Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist Forum

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...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 p...

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 Creativ...

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...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener...

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...

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...

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 ques...

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...

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...

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...

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 w...

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 household...

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.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

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. See o...

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 decisio...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 takea...

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. See omnystudio.com/liste...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 rel...

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 homeles...