Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist Forum

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 a...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

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. Se...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 mi...

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....

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...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 musiciansSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listen...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.