Adventist Perspective

Prophetic Vision

2012-01-26T17:15:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing Spectrum

2012-01-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

Fall, 2011
Volume 39, Issue 4
http://spectrummagazine.org/

GENERAL COMMENTS
Spectrum, the magazine, was a pleasant surprise. As you might recall, after reviewing the last issue, I declared it was on life support. I’m happy to report the patient is recovering nicely!

EDITORIALS
I HEAR ADVENTISM SINGING by Bonnie Dwyer is a reflection of her positive attitude with regard to the future of Adventism.

“Obviously, the latest reports from the annual Council session show that the denomination is paying increased attention to what the numbers say… Wherever the people, in whatever church, in whichever form of praise that used worship, my musical wish is for the power in addressing to again be felt as in the days of James White and that, like the psalmist, we will sing praises to God with all our being.”

GOING FORWARD WHILE GOING BACKWARD by Charles Scriven is a paean of hope as well.

“Adventism, like all things good and beautiful, stands on the razor edge of danger… But there are shining moments when movement forward faces backward movement down.”

RE-ARRANGING THE WORLD CHURCH is required reading for anyone who is interested in church politics and current organizational activities. Of particular interest is Ted Wilson's unsuccessful attempt to standardize worship practices and define doctrinal orthodoxy in Germany, as evidenced by his five trips to the country in the first year of his presidency.

FALLING OUT OF THE CHURCH WINDOW by Kent Hansen is an essay on the compelling necessity of a Christian community.

The purpose of our gathering together is to encourage each other… What we all need and want from our community is a brother or sister who will come to our aid, embrace us in our brokenness, bring us back to life and fellowship, share a meal with us, converse in encouragement and help us home in healing grace.”

ADVENTIST CHURCH: MEMBERSHIP AUDITS PLANNED, REVISED FIGURES CONTEMPLATED is a report by Mark A. Kellner that David Trim, Director of the Archives, Statistics and Research Department, has called for the denomination to reassess its membership records. Church mortality rates have been found in some regions to be vastly lower than mortality rates of the general population. “On October 7, Jairyong Lee, president of the Northern Asia Pacific Division, acknowledge the loss of tens of thousands of names from the roles during a recent audit.”

ADVENTIST CHURCHES--THE VIEW FROM THE ROAD: QUESTIONS FOR MOTORCYCLIST, AND PASTOR MARVIN WRAY is an interview by Bonnie Dwyer that challenges the official evangelistic practices of the church.

Dwyer: Journeys is your book about a motorcycle trip across the US visiting Adventist churches. Why did you go?

Wray: I thought [a sabbatical of up to 3 months] would be a great opportunity to do what I have wanted to do for some time--visit churches all across the country.

Dwyer: In the preface of your book you say the changes (in opinion) are the hope of the church for the future. Have you seen recent changes in the church that give you hope for the future?

Wray: No, not really. I early on coin the phrase, ‘pockets of hope.’ I saw precious few places that showed me much hope for real growth. I saw some places where they could do some significant things and grow. But for the church as a whole, am I seeing things that will lead us to growth? No I'm seeing the opposite. I'm seeing more attempts to do the same things we've been doing for the past many decades.

WHO IS THE AVERAGE AMERICAN ADVENTIST? by Ronald E. Osborne reveals that:

“The gap between the rich and poor within Adventism is greater than for any other group in the survey with the exception of the historically black Protestant churches… Adventists are by far the most ethnically diverse religious community of any kind in the United States today with the exception of Muslims…They are the only Christian group in which no single ethnicity comprises 50% or more of the membership. More than a quarter of all Adventists in the US today are Latino and more than 20% black. A smaller number are Asian or are of mixed race. Whites comprise 43% of the denomination…

Adventists are slightly younger than the general adult population in America and younger still than Catholics as well as most other Protestants… Adventist demographics are very poorly reflected in church governance structures. While 60% of Adventists in the United States are female, only 20% (3 out of 15) of its officials in the North American division are female… Adventism in the United States today is a faith of the poor, the uneducated, and quite possibly the undocumented and these trends will probably increase in the future.”

THE POLITICS OF THE PROPHETIC GIFT is a review of Gilbert M. Valentine’s book, The Prophet And The Presidents, by Douglas Morgan.

“Valentine] is not drawn to stories about clairvoyant phenomena or amazing predictions come true, or claims for 100% accuracy and consistency. Rather, he is impressed whether’ rich tapestry of Adventist experience produced by the interaction of 3 agencies: 1) Ellen White the passionate visionary and risk taker who sometimes got angry, wrote impulsively, questioned herself, and changed her mind; 2) those who found her prophetic voice credible but also sometimes questioned it; and 3) divine providence.”

ELLEN WHITE RE-ENACTORS by Midori Yoshimura is the story of the young writers, actors and actresses, and producers and directors who have brought Ellen White back to life, and turned what it means to be a Seventh-day Adventist into drama.

CREDO by Herbert Blomstedt is a talk delivered at Mountain View Seventh-day Adventist Church, Mountain View. California, on April 2, 2011, in which the world famous conductor offered these suggestions to his listeners:

“Think about Him, pray to Him, worship Him, glorify Him, but don't argue about Him. To the eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, we own nothing but reverence, honor and glory. And to the world around us, all living things, people and animals, we owe compassion and charity.”

“What use is it to talk to people about subtle details of God's salvation plan when they have no concept of God whatsoever? Our first missionary duty must now be to bring God to people's attention.”

WHAT ADVENTISTS CAN LEARN FROM THE PLAY, THE BOOK OF MORMON by Ron Reece is a review of the Broadway Play in which he opines, “Both Mormons and Seventh-day Adventists suffer from the sin of denominationalism: namely giving their denominations, prophets, and doctrines near divine and unquestioning status.”

IN TUNE WITH GOD by Lilianne Doukhan is a reviewed by Ken Parsons in which he concludes, “In Tune With God is a must-read for those even remotely involved in planning or presenting worship services, and for anyone wishing to learn more about the sometimes turbulent saga of church music.”

A LEADER SHOULD TAKE YOU FORWARD is a review of Jan Paulsen's book, Where Are We Going? By Rajmund Dabrowski. The title itself is a cautionary reminder to the official leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that “It's impossible to walk backwards into the future with eyes fixed on how things used to be.”

The cover art by Kent Rich does indeed “inspire creativity”.

It’s A Silver Spring Virus

2012-01-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Views on the Trumpets

2012-01-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

Readers,
In these “last days”, it is comforting to know that official Adventism is publishing important and relevant Biblical research. ISSUES IN THE INTERPRETATION OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS OF REVELATION by Angel Manuel Rodriguez, published in He January issue of MINISTRY: The International Journal for Pastors, has been judged important enough to make the cover! The following chart maps his research findings.

Faithful Adventists Make a Disheartening Discovery

2012-01-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

Comic from Rubes, by Leigh Rubin.

(click for enlarged image)

Reviewing the Review and Adventist World

2012-01-19T17:05:00.000-08:00

December 16, 2011
Vol. 188, No. 36
http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1536

Reviewing Adventist World, NAD Edition
January, 2012
Vol. 8, No. 1
http://www.adventistworld.org/

GENERAL COMMENTS
This week is a two-for-one post, the December 22 Review and the January issue of Adventist World. I have a comment or two, but the content of both magazines was devotional and, with one exception, theologically generous.

The Adventist Review
The INBOX is trending toward including letters from readers that are not wholly congratulatory. Norman Yergen is of the opinion that Jesus would be with the protestors in Zuccotti Park.

James Gulley, a Senior Investigator and Director of the Center for Cancer research at the National Cancer Institute, was the recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award.

Rex D. Edwards, author of BECOMING WHAT WE ARE NOT, defined sanctification in the spirit of the New Testament. “Sanctification is not a place in which one arrives, but a way one travels.” In FALSE FLAGS, Gilbert W. Baker defined truth in the spirit of the Old Testament. “Commitment to truth is achieved not by the pursuit of truth, but by a resolve to obey truth.”

If your Christmas spirit is lagging and the new year isn't turning out to be as “new” as you hoped, I suggest reading SUPER-GIFTS AND THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT by Andrew McChesney.

TRANSCENDING TALK WITH TITHE by A. Allan Martin is an open letter to the leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in which he describes a practical way for young Adventists to transition into leadership positions in the church. It's than administrative MUST READ.

Adventist World, NAD Edition
Adventist World is free online. For that reason, I only review or comment on articles that I believe to be of special interest. This includes editorials, special supplements, and NAD features not available online.

In his LETTER TO THE EDITORS, Robert Aaron goes on record for collaboration, not confrontation when it comes to interacting with other Christian denominations.

Allan R. Handysides and Peter N. Landless supply invaluable information about URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS.

FAITHFUL UNDER FIRE by Andrew McChesney is the Cover Story and a MUST READ. It is a short biography of Oksana Sergiyenko, “who ascended to the highest government post of any Seventh-day Adventist in Russian history… She fearlessly expressed her love for God while cherishing her country, setting an example for all Adventists that they can faithfully serve God and country at the same time.”

BORN TO CONNECT by Cintia Paseggi is a riff on Fundamental Belief Number 23, Marriage and the Family. Paseggi’s words are loving and generous. There is no mention of the phrase in 23 regarding divorce: “Jesus taught that the person who divorces a spouse, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery.”

I think it's about time that official Adventism gets Jesus off the hook. Perhaps some officially sanctioned authority like Angel Manuel Rodriguez can interpret those words in the context of the time and community in which they were expressed.

Comfortable Illusions

2012-01-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Pastoral Preparation 101

2012-01-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2012-01-12T17:05:00.000-08:00

December 16, 2011
Vol. 188, No. 35
http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-15345

GENERAL COMMENTS
Christmas is long gone, so ‘nuf said on that subject. Three things claimed my undivided attention in this issue: Letters to the Editor, CLIFF’S EDGE, and GENESIS by Lael Caesar.

COMMENTS
My interest in INBOX has picked up. Three of the letters in this issue are less than congratulatory, and one has suggested a more generous approach to evangelism.

Virginia Myers
“Ordination as I have observed it in the Adventist church does not impress me and appears to be an occasion for pride and worldly esteem and the public right of passage.”

George Gibson
“Let’s push for the revival of the action taken at the 1881 business proceedings at the General Conference: ‘Resolved, that females possessing the necessary qualifications to fill that position, may, with perfect propriety, be set apart by ordination to the work of the Christian ministry’ (Adventist Review and Sabbath Herald, December 20, 1881)."

Mary Ann Bailey
“My concern is this: we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars educating our young people to take their place in the working church, then bring individuals from retirement to take positions, and not just in education. I realize these people have a lot of experience and I don't doubt their sincerity or desire to help in the education field--or any other position."

“However, this denomination started with young people. Unless our young people-with degrees in hand are given a chance to work in the church, for the church, dedicated to the Lord and his work, we will lose them, and all their love and ambition and expertise will fade away!”

Lester N. Wright
“I understand God as loving all of his children. For someone to portray God as hating (liars, drunks, fornicators, and sodomists, et al) seems blasphemy to me; people claiming to be His are giving God a bad name… Somehow we need to actively portray the loving, inviting, attractive God we worship.”

CLIFFS EDGE
WHEN ANGELS WON'T DO is Clifford Goldstein’s rant about sin and the sacredness of “God’s Law”.

“And sin is so bad, so evil, because God’s law is so sacred, so good. The severity of sin is seen best in the infinite sacrifice needed to atone for it; that severity itself speaks to the very sacredness of the law. If the law is so holy that only the sacrifice of God Himself could answer its claims, we have all the proof we need of just how exalted the law is.”

For his text, he cited the Cliff Notes version of Mathew 25:31-46

The Sheep and the Goats
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the keepers of the law on his right and the sinners on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For you kept the law when you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink because the law required it. I was a stranger and you invited me in because that’s what law keepers do. I needed clothes and you clothed me as required. I was sick and you looked after me because My Law is exalted. I was in prison and you came to visit me because My Law is the most important thing in the universe.’

“Then the law keepers will answer him, ‘Lord, we fed the hungry because if we didn’t, you said you would send us into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. That was why we gave people water when they were thirsty and invited strangers into our homes. We gave people clothes and looked after the sick and prisoners because we don’t want to get on your bad side.’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it because my law required it.’

“Then he will say to the sinners on his left, ‘Depart from me, you law breakers who just stumbled along just trying to do what was right. Don’t waste my time talking about love. You broke my laws almost every day. So what if you gave people food and drink, took in strangers and gave clothes to those in need. Do you think it mattered that you looked after the sick and visited people in prison? You are sinners. It’s eternal fire for you guys! You will go away to eternal punishment, but the keepers of My Law are going to Heaven!’”

GENESIS
This is a breathtaking declaration by Lael Ceasar that the universe is 6000 years old, give or take a year or two.

“Before Genesis 1:1 there was only God. There was no sky, no sea, no flower, no tree, no bird, no you, know me. There was no galaxy or cosmos, no item or atom, no gravity or density. There was only the singularity of eternal God.”

I think I understand why Christian fundamentalists are so fearful and unhappy. They have been told that they have to choose to believe either the story of the creation as found in Genesis (There are actually two radically different stories in the first two chapters, but that doesn’t seem to phase these religious know-nothing authorities.) or an evolutionary story that denies the existence of God. These are the only choices available, and denying the first will keep them out of Heaven.

In times of economic uncertainty, natural calamity, and/or war, fear can override reason in the general population. This fear is intensified if fundamentalist leaders tell their followers that these events are God’s punishment for behavior that demonstrates unbelief.

Imagine trying to believe that the universe was created 6000 years ago.

Imagine trying to believe that the Grand Canyon was created by a universal flood that covered the highest mountain 4500 years ago and all fauna, with the exception of life in the sea, are the descendants of creature pairs that only survived because of their ride in Noah’s ark that ended up on top of Mt. Ararat in Turkey.

Imagine trying to believe that personal unbelief delays the Second Coming of Jesus?

Imagine trying to believe that scientists are used by the Devil to destroy the faith of children.

