Saturday, November 24, 2007

PRESIDENT OF EVANGELICAL UNIVERSITY RESIGNS

President of Evangelical University Resigns
Published: November 24, 2007

TULSA, Okla., Nov. 23 (AP) — Facing accusations that he misspent university money to support a lavish lifestyle, the president of Oral Roberts University has resigned, officials said Friday.

Robert S. Cross/The Tulsa World

Richard Roberts, of Oral Roberts University, is said to have misspent university money.

The resignation by Richard Roberts was effective immediately, according to an e-mail statement from George Pearsons, the chairman of the university’s Board of Regents.

Mr. Roberts, the son of the televangelist and university founder Oral Roberts, came under fire with the university after three former professors filed a lawsuit last month that included accusations of a $39,000 shopping tab for Mr. Robert’s wife, Lindsay, at one store; a $29,411 senior trip to the Bahamas on the university jet for one of Mr. Roberts’s daughters; and a stable of horses for the Roberts children.

Mr. Roberts had been on temporary leave from the evangelical university, fighting the accusations. In a recent interview, he and his wife denied any wrongdoing.

Mr. Roberts, who took over as president in 1993, has said the lawsuit amounted to “intimidation, blackmail and extortion.”

On Friday, Mr. Roberts said in the statement: “I love O.R.U. with all my heart. I love the students, faculty, staff and administration, and I want to see God’s best for all of them.”

The professors also said in the lawsuit that Mr. Roberts had required students in a government class to work for the campaign of Randi Miller, a candidate in the 2006 Republican primary for mayor of Tulsa. Mr. Roberts has denied that.

Tim Brooker, one of the plaintiffs, accused the university of forcing him to quit after he had warned Mr. Roberts that requiring students to work on Ms. Miller’s campaign jeopardized the university’s tax-exempt status.

Mr. Roberts received a vote of no confidence last week from the university’s tenured faculty.

The regents will meet Monday and Tuesday to decide how to conduct a search for a new president, Mr. Pearsons said in the statement. Executive Regent Billy Joe Daugherty will temporarily assume the president’s administrative responsibilities.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/education/24oral.html

GIVE ME THE BIBLE


Give me the Bible, star of gladness gleaming,
To cheer the wand’rer lone and tempest tossed;
No storm can hide that radiance peaceful beaming,
Since Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Refrain

Give me the Bible, holy message shining;
Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way;
Precept and promise, law and love combining,
Till night shall vanish in eternal day.

Give me the Bible, when my heart is broken,
When sin and grief have filled my soul with fear;
Give me the precious words by Jesus spoken,
Hold up faith’s lamp to show my Savior near.

Refrain

Give me the Bible, all my steps enlighten,
Teach me the danger of these realms below;
That lamp of safety o’er the gloom shall brighten,
That light alone the path of peace can show.

Refrain

Give me the Bible, lamp of life immortal,
Hold up that splendor by the open grave;
Show me the light from Heaven’s shining portal,
Show me the glory gilding Jordan’s wave.

Refrain


Edmund S. Lorenz (1854-1942)
Words:
Pri­scil­la J. Ow­ens, in Hap­py Voic­es for Sun­day School, 1883.

Music:
Ed­mund S. Lorenz (1854-1942)
(MI­DI, score).

PAULSEN ATTENDS 'HOUSE OF LIGHT' IN CUBA

Cuba: Standing room only for 'House of Light' dedication; world church president visits island

November 9, 2007 Buey Arriba, Cuba .... [Rajmund Dabrowski/ANN]

During a four-day visit to Cuba, Adventist Church world president Jan Paulsen discussed the church's position in the country with Daniel Fontaine, president of the Adventist Church on the island nation, which this November hosted regional church meetings for the first time in 62 years. [photo: Rajmund Dabrowski/ANN]

A crowd of more than 500 at the Buey Arriba House of Light filled every available seat and even a few windowsills during the sanctuary's dedication November 4. The house of worship is one of many in Cuba that serve as both pastors' residences and sanctuaries. [photo: Rick Kajiura/ANN]

