Hot off the co-publication of our article with the Miami-Herald on 3ABN, its author, Alva James-Johnson, an award-winning journalist, talks behind the scenes on the story as well as how she become a reporter. We learn about her first publication for Insight magazine, her early work as a beat reporter, why she teaches at Southern Adventist University now, and why she thinks that seeking truth as an Adventist includes asking journalistic questions.

Retired teacher Janice Jensen, a longtime supporter of Spectrum (Advisory Council), recently published a memoir about losing her nine-year old son to drowning and how that changed her in many way, including her beliefs. Now a grief-recovery volunteer faciliator, Janice talks about heartbreak and how she supported her daughter and devastated husband as they struggled to rebuild their lives together. She has taught in Syria, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Oregon and Washington. Her 2024 book, One Ripple at a Time (She Writes Press) also explores how Janice’s solo visits to over 70 countries caused her to abandon dogma and find new meaning in water, movement, and spirituality.

I talk with Greg Kewdar about his film Sing Sing which will probably be nominated for the Academy Awards. It stars Coleman Domingo plays Divine G, an innocent man incarcerated at the New York prison. He is part of the longstanding Rehabilitation Through the Arts program and it's the men who create in this space that bring the story of conflict and redemption to life.

I interview journalist Eliza Griswold about her just released book, “Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church.”She embedded for several years with four pastors in Philadelphia and shares on their personal and public struggles as they pursue their radical Christian vision while dealing with the realities of misogyny, racism, and attendance decline.Griswold is currently a contributing writer to The New Yorker and a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University. She won the Pulitzer Prize for her 2018 book, “Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Erik VanDenburgh, president of the Hawaii conference speaks to me while driving a truck and 26 foot trailer to Gillette, Wyoming, to attend the International Pathfinder Camporee. He shares interesting details about the logistics involved in getting over 250 youth and support staff from the islands 3,400 miles across sea and land. A former youth leader, VanDenburgh explains why experiences like this matter and how his clubs are sharing the aloha spirit in Adventism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I interviewed Alan Reinach, Esq, president of the Church State Council, the education, advocacy, and legal services ministry of the Pacific Union. He is representing his client, Jeffery Lemasters Tahir, who until recently worked security at Disneyland. They talk about the Sabbath observance issues involved in the case and why the Adventist Church takes an interfaith legal and mission approach to religious liberty protections. Reinach is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Law in 1987, and of the State University of New York at New Paltz, with special honors in history, in 1984.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During his first week leading La Sierra University, Christon Arthur, PhD, shared his vision for the progressive Adventist culture of the campus, his Caribbean and Catholic upbringing, and his core values of equity and duty. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a German perspective on Adventism, I talk with Stefan Höschele, Professor for Systematic Theology and Adventist Studies at Friedensau Adventist University. We discuss his new publication, “Interchurch Relations in Seventh-day Adventist History: A Study in Ecumenics.“ Given his background in education in Malawi and Tanzania, we discuss how Africa has shaped his appreciation for Adventism. We also talk about the soul of European Adventism and the problem with evangelistic triumphalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this conversation, Ben Archer, an Adjunct Research Fellow at Avondale University, shares about his recently published research on faith engagement in schools. In utilizing a scoping review methodology, Archer presents empirical literature related to faith formation activities with children. Activities covered included prayer, worship, chapel, evangelization, retreats and bible studies. His findings highlight that school-based programs do not appear to have a specific influence on student faith development. Rather it is teacher-student relationships that are the most significant influences in enhancing a student’s faith. Article Cited: Archer, Ben. “Moving From Faith Development to Faith Engagement in Christian Schools: A Scoping Review.” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 17, no. 1 (2024): 136–154.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The president of Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International talks about what pride means to him. We discuss how it’s different from the biblical vice of ego and about how some Christians don’t understand what conversion means in terms of sexuality, orientation, and spiritual maturity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An interview with Marianne Thieme, Dutch political leader, convert to Adventism, and environmental activist. With others, she founded the Party for the Animals in 2009 and was its chairwoman from 2002 to 2010. An attorney who has studied at the Sorbonne and recently at Newbold College, she won election every two years allowing her to serve in the House of Representatives from 2006 until she resigned in 2019. Marianne is now working on a PhD with the goal of drawing on biblical social ethics and Adventist vegetarian thought as she expands her eco advocacy around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Filmmaker Kyle Portbury talks about his film, The Hopeful, which tells the early Adventist story for any audience. The film premiered on 900 cinema screens across North America. In this second part of our conversation, Kyle shares his creative vision and discusses why storytelling matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Filmmaker Kyle Portbury talks about his film, The Hopeful, which tells the early Adventist story for any audience. The film premieres on 900 cinema screens across North America on April 17 and 18. Kyle shares how the film came to be and some details about the aestheic and narrative choices he made. The Hopeful is the true story of a community whose lives were transformed as they learn what it means to truly wait for Jesus. This sweeping drama, set in 19th century New England, invites audiences of all ages to imagine how hope can change the world.  In this story the audience sees blossoming the seeds of a new global movement of faith—the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Get tickets here: The HopefulSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On March 27, 2024, “Testament: Story of Moses” premiered on Netflix. Spectrum correspondent Kevin McCarty interviews series producer Kelly McPherson about the docudrama approach. By using a docudrama (documentary and drama) approach, the viewer is led through the Exodus account in a vivid fashion, while also receiving wisdoms and insights from passionate scholars, theologians, and historians. These speakers represent all three traditions that hold Moses as a prophet, being the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths.By engaging with the story in this manner, McPherson hopes to cause emotional responses in the viewer. For those who may not already know the story to see the enduring quality of it, showing why it still speaks to something within us to this day. And to add new layers and surprises for those who think they might know this epic story.Grounded in the humanness of Moses, this fresh look into one of the most epic stories of all time brings together many elements of storytelling in a new way. The result is an incredible journey for both newcomers and those returning to Moses’ story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Historian and retired university president Eric Anderson discusses next steps after the Ellen White working conference last fall at Pacific Union College. He discusses the meanings behind the joint statement and makes an argument that appreciating her writing as devotional offers Adventists a way forward.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the third in a three-part series on Sex, Love, and Purity Culture. This episode focuses on next steps in growth and development past Purity Culture. Sofia, Ari, and Kendra are joined by Ezrica Bennett, who graduated with a BS in Biology from Oakwood University. She recently received a Princeton University grant for her ministry work with young adults at Loma Linda University Church.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the second in a three-part series on Sex, Love, and Purity Culture. This episode focuses on the creation of purity culture as well as the history and political ideology behind it. Sofia, Ari, and Melodie are joined by Christina Cannon, who studied at Wycliffe Hall/ University of Oxford and graduated in 2023 in the Scholars Program at Southern Adventist University with a BA in History.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This begins a three-episode conversation about the history, theology, and personal impact of purity culture. Although rooted in socioreligious mores that pre-date the term, purity culture emerged in the 1990s as an evangelical Christian cultural movement. It continues to influence Seventh-day Adventist understandings of dating and marriage, sexual expression and gender identity as well as female modesty and male headship.This limited series, “Sex, Love, and Purity Culture,” introduces our next-gen video podcast called Youth Group which seeks “to look without prejudice at all sides of a subject, to evaluate the merits of diverse views, and to foster intellectual and cultural growth.” That is also a quote from the founding mission statement written on the opening page of the inaugural issue of a journal named Spectrum over fifty years ago. That commitment to creating community through conversation continues today with:Kendra Arsenault, who studied International Development & African American Studies at UCLA and earned an MDiv in Professional Chaplaincy from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. She has created several popular podcasts and works at Stanford University Medical Center.Ari Bates studied film at Southern Adventist University and is the Creative Director of Aberration Film Studios in Portland, Oregon.Sofia Lindgren graduated in 2023 with a BA in Business Administration from Pacific Union College. She is Spectrum’s Office Manager.Melodie Roschman earned her PhD in English from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her dissertation is on “Identity, Counternarrative, and Community in Progressive Christian Women’s Memoir.” She was editor of The Student Movement at Andrews University and graduated with a BA in English and Journalism in the J. N. Andrews Honors program.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seventh-day Adventist judge Daniel Nsereko has lived a remarkable life: from humble beginnings in a small rural village in Uganda, to the highest levels of international law in The Hague where he served as a judge on the International Criminal Court (ICC). In this interview he shares his educational and professional journey as well as the moment his ethical consciousness was awakened.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Claval Hunter leads the Berean Transformation Center, a Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Bend, Indiana. He shares how engaging his community on social and political issues transformed his congregation and added missional energy and baptisms.Born in the Bahamas, Pastor Hunter served as the Director of Urban Ministries for the Lake Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. He is currently serving as Associate Director of the Andrews University Center for Community Change. He holds a BA in Ministerial Theology from Oakwood University and a MDiv degree from the Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I interview Hanz Gutierrez about his retracted theological teaching endorsement by the General Conference’s International Board of Ministerial and Theological Education. Gutierrez is a longtime Spectrum columnist and chair of the Systematic Theology Department at the Italian Adventist Theological Faculty of Villa Aurora. He recently wrote about the lack of communication and process in this surprising move by the IBMTE and we discuss his experience and his ideas in this special episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the gritty neighbourhoods of Sydney, Australia, Nimrod faced the stark challenges of racial discrimination. Battling racial profiling and mistreatment by white law enforcement, his refuge came when he was invited to his white girlfriend's church. It was within this community that Nimrod discovered God hadn't abandoned him; instead, the church embraced him completely. Fuelled by these transformative experiences, Nimrod dived into theology, ultimately becoming a pastor and currently leading at Church in the Valley. “They bought into my leadership because I learned in university that you can’t truly be who you are when you get out into ministry. Because it’s governed by white men, it’s led by white men, and as a Samoan, there’s no conference where I look at and there’s been a Samoan president, we’re rare, so you can’t dream for that because you don’t see it [in Australia].”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elizabth Pule started her career journey aimed at becoming a lawyer, when an unexpected mission call changed her mind. With support from the Ontario Conference she attended Andrews University to then return to her home church as a pastor. Having had various opportunities as a chaplain, and ministry director, Elizabeth now pastors at the College Heights Church located on the Burman University campus. “I do believe the inclusion of all individuals who are neurodiverse is so important to the body of Christ. We can’t ignore what the Bible says about every single one of us has been gifted a specific role and gift, and we all matter in that body of Christ. I do believe there are forgotten parts in the body of Christ. We need to amend that.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Iron Claw (2023) director and writer Sean Durkin talks with Alexander Carpenter about the meaning in his film. In theaters now, the saga of the Von Erich professional wrestling family stars Zac Efron as he seeks to break the tragic curse of his name. The film includes a heaven-like scene of fraternal reunion, and Durkin discusses the mythological references as well as why he thinks wrestling helps us understand the human condition.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Alex now serves as Sligo Church’’s senior pastor. He came to understand God from among diversities of cultures around him while seeing church as a community of God in location. In his academic work and leadership role, Alex seeks to celebrate his past and honour his mother as sources of identity.  “Part of being human gives us the complexity to say maybe religion isn’t just reading something or understanding it, but it’s smelling it, it’s tasting it, it is moving or non-movement and that the world is truly such an enormous neighbourhood.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up in Kenya, Jeanne was confused by God’s calling into pastoral ministry, as she never knew women could be any kind of church leader. With time spent in the USA during her university years, Jeanne came to see the unique ways God equips people for the work He has planned. Returning to Kenya with her Ph.D in urban planning and development, yet choosing instead to be known as pastor Jeanne. “I’m so grateful to God that He took me out of the environment in which I was raised. I loved the environment I was raised in, because it created a wonderful, strong foundation for me in my Adventist faith. However, I was a good Adventist, but I was not a good Christain, and there’s a great distinction between the two.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up in Washington State, Anthony saw two very different cultural sides to Adventism. With a move to Seattle so his father could pastor a mainly black church, Anthony realized how much of his image of church was based off of “white suburbia.” This awakening forced him to search out his own blackness and what it might mean to be Caribbean. “I think this is a borderline universal fear, it’s that fear, like what if I’m myself in front of this new group of people and they don’t accept me? What if I bring my true self, as I actually am, not a projection, but the real me, will I be accepted? Will I be loved? Will I be enough?”  Check out Anthony’s podcast as they ask “What is an Adventist?” Seeking What They Sought Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/seekingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Courtney Ray started her academic career with a double major in theology and psychology, becoming an ordained minister of the Adventist church. She now works as a neuropsychologist with her private clinic in the Eastern United States, along with leadership roles within her local church and the Society for Black Neuropsychology.  “I think that you honestly have to disconnect yourself from logic to both be an Adventist and say that women cannot be in ministry. There’s no coherent argument that allows you to hold both those things at the same time.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greg Hoenes is a career pastor with more than 25 years of ministry experience in the Central and Southern California Conferences. He became the West Region Director of the Southern California Conference in 2015, where he still serves. Since 2013, Greg has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Studies at La Sierra University. He earned a PhD in Practical Theology at Claremont School of Theology in 2021, focusing in the area of food, ecology, and religion/spirituality. He also studies the ways that racial categorization, racism, and the construct of “whiteness” connect to ecologies of land and environment, humans, and animals.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I grew up watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom TV shows featuring Stan Brock. In this Adventist Voices conversation I talk with Paul Michael Angell, the director of Medicine Man, a new documentary on Brock’s adventurous life and later altruistic work leading Remote Area Medica providing free medical care for underserved communities. I also interviewed the RAM CEO Jeffery Eastman about the incredible work the organization and how they translate Brock’s radical values into a sustainable model for connecting volunteers with people in need. The 1 hour and 36 minute award winning film premieres on November 14 in theaters across North AmericaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The importance of supportive relationships is examined as Andrea shares her struggles growing up Queer. The roles of teachers, parents and pastors all come to play in the development of her self-worth and church involvement.  “When I was a kid I had to go out and look for [support], it wasn’t available to me, there were no resources for me. But if I were a kid in the Adventist system now I would have teachers who were open and willing to share that they were supportive of me, but it was unheard of when I was trying to figure out who I was.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hailing from Eastern Canada, with time spent as a chaplain in Western Canada. Ben now works as the youth pastor at La Sierra University Church. By being connected to and inspired by, his Ghanaian roots, he creates safe spaces for cultural minorities.  “The reality of humanity, that we can be part of an organization, Christianity or Adventism, that is Christ centered and yet does not prioritize people … We can have a cognitive dissonance between being Christian and following the sacraments, or the flow of tradition and also never really care about all people at all times.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Morghin currently teaches high school sciences at an Adventist Academy, where his Queer identity has caused some tension. He brings talents of music and singing to church, school and camp meeting events, along with a love of volleyball.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Iki currently serves as the first lead pastor of colour for the La Sierra University Church. With his Tongan background & stories of being an undocumented immigrant, he boldly expresses his full self so others may likewise do so.

