“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13:1) This text by Paul is one of the most contentious in all history. It has been used by court jesters and regime apologists to justify unconditional obedience to government and government policies. At the height of the notorious apartheid regime in South Africa, it was the reference text by the Dutch Reformed Church– which sought to prop up the regime using biblical and theological arguments. Unable to reconcile the text to pleadings of conscience, it has cau ..read more

Worldwide Influence How did a fledgling movement in the 1840s transform into the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist church with hundreds of schools, hospitals, and printing presses scattered all over the globe? How did those early Millerite believers detach themselves from fanatical groups and keep their faith in the soon coming of Jesus? How did they stay on the right path theologically when those from their own ranks began propagating unbiblical teachings? Seventh-day Adventists believe that God gave Ellen White the prophetic gift mentioned so often in scripture to guide the church through the ..read more

You can’t get very far into Ellen White without coming across a statement on perfection or obedience. To some people (including myself in the past) these statements can be troubling because they can seem very legalistic. Here are a few such statements: “But very few of the Christian world are following their Master in a course of humble obedience, progressing in holiness and perfection of Christian character.” (Con 73.1) “The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness. There is opened before us a path of constant advancement. We have an object to gain, a standard to reach, that includes e ..read more

A while ago, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts: Ask NT Wright Anything. N.T. Wright is a well-known Anglican minister, scholar, and author whose theological views I greatly value. His insights are biblically based and often his theology approaches that of mainstream Adventism but from a refreshingly new perspective. However, during this episode, Wright and I diverged profoundly as he advocated for theistic evolution and attacked literal creation. While listening, I felt a little hurt and puzzled. How could Wright and I, who both value the Bible as God’s inspired word, diverge on s ..read more

A Man of Many Talents Stephen Nelson Haskell accomplished a great deal in his life without any formal education. He was forced from a young age to improvise when it came to job opportunities to get by in life. For over 50 years that adaptability benefited him as he served the Seventh-day Adventist church. Haskell was a Bible worker, president of multiple conferences, a missionary in Britain and Australia, and pioneered urban evangelism in New York City and other places throughout his career. Few men could say that they did more in the Adventist church than he did. Throughout his life, Stephen ..read more

A Highly Educated Gentleman William Warren Prescott was one of the most highly educated Seventh-day Adventists of his generation. He had the privilege of going to an ivy-league school and used that training to serve the denomination effectively in various roles for over 50 years. From the 1880s to the 1930s, Prescott was a key player in almost every major development of the church. W. W. Prescott was the first actual educational superintendent of the denomination. He worked hard attempting to implement the educational reforms that Ellen White and other contemporary educators were championing ..read more

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