The Ministerial Exception: How Church Workers Lost Legal Employment Protection
by Loren Seibold | 17 January 2025 | In comments under a recent Aunt Sevvy, someone asked about the status of church employees under the law. The question intrigued me enough that I started digging a bit into it. (I’m focusing here on the United States, since that’s where I have lived and worked. Perhaps […]
News Brief: 16 January 2025
16 January 2025 | News from Andrews University “Andrews University, a Seventh-day Adventist school in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States, has received a grant of US$6,326,735 from Lilly Endowment, Inc., through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns initiative. The aim of the initiative is to provide resources to help churches in rural areas […]
SATIRE – An Interview with GC President Ted Wilson
In a surprising turn of events, BarelyAdventist (BA) managed to secure an exclusive interview with General Conference (GC) president Ted Wilson over the weekend. We’re still not sure how we pulled it off, but we suspect it might have something to do with our strategic placement of Little Debbie snacks. Here’s how it went: BA: […]
ATSS: Kärt Lazic, “Reframing and Reforming Congregational Worship: An Appeal for a Reset”
8 January 2025 | What is it that happens when we come together for a “church service”? What should happen? Church members are regularly encouraged to “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25). But what are we supposed to do when what we experience there seems to be so far removed from our needs? When […]
Who Controls Our Theological Narrative?
by Reinder Bruinsma | 15 January 2025 | Church authority is a complicated topic. Is it primarily about administrative oversight and personnel management, financial issues, the upkeep of buildings, and denominational strategies? Or is theology the most important role of ecclesial authority? Or perhaps it is about practical application of the church’s teachings, and it’s […]
Rare Inscribed Ivory Comb Artifact Coming to Southern Adventist University on Loan for Only U.S. Viewing
15 January 2025 | The following is a press release: In partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority and The Israel Museum, Southern Adventist University invites the public to see the ivory comb with the oldest deciphered complete alphabetic sentence in writing. The rare object dating to 1700 BC and excavated in Israel will be on […]
Village Church Demands Reinstatement of Ron Kelly in Official Statement
14 January 2025 | The Village SDA Church released an official response during their January 11th service, regarding the Michigan Conference’s removal of their Lead Pastor Ron Kelly, and Elder Conrad Vine. 20 of the 21 elders gathered on the rostrum to: “reject both the premise and the process by which the Michigan conference executive […]
Broken Trust: My strange and disturbing summer at Adventist summer camp
by Carlos J. Gonzalez | 14 January 2025 | I’m a native of Brooklyn, New York. I loved my city while growing up there—and I still do. The salsa and beat-heavy music, and the air of innocence on DeKalb Avenue, were a utopia for me. But for my mother, things were not as good. She […]
Los Ancianos de la Iglesia de Village, piden oficialmente a la Asociación de Michigan restituir al pastor Ron Kelly
El sábado 11 de enero de 2025, los Ancianos de la Iglesia Adventista del Séptimo Día de Village, solicitaron oficialmente a la Asociación de Michigan, mediante un comunicado leído, la restitución del pastor Ron Kelly, quien ha sido un promotor anti-vacunas y libertad de los derechos religiosos. Los Ancianos con ordenación, compuestos por hombres y […]
Comments of the Week January 5-12
Comments of the Week January 5-12 “It’s called ‘lay activities’ and is a very effective means of church growth.” —Jeffrey C. Taylor on the satire piece about why parents lock the door to pray each Sabbath afternoon Comments on Badge of an Oppressor, Exorcisms, Satire, Is My Child a Jerk?, and Aunt Sevvy Do I […]