A contemporary adaptation of the book The Desire of Ages was released by Pacific Press last month, and aims to make Ellen White’s biography of Jesus more accessible to a new generation of readers. Author Jerry D. Thomas says his adaptation, Messiah, was written for students, young adults, new Adventist believers, or anyone who finds the language of the original difficult to understand.

“For years as a teacher, I struggled to help students grasp the concepts and images of God’s love as shown in The Desire of Ages,” says Thomas. “I became convinced that a contemporary adaptation could preserve the meaning of her words while simplifying and updating the language.”

Throughout the two-year project, Thomas worked closely with the White Estate at the Adventist world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. Scholars from the White Estate, which has preserved and promoted Ellen White’s writings since her death in 1915, went over the manuscript page by page to ensure that White’s message was not blurred. “Messiah is certainly not intended to be a replacement for The Desire of Ages,” adds Thomas. “I hope it leads more people to read more of Ellen White’s beautiful book on the life of Jesus.”

Thomas says reaction to Messiah has so far been positive. “Some people who were handed The Desire of Ages as a young person or new believer have felt guilty for not being able to finish reading the original right through, or not understanding it properly,” says Thomas. “Since the release of Messiah, I’ve had a number of people tell me, ‘I feel great for finally being able to read it!”

“I’ve always wanted to do something that matters for the church, something that makes a difference,” explains Thomas. “And as a writer of children’s books, I’ve enjoyed helping children learn about Jesus and gain a love of reading.” But Messiah is different, he says. “Making The Desire of Ages more accessible to today’s readers has the potential to affect an entire generation, influencing how they feel about Ellen White and her writings, and more importantly, how they feel about Jesus.”

Many church leaders have welcomed this adaptation. Noelene Johnsson, children’s ministries director for the church in North America, says there has long been a need for a popular “translation” of the The Desire of Ages. Don Hevener, a vice president for the Adventist Church in North America, praises the “friendly style,” accuracy in adaptation, and clear language of the book.

Thomas, a book editor at Pacific Press for the past 10 years, is author of more than 20 children’s books, including the Shoebox Kids Bible Stories series and Detective Zack. Before joining Pacific Press, Thomas served as a pastor and high school religion teacher.

The Desire of Ages, first published in 1898, is one of White’s best known books and has been translated into more than 60 languages.

For more information about Messiah, go to www.adventistbookcenter.com.