I was raised to be a strict Young Earth Creationist, with the world only 6,000 years ago, and a global flood 4500 years ago that killed off the dinosaurs (which were created by super-smart antediluvians who were bigger than today’s humans and who lived for 900 years and whose footprints could be found alongside those…
During my nine years with Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries, I thought I had a great opportunity to be able to remind people of Adventism’s teachings of nonviolence. I tried. But I was swimming upstream. Since the days of Carlyle B. Haynes in the early 20th century, Adventism wanted to prove itself patriotic. Since the 1950s, it…
What’s the attraction of Anabaptism? A simple faith centered on following Jesus, with the Sermon on the Mount the guide to discipleship. Reading the Bible through the lens of Jesus, and putting Jesus over Paul in the New. Living in the kingdom of God, learning from Jesus instead of the world. A church without clericalism…
From 1954 to 1973, approximately 2300 Seventh-day Adventist Army medics volunteered to be part of Operation Whitecoat at Fort Detrick, Maryland, as human subjects of experimentation. Check out the PowerPoint presentation I gave at the Army Bioethics Conference at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in May 2018 (Operation Whitecoat PDF). Also, see the documentary…
Here are some posts I’ve made about issues of war and peace.
Here are some posts I’ve made in the past related to Anabaptism.
Following up on my recent conversations with and about Adventists. One of the explosive issues within Adventism has been the human nature of Christ. It is generally presented as a question with one of two answers. Either you believe he was born with a “sinful nature,” like us, and is therefore our model (showing that…
Confessions are statements of faith. Here are a few that have meaning for me. A confession should be a simple summary of Christian belief, or should highlight teachings that have particular relevance a the time. Check these out.
Peter Dixon is an Australian musician who has a podcast where, for several years now, he has interviewed people from all walks of life about their experience of Seventh-day Adventism. He’s spoken to Adventist officials and scholars, former Adventists, current Adventists, outsiders looking in. Last night he interviewed me. You can watch the recording here.…
Do you remember the old TV show, “To Tell the Truth”? Panelists would try to guess which of three persons was the real individual described, with two of them giving answers they made up as they went along. The host would then ask, “Will the real John or Jane Doe please stand up?” One would…
In recent posts I’ve alluded to Seventh-day Adventist teaching on “the sanctuary.” But what is it? Here are some passages from Adventist prophetess Ellen White; as I’m able, I’ll insert some comments. Today, Adventist scholars present various nuanced reinterpretations, but this is the version preached by conservative Adventists such as the current General Conference president,…
I’ve had to write a spiritual biography on many occasions, most recently when I did some extended units of Clinical Pastoral Education. In my younger years, I felt I had to explain why I was searching. Today, I don’t think that’s necessary. Spiritual quests are part of living in this postmodern age. Old answers don’t…
These are some reflections on different aspects of Seventh-day Adventism, the denomination in which I was raised, and in which I spent sixteen years in ministry, nine of which were at the church’s North American Headquarters. I spell out the issues that caused me to leave as a college student, and those that prompted me…
Pax et bonum 