Three New Books: Adventist Scholars Pushing the Envelope
By AT News Team, Dec. 19, 2014: Three new books have been published recently by Adventist scholars which expand the scope significantly of both expression and information available to believers. One is a collection of papers from 34 authors, while the other two are written by individuals. One is a personal memoir while the other two are scholarly projects. Yet all three have a shared focus: How is the Adventist faith engaging with contemporary cultural and social realities?
Beams of Heaven Guiding Me by Roy Adams
This is an autobiography of sorts, really a memoir of some particularly important events with a little continuity to give the full picture of Adams’ life. It is important not to miss the fact that Adams embodies some of the major demographic dynamics in the Adventist community. He was born on the Caribbean island of Carriacou in a time that “feels like 200 years ago,” he started in pastoral ministry in Tobago, also served as a Literature Evangelist and pastor in Canada, completed a PhD at Andrews University, taught at the Adventist seminary in the Philippines, and had the longest tenure of any individual as associate editor of the Adventist Review.
Among the most interesting chapters is his telling of the behind-the-scenes decision-making that came at the retirement of Review editor William Johnsson when many people thought that Adams would become the first person of color to have that role. Much of Part Two of the book goes into this issue, the tensions that surround the decision and the reactions of many people.
Chapter 9 is also very interesting. He tells of his involvement in the “theological crisis” with “the doctrine of the sanctuary.” He was present at the Glacier View Conference in 1980 when Desmond Ford defended his critique of the topic. Adams wrote a doctoral dissertations on three approaches to the sanctuary doctrine among Adventists which has been published, analyzing the views of Uriah Smith, A. F. Ballenger and M. L. Andreasen.
Probably the most important thing about Adams’ book is simply the issues that it raises about the role of immigrants in the Adventist Church: At what point do they become fully accepted? At what point are they no longer used in an unfair way by entrenched native-born leaders or leaders of a dominate ethnic group? How does the Adventist denomination handle its internationality in simple things like retirement policies and more complex things like discussion of theological discoveries?
Church and Society edited by Rudi Maier
This is a really big book in many ways. It is over 800 pages. It covers many issues and has 34 contributing authors. It has a long sub-title too: Missiological Challenges for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Maier has been an Andrews University seminary professor and served as president of ADRA International, as well as a missionary in Asia. Because the Adventist denomination has missionary efforts in almost every country on the globe, it encounters almost all of contemporary social issues. This volume includes chapters on mental illness, HIV-AIDS, homelessness, human rights, immigration, war, homosexuality and domestic abuse.
Maier told Adventist Today that each chapter has three parts: a description of the topic, a biblical discussion related to the issue, and a missiological application. Each article also has discussion questions and recommended readings for further study. These chapters are categorized into five sections: (1) Lifestyle and Health Issues, (2) Development Issues, (3) Human Rights Issues, (4) Religion and Public Life, and (5) Family and Domestic Issues.
Maier stated that the purpose of the book is “to help students, pastors, social workers and concerned church members to understand some of the issues people are facing inside and outside the Church.” He continues, “Our goal is to help people understand the reality of this world and some of the issues people are facing. There are many uncomfortable issues the Church needs to address, and in this book we have highlighted some of them.”
Maier hopes the book will do more than merely provide information. “This book will, I hope, raise issues to be discussed and debated because otherwise it’s just a piece of paper. I would like this book to be used as a discussion document in our classes, in our churches, among pastors,” he said.
Church and Society is different from other Adventist books on missions, in Maier’s view. “Many times we describe missions as being overseas. Mission in Africa. Mission in Asia,” said Maier. “Missions is something that is taking place wherever there are people. There are people right here in North America. There are people that need to reach other people. I’m not speaking of ‘reaching’ as in making them Adventists, but how do we minister to them? This book is about ministering to people, to their hurts, but also to their potential. In addition to that, how do I minister in a very positive way to the greater society in which I live?”
More information about this book is available in the recent interview with Maier published online by Adventist Today here.
Present Truth Revisited by Reinder Bruinsma
As the subtitle indicates, this is “An Adventist Perspective on Postmodernism,” not really a theological work. And in keeping with this contemporary topic, it is published as an e-book available at Amazon, the online retailing company. Bruinsma lives in the Netherlands and has worked for the Adventist Church in various roles and in various countries for more than forty years, including teaching at Loma Linda University and serving as president of the denomination in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Bruinsma told Adventist Today that aim of this book is “to help people … understand what postmodernity is.” He clarifies, “The perspective of the book is that (A) postmodernity may indeed present some very substantial challenges and may pose questions to which many of us have no immediate answers; but (B) that it is possible to retain our (Adventist) Christian faith in spite of these challenges; and (C) that, in fact, some key elements in the postmodern approach will help us to find greater depth in our faith and more relevancy in a number of major Adventist convictions.”
