News
ATSS: Gil Valentine “Coping (or Not) with Change, & The Rise of Neo-Adventism” - 17 Aug 2022 | This Sabbath Dr. Gil Valentine will present on some of the themes of his recent book, Ostriches and Canaries, and we will discuss the problem of coping with change. All during the 1960s unprecedented waves of turbulent social change had washed over North America and rippled around the world. The waves […]
Heading Out: Andrews University to Lose Another Long-time Leader, Dwight Nelson - Andrews University President Andrea Luxton and Pioneer Memorial Church (Andrews University’s campus church) lead pastor Dwight Nelson will be leaving their positions in June 2023. When Nelson leaves, he will have pastored at PMC for 40 years. Nelson said the time had come to turn the congregation over to “a younger leader.” 17 August 2022 […]
How Will You Celebrate? - How will you celebrate giving to AT’s Summer Fundraiser?😎☀️🌻🍉⛱
Is the Sabbath a Test? - by Ron Hessel | 16 August 2022 | With over 40 years in either teaching or pastoral ministry I’ve thought about and taught about the Sabbath—a lot. I’ve sometimes wondered, though, if I’ve been getting it all wrong. What if we have completely misunderstood the significance of the Sabbath’s being a part of God’s law? […]
The Doctor Will See You Now: Anthem Blue Cross, Adventist Health Finally Reach Contract Agreement - New contract between Adventist Health and Anthem Blue Cross is effective immediately, meaning patients will not lose coverage. The agreement follows months of back-and-forth and two negotiation extensions. Adventist Health had said it needed Anthem Blue Cross to pay higher reimbursement rates in order to cover expenses. 16 August 2022 | The Adventist Health healthcare […]
Nobody Mentions This… - Is the Bible against abortion? Or does it lend support to it? Join Professor Matthew Korpman as he explores and reviews (in only one minute!) one of the Bible’s strangest texts in Numbers 5. This marks one of the first videos in a new YouTube series he calls “Bible Nuggets.” Also! Help AT sponsor brilliant […]
Un-Adventist? - Religious Liberty is an intricate aspect of what it means to be Adventist. But Walter Veith appears to believe the opposite, arguing that human rights, including the freedom to practice idolatry, are evil. Is this a bridge too far for an Adventist to cross? Join Professor Korpman of La Sierra University as he reacts. Also! […]
The 2022 AT Summer Fundraiser Is On! - The AT Summer Fundraiser is ON!! Thank you for your support😀🙌🙏 Make a donation today!
Adventist Seduction - Adventist seduction by AT’s graphic design humorist Ameme😀🤣🙌🌹 Support Ameme’s hilarious and insightful work by backing the AT Summer Fundraiser here: Thank you for donating!
Youth That Serve: Adventists Represent Philippines at ASEAN Interfaith Event - 2 Adventist young adults, Angeilyn P. Antivo and Rowell B. Velonza, represented the Philippines, a country where Catholicism is the dominant religion, at the ASEAN Youth Interfaith Camp (AYIC) 2022. Antivo and Velonza gave a presentation on SADFREE (Smoking, Alcohol and Drugs Free), a movement that aims to save young people from the harmful effects […]
Water You Waiting For??😀 - Water you waiting for?🤣🤣💦🔫🌊 Enjoy some watermelon and help out your favorite source of accessible, independent journalism😀 The AT Summer Fundraiser starts today!!! Thank you for donating!
Arkansas ‘Abortion Rights Missionary’ Is a 5th-Generation Adventist - Karen Musick is one of the leaders of the Arkansas Abortion Support Network, which seeks to reduce barriers to abortion access in Arkansas through clinic escorting, abortion funding, community outreach, and education, according to its website. Musick was also an escort at the only clinic in Arkansas that performed surgical abortions. Musick attended Adventist schools […]
Commentary
The Adventist church needs LGBTQ+ people more than LGBTQ+ people need the church - by Alicia Johnston | 18 August 2022 | It’s good when church leaders focus on learning how to serve the LGBTQ+ community, on how to stop causing harm to that community. These are worthy endeavors. Yet in focusing on their own behavior, they may be missing what is the biggest advantage of including my community […]
The Post-Covid World Wants Community Engagement and Social Justice—Not More Meetings - by Christopher C. Thompson | 13 August 2022 | I spent the first part of this week at a conference with Adventist pastors who are committed to community engagement and social justice work. It was an invigorating time to be surrounded by like-minded leaders who are not satisfied with broken models and a semblance of […]
Can a Repentant Abuser Be Trusted? - by David Geelan | 11 August 2022 | My last essay on the Adventist Today website was about ‘cancel culture’, free speech and whether all views deserve a platform everywhere. I argued that some views, while they shouldn’t be suppressed by government action, also should not be given a megaphone. This time, let’s go beyond […]
Pastoral Predators and Their Pawns - by Amy Nordhues | 9 August 2022 | Abuse of power describes the way a therapist or religious leader wields authority to manipulate and control those under their care or supervision. In particular: what happens when a vulnerable woman is drawn into a relationship with her pastor or therapist? Power imbalance An affair happens when […]
Was Ellen White an Infallible Theologian? - by Richard W. Coffen | 6 August 2022 | One day during the 1980s I visited my friend Robert W. Olson in the White Estate office at the General Conference Headquarters. During our conversation, he confided that because of the evidence in the vault, he’d had to adjust his understanding of Ellen White’s authority. He […]