Alaska Region Director of Ethics for Providence Health & Services, Mark F. Carr, MDiv, PhD, studied with James Childress, PhD, one of the world’s premier “principles-based” bioethicists at the University of Virginia. He mastered competencies in Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Philosophical, and Bio, ethics, focusing his dissertation on moral decision making methods in clinical contexts. In addition to the chapter he contributed to A House on Fire, he wrote and helped edit a number of books including, Passionate Deliberation: Emotion, Temperance, and the Care Ethic in Clinical Moral Deliberation and World Religions for Healthcare Professionals. As a professor at Loma Linda University he directed the Master of Arts degree in Clinical and Biomedical Ethics and served as the Theological Co-Director for the Center for Bioethics.ReplyForward

Manuel is the founding pastor of Kalēo Adventist Church, a Spanglish congregation in the Glendale, California. He has a degree in Business Administration and MTS from La Sierra University, and is working on his DMin in Urban Ministry at Fuller Seminary.We discuss why being a Spanglish—mixing languages from the platform was a needed correction, how thinking theologically about “familia” helps grow congregational identity, and how Pastor Arteaga is able to preach social justice with boldness.

Janice De-Whyte reflects on God’s priorities by looking at the failure of the religious community in Bethel. The conversation is based on her chapter in the book, A House on Fire: How Adventist Faith Responds to Race and Racism, which was edited by Nathan Brown and Maury Jackson. Nathan Brown and Lisa Clark Diller join Janice to explore these themes together.Janice De-Whyte, PhD, is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at the School of Religion, Loma Linda University. She is the author of Wom(b)an: A Cultural-Narrative Reading of the Hebrew Bible Barrenness Narratives. As a biblical scholar and clergywoman, Dr. De-Whyte’s research and teaching engages Scripture and its intersection with gender, race, economics, and health. She’s attended Newbold College (Bachelor of Divinity), Andrews University (MA Old Testament) and McMaster Divinity College (PhD Old Testament).

In the novel, Stillwater, by noted Canadian writer, Darcie Friesen Hossack, sixteen-year-old Lizzy is trapped, caught between her passion for science and the teachings of her Seventh-day Adventist father and Mennonite mother. In this conversation with her, profound Adventist author Trudy Morgan-Cole, joins me as we explore food, religion, Canadian regional lit, and what it’s like to create Adventist characters.  Darcie Friesen Hossack is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers with roots in the Mennonite and Seventh-day Adventist communities. A career food writer and editor of the online WordCity Literary Journal, her short story collection, Mennonites Don't Dance (Thistledown Press), was a runner-up for the Danuta Gleed Award, and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading Evergreen Award for Adult Fiction. 

Drawing from his research for the first scholarly biography of this Adventist pioneer, historian Brian Strayer details the rise, decline, and mythology of Hiram Edson. He didn’t have visions, but “presentments.” Also, despite being the man who saw the heavenly sanctuary on October 23, 1844, Edson focused his interests elsewhere. He even quit going to church for a while late in life. Strayer grounds all this in the larger mid-1800s New York religious context where innovation, ecstatic expression, and social change were influencing what became the Adventist Church.

I interview Larry Geraty, president emeritus of La Sierra University, about the passing this week of Ron Numbers, historian of science, and Fritz Guy, professor of theology and philosophy. Larry reflects on each man’s legacy and shares anecdotes about what drove Numbers out of Adventism and what kept Fritz committed to the denomination.

Bob Smietana has been senior editor of Christianity Today, religion writer at The Tennessean, correspondent for Religion News Service, and contributor to OnFaith, USA TODAY, and The Washington Post.In his conversation with Spectrum, he discusses his interactions with Adventism and what we could be going better. We also discuss the current landscape of Christianity that he researched for his new book, Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why it Matters.

Michael Campbell discusses the connections between Adventism, fundamentalism, and race. He earned his PhD in Adventist history from Andrews University and currently serves  at the North American Division as the Director of Archives, Statistics, and Research. He recently published the book, 1922: The Rise of Adventist Fundamentalism by Pacific Press. He is the founding editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Seventh-day Adventism. 

I talk with best selling author Hugh Howey about the Silo TV series based on his novel series Wool. We discuss philosophy, apocalypse, and ways that stories can explore the human condition.

Hosts Nathan Brown and Lisa Diller talk with Angela H Li, the Assistant Director of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries (Pacific Region) for the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. She holds a PhD in Practical Theology and leads the Women in Chaplaincy Project. She is married with two young-adult children.

Kayle de Waal taught New Testament studies at Avondale University College in Australia for many years. Before that de Waal served as a minister in the Kwazulu Natal Free State Conference in South Africa and the North New Zealand Conference where he earned his PhD from the University of Auckland. In 2021, he was named Director of Education and the Disciple Making Coordinator for the Trans-European Division. In this episode, he and host Nathan Brown, Book Editor for Signs Publishing Company, discuss de Waal's chapter, "Christ, Race, and Grace."

Hosts Nathan Brown and Lisa Clark Diller talk with Maury Jackson about his contribution to the A House on Fire book. Jackson earned his DMin from Claremont School of Theology. He is Associate Professorof Practical Theology at the HMS Richards Divinity School at La Sierra University. He studies the intersection between theology in the public square and Christian witness, participation, appreciation activism and critical reflection. The tools of theological reflection, moral evaluation, and cultural investigation inform his study of ministry practice

Ted Wilson’s nephew, noted writer Matthew Vollmer, discusses his 2023 book, All of Us Together in the End. In it he explores loss, family, and his own connections to Adventism. The chapter, “A Peculiar People” from Vollmer’s book, appears in the latest issue of the journal and on the website. A review of his work by Sari Fordham is also on the website.  Vollmer holds a BA in English from the University of North Carolina, an MA in English from North Carolina State University, and an MFA in fiction writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. A Professor of English, he is a faculty member of the MFA in Creative Writing program at Virginia Tech.

Along with host Nathan Brown, guest Yi-Shen Ma discusses his chapter, "The Beast and the Matrix of Power" in A House on Fire: How Adventist Faith Responds to Race and Racism (2022). Yi Shen Ma earned his PhD from Claremont School of Theology and is an assistant professor of Religion and Ethical Studies at Loma Linda University. Ma is the co-director of the Center for Christian Bioethics and focuses his teaching and research on health equity, trauma-informed care, racism, and the social impact of economic inequality. 

Guest Matthew Korpman talks with hosts Nathan Brown and Claudia Allen about his chapter in A House on Fire, “Preaching a Black Christ: Doing Black theology with Ellen White.”  Korpman has a Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R. in Second Temple Judaism) at Yale Divinity School and is an adjunct professor of religion at La Sierra University. He is working on a PhD program (focused in New Testament) at the University of Birmingham. 

Claudia Allen serves as the Community Outreach Supervisor for the Howard County Office of Human Rights & Equity in Columbia, MD. After earning her BA in English and her minor in Leadership in 2013 from Andrews Iniversity, Claudia went on to Georgetown University where she subsequently graduated with her Masters in English in 2015. In addition to contributing a chapter to this book, she was the Online Content Manager for Message magazine and was a contributing author to Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart’s latest book, Preaching Black Lives Matter. 

A graduate of La Sierra University, Matthew E. Burdette is a theologian and an editor at Convergent Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. He holds a PhD in theology from the University of Aberdeen, having researched the theology of Robert W. Jenson and James H. Cone. He talks with book editors Maury Jackson and Nathan Brown about his contribution to the book. 

In a collaboration with Spectrum and Adventist Peace Radio, Maury Jackson, DMin, Nathan Brown, and Lisa Clark Diller, PhD, launch a new series about Adventists and racism based on the book, A House on Fire: How Adventist Faith Responds to Race and Racism. Maury Jackson and Nathan Brown edited the book, which brings together a number of writers to analyze these critical themes. We are also excited to be distributing the series with Adventist Peace Radio which is doing the production work.

Guest host Jeremy Gray talks with the team conducting research on ex-Adventists. They explore the survey process and preliminary results. Connected to North Carolina-based Elon University, the sociologists and psychologists share their findings on the experience of leaving as well as the perspective of those who no longer believe, but remain connected to Adventism for other reasons.  https://blogs.elon.edu/eighthdayfreedom/sample-page/https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6V63JBN

I talk with Academy Award nominated filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi about his new documentary on Pope Francis. It chronicles the first decade of the pontiff's travels in 53 countries as he represents his values on issues such as poverty, migration, environment, solidarity, and war. We discuss the definition of the contemporary prophetic voice and how the film explores how words and physicality convey spiritual power. 

Concluding a 5-part series with Don Casebolt on his book Father Miller's Daughter, we discuss Ellen White's statements about the papacy and Casebolt presents evidence for White's dependence on discredited historians for her statements that the Pope changed the Christian day of worship to Sunday. Casebolt also critiques Samuel Bacchiocchi's contributions to this belief. We conclude by exploring White's idea that masturbation (solitary vice) caused tuberculosis among many ills and was directly responsible for "killing tens of thousands" a year. 

Alex Aamodt shares insights from his week of watching the National Labor Relations Board hearing on the unionization efforts at Loma Linda University Health. He talks about the role played by representatives from the General Conference (David Trim and Bill Knott) who were sworn in to explain institutional structure and Adventist policy on unions rooted in Ellen White's writings. Drawing on the proceedings and his legal and historical research, Aamodt also details key definitions (students or employees), explains the difference between LLUH and LLUHEC, and provides perspectives from both sides: the physician residents/fellows and the arguments made by the lawyers representing LLUH. 

Don McAdams, PhD, discusses his legendary embargoed paper documenting Ellen White’s literary and narrative dependence on Protestant historians. After 50 years it has been published as part of a book titled Ellen White and the Historians: A Neglected Problem and a Forgotten Answer (2022). McAdams discusses how he discovered this issue in the 1970s, how the Ellen White Estate reacted, and why it is finally time for the Adventist Church to openly confront its “founding myth—not the inspiration of Ellen White, but her authority in all matters.”

Japanese American writer, poet, culture critique, David Mura discusses his new book The Stories Whiteness Tell Itself, published by University of Minnesota Press, 2023. Mura grounds his work in historical and fictional narratives that whiteness tells society in order to uphold systems of Black oppression. We discuss his own family history of internment during WWII, James Baldwin, spirituality, as well as how the stages of grief connect to anti-racist awareness.

Former Spectrum journalist, Adventist pastor, and then defense attorney, Thomas L. Dybdahl talks about his life and his new book. Published by The New Press, When Innocence Is Not Enough: Hidden Evidence and the Failed Promise of the Brady Rule tells several gripping tales of crime and the wrongs done to the falsely accused when prosecutors don’t share evidence.

