This week in Christian history: Blaise Pascal, Seventh-day Adventist founder and David Brainerd

Ellen Gould White is born – Nov. 26, 1827

This week marks the anniversary of when Ellen Gould White, one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was born in Gorham, Maine.

White was baptized in 1842 following a deep religious experience and she later joined the Millerist movement, which claimed the Rapture would happen on Oct. 22, 1844.

After the failed prophecy, White claimed to have experienced several prophetic visions beginning in December 1844, later helping to found the Adventist denomination.

“Throughout the work of organization and the establishment of an Adventist orthodoxy, Ellen White’s visions were a guiding force. The scriptural interpretations that came to her were promptly accepted,” explained Britannica.

“Her views on health, especially her opposition to the use of coffee, tea, meat, and drugs, were incorporated into Seventh-day Adventist practice.”