26 May 2025 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, I am so discouraged by the backbiting and manipulative behavior of Adventists that I want to just get away from it all. You’ve been a part of this denomination longer than I have, Aunty—how do you survive? I want to be a part of a loving Christian community. […]
In 2000, when I was four years old, I attended my first General Conference (GC) session in Toronto, Canada. My grandfather was a respected church administrator and pastor for 50 years, allowing us a chance to be in the epicenter of the event. My first GC Session and those afterwards were experienced from the delegate […]
by Matthew Quartey | 23 May 2025 | At Sabbath School a few months ago, our class discussions strayed from the study topic and segued into funding and budgeting difficulties at Andrews University—problems that threatened to unleash deep institutional cuts. The question was whether the school’s longstanding funding model, which relies heavily on student fees […]
21 May 2025 | Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2 We Adventists say that we’re very interested in health. The extensiveness of Adventism’s hospital system is rivaled only by its educational system. It’s not uncommon for a health […]
by Hannele Ottschofski | 22 May 2025 | On a recent visit to Helsinki, we learned that anybody can watch the Finnish Parliament working, either in person or online. We arrived at the correct entrance at the designated time and passed the security check. From the visitors’ balcony we observed the question time, and saw […]
by Reinder Bruinsma | 21 May 2025 | Sometimes I am confronted with Bible passages that make me very uneasy. Here are three examples: Bald Elisha Recently I was working on a sermon about an incident in the ministry of the prophet Elisha. My topic was the story of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings […]
by Richard W. Coffen | 20 May 2025 | Theologians have said that their main theological task is to speak well of God. In this essay, I’m going to address four commonly held reasons for prayer. I question them because it seems to me that they do not speak well of God. What do you […]
19 May 2025 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, In Luke 21 where Jesus is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of time, he said, “They will put some of you to death” (v.16), followed by “not a hair of your head will perish” (v.18). What did Jesus mean by these seemingly contradictory statements? […]
Something you’ll often hear Adventists complain about is that there aren’t enough young people in our church. There are probably many reasons for that, but one that I’d like to explore has to do with who’s leading the church. The word to describe leadership by the oldest people is “gerontocracy.” Our General Conference (GC) is […]
by Stephen Ferguson | 16 April 2025 | Should Seventh-day Adventists support reproductive technologies, including birth control and in vitro fertilization (IVF)? How about genetic counseling and gene-linked pharmaceuticals? Should I dye my graying hair? Can I wear glasses? Is it a sin to consume drinks with artificial sweeteners added, such as Diet Coke? How […]
by Melody Tan | 15 May 2025 | The camera operator turned to me. “This, right here, is church,” he declared. We were sitting at the outside area of a shopping mall, watching a group of women interact. Among them was a recent immigrant who had her first child not long after arriving, without any […]