We talk about Millerite O. R. L. Crosier who helped create the Sanctuary Doctrine. He later rejected it, Ellen White, and Adventism. This is part three of this Adventist Voices series with Donald Casebolt about his book, Father Miller’s Daughter (2022).

Paul Mugane grew up in Kenya in a family that valued independent thought and Adventist faith. In Minnesota he received his MDiv from an ecumenical seminary and spent time teaching and pastoring in Adventism. Now he is an award-winning chaplain for Sharp Grossmont Hospital in Southern California. In this first of two conversations we explore his political and spiritual heritage and why he calls Adventism a mother.

I talk with the editors of A House on Fire: How Adventist Faith Responds to Race and Racism. Signs Publishing book editor Nathan Brown and La Sierra University professor Maury D. Jackson share how this multi-scholar project was started and why this is a comprehensive Adventist approach to one of the most persistently intractable issues of our time.

Filmmakers Trevor Frost and Melissa Lesh talk about their documentary Wildcat, streaming now on Amazon. We discuss their beautiful film, set in the rainforest of Peru and featuring a lot of very cute baby ocelot footage. The story focuses on two real young people and the mental and spiritual healing that re-creation provides. One is a troubled British veteran, suffering from PTSD acquired during his tour in Afghanistan. The other is an American female PhD student researching in the jungle and dealing with her history with complicated men.

In part two of a series of conversations with Don Casebolt about his new book, Father Miller’s Daughter, we discuss a minor figure with a large influence on Ellen White: S.S. Snow. Casebolt explains how Snow wrested control of the Millerites in late 1843 and used several highly allegorical interpretations that whipped the believers into a frenzy for Oct. 22, 1844. With historical detail Casebolt explores several of the texts used and then shows how Ellen White reinforced the questionable methodology even as Snow grew increasingly marginal and erratic.

Today, we are reflecting on the first year of the Imago Gei podcast. It’s been a little over a year since that defining moment of disclosing my bi identity, and today we are reflecting on the growth and journey this year has brought from the many wonderful guests who opened up an incredible world of theology, therapy, and hope for a more inclusive tomorrow. We also discuss the journey of learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, managing the anxiety of being different within our religious communities, and answering the big question of "when all our dragons are slayed, who am I now?" Our co-host for this week is Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. along with yours truly, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. This week is our concluding podcast for this season of Imago Gei, which has been sponsored by two magnificent organizations that are so near and dear to my heart. I want to give a special thanks to Spectrum Magazine and Alexander Carpenter, in particular, along with SDA Kinship, and Floyd Poenitz, who have partnered with me to bring you this project to amplify LGBTQ voices and LGBTQ theology for a wider audience. If you as a listener are able, please be sure to support these incredible organizations @SDAKinship.org and @spectrummagazine.org

Along with faculty sponsor Bryan Ness, PhD, four Pacific Union College students of GASP (Gay and Straight People) discuss what recently happened on campus that created a lot of pain. They also share stories of coming out and explain why a welcoming campus witness can be a great Adventist recruiting tool.

Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle and myself, Kendra Arsenault, discuss on a recent panel hosted by SDA Kinship the role of Spiritual Care amid a mental health crisis. As a Spiritual Care Provider for the psychiatric unit, Chaplain Del Valle works with a team of care providers and specializes in a particular set of interventions to de-escalate and establish a grounded connection. As one of our listeners asked, how do you continue to care for your mental and spiritual health when you’re doubting your faith? What happens when your deconstruction journey takes you down the road of isolation, and you’re looking for ways to connect with self, community, and God once again? Today’s sponsors are Spectrum magazine @spectrummagazine.org and SDA kinship international @sdakinship.org.

I talk with Jody Washburn (PhD, UCLA), Associate Professor of Hebrew and Biblical Studies at Walla Walla University. She explores the intersections between psychological science and theology, particularly in the area of compassion and spirituality. Dr. Washburn is passionate about empowering people to engage with scripture out of their own lived experience. In our interview, she talks about her recent work designing a course that brings together concepts of compassion and wholeness from the Bible, attachment science, and trauma studies. Learn more about her work here: www.compassionandwholeness.com and on Instagram @compassionandwholeness.

Gretchen Van Ness, Civil Rights Attorney and Executive Director at LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc., discusses how the LGBTQ affordable senior housing project took flight and why LGBTQ seniors are a particularly vulnerable population. The Pryde LGBTQ, affordable Senior housing project, is a model for how to support the marginalized, provide justice for the outcast, and begin the work of healing past traumas. You can find out more at LGBTQSeniorHousing.org. Today’s sponsors, Spectrum magazine and SDA kinship international can be found at spectrummagazine.org and sdakinship.org. 

For this week: I kick off a new Adventist Voices series with Donald Casebolt about his brand new book, Father Miller’s Daughter (2022). He talks about his extensive research showing how William Miller’s faulty hermeneutic continues to influence Adventism through Ellen White’s endorsement. Casebolt details more than a dozen examples of William’s failed predictions—beyond the 2300 day prophecy—all employing a typological-allegorical method. He also debunks myths about Williams originality, shares specific quotes from Ellen White supporting Miller, and also notes the extremely sectarian Millerite roots of the Three Angels’ Messages.

Gretchen Van Ness, Civil Rights Attorney and Executive Director at LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc. is the past president of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts and recognized as one of Boston's top LGBT leaders by Boston Magazine. Gretchen has decades of experience in community activism and representing and advocating for the LGBTQ community. She was part of the major movements in the LGBTQ community in the 90s and 2000s that lead to the Equal Marriage Act in 2015. Today, we’re listening in to her story along with the history of LGBTQ rights and the legislation that continues to impact LGBTQ people today. For those of you who would like to know more about our guest today, Civil Rights Attorney Gretchen Van Ness or about the LGBTQ Senior housing project, stay tuned for next week and check out their website, https://www.lgbtqseniorhousing.org/

This week we are making space to hear Nathon Hilton’s story of being disfellowshipped at his church due to the affirmation of himself and other gay Christians. We also discuss his work in which he looks at the Androgyny of Christ in Scripture, along with other ways that marginalized identities throughout history have made space for their existence by finding their own stories in the narrative of the Bible. Nathon holds a Master of Arts in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the University of Salamanca in Spain, in addition to a BA in English and Theology from Andrews University. He is currently translating Alicia Johnston’s book “The Bible and LGBTQ Adventists" into Spanish and focusing his studies on the philosophical and theoretical intersections of literature, religion, and spirituality. I first met Nathon a few years ago back at Andrews, and I am excited to have him share his personal journey of faith through the LGBTQ lens as well as some of his contributions to the world of queer theology. I’m your host, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. And our sponsors for today’s episode are Spectrum Magazine @spectrummagazine.org and SDA Kinship International @sdakinship.org.

This week on Imago Gei, we are talking about the importance of the "box," as well as the dangers of deconstruction, especially when done in isolation.  Imago Gei is a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, because equality and dignity of BIPOC and LGBTQ lives matter. I’m your host Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. along with Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. We will also be discussing some never before heard pieces of Ms. Arsenault’s journey to affirming as well as nuggets of our own deconstructive journey, the benefits as well as the perils. So stay tuned because this is an episode you do not want to miss! We want to shout out to our sponsors for today, Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship. This month Kinship has an incredible lineup of educational panels and opportunities for connection, so if you would like to be a member or are just curious about finding more ways to connect with the LGBTQ community, please check them out at SDAKinship.org. As always, Spectrum Magazine has some of the latest and greatest articles about what is happening in the academic world, so to keep up with some contemporary happenings, please sign up at Spectrum Magazine.org.

On Imago Gei Halloween Special we discuss superstition and the ways it shows up in our spirituality. How do we integrate our encounters with coincidence, intuition, and bad energy with our rational minds, and do we even need to?  Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. is our co-host, along with yours truly, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. In this episode, we continue our Redefine series creating bigger boxes for a bigger God. Today we explore the Salem Witch trials, the superstitious mind, and the bordering lines between spirituality and psychosis. And we end with how connection with Self, God, and Community, are helpful bridges to cross the chasm of belief and how compassion is the tie to what makes us truly human.

This Halloween, we’re talking about spooky encounters and experiences that could be classified as supernatural. How do we determine what’s real, what’s not, and what might be a mental health condition? Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. is our co-host, along with yours truly, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. In this episode, we are continuing our Redefine series, creating bigger boxes for a bigger God. Today we’re discussing the role of chaplains amid a mental health crisis and ways we can feel more empowered when confronting eerie encounters and things that go bump in the night.

In our third conversation on the three main figures in Gil Valentine's Ostriches and Canaries: Coping with Change in Adventist 1966-1979, we focus on Siegfried H. Horn, influential archaeologist and scripture scholar who taught at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary from 1951-1976. In this conversation Valentine shares about how he obtained Horn's diary, the role it plays in the book, and what it reveals about the tensions between occupation preservation and commitment to truth. We also draw some conclusions about how the themes of the book intersect with today's tensions between clerical administration and academic inquiry.

Today we’re tackling the pinnacle of faith and what it all relies on, and that is the belief in God or the belief that there is something out there bigger than ourselves. Sometimes the wounds we receive in communal spaces are so big and so traumatic that we need alternative routes for connecting with God. Picking up the Bible and attending exclusive gatherings like non-affirming churches can often be more triggering for those in the LGBTQ community because of the rejection we have experienced at the hands of religion. Finding alternative routes to God, spirituality, and a personal derivation of meaning and community might mean you blaze a trail off the beaten path. Ultimately, our goal is to give each other space to encounter the Divine at our own pace. Sometimes that might look like deriving meaning from cosmic coincidences or feeling connected to something bigger than ourselves while driving through the vast landscapes of an Arizona desert. Other times, it's simply gathering gems, meaningful pieces of insight, and treasure that we can pass on to a new generation to build a bigger box for a bigger God to dwell in.  Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, because equality and dignity of BIPoC and LGBTQ lives matter. This week Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. is our co-host, along with yours truly, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. In this episode, we are continuing our Redefine series creating bigger boxes for a bigger God. Happy National Hispanic Heritage month, everyone! There is so much to learn from indigenous cultures of the past and present and the ways we can validate a spirituality that is native to ourselves. Our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine.org and SDA Kinship.org, so if you haven’t already, please sign up for their newsletters, where you will get the latest updates on queer news and happenings or follow them on Instagram @adventistforum and @sdakinship!

Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei because the equality and dignity of BIPOC and LGBTQ lives matter. This week Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. is our co-host, along with yours truly, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. In this episode, we are continuing our Redefine series creating "bigger boxes for a bigger God. "A pillar of faith that could use some remodeling is the topic of Salvation. Today we are exploring the relational dynamic that we have with this concept, not to contend with anyone’s personal relationship with God. Rather we discuss how easy it is to transfer this Savior relationship to the relationships around us and how the pursuit of savior figures can keep us from important stages in adult development. We also discuss the importance of knowing when to ask for help. Sometimes a problem can be too big for one person to solve. We also challenge ourselves to know when to venture into the impossible and how to think responsibly about our futures. Happy National Hispanic Heritage month, everyone! There is so much to learn from indigenous cultures of the past and present and how we can validate a spirituality native to ourselves. Our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship international, so if you haven’t already, please sign up for their newsletters at spectrummagazine.org and sdakinship.org, where you will get the latest updates on queer news and happenings.

Ernesto Herrera, a music student at La Sierra University, talks about how he went from creating music in Cuba to the USA. We discuss how his Adventist faith, cultural heritage, and interest in mixing the sacred and secular inspires his art. In this special podcast, we also mix in several of his compositions, sung by the Brigham Young University singers.

Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, because equality and dignity of LGBTQ lives matter. This week  co-host Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. along with your host Kendra Arsenault, M.Div discuss the ways we can improve relationships and find community through shared values. Spiritual Care Provider Del Valle explores her spiritual evolution through the work of chaplaincy along with a few intriguing stories on how chaplaincy has forced her to bridge divides through common connections. We also continue our celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, exploring insights from Kat Armas' book Abuelita Faith. Our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship international, so if you haven’t already, please sign up for their newsletters, where you will get the latest updates on queer news and happenings.

In the second of a three-part series, historian Gil Valentine focuses his analysis on the main characters in his book, Ostriches and Canaries: Coping with Change in Adventism, 1966-1979, (Oak & Acorn), 2022. For this conversation, Valentine explores the motivations and methods of Richard Hammill, President of Andrews University. We explore the difficulties he tried to navigate church administrator concerns about the scholarly work and beliefs of faculty.

Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, because equality and dignity of LGBTQ lives matter. This week we have Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. along with your host Kendra Arsenault, M.Div both discussing the first topic in the Redefine series, where we look at finding bigger boxes for a bigger God. This week we are addressing fundamental belief number one: the Bible is a sacred text. In the spirit of finding community through common values, we’re tackling one of the first central tenets of Christian beliefs, including SDAs, to see if we can turn this belief into a value that can be shared by both Christians and non-Christians alike. In addition to this, we are celebrating  National Hispanic Heritage month and beginning our podcast discussing our experience as Latinx LGBTQ persons of faith. Our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship international, so if you haven’t already, please sign up for their newsletters, where you will get the latest updates on queer news and happenings. 