The volume begins with a short description of postmodernism. Bruinsma explains, “Postmodernism is a reality. There has been a change from a modern to a postmodern world view—mostly (but not exclusively) in the western world. It has a great impact on how we look at things and how we do things; and on how we look at the future. Most of us are, however, a mix of modernity and postmodernity. It is important that we understand what is involved.”
Adventist thought has not remained immune to postmodern influences, says Bruinsma. “I try to outline the differences between a ‘modern’ and a ‘postmodern Adventist.’ These two categories, and mixtures of the two, often have an immense communication problem. The chasm between these two is even more significant, I believe, than between liberalism and conservatism.”
Bruinsma believes the modern-postmodern divide is an important theme for leadership to consider. “The fundamental problem we face is that, even though there are large segments of postmodern believers in the pew, most of the Adventist hierarchy is very ‘modern’ and has no idea what or how postmoderns think,” he stated.
Bruisma shared with Adventist Today some of the benefits of a postmodern mindset. “A postmodern approach will make us welcome diversity. It will help us in making our faith experience more balanced: not only with an emphasis on what is rational and intellectual, but also with more space for emotion and intuition. Of course, it will call for a different way of reading the Bible and for allowing room for personal interpretation, rather than accepting a rigid methodology that is prescribed by ‘higher organizations.’”
With this description, it is not hard to see why Bruinsma decided to publish this book through Amazon. He said “it proved to be very difficult to find a publisher within the Adventist world (even though in the past several of my books were published by the mainline Adventist publishing houses). It was rejected by several of them. However, it was not rejected because the editors did not like the book. Instead, it appeared (often in between the lines) the main reason was fear that many in the higher church leadership echelon might be critical of such a publication.”
Regarding the intended audience of the book, Bruinsma shared that the book is “for a wide readership within the Adventist church. On the one hand I hope it will be read by many who are critical of postmodernity and by those who really have no idea what postmodernism is but instinctively believe it is something bad! It will, hopefully, give them the sense that it is not totally good nor totally bad. On the other hand, I hope it will also be of interest (and of help) to those (more or less) postmoderns who feel that many Christian answers to major questions are rather shaky, and that the church (in general and the Adventist version of it in particular) has not much to offer to them.”
How to Get Copies of These Books
Roy Adams’ memoir Beams of Heaven Guiding Me can be ordered online at www.outskirtspress.com.
Present Truth Revisited by Reinder Brunisma is available at: https://www.amazon.com/Present-Truth-Revisited-Perspective-Postmodernism-ebook/dp/B00QPZFWSO/
It is also available if you a Kindle app in the book search area
Church and Society can be ordered from Andrews University Press online or by Email to bbauer@andrews.edu.
That someone imagines such a large and multi-topical tome as Maier has produced would do more than gather dust on a few library shelves illustrates how the dreams of authors often exceed market reality. I would like to suggest that he try again and this time hire an editor who has replaced his red pencil with a chain saw.
As it happens I have a very interesting (and very thick) book which is a compilation of papers by dozens of eminent authors in a field of particular interest to me. But I agree with William that such books do not tend to attract very many readers.
It appears that the AT news team found Bruinsma’s book to be the most interesting and relevant, judging by the space they gave it in their coverage.
I think the brethren in the Mother Ship at Silver Spring should be encouraged to read all three books, because each in its own way deals with issues that should be very important in that building. Inconvenient truths perhaps? But as Bruinsma’s title suggests, they ARE Present Truth.
The good news for us is that while the church may struggle with coping and/or ignoring all of these issues, God has total comprehension of each and every problem, big and small.
Notice the link to our interview with Rudi Maier for more on that book.
It would seem that the ultimate conclusion is this. Adventism could not clearly define itself, its mission and reason for existence if you gave it a thousand years to do so. It is simply mass confusion on every level from theology to administration and mission. In spite of all this, God has created and used the “movement” for His benefit inspite of itself. Perhaps the most dynamic ministry to grace the SDA church was the “Brinsmead Awakening” who confronted the SDA movement concerning the doctrine of original sin and how it could or would be dealt with in light of a “final atonement”.
To date, no one has tried to deal with the issue and more than a few cut the knot by simply denying the doctrine of original sin. Namely the LGT who have little comprehension of what moral perfection or character perfection means in light of original sin. They convolute the nature of Christ, sin, the atonement, and briefly, every substancial bible doctrine concerning salvation.
Brinsmead once said, “Most SDA’s hardly know more than what day to go to church on when it comes to biblical doctrine and theology.” And this is still true today and probably even more so than several decades ago.
