Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist Forum

Episode 2 unpacks the complex sources and component parts of prevailing conceptions of Adventist identity, and considers Tonstad's meditations on what lies at the heart of a biblical "remnant" identity and how an Adventist "remnant" community must move in the world.

Hey Daddy Gang, is Alex Cooper lying to you? That’s what Allie Beth Stuckey and other conservatives seem to be saying after Cooper announced her pregnancy. Cooper, who built a career talking openly about sex, dating, and hookup culture, is now married, pregnant, and seemingly happy. For some critics, that happy ending does not fit the story women are supposed to be told. This week, the Podly Women...

In Episode 1 we introduce a number of key themes in the book, beginning with the ways in which ethnicity and culture shape religious identity and how tribal gods may resurface even after we have chosen a new identity in Christ. Shandelle Henson is an emeritus professor of mathematics and retired professor of ecology at Andrews University, and currently a co-mentor of Education for Ministry through...

Drawing on his education and healthcare admin experience, Michael Nixon discusses his SPECTRUM monthly column series, The VP Files, in which he shares important personal and professional moments in the recent history of Andrews University. We discuss his administrative work leading diversity and culture work on the campus, as well as the right and wrong ways to discuss politics and religion

The Podly Women return for part two of their conversation on modesty culture and beauty standards. In this episode, they unpack the beauty standards women are taught to chase and the ideals we all feel beholden to: the “prepubescent” look and where that trend comes from, the convergence of complementarianism and the “soft” aesthetic, aging gracefully, sacred bodies, and, yes, even the fascism of i...

This week, the Podly Women gather to talk about modesty: the good, the bad, and the complicated. Together, they reflect on the messages women receive in church spaces about clothing, bodies, and temptation, and ask how those teachings shape the way women move through the world while often assuming men’s responsibility for their own behavior. The conversation remains nuanced—can modesty still hold...

In this conversation on the Podly Women podcast, author Trudy J. Morgan-Cole and Sofia Lindgren, office manager of SPECTRUM Magazine, join journalist Natalie Bruzon to discuss her recently published Substack article, “I’m Sorry, but It Is Porn.” The three women explore the impact of romance literature, what makes content pornographic, and how to safeguard children against the prevalence and normal...

Ezrica Bennett [author of the recent hit article, “Thirty, Single, and Feeling (Pluri)Potent”] hosts a wide-ranging conversation on singleness, church culture, purity messaging, and what it means to build a meaningful life outside the “marriage as finish line” narrative. Joined by Natalie Bruzon, Trudy J. Morgan-Cole, and Ella Quijada, the group talks candidly about the pressure cooker of Adventis...

President of Antillean Adventist University Edwin Hernández talks about the new $5 million grant the school received to tell its Christian educational mission, how it connects to the stories of Puerto Rico, and its post-hurricane diaspora in Florida. We also discuss the state of Adventist education, how its institutional identities need to change, and his thoughts on the Super Bowl halftime show f...

In this episode of Adventist Voices I talk with Chris Blake about his book Imagine Life. We explore issues of justice, joy, and creativity that he tells stories about. We also talk about why he doesn’t really care about heaven, preferring to focus on the New Earth, and what the JustLove Collective is doing next.

In season 2 Episode 4, spiritual care practitioner and researcher Zach Hair shares what spiritual care actually is and why it matters. He unpacks the distinction between chaplaincy, pastoral leadership, reflecting on how spiritual care creates a safe space for people of any faith or none to explore meaning, values, grief, and identity. Zach shares his journey from a fundamentalist background and p...

In season 2 episode 4, Simone shares her journey from law school to the fitness and consulting world, reflecting on how her third-generation Adventist upbringing shaped, but never confined her path. In speaking about outgrowing traditional Adventist spaces, she candidly shares about her search for intellectual and spiritual openness. Through exploring themes of inclusive community, Adventist ident...