Welcome back to Imago Gei a play on the term Imago Dei because the dignity and equality of LGBTQ lives matter. This week on Imago Gei Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. and Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. host the episode Bigger Boxes, Bigger God, where we discuss the limitations of belief to bind us as communities and instead learn how we can begin to find common ground in common values. Further still, we ask how can we begin to find a resolution between our beliefs and our bodies. What do we do with cognitive dissonance, and how cognitive dissonance shows up in our spiritual practices?

In the first of a three-part series, historian Gil Valentine focuses his analysis on the main characters in Ostriches and Canaries: Coping with Change in Adventism, 1966-1979, Oak & Acorn, 2022. For this conversation, Valentine explores the motivations and methods of Robert Pierson, General Conference President from 1966-1979.

Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, because equality and dignity of LGBTQ lives matter. On this episode of Imago Gei we have Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. along with your host Kendra Arsenault, M.Div discussing the book "Repotting Your Life" by Frances Edmonds and asking the question, What is Enough? We also observe the parallels in our own personal journeys of what it has meant to restart life as open, same-gender loving women, and the obstacles that arise when a person makes a fresh start. How do we begin to redefine joy? God? Faith? Salvation? And Friendship? What pots are you bursting out of and in what areas do you need to be replanted. This week is an introduction to our new series called "Redefine" where we find bigger pots to plant a more inclusive God. Our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship international, so if you haven’t already, please sign for their newsletters where you will get the latest updates on LGBTQ news and happenings.

Juan Perla, MPA, JD, talks about the U. S. Supreme Court amicus brief we submitted last week. A graduate of Andrews University, USC, and the University of California, Berkeley and now a partner at the Curtis law firm, Perla discusses the arguments the brief makes on behalf of minority rights—particularly Seventh-day Adventists and LGBTQ folks who value marriage. The case in question is 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis and concerns the free speech clause of the First Amendment and religiously motivated discrimination.

Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, because equality and dignity are what we impart when I see the image of God in each other. This week, host Kendra Arsenault continues her conversation with Pastor Alicia Johnston, the author of her new book, "The Bible and LGBTQ Adventists,"where she addresses queer theology and answers a number of questions about the Bible and what it has to say regarding LGBTQ persons, relationships, origins, and marriage. We are picking up our conversation around how institutions often create standards that are difficult for marginalized communities to obtain to and what a more inclusive community of faith can look like. If you’d like an opportunity to win a free copy of Pastor Alicia Johnston’s new book listen to the end and find out how you can win your free copy today!

In light of the allegations surrounding Weimar, I interview Sarah McDugal, an Adventist author of several books on abuse including Myths We Believe: Predators We Trust. Sarah is the co-founder of Wilderness to WILD. After 25 years in media production, a series of life experiences led her to pivot into full-time advocacy and resource development for women escaping abuse.

Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, meaning we are all deserving of dignity because we are all made in the image of God. This week I am excited to be sharing this platform with Pastor Alicia Johnston, the author of the new book, The Bible and LGBTQ Adventists, where she addresses queer theology and answers a number of questions about the Bible and what it has to say regarding LGBTQ persons, relationships, origins, and marriage. If you’d like an opportunity to win a free copy of Pastor Alicia Johnston’s new book "The Bible and LGBTQ Adventists" listen to the end and find out how you can win your free copy today!

Josh Jamieson and David Ryan Olson talk with me about their brand new music release, “Here to Stay.” Josh is Pastor of Modern Worship on Loma Linda University Church’s Anthem, a worship collective that meets on Sabbath morning on the campus. David is Producer and Mix Engineer for Evergreen Records. We discuss what makes for good praise music, the state of Adventist music “wars,” and what motivates both of them in their ministries.

Today I’m tackling a controversial question. However, it’s not so much an answer that we’re going to arrive at, but a journey we’re going to go on. Was EGW an LGBTQ? Now for those of you listening who are not familiar with Adventist history, I apologize. She was a historical figure in the founding of the Adventist church. I’m not unaware of how negatively and even unfavorably just asking this question might be received. But I really believe it’s important to ask questions, even the questions you think you shouldn’t ask. I recently gave this presentation at the Kinship Kampmeeting, and it all started when I Googled a single question, as I often do, “Was Ellen White an LGBTQ?”  For those who may be wary that I’m even asking the question, let me assure you, the results are inconclusive. Culture and language, and expressions of self-identity have drastically changed since the 1840s. So we have to do a bit of time traveling to explore 19th-century same-gendered relationships. While there are no hard claims made at anything, I do investigate a series of private letters that reveal a not-so-public truth. So if you’re interested in going on a journey, buckle up because it’s a wild ride.

I talk with Chigemezi Wogu, PhD, who recently defended his dissertation on intercultural theology from the Free University Amsterdam. A graduate of Babcock University in Nigeria, Chigemezi discusses the tensions between “pristine” Nigerian Adventism and more recent spirited Pentecostal approaches to Christianity. An ethnographer and pastor by training, Chigemezi also discusses the role of empathy in academia and in his work in Berlin, Germany, serving two congregations, one multicultural and the other German-speaking.

This month we are continuing the celebrations of Pride Month, as we uplift LGBTQ stories. Today, I, Kendra Arsenault, engage with Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle to discuss the impact of the overturn of Roe v. Wade on us women along with the impacts this decision has on trans and non-binary lives. We also discuss how this decision is relevant to queer history. This weekend, I am sharing a presentation on same-gender lesbian relationships in the 1800s and discovering how much society has changed as well as how much it hasn’t.

Hello friends, welcome back to Imago Gei, a play on the term Imago Dei, which means in the image of God because as humans, we are all entitled to dignity and kindness. This week, I am interviewing Jay Wintermeyer, a former NAD administrator who was outed by an anonymous letter and then forced to resign. We discuss the ways these types of behaviors affect the LGBTQ community as well as better ways to be an ally.  For those listening, I’m your host Kendra Arsenault and our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship International, so make sure you sign up for their newsletters where you will get the latest on queer news and happenings.

This week on Imago Gei (a play on the term Imago Dei), we end pride month with a heavy heart, discussing the impact of Roe v. Wade upon our lives along with some recent events in which Spectrum Magazine was uninvited to a pastoral convention because of their brave work associated with empowering LGBTQ people and voices. This week, I have Chaplain and Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle along with myself, Kendra Arsenault and our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship International, so make sure you sign up for their newsletters where you will get the latest on queer news and happenings.

Happy Pride month everyone, today, I have Chaplain and Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle. In honor of pride month, I want to talk about what is family. There is often controversy when it comes to LGBTQ marriage and family, and what makes a happy home. Are children worse off if they have two gay parents? Or is there something to be celebrated about LGBTQ love and growing up in queer households?

Shawn Brace, a pastor in Maine, talks about his new book, The Table I Long For (Signs Publishing) in which he tells about changing himself and his church. Brace tells about the moment gathering in a home when he asked, “Why does church have to be more than this?” We discuss drive-by evangelism, pseudo-community, and why it isn’t enough to be “not racist.”

From St. Louis, MO, Spectrum’s managing digital editor Alex Aamodt and I talk about the General Conference Session. We discuss the election of Ted Wilson to his third term, some of the motions that have passed, and the ways that women’s ordination keeps showing up. We also share our thoughts on the general vibe here and how anti-vax Adventists are trying to throw a wrench in the proceedings.

Happy Pride month everyone, today on Imago Gei, I have a special interview with the president of SDA Kinship International, Floyd Poenitz. In honor of pride month, I want to highlight Kinship, the people behind it, and the effort they have dedicated to creating safe spaces for LGBTQ Adventists. In this interview, we discuss the journey of self-acceptance and the often winding and difficult decisions we make along the road to loving ourselves. As you listen, I hope you enjoy this story of someone who has long been in the struggle for equity and witnessed steady progress towards equality and inclusion in society while continuing to work patiently with churches to envision a safer and more diverse environment. For those listening, I’m your host Kendra Arsenault and our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship International, so make sure you sign up for their newsletters where you will get the latest on queer news and happenings.

What do Adventists from South Africa, China, Brazil, and the US have in common? And what do they think needs to change in the church? This four person  chat explores these questions in the first of a new series on Global Adventist Conversations focused on the 2022 General Conference session.

Happy Pride Month! This week Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle and Kendra Arsenault M.Div. reflect on a year of LGBTQIA pride along with female sexuality through the lens of the female gaze.

Bonnie Dwyer, editor emerita of Spectrum, talks about why the 2022 GC session is important, how leaders are elected, and what changes to policy will have her attention. We discuss if it’s time for Ted Wilson to go, what qualities the church needs in its leaders, and the wording and purpose of the changes around auditing church membership. We also discuss Bonnie’s recent trip to Spain and her takeaways from walking the Camino de Santiago spiritual pilgrimage route.

This week on Imago Gei Kendra Arsenault talks with author Kellie Woolf about her upcoming book, "Mount Hope" which is a fictional story about a community rocked by a violent outburst against a gay member of its community. It explores issues related to LGBTQIA inclusion and religious trauma while challenging readers to envision a greater future of what a diverse and inclusive church could look like.

Austin Loignon, PhD, talks about his dissertation research on John Harvey Kellogg’s European influences in health and spirituality. Loignon argues that Kellogg was influenced by Catholic Late Scholasticism revival of Thomas Aquinas' theology. A graduate of Southwestern Adventist University, Austin Loignon is an adjunct professor of History University of Texas at Arlington.

In this episode of Imago Gei, we discuss healing from religious trauma with Dr. Dee Knight, a clinical psychologist. The road to healing is a journey we are all invited to take and none of us have to take it alone.

Historian Michael W. Campbell talks about his new book, 1922: The Rise of Adventist Fundamentalism. We discuss GC leadership, Ellen White, creationism, and the continuing problems around Hermeneutics. Dr. Campbell is the newly appointed director of archives, statistics, and research for the North American Division. Previously serving as pastor and educator, Campbell recently was a professor of religion at Southwestern Adventist University.

My relationship with God and my relationship with the Church has often been a very different relationship. In part two of "Journey to Affirming Theology," I discuss particular junctures at which my experience and my beliefs were incongruent, and what happens at the crossroads. As someone who has grown up with an understanding of the church as a vehicle for humanitarian efforts--feeding the homeless, healing the sick, and helping the vulnerable among us--the gospel and social justice have often been inextricably linked.  But what happens when the questions of ethics are at crossroads with institutional idealisms? How can we begin to allow the questions of ethics to inform how we practice a faith that performs practical good in the world?

A pastor for 43 years, Will James, now retired from leading the Paradise Valley Adventist Church, talks about his continuing work engaging his local community.  Assimilating refugees, delivering food, caring for a community garden, Pastor James discusses Friendships for Hope, his history and his continuing work for toward a multifaceted ministry to the large refugee and low income communities of San Diego, CA. 

On this LGBTQ Podcast, Dr. Melodie Roschman discusses her dissertation, "Identity, Counternarrative, and Community in Progressive Christian Women's Memoir," with Kendra Arsenault on this episode of Imago Gei, affirming Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer identities in religious spaces. When we think about testimony in Scripture, eye-witness accounts, what a person heard or saw, life stories like Ruth and Esther, the testimony of John in Revelation, or the visions of Isaiah and Daniel, personal experience with the world and with God matter. So what is the place of personal story and memoir when building a reflective theology? How do we include the proverbial Yelp Review of certain Christian disciplines or traditions and use it to inform our present beliefs and practices? What’s the role of feedback and should it be taken into consideration when building a belief about God?

Darriel Hoy, who earned a BA in Public Policy from Duke University and an MDiv from Andrews University shares her vision for community engagement in Adventism. An ordained minister with 18 years of church ministry service, Darriel is the Communications Director for the Office of Regional Ministries and the Regional Conference Retirement Plan.

The journey to becoming LGBTQ affirming in a religious setting or church environment is dependent on more than simple Bible knowledge or good exegesis. LGBTQ affirming is a position people come to based on a theology that takes holistic consideration of what is ethical, good, and just. At a minimum, LGBTQ affirming is to exercise the reflexive practice of asking how a particular theological construct advantages or disadvantages people, especially marginalized people. The experiences for queer, trans, gay, and lesbian members under the religious constructs of the church are the nerve endings that, in a healthy body, signal to the brain vital feedback necessary to keep the body from harm.

