Can I go to weddings and funerals on Sabbath, Aunty?
7 February 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy Should we go to weddings or funerals on the Sabbath? Signed, Not Sure, Just checking Dear Not Sure, The Bible’s pattern for Sabbath isn’t much like ours, so it’s hard to make a perfect comparison. There is little evidence, for example, that prior to the Babylonian captivity there […]
Bucks with a Bang: Southern Adventist University Added $152 Million to Its Area Economy
57 percent of the university’s expenditures are made in Chattanooga, representing $54 million (USD) in local spending. Southern Adventist University’s presence created 5,338 jobs local full-time jobs. SAU has approximately 2,700 students. 05 February 2022 | A recent economic impact study looking at the 2020-2021 school year revealed Chattanooga, Tennessee, US, benefits from Southern Adventist […]
Opening a Window on Social Justice: Black History Month Study Guide and Oakwood University’s New Series Focus on What It Means
New Black History Month Study Guide looks at social justice from a biblical point of view. Oakwood University has new broadcast, Windows in the Word, that uses new study guide in its debut. Isaiah 58 discussed during first episode. 05 February 2022 | What IS social justice? The Adventist church’s response has been one of […]
The Bible, Believers and Booze
By Loren Seibold There’s a myth that I’m tired of hearing. It’s time to quash it. The wine referred to in the Bible was not fresh grape juice. It was fermented wine, with alcohol in it. The myth that the Greek word oinos refers to fresh grape juice has led to some preposterous theories to […]
¡No más hombres y mujeres líderes de iglesia, solo líderes!
Por Thandazani Mhlanga | 04 de febrero, 2022 | El mundo occidental ha recibido una gran influencia de los antiguos griegos. Por ejemplo, Aristóteles tenía fuertes opiniones sobre el género, en particular sobre las mujeres. Les asignaba un estatus de segunda clase y consideraba a las mujeres como “hombres deformes”. Así que las discusiones actuales […]
Interpreting Life with the Help of the Bible
by Maury Jackson and Alba Ruth Prato | 3 February 2022 | “The principal objective [of biblical hermeneutics] is not to interpret the Bible, but to interpret life with the help of the Bible.”[1] This statement by Dutch theologian Carlos Mesters asserts that hermeneutics (the art, science, mechanics, and study of interpretation) is not particular […]
Down and Under: Adventist-Owned Weet-Bix Report Finds Low Self-Esteem Afflicting Australian Kids
Significant decline (35 percent) in self-esteem, optimism, competence and positive emotions between kindergarten and Year 12. 91 percent of kids in kindergarten feel optimistic, while only 50 percent of of students in Year 12 do. Report also found that kids do value their relationships with parents. 03 February 2022 | A new report from iconic […]
News Briefs for February 3, 2022
News reports from the General Conference, Germany, Oakwood University, the Philippines, United States. Opening Up On Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, the General Conference (GC) Executive Committee met virtually to address items regarding the upcoming GC Session. After a short devotional and prayer time, members of the committee voted to enact the provision for hybrid meetings […]
“Written for Us but Not to Us”: Genesis 1 in Its Historical Context
by Laurence Turner | 2 February 2022 | Just as Jesus told apparently simple parables to convey deep spiritual truths, so Genesis 1 (i.e., 1:1–2:4a) uses an easily remembered account to help us reflect on matters of first importance. In this way, it is also like ancient Near Eastern creation stories. For Israel and its […]
The Theology of Difference
by Thandazani Mhlanga | 1 February 2022 | Since the completion of the human genome project in April of 2003, scientists have, in their own way, been spiritually in awe of the wonder and beauty of life. Physicist Riccardo Sabatini captured this wonder in his 2016 TED Talk with this illustration: that the genetic code […]