No doubt, God can and will create a final community of believers by the bible who not only claim loyalty to the bible, but actually know what it means.
Of what salvific benefit is understanding all theology?
Elaine, I don’t know that it is God’s purpose for anyone to “know all theology”. But it is necessary for at least an “adequate” understanding of truth concerning sin and salvation. And EGW has rightly said, “Error is never harmless.” Any error will warp our understanding of our relationship with God. So we may not know all truth on every level, but we can not embrace error without eventually destroying whatever truth we may have accepted in the past. Especially when we make the error the focus of our attention.
So many Christians may not have understood the state of the dead, or the Sabbath, or some other particular aspect of truth. But neither did they oppose the truth of the matter and build on the error their final dynamic for a spiritual relationship with God. Only when people are confronted with truth and how it fits the biblical norm, will they make some dynamic decision that would affect their salvation. For this reason, we need to be careful to not accept falsehood by indifference, nor reject truth for the same reason.
YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE!!!!!!!… GEN1:29 And GOD said “Behold I have given you EVERY tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat”. Gen2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man saying “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Herein we have a very obvious contradiction, “Eat of the fruit of EVERY tree yielding fruit, versus, “but the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The Eden scene is obviously an “Allegory”. However the introduction of he “Knowledge of GOOD and EVIL” applies to every living soul on Earth. In the 21st century A.D. we are bombarded with knowledge of EVIL 24/7. WE are sated with full knowledge of EVIL. The depth of EVIL which Mankind can descend to is beyond infinity. We are grossly sickened of the EVIL of man exposed. It is overflowing with thousands of news reports daily. We are unable to escape it. This is the time for every male and
every female to be role models of virtue to their children, and their community. If we are to escape eternal death, we must put on the “whole armor of GOD”. Our GOD is not slack in His warnings of the “time of the end”. He will return in this time of your life on Earth, for you. In a time “you least expect it”, HE WILL RETURN!!!! As a thief in the night for all scoffers. Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart today. Don’t waver. Your redemption draweth nigh.
The great majority of humans who ever lived, had no knowledge of Christ, the “right” worship day, and where we would go after death. BUT, if they were kind to their neighbors and treated others with true respect, they will make up the largest number of people in the kingdom if one believes Revelation.
There is no such thing as “correct theology” as the word means study of God and no knows anything more than what other humans have written or believed. The most trusted theologian is no greater in God’s kingdom than the slave who was never able to have free choice; and most of us only think we are able to make free choices.
Elaine Nelson, I whole heartedly agree with your statement about who will be in heaven. I know many people of faith who do not go to a Seventh Day Adventist Church. I know they will be with us in heaven because of how they live their lives!
I was a theology student and graduated in 1981. When I was not hired because of my gender, I knew that there was something terribly wrong with this representation of God because I was taught that I was made in His/Her image. That is when I left the church. I still had many friends from my days at Monterey Bay Academy. I knew they were good people, I had even graduated with two of them – males who got jobs because of their gender, one who had commited plagarism not once, but twice. I knew in my heart that God did not work like that. I still know this and am amazed that the issue of ordination regardless of gender is because of MALES in the church who have misinterpreted Scripture to maintain control of the Church.
Today, I still don’t go to church, but have found Kinship to be a safe and accepting place to be with Seventh Day Adventists. I have a gay classmate from MBA who was at their Kampmeeting a few years ago. Since it was close to where I lived, he invited me to come and see him there. I immediately felt welcome there. I felt safe and felt the love of Jesus in those rooms. I couldn’t afford to go back for awhile, but eventually returned and experienced the same atmosphere of healing and love and light. There are human beings involved, so it is not perfect, but it is a wonderful place for me. And despite what many Adventists think about the LGBTIA community, I know there people will be in heaven. Yet, the church disowns them! They want to be a part of their church they grew up in, but the church administration casts them aside, causing numerous harms to many young people.
So thank you for your comments about people being kind and treating others with respect being in heaven. I think those are much more important to practice than the however many “doctrines” the church says are important.
That isn’t what Jesus said at all. And I will go with what He says over any blowhard in the administration of the church! We aren’t baptized into the Seventh Day Adventist Church, we are baptized into Christ, despite what the church teaches. It is simple to be a Christian. I don’t think Jesus would have had all these added rules, He didn’t approve of it with the Saducees and Pharisees back then, why would it be different now? The church needs to get back to basics, loving one another and helping others and they will grow. I don’t see that happening with how they are handling it now though. I only see a decline happening, no matter how important they think all those other “doctrines” are.
I find it amazing that a person would take this forum to promote the Gay lifestyle.
How far can you push the envelope before you find yourself outside the envelope? An aircraft pilot certainly wouldn’t want to find him/herself outside the envelope.
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