Continuing our series on community engagement, I talk with Ronald D. Williams, Jr., D.Min., pastor of the Macedonia Adventist church, Delaware Valley Area Leader of the Allegheny East Conference, and Program Director of the Chester Peace Initiative. An urbanologist, we discuss his undergrad and graduate level education in information systems, his first career in IT, and how he turned that previous work into a program to teach youth tech job skills. We also discuss his time in the Nation of Islam and how he leads in the Adventist church today.

Professor Matthew Korpman and Kendra Arsenault finish out this queer theology series on Imago Gay by discussing the absence of women in the Levitical laws against homosexuality, the broad category of sexually divergent people that Eunuchs encompass and a more inclusive theology that holds an all-embracing view of LGBTQ people in the history of faith. "I am so sick and tired of people saying that Leviticus 18 and 22 or 20:13 have to do with homosexuality because homosexuality has a definition. It is a sexual orientation that has to involve both sexes, and it has to involve much more than sex, a whole orientation, a whole sensibility. You can be homosexual and never actually have sex."

Concluding our tripartite conversation through Dr. Richard Rice’s intellectual and publishing history, in this third episode we discuss his 2014 book Suffering and the Search for Meaning (InterVarsity Press Academic). Perhaps his most widely read work, in discussing it Rice shares brief summaries of the major contemporary theological and philosophical responses to the problem of pain. We also reflect on his life and what’s next for one of progressive Adventism’s most prolific living scholars.

On this episode of Imago Gei, Randi Robertson discusses her journey as a trans woman married to her college sweetheart and working as an Air Force pilot for 22 years as well as an instructor for a Christian university. As we end Women's Month, we are going out with thoughtful consideration over gender and the implications of being a woman or trans woman both in the church and in society.

New Upper Columbia Conference President David Jamieson shares the vision for community engagement drives his ministry. He talks about his twenty years leading the Church in the Valley’s growth through a wide range of services opportunities for members called Acts of Kindness.

"What do I do with the mad that I feel when I feel so mad I could bite!" Mr. Rogers shared this piece of therapeutic children's music at Congress back in 1969. Today, we are still learning how to manage emotions, especially regarding the church and LGBTQ matters. So why are we all so TRIGGERED? Spiritual Care Provider Roxan and Kendra Arsenault M.Div. dive into the world of feelings, theology, and LGBTQ identities to explore what about gayness makes us so mad, scared, and grieved. We also discuss how we can all do a little better at honoring our feelings. Word of the week is Spiritual Bypassing. How have our favorite religious shortcuts, "God is good," "God would never give me more than I can handle," "In this life, we are meant to suffer to receive a heavenly reward," turned into a way of circumventing the difficult task of dealing with our humanity? Turns out, we might not be that spiritual, after all. Pastoral care for LGBTQ church members is essential. So this week, we provide practical training for pastors, elders, and spiritual leaders to help them understand and better care for the LGBTQ community. 

Gail Rice, EdD, shares her story of lifelong learning and her work promoting evidence-based teaching at Loma Linda University for several decades. We discuss her early work as a nurse, her career as a professor in the School of Allied Health Professions, her love for the arts, and the pedagogical approaches she wrote about in her book, Hitting Pause: 65 Lecture Breaks to Refresh and Reinforce Learning.

In 1987 the Seventh-day Adventist church sued SDA Kinship International claiming trademark infringement for using the name "SDA". The lawsuit has had ripple effects throughout the LGBTQ community and their continued relationship with the church. After participating in a grueling trial, many left the institution  never to return. Others saw this victory as a landmark that one's religious identity does not exist with the institution, but with people. On this episode I talk with Floyd Poenitz, president of SDA Kinship International regarding the history of SDA Kinship and what more we still have to learn from affirming LGBTQ lives. 

Was David bisexual? Is Sodom and Gomorrah really a reference to homosexuality or something else? On this episode of Imago Gei, Kendra Arsenault talks with Matthew Korpman about his book Saying No to God and the insights he shares in his chapter "Saying No to Homophobia." There has often been controversy in the Christian community regarding whether or not Jonathan and David shared more than a strictly platonic relationship. So what would it mean if David really was bisexual? Would that change our perception of this Biblical icon? We also discuss the often referred to example of Sodom and Gomorrah, which has often is a story often leveraged against the LGBTQ community. So is Sodom and Gomorrah really a cautionary tale towards the LGBTQ community or is there another possible reading of the text? 

Pastor Alex Golovenko was born in Ukraine and leads the Windsor Seventh-day Adventist church in Canada. He shares how the Russian invasion is affecting his own family and the larger Ukrainian Adventist community. He discusses the violence, the parameters of a just response, and offers some hope via his favorite scripture.

Civil rights attorney Amanda Ghannam and Kendra Arsenault discuss why LGBTQ Discrimination at religious institutions is legal unfortunately. Prosecution of LGBTQ discrimination cases in religious settings is so difficult due to First Amendment complications. So what is the history of LGBTQ legislation and what is the possibility for legislative change in the future?

Troubled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Charles Scriven and Ron Osborn discuss violence, moral deflation, and the responsibility to protect. Both have published books exploring versions of Christian pacifism, Scriven’s The Promise of Peace, and Osborn’s Anarchy and Apocalypse. In this discussion they revisit their earlier work in light of the Ukrainian tragedy and explore despair and hope while addressing the question: how should one individually and collectively act?

Imago Gei is an affirmation of dignity for LGBTQ members, a declaration that we too are imago dei, or made in the image of God. On this episode, Kendra Arsenault interviews Matthew Korpman who is critical of the church's relationship towards LGBTQ members and makes a Biblical argument against prejudice. Discussing his book, "Saying No To God", this episode is focused on his chapter "Saying No To Homophobia." The theological emphasis of this week's episode brings insights into queer theology and builds a framework for discussing LGBTQ lives with a dignified theological perspective.

Here is part 2 of our series exploring Dr. Richard Rice’s books and biography. In this Dr. Rice talks about how he came to write Adventism’s first serious theology textbook, The Reign of God (1985), the airplane ride the prompted Reason and the Contours of Faith (1991), and students and rabbi who influenced Believing, Behaving, Belonging (2002).

This week on Imago Gei, Kendra Arsenault interviews Ari Bates, a transgender woman currently studying and employed at Southern Adventist University. After publicly coming out as transgender, she was made aware of a new policy that will be implemented on Southern's campus requiring transgender students to dress according to their gender assigned at birth. After coming out, she was placed on administrative leave. So today, we hear her story and her experience as a transgender woman, daughter and student. 

Back for a second round, Benjamin Baker, PhD, covers the 20th century of Black Adventist history including the cultural and spiritual meaning of Oakwood University, the origins and value of regional conferences, and Adventist involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Spectrum’s guest editor for February, Baker earned his PhD in history from Howard University and has authored or edited six books and 150 articles. In 2010 he created blacksdahistory.org and its accompanying YouTube channel. Baker served as the charter managing editor of the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, the church's first online reference work. He has taught history, religion, English, Black studies, and literature at several colleges, and currently teaches at the University of Maryland.

On this episode of Imago Gei, a multitude of LGBTQ voices share their stories of struggle, triumph and faith, along with their complicated relationship with the church. Understanding queer theology is more than just closing the loops in logic, it is being responsible for the impact of our theology upon LGBTQ lives. Living in the fullness of love, joy and peace starts with listening

In this first conversation in a multi-part series, I interview Richard Rice, PhD, about his biography and extensive bibliography. We discuss Dr. Rice’s early life, what he learned in graduate school at the University of Chicago, and the early 1980s controversy around the publication of “The Openness of God.”

Kendra Arsenault, Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship have come together to bring you the premiere episode of Imago Gei where we share the latest on queer theology, stories, and a minority perspective on faith. Today, we are easing ourselves in the conversation by posing the question: Is It Safe? LGBTQ church members are often faced with the challenging question: do I disclose my queer identity in a hostile environment or do I stay closeted until a later day when/if I feel safe? Safe spaces, safe churches, and safe people are the focus of today's topic as we learn what it means to approach difficult topics with self-energy and learn the effects of hostile church environments on the mental health of queer members.

I ask Dr. Benjamin Baker some common questions about Black Adventist history including: Why do some Adventists think Ellen White was Black? Was Sojourner Truth an Adventist? Did Adventists fight in the Civil War? Spectrum’s guest editor for February, Benjamin Baker earned his Ph.D., in History from Howard University. He has authored or edited six books and 150 articles. In 2010 he created blacksdahistory.org and its accompanying YouTube channel. Baker served as the charter managing editor of the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, the church's first online reference work. He has taught History, Religion, English, Black Studies, and Literature at several colleges, and currently teaches at the University of Maryland.

This two-minute clip provides an introduction for a new podcast partnership between Spectrum and SDA Kinship, produced by Kendra Arseneaux. The first episode drops soon.

I talk with Agnes and Carine, two media-savvy Brazilians who served a missionaries in Bangladesh and now spend time learning and traveling in America. We discuss how they met, the role of Pathfinders in Brazilian Adventism and the ways that globalization is changing the meaning of community.

Don Casebolt talks about his "highly revisionist" new book, Child of the Apocalypse (2021), on Ellen White's formative years. Based on his extensive research into contemporaneous accounts and her own statements about her inner life, Casebolt paints a portrait of a teen girl spiritually vulnerable, captured by the certitude of William Miller, and forming her identity in a community looking for ecstatic authority. We discuss confabulation, the other Millerite prophecies White endorsed, and why this matters today. Child of the Apocalypse on Amazon and WIPF and Stock Publishers

I talk with Ramona Hyman, co-editor of the new book, African American Seventh-day Adventist Healers in a Multicultural Nation (Pacific Press, 2021). A writer, speaker and professor at Oakwood University, Dr. Hyman is a graduate of Temple University (BA), Andrews University (MA), and earned her PhD from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

To kick off the new year I talk with Alex Aamodt, editor of the Spectrum website, about the top Adventist news stories and essays of 2021. We also discuss how he became a journalist and what makes for a good Spectrum article submission.

I talk with English writer and director Garth Jennings about his new family-friendly film Sing 2 currently in theaters. The films stars Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Pharrell Williams, and Bono among many others. We discuss creativity, music and nostalgia, spirituality and the importance of myth-making in our lives.

I talk music and the Advent season with Adriana Perera, Director of Worship and the Musical Arts at Loma Linda University Church. We discuss what makes Christmas music meaningful and Adriana shares her passion for diversity and inclusion.

Jason Hines, PhD, asst. professor at AdventHealth University, talks about the recent pause of vaccine mandates by some healthcare institutions, including AdventHealth. We also discuss the Supreme Court, religious liberty, and the Christian concept of sacrifice.

This week I interview Phanuel Hamsini, Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Malawi. We discuss how he became an Adventist, his vibrant local Adventist congregation, and why he reads Spectrum even though he sometimes doesn’t agree with the viewpoints.

Fresh from attending the Adventist Society for Religious Studies annual meetings in San Antonio, Texas, Bonnie Dwyer and I discuss the major ideas that emerged around this year’s focus on ecology. We talk animal rights, pandemics and apocalypse, and the ways that artificial intelligence and social media algorithms conflict with human spirituality.

In this cursory conversation about the Biblical Research Institute’s recent publication of Biblical Hermeneutics: An Adventist Approach, I talk with Jon-Philippe Ruhumuliza, a graduate of Andrews University and Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Ruhumuliza, who recently completed his MA in New Testament, wrote his thesis on Paul and Maps: Exegeting Acts 13-14 through the Lens of Lived Space Cartography. We discuss the problems with the book’s approach to hermeneutics drawing on Ruhumuliza’s interest in spatialized readings of Paul and other ways of constructing Adventist theology.

Put a log on the fire and sip a hot beverage as you listen to prolific writer Trudy Morgan-Cole discuss her novels about characters from the Bible and her more recent works of historical fiction set in Newfoundland, Canada. This week Spectrum Interviews Editor Alita Byrd joins me in conversation with Trudy Morgan-Cole as we explore the writing life, how Adventist stories change, and Morgan-Cole’s play, “The Mirror,” about a Newfoundland suffragette, that was performed recently.

Professor Emeritus of Biology at Andrews University, James L. Hayward, Ph.D, talks about his early life that mixed Sam Campbell, Ellen White, and tensions around creationism and science. In part one of our discussion of his book, Dinosaurs, Volcanoes, and Holy Writ: A Boy-Turned Scientist Journeys from Fundamentalism to Faith, we explore the personal and professional tensions that developed as he pursued his academic interests in biology while maintaining a connection to his faith tradition.

I talk with bioethicist Mark Carr about the social responsibility of vaccines, his spiritual connection to Alaska, and what it’s like working for a Catholic healthcare system as an Adventist. Mark earned his PhD in Religious Ethics at the University of Virginia where studied ethics in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Philosophy, and Healthcare. His dissertation was on temperance and how it helps us manage our emotions when making difficult moral decisions. At Loma Linda University he gained the rank of Professor with tenure and directed the Masters Degree program in biomedical ethics as well as the Center for Christian Bioethics. In 2016 he returned to his native Alaska as the Regional Director of Ethics for Providence Health, a Catholic healthcare corporation. In his work for Providence he is responsible for clinical ethics for six hospitals where he focuses on ethics education, policy, and patient care consults.

