News Briefs for March 5, 2020
News reports from the Pathfinder Bible Experience competition, Andrews University, Washington Adventist University and Kenya’s Citizen TV:
The North American Division (NAD) has announced they are cancelling the upcoming NAD-level Pathfinder Bible Experience competition that was scheduled for April 18 in Salem, Oregon. The cancellation is a precautionary move in light of the spread of the coronavirus in the United States.
The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced that Dr. Daniel Gonzalez-Socoloske of Andrews University was selected for a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Brazil in the field of Biology. Gonzalez will do research at Mamiraua Institute in the Amazonas Department. The project he will work on is titled “Can sonar technology aid in the detection and monitoring of the vulnerable Amazonian manatee?”
Washington Adventist University has responded to the threat of the coronavirus by canceling all international travel for the 2020-2021 school year or until the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clears travel. In addition, an Adventist Intercollegiate Association trip to Texas is canceled. The school is requesting all members of the campus community to get flu shots and to stay home or in their rooms if they display cold symptoms. In addition, fist or elbow bumps are recommended in place of handshakes.
In Kenya, an anchor for Citizen TV, Kimani Mbugua, denounced the Adventist church after having been a member for 20 years. According to Pulse Live, the anchor said the denomination was a cult and that members were narrow-minded and unwilling to see other points of view. Mbugua claimed that members are heavily indoctrinated, contributing to the cult-like nature of the church.
