By Werner E. Lange | This commentary corresponds to “Satan, a Defeated Enemy,” Sabbath School lesson for February 16-22 Some Christians fear the devil as a fierce opponent. But Revelation 12:11 reveals the secret of how he can be overcome: “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Christ has […]
Category: Features
Ted Wilson and the Trajectory of the Adventist Church
by Ronald Lawson | 13 February 2019 | We have uploaded two closely-related papers to my web-site. The title of the first is “From Sect Towards Denomination: Tracing the Trajectory of Seventh-day Adventism in the USA over Time.” Many Adventists become upset when Adventists are referred to as a “sect.” (One such uproar occurred on […]
The Trumpets: Symbolic or Literal? Past or Future?
By Werner E. Lange | 10 February 2018 | This is commentary for Lesson 7, The Seven Trumpets The description of the events that take place when the trumpets are sounded (Rev 8-9) is one of the most controversial parts of Revelation—even among Adventist interpreters, who come to very different conclusions about what these events mean. […]
Aunt Sevvy on Valentine’s Day
7 February 2018 | Aunt Sevvy isn’t answering a question this week. Instead, she wants to talk to you about Valentine’s Day. Historically, Valentine’s day started out as a quasi-religious holiday—a feast day to the now-demoted St. Valentine, who may never have actually existed. But who cares? Even in its present commercialized form, Aunt Sevvy […]
Sect-State Relations of Three American Religions
by Ronald Lawson, Ph.D. | 1 February 2019 Long before I became fascinated with comparing Mormons, Adventists, and Witnesses, the three religious groups that began in the United States during the nineteenth century and went on to globalize, I had a discussion with the then-editor of Sociology of Religion about how Adventists and Witnesses, which […]
Good and Bad News About the 144,000
By Werner E. Lange | 1 February 2019 | This commentary corresponds to Sabbath School Lesson 6 for February 2-8, “The Sealed People of God.” Revelation 7 describes the sealing of the 144,000. The meaning of this seal is described in Rev 9:4: “They [the locusts] were told not to harm the grass of the earth […]
Dear Aunt Sevvy: Objections to Spectator Sports
1 February 2019 | Dear Aunt Sevvy: The Super Bowl is coming up, and it caps a season of disagreement between my husband and me about sports. I like fitness, and I do think playing certain sports taught our children fairness and cooperation—Ellen White’s competitive sports statements notwithstanding. But all I see in professional and […]
Comparing Mormons, Adventists, and Witnesses in Mexico, 2000-2010: Contrasting Their Growth, Who They Baptized and Retained, and the Reliability of Their Data
by Ronald Lawson, Ph.D. | 26 January 2019 | Many of you have reported finding the last two papers, which compared the growth and spread of these groups throughout parts of the world, and where their memberships are concentrated, very interesting. That pleased me, for I agree with that assessment. Now we come to a […]
Aunt Sevvy: My Wife’s Shape Is Showing
Dear Aunt Sevvy: I disapprove of the way my wife dresses. She wears tops and pants that reveal her female form. I know what goes through my mind when I look at a woman’s curves, and I’m afraid other men are looking at her that way, too. What can I do to convince her that […]
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A Pastor’s Wife Who’s “Had It”
18 January 2019 | Dear Aunt Sevvy: My husband is a pastor. On a recent Sabbath morning I taught Cradle Roll Sabbath School, told a children’s story, then sat up in front and kept my little ones quiet for the whole service, helped serve fellowship dinner (for which I’d prepared two dishes), and met after […]
In All Humility: Saying No to Last Generation Theology
In All Humility: Saying No to Last Generation Theology. by Reinder Bruinsma. Oak & Acorn Publishing, 2018. Reviewed by Steve Case. While this book is written primarily for Seventh-day Adventists, the background for it certainly predates Adventism. Christians for centuries have debated the nature of Christ and the nature of man. Was Christ fully God? Was […]