This week I talk again with legendary Adventist editor, pastor, college administrator, author, and longtime Spectrum leader Charles Scriven. We explore the final essay from his series “Time to Start Over” on hermeneutics and community. In addition, we weave in conversations about his time as president of Kettering College and his longtime leadership of the Adventist Forum and Spectrum. He shares his vision for koinonia,  a Christocentric interpretive framework, and why fundamentalism corrupts Christianity.

From Silver Spring, Bonnie Dwyer, editor of Spectrum, and I recap the four days of Annual Council 2021, the General Conf. executive committee meetings. We discuss various reports, the introduction of #Teds10 “theological issues facing the church,” and how we spent our Sabbath away from the GC and why it matters.

In preparation for next week’s Annual Council meetings which set up major Adventist church actions, Bonnie Dwyer, Spectrum’s editor, and I discuss the agenda. We note questions of power and compliance as well as some pending items about board make-up and proscribed duties in overseeing higher educational institutions and Union Missions.

I interview Stephen Chbosky, director of the movie version of Dear Evan Hansen about his motivations for turning the successful Broadway hit into a musical film. He famously wrote the best-selling coming-of-age novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999). We also discuss the fraught relationship between adolescence and faith and what we both love about the musical genre.

I talk with Sduduzo Blose about his graduate work at the University of Kwazulu-Natal on the book of Romans, colonialism in Africa, and institutional power in Adventism. We also discuss how opposing racism and sexism in Adventism informed his theological interests as well as how he connects his love for road cycling and ministry.

This week I talk again with legendary Adventist editor, pastor, college administrator, author, and longtime Spectrum board chair Charles Scriven. We explore two more essays from his series “Time to Start Over” on “Reconceiving the Sabbath” and how our beliefs should lift us up. In addition, we weave in conversations about time in the Washington, D.C., area as senior pastor of the Sligo Church and as president of then Columbia Union College. He shares what he loved about being a pastor and his role in a major church/state legal battle and the ordination of three women.

I interview Jon-Philippe Ruhumuliza about his social media-based “Radical Adventist Project.” We discuss his education in Berrien Springs, Mich., his later punk rock days, and his recent graduate work in New Testament studies at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. We talk about his practice of meditation and breath work, and his critical engagement of Paul through his research involving GIS mapping and social theory.

I interview Tom Stone about his new book, In the Shadow of the Pyramids: A Reflective Commentary on the Narrative of Deuteronomy, published by Westbow Press, a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Tom earned a BA in Theology from Newbold College and a PGCE in Religious Education from the University of Oxford. He is an ordained elder at the Newbold Church. We discuss how Tom, a young religious education teacher, decided to pursue this writing project, how this grew out of his own devotional practice, why he argues that Deuteronomy is a story of liberation with themes of social justice, and how God wants us to change our society so that we prioritize the marginalized and oppressed. In the Shadow of the Pyramids on Westbow Press - Amazon

I speak with the legendary historian of Adventism, Jonathan Butler, PhD, about his rediscovery of an 1988 article by Malcolm Bull analyzing Ellen White’s first vision. Titled “Eschatology and Manners in Seventh-day Adventism” and first published in Archives de sciences socials des religions, Butler discusses the ideas provokes and the joy he discovered as he read it for the first time. The full article and an introductory essay by Dr. Butler are featured in the current issue of the Spectrum journal.

I speak with two young Adventist intellectuals in Brazil who publish an online magazine (Zelota) with investigative journalism and detail-rich op-eds calling out the authoritarian leadership in the South American Division. Sharing their deep Adventist roots, André Kanasiro and Elias Batista, Jr., also discuss concerns for their generation of questioning Adventists, and why they work so hard for theological and institutional reform.

In this first of several Legend of Adventism conversations, I talk with Charles Scriven, PhD, about his biography while we also discuss his recent Spectrum series “Time to Start Over.” We start this multi-part series exploring some teachers from Walla Walla and Andrews who influenced him theologically and grammatically. In addition, Chuck references Bonhoeffer’s journey while expanding on what he means by “Christ without Christ,” the hermeneutical tool of and against oppression, and why close community matters.

I interview Edson Oda, the Japanese-Brazilian writer and director of the profound film, Nine Days. The story centers on a man, played by Winston Duke (Black Panther), who interviews and judges five souls to see who will be granted embodied life on earth. A fun conversationalist, Oda talks about his Catholic upbringing and how artists use spiritual metaphors to create meaning for humans. We also discuss what he likes to read and watch for inspiration and how his film uses empty spaces to open up interpretative possibilities.

I talk with attorney Stephen Allred, who also pastored for fourteen years, about his lucid new book Do Justice: The Case for Biblical Social Justice. We discuss how he artfully weaves together Ellen White and major Biblical passages with Ta-Nehisi Coates, his own story to make the case that following Jesus means caring for structural change in society. We discuss how his use of Ellen White made me excited to read more of her writings and how his focus on racial justice, economic justice, and his third section which includes very traditional Adventist interpretations of Revelation supports his overall argument that Christians have an ethical duty to be in involved in politics.

I talk with Sarah Sulton, CEO of the Adventist Musician Network about gospel music and how the internet allows artists to reach new audiences. Building on Alita Byrd’s interview regarding the Adventist Musician Network right before COVID-19 hit, I check-in on how streaming three shows online has grown the org during quarantine, how Ted Wilson’s comments offended gospel musicians, and I find out what’s next for this growing community.

We talk about the new release of Martin Luther King’s iconic talk at Oakwood University in 1962 on Dr. Benjamin Baker’s famous website blackSDAhistory.org. In addition, we address the Critical Race Theory scare, share interesting anecdotes about famous Black Adventists, and explore what’s bringing hope to historian, archivist, and educator Dr. Baker in these uncertain times.

Happy Pride! I interview Floyd Poenitz, Kinship International's next president, about the organization's multi-decade ministry creating a safe community for LGBTIQ+ Adventists. Floyd shares his story of growing up conservative and coming out and discusses the incredible number of countries that have Kinship members as more and more church members around the world grow to understand their sexual identity. We also talk about a good resource for parents from the North American Division, Kinship's current free book offer, and how Zoom in transforming LGBT+ support groups on Adventist college campuses.

Elder Gregory L. Hoenes, PhD, Director of the West Region of the Southern California Conference, talks about his recently completed dissertation in Practical Theology at Claremont School of Theology. Focusing on food and ecological responsibilities, Dr. Hoenes talks about how his conservative upbringing shaped his relationship to nature, how pastoring and eating out in Southern California shaped his research and spiritual practices, and how the activism of woke young people give him hope.

Happy Pride Month! Four years ago Alicia Johnston resigned from her job as an Adventist pastor due to her bisexual identity. This week she joins me to talk about her new book, The Bible and LGBTQ Adventists: A Theological Conversation About Same-Sex Marriage, Gender, and Identity. We discuss why she aimed her book at Adventists with a conservative hermeneutic, what's bringing her joy these days, and how folks can support her project. Alicia's Website Alicia's Instagram Alicia's Twitter

A teacher at South Bay Christian School, near Los Angeles, and a grad student at La Sierra University, Raquel Mentor is also a social media expert who has written for Spectrum. We discuss how she survived poverty while attending university, what she loves about Adventist education, and some tips she’s learned from her social media success. Raquel Mentor's Instagram

I interview Chris Blake, Lead Pastor of the San Luis Obispo Adventist Church, author of numerous books including Swimming Against the Current, Searching for a God to Love, and Reinvent Your Sabbath School, professor emeritus at Union College, and former editor of Insight magazine, about how he’s putting his vision for Adventism into action. An always fun conversation partner, we discuss what he learned playing basketball at Cal Poly, how he joined the church, his longtime advocacy for LGBT+ equality, and what he enjoys about pastoring on California’s central coast these days. Referenced Content: Five Beliefs - SLO Adventist Church Justin Lee Video When Scripture Meets Life: Book Review of Unclobber Enough Room Film Swimming Against the Current by Chris Blake Searching For A God To Love by Chris Blake Reinvent Your Sabbath School by Chris Blake

This week Spectrum's Interviews Editor Alita Byrd shares her conversation with composer James Lee III, whose works have been commissioned and premiered by the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Chorus, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and others. His music has been played at Tanglewood and championed by famed conductor Leonard Slatkin. Some of Lee’s biggest sources of inspiration are the books of Daniel and Revelation, the story of the great controversy, and the second coming of Jesus. Lee is a lifelong Adventist — he attended Andrews Academy and Andrews University before he went to the University of Michigan where he earned his first degree in piano performance and then his masters and doctorate in composition.

Bonnie Dwyer, editor of Spectrum, shares key moments in her life that shaped her career as a journalist and leader in the Adventist community. Bonnie discusses her love for the local church, the key first decisions that created the iconic journal, and what she's learned from a career trusting in God and caring for community.

Abraham Joshua Heschel, Jewish rabbi and theologian, civil rights advocate, Holocaust survivor, and champion of interfaith dialogue, is the subject of a new documentary "Spiritual Audacity," produced and directed by Martin Doblmeier of Journey Films. On Sabbath, May 1, Doblmeier discussed the making of the documentary during a special Adventist Forum/Spectrum webinar hosted by the St. Paul/Minneapolis Adventist Forum Chapter and the Minnetonka SDA Church. Alexander Carpenter, host of the Adventist Voices podcast, interviewed Doblmeier and was joined by Loma Linda University theologian Richard Rice, St. Paul Forum Chapter President Gary Blount, and Spectrum editor Bonnie Dwyer.

Bonnie Dwyer, Spectrum's editor, and I interview Oscar-nominated filmmaker Tomm Moore, director of The Secret of the Kells (2009) about his new animated movie, Wolfwalkers available to watch via Apple TV. The story takes place in 1650 and follows a spirited Irish girl who fights the control of civilization and finds transformative friendship and spiritual power in the forest among a pack of wolves. We discuss Irish mythology, the beauty of Tomm Moore's hand drawn animation style and how stories connect humans to deeper spiritual truths.

Richard Osborn, PhD, talks about his missionary upbringing, early connection to Spectrum, and how he got his start leading educational institutions. Dick, who recently retired as the Vice President of the WASC Senior College and University Commission and was the former president of Pacific Union College shares some lessons about what’s worked and what hasn’t in schools and Adventist life. Dr. Osborn is Board Advisor/Member: Loma Linda University Health, Los Angeles Pacific University, Pacifica Graduate Institute, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, United States University, University of Silicon Andhra, Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), Charles Weniger Foundation, NAD Higher Ed Task Force

I interview a recent student of mine, Pacific Union College graduating senior Morgan Williamson on the state of Adventist education and the future of online learning. We discuss why Adventist and public education matters to her, how her student missionary teaching experience in Fiji influenced her career choice, as well as what she’s learned doing her student teaching online with elementary age students.

Back from a spring break in this weekly podcast, I interview Todd Leonard, Senior Pastor of the Glendale City Church, a beautiful Adventist church that’s been a sanctuary to generations of marginalized believers. We talk about how Todd is transitioning back to in-person worship, how he journeyed from the South to Southern California, his love for community activism, and his new podcast UnCollared https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/uncollared/id1554375187  which he hosts with two other Los Angeles Christian pastors.

This week I talk with Kaleb Eisele, creator of Humans of Adventism, about his new ten-part documentary series in which Adventists tell their stories of culture, change, miracles, etc. We also discuss the state of creativity and community-building in the church.

I talk with my wife, Doris Tetz Carpenter, Adventist Health Human Performance Executive (Talent Strategy and Total Rewards), about the tension between the mission and business of faith-based health care. We also chat about how she moved from education to her seventeen-year career in Human Resources and how spending all day in online meetings at home has changed her ideas about work.

Bobbi Jo Reed, the subject of the eponymous documentary, along with Brent and Donna Jones, the directing and producing team, share the inspiring story of Bobbi Jo's transformation from homelessness, addiction, and prostitution to healing hundreds of addicts in her Kansas City-based Healing House ministry. We briefly discuss Bobbi Jo's testimony (watch the film for more) and then talk about the power of story and what hope means to the least of these in America. Healing House provides recovery housing to nearly 200 individuals every day in their thirteen private homes and two apartment buildings. Learn more about the film Bobbi Jo: Under the Influence here https://www.facebook.com/thebobbijomovie

Spectrum’s editor Bonnie Dwyer and I celebrate 2021 by talking about what’s new and news in Adventism. We discuss the GC Session, the North American Division’s tithe story as well as trends in Zoom Sabbath Schools around the denomination. We express concern about the link between conspiracy theory religious thinking and insurrection and find hope in driving slower, upcoming Spectrum articles, and getting a vaccine to be a good neighbor.

