28 June 2025 | Conversation among different kinds of Adventists is often either a bit mean-spirited, or entirely non-existent. I will use both contemporary philosophy of knowledge and a key passage from Matthew to argue that failure by Adventists to interact across lines of convictional difference in vigorous, open-minded conversation is an egregious and tragic […]
18 June 2025 | The praise group Elevation Worship in a beautiful song, O Come to the Altar (2016), sings that “Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.” Some familiar gospel songs, such as “Jesus Paid it All” and “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus” express the same idea. Ellen White writes that […]
11 June 2025 | Despite extensive conversations about how to deconstruct one’s faith and how to recognize harm in religious or spiritual contexts, very little has been written about what helps people thrive after distancing from high-control religion. Some people stay in the faith communities in which they were born; others completely disconnect from institutional […]
4 June 2025 | What makes something wrong? In his favorably reviewed book The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt challenges both the wisdom of the ages and our current ideas. Though a secular evolutionary psychologist, he argues that when we make moral decisions, instincts often triumph over reason. Haidt then presents real consequences for politics: for […]
28 May 2025 | Religious change seldom follows a predictable, linear path. Instead, it moves in cycles—shifting between intensity and routine, separation and accommodation, institutional authority and personal authenticity. Institutions oscillate between radical fervor and bureaucratic stability, while individuals navigate periods of deep commitment and disengagement. Generational shifts increasingly reflect a move from institutional belonging […]
21 May 2025 | Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2 We Adventists say that we’re very interested in health. The extensiveness of Adventism’s hospital system is rivaled only by its educational system. It’s not uncommon for a health […]
14 May 2025 | Considering all the knowledge of the educated, well-read Adventists in the world today, the traditional concept of Divine inspiration seems inadequate. It doesn’t comport with: the best of our “inspired” descriptions of God’s actions on earth as seen, for example, in scientific thought and discoveries, expanded, nuanced theological/philosophical depictions of God, […]
7 May 2025 | In 1919 at a Bible Conference in Washington, DC ,a candid discussion took place that raised questions about the prophetic gift of Ellen White—notably, the knowledge of many of her contemporaries that she borrowed from other sources. The notes from that conference were typed up and tucked away, not to be […]
30 April 2025 | Spreading the gospel to the whole world was a strong imperative in Adventism after 1870. But the number of missionaries leaving North America increased significantly between 1910 and 1940. These hardy folk endured isolation and a variety of dangers and hardships; their dedication (albeit sometimes coupled with naiveté) was impressive. The […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]