A jet doubles as a television studio as an Adventist Mission crew interviews political advisor turned Adventist minister Raul Alvarez, right, in flight to Buey Arriba. [photo: Rajmund Dabrowski/ANN]

A Cuban woman reads her Bible at Havana's Seventh-day Adventist Vibora Church, where Paulsen commended the "commitment and spirituality" of Cuban Adventists during Sabbath worship service November 3. Cuba joins more than three dozen other countries in Inter-America to make up the church's largest world region. [photo: Rajmund Dabrowski/ANN]

When church officials and guests joined a 500-strong crowd for the opening of a new house of worship in Buey Arriba, it was Raul Alvarez who received the loudest applause.

A recently retired pastor, Alvarez was given a hero's welcome for his contribution to a Seventh-day Adventist congregation, which on Sunday, November 4, officially dedicated a new sanctuary.

Once a political advisor to the leaders of the Cuban revolution, Alvarez in the early 1960s embraced Adventism, whose mission gave him a different calling. Until recently, he served as president of the church in the region. Alvarez returned this month to celebrate a victory of God in a town at the foothills of the Sierra Maestra Mountains in Southeastern Cuba.

Joining hundreds of others for a standing-room-only ribbon-cutting ceremony, Alvarez could not hide his emotions. Years of trying to build a sanctuary with limited resources culminated on that Sunday evening with joyful tears and embraces fit for the occasion.

Referred to as the Buey Arriba House of Light, the church -- a pastor's home whose living room can sit a 200-member congregation -- celebrated in style. Rain did not stop anyone from attending the dedication.

Heavy rains on the day of the celebration delayed the arrival of U.S.-based Maranatha Volunteers International (MVI) -- an organization responsible for building the sanctuary -- and officials of the Adventist Church. When they arrived at 6 p.m., they were already two hours late for the ceremony. But the crowd was waiting. More than 500 people packed into the sanctuary built to seat just 250. Every corner, seat and windowsill was filled with people.

Laura Noble of MVI remembers visiting the Buey Arriba house of worship a few years ago. In her many travels, this was one of the few places that really scared her, she recalled. The roof was made of very heavy red tile held up with a framework of sticks nailed at the apex with a single nail at each joint. Worse yet, she remembers, every stick was absolutely riddled with termite holes. "The whole roof was held up by termites holding hands!" Noble said.

The need for a new house of worship became acute as the congregation grew to 200, according to Adalberto Gonzalez, church pastor. Instead of approving the plans for a church building, the Cuban government extended permission to build a House of Light.

A Maranatha House of Light acts as both a home to the pastor and his family and a house of worship. "But it looks suspiciously like a church!" Noble said. One could not help but wonder how many other living rooms in the region have a baptismal pool. Following the ceremony, a baptism of 10 new church members added to the enthusiasm of the audience.

Daniel Fontaine, president of the church in Cuba, expressed gratitude for the House of Light in Buey Arriba. "It is very meaningful for us. We at least can have one place, one light, where people can go in search of the peace and hope that only Jesus Christ can give."

"And for our country to let us have a place like that," he said, "we are very thankful."

Across the island, in Havana, the Adventist Church in Cuba welcomed Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Adventist world church. On Friday, November 2, Paulsen joined 80 delegates of the church's Inter-American (IAD) region attending an annual meeting of its executive committee. Arriving at the Havana airport, Paulsen was met by Caridad Diego, the head of the country's Religious Affairs Office.

Speaking at a Sabbath worship service in Havana's Vibora Adventist Church, Paulsen said, "I feel the strength of your commitment and spirituality. There is so much fire in your soul."

"There is much interest about our church in Cuba," Paulsen said. "It is somewhat isolated, but when brothers and sisters ask, 'Tell us about our church in Cuba,' now I can tell them it is alive in the Lord. It is strong. They live in obedience to the Lord."

"This visit to Cuba is very significant, especially for the church and the government in Cuba," said Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America.