Continuing our legends of Adventism series, Dr. Larry Geraty shares leadership insights into his decades leading institutions like Atlantic Union College and La Sierra University. Additionally he shares anecdotes about protecting freedom of expression on campuses and speaks personally about how he finds meaning in Adventism.

Dr. Larry Geraty shares key moments that shaped his life from his missionary upbringing, how he convinced his wife Gillian to marry him, as well as his relationship with Siegfried Horn and how he ended up studying at Harvard. In this first of a two part episode, Dr. Geraty tells the story of how Spectrum began in the 1960s.

Pete Docter, chief creative officer of PIXAR and director of the upcoming Disney+ release of animated film “SOUL,” answers questions from me along with other Christian media representatives. He talks about the mix of spiritual language and philosophical existentialism that drives the film’s story as well as how his team infused the story with authentic African-American cultural moments.

Book editor at Signs Publishing and prolific Adventist author Nathan Brown talks about his new book “Advent: Hearing the Good News in the Story of Jesus’ Birth.” We also discuss his own Australian Christmas tradition, favorite carol, and the state of Adventist writing.

Reporting on recent meetings of the Society of Adventist Philosophers and the Adventist Society for Religious, Spectrum editor Bonnie Dwyer shares new ideas on Sabbath and social justice. We also discuss what’s in the new issue of the journal and what she’s looking forward to this Advent season.

Marci Corea joins me to discuss her role as the University Outreach Coordinator for Adventist Peace Fellowship. In addition to learning more about what the org does we discuss some of what both of us recently learned on Spectrum’s Civil Rights Journey in Alabama and how growing up doing short-term mission trips inspired Marci to care about justice work.

Father Leahy, O.S.B., headmaster of St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, NJ, shares about a new documentary, executive produced by Steph Curry, that explores how his own basketball program offers personal growth, but often false social hope for young American men. We also talk about how his Catholic faith informs his social values and has fueled his decades of academic leadership as well as the history of how alumni saved St. Benedict’s by converting it into an elite school serving disadvantaged youth. The film, Benedict Men, viewable on Quibi, follows the “St. Benedict’s boys basketball team as they strive to add another state championship to their legacy. Along the way, they uncover the true meaning of unity, selflessness, and hard work.”

Dr. Alex Bryan, chief mission officer for Adventist Health, talks about reading a biography on every American president. We discuss his insights into the meaning of the presidency, who he learned to love, and some major lessons on leadership.

Continuing our American politics series from last week, Vanessa Corredera, PhD, chair of the English Department at Andrews University and Courtney Ray, PhD, ordained minister and president of the Society of Black Neuropsychology, explore the problem of epistemic closure and others issues like race and abortion. Additionally, they both share very personal examples of their own social views changing.

Lisa Clark Diller, PhD, chair of the History department at Southern Adventist University and Jason Hines, PhD, associate professor in the department of Healthcare Administration at AdventHealth University join me in a spirited debate on U.S. politics and the problems of a fragmentary civic epistemology. Approaching issues from progressive and even anarchist perspectives, they talk about what’s at stake at the Supreme Court, for folks of faith, and those who care about social justice.

Spectrum managing editor Alisa Williams reports on global Adventist finances, electronic voting, and the changes to next year’s GC Session. We also discuss the rise of Adventist pioneer parody Twitter accounts and why they might be good for learning our history.

With sports increasingly back from quarantine, I talk with a London-based Adventist who played semi-pro football (soccer) before returning to Sabbath observance. He shares his story of struggling with his faith, being an Everton FC fan, and how he continues to combine his love of sport and community uplift.

Alisa Williams and Julius Nam join me to each tell and discuss stories from the less well history of Adventism. Alisa shares a story of a planted letter at the Ellen White Estate vault about a fake prophet (and attempted murderer) and Julius take us to Korea where an American missionary became an international pariah for punishing a young boy for stealing an apple.

Three emerging filmmakers share the inspiration for their beautiful and theologically complex retelling of the Hosea Bible story. Writer and director Ryan Daniel Dobson with producers Suzanne Watson and Avril Z. Speaks talk about setting “Hosea” in Oklahoma, deconstructing the chauvinism by focusing on his wife, and focusing on the divine in sensuality, art, pain, and relationships that redeem.

I talk with Adventist Health + Rideout president Rick Rawson about how COVID-19 and mitigation controversies have impacted his community. We also discuss the conclusions he learned from racial health inequalities and how “defunding” healthcare offers hope for the future.

Adventist Forum board chair, Carmen Lau, shares about how her white Southern Adventist upbringing blinded her to the realities of racism. We also talk about “Spectrum’s early history” with the Civil Rights movement and the plan for a group of Adventists to visit Alabama next month to learn more about that history of social justice.

Bonnie Dwyer, editor of Spectrum, talks about the latest issue of the journal, including the Black Lives Matter articles and the focus on science and art. In addition, she discusses the controversy surrounding Doug Batchelor's Amazing Facts walkback on accepting government money.

This documentary, The Right Girls (2020), is about transgender women from Central America traveling in a caravan to the US border I talk with co-producer Amador Jaojoco about how design and activism work together.

Winner of the U.S. Documentary Competition Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, “Boys State” explores a thousand member annual effort to form a representative government for a week in Texas. In my interview with the husband and wife directing team, Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, we explore the unexpected ideologies and personalities of the four boys they profile and how they created an exciting film that raises questions about power, belief, and the future of democracy.

Ryan Parker, PhD, joins me in discussing thoughtful cultural summerfare: Palm Springs, First Cow, House of Leaves, and how major sports are handling COVID and justice. We also reflect on how Christians benefit themselves and others by engaging popular culture.

Garrison Hayes, Pastor for Generational Ministries at Community Praise Church, and I discuss the current news of public monument removal. We examine the statues' connections to racism, specifically lynching, as well as the ways that iconoclasm creates hope.

Dr. Tiffany Llewellyn is the founder and president of Adventists for Social Justice. We discuss its founding, the growing anti-racist activism in Adventism, and also her recent comments about misogyny in church programming.

Bill Cork, Assistant Director of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries for the North American Division, shares his story of moving from Atlantic Union College to Lutheranism then to Catholicism and now back to Adventism. Through that he’s worked as a chaplain and in this conversation he discusses how moral injury, social justice, and the Sermon on the Mount have influenced his rethinking of faith and military service over the years.

For our Ministering Under Quarantine series finale, I talk with Jonny Moor, a pastor in the Oregon Conference. He spoke frankly about a call to a new church that disappeared and how his ideas about ministry have changed. A graduate of Walla Walla University, Johnny holds an MDiv from Andrews University where he is currently completing a doctor of ministry in discipleship and biblical spirituality. Jonny and his wife Heather host the Your Movie Hour podcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-movie-hour/id1477500729

Actress and film producer Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Ron Howard, chats about her new documentary, DADS. The film follows "six extraordinary fathers from across the globe—and some of Hollywood's most famous dads speaking about the joys and challenges of parenting." We discuss the lack of a collective rite of passage like a baby shower for men, how her own relationship with her father and her new-dad brother impacted this film, as well as how healthy families negotiate the tension between the private and the public parts of their worlds.

In light of the George Floyd murder and Black Lives Matter activism, we discuss the need for fewer sermons about forgiveness, the pros and cons of bias, and how Adventists for Social Justice is growing. Courtney Ray, MDiv, PhD is President of the Society for Black Neuropsychology and an ordained minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Michael Gibson serves as Pastor for Young Adults at the Keene Church and adjunct professor for Southwestern’s Religion Department. We discuss how his church has found community in running a food bank during quarantine and how it's changed his style for worship. Also discussed: our shared love for the weird sport of disc golf.

Nicholas Zork, PhD, is the minister for worship and the arts at Church of the Advent Hope in Manhattan. A singer-songwriter, composer, liturgical musician, guitarist and lecturer on topics in theology, worship and the arts, Zork shares how he's creating community in NYC with his local church as well as among his fellow musicians

Keisha E. McKenzie, PhD., Director of Digital Strategy for Auburn Seminary, discusses the campaign to help faith communities remain socially engaged while maintaining physical distance. A thought leader in and beyond Adventism, Keisha grew up in the U.K. and completed college in Jamaica and graduate studies in technical communication and rhetoric at Texas Tech University.

Peter Flores, a pastor in Maine, shares how he creatively ministers to his congregation under quarantine. From visitation to devotional messages, 26-year old Flores, a member of the Young Project, who also works as a "digital pastor" for his conference, opens up about the challenges and opportunities that social distance brings to Adventist ministry.

Spectrum editor Bonnie Dwyer discusses how the current pandemic has effected Adventism. From tithe to Sabbath school, she reflects on the changes to how the church gathers at various levels and sees hope in the emerging opportunities for creativity.

Worku is a songwriter, singer, speaker, and healthcare provider. With a voice that is both strong and soulful, Worku has forged a unique sound in the music industry. His original works defy genre categorization, somehow able to incorporate elements of many different musical styles.

Continuing our series on media to watch under quarantine, I interview the great writer and director Scott Teems, on his new film The Quarry (2020) about a drifter who assumes the identity of a preacher. We discuss violence, Christianity, and how the main actors Shea Whigham and Michael Shannon explore the tensions in human and divine justice.

Director Kevin Miller talks about the new documentary, J.E.S.U.S.A., produced by Adventist Forum board member Ken Peterson, that explores the relationship between Christianity and American nationalism. Spoiler: maybe it’s the violence in the dominant theory of the atonement. An evangelical, Kevin also discusses his famous film Hellbound? (2012) and why theology matters. 

Michael Bane was 42 and in good health when he began feeling sick last month. A few days later he was in the hospital fighting for his life. Michael talks with Spectrum reporter Alex Aamodt about what his experience can tell all of us during this time, and also how he dealt with the surreal experience of a Facebook post he made from the hospital going viral at the same moment his health was deteriorating.

Ronald E. Osborn, Associate Professor of Ethics and Philosophy at La Sierra University, and host Alexander Carpenter discuss Albert Camus’ 1947 novel “The Plague.” Can the narrative parallels and its philosophical perspective provide insight into our current coronaviral reality? Join us as we all try to survive #AloneTogether. 

For your sheltering-in-place needs, special guest George Nolfi talks about his newest film, The Banker, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie. We also discuss why Nolfi changed from academic pursuits in philosophy and political science to filmmaking, how he researched, wrote, and directed this latest work, and its themes of race and class.

Loma Linda University medical students, Martha Duah and Adrienne Green, discuss their bioethics project, a podcast called “A Medical History of Color.”  (Add link: https://ccbpodcasts.podbean.com/e/a-medical-history-in-color-one-root-deep/ We talk about racism in healthcare, their career plans, and how the coronavirus pandemic is effecting med students right now.

Recorded at the recent Spectrum conference Sammy Reyes, a former pastor, shares ideas for connecting imagination and inspiration to create a more humanistic and generous spirituality.

In the context of this summer's GC Session Jason Hines discusses his latest column on the Spectrum website. In addition to pondering the possibility and meanings of unity, we talk about the recent Adventist Forum conference and its focus on identity.

Legendary scholar, administrator, and former board chair of Adventist Forum, Charles Scriven gets passionate about the Bible. We discuss why Jesus is key to understanding the whole Bible, the ways that an historical hermeneutic helps, and how he really appreciates Paul.

Ray Tetz, director of communication and community engagement for the Pacific Union Conference, explains what "noncompliance" means vs. what matters. He also details the union's new media initiatives and why he's hopeful about Adventism in the west.

Yale Divinity student, Matthew Korpman, discusses growing up idolizing Adventist evangelists, how La Sierra University challenged him, and the controversial argument in his new book: Saying NO to God: A Radical Approach to Reading the Bible faithfully.

The conductor laureate Herbert Blomstedt discusses his strict and musical Adventist upbringing, his favorite hymns and the changing landscape of hymnals, why he pursued a career as a conductor, and what concerts he has in store. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1927, Herbert Blomstedt moved with his family to Sweden in 1929. His mother, a pianist, gave him his first musical training. this led him eventually to the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and to the University of Uppsala. Herbert Blomstedt is in constant demand as a guest conductor and had led many of the world's greatest orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Philadelphia Orchestra.

Back to 1969, I read the first four poems to appear in Spectrum: poets include Ben Jacques, Isaac Johnson, James Londis, and Freidrich Nietzsche. Additionally, in memory of Dr. Richard Ritland, I read from the first exploration of science and faith by him to appear in the journal.

Prolific author Dr. Ron Osborn talks about current issues in Adventism, reads aloud from his book Death Before the Fall, and opens up about his experience with writer's block.

We kick off the new year with Dan Weber, director of communication for the North American Division. We discuss why diversity is the future of NAD health, his personal experience with life changing mission service, and Kings basketball.

