25 April 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, I’m a ministerial student. I have been urged that I should have a wife to get a call. Why won’t anyone date me? Signed, Lonely wannabe pastor Dear Lonely, When Aunty was in college, she remembers ministerial students being told that they needed a wife before they’d be […]
18 April 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy: We all know that Africa has seen the most growth of any region in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the entire world. Why, then, do we see so many fewer Africans representing and speaking for the church? For example, though I know there are many African theologians, I […]
17 April 2022 | by Victor Lee Pontius Pilate: A Novel. by Paul Maier. Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, 1968. For several days recently, I got lost: buried in the pages of a historical novel sent to me by my nephew. In Pontius Pilate, a novel first published in 1968 and now in its 3rd […]
Dear Aunt Sevvy: Is oral sex a sin? Signed, Consenting Adult Dear Consenting: Aunt Sevvy has addressed this before. You can read her response here. But since this keeps coming up, let me say again that the simple answer is no. The Bible doesn’t say anything about it either way, and what consenting spouses enjoy […]
4 April 2022 | Dear Aunty Sevvy, My 10-year-old (at the time) daughter was raped on her way from school by unknown men. We were born-again Christians and had been members of the Adventist church for over 18 years. I had specifically prayed and trusted God for my children’s protection every day. Since then, whenever […]
4 April 2022 | LGBTQ+ Adventists have concerns and complaints about how they have been treated in the church. How does biblical love inform our beliefs and the challenges presented by LGBTQ+ Adventists? Before you go…The April 1-10, 2022 AT Spring Fundraiser is ON. Your donations are funding AT’s pioneering content for young people in […]
28 March 2022 | Dear Aunty: I want to marry an Adventist man. How can that happen? Signed, Someone to Share my Faith Dear Someone, You are not alone! There are many young (and not-so-young) people who want a spouse who shares their beliefs. Especially after a person has left formal Adventist education, the dating […]
20 March 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, Is Ted Wilson a bad person? Signed, Kinda Don’t Like Him. Dear Kinda Don’t, In the movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy says to the Wizard, “Oh… You’re a very bad man!,” and the Wizard replies (truthfully), “Oh, no, my dear! I’m a very good man! I’m… just […]
14 March 2022 | Dear Aunty, Why do church leaders and pastors suddenly develop courage and speak up on critical issues as soon as they retire? Signed, Suddenly Brave, Dear Suddenly, While this is undoubtedly true of the church, it is true of all professions to some extent: the job of a leader in an […]
7 March 2022 | Dear Aunty, Please help me. I am confused about hair plaiting (braiding). I am an African woman, and here some preachers preach strongly against plaited hair. If I leave my hair without plaiting, maintenance becomes a problem. I don’t know whether plaiting is really prohibited in the Bible or not. Signed, […]
28 February 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy: Why are our congregations often racially segregated? Signed, Concerned Dear Concerned, Your question is one that is often asked. Aunty asked one of AT’s excellent African American writers, Christopher Thompson, to address it. “The simple answer is that we are naturally drawn to people with whom we have […]
21 February 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, Your advice is always so kind—keep up the good words. My question is: Why do Adventists have so many dos and don’ts? Signed, Over ruled Dear Over ruled, As churches take on a distinctive identity, they naturally develop a list of beliefs that define themselves. Especially in conservative […]