Alexander Carpenter inaugurates Spectrum’s new series on the arts with an interview with filmmaker  Rian Johnson. He directed Star Wars: The Last Jedi and created the Knives Out mystery series on Netflix. Alexander asks the former evangelical about his classic “Fly” episode from Breaking Bad and about all the Catholic iconography in Johnson’s new theologically rich mystery, Wake Up Dead Man.  

On Season 2, Episode 2 of Adventist, Eh? Dr. Harry O. Maier, a professor of New Testament & Early Christian Studies at Vancouver School of Theology, shares his journey from aspiring Lutheran pastor to professor. He highlights the importance of early church history in shaping Christian faith, the richness of diverse traditions, and the need to move beyond narrow denominational thinking. Noting how...

Pastor Kimberly shares her journey from growing up as a Canadian Adventist pastor’s daughter with Jamaican roots to creating House of Women, an online ministry that empowers women through biblical storytelling, resilience, and sisterhood. She reflects on the joys and pressures of church life, her shift from traditional ministry into new forms of spiritual leadership, and her commitment to reinterp...

Due to the denominational pause on its distribution, Reclaiming the Prophet might be the hottest book few have read. Its editor, historian Eric Anderson, talks about the book’s origins, the impressive pedigree of its contributors, the puzzling controversy surrounding it, and why good scholarship leads to healthy spirituality. 

Welcome to Adventist News & Views, your source for the latest information and insights shaping the Adventist conversation. Hosted by Jacklyn Frias.   Here are the highlights of this week:  The 2025 Annual Council concludes with global leaders renewing calls for integration, mission focus, and spiritual courage. At Southern Adventist University, students react to the unexpected end of a $3 million...

Welcome to Adventist News & Views, your weekly source for the latest information and insights shaping the Adventist conversation. I’m your host Jacklyn Frias. Written and Produced by Stanton Witherspoon. Brought to you by Spectrum. 

I interviewed Stephen N. Allred, director of government relations for the Church State Council, the religious liberty office of the Pacific Union Conference. Allred is a licensed attorney and ordained minister we discuss the upcoming webinar, Advocacy at the Margins: Observing & Defending in Immigration Court. We also discuss why the Pacific Union includes social justice as part of its religious l...

Spectrum Scholar Summer Intern Andrew Francis discusses his reporting on the growing controversy sparked by new Oakwood University President Gina Spivey-Brown’s focus on enforcing old student handbook bans on anklets, bracelets, crop tops and other forms of banned dress and adornment. We also discuss nineteen year old Francis’s experience on the Spectrum team at the GC Session and his plans as man...

Drawing from our SPECTRUM’s presence at the 2025 General Conference Session, Editor-in-Chief Alexander Carpenter and Correspondent Samuel Girven discuss our in-person impressions of new General Conference President Erton Köhler, the fundamentalist focus on vaccination and jewelry, and how the communication landscape of the denomination might transform the meaning of the local church. Yes, change h...

Steve Matthews is the CEO of ADRA Canada, he shares about his journey into humanitarian leadership, ADRA’s global mission, and efforts to connect more deeply with local churches. Steve discusses the challenges of fundraising amid economic uncertainty and media influences. Along with the importance of transparency, ADRA's strategic plan to enhance church and community relevance. Highlighting local...

Dr. Mary Beth Werdel is the director of the Mental Health Counseling and Spiritual Integration and Pastoral Care programs at Fordham University. During this conversation, she shares about the powerful intersections of spirituality, trauma, and healing. Drawing from her background in mental health counseling and her doctoral research on post-traumatic growth, she explores how spiritual and psycholo...

Dr. Shane Sinclair is a professor with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary and director of the Compassion Research Lab. In addition to overviewing the power that compassion holds, He shares his journey from clinical chaplaincy to groundbreaking research in oncology and palliative care on the topic of compassion. Sinclair unpacks what compassion really means, beyond pity or empathy,...

Dr. Stéphane Beaulieu is the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Burman University. In this conversation he shares his remarkable journey from working as a truck driver and high school dropout in Québec to achieving his doctoral degree. He recounts how his conversion to Adventism in his late teens sparked a passion for learning, leading him to pursue pastoral ministry. Now leading the...