I believe that the people asked to believe these things can’t do it by themselves. They have to memorize the words of charismatic religious leaders, and can only quiet their common sense by repeating authoritative pronouncements and irrational claims.

Depending on the survey, 50-90% of educated young people from Adventist homes apparently lack the required “imagination” and are currently not attending church. As long as Lael Caesar speaks with organizational authority, that trend will continue.

Muddling Through

2012-01-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

What hath Ted wrought?

2012-01-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2012-01-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

December 8, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 34

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1534

GENERAL COMMENTS

With one glaring and offensive exception, this is the most inspiring and generously Christian issue I have reviewed in the past four years. Kudos to Steohen Chavez, Sandra Blackmer, Jennifer Mae Barizo, Gerald Colvin. Dixil Rodriguez, and Dick Rentfro.

Unfortunately, Mark Kellner’s lead editorial provides the reader with a definition of Adventists and the Adventist message very similar to the one officially endorsed at Silver Spring. It’s not a pretty picture. More about that later.

REVIEWS

Fortunately, Stephen Chavez’ editorial, OUR AMAZING, UNPREDICTABLE GOD, is across the page from Kellner’s. It’s tone and generously Christian sentiments calmed me down.

“We are well into the season when we honor a God who came to earth as a baby. And why would that surprise us? He’s demonstrated over the millennia that He will stop at nothing to engage His creatures, demonstrate His love, and ask for their loyalty.

“All we can do is reflect on the many ways He’s surprised His people in the past—then be amazed when He invites us to join Him in surprising others with His amazing, unpredictable love.”

In PENCIL POWER, Sandra Blackmer provides a firsthand report on what’s happening with the Church’s literacy project in India. Amazing!

“’We’re not building big churches; we’re not holding huge evangelistic meetings; but there are 50,000 women who are now able to read and have learned about Jesus, and they take this knowledge out into the community,’ says Ray Tetz, creative director and owner of Mind Over Media and who partners with HFH and SUD to raise awareness of the program. ‘I would say that’s a good investment.’

“The young teachers embody the values they’re inculcating to their students. They’re not just standing on the sidelines of the church; they’re on the front lines in their communities, taking up leadership roles that make them a vital part of this growing ministry.

“But most important, thousands of people are learning of a Savior who loves them unconditionally and cares about their daily struggles and challenges. They’re turning to Him for help and trusting in His guidance, which is altering their lives here and for eternity—one class, one woman, at a time.”

To read more about Blackmer’s experiences in India and to view additional photos, go to www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=4354. To learn more about HFH literacy programs, go to www.hope4.com/bibles.

HER MUSIC CONTINUES by Jennifer Mae Barizo is a brief biography of Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse, a musician, teacher, and director without parallel in Adventist history.

“It is unquestionable that she defined the course of many artists—careers they chose, cities they eventually inhabited, even the people they married. But many musicians I spoke to were most grateful for what she shared with them: an irrepressible love of music. A quote Rittenhouse shared repeatedly at concerts and rehearsals was written by Johann Sebastian Bach: ‘The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.’

“’The most beautiful thing about Dr. Rittenhouse was that she believed that the ability to perform such music itself was a gift from God,’ said Wolfram Koessel, cellist of the world-renowned American String Quartet. ‘She prayed before every Carnegie concert. Even for the New York musicians who did not believe in God, it was moving to see.’

“Amid the adulatory public narratives of other individuals who held her in the same love and esteem is the undeniable fact that a woman who changed the face of Adventist mission and education has passed her blazing energy to generations and generations of young people.

“‘She was fearless and brave, very smart, funny, and kind,’ Rutter shared. ‘She expected plenty of those who worked with her, but never any more than she was prepared to give herself. I shall miss her terribly.’”

KNOWING VERSUS LEARNING: BLUEBIRDS AND BEYOND by Gerald F. Colvin is a cautionary tale of the effects of environment on bluebirds and young human minds.

“Human epigenetic imprinting reveals that a gene’s function can change without altering the sequence of its DNA. Such imprinted or altered genes are unusually susceptible to what we eat, drink, and breathe. Unfortunately, epigenetic changes can be inherited!

“As a parent and grandparent, let me highlight a number of worthy points in review: (1) the importance of listening, (2) the value of practice, (3) the need for early exposure to great themes, (4) the recognition of our need for partnership with the Divine, and (5) an acknowledgment that God delights in occasionally surprising us with unschooled prodigies. But an even more crucial point is our need as parents to ‘seek after righteousness’ that we might reinforce our children and grandchildren against the challenges awaiting them.”

In MISSING PERSON Dixil Rodriguez tells the story of Diane, an armed forces veteran, who tells her “that after all she has seen, it is difficult to retain faith, and she no longer believes there is any real kindness or justice in this world”. The conversation begins when this former Adventist notices that Dixil is reading Steps to Christ on a park bench. What happens next is a story within the story that changes both lives.

AN EVER-PRESENT HELP by Dick Rentfro is a love letter.

“God deems each one of us as having immeasurable value, regardless of our troubles, conflicts, doubts, and uncertainties. Even with our less-than-perfect characters or short tempers, we are the objects of His compassion. No matter what is happening in our lives, God still loves us. At this very moment He is right beside us, ready to help and strengthen us…

“Our salvation is based upon our relationship with God, a relationship that strengthens by spending time with Him. The better we know our loving Lord, the more in sync our hearts will beat with His.”

COMMENT

IF THE CREATION ACCOUNT ISN’T TRUE… by Mark A. Kellner is a screed guaranteed to offend all but the most legalistic Adventist. He assumes that a Christian core belief that does not include a literal six-day creation story is an attack on the idea of “Creation and the sanctity of marriage”.

“If there’s no Creation . . .

. . . where, and how, did sin enter the world?

. . . why do we need a Savior?

. . . from what did God, if He even exists, rest?

. . . why should we rest if, absent Creation, there’s nothing from which God rested?

. . . how can we believe anything else in the Bible?

“One of the more popular fallacies being floated these days is that the Creation account found in Genesis is an allegory, a ‘celebration,’ much in the way the ancient Hebrews took seven days to mark the inauguration of a temple.

“Nonsense. Either the Creation account is true, or we can all sleep in next Saturday morning. As one speaker recently put it: “’If God did not create man in His own image . . . how can we truly believe that He can re-create us for a new heaven and a new earth?’

“The only surprise is that we expect anything different from those who seem to hold conformity to the world’s standards above allegiance to the Lord of hosts.”

Mark, I don’t believe in a recent six-day creation of the universe. That doesn’t mean I believe in evolution, don’t believe in God or a Savior, or question the sanctity of marriage. I believe the Bible writers wrote for our edification in all things. However, I’m not sure if God gets tired, or if Sabbath keeping is a sign of the Lord’s remnant. I am sure that killing a man for gathering sticks on the seventh day, in this or in another time zone, is murder, and the parable, The Rich Man and Lazarus, involves a literary illusion, rather than a proof that Hell exists.

However, the most off-putting aspect of your editorial is its arrogant tone. My prayer is that readers will forgive your hubris, be inspired by the love, joy, and compassion expressed elsewhere in this issue, and remember your thoughtful reporting in previous publications.

Just Checking

2012-01-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Cha-Ch’ing Time on 3ABN

2011-12-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing Adventist World, NAD Edition

2011-12-29T17:05:00.000-08:00

December, 2011

Vol. 7, No. 12

http://www.adventistworld.org/

Adventist World is free online. For that reason, I only review or comment on articles that I believe to be of special interest. This includes editorials, special supplements, and NAD features not available online.

REVIEWS

Check out the left-hand column of the World’s home page. Ted Wilson’s face and refrain, “Revival and Reformation” are the banner headline. These have become ubiquitous reminders that big brother is watching over his flock, and his essays unfailingly remind us who we are.

“It is gratifying to know that there are many, many faithful church members who are longing to see Jesus come, believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is God’s remnant church, wish to be very much a part of the world family of Seventh-day Adventists, accept the Bible as it reads, cherish the Spirit of Prophecy, and are participating in the worldwide mission of the Advent movement proclaiming the three angels’ messages.”

On the other hand, PLACE OF PRAYER is a reminder that Adventists, worldwide, are individual human beings who may or may not understand or even believe Ted’s “defining doctrines”, but know that they belong to a worldwide Christian family that cares about them. Very cool!

Angel Manuel Rodríguez’ cautionary remarks in THE LORD IS WONDERFUL earns kudos for his discussion of the elephant in the room when it comes to immigrant and Third World converts. Here is his response to the following questions posed by Gerald Klingbeil:

Are there theological issues arising out of the tremendous church growth we are seeing?

“What I think is probably one of the most important issues has to do with new converts. You see, the growth is so rapid that it’s very difficult even to keep up with it. Because of the speed, we need to really think for a moment about the dangers. And the danger I’m going to mention is a real one. It’s the danger of baptizing individuals coming from a different Christian tradition, or a non-Christian background, who are not well informed about the biblical message. They receive a brief introduction to the Adventist message, and they’re baptized. There is little follow-up. These people are Adventists—based on the little they’ve come to understand. They retain some of the ideas they brought in with them. There is almost an element of syncretism, because they’ve never understood Adventism well. Doctrinal and theological diversity is finding a place within the local congregation.

“Not long ago we blamed the theologians. They were the ones creating theological and doctrinal polarization. There is truth in that, I cannot deny that. But this is a new phenomenon because often the new converts do not really understand what Adventism is about.”

So, you are concerned about biblical discipleship?

“That’s correct. It’s not simply ‘Oh, yes, I’m emotional; I want to be baptized.’ No, this is about that which is important, teaching the person to understand the message and to be able to go and share the message with others.

ADVENTISTS AND ALCOHOL by Peter N. Landless is a MUST READ. He supports the following 6 reasons not to drink with persuasive scientific evidence.

Alcohol is a toxin and damages the human body.
Alcohol is potentially addictive.
Alcohol is a proven carcinogen— it causes various cancers.
There is no safe level of alcohol intake to avoid its many serious side effects and consequences.
Any purported benefit to heart health (coronary artery disease, specifically) is neutralized and eclipsed by the dangerous and proven harms associated with  alcohol use.
The global consequences of alcohol use are growing, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church has the opportunity and responsibility to educate, foster, promote resilience, and play a leading role in advocacy against alcohol use.

In OF SERPENTS AND SERAPHIM Angel Manuel Rodríguez reverts to his usual confusing silliness as he attempts to answer the burning question: “What were seraphim?”

They are “a symbol of evil that could stand for demonic powers operating within history. This may suggest that Lucifer was supported by seraphim.

“On the positive side, think about the reverence and humility displayed by seraphim, who, glorious in appearance, choose to cover their bodies in order to proclaim that only the One sitting on the throne deserves all glory.”

No Comfort

2011-12-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
(click to enlarge)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

Calvin and Hobbes

2011-12-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

Calvin and his snowmen.

http://www.angelfire.com/wa/zzaran/calvin.html

Why is the Biblical Flood a continuing source of amusement?

2011-12-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

From the comic Bizarro by Dan Piraro.
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-12-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

November 24, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 33

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1533

GENERAL COMMENTS

Most of what interested me in this issue was in the INBOX and WORLD NEWS AND PERSPECTIVES. However, GOOD STEWARDS OF GOOD PLANET EARTH by Joseph Sesay is a MUST READ, and TOO SWEET FOR YOU? by Docs Handsides and Landless is an excellent discussion of sugar and its place in a healthful diet. Andrew McChesney is always a fun read, and FRIENDSHIP AND GOD is a thoughtful piece by Kimberly Luste Maran that’s worth prayerful reflection. In addition I have a comment on Lael Caesar’s writing and theology in GIVER GOD.

INBOX

Thumbs up for Chris Patterson comment: “While we're often encouraged to give to this ministry or that, perhaps we could have the greatest impact by rolling up our sleeves, getting to know our neighbors, and being involved in some project that benefits us all.”

Another thumbs up for Arlene Jessop: “I read the article “No Fear” with a feeling of déjà vu. Like the author, I grew up in an Adventist home, and I also was haunted by images of sinister forces determined to persecute God's people (Adventists) for worshiping on Sabbath rather than on Sunday. I now regret all those years spent worrying about the future, and looking with suspicion at the Christians of other denominations as potential persecutors.

Thumbs down for the conspiracy promoter Dennis Priebe: “One more point of information should be on the table–a question that was not asked during the interview. For the courses taught by the [seminary] teachers interviewed, what are the non-Adventist books required or recommended? Without straightforward answers to this question, doubts and questions will continue to feed rumor mills.”

Thumbs down for fear brokers Lorna Wagner and Sandra Hayesenflug: “ If we don't recognize these deceptions for what they are, we will be swept into the camp of the enemy. None of us is safe unless we recognize our own fallibility and heed the message is given to our people to secure us from Satan's cleverly disguised deceptions.” (LW) “Our church has to wake up before it's too late.” (SH)

WORLD NEWS AND PERSPECTIVES

‘Women in Leadership’ Motion Voted in both the Trans-European and North American Divisions. Both unions have decided it is time to “promote women as pastors and leaders”.

According to Bertil Wiklander, TED president, "What works best for the TED at this time is to let all know where we stand and what we want regarding women in leadership, while doing all we can to promote women as pastors and leaders in our church within the working policy. We will continue to work with our unions to see how we can support and enable the many women who the Holy Spirit has clearly called to leadership.”

Arnold Trujillo, Vice President of the Pacific Union Conference, spoke for NAD. “We were not designed to be a monolithic organization, but one were dynamic tension is allowed to exist. We need freedom to be different, without compromising our mission. We sing in harmony, not in unison.”

Guam and Micronesia are now part of the North American Division.

Loma Linda Medical School accepted 11 medical students following the closure of their former school in Puerto Rico.

REVIEWS

GOOD STEWARDS OF GOOD PLANET EARTH by Joseph Sesay is a MUST READ. It’s loaded with facts and figures that made me weep.

