20 November 2023 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, I recently heard an Adventist pastor say that the rise of the Adventist church is prophesied in the Bible. Is this true? Signed, Curious Bible Student Dear Curious, The “proof” that the Seventh-day Adventist church is God’s only true church is based on two texts read together. The […]
“Why,” asked a friend this week, “are so few Adventist churches really happy, rewarding places to be?” Human beings are always going to have conflicts, I told him, and there is no organization that is entirely free of them. It doesn’t matter if it’s an office, a club, a school, a family, or a church. […]
15 November 2023 | About a year ago, contributing editor Jim Walters felt inspired to ask this question: “What is the future of the Seventh-day Adventist Church?” Living in what we generally call “the West” (Europe, English-speaking North America, Australia, and New Zealand), he felt he had good reasons to examine this question, given that […]
15 November 2023 | Race and racism are some of the most important questions in our societies. A House on Fire brought together 20 Adventist scholars, writers, and activists to address this burning social issue, urging that Adventist faith has something valuable and important to contribute to our understanding of and response to the realities of […]
13 November 2023 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, A lot of Adventists seem to have forgotten that Sabbath is precisely sunset to sunset. God set the boundaries of the Sabbath, and that’s how we should be keeping it if we want to please God. What do you say, Aunty? Signed, True Sabbath Keeper Dear Keeper: The […]
8 November 2023 | This class will explore what it means to be a church of and for the 21st-century world. Discover how the modern church can meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving society and foster genuine connections. We’ll discuss practical strategies to unleash the true essence of God’s community and make a tangible […]
6 November 2023 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, Why is the Adventist church against labor unions? They seem beneficial. What am I missing? Signed, Curious non-Union worker Dear Curious People who categorically oppose organized labor don’t know history. At the dawn of the industrial era, big corporations were such a monopoly that they took terrible, even […]
It’s a familiar trope in action television and movie scripts. A group of intrepid survivors slogs through dark and threatening dangers. Suddenly one of them experiences a melt-down: “It’s no use,” they whine. “We’ll never survive!” Then someone in the group yells, “Get a grip!” and slaps the cowardly team member. “We’re going to make it,” […]
30 October 2023 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, I’m so tired of preachers expecting us to believe them because they’re “experts” without citing their sources. Signed, Doubtful listener Dear Doubtful, Remember the old evangelistic brochures that would valorize the evangelist as an astronomer, archaeologist, historian, scientist, world traveler, anthropologist, health expert, linguist—almost anything except an honest […]
Last Sunday morning when my phone reminded me it was October 22, I felt moved to say something about it. The result, completed late afternoon of the same day, was this widely shared essay. I was astonished at how many of you resonated with my feeling that the church we grew up in used fear and […]
25 October 2023 | The Hebrew language, in which much of the Old Testament is written, is a vivid and image-driven language. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, readers will find rich and varied imagery drawn upon by the authors to depict their understanding of who God is and how God engages with humans. As readers, it […]
23 October 2023 | We Adventists are very focused on the second coming. Often at funerals, the hope of seeing our loved ones at Jesus’ return is preached, supposing it will ease our pain. Recently I lost a close family member, and realized that when I heard those words and sang those hymns about Jesus’ […]