Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist Forum

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...

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 wh...

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. See omnystudio.com/lis...

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 id...

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 h...

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, a...

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for...

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 le...

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 champione...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/Minneap...

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...

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. Osbo...

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 st...

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...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio...

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 pow...

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...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnyst...

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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