“Even in the midst of recent global economic challenges, 2010 world gross domestic product (GDP) was more than US$63 trillion.2 GDP is a measure of economic output within a year. And $63 trillion is enough to give each of the 6.9 billion people on earth $9,000 worth of food, shelter, health care, clean water, and everything that makes life relatively comfortable.3 Not an overwhelming amount, you may think, given that the U.S. Census Bureau’s poverty threshold for 2010 was more than $11,000.4 However, that $9,000 level of living remains beyond the dreams of billions.

“So while we ask where God is in the midst of earth’s suffering, maybe we should be asking where are the good stewards who will connect humanity to the resources God has provided. For ever since Adam and Eve were created, there has been enough, and still is, for everyone to enjoy good living.”

CHOSEN TO BE LOVED is a reminder that November is adoption awareness month. “God gave explicit commands about our duties and responsibilities to the disenfranchised, including orphans: ‘Bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied’ (Deut. 14:28, 29).”

Sugar isn’t necessarily the enemy, according to Docs Handysides and Landless. It doesn’t have to be TOO SWEET FOR YOU.

Andrew McChesney found THE PERFECT VIDEO PROJECTOR for a friend in need under circumstances that another friend called, “almost too perfect”.

According to Kimberly Luste Maran, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate FRIENDSHIP AND GOD. It’s also a time to remember the following deaths: E. Jeane De Haven, George Virley Fuller, Robert C. Goransson, and J. Martin Peterson.

COMMENT

I find it hard to equate “Associate Editor” with the written work of Lael Caesar. (I suspect that English may be his second language.) In GIVER GOD his theology is as tortured as his prose.

“The answer is as straightforward as it is unfathomable: God made Jesus ‘who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Cor. 5:21). Simply, and inexplicably told, Jesus did not merely take victims’ places. He incarnated their toxic venom. Believing the cross, we understand that when God's wrath destroyed Jesus on the cross, he destroyed sin, for Jesus became the curse and by God's destruction obliterated the curse, to give us the blessing (Gal. 3:13, 14)”

Nightmare Scenario

2011-12-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Bizarro by Dan Piraro.
(click to enlarge)

Good Question!

2011-12-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-12-08T17:05:00.000-08:00

November 17, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 32

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1532

This review has something for everyone:

A letter by Lyle Bennett regarding a comment in the July 14 issue that criticized the music of “kids today”. “I don’t feel that this clever put-down…has any place in the Review. I’m personally glad that my grand-kids even bother to go to church and sing anything at all.”

A promise that a membership audit is in the offing, an “action” agenda for reviewing “ordination’s biblical origins—“If voted, material is to be placed on the 2015 General Conference session agenda."

A document is “undergoing a final revision” that will “change the culture and the way we (the Adventist Church) do business…We cannot assume that those who are spiritual are also ethical and moral”. (This reading seems to define “spiritual” in a whole new way!)

A technological breakthrough that “brings Adventist Scholarship to your hand”.

An essay from Cliff Goldstein on the term, “theodicy”, that will take a MILLENNIUM to comprehend. (Cliff thoughtfully provides Cliffs Notes.)

A definition of THE ONLY GROUP JESUS DIDN’T HAVE TIME FOR, according to Andy Nash. “People who want to be religious thought leaders apart from the Scriptures or the power of God.” (Definitions not provided. I guess it’s assumed you know who you are.)

The rest of the issue is pretty standard stuff, with the exception of a thoughtful attempt by Wilona Karimabadi to answer the question, “Are the cultural/language-based churches of their parents filling the spiritual needs of second-generation immigrants? THEIR CHURCH, OR MY CHURCH concludes:

“There is no right or wrong direction for everyone, and as many aspects of religious life, this one is a matter of personal preference.”

"No worries! I have decided that that only ordained men can be conference and division presidents."

2011-12-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

Comic modified from Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis.
(click to enlarge)

Learning the Difference

2011-12-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-12-01T17:05:00.000-08:00

November 10, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 31

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1531

GENERAL COMMENTS

There is one article that upsets me, another deserves an inspirational “thumbs up”, and another suggests a shortsighted and uneconomic solution to an important problem. The rest of the issue is standard fare.

REVIEWS

CHURCH TRENDS by Monte Sahlin must be regarded as a dead canary in the mine of leadership in the North American Division.

“It's really a simple question. It was asked of pastors and lay leaders in a random sample of more than 11,000 congregations of all faiths across America last year: ‘would you agree? Our congregation is spiritually vital and alive.’

“The leaders are responded to the survey could pick one of 5 answers from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree.’ Overall, just 28% gave the most positive response. And among Seventh-day Adventist churches it was only 16%.

“Adventist data also show fewer local (Adventist) churches involved in all areas of community ministry, except public evangelism.”

AN ANGEL’S GIFT by Dixil Rodriguez is a heartwarming story of a very sick little girl and her very real angel.

INCLUSIVE WORSHIP AND LEARNING: EMBRACING SPECIAL-NEEDS CHILDREN IN OUR CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS by Addison Hudgins is an important reminder that children with special needs should feel comfortable attending a Seventh-day Adventist church. Hudgins goes on to suggest that Adventist schools should become places where the educational needs of these children should be met.

This idea, though well intentioned, is impractical and uneconomic. These specialized programs can only be adequately funded by public education. It would make far more sense for Adventist churches and schools to publicly support the special education programs in their communities.

Evolution

2011-12-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

“If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing.”

2011-11-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Bizarro by Dan Piraro.
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing Adventist World, NAD Edition

2011-11-24T17:05:00.000-08:00

November, 2011

Vol. 7, No. 11

http://www.adventistworld.org/

GENERAL COMMENTS

Ted Wilson uses World to actively promote his vision for the worldwide church. GERMAN TRIP CONNECTS ADVENTIST LEADERS, LAITY, PASTORS IN REVIVAL FOCUS provides the opportunity for him to promote his personal theology in the context of a previously reported trip to Germany. (see October, 2011, Adventist World). ONE YEAR TO CHANGE THE WORLD is a preview of his youth evangelism project.

MORE THAN SKIN DEEP: LESSONS TO LEARN FROM A COLLEGE IN TRANSFORMATION by Chantal and Gerald Klingbeil is a MUST READ.

The LOMA LINDA REPORT (cutting edge information on the treatment of breast cancer) and REACHING NATIVE AMERICANS (the past and present history of Adventist mission work on North American reservations) are not available online. Both are worth special attention.

One Can Only Hope

2011-11-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Fishing.

2011-11-17T17:10:00.000-08:00

Comic from Rubes, by Leigh Rubin.

(click for enlarged image)

Reviewing Adventist Today

2011-11-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

Fall, 2011

Vol. 19, No. 4

http://www.atoday.org/magazine

GENERAL COMMENTS

I’m happy to report that this issue justifies the cover price. That’s not saying that every contribution is noteworthy, but the improvement over previous issues is obvious and significant. The graphic design elements are impressive, and contribute to a thoughtful understanding of the text. However, editorial judgment continues to be a problem.

REVIEWS

In his editorial, IS THERE A MYSTERY ABOUT THE SABBATH WE HAVEN’T YET DISCOVERED? J. David Newman makes the following request.

“Why, after Adventists have been preaching the Sabbath for some 160 years, have there been no converts from the ranks of large church pastors and theologians? Have they all been rejecting the convicting power of the Holy Spirit? Please, I would like to hear your answers to these perplexing questions. What do you think?”

I sent an email to Newman with the following answer:

“It is for the following reasons: factual, biblical, reasoned, and fundamentally Christian, that there “have been no converts from the ranks of large church pastors and theologians”.

“For most Christian theologians “The Lord’s Day”, Sunday, rather than the Jewish “Feast of Creation, is the Christian Sabbath.

“Because:

‘Sunday… was adopted by the early Christians as a day of worship.. . Sunday was emphatically the weekly feast of the resurrection of Christ, as the Jewish Sabbath was the feast of creation. It was called the Lords day, and upon it the primitive church assembled to break bread. No regulations for its observance are laid down in the New Testament nor, indeed, is its observance even enjoined. Yet Christian feeling led to the universal adoption of the day, in imitation of the apostolic precedence. In the second century its observance was universal.’ (Schaff- Herzog Encyclopedia of religious knowledge 1891 Ed., vol.4 Article on Sunday)*

“There is a biblical reason why ‘no prominent no-Adventists pastors or theologians have supported a seventh day Sabbath’.

“Because:

‘One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.’ (Romans 14: 5 & 6)

“There are rational reasons why ‘no prominent no-Adventists pastors or theologians have supported a seventh day Sabbath’.

“Because:

We live on a round planet. Consequently, a man-made dateline determines days of the week. In addition, days must be determined by arbitrary 24-hour periods in places near the North and South poles. In these localities, the Sabbath, of necessity, is an arbitrarily determined 24 hours.

“There are profoundly Christian reasons why ‘no prominent non-Adventists pastors or theologians have supported a seventh day Sabbath’.

“Because:

The attempt by Adventists to persuade other Christians to become ‘Sabbath-keepers’ upon threat of eternal condemnation is anathema. The Christian community must ‘stop passing judgment on one another’, must ‘not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister’, must ‘make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification’. (from Romans 14)

* Didache 80-90 A.D. "And on the day of our lords resurrection, which is the Lord’s day meet more diligently."

Ignatius 110 A.D. wrote in his epistle to the Magnesians 9…" If they who were concerned in old things, arrived at a newness of hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living according to the Lord’s day, by which our life sprung from him and by his death (whom certain persons deny)…we have been made his disciples, let us live according to Christianity."

Barnabas 120A..D. "Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day, also, on which Jesus rose again from the dead"

Justin Martyr 140 A..D. "Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness, made the world; and Jesus Christ our savior, on the same day rose from the dead."

Note: Scholarly references from http://www.letusreason.org/7thad18.htm

In HOW DO WE KNOW? John McClarty questions the official Adventist claim to know “the whole truth”, morally and scientifically.

“Continuing to insist that our doctrines and public theology are shaped by the Bible and Bible only implies that all of our present doctrine and public theology is as infallible as the Bible itself. Thus any change would be a denial of the authority of the Bible. This fixity of doctrine, however, is contradicted by the preamble of our statement of beliefs and the history of our theological development.

“It’s time to recognize the variety of authorities and influences that shape our doctrine. It’s time for a serious exploration of the proper role of church authority in defining truth. How do we properly account for the different roles of formal church structures and the whole people of God? What is the proper role of pastors, scientists, and historians in correcting the work of theologians and exegetes? What should the church do when the Bible and experience contradict?”

Note to Editors: The RESPONSE FROM A NITPICKER by Richard Coffen is longer than McClarty’s essay and aptly named

HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE FIRST THREE CENTURIES by David W. T. Brattston raises thoughtful questions and provides some interesting information. Unfortunately, this piece needs a great deal of editorial help. To present such a controversial subject in such a linguistic muddle does a disservice to the author and readers. However, one paragraph managed to escape the verbal chaos.

“In addition to how restrictive an interpretation is to be given to “men lying with men as with a woman,” there is the issue of whether this prohibition is binding in our day. It would not apply if its sinful nature were rooted in social/ cultural factors rather than eternal anatomical differences. In the world of the Bible and the early Church, women occupied a position subordinate to males, with a status little different from slaves or animals. Thus, treating a man sexually as if he were a woman may have been forbidden only because it meant subjecting him to an inferior status, thus abusing and defiling him psychologically and socially in that culture. If so, the ban was not aimed at same-gender sensual gratification as an evil in itself and thus might not apply in an age of equality between the sexes.”

The thesis of Nathan Brown’s essay, THE CREATOR DIED, is summed up in the following words:

“Contrary to what has been assumed throughout much of Christian history and theology, the Bible is clear that the ultimate purpose of salvation is re-creation. God’s plan is for the world to be restored to its original goodness…This has significant implications for how we understand our role in God’s salvation and our relationship to the created world in which we have been created and re-created: ‘We are not saved from the world of creation, but saved for the world of creation (Rom. 8:18-26). Humans were made to take care of God’s wonderful world, and it is not too strong to say that the reason God saves humans is not simply that he loves them for themselves but that he loves them for what they truly are—his pro-creators, his stewards, his vice-regents over creation.’”

Bob Erwin believes that Adventists should regard ADVENTIST DIVERSITY AS AN ASSET. The following chart is his take on our different views of reality. Whether or not all of us can abide “Living Under The Big Tent Of Adventism” remains to be seen.

HOLDING THE GENERAL CONFERENCE PRESIDENT ACCOUNTABLE for his isolationist position regarding other Christian fellowships is a tall order, but Eric Webster makes a strong case for “prayerfully and discreetly bringing our attitude toward other Christians into harmony with Fundamental Belief No. 12 and with our practice of the Lord’s Supper”.

Jim Brauer reminds readers that fundamental values need not be abandoned in his prose poem, HOW TO MANAGE IF THE CHURCH SPLITS.

CONDITIONAL PROPHECY AND LAST-DAY EVENTS by Alden Thompson is a rambling, disjointed essay, that, in his own words, “is supposed to be about ‘conditional prophecy’. But it’s such a scary topic that we will ease into it with a much-too-long preamble.”

Editors, this preamble preceding The Preamble is a plea for help. I know that Alden is an SDA icon and a regular contributor, but he’s asking IN PRINT for editorial guidance that wasn’t forthcoming. Consequently, the piece ends with a plea to “honor it (the Sabbath) when all around us people are eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage”.

Kenley D. Hall reviews THE OMEGA REBELLION: WHAT EVERY ADVENTIST NEEDS TO KNOW…NOW. Editors, why you chose to review a book by Rick Howard is a mystery to me. Why the reviewer, Kenley D. Hall, was allocated 10% of the contents of the magazine is another mystery.

Adventist Man’s contribution to the issue is as advertised: a funny, satirical look at Adventist life.

A Pictorial Paraphrase from the Clear Word Babble

2011-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

It’s official. There is probably nothing to fear but fear.

