Why AT Is So Important to Me
30 April 2025 – By AT Board and Executive Committee member Heather May | One of the main reasons Adventist Today is so important to me is because I enjoy hearty debate of Adventist topics, concerns, and diverse views. Along with that I treasure learning about new-to-me historical or current-day Adventist issues and events from different perspectives from around the world.
As an Adventist educator, I always teach my students the value of asking questions, seeking knowledge and understanding, and digging deeper. I also want them to learn how to have a conversation that involves disagreeing respectfully, listening to each other, and being okay with differences. “We don’t always have to agree,” and, “It is okay to have different opinions” are two common phrases they hear me say. Even we adults can use friendly and frequent reminders that it is okay to have different ideas. I believe Adventist Today strives to provide an excellent platform for considering new ideas, respectfully disagreeing, and reexamining old ideas.
On the three Adventist higher education campuses that I have been a part of, I have always enjoyed discussions and presentations that I find highly engaging and challenging. Adventist Today offers this kind of a virtual space where I can keep learning and growing. It also provides a space for people who care about Adventism to commune with each other and interact, learning new things, through the Adventist Today Sabbath Seminar (a live Zoom) and online discussions through posted articles. I think togetherness and connection are essential for the growth and health of our church. By keeping in touch with new, current, and former church members through articles, presentations, or online discussions, Adventist Today offers even more ways to grow.
One of the biggest heartbreaks my generation has personally experienced, within our world church, was the 2015 “no” vote from the General Conference Session in San Antonio regarding allowing divisions to decide for themselves to ordain women pastors. Though some in my generation were happy with the outcome, I think the majority were very displeased. The buildup to this vote, such as committees studying the topic for years, led many of us younger adults to feel hopeful. Adventist Today provided a safe space for discussions, processing feelings, and a long historical context about this church issue before and after the vote. I soaked up the history and news. I was able to stay informed and feel connected to the buildup, and the unfolding events, because of the Adventist Today website. I was working as an ESL and missionary Bible teacher in South Korea for our church language school system in some of the years leading up to the vote (2011-2014). But I always felt connected and engaged in what was happening around the Adventist world, even though my corner had other issues at the forefront.
As we gear up for this 2025 General Conference Session in St Louis, I know I can rely on Adventist Today to share timely news, a safe space for new and old discussions, and a long historical context for what is yet to occur.
