When religious conservatives defend their positions, the polemic too often turns combative. This adversarial posture is evident as far back as the 1263 Disputation of Barcelona, a formal debate between Friar Pablo Christiani, a Christian apologist, and the medieval Jewish scholar, Nachmanides, on the claims of their two religions. Superficially, the basic instruments of their “warfare” seemed to be just words, but the fierceness of their engagement suggested mortal combat. It is this pugnacious mindset which orthodoxy defenders too often adopt when facing their opponents. This thinking has al ..read more

This week’s Adult Bible Study Guide focused on several popular aspects of The Great Controversy. There was a warning in Monday’s lesson about false teachers and “savage wolves” within the church as well as a note to be aware of idols “introduced into Christian worship.” The final question of the lesson asked “what kind of compromises do we see entering the church today?” This is a fair question that invites readers to think further. Is it possible to make idols of our church leaders, agendas, policies, and fundamental beliefs? For a church founded on the belief of “no other creed but the Bible ..read more

A few years ago, I read the following statement from Sister Joan Chittister, Order of the Sisters of Benedict:  “I do not believe that just because you’re opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don’t? Because you don’t want any tax money to go there. That’s not pro-life. That’s pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is.” It seems to me that the sen ..read more

Our names are Chris and Erin. We are Seventh-day Adventist students attending Andrews University, and we want to discuss “The Rainbow in the Room” at our upcoming community event in Berrien Springs, Michigan. We hope to engage our community in a conversation surrounding care for those in our Berrien family who identify as LGBTQ+. While it has long been a topic of discussion, we desire to bring this discourse to light in a new way. We believe that healthy dialogue—away from echo chambers—about subjects that can be challenging is of utmost importance to community. Now more than ever, conversing ..read more

Some may consider it a “horror” that Spectrum would even allow an R-rated movie review. But as the author of said review, I can assure you that the Motion Picture Association (MPA) rating is incorrect. Even the trailer for Nefarious (2023) is misleading. Categorizing this film as a psychological thriller might be more correct, but even then, it doesn’t do the movie justice. Even the Rotten Tomatoes rating is split: critics gave the film a paltry 33% while the audience rating is 96%.  A Christian friend of mine recommended this movie to me. I finally watched it several months later when it ..read more

On Wednesday, during day two of the General Conference Executive Committee Spring Meeting, President Ted Wilson urged Adventist Church leaders to adopt a proposal to combat worldwide member “slippage” in their affirmation of the 28 fundamental beliefs. The GC leadership and division officers held a special meeting following the 2023 Annual Council that created three subcommittees, which then proceeded to meet in recent months and develop each part of the plan. “Please understand this is a change,” Wilson said. “Will it be accepted everywhere? Perhaps not. But we’re hoping it will. It’s an atte ..read more

The JustLove Collective announced in a media release a new monthly digital magazine. The release follows in its entirety. April 12, 2024 JustLove Collective, the new inclusive movement of Adventists, has launched Pulse, a free monthly digital magazine. Aiming at the core of Jesus’ command to care for life’s marginalized—“the least of these”—JustLove is a blend of justice and love. Pulse features challenging articles, humor, inspiring quotes, poetry, quizzes, reviews, and links to interactive videos and podcasts. The magazine’s tagline is “A Collaboration of Adventist Activists.” With topics bo ..read more

European Adventism is numerically very small. In the Inter-European Division (EUD), based in Bern, Switzerland, there are 180,000 Adventists for 340 million people. In the Trans-European-Division (TED), based in Hertfordshire, near London, England, there are even fewer Adventists: 87,000 Adventists out of 205 million people. If we take, as an example, the case of only two nations, Italy and France, we perceive the numerical fragility of European Adventism. In France there are 11,000 Adventists for 68 million inhabitants. In Italy there are 9,000 Adventists for more than 60 million inhabitants ..read more

Growing up in Moldova, I was blessed to be surrounded by strong women who embodied resilience, compassion and purpose. My grandmother, a nurturing matriarch, not only ran a successful flower business but also cared for our family with unwavering love and dedication. Her life was a testament to the power of purpose-driven work, where every action was infused with meaning and intention. This early influence planted the seeds of a deep desire within me—a desire to pursue meaningful work that blends leadership, compassion and service. Little did I know that this desire would lead me to AdventHealt ..read more

I was teaching senior Bible classes when Covid-19 closed school in March 2020. Once we realized returning to school wasn’t an option, the gravity of the situation hit hard. Many students regretted that they hadn’t made more of the time they had in person. Some Zoom classes were more like therapy sessions, all of us grieving over what could not be. A few seniors asked if the suffering they experienced from Covid-19 and missing out on their senior year was a punishment from God.  Wednesday’s section of this week’s Adult Bible Study Guide pointed out that the church is supposed to help defen ..read more