2011-11-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-11-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

October 27, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 28

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1530

GENERAL COMMENTS

“In this special issue of Adventist Review you’ll explore biblical principles of family relationships, methods of inculcating values from parents to children, unexpected benefits of simply eating family meals together, and connections between the use of social media and contemporary societal challenges such as childhood obesity, sleep deprivation, and academic achievement. Bible- and research-based studies will provide you with food for thought, ammunition to effect change, and springboards to further study.” Sandra Blackmer

I’ve included excerpts from my favorite contributions.

MORE THAN WORDS

by Linda Mei Lin Koh

“Media have eaten up our precious time for interacting with our children. On average, children spend about 30 minutes with their father during the week, but 20 hours with the television. Gentile’s latest study of nearly 2,500 youth found that video games are indeed effective teaching tools. Students who played multiple violent video games actually learned through those games to produce greater hostile actions and aggressive behaviors over a span of six months.3 It’s therefore imperative that parents who want their children to grow up with strong Christian values must be intentional in teaching these values to them. This can’t be left to chance.”

EAT TOGETHER, LIVE WELL TOGETHER

by Gary L. Hopkins, Duane Mcbride, Shelley Bacon, Daniel D. Saugh, And Julie Weslake’

“Family meals can help guard our children’s health, improve their emotional well-being, increase their academic status, reduce their chances of engaging in risky behaviors, and strengthen their walk of faith—even in the twenty-first century.”

OUT DOWN THE REMOTE AND NOBODY GETS HURT

by Fred Hardinge, Allan R. Handysides, Gary L. Hopkins, And Duane Mc Bride

“There is sufficient evidence linking electronic media use to obesity that when considering the severe potential health consequences of obesity among adolescents, it seems prudent for parents to monitor their children’s electronic media use very carefully. God has called us to care for our children’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Monitoring their use of electronic media and helping them to use that time to participate in wholesome, healthful activities will certainly make a positive difference in their lives today and into adulthood.”

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SLEEP DEPRIVATION

by Duane McBride, Gary L. Hopkins, Peter N. Landless, Romulus Chelbegean, and Alina Baltazar

“Parents can pass on many blessings to their children, one of which is good sleep habits. Too little sleep can have significant health implications for youngsters, affecting how they think, process information, make sound moral judgments, and reason. The general status of healthful well-being also can be affected by too little sleep, as can academic performance and much more.”

WORLD NEWS is available online, as well as two online exclusives: 2011 NAD Year-end Meeting and A Special video Message from Pastor Shawn Brace.

Don’t Listen to the Dog!

2011-11-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

The Interview

2011-11-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-11-03T17:10:00.000-07:00

October 20, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 27

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1529

REVIEW

For the most part, this issue is a lullaby. Read it when insomnia threatens. That said, two contributions require comments.

COMMENTS

The one bright spot is LIVING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT, an editorial by Stephen Chavez.

“We can’t merely be disappointed that we’re still here some 2,000 years since Jesus ascended to heaven. We have to be proactive, not only about preaching the gospel, but also about reflecting in our lives and ministries the character of Christ. It’s sad that in a world so often buffeted by tragedies and heartaches, disasters and disappointments, the response of many is to turn inward and indulge in passive self-examination, as if God cares only that they are ready for Christ’s return.”

Existential dread is the subject of SUB SPECIE AETERNITATIS by Clifford Goldstein. A psychiatrist might speculate on Cliff’s obsession with sub specie aeternitatis and the unhappy lives of certain atheist philosophers.

“Nagel had what? He turned to, of all things, “irony” (irony?)—as if the irony of our situation solved the dilemma of its absurdity. An ironic life is, I suppose, better than an absurd one, though I’m not quite sure that solves anything.” (Nagel, volume 68, number 20, pages 716-727)

Come on Cliff, lighten up. Sing all the verses of “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam”, and you’ll feel better. I’ve provided a link to the words and music.

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/CH_Jesus_Wants_Me_For_A_Sunbeam.html

World News is available online.

Adventist No Longer

2011-11-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

I received this email from a friend. It’s sad that the current “revival and reformation” mantra requires conscientious Adventist members to sacrifice science and reason on the alter of blind, irrational belief.

“It's official: I'm no longer an Adventist. It took a surprising amount of persistence to get this done, but I'll admit to feeling a bit nostalgic now that I've actually succeeded! One does not abandon an entire upbringing easily, I guess. "Abandon" is too strong a word, really... "Release" might be better.

“I harbor no resentment against Adventism, no bitterness about the way I was raised. Being raised as part of this church gave me much that I greatly value. A strong sense of morality, and a reasonably healthy lifestyle, and a deep knowledge of the most significant literary work in Western civilization. A low tolerance for caffeine and red meat. The love of my life, who I met at PUC. The training to become a pretty good teacher, and the drive to always learn more. And, ironically, it gave me the foundation for the rationality ---perhaps excessive rationality--- that eventually brought me out.

“When I look at the discussion boards at sites like exadventist.com the people there don't seem particularly rational. Or content. I see no need, as they and many others do, to define myself by what I am not. Nor have I found it particularly productive to reform Adventism from within. Kudos to those of you still trying, but such a reformation would require that a lot of people make changes to something that works fine for them as it is. Perhaps it's just laziness on my part, but I've come to accept that it's not really my problem.

“So I'm out. Keep in touch, though, you who are my SDA family and friends. I'm still the same person, just not officially Adventist any more.”

Daydreams

2011-11-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Security at Silver Spring escorted me from the building.

2011-10-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-10-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

October 13, 2011

Vol. 188, No.27

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1528

GENERAL COMMENTS

All but one of the essays and editorials in this issue reflect the upside of being an Adventist. SWEENEY’S GARDEN, OF AIRPORTS AND PHARMACIES, and GETTING BEYOND PAIN are inspiring and spiritually uplifting, and CHURCH TRENDS provides authoritative answers to often asked questions regarding SDA demographics. Unfortunately, NO FEAR, is frightening in its attempt to reassure.

REVIEWS

Kimberly Luste Maran interviews Rustin and Stacy Sweeney, who moved “across the tracks” to share their lives with the residents of a poverty stricken and crime ridden neighborhood. SWEENEY'S GARDEN is more than the story about a garden. Their community garden symbolizes Rustin and Stacy’s willingness to share what they have, materially and spiritually, with their neighbors.

In OF AIRPORTS AND PHARMACIES, Dixil Rodriguez discovers that the waiting room in a pharmacy can be a place to provide others with help and healing.

R. Steven Norman III reports on his visit to Vad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. GETTING BEYOND PAIN that visit entailed, resulted in a “rebirth, renewal, and a life recommitted to love”. It’s a MUST READ.

In CHURCH TRENDS, Monte Sahlin supplies the answers to three commonly asked questions regarding membership in the North American Division: How many active members? What is the average age? Is the Adventist Church growing?

Lelis Souza de Silva argues that there are five reasons why Adventists should not be afraid of end-time trouble. Unfortunately, NO FEAR is simply a recounting of terrifying events followed by timeworn bromides that offer the assurance that Adventists might escape torture and death if they survive until the actual Second Coming.

World News is available online.

An Eye-opening Experience

2011-10-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
(click to enlarge)

The Truth!

2011-10-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing Adventist World, NAD Edition

2011-10-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

October, 2011

Vol. 7, No. 10

http://www.adventistworld.org/

Adventist World is free online. For that reason, I only review or comment on articles and editorials that I believe to be of special interest.

THIS ISSUE discusses the need for effective evangelistic work in cities and Adventist standards of thought and behavior. As usual, I have supplied my recommended reading and a comment or two.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH from “The People’s Place”

“True mission  work is meeting people where they are and responding to their plight.”—Pastor Busi Khumalo, director for Youth and Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries in the Southern Africa Indian Ocean Division

RECOMMENDED READING

TOO MUCH TV? by Allan R. Handysides and Peter N. Landless

THE FEET MY SAVIOR WASHED by Carissa McSherry

REVIEWS

In BIG CITIES—BIGGER VISION Ted Wilson emphasizes the importance of evangelistic work in cities, even though he doesn’t recommend living in one. He recommends Ellen White’s idea of “’outpost centers’—including training schools, lifestyle health facilities, and missionary homes—would be established just on the edge of urban areas. A cycle of outreach moves the missionary into the city to engage with people on the level of their need, inviting responsive persons out to the outpost center for rehabilitation and recovery, and then returning with them to continue the cycle of witness. This in-out movement is essential for this special work, because God never intended believers to spend all of their lives in dense, overstimulated urban areas of the modern world.”

--I wonder if Ellen White would have considered Silver Spring a “big city”.

On his GERMAN TRIP Wilson discussed the danger in “friendly relationships with other faiths...These must not substitute for the core of Christian activity, that of sharing the gospel and three angels’ messages with those who need to hear. During our trip in Germany, emphasis was placed on the need to focus on the distinctive biblical truths of Seventh-day Adventists and not to focus on ecumenical activities”. He also condemned the “intellectual attacks on the veracity of Scripture…even as pressure builds from the academic world of higher criticism to recommend new and more subjective methods of interpretation that conflict with the accepted Seventh-day Adventist approach to biblical interpretation. Seventh-day Adventists endorse the historical-biblical or historical-grammatical approach, which allows the Bible to interpret itself.”

--For Ted, Matthew 7:11-13 just isn’t enough.

FUNDAMENTAL BELIEF NUMBER 14 is thoughtfully illuminated by Cheryl Doss. –However, I prefer the wording of the belief itself. As far as I am concerned, the other 27 are superfluous or off-putting.

“The church is one body with many members, called from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. In Christ we are a new creation; distinctions of race, culture, learning, and nationality, and differences between high and low, rich and poor, male and female, must not be divisive among us. We are all equal in Christ, who by one Spirit has bonded us into one fellowship with Him and with one another; we are to serve and be served without partiality or reservation. Through the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures we share the same faith and hope, and reach out in one witness to all. This unity has its source in the oneness of the triune God, who has adopted us as His children. (Rom. 12:4, 5; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Matt. 28:19, 20; Ps. 133:1; 2 Cor. 5:16, 17; Acts 17:26, 27; Gal. 3:27, 29; Col. 3:10-15; Eph. 4:14-16; 4:1-6; John 17:20-23.”

In FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, Angel Manuel Rodríguez uncharacteristically attempts a response to the important question: “What is the purpose of church standards?” Characteristically he bungles his answer and leaves nonAdventist readers under the impression that all drugs are forbidden!

Superstar Ignored

2011-10-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

Comic modified from Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis.
(click to enlarge)

Alternate Science

2011-10-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
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Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-10-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

September 15, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 26

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1526

GENERAL COMMENTS

This issue had some happy surprises and one report by Ted Wilson that should prove cautionary as he circumnavigates the world with his revival and reformation sermons. His GERMAN TRIP designed to connect Adventist Leaders, Laity, Pastors in Revival Focus provoked questions that required Ted to reaffirm that “There is no part of the Bible or of our fundamental beliefs that is not important.” His fundamentalist views were questioned pretty directly.

(See http://spectrummagazine.org/blog/2011/09/19/germany-ausgezeichnet-adventures-revival-and-reformation)

HAPPY SURPRISES

Sandra Blackmer’s report on THE FULL PLATE DIET described a diet that has every chance of producing “A Paradigm Shift” in the way Americans, even omnivorous ones, go about dieting.

In MY CHURCH SAVED ME, Emily Carlson makes the case for not giving up on Adventism even though she doesn’t know how to fix the problems she enumerates. Listing the problems from a young member’s perspective can be a first step in their solution. Officialdom, are you listening?

THE ONLY ARTICLE I’LL EVER WRITE ABOUT FELLOWSHIP MEALS by Andy Nash is a humorous classic. It’s a MUST READ.

Carlos Medley’s REST FOR THE WEARY is a very practical defense of the Sabbath.

Reviewing the Adventist Review

September 22, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 27

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1527

GENERAL COMMENTS

This is the WEEK OF PRAYER ISSUE and contains daily devotionals for adults and children. Ted Wilson, William Johnson, and Ellen White are the authors for the adults. Charles Mills authors THE CHILDREN’S READINGS.

World News is available online.

Ted Ignores Good Advice

2011-10-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
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Honestly?

2011-10-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

To be continued...

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
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Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-10-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

September 8, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 25

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1525

A GENERAL COMMENT

This issue is definitely worth skimming it from cover to cover. If you don’t have that kind of time, I have provided an introduction to the pieces I was impressed with. If World News interests you, it’s available online.

REVIEWS

WHAT ARE THEY THINKING is a cautionary editorial by my favorite editor, Stephen Chavez.

“As the enemies of Christianity become more strident, apparently it’s not enough to guard against heresy; we also have to guard against stupidity done in the name of Christianity.”

TEN YEARS AFTER THE SKY FELL, Shawn Boonstra reflects on the event that changed our lives in America.

He tells the story of two young Adventist women, Nichele Nelson and Valerie Silver-Ellis, who died in the World Trade Center and the courage of their surviving loved ones. In a story inset, GO FORWARD IN FAITH, Kimberly Luste Maran reminds us that LeRoy Homer, the husband of a Mount Holly, New Jersey church member, was the pilot of the plane that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

RELIGION THAT IS PURE by Carol Nash Jordan is a plea to make a difference in the lives of children without parents.

“The movement for churches to establish orphan ministries is growing. Consider organizing a small group— perhaps your Sabbath school class—to serve as an orphan support ministry. There are many possibilities, but whatever you are led to do, expect to be changed.”

In SILENT SERVICE, Dixil Rodriguez tells the story of a mysterious fellow traveler.

“He has the ability to find people in hidden places and gives them something from the backpack. I watch him approach the homeless, hiding among street signs, huddled in corners on hard cobblestone. Who is he?”

Monte Sahlin is a contributor who doesn’t disappoint. The four books he recommends: Experiencing the Joy, The Reason for God, I Am Persuaded, and A Student Missionary Story are indeed TOOLS OF THE TRADE.

Finely, don’t miss CARRYING OTHERS' BURDENS, a reflection by Heather Vandenhoven. Readers will discover why she could make the following improbable statement: “My clothes were now soaked, my eyelashes dripped with rain, my hair was showered with water, but the rain no longer rushed me. I stood, enjoying the freshness of the air.”

