22 July 2024 | Dear Aunt Sevvy I have a female friend, 40 years old and single, who has long wanted a child. She was unsuccessful in finding a husband, so she consulted an obstetrician, who performed in vitro fertilization (IVF) for her. She is now the mother of a beautiful daughter. How does the […]
When I grew up, everyone had a religion. They may not have been very faithful in it, but they had one. More and more Americans, when asked their religion, reply “none.” In 2007, the “nones” were 16%, according to Pew Research. “Nones” now outnumber Roman Catholics, who are 23% of the population, and Evangelical Christians […]
17 July 2024 | When I was studying for my MA, my professors explained our Adventist perfectionist leanings from the historical-theological perspective, as a tenet of Wesleyan holiness movements that were very influential in 19th-century America, and influenced our pioneers. However potent that explanation might be for the genesis of perfectionism, it doesn’t explain the […]
14 July 2024 | I grew up being told Satan can’t read our minds in the same fashion God can. Where does this idea come from, and is it true that Satan can’t play mind games with us? Signed, Feeling Invaded Dear Invaded, Ellen White is our source of the idea that Satan can’t read […]
I was brought up not to ask questions. There were nine of us in the family. We were supposed to do what we were told in order to keep that large household ticking: stay quiet, obey, and keep the peace. Our church had a youth group, but we were not allowed to take part—it was […]
A story translated from Adventist Today Latin America. Included links will often be in Spanish, but can be translated using internet browser translation tools. “We pray and desire for the Lord to manifest Himself here, so that all who come here can find something different,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the Inter-American Division (IAD), […]
10 July 2024 | Among the hundreds of published works by Ellen White, her writings on parts of the Bible are probably the best known and most beloved by those devoted to her work. Although she often wrote about biblical narratives, expositions, and religious materials in periodical articles and special-purpose manuscripts, she is most recognized […]
Ruining the Neighborhood | A poem by Shelley Curtis Weaver | 9 July 2024 | I’m shaken awake at songs and sermons saying, “This world is not my home, . . .” and suddenly nostalgic thinking of the earth, which I am told gave birth to me— dreamed and engendered in my mother, and all […]
8 July 2024 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, What do you think is the most accurate English translation of the Bible? Signed, Bible Reader Dear Reader: Arthur S. Maxwell in his book Your Bible and You says that deciding on the best translation is “like choosing the winner in a beauty contest or the best performer […]
There’s a reason it’s called Adventist Today. Most Adventists understand that we no longer live in the nineteenth or twentieth centuries. The fact that we live in the twenty-first century makes it absolutely essential that we plant ourselves firmly in the present and accept today’s realities. Yes, we once had a prophetic voice. We embraced […]
4 July 2024 | There is a cardinal rule for Adventist pastors: never mention politics. Ever. This presents a difficulty: political matters and religion heavily overlap. It was true in New Testament times, and it is still true today. The Bible is our source for Christian ethics. To woo voters, some matters of Christian ethics […]
1 July 2024 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, I’m a Pentecostal believer, and I married a Seventh-day Adventist man. During our courtship he didn’t seem overly interested in his own church, and sometimes he went with me to my church. After we got married, for several months he went with me to my church, and we […]