Did the Lesser Light Accurately Reflect the Greater Light? - by Richard W. Coffen | 4 August 2022 | During my approximately nine decades of membership in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, I’ve heard Ellen White referred to as an “inspired commentator” who wrote “inspired commentaries.” After a careful search I haven’t been able to find one instance in which she described herself in such terms. […]
The Delay Problem & Last Generation Theology - by Rich Hannon | 2 August 2022 | Adventism has, in its basic DNA, a deep fascination with having The Truth. That is, a correct understanding of what God is revealing to mankind. Historically the church has evangelized from this posture, comparing other denominations’ theology to our doctrinal distillations and finding the competition wanting. This […]
Playing Hopscotch with Our Liberties - by Sarah Kay Jones | 29 July 2022 | In the last few months, I’ve seen and heard countless comments about abortion rights, from both sides. But almost no one is talking about religious liberty in relation to this issue. I was raised in the Adventist school system which was then strongly opposed to government […]
Space Exploration, Faith, and the Time of the End - by Lawrence Downing | 28 July 2022 | Would you be surprised to learn that Adventist evangelists no longer have a lock on the “We’re in the end times” mantra? A variation on that theme is heard in the community of those who are fascinated by the prospects of venturing beyond Earth’s atmosphere, there to […]
Why is it so hard to count our women pastors? - by Nerida Bates | 26 July 2022 | 20 students accepted the call to be baptized. The president told me that I would do the baptism—but I would have to tell the church board so they would not be surprised when Sabbath came that I was baptizing. When I told the board members I would […]
Is Everyone Really Welcome in Church? - by Rebecca Brothers | 22 July 2022 | I love throwing parties. Pumpkin-carving parties in the fall, holiday brunches in December, birthday parties, dinner parties. All the parties. That was one of the hardest parts of lockdown: I had no reason to map out elaborate menus and try fun new recipes. My dad once said […]
The Sad Man in the Dead Car - by S.M. Chen | 21 July 2022 | I count it a privilege when I am asked to tend my 11 year-old namesake grandson. His is an inquiring mind, and I await what percolates just below the surface with an admixture of anticipation and delight. When I was last asked to spend time with him, […]
Features
Should I be disfellowshipped for not believing in Ellen White, Aunty? - 15 August 2022 | My church wants to disfellowship me for not believing in the work of Ellen G. White. Should they be allowed to do that? Signed, Believer—Except for This Dear Believer: Not only should the church not disfellowship someone who does not have faith in Ellen White, it is forbidden to do so […]
Aunty, why are our young people leaving the church? - 7 August 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, I’m dismayed by how many young people leave the church after academy or college. Is the church doing anything to address the issue? Why do you think they don’t want to stay? Signed, Sincerely Heartbroken Dear Heartbroken, Many in the church spout theories about why young people are […]
Aunty, which Old Testament laws still apply to us? - 25 July 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, How do we decide which parts of Leviticus apply to the church today, and which parts were only for the ancient Israelites? Sincerely, Confused reader Dear Confused, That is an excellent question for Seventh-day Adventists—we who say so often that we take the entire Bible seriously. We do […]
Aunty, what’s the Antiochus IV Epiphanes argument all about? - 18 July 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, Why do Bible scholars argue so much about Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his significance in the prophecies of Daniel? Signed, History student Dear Student This can be answered in ridiculous detail, but here is Aunty’s simple explanation: Antiochus IV Epiphanes was the Greek leader of a Syrian kingdom […]- Aunt Sevvy: Does Romans 13:1-7 apply to Covid vaccines? - 11 July 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, The Scriptures say we are to be obedient to the laws of the land because it’s God who put them in charge (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17). So why did some Christians object to being vaccinated, since what the government asked does not contradict our faith or belief […]
- Aunty, am I wrong because I don’t see the need to witness to my good Christian neighbors? - 27 June 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, All my life I’ve been urged to witness to my friends and neighbors about Adventist beliefs. But I just don’t feel like my good Christian next-door neighbor needs to be convinced of all the things Adventists believe to be loved by God. So, sorry, Aunty, in spite of […]
- Aunt Sevvy, did Ellen White “plagiarize” other authors? - 21 June 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, People tell me that Ellen White didn’t plagiarize, because copying from other authors was a commonly accepted practice in Ellen White’s time. Is this true? Signed, Truth Seeker Dear Seeker, When in the 1970s Adventist scholars began to notice that significant amounts of Ellen White’s writings (in some […]