ONE MORE THING

The GLOW (Giving Light to Our World) lay ministry has come to my neck-of-the-woods. However, their evangelistic series didn’t work out so well in Orland. Even after members canvassed the entire small town, it was reported that only one non-Adventist showed up for one meeting. Perhaps it had something to with the advertising. Looks kind of cultic/Aztec don’t you think?

Planning for Our Future Benefit

2011-10-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
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Educating Adventist Theologians

2011-09-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
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Reviewing Adventist World, NAD Edition

2011-09-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

September, 2011

Vol. 7, No. 8

http://www.adventistworld.org/

Adventist World is free online. For that reason, I only review or comment on articles and editorials that I believe to be of special interest.

THIS ISSUE

This issue of World does a good job of informing members and nonmembers around the world of current Adventist beliefs and practices. That said, in addition to recommended reading, I have my usual comments and questions.

RECOMMENDED READING

SNACKING AND HYPOGLYCEMIA by Allan R. Handysides and Peter N. Landless

THE KINGDOM BELONGS TO THESE by Addison Hudgins

NEW BODIES by Edna Olsen Regester

COMMENTS

Ted Wilson continues to expound his recipe for “biblical” worship music and “the integrity of Seventh-day Adventist preaching as a component of true worship” in WHAT MAKES WORSHIP “ADVENTIST”?

–Surely the Adventist Church is confronted by more pressing problems.

MEET THE FUTURE by Kimberly Luste Maran is an account of her conversations with young General Conference delegates from around the world. The piece is fresh and informative. There was, however, the following exchange that suggests that SDA converts in developing countries may “join the church” for reasons other than agreement with or even understanding of the 28 Fundamental Doctrines.

“You all seem to feel that the church has good leadership. So this is a bit of a pointed question: What do you all think the church is doing right? What could it do better?”

“We have to be careful about how we prepare members to be Adventists, and when we baptize them. New members are more than numbers—they have to know who we are as a church and whom we stand for.

“Here’s what happened to me during an outreach event at my church. We were dispensing medicine for those in need. At one point I was writing down a woman’s name, and there was a friend of mine just next to me. My friend very nicely asked the woman, “So how did you learn about Jesus?”

“The woman responded, ‘Who is Jesus?’ She really did not know—and she had just been baptized! I can’t imagine a person who is baptized not knowing. But it was true.” (Alice Danla, a delegate from India)

--If I were a poverty stricken villager in a remote province of India, I would be first in line to be dunked, if clean water, literacy, education, medical assistance, and possibly a job were offered to me on condition of baptism!

WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE, by Paul Peterson is an explication of Fundamental Belief Number 10. While Peterson’s words obfuscate rather than illuminate the belief itself, the actual “The Experience of Salvation”, is included on the second page. It begins with these words: “In infinite love and mercy God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we might be made the righteousness of God…”

--God turned Christ into sin? Maybe, in spite of our protestations, Adventists are a sect after all. In addition, these words smack of Arian heresy.

Finally, in CHOICE OR COERCION? Angel Manuel Rodríguez gets entangled in his own rhetoric once again as he attempts to answer the crucial theological question, “Why did God harden  Pharaoh’s heart?”

--Editors, have you given this guy a carte blanche pass? Does he have a BRI contract?

Goldstein Agonisties

2011-09-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
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Ted meets himself on the island sometime in the next 30 years.

2011-09-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
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Reviewing Spectrum

2011-09-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

Summer, 2011

Volume 39, Issue 3

http://spectrummagazine.org/

GENERAL COMMENTS

This issue has two outstanding editorials and one MUST READ report. If you, gentle reader, are pressed for time, here’s what not to miss: ACCREDITATION BLUES and MISUNDERSTANDINGS MULTIPLY: LA SIERRA EMPLOYEES FILE SUIT; WASC ISSUES FORMAL NOTICE OF CONCERN by Bonnie Dwyer and THE FALLACY OF HIERARCHY by Charles Scriven.

From Accreditation Blues:

“La Sierra, like all Adventist institutions of higher education, needs the approval of both the regional and the Adventist accreditors. Students cannot get loans for unaccredited colleges. Graduate and professional schools—such as Loma Linda University—cannot accept students with degrees from unaccredited colleges. To lose WASC accreditation would be the end of LSU.”

From Misunderstandings Multiply

“With site visits from both WASC and AAA teams, the accreditation processes have dominated administrative life at La Sierra for the past two years. Self-study reports have been prepared, response to the consulting letter developed and delivered. And while both accrediting bodies recognize the importance and significance of what the other agency does, sometimes it has seemed as though the university was caught between the requirements of the two.

“WASC’s latest concern over the structure of the Board of Trustees is sure to create a different set of concerns with the church administration.

“And while La Sierra attends to these concerns, the issue that prompted the soap opera atmosphere of the past two years continues to challenge the entire denomination, as well as other conservative Christians. Solving the creation-evolution debate is not a La Sierra issue, but until the denomination finds some level of peace with that discussion, misunderstandings are bound to continue.”

From The Fallacy of Hierarchy

“The New Testament thus has, after Jesus, no teacher-masters; it has no ‘magisterium,’ no official teaching authority. Leaders and theologians, traditions and creeds, matter for their persuasive influence; they deserve attention and respect. But they have no coercive authority. (In 1 Corinthians, Paul treated the question of food offered to idols differently than the Jerusalem Council did.)

“Behind all of this is the premise, as John Howard Yoder writes, of ‘simple trust that God himself, as spirit, is at work to motivate and to monitor his own’ through ‘disciplined human discourse.’ So from this standpoint, the Hierarchy Principle, with its assumption that top-down control is a necessary bulwark, gives expression to lack of trust.

“Our leaders seem oblivious to this. And to the degree that the rest of us go along, or lapse into funks of resignation, so do we. I do not assign blame. The tide of hierarchy came in before most of us were born. But I do want to assign credit where it is due. In 1872, for the benefit of non-members and for the first time ever, Adventist leaders published a statement, or ‘synopsis,’ of their faith. The first paragraph said that it was not to have ‘any authority with our people,’ nor was it meant to “secure uniformity among them, as a system of faith.”

“The statement was not, in other words, an instrument of top-down control. The pioneers of Adventism still knew what it was to trust.”

The NOTEWORTHY section features old news, and BIBLE ISSUES is a tired recapitulation of Atonement Theories and Science and Creation apologies. The featured, RACE, IMMIGRATION & THE CHURCH, is so poorly written that it fails to deliver the relationships the title promises.

UNIVERSITIES & THE CHURCH is introduced by a lengthy, esoteric, and irrelevant piece by Gottfried Oosterwal, but Bonnie’s account of the LSU situation is authoritative and brilliant! Finally, I was disappointed by the POETRY selected from the SDA college and university literary journals. Sorry kids.

This issue, particularly, is a reminder that Spectrum now lives on the blog and is on life support in print.

One can only hope!

2011-09-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
(click to enlarge)

Therefore Endangered?

2011-09-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Bizarro by Dan Piraro.
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Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-09-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Vol. 188, No. 23

August 18, 2011

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1523

GENERAL COMMENTS

This issue’s cover, GOD’S PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH FOR BODY, MIND, AND SOUL, was a profound disappointment! The official psychological information provided was little more than sermonizing! Only a 350 word piece by Jill Carlson, THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND ITS TREATMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF A CHRISTIAN BELIEF SYSTEM, (which wasn’t even cited on the Feature Page) provided helpful clinical information!

If you’re busy, this is the issue to skip. If World News interests you, it’s available online.

Vol. 188, No. 24

August 25, 2011

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1524

GENERAL COMMENTS

I had trouble concen-trating on this review when I read that ADRA GIVES $1 MILLION TO MARANATHA. According to Ted Wilson, “this move symbolizes cooperation between the world church and lay ministries”. In this Haiti project, Maranatha is in partnership with Missionary Ventures International, another Christian NGO. http://www.mvi.org/

ADRA's BOARD IS A GLOVE IN TED WILSON'S FUNDAMENTALIST HAND!
ADRA's credibility as a nonsectarian relief organization should now be called into question. It should now be assumed that direct contributions to ADRA will be directed to SDA lay ministries like Maranantha!

THE RELUCTANT SCHOOLTEACHER, by Stanley D. Hickerson is a MUST READ. Alma McKibbin didn't want to be a schoolteacher. But she was the first person to create a school curriculum for Adventist elementary students.

Not to worry, that “someone” is Ted!

2011-09-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Comic from F Minus, by Tony Carrillo.

(Click to enlarge)

Geoscience Research Institute’s Ethical Dilemma

2011-09-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
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Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-09-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

Vol. 188, No. 20

August 11, 2011

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1522

REVIEW

Unfortunately, this issue doesn’t have much to recommend it except for “IT’S NOT ABOUT ME”, the story of Patrick Knighton, the senior class president of Enfield High School, who decided his conscience would not allow him to graduate on the Sabbath. However, there are two articles, SERMONS ON SCHOOL WALLS by Conna Bond and “FORMED IN CHRIST”, an interview of three seminarians by Bill Knott, that are alarming, frustrating, and deeply discouraging.

COMMENTS

SERMONS ON SCHOOL WALLS is profoundly ignorant and racist. The ASI supported plan to decorate the walls of schoolrooms with permanent paintings of a “white” Jesus on the walls of 1000 One-Day Schools in Africa, Honduras, and Haiti is offensive to modern people of color. It smacks of European colonialism, encourages racial stereotyping, and portrays a cool, northern heaven where young people of color are second-class citizens.

“They aren’t just hanging paper images in fancy frames that will age and disintegrate with time and temperature. McNeilus devised a way to adhere high-quality, easily cleaned decal reproductions of Greene’s paintings directly to steel plates that will permanently be installed on the walls of One-Day Schools. In effect, the art will last as long as the schools do, regardless of weather and wear…When the initial 1,000 schools are completed, about 50,000 children will be exposed on a daily basis to artistic depictions of a loving Savior.”

“FORMED IN CHRIST” begins as follows “Few topics in Adventism have aroused more interest—and passion—during the past 12 months than that of “spiritual formation.” Books, seminars, and sermons have warned that the concept and practice of teaching contemplative spirituality can open minds to Eastern religions and non-Christian philosophies; others have urged that learning how to deepen a relationship with Christ is a foundational premise of the Word of God. One point of the discussion has been the courses in personal spirituality that are part of the curriculum of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, the primary institution for training pastors for the North American church and scholars for the worldwide denomination.

“Adventist Review editor Bill Knott recently met with the three teaching professors at the seminary—Allan Walshe, Kathy Beagles, and Joseph Kidder—whose courses focus on teaching students to experience and communicate the practices of personal faith and discipleship.”

Bill Knott then grills Walshe, Beagles, and Kidder to determine their orthodoxy. I would like to believe that Knott is making a naïve attempt to defend the seminary by dispelling rumors circulated by powerful, unnamed fundamentalist critics, but his questions suggest a future inquisition and creedal requirements for employment.

One phrase above all others has become the lightning rod of this discussion. Do you use the term spiritual formation, and if so, what do you think it means?

So when you were using the term spiritual formation, what did you perceive it to mean?

“If what you’re teaching has always been part of the core message of Adventism, how did we get to the place where many Adventists think of learning how to have a deeper life with Jesus as a new direction?

You’ve referred to your extensive use of Ellen White’s books in your classes. Are there other Adventist authors you have been drawing on?

What do you say to those who complain that a focus on nurture detracts from the work of evangelism?

You’ve mentioned the significant use of Ellen White in what you do here; and when you create or find other Adventist resources, you’re using those. But you clearly use resources that come from authors in other faiths. How does the biblical imperative “come out of her, my people” [Rev. 18:4] relate to studying the insights and experiences of those from other religious traditions?

Many Adventists have grown wary of what is commonly called contemplative spirituality. Do you use that term, and if you do, what do you mean by it?

When church members tell you that they are wary of contemplation and meditation and similar spiritual practices, what do you understand they’re afraid of?

What makes your classes distinctively Adventist? How do your classes differ from what I might find at Wheaton College or at Hope College or some other Protestant seminary?

Some people don’t seem to know that you’re doing those things. Have any of those who have been critical of the seminary’s classes about spirituality asked to sit down with you or have conversations about these issues?

The unequivocal response to the following statement by Knott undermines Walshe’s defense of the seminary and reveals these professors’ anxiety about being included in some unnamed heretical faction.

You sound as though you have a lot in common with some of the seminary’s critics.

Walshe: "Absolutely. We also strongly believe that people should be warned about the subtle and not-so-subtle dangers in New Age philosophies and Eastern religion practices. We don’t want these things infiltrating our church."

Reminder, Jim: you know nothing about the LLU lawsuit.

2011-09-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
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Lesson Learned from the LLU Lawsuit

2011-09-01T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
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Reviewing Adventist World, NAD Edition

2011-09-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

August, 2011

Vol. 7, No. 8

http://www.adventistworld.org/

EDITOR’S NOTE

Adventist World is free online. For that reason, I only review or comment on articles and editorials that I believe to be of special interest. Usually, this disclaimer introduces my review of Adventist World. However, the most important article in this issue, WHY THE CHURCH NEEDS AN ABUSE PREVENTION EMPHASIS DAY is only available in the print edition. Consequently, I’ve provided some quotations from the article up front. It’s definitely a MUST READ.

RECOMMENDED READING

WHY THE CHURCH NEEDS AN ABUSE PREVENTION EMPHASIS DAY by Carla Baker is a chilling reminder that abuse happens in the Adventist Church.

“Abuse is defined as intentionally or unconsciously injuring or damaging someone physically, psychologically/emotionally, or sexually for the purpose of intimidating, dominating, or controlling that person. Abuse is wrong for the following reasons: abuse can damage or destroy the body, abuse deprives children of their innocence, abuse robs individuals of their self-esteem, which is essential for correctly relating to God and to others, abuse is not part of God's plan for families,

“Perhaps the most compelling reason that we should be concerned about abuse is that it distorts the victim's perception of God…Victims often find it virtually impossible to conceive of a loving God, one who loves them unconditionally. They reasoned that if He loved them, he would have protected them from the abuse. They leave the church when their cries for help are ignored and when they are abused by members. The reality is that the way we as a corporate body respond to abuse in the church can have eternal consequences.”

