What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "Speaking jokingly about bodily modesty, making coarse jokes and humorously treating the Bible as well as Ellen White – in the sense of Adventist doctrine, which emphasizes modesty, respectful speech, and reverence for the Scriptures."
Answer
The Adventist writings strictly reject joking remarks about bodily modesty, coarse jokes, or a humorous approach to sacred topics such as the Bible. Such behavior is considered an obstacle to spiritual life, grieves the Holy Spirit, and undermines the seriousness of the biblical message. True Christian disposition is instead shown in reverence, restraint, and language that reflects the holiness of God.
Inappropriate behavior and jokes among believers
»Both brothers and sisters indulge in too much cheerful chatter when they are in each other's company. Women who profess piety indulge in many jokes, witticisms, and laughter. This is improper and grieves the Spirit of God. These utterances reveal a lack of true Christian refinement. They do not strengthen the soul in God, but bring great darkness; they drive away the pure, refined, heavenly angels.«
Reverence for holy things and biblical truths
»Holy things were made the subject of jokes... Hardly a serious word was spoken; the conversation was of a character that despises the spirit and corrupts morality... Some mocked individuals and even imitated the words spoken in meetings. When workers are careless, joking and jesting while preparing solemn truths for publication, they show that their hearts are not in the work. They recognize no holy things, but treat the truth, which is meant to test character, as an ordinary fairy tale.«
The danger of frivolity and coarse jokes
»A spirit of joking and witticism, of frivolity and trifling, is not only a stumbling block for sinners, but an even worse stumbling block for those who yield to the inclination of a sanctified heart. Whoever can point out even a single frivolous word of our Lord may feel that frivolity and joking are excusable in him himself. This spirit is unchristian; for being a Christian means to be like Christ.«
Modesty and the preservation of virtue
»Modesty and virtue are rare. I appeal to you as followers of Christ to cherish the precious, priceless jewel of modesty. This will preserve virtue. The slightest hints, from whatever source they may come, that invite you to indulge in sin or allow the slightest improper freedom with your persons, should be rejected as the gravest insult to your dignified femininity.«
Jokes as an obstacle to spiritual growth
»Joking and jesting will not contribute to your progress in divine life nor make you a better Christian. The closer you live to God, the greater your aversion to these things will be. If you indulge in this light and trivial style, you lose self-control and self-respect, and since God has no pleasure in all such merriment and cheerfulness, you remain weak in faith.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
My hope is that this tool supports personal Bible study, strengthens trust in the original sources, and helps more people discover the message of these writings with clarity, depth, and joy.
