize Ellen White. The author adds to Scripture in Genesis 2:25 by following Ellen White and saying that Adam and Eve were clothed with a garment of light. Daniel 8:14 is now clear that the judgment began after 2300 prophetic years.

I fear what our critics will say when they find how much Ellen White has contributed to this "bible" without any credit being given to her at all. It would be interesting to find out what percentage of this work owes itself to Ellen White.

He [Blanco] should have made it far clearer on the cover and in the formatting that this is not another Bible but a personal commentary on Scripture. I hope that the author would withdraw or at the very least drastically revise this book.

Yours for the uplifting of God's true Word,
J. David Newman
Editor, Ministry Magazine


from DANGEROUSLY DECEPTIVE, March 8, 2007
By D. Mills "dmills1555" (Anchorage, AK USA)
This review is from: The Clear Word Bible (Paperback)

I think it is almost blasphemous to rate a Bible as "one star," but I make an exception in this case. This book is dangerously deceptive. Anyone seriously contemplating buying this book (I hesitate to call it a Bible) should consider just a couple points:

- If this book is published by a mainstream Christian denomination, why is the organization reluctant to have its name associated with it?

- Why is this paraphrase not recognized or even utilized by ANY Christian organizations outside of the Seventh ay Adventist Church

- Why is it [now] called the "Clear Word," rather than the ‘Clear Word Bible’ . . . Originally, the SDA church responded to criticisms of this book by saying that it was not a Bible . . .They said that it was merely a "devotional." Of course it becomes hard to defend a book as merely a devotional that has all the trappings of a "Bible" (i.e. chapter and verse designations), so that argument was shelved fairly quickly. Now, it is being touted as an "expanded paraphrase," although no explanation is given for what exactly has been added.

I have no problem with the SDA church publishing its own Bible. I would just prefer that there be a little more honest disclosure. By intentionally omitting this important information, I believe they are bearing false witness.