HIROSHIMA by Ryoko Suzuki; PARTNERS IN SERVICE: Reflections on the Marriage of James & Ellen White; LIGHT-HEADEDNESS by Alan R Handysides and Peter landless; THE HUMAN MIND by Floyd A. Sayler.

COMMENT

In REDISCOVERING A TRUE WORSHIP, Ted Wilson tells Bill Knott that “the Lord has laid a burden on my heart about reviving biblical worship among his people, and I won’t lay it down until He tells me to”. Ted now speaks for God when it comes to righteous prayer and music! Why am I not surprised?

“Do you believe that worldly culture has been making inroads into Seventh-day Adventist worship in recent years?”

“It pains me to say so, Bill, but yes, I do. In my travels around the world, through conversations with many church leaders, and through the letters and notes I receive from faithful Seventh-day Adventists, I’ve grown concerned that we are in urgent need of a “renewing of our minds” about public worship.

“Many practices that have seemed innocent on the surface have crept into Seventh-day Adventist worship, especially in the areas of prayer and music. As Paul warned us 2,000 years ago, we have to be especially vigilant to “not be conformed to this world.” Prayer practices, including what are sometimes known as “centering prayer” and “labyrinths,” and “contemplative prayer,” frequently draw on non-Christian philosophies that encourage the emptying of the mind. Biblical prayer, instead, draws us into a quiet and focused rational contemplation of God’s Word and His faithfulness that yields in “the mind of Christ.”

“Music, certainly one of God’s greatest gifts to human beings, has similarly become a vehicle for incorporating styles and performances that too frequently forget that the great God of the universe, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are the real audience. Simple questions will help all of us underline the true and biblical principles of both prayer and music in worship: “ ‘Would I pray this way in the very presence of Jesus?’ ‘Would I sing this song—this way—in the presence of the Holy One?’ ”

“Are you planning to keep talking and preaching about these themes in the months ahead?”

“You and the millions of readers of Adventist World can count on that! The Lord has laid a burden on my heart about reviving biblical worship among us as His people, and I won’t lay it down until He tells me to.”

In RAINY-DAY REFLECTIONS, “God does it!” is the conclusion reached at the end of Angel Manual Rodriguez’ 800-word attempt to answer a question that only he would consider significant: “According to the Bible, what is the origin of rain?”

More Entertainment

2011-09-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Comic modified from Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis.
(click to enlarge)

Noah Flood Story is a Joke

2011-08-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

From Non Sequitur, by Wiley
(click image to enlarge)

A message of hope for LGBT Adventist youth. It really does get better.

2011-08-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.itgetsbetterforadventists.org/

While there are no statistics specific to Adventist LGBT youth suicide, religious views about homosexuality are at the root of homophobia and intolerance.

LGBT youth are 4 times as likely to attempt suicide than straight youth.
LGBT youth with “highly rejecting” families are 8 times more likely to attempt suicide than those whose families accept them.

If you are an LGBT Adventist, you should know that you’re not alone, you can find an accepting and affirming spiritual home (increasingly even within Adventism), and you are a beloved child of God just as you are.

If you are considering suicide or need help, call the Trevor Project now at 866-4-U-TREVOR.

If you want to talk to an Adventist who understands being gay AND loving Sabbath afternoon potlucks, contact SDA Kinship at itgetsbetter@sdakinship.org or Carrol Grady at www.someone-to-talk-to.net.

If you are a parent, educator or pastor, please know that the teens in your life (gay and straight) are learning from your example and need your unconditional love. If you think the church needs to rethink how we treat our LGBT members, stand up and say something. “In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-08-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Vol. 188, No. 19

July 28, 2011

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1521

GENERAL COMMENTS

The sheep on the cover, along with the words, “I’d Rather Be a Sheep” didn’t motivate me to begin reading this issue, but when I got past the cover, I discovered an issue worth reading from cover to cover!

At the end of this review, I have a COMMENT and information about a LAWSUIT filed by three employees of La Sierra University against La Sierra University, the Pacific Union Conference, the North American Division, as well as against the president of the Pacific Union Conference and two officers of the North American Division.

REVIEWS

Gerald A. Klingbeil’s editorial, UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTIONS, was an admirably honest discussion of the Adventist Church’s failure to speak out against the persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany and the lessons learned or not learned in the interim.

"I HAVE BEEN THERE TOO" by Sandy Eickmann makes the case for a Jesus with a very human emotional life.

Andrew McChesney’s is back and in top form. FACING THE MUSIC is an account of his encounter with noisy, tipsy neighbors in the middle of the night. AN UNLIKELY SANCTUARY by Jill Monikone is the story of her prayerful encounter with an injured woman in Walmart. And MUSINGS OF A MISSIONARY IN A BERRY PATCH, by Fred. L. Webb is a metaphor for effective witnessing. All three are recommended reads.

Jerry Lutz’s devotional reading, THE POWER OF TOUCH is a reminder that communion services are more than just symbolic reminders of The Last Supper.

SHOULD GOVERNMENTS TELL US WHAT TO EAT? Drs. Handysides and Landless provide a thoughtful and informative answer. It’s a MUST READ.

COMMENT

I'D RATHER BE A SHEEP is the cover article by Martin Klingbeil in which he offers a fresh look at Psalm 23. Unfortunately for him, his opening paragraph may get him and Southern Adventist University in some very hot water with the GC, not to mention the fundamentalist Adventist organization, Educate Truth.

“I was somewhere deep in the Early Bronze Age (3150-2200 B.C.), working vigorously at layers of ancient soil—with a paintbrush. The sun was beating mercilessly on my back, and there were clouds of dust flying all around me. Another day at Tell el-‘Umeiri I was participating in an archaeological excavation in the country of Jordan, east of the river Jordan, high up on the plains of Moab, close to Mount Nebo, where Moses had overlooked the Promised Land.”

Klingbeil assumes a time frame that places his dig sometime between the Universal Flood and the Tower of Babel according to official church chronology. Explanations for this faux pas can only be blamed on Review editors. Either they are not acquainted with current church doctrine, they are attempting to undermine church authority, or they wish to discredit Klingbeil and subject Southern to the fundamentalist attention of Educate Truth. (You know the outcome of their “attention” with regard to what’s happening at La Sierra University.)

LAWSUIT

While I will not usually comment on Church News, available online, I believe this story will make headlines. What follows in the Review’s report and this link to further information about the actual lawsuit. http://spectrummagazine.org/blog?page=2

Church says La Sierra Employee’s

Lawsuit is ‘Without Merit’

Outside counsel retained to defend school, leaders

by Adventist Review staff

A July 28 lawsuit filed by three employees of La Sierra University, a Seventh-day Adventist Church-owned tertiary institution against its board chairman, the university and two officials of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, is “without merit,” the church’s top attorney says.

“The litigation is without merit, and will be defended in the most appropriate manner,” says Karnik Doukmetzian, an attorney and the North American Division’s General Counsel. “External counsel has been retained through Adventist Risk Management which provides insurance coverage for the defendants involved, and will be defending the organizations and individuals named in the suit."

Law firm McCuneWright, LLP, filed the action on behalf of La Sierra employees Jeffry Kaatz, James Beach, and Gary Bradley, against La Sierra University, the Pacific Union Conference, the North American Division, as well as against the president of the Pacific Union Conference and two officers of the North American Division.

According to a news release issued by the plaintiffs’ law firm, the complaint stems from “actions taken against [the plaintiffs] and La Sierra University in a June 10, 2011 meeting,” during which the three were asked to resign their positions at the school.

It’s a GRI inside joke!

2011-08-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Comic modified from Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis.
(click to enlarge)

Bureaucratic Life in the Pacific Union Conference

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Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-08-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

July 21, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 20

http://www.adventistreview.org/index.php?issue=2011-1520

NOTE TO READERS

GENERAL COMMENTS

This issue has one MUST READ essay. GOING WRONG WITH CONFIDENCE by Bert Williams a Civil War essay with immediate application. His concluding remarks should cause every Adventist to cringe at the dogmatic language of the Church Manual and call to mind the words written “To the Readers of This Book” on pages vii and viii introducing “Seventh-day Adventists Believe: a Biblical Exposition of 28 Fundamental Doctrines”. *

“History has not been kind to the Christians of the Civil War era, especially to those on the Confederate side who died to defend an indefensible system of unimaginable cruelty and bondage. Their certainty—even to the point of shedding their own blood and that of their enemies—in no way made their ideas sounder or more biblical.

“And though it can be reasonably argued that Christians on the Union side were closer to the biblical ideal, the ferocity with which they went about promoting their beliefs in the post-war Reconstruction era effectively inoculated many Southerners against the gospel the abolitionists said they were carrying. The manner in which they acquired political and economic control in the name of their victorious ideal way eventually undermined their influence on the reunified society.

“The lesson in all of this is not that Christians should avoid having strong convictions about the morally-fraught issues of our society. By temperament, training, and education, we will have opinions—and should. Early Adventism activism on the issues of slavery, lynching, and alcohol points to a godly, non-partisan engagement with the big moral questions of our culture. But we should also have the grace and humility to hear—and answer—the hard questions of those who disagree with us, and to consider the possibility that other viewpoints may, at times, have both merit and righteousness.

“When a crowd of persons starts moving in the same direction, they can so easily convince each another to go too far in promoting what seems right—or, worse, to even head the wrong way in the certainty supplied by numbers.

* “We have written this book with the guidance of a clear directive continually reminding us that ‘if you search the Scriptures to vindicate your own opinions, you will never reach the truth…We have not written this book to serve as a creed: a statement of beliefs set in theological concrete.”

In LAW AND FREEDOM, Clifford Goldstein makes the argument that “morality without law is as impossible as is thought without mind”. Obviously. However, Goldstein makes two assumptions that are problematic.

The first is that morality is arbitrary: “Is it sinful to have red hair? Why not? Because God’s law doesn’t forbid red hair. If it did, as the law forbids covetousness, then red hair would be sin. But it cannot be sin if no divine law defines it as such.” The idea that we were created to obey arbitrary laws makes God a failed puppet master.

The second if that “morality is based…on the Ten Commandments”. That kind of thinking got Jesus killed. Jesus said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

The New Testament makes it clear that the Law of the Universe is love. The many laws given to the Israelites on Sinai were given to provide a framework for civilized behavior until Jesus came to announce that His Kingdom is based on love, not the sacrifice of sheep and goats or Sabbath observance; that we are created to resonate harmoniously in a universe whose only law is love.

IT’S TRUE: YOUR BEHAVIOR AFFECTS YOUR GENES by Andy Nash and “AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF” by Addison Hudgins are definitely worth a look.

AT REST

FAGAL, Harold Edward—b. May 5, 1923, Ilion, N.Y.; d. Dec. 24, 2010, Riverside, Calif.

Haynes, William L.—b. May 14, 1923, Grand Junction, Colo.; d. Oct. 26, 2009, Caldwell, Idaho.

KEIZER, Leslie Edmund—b. Nov. 25, 1925, Indonesia; d. Feb. 23, 2011, Calhoun, Ga.

MEIER, Humberto J.—b. Brazil; d. Mar. 11, 2011; d. Entre Rios, Argentina.

MORGAN, Mary Elizabeth—b. Nov. 22, 1923, Everett, Mass.; d. Jan. 18, 2010, Avon Park, Fla.

TAYLOR, John Wesley IV—b. Feb. 2, 1933, Bolivia; d. Nov. 26, 2010, Collegedale, Tenn.

TORKELSON, Oscar E.—b. Oct. 16, 1920, Everest, Kans.; d. Nov. 4, 2010, Greenbrier, Tenn.

WHEELER, Ernest E.—b. Feb. 24, 1925, Clyde, Ohio; d. Feb. 12, 2011, Longmont, Colo.

WILDMAN, Durward B., Jr.—b. Oct. 10, 1930, Mishawaka, Ind.; d. Nov. 30, 2010, Mohrsville, Pa.

WOLCOTT, R. Andrew—b. Mar. 11, 1921, Bryan, Ohio; d. Oct. 19, 2010, Lyles, Tenn.

WOODS, Thelma F.—b. Oct. 15, 1913, Mexico, Maine; d. Sept. 25, 2010, Longwood, Fla.

WILLIAMS, Benjamin J.—b. Jan. 13, 1917; d. Nov. 12, 2009, Portland, Oreg.

When God Gets Annoyed

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Modified from the comic Bizarro by Dan Piraro.
(click to enlarge)

Marketing Evangelism

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Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
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Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-08-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

July 14, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 19

http://www.adventistreview.org/issue_toc.php?issue=2011-1519

NOTE TO READERS

Due to a variety of factors, time and old age being two of them, my future reviews will be limited to comments and reflections. I am counting on the Internet address provided to supply a brief summary of the content of each Review editorial, news release, and article. Once again, I suggest that Adventist members subscribe to the Review. “You snooze, and you lose” the opportunity to contribute to and influence a fellowship of eternal importance.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Readers will be rewarded by five thoughtful pieces. The following is a first to last list of their importance: ADVENTIST EDUCATION: ALIVE AND WELL by Larry Blackmer, is a MUST READ; the cover feature, A CHURCH PLANT SUCCESS provides a realistic plan for establishing new congregations; CHURCH TRENDS by Monte Sahlin assesses the impact of the recession and a plan of action if a church family faces an economic crisis; Bill Knott’s editorial, FEROCIOUS TRUTHS; and Courtney Tait’s reflection, IT’S ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE.

One WORLD NEWS AND PERSPECTIVES REPORT illustrates, once again, the schizophrenic approach to ministry clearly evident in official church publications. While there is the universal proclamation that “the time is short”, “we are living in the last days of earth’s history”, Gideon Dayak, a risk-control consultant, cautions that outdated property assessments could mean inadequate funds to restore church property in the event of an unforeseen catastrophic event.