In our final podcast in 2019, Bonnie Dwyer, the editor of Spectrum, and Alexander Carpenter reflect on the year in Adventism including Annual Council and recent scholarly work on the 1919 Bible conference. We also look back on the year for Spectrum and draw attention to some major investigative reporting as well as hint at what Spectrum will be doing in 2020. Finally, we reflect on the Advent season and the spirit of giving.

A figure in Adventist social media for over a decade, The Adventist Caricaturist reveals a little about his denominational past, laugh about Headship Bobbleheads and #GossipJuice, as well as reflect on the role of satire in the Adventist community. To protect the caricaturist's identity, we used a voice-masking app so apologies for any oddities with the audio. 

Dr. Sydney Freeman, Jr., is an associate professor at the University of Idaho. He is founder and editor-in-chief of The Journal for the Study of Postsecondary and Tertiary Education.In this episode I speak with Dr. Freeman about his passion for black authors, a black theology within adventism, and the concept of a Black Adventist Identity Development.

Retired Southern Adventist University president Gordon Bietz shares his vision for a North American Division Higher Educational System

I chat with Dave Ferguson, Director of Church Relations for Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International, an organization for current and former Adventists who identify as LGBTIQ+.

Alisa Williams, Managing Editor for the Spectrum website, reviews the North American Division Year-End Meetings.

Dr.Jaime Kolwessar serves with his wife Carlene, and two daughters, as a pastor of the City Temple Sda Church in Dallas Texas. He is widely known as the “Seventh-day Activist” due to his passion and commitment to social justice advocacy in the church and community. In this episode we discuss Dr. K’s views on social justice within an Adventist theological framework, women’s ordination, his writings and practical steps churches and individuals can take to engage justice work!

Andrews University president Andrea Luxton, PhD, joins Adventist Voices to discuss the state of her institution as well as the broader future of higher education. We converse about her love for John Milton as well as how schools can welcome diversity-seeking students, what questions board members should ask, and why there's hope despite the recent Annual Council actions.

This week Adventist Voices talks with Matt Gal, Regional Director of Population Health and Capitation Management for Adventist Health. He explains this emerging focus in corporate healthcare, how it engages local communities, and what about it forwards Adventist mission.

Bonnie Dwyer, Spectrum editor, draws from her decades of Annual Council reporting to set the stage for this meeting of General Conference Executive Committee. She provides background on who will be present, the four major topics to watch, and why it all matters.

Bryant Rodriguez shares how he went from studying theology at Southern Adventist University to becoming the Digital and Social Media Strategist for McKee Foods Corporation, the maker of Little Debbie snacks. We discuss how he blew up the internet as an intern, the tensions between health-conscious Adventist values and making Cosmic Brownies, the "voice" of Little Debbie, and how Bryant stays connected to Adventist ministry.

We kick off a new series focused on Adventist education with Richard Osborn, PhD, Vice President for WASC Senior College and University Commission. Previously, he was President of Pacific Union College and an education administrator for the North American Division. Based on his current work accrediting educational institutions around the Western United States and his work on an NAD commission, Dr. Osborn shares his unbridled concerns about the direction of Adventist higher education and offers some models for how it might change for the better.

In our third episode of the "Road to the General Conference Session" series I chat with our social media stars from the last one: Rachel Logan and Alisa Williams. We laugh a lot remembering the 2015 session. We also discuss the role of Twitter and independent journalism, and they provide some survival tips for first timers.

This week I talk with Nat Kofi Abu Bonsrah, the Emergency Response Planning Manager for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency's response to Hurricane Dorian damage to The Bahamas. He very passionately shares some early observations from the ground, briefly opens up about how he became involved with ADRA, and gets very specific about how folks can help.

This week Leslie Foster connects art and spirituality, being a church elder and a Burning Man temple guardian. A graduate of Southern Adventist University, Leslie is a Los Angeles-based experimental filmmaker and a current member of the Torrance Art Museum FORUM residency program. An activist and longtime leader at an Adventist community, he shares his journey and explores why pauses in participation can be faith restoring.

Vanessa Corredera, PhD, joins Adventist Voices to talk about growing up crossing borders, her Andrews University course on Shakespeare and Race, and how understanding intersectionality helps Adventist identity. Dr. Corredera will be one of our presenters at the 2019 Adventist Forum conference on Labor Day weekend.

I chat with Humans of Adventism creator Kaleb Eisele about his hometown of Indianapolis, the site of the 2020 General Conference Session. We discuss the culture of Indiana Adventism, how GC attendees can better understand urban contexts, as well as hospitality insights from his recent visit to Oregon camp meeting.

In this episode of Adventist Voices, I ask Adventist Forum boardmember Jason Hines about his recent column for Spectrum "Liberation and Reconciliation. We discuss Black Liberation Theology, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, and how Adventism might address the race-based inequalities in our community. Jason Hines teaches at AdventHealth University in Orlando, FL. He holds a doctorate in Religion, Politics, and Society from Baylor University, a Master’s in Religion from the Seminary at Andrews University, a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Connecticut

Our Adventist Voice this week is the prophetic Michael Nixon, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Andrews University. We discuss race, Adventist identity, his work with Ty Gibson on Against the Wall, as well as Michael's background as an attorney and the son of a pastor. He will be at our Adventist Forum conference, leading a panel discussion on Youth, Ethnicity and Adventist Identity on Aug. 31.

This week I talk with someone I've been shooting the breeze with for several decades: Ronald Osborn, Associate Professor of Ethics and Philosophy at La Sierra University. We talk about our top three books of the Bible, The Brothers Karamazov, the HBO series Chernobyl, the current film The Farewell, and other light summer fare.

This week we kick off a new series focused on the next General Conference Session. My guests are Bonnie Dwyer, editor of Spectrum and Raymond Dabrowski, longtime director of communication for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the current director of communication for the Rocky Mountain Conference. In this rambling conversation focusing on media at the GC session, Ray shares his insider perspective managing church messaging and Bonnie discusses what she finds important for reporting the news.

A founder of the Society of Adventist Philosphers, Zane Yi talks about his early Adventist life and what book of the Bible sparked his interest in the contemplative life. Dr. Yi teaches at Loma Linda University and holds master’s degrees in philosophy from Loyola Marymount University (2004) and a master’s degree in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary (2005) as well as a doctorate degree in philosophy at Fordham University.

Nathan Brown is a writer and book editor at Signs Publishing Company, based near Melbourne, Australia. He has collaborated with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) on “The Least of These” Sabbath School Quarterly project over a period of almost 10 years. Nathan is author/editor of 16 books, including two this year—Of Falafels and Following Jesus and For the Least of These (companion book to the third quarter Sabbath school lessons). He has completed two masters degrees, in professional writing, and theology and justice, respectively. In this episode we discuss his work on the quarterly, what’s just about Adventism, and how he lives the writing life.

She probably reads more books than you. In this Adventist Voices episode, managing editor Alisa Williams talks about how she reads about one hundred books a year. She also shares the highs and lows from the ten she read in June—on religion, young adult literature, poetry and suspense. We also discuss the pros and cons about her life online with Spectrum and what gives her hope for the future of Adventism.

This week I talk with Stephen Allred who's been on an interesting Adventist journey. A graduate of the self-supporting Heartland College, he then got his M.Div. from Andrews University and worked on the same pastoral staff as Doug Batchelor. In 2012 he received his JD from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and now works on religious liberty cases for the Pacific Union's Church State Council. In this episode we talk about racism, social justice, Ellen White as well as some of the tensions surrounding Adventist displays of patriotism and and church/state separation.

Guests: Claudia Marion Allen: Doctoral Student at University of Maryland; Content Manager for Message Magazine Datrean Pileggi: Neuro-physiologist, scholar, professor. This episode explores the intra-racial conflict within the Black Community, specifically focusing on African Americans, Caribbeans, and Africans. The episode addresses the impact of white supremacy, realities of migration, lack of communication & cultural understanding amongst these groups, and envisions a path towards reconciliation and rebuilding the community.

The Friday night speaker for our 2019 conference coming up on Labor Day weekend, Gerald Winslow, PhD, the director of the Center for Christian Bioethics at Loma Linda University, talks with me about his earliest memories of growing up Adventist, how he approaches the complexity of human identities, and what he thinks Adventism offers the world. Spectrum Conference; https://spectrummagazine.org/news/2019/adventist-forum-conference-consider-impact-identities

This week I had a good chat with Ryan Becker and Kevin Christenson, two media-savvy Adventists who care about their community. In addition to learning more about their current Kickstarter campaign to create The Scratch (an Adventist news aggregator), we discuss their roots and their vision for fostering creativity in Adventism. The Scratch: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryan180becker/the-scratch-news?ref=project_link

He just earned his MFA from the prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art and now opened a major solo show at the Jessica Silverman gallery in San Francisco. Conrad Egyir might be the hottest emerging artist with Adventist roots in America. But America and Adventism is less than half his story. A relatively recent immigrant, in his own words Mr. Egyir’s creative practice borrows from the text and visually based languages of his native Ghana and the pre and post-colonial histories of West Africa. In my conversation with him for Spectrum, Conrad talks about identity, culture shock, his favorite thing about Adventism, and why he paints the same portraits over and over in his art. Links: Gallery: https://jessicasilvermangallery.com/exhibitions/conrad-egyir/ Website: https://conradegyir.com/

In this week's episode of Adventist Voices, Alexander Carpenter talks with both Bonnie Dwyer and Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson about SPECTRUM: The Journal of the Adventist Forum. We discuss the beginnings of Bonnie's editorship twenty years ago and the secret theological structure for how the quarterly publication is structured. Associate Editor/Designer Sharon shares her design philosophy and art-based process. If you haven't read the most recent issue (Vol. 47, issue 2), open it up and join our conversation.

During the week Daniela Jean works in risk management for the city of North Miami; on the weekends she leads a young adult pop-up night for her local Adventist community that includes poetry and "mocktails." Author, speaker and church programming innovator, Daniela Jean earned her M.A. in global strategic communication from Florida International University. In 2001 Daniela started the Hands at Work for Christ Sign Language Troupe and spent a three-year term on the Florida Conference Executive Committee. She has won several regional “under forty” awards and was a 2018 EBONY magazine POWER 100 people’s choice nominee. In this Adventist Voices episode we discuss her immigrant story, what drives her care for creating community, and why she wrote her recent book, Live Your Worth.

Episode 1: This episode explores the intersection of religion and politics, the Christian responsibility to engage community and civic engagement and personal development to sustain long term social justice work. Tiffany Llewellyn, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is passionate about all things race, justice, mental health and culture. Although she considers herself a change agent and voice for the voiceless, her passion for social justice aims to restore voices to those who have been silenced. Phillip M. Malcolm has been a relentless advocate for truth and justice and is passionate about the intersection of politics and religion. In 2016, Phil coined the nickname, “The Bearded Host,” after hosting his first ever radio show called “The Real Phil Show.” He is a business owner, and also works for the Department of Justice providing compensation and resources for victims and families of those affected by 9/11 attacks.

In this episode of Adventist Voices I talk with Kaleb Eisele. We discuss how he founded Humans of Adventism ( https://www.adventisthumans.com ), what he's learned about empathy and public criticism, and what his new media job with the Oregon Conference entails.

In this week’s Adventist Voices conversation, Alexander Carpenter talks with newly elected Adventist Forum (publisher of Spectrum) board chair Carmen Lau. After being a stay-at-home mom for twenty-five years, she will graduate this week with a Master of Arts in the Anthropology of Peace and Human Rights. She relishes traveling with her husband, Yung, particularly when it involves seeing their three children who are scattered across the United States. She is a reader and podcast connoisseur who enjoys being in nature in the company of her two dogs. We discuss how she first read Spectrum at Southern, her recent trip to research the Rwandan genocide, and her vision for the future of Adventism.  Our goal is to foster community through conversation. This podcast is a companion to Spectrum, a journal established to encourage Seventh-day Adventist participation in the discussion of contemporary issues from a Christian viewpoint, to look without prejudice at all sides of a subject, to evaluate the merits of diverse views, and to foster intellectual and cultural growth. For more, go to: https://spectrummagazine.org/

In this first episode of Spectrum’s new podcast, “Adventist Voices,” Adventist Forum board member Alexander Carpenter talks with Jennifer Allen, author of the book Confessions of an Adventist Boy, which dialogues with young Adventist men, ages 21 to 40, about where they are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually on issues as diverse as education, sex, baptism, money, gender bias, and more. Alex also gives listeners a sneak preview of the Adventist Forum Conference line-up. The Conference will take place Labor Day Weekend, August 30 – September 1, 2019 at AdventHealth University in Orlando, Florida. Look for registration information coming to the Spectrum: https://spectrummagazine.org/