I Found The Great Controversy in my Mailbox

There’s an interesting phenomenon taking place in Portland, and at its center is a book penned in 1895 by E.G. White. Not be to be confused with E.B. White, the creator of a loquacious spider and splendid pig. E.G. White was a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. So you can imagine my surprise when I gathered the mail and found a reprinting of The Great Controversy addressed to the ‘current resident.’ Shock doesn’t quite cover the feeling of receiving this unsolicited ‘gift.’

The Great Controversy is text-heavy with a clearly patriotic cover. The first of which can be off-putting, while the second is decidedly a red flag. Curious, I investigated and found no mention of the author on the cover, which is sus. It is most likely that the sender wanted to keep their cards close to their chest regarding the Seventh-day Adventist Church controversies. The tagline states: Will two former rivals unite? Makes one question whether they are about to embark on a novel filled with romance and sophisticated character arcs.

Too daunted by the wall-to-wall text to do more than thumb through this behemoth of bible quotes and philosophical ramblings, I took to the internet instead to learn more about the who and why behind this odd postal present.

Printed and distributed by Remant Publishing, a Christian publisher out of Coldwater, Michigan, whose founder, Dwight Hall, uses the company as a ministry, distributing religious-based books, including mass spamming campaigns across the U.S. Yes, that’s right. Portland isn’t the only city hit by Hall’s commitment to Christian conversion, just the most recent. His other victims include Detroit, Denver, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Charlotte.

These campaigns aren’t just a few books shipped here and there. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of books. Portland postal workers snapped photos of pallets of The Great Controversy, each slapped with a label to ‘current resident.’ I imagine post workers across the city clapped with glee at having to process and deliver these two-pound books with the same enthusiasm had when the Sears catalog* came out each fall for the Christmas rush. Not to mention the total waste of paper. Most folks will either toss The Great Controversy into the trash or try to recycle it. 

But what exactly is the great controversy White writes of in her magnum opus?

White claimed she wrote Controversy based on her visions and dreams, of which she had many. These ramblings would become the major themes of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Yet, time and time again, White was brought up on charges of plagiarism, having stolen ideas and, in some instances, word-for-word passages from her contemporaries.

The Great Controversy details the cosmic war between Jesus and Lucifer, which is also recreated here on Earth. Much of this controversy stems from the Pope. Why? I have no idea and don’t really care. I’m sure most recipients share my apathy.

*For those of you too young to know, the Sears Catalog was a large, usually glossy paged magazine containing pictures of products with item descriptions one could order through the mail. Picture Amazon.com in print.