ADRA Update

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Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

He’s full of Amazing APPs!

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Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
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Reviewing Adventist Today

2011-08-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

Summer Issue, 2011

Vol. 19, No. 3

http://www.atoday.org/article.php?id=744

GENERAL COMMENTS

Adventist Today continues to tease, but fails to deliver. SLANTING THE TRUTH by J. David Newman, is just one unfortunate example. After discussing the “hows” and “whys” truth can be manipulated to serve previously determined ends, the reader expects a current example of how this “slanting” is being currently used by church authorities. No example is supplied!

The letters section included only one brief highly critical of the only thoughtful essay in the Spring Issue, WHERE IS WILSON LEADING US? and devoted 5+ columns to Desmond Ford’s convoluted critique of Darrel LIndensmith’s esoteric and incomprehensible analysis of Ford’s rejection of “historicism” (Desmond Ford and Historicism, AT, Spring, 2011)

Editor Newman needs an editor. His rambling, disjointed, quasi-historical essay, IS ELLEN WHITE REALLY A LESSER LIGHT? takes up 25% of this issue’s printed pages! The final answer is a predictable, “Yes”, accompanied by the comment: “it is too easy for the denomination to speak out of both sides of its corporate mouth when it comes to the authority of Ellen White. When it suits our purpose, we declare that we must follow exactly what the Spirit of Prophecy says, but when economic and other pressures bear upon us, we become pragmatic and find a way to rationalize her counsels.”

What to do with Alden Thompson remains a mystery wrapped in an enigma. In ELLEN WHITE: AN “EMERGING CHURCH” SPOKESPERSON? he makes a convincing case that Ellen was. But Thompson goes on to cite Ellen’s admiration of Martin Luther and John Calvin as similar spokespersons, irrespective of their murderous excesses.

“She praises Martin Luther for his teaching on righteousness by faith, his attack on papal abuses, and his work in translating the Bible into the language of the people.9 She does not tell us about his predestinarian theology, his brutal suppression of the peasant revolt, and his rabid anti-Semitism. She focused on points on which she could agree.”

“Finally, in the chapter, “The French Reformation,” Ellen White describes the work of several reformers, John Calvin being the most prominent. She speaks highly of his efforts to establish the principles of Protestantism, but she does not mention his predestinarian theology or his heavy-handed rule in Geneva where 58 dissenters were killed and 76 banished during his rule (1541 to 1564). She looked on the positive side, focusing on points on which she could agree.” (Italics mine)

He concludes with following problematic declaration.

“In short, Ellen White was indeed a champion of the “emerging church.” She felt no obligation to attack or even mention points of disagreement. She simply practiced what she preached: ‘The Lord wants His people to follow other methods than that of condemning wrong, even though the condemnation be just.’ ”

WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT MUSLIM RADICALS? is David Pendleton’s review of Joel C. Rosenberg’s “Inside the Revolution: How the Followers of Jihad, Jefferson & Jesus Are Battling to Dominate the Middle East and Transform the World” (Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale, 2009), 551 pages.

According to David Pendleton, the book warns of a future dominated by Muslim extremists unless peace can be achieved “through proselytism, the active and systematic conversion of Muslims to Christianity. Until theologians of Islam consistently condemn violence, he implies, adopting a peace-oriented Christianity may be the only immediate means to attain harmony among Middle East peoples…wholly secular efforts within Islam to achieve a permanent peace have proven to be ephemeral.”

America’s “peaceful influence” in the Middle East must surely dim that hope!

Alden Thompson reviews THE LOST MEANING OF THE SEVENTH DAY by Sigve K. Tonstad, (Andrews University Press: Berrien Springs, Mich., 2009), hardback, 575 pages. Thompson gently chides Tonstad for his failure to “take more seriously the role of ‘fear’ in winning broken people to God in a world where evil still reigns.”

TONSTAD ANSWERS TOMPSOM’s objection with one and a half tortured pages explaining his “generic apology of hope”. It seems to me that a reference to the woman caught in adultery would have been sufficient.

7 QUESTIONS, an interview of Clive Holland by the editor, provided welcome relief to those of us who are worried about the future of Adventist Today. Clive, the new president of Adventist Today’s board, is a guy who can rescue the foundering ship of Adventist Today if anyone can.

And ADVENTIST MAN is back! His brief sabbatical seems to have provided him with a renewed sense of mission! Brilliant!

When Ted’s Away, It’s Oliver’s Say

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Parchment reflects:

“ ‘Six months ago a person claiming to be a prophet wanted to share something with Wilson. Another person wanted to tell Wilson some reoccurring dreams they had. ‘I say to myself, if I were living in [church co-founder] Ellen White's day and she wrote a letter like that to me, would I respond to her,’ Parchment said. ‘It does cross my mind. I hope I'm not putting off God by politely turning these people down.’

“Though he handles most requests of the president himself – ‘I'm like a filter in many ways,’ he said -- he lets Wilson handle some directly.”

Comic modified from Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis.
(click to enlarge)

Adventist Alarm

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Comic modified from Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis.
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Reviewing Adventist World, NAD Edition

2011-07-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

July, 2011

Vol. 7, No. 7

http://www.adventistworld.org/

Adventist World is free online. For that reason, I only review or comment on articles and editorials that I believe to be of special interest. Usually, this disclaimer introduces my review if Adventist World. However, the most important article in this issue, WHY HEALTH? WHY NOT? is only available in the print edition. Consequently, I’ve provided some quotations from the article up front. It’s definitely a MUST READ.

My final comment is reserved for THE GREAT CONTROVERSY: A TIMELESS BOOK TURNS 1OO by Jerry Moon. I’ve included a long quote that describes the sophisticated way in which the Church is attempting to shed the Ellen White plagiarism issue while describing the literary iteration of the modern edition of the Great Controversy.

REVIEWS AND COMMENTS

WHY HEALTH? WHY NOT? By Allan R. Handysides

“Sometimes we are more interested in baptisms than in conversions. The role of health ministries in our institutions is to demonstrate the love, compassion, and person of Jesus—period. That’s a tall order. When our health outreach is solely for the benefit of the recipient, we become like Jesus, who ministered because He loved. In our lifestyle ministry our concern must focus on the bell-being of those to whom we minister…When coercion and pressure are removed from our ministry, we become more Christlike, channels for the Holy Spirit…

“It’s too early to draw firm conclusions from the current Adventist Health Study, but evidence to date suggests that while the total plant-based diets may be more cardio-protective, while the lacto-ovo diets may provide more protection against cancer…

“Today’s health ministry faces many dangers. While acknowledging the fact that health is, and will always be, a gift fro God, emotionally we like to think we can do it ourselves. Because of this emotional mentality, we often feel guilty if we fall ill or, worse, suspect others of less-than ideal health reform should they fall ill…

“The original purpose of our Adventist health emphasis was to enable us to be better workers for God. With an overemphasis on health, we may become introverted and concerned only about our own selfish aspirations...”

Other articles that inform and inspire:

FABULOUS FIBER by Allan R. Handysides and Peter N. Landless, WHY I BELIEVE IN A LIFE TO COME by William G. Johnsson, and THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT by Stephen Chavez.

Articles of questionable value:

In DAY OF DELIGHT, Ted N. C. Wilson criticizes Adventists who “go out to eat at a restaurant” on Sabbath because it will “cause extra work for others”.

“While my relationship with the Lord is very personal and between my Lord and me, the implications of that relationship will be felt by everyone I deal with. For example, instead of rationalizing the commandment and saying, “Well, Sabbath is a day of rest, so I should refrain from work, and go out to eat at a restaurant,” I will try as far as I can not to cause extra work for others and help them see the beauty of the Sabbath. Those who come in contact with me should also come to know something of the promised joy and delight of the Sabbath: it is not only a day meant to rejuvenate believers.”

Are church potlucks to be avoided? Wilson also fails to take into account the obvious reasons why we NAD Adventists can observe the Sabbath as a “day of rest”. We are surrounded by public service workers who are employed 24/7 to keep us safe, and armed forces that never take the Sabbath off. Adventists in other countries may not enjoy this security.

CHRISTIANS AREN'T PERFECT: CHRIST’S MINISTRY IN THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY by Félix H. Cortez includes the following questionable theology.

“Not all human beings can approach God with confidence, though. This is very important. Only the followers of Jesus benefit from the guarantees that the rule of Jesus provides. This helps us understand an important aspect of Christian life. What determines our eligibility to the benefits of the new covenant is not our ability to defeat the devil (Jesus already did that) but our loyalty to Jesus. The crucial issue is not how strong I am, but how much do I love Jesus.”

THE GREAT CONTROVERSY: A TIMELESS BOOK TURNS 1OO

by Jerry Moon

Later Editions

“During the next 20 years Ellen White wrote five more books on biblical history, but not until 1884 did she find time to expand her coverage of the postbiblical history to 492 pages—four times the comparable section in the original volume. Shortly after the release of the 1884 edition she spent two years in Europe (1885-1887). As she visited the historical sites of the Reformation, she resolved to write on it again, to make it more appealing to a general reading audience, and to show more clearly the continuity between the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation and the Adventist movement. She wrote some 190 pages of new material for the 1888 edition, bringing The Great Controversy to its final size of 678 pages. When the publishers reported in 1910 that the printing plates from the 1888 version were so badly worn that the type needed to be reset, she decided to review the book and improve it once again.4

Use of Historical Sources

“A significant issue for the 1911 edition was changing literary standards. In nineteenth-century America it was common for both secular and religious writers to freely reproduce material from other authors, with or without source references.5 To meet the rising expectations of the twentieth century, however, Ellen White mandated her literary assistants to track down and identify the sources of all the quotations in the 1888 edition of The Great Controversy. In doing so, her helpers found that some quotations were easily available for verification; others were not. She directed them to replace historical quotations from books no longer in print with similar statements from better and readily available sources, so that readers who wanted to check her claims could do so in public libraries.6

“Ellen White was delighted with the new edition and unequivocally endorsed it.7 However, such editorial work on a book that Seventh-day Adventists regarded as inspired raised questions about the relationship between her visions and her use of historical sources. In a statement that his mother specifically approved, her son W. C. White explained: “The things which she has written out are descriptions of flashlight pictures and other representations given her [in vision].… In … writing out … these views, she has made use of good and clear historical statements to help make plain to the reader the things which she is endeavoring to present. When I was a mere boy, I heard her read D’Aubigné’s History of the Reformation to my father.… She has read other histories of the Reformation. This has helped her to locate and describe many of the events and the movements presented to her in vision.”8

“An experience from the Whites’ years in Europe illustrated this point. W. C. White recalled that one Sabbath, at Basel, “as I read [Wylie’s History of Protestantism] to Mother she interrupted me and told a lot of things in the pages ahead, and told me many things not in the book at all. She said, ‘I never read about it, but that scene has been presented to me over and over again.’”9

“Surprised, he asked her, “Why did you not put it into your book [The Great Controversy]?” She replied, “I did not know where to put it.” From this he understood that while the controlling content of her historical writing was derived from visions, she used historical works to identify the geographical and chronological connections of the events she had seen in vision.10

Special Spanish Edition

“During the translation of The Great Controversy into Spanish, someone noticed that it made no mention of the Reformation in Spain. When this omission was brought to the attention of Ellen White, she directed her staff to compile an additional chapter for the Spanish edition. As a result, the Spanish Great Controversy has one more chapter than the one in English. Chapter 13, “The Awakening in Spain,” carries a footnote: “This chapter was compiled by C. C. Crisler and H. H. Hall, and was inserted in this book with the approval of the author.”11

This attempted explanation for her plagiarism, i.e., closely paraphrasing the words of other writers, is that “in nineteenth-century America it was common for both secular and religious writers to freely reproduce material from other authors, with or without source references”. (5) This footnote is from a questionable source. Plagiarism has been condemned by all responsible writers and artists from the mid 1600s. (See: A Very Brief History of Plagiarism)

Also note that the almost invisible footnote type font, magazine and online, makes it easy to miss that every citation is from an “authorized source”. I’ve made it a bit easier to read.

5 George Callcott, History in the United States, 1800-1860 (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1970), pp. 134-136, quoted in R. W. Olson, One Hundred and One Questions on the Sanctuary and on Ellen White (Washington, D.C.: Ellen G. White Estate, 1981), pp. 66, 67; see also Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1951), pp. 406, 407, cited in Jerry Moon, “Who Owns the Truth? Another Look at the Plagiarism Debate,” Ellen G. White and Current Issues Symposium (Berrien Springs, Mich.: Center for Adventist Research, Andrews University, 2005), vol.1, pp. 46-71.

6 For details, see Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White, vol. 6, pp. 302-321; Arthur L. White, “W. W. Prescott and the 1911 Edition of The Great Controversy,” Ellen G. White Estate Shelf Document, (Center for Adventist Research, Andrews University, 1981); also available online at www.whiteestate.org; see also W. C. White, “The Great Controversy—1911 edition,” Appendixes A and B in Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 3, pp. 433-450.

7 E. G. White to F. M. Wilcox, July 25, 1911 (letter 56, 1911), reproduced in Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White, vol. 6, p. 336.

8 W. C. White to “Our General Missionary Agents,” July 25, 1911. Ellen White’s endorsement is in  E. G. White to F. M. Wilcox, July 27, 1911 (letter 56, 1911).

9 W. C. White, “The Visions of Ellen G. White,” Dec. 17, 1905, p. 4, Ellen G. White Estate Shelf Document.

10 Ibid.; see also Jerry Moon, W. C. White and Ellen G. White: The Relationship Between the Prophet and Her Son (Berrien Springs, Mich.: Andrews University Press, 1993), pp. 427-431.

11 Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White, vol. 6, p. 337. Clarence C. Crisler was Ellen White’s chief literary assistant at the time, and Harry Harvey Hall was a manager at Pacific Press.

Adventist Anxiety

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Comic modified from Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis.
(click to enlarge)

Sounds like the Geoscience Institute does consultanting work for the Louisiana legislature.

