Adventism is unraveling, and it stings. A bloated church structure lets a few strongmen smother debate, block women’s ordination, and cram our dear church into a suffocating, General Conference-approved box. Honest dialogue? Routinely crushed. Conspiracy theories, anti-intellectualism, and contempt for “outsiders” fester in the pews. Evangelists wield fear and guilt to corral the flock. Meanwhile, […]
23 April 2025 | Many Adventists feel that they should go to church—in our case, at a specific time, and in a specific place, with people who share our beliefs. But they don’t always enjoy it. The pandemic opened to us not just the fear of meeting together, but new ways of meeting, studying, and […]
21 April 2025 | Dear Aunty Sevvy, Is the Bible an inspired book, or simply a collection of historical and inspirational readings? Signed, Honestly Wondering Dear Wondering, The word “inspired” seems like a concept that should tell us precisely how to understand the Bible—and people often use it that way. But in actual practice that […]
Comments of the Week April 14-20 “Time for leadership that knows how to build shalom by leading and living lovingly with differences.” –Kaye Judge on the quote by William G. Johnsson Comments on Should Adventists Embrace the Nicene Creed?, Pascal’s Wager, When a Door Closes and a Window Doesn’t Open, When Silence Becomes Complicity, and […]
Sometimes I lie awake at night staring at the ceiling, and wondering what a single citizen is supposed to do. But my ceiling has no answers for me—only more fear. Sometimes I feel that fear is the point. If they can make us afraid, it makes us easier to control. Recently I was at a […]
16 April 2025 | Less than 100 days since the inauguration, Donald Trump’s second term is already chaotic and controversial. Why is the promised Christian America imprisoning undocumented immigrants out-of-country and cutting funding for health research at home and aid to refugees abroad? And why have evangelicals largely encouraged these policies? What Christian values do […]
14 April 2025 | Dear Aunty Sevvy, I find it disturbing how frequently I hear the story of Ananias and Sapphira cited as a warning for those who don’t tithe or otherwise support the church. Why were they punished so harshly for supposedly lying to the Holy Spirit, while many of us—including Satan—seem to escape […]
Comments of the Week April 7–13 “Shows where women rank in the church hierarchy.” –Elizabeth Lively on our 3-part series on Abuse in the Parsonage Comments on The Bear Went Over the Mountain, GC Excom on Independent Ministries, 3-part Series Abuse in the Parsonage, Pastor Wins Case Against Sexist Congregation, Dakota Adventist School Closing, and […]
Another General Conference session will soon be upon us. Adventists will be eager to hear what the brethren (still almost all brethren, with but a small handful of sisteren) will come up with. You might want to temper your expectations a little. There’s an old song about a bear who went over the mountain to […]
9 April 2025 | During the Nazi era, the Adventist welfare work and its energetic leader, Hulda Jost, integrated the Adventist welfare work into the government’s welfare organization. Adventist leaders also took advantage of their foreign ties to promote the Third Reich abroad. They worked closely with Nazi authorities and filed detailed reports. Particularly noteworthy is […]
7 April 2025 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, Am I the only one who finds the white-draped table of the communion service rather strange—like the setup for surgery—not to mention the complicated choreography of the communion service itself? Signed, Not Impressed Dear Not Impressed, Aunty isn’t sure if you’re the only one who’s had these thoughts—but […]
Comments of the Week April 1-6 “I saw a custom T-shirt once with ‘What Part Of (Adventist prophetic chart illustration) Don’t You Understand?’” -Aldona Jones on SATIRE: SDA Church Wins Guinness World Record for Most Confusing Illustration Comments on Adventism’s Shadow Side, School Closings Aren’t Failures, Grace vs. Works, Satire, Monte Sahlin’s Tribute, and Adventists […]