Foreword
Few books attain a distribution reckoned in millions or exert so
great an influence in the uplifting of humanity as has Steps to Christ.
In countless editions, this little volume has been printed in more than
seventy languages, bringing inspiration to hundreds of thousands of
men and women throughout the world, even those who dwell in the
remote corners of the earth. From the appearance of the first edition in
1892, the publishers have been called upon to add printing to printing
to meet the immediate and sustained demand from the reading public.
The author of this work, Ellen G. White (1827-1915), was a
religious speaker and writer, well known on three continents. Born
near Portland, Maine, she spent her early life in the New England
States, and then her travels and labors led her to the rapidly expanding
central and western areas of the United States. The years 1885 to 1887
she devoted to work in the leading countries of Europe, where she often
addressed large audiences, and continued her writing. Subsequently
she spent nine active years in Australia and New Zealand. From her
pen have come forty-five volumes, large and small, in the fields of
theology, education, health, and the home, and practical Christianity,
several with a distribution exceeding the million-copy mark. Of these,
Steps to Christ is the most popular and widely read.
The title of the book tells its mission. It points the
reader to
[6]
Jesus Christ as the only one who is able to meet the needs of the soul.
It directs the feet of the doubting and halting to the pathway of peace.
It leads the seeker after righteousness and wholeness of character, step
by step, along the way of Christian living, to that experience where
he can know the fullness of blessing which is found in the complete
surrender of self. It reveals to him the secret of victory as it unfolds in
simplicity the saving grace and the keeping power of the great Friend
of all mankind.
This edition marks a forward step in standardizing the paging of
the book in forthcoming English-language printings. With no change
in the text, but with a format, spelling, and capitalization in keeping
iii