Walter T. Rea


Walter T. Rea was a former Seventh-day Adventist pastor known for his explosive book, The White Lie, revealing his research into literary borrowing and uncredited sources in the writings of church co-founder Ellen G. White. His findings created turmoil in the Adventist Church regarding the inspiration and authority of White, who some believe to have had a unique spiritual gift of prophecy.

Biography

Rea was born in 1922. He died in August 2014. Rea was a Seventh-day Adventist pastor in Long Beach, California, when he wrote The White Lie. His church employment ended in 1980 after its publication.

Ellen G. White

While there had been earlier allegations of plagiarism against Ellen G. White, Rea's book, The White Lie, was unprecedented. He claimed his research identified that up to 80 or 90% of White's writings were plagiarized. Rea was the first to document such large scales of borrowing, citing 75 books White depended on. The Adventist denomination responded to these charges in various venues. The church has continued to address related challenges in relation to understanding White’s inspiration, questions on the extent of the literary borrowing and its distinction to plagiarism, and issues of integrity in the absence of illegality.