2011-07-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

From the comic Doonesbury, by Garry Trudeau

(click to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-07-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

June 23, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 18

http://www.adventistreview.org/issue_toc.php?issue=2011-1518

NOTE TO READERS

Due to a variety of factors, time and old age being two of them, my future reviews will be limited to comments and reflections. I am counting on the Internet address provided to supply a brief summary of the content of each Review editorial, news release, and article. Once again, I suggest that Adventist members subscribe to the Review. “You snooze, and you loose” the opportunity to contribute to and influence a fellowship of eternal importance.

WORLD NEWS AND PERSPECTIVES

Twenty-year-old Yoselin Perez Ramirez, as student a Montemorelos University was murdered in a failed kidnap attempt. There is now an Adventist church in Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Loma Linda Medical School graduated its 10,000th student. And there was a Media Summit sponsored by NAD in Ontario, California.

GENERAL COMMENTS

There were three contributors in this issue that rang my chimes: Kimberley Luste Maran’s editorial, LIVE UP TO THE BILLING confronted the dangers of congregational hypocrisy (chime), SLEEP APNEA REVISITED by Drs. Handysides and Landless educated readers on sleep apnea and breast cancer (2 chimes), and LIFE INTERRUPTED a Peter Landless autobiography, was a fascinating revelation (4 chimes)!

There were two contributors whose efforts were clunkers. Someone known only as Ceasar wrote the lead editorial, BABEL BUILDING, without help from a competent editor (clunk). However, the most disappointing article was by Michael W. Campbell. His ADVENTIST THEOLOGY COMES OF AGE was a brief, superficial piece that lacked any intelligent discussion of the issues confronting the delegates at the 1952 Bible Conference. The most important Adventist theological conference in the 20th Century deserved better (4 clunks)!

AT REST

HODDE, Erwin F.—b. June 29, 1918, Cincinnati, Ohio; d. July 19, 2009, Greeneville, Tenn. HOFMANN, Dorothy June “Dottie”—b. July 12, 1927, Nevada, Iowa; d. Mar. 19, 2010, Sunland, Calif.

HUNT, Roger W.—b. July 12, 1919, Bravo, Mont.; d. June 8, 2009, Avon Park, Fla.

HUTTON, Barbara Aileen Twiggs— b. Aug. 21, 1927, Gentry, Ark.; d. Dec. 9, 2009, Grants Pass, Oreg.

KYAMBADDE, Stanley B.—b. July 21, 1927, Namulesa-Kyaggwe, Uganda;  d. Feb. 7, 2010, Kampala, Uganda.

LING, Irene—b. July 22, 1917, Kulangsu, China; d. Apr. 6, 2010, Loma Linda, Calif.

MEDFORD, R. Foster—b. Apr. 6, 1923, Coleman, Mich.; d. Dec. 29, 2009, Grants Pass, Oreg.

MEYER, Earl G.—b. Nov. 15, 1916, Beaumont, Calif.; d. Jan. 21, 2010, Ceres, Calif.

MOORE, Arthur Bryson—b. Nov. 17, 1918, Los Angeles, Calif.; d. Apr. 15, 2010, Loma Linda, Calif.

PEARSON, Rex—b. 1920, Durban, South Africa; d. Dec. 12, 2009, Cheltenham, England.

Pronouncing the “A” Word

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Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams
(click to enlarge)

The Integrity Parachute

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Richard Winn - Fri, 05/13/2011 - 08:57

Spectrum Blog

Larry, you ask a relevant question: "Has anyone attempted to determine why a significant number of top church administrators have left their positions to seek employment in healthcare?"

A number of my former pastoral colleagues who migrated to SDA health care fields, while not "top administrators," would likely join me in an answer something like this: "I am no longer comfortable with the expectation that I should preach sermons about the 2300 days, give Bible studies that prove we are the remnant, or whip up last-day alarms each time there is an earthquake. But the SDA system has created a world-wide network of healthcare that seeks to meet people's real needs through skilled and compassionate caring. I can still preserve my SDA identity within a career that preserves my integrity."

Larry, how many of our Seminary colleagues would fit somewhat within this frame?

Cartoon modified from Non Sequitur, by Wiley
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Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-07-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

June 16, 2011

Vol.188, No.17

http://www.adventistreview.org/issue_toc.php?issue=2011-1517

GENERAL COMMENTS

This is a “how to” issue. Ellie Gil provides 12 steps that promote LIVING LIFE to the fullest. Ekkehardt Mueller suggests 7 strategies to deal with CONFLICT AND COMMUNICATION.

Additionally, we learn the President Wilson was the featured speaker at the Division Ministerial Council in Brazil (That guy avoids Silver Spring like the plague.), and Cliff Goldstein explains THE CLOSENESS OF THE SECOND COMING by reminding readers that death separates us from Heaven by just the blink of an eye. (Stop the presses!)

The SOUND BITE that made my day was submitted by Eric Shadle, pastor of the Richland SDA church in Washington State. I DO MOST OF MY SINNING WHEN I’M RIGHT.

NOTE TO READERS

It’s not who you know; it’s Who knows you!

2011-07-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
(click to enlarge)

Living in the Last Daze

2011-07-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
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Reviewing Adventist World, NAD Edition

2011-07-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

June, 2011

Vol. 7, No. 6

http://www.adventistworld.org/

Adventist World is free online. For that reason, I only review or comment on articles and editorials that I believe to be of special interest.

GENERAL COMMENTS

If the woman on this cover is an example of an “empowered woman”, the Adventist Church has a long way to go before even considering the ordination of women! That said, the women authors included in this issue are discerning writers and practical thinkers.

It’s the ordained men whose contributions reflect questionable suppositions: Ron Clouzet suggests that earthquake frequency is a sign of the impending Second Coming, Angel Rodriguez attempts to prove that the Holy Spirit lurks in Heaven in some invisible state, and Mark Finley’s asserts that the genuine and fullest manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit are poured out exclusively on Adventist believers.

Ted’s Final Wish

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Comic modified from Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis.
(click to enlarge)

La Sierra University finds itself shopping for help on the wrong side of town.

2011-06-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
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Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-06-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

June 9, 2011

Vol. 188, No. 16

http://www.adventistreview.org/issue_toc.php?issue=2011-1516

GENERAL COMMENTS

It’s hard not to be distracted by this cover. Jesus as a Nordic androgynous superman? Seems weirdly irreverent. And blue eyed? Shouldn’t he look more like Clifford Goldstein? Then there’s Bill Knott’s admonition to pronounce Adventist, ADventist for theological reasons.

It’s comforting to know that the Joplin tornado only damaged the local Adventist church (no SDA lives were lost), and Ted Wilson is speaking to huge crowds and making friends in Angola, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion Island, and the Seychelles.

Don’t overlook the stories by Dixil Rodriguez and Andrew McChesney.

I’m glad I kept my mouth shut. Ricardo is under the impression that there were only four of us!

2011-06-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Comic from Rubes, by Leigh Rubin.

(click for enlarged image)

2040

2011-06-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Non Sequitur, by Wiley
(click to enlarge)

Reviewing Spectrum

2011-06-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

Spring, 2011

Vol. 39, Issue 2

http://spectrummagazine.org/journal/2011/05/24/volume-39-issue-2-spring-2011
This link will take you to the table of contents of the current issue.

GENERAL COMMENTS

This issue should appeal to a wide variety of readers. The following are my favorite articles.

If you are LOOKING FOR THE CRUX OF THE MATTER IN THE ADVENTIST BIOLOGY EDUCATION DEBATE, Dyer’s reporting is foundational and a MUST READ.

READING THE BIBLE SCULPTURE SERIES: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST by John McDowell is an artistic and literary success.

THE BIBLE IN ART AND LITERATURE may be a bit too academic for some, but Melissa Brotton, Lora Geriguis, and Sam McBride do an impressive job of demonstrating why biblical literature has inspired the greatest stories ever told.

WHEN WHAT IS TRUE IS NOT PURE: FLANNERY O’CONNOR AND THE LOGIC OF REDEMPTION by Ryan Bell is a thoughtful, contemporary argument for Christian art and the support of Christian artists.

PERSONAL NOTE

Adventists of all stripes and convictions owe Bonnie Dyer a debt of gratitude so huge, that any talk of repayment is ludicrous. She has kept Spectrum, the magazine and blog, afloat when any but the most skilled and dedicated sailor would have gone down with the ship or beached the boat. Her magazine remains a vessel in which sanity, friendliness, goodwill, and intelligence have managed to repel the pirates of foolishness, resentment, and downright stupidity that infest the seas of Adventism. She deserves more than your goodwill. She deserves support.

SUBSCRIBE

Straining Gnats

2011-06-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

Modified from the comic Dilbert, by Scott Adams

(click to enlarge)

The extra laws are kept by dedicated literalists.

2011-06-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

The Ten Commandments were not the only laws revealed to Moses at Sinai. Exodus 21-23 contain a miscellany of laws conventionally called the "Book of the Covenant". Also check out what was written on the New Stone Tablets in Exodus 34.

From Non Sequitur, by Wiley
(click image to enlarge)

Reviewing the Adventist Review

2011-06-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

May 26, 2011

Vol, 188, No. 15

www.adventistreview.org/issue_toc.php?issue=2011-1515

GENERAL COMMENTS

This issue breaks no new ground, theologically or intellectually. Consequently, it must be judged a success by everyone that matters in official Adventism. However, the odor of naivety and the smell of unconscious truth accompany some of the language used. I’ll bet you can sniff it out.

Gerald A. Kringbeil’s IT SMELLS! is ostensibly an editorial about the pleasing aroma of official Adventism’s sectarian “revival and reformation”. Yet it contains these words: “Paul (and Mary) were not too concerned about a corporate image or ministry emphasis. They realized in their different ways that this was a matter of life and death that required a heart response—up close and personal.”

JUDGMENT TIME? YES. is Mark A. Kellner’s admonition about God’s expectations that, inadvertently, might offer encouragement to critics of current church policies. “It’s not a comfortable position to advise repentance so as to avoid calamity. Just ask Jonah! But it’s an essential task for the Christian. And if others are offended, I’m sorry about that, but they must still be warned. The Lord expects no less.”

THE PERFECT HERO by J. Harold Alomia is Jesus, of course. However, he fails to mention Jesus’ scathing indictment of religious leaders in Mathew 23. Just an oversight, presumably.

REVIRGINALIZATION: A SPIRITUAL APPLICATION by Delbert W. Baker talks about the spiritual idea of revirginalization. “Revirginization is also a deeply rooted Christian desire. The Bible reminds us that we’re all sinners. We all want and desperately need a do-over. We want to become unsinners, to live as though we’d never sinned.

CAN WE TALK? Is Steve Moran’s advice on what to say to an atheist. My question: how is this different from engaging in a meaningful conversation with a church member? a marriage partner? one of your children? a neo-conservative? a flaming liberal?

1. Look for a Bridge: There is no better way to begin a conversation than by asking what the other person believes.

2. Demonstrate Love: “The first lesson from this story is that, when we engage in acts of kindness and compassion, some of the people we serve will move into a saving, trusting relationship with Jesus. The second lesson is less obvious, but perhaps more important. God has created each of us with the gift of compassion. Even atheists and agnostics have compassion; sometimes, it seems, in greater measure than in Christians.” Really?

Question: What other test is there for membership in Christ’s kingdom? It doesn’t seem to matter to the Son of Man whether you are atheist or believer when he shows up! Compassion is the only test, according to Mathew 25: 31-36.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “

3. Have Reasonable Expectations: Don’t expect an immediate conversion to your way of thinking.

4. Tell a Story/Tell Your Story: Allow others to know you intimately.

Allan R. Handysides and Peter N. Landless provide their usual excellent advice in KNEE TROUBLE. It’s a MUST READ if you have a trick knee. Their advice in a nutshell: “If you have consulted with more than one physician and they both agree on your needing a knee replacement, I would think the operation will likely bring you significant improvement.”

Bert Beach suggests a pretty liberal Christian THEOLOGY IN A (POST)MODERN WORLD. However, I looked in vain for “equality of human rights as it affects” the ordination of women, homosexuals, and those with other genetic differences.

“While “objective neutrality” in the study of religion can be a useful tool of scholarship, though never fully attainable, it is both impossible and undesirable in dealing with theological doctrine and ethics. It is deplorable, at least from a Christian perspective, to be neutral, without sturdy personal convictions regarding certain issues. These questions include, among others: religious liberty and the right to believe or not to believe; equality of human rights as it affects men and women, race and caste; female and child slavery; crying human needs, such as hunger and poverty; the plan of salvation; the nefarious influences of few (or many) in unbalancing or deregulating economic and other systems and forces. A Seventh-day Adventist cannot be neutral in regard to the Creator and His creation. Adventists cannot be oblivious to the reminding and reviving power of the Holy Spirit and His gifts.”

ONCE MORE WITH POWER: REVIVAL AND REFORMATION: Shawn Brace reports a revival of Adventism in the New England Conference.

In WHEN GOD CALLS YOU HERE, Jimmy Phillips talks about “answered calls”.

“Have you been echoing Isaiah’s (and Adelaide’s) words? “Here am I. Send me!” (Isa. 6:8). Has it occurred to you that you may have already been sent?”

ETC.--BOOKMARK: ALL ABOUT THE NEW BOOK "MADE TO CRAVE"

“Diets don’t work. But the concepts in Made to Crave will help you achieve the picture of health you desire. According to www.madetocrave.org.”

GOD AND HUMAN CATASTROPHE is Clifford Pitts attempt to justify God’s hand in cataclysmic events. Unfortunately, Pitts can only offer the following: “Our justification of God, then, is His own justification of Himself in the suffering and death of God the Son.”

CHURCH NEWS

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In Loma Linda, Postman Now Rings on Saturday

U.S. Postal Service cancels Sunday delivery.

The Adventists Film Wins Award

PBS release highlights church's health work.

RHPA Officers Re-elected

Adventist publishing house stems money losses.

Click here for more church news.