- Aunty, can we really just “Let go and let God”? - 6 June 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, “Let go and let God.” I’ve heard this phrase frequently. People tout it as the answer to their prayers. It doesn’t work for me, no matter how I try to apply it to my life’s situations, nor can I find satisfactory examples in scripture. Is there, or is […]
Praying in Texas: A Poem - by Sigve Tonstad | 4 June 2022 | They are praying again in Texas, the governor praying, too, politics of the pious, praying is what they do, and now the news from heaven, fresh from a first-hand source: the prayers will go unanswered: “The prayers show no remorse.” ’Twas time long ago to admit it, […]
Poem: A Psalm for the Earth and Its People - by Patti Purdy Hansen Tompkins | 3 June 2022 | When You made us keepers of Your earth, O God, You expected a lot of us. But we have become careless with Your trust. The oceans and the firmament, the forests and living creatures, All the works of Your hands have been tainted by our […]- Aunty, should we celebrate Memorial Day in church? - 30 May 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, This weekend was Memorial Day in the United States, when we are supposed to remember our servicemen and women who died fighting for our country. Every year on Memorial Day Sabbath in my church, an elderly veteran arranges for the uniformed Pathfinders to march in (with barked military […]
- Aunty, is my sugar made with bones? - 23 May 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, Recently I’ve been hearing in vegan online groups that anything with cane sugar isn’t vegetarian because sugar is processed with bone char. Is this something I should be concerned about? Signed, Vegan with a Sweet Tooth Dear Sweet Tooth: Though Aunty isn’t vegan, she understands concerns about what’s […]
All
- The Adventist church needs LGBTQ+ people more than LGBTQ+ people need the church - by Alicia Johnston | 18 August 2022 | It’s good when church leaders focus on learning how to serve the LGBTQ+ community, on how to stop causing harm to that community. These are worthy endeavors. Yet in focusing on their own behavior, they may be missing what is the biggest advantage of including my community […]
- ATSS: Gil Valentine “Coping (or Not) with Change, & The Rise of Neo-Adventism” - 17 Aug 2022 | This Sabbath Dr. Gil Valentine will present on some of the themes of his recent book, Ostriches and Canaries, and we will discuss the problem of coping with change. All during the 1960s unprecedented waves of turbulent social change had washed over North America and rippled around the world. The waves […]
- Heading Out: Andrews University to Lose Another Long-time Leader, Dwight Nelson - Andrews University President Andrea Luxton and Pioneer Memorial Church (Andrews University’s campus church) lead pastor Dwight Nelson will be leaving their positions in June 2023. When Nelson leaves, he will have pastored at PMC for 40 years. Nelson said the time had come to turn the congregation over to “a younger leader.” 17 August 2022 […]
- How Will You Celebrate? - How will you celebrate giving to AT’s Summer Fundraiser?😎☀️🌻🍉⛱
- Is the Sabbath a Test? - by Ron Hessel | 16 August 2022 | With over 40 years in either teaching or pastoral ministry I’ve thought about and taught about the Sabbath—a lot. I’ve sometimes wondered, though, if I’ve been getting it all wrong. What if we have completely misunderstood the significance of the Sabbath’s being a part of God’s law? […]
- The Doctor Will See You Now: Anthem Blue Cross, Adventist Health Finally Reach Contract Agreement - New contract between Adventist Health and Anthem Blue Cross is effective immediately, meaning patients will not lose coverage. The agreement follows months of back-and-forth and two negotiation extensions. Adventist Health had said it needed Anthem Blue Cross to pay higher reimbursement rates in order to cover expenses. 16 August 2022 | The Adventist Health healthcare […]
- Nobody Mentions This… - Is the Bible against abortion? Or does it lend support to it? Join Professor Matthew Korpman as he explores and reviews (in only one minute!) one of the Bible’s strangest texts in Numbers 5. This marks one of the first videos in a new YouTube series he calls “Bible Nuggets.” Also! Help AT sponsor brilliant […]
- Should I be disfellowshipped for not believing in Ellen White, Aunty? - 15 August 2022 | My church wants to disfellowship me for not believing in the work of Ellen G. White. Should they be allowed to do that? Signed, Believer—Except for This Dear Believer: Not only should the church not disfellowship someone who does not have faith in Ellen White, it is forbidden to do so […]
- Un-Adventist? - Religious Liberty is an intricate aspect of what it means to be Adventist. But Walter Veith appears to believe the opposite, arguing that human rights, including the freedom to practice idolatry, are evil. Is this a bridge too far for an Adventist to cross? Join Professor Korpman of La Sierra University as he reacts. Also! […]
- The 2022 AT Summer Fundraiser Is On! - The AT Summer Fundraiser is ON!! Thank you for your support😀🙌🙏 Make a donation today!
- Adventist Seduction - Adventist seduction by AT’s graphic design humorist Ameme😀🤣🙌🌹 Support Ameme’s hilarious and insightful work by backing the AT Summer Fundraiser here: Thank you for donating!
- The Post-Covid World Wants Community Engagement and Social Justice—Not More Meetings - by Christopher C. Thompson | 13 August 2022 | I spent the first part of this week at a conference with Adventist pastors who are committed to community engagement and social justice work. It was an invigorating time to be surrounded by like-minded leaders who are not satisfied with broken models and a semblance of […]