Watson Mbiriri

In 1894, Mr. Cecil John Rhodes of the British South African Company offered representatives of the then young but expanding Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), as much land as they could use for missionary purposes in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). This offer generated much debate among members of the Foreign Mission Board of the Church, on the grounds of the Church’s principle on separation of Church and state. A direct appeal to Ellen White drew an affirmative response and the matter was settled. 

This paper will seek to explore just one question: how should Ellen White’s advice with regards to this land offer be understood, considering that the land was effectively ‘stolen property’? Mr. Rhodes’ ‘generosity’ saw him parcel out large portions of the country without any regard to or consultation with the owners (inhabitants) of that land. The SDA Church was neither the first, nor the last beneficiary of his ‘generosity.’ This paper seeks a biblical paradigm that may mediate the dialogue on this otherwise awkward situation for Ellen White as a person and the SDA Church as a Bible-based community of believers.