Pearl was close to 70 when I was her pastor. It would be hard for you to imagine just how primitive Pearl’s life was, especially given the harsh Dakota climate we lived in. Her house was a leaky little shack, far out in the hills. I don’t know what she lived on—probably some small Social […]
In case you’ve forgotten, we Adventists have a lot of denominational offices. Above the congregations and their pastors there is a local conference, then a union conference, then a division office, then the General Conference. Each of these offices is fully-staffed, some of them massive—and all duplicating functions done at other levels. These office people […]
Sometimes people ask me what it was that made me begin to question the fundamentalist faith of my childhood. I’ve thought about that question a lot. And the truth is that there’s not one clear or concise answer I can give. There were a lot of things over the years that began to build up […]
I remember being in cradle roll Sabbath School, and handed a red paper heart. Opening the double-doors in the middle revealed a picture of Jesus. This all happened as we sang about Jesus being in our hearts. I didn’t understand what it meant then. I’m not sure I do now. We Christians use formulaic phrases […]
A few nights ago a big storm system moved across the central United States, from Kansas and Oklahoma through Ohio and Michigan: tornados, high winds, river-flooding rain, and the kind of hail that destroys farmers’ crops. Having grown up in North Dakota, I’m no stranger to thunderstorms. When it moved through Columbus, and while sensible […]
The first day of my oldest child’s life I snuggled her in my hospital bed and began to tell her Bible stories. I started with Noah’s Ark—but stopped because the story begins with the death of everyone in the world except Noah’s family. I moved to David and Goliath but stopped because it’s about a […]
My attempts at being an evangelist have been about as successful as my one (and only) academy banquet to which I got stood up by my date. My earliest Adventist outreach memory was of me in Hong Kong at age 5 when my missionary mom and her friends took me around town giving out “Stop […]
Potluck may be the secret sauce that can help bring unity and revitalization to the Adventist church. Here are three reasons why this humble tradition could have profound impacts: First, potluck draws us together regardless of where we fall on the theological spectrum of Adventist belief. The allure of Special K Loaf or veggie lasagna […]
I like truth that rests on proof. I see no merit in believing something just because someone says it. I want solid, rational evidence. And I’m willing to follow that evidence, even if it leads to uncomfortable conclusions. In that respect, I’m like many Adventist Today readers. I know there are people who easily accept things […]
The future trajectory of Adventism hinges on our ability to foster open, respectful dialogue that embraces diverse perspectives. This is why supporting the accessible, independent Adventist journalism of Adventist Today is more crucial than ever before. For too long, our church has struggled to create spaces where meaningful conversations can thrive without fear or judgment. Dissenting voices […]
In the story of the two men walking to Emmaus, there is a verse that catches my attention. The two men are joined by an unexpected visitor who, they conclude, must have been living under a rock, so little does he appear to know of the latest happenings in Jerusalem. As they are explaining the […]
When I was young, I had a relative who struggled with deep depression. Our small Adventist community was our main point of reference for everything health-related. Some would even travel hundreds of miles to see the Adventist physicians who had a clinic in Wahpeton in the far southeastern corner of the state. As for mental […]