Although Cuba is one of the 15 major territories in the region, it has not hosted the IAD executive committee meetings in 62 years, according to church sources. For two years, in the mid-1940s, the Inter-American region was headquartered in Cuba. With more than three million members in three dozen countries, Inter-America represents the largest region in the Adventist world church.

Speaking at the opening session of the IAD meeting, Paulsen recognized the church's "strong focus on mission." He also emphasized the church's need to "build strong communities and meet the world from a position of strength."

He continued the theme of Adventist involvement in society when addressing a representation of the state and local government on Sunday. "We don't carry a political agenda. As a church, we are aware that while we are a spiritual community, we are also committed to building society," he said.

Referring to "positive engagement in society," Paulsen added that Adventists "want to make a contribution to communities, and to make communities more secure."

SOURCE(c) 2007 Adventist News Network.

Source: http://news.adventist.org/data/2007/10/1194630354/index.html.en

PARA LEER ARTICULO EN ESPANOL: http://news.adventist.org/data/2007/10/1194630354/index.html.es

CHURCH CENTRE FOR THE UNITED NATIONS

World Council of Churches - Feature
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org


For immediate release: 5 November 2003



Church Centre for the United Nations: celebrating 40 years of service



by Tracy Early

High-resolution photo available - see below.

For forty years, a building across the avenue from United Nations headquarters in New York has stood as a witness to Christian support for efforts in international diplomacy to advance the causes of peace, human rights, development and ecology. And on 10 November, the Church Centre will become the site of a celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the building's service to the churches, the UN and the broader international community.

Called the Church Centre for the United Nations, the building at 777 UN Plaza provides twelve floors of office and meeting space for religious and other non-governmental organizations concerned with UN issues, and is a focal point for their activities. The history of the events taking place in the building and the personalities involved has yet to be written. But, as former World Council of Churches' (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) director Dwain Epps - who earlier staffed the Council's liaison office in the Centre - suggests: "If walls could talk…!"

In the 1990s, when the world's attention turned to a series of international conferences - Rio on the environment, Cairo on population, Beijing on women, and others - unprecedented numbers of people from non-governmental organizations came to New York to follow the preparatory committees and try to influence their outcomes. These visitors found a base of operations, support from each other and practical assistance at the Church Centre.

During the Cold War, a Methodist executive based in the building, Carl Soule, devoted much of his energies to building ties with people in Eastern Europe. In this period, the Church Centre hosted events like a day marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Russian Revolution or, later, a "Day of dialogue with Marxist Humanism", with Czech philosopher, Milan Machovec sharing new Marxist thought.

When the struggles for majority rule in southern Africa were both prominent and highly controversial, particularly in the United States, leaders of that struggle found not only sympathy but the practical support of a desk and a phone at the Church Centre. There, representatives of the Namibian organization, SWAPO, and the Zimbabwean ZANU got together to negotiate a joint statement for presentation to the UN Security Council, and a secretary provided by one of the offices in the building typed out the negotiated text as it emerged page by page.

Later, in the years when many eyes turned toward Latin America and liberation theology, people from the churches who were opposing Reagan policies came together at the Church Centre to coordinate their work.

But it was not only liberation movements that found the building useful. A US financier who now lives in the Bahamas, Sir John Templeton, comes to the Church Centre every year to announce the Templeton Prize winner. A church-owned building with an international orientation is an appropriate venue to announce the winner of a prize awarded on an international inter-religious basis.

The building also has meaning for the people on the other side of the avenue. Looking across at it, UN diplomats and staff see a structure that says that churches are watching them, developing their own views on international affairs, and offering support for efforts to serve the world community.

The vision for the centre originated with US Methodists, and it was constructed by the Methodist Board of Christian Social Concerns (now the United Methodist Board of Church and Society) with financial support from the Methodist Women's Division. In 1984, the United Methodist Women's Division assumed ownership and full responsibility for its operation.

Epps says United Methodist Women deserve special tribute for seeing the role such a building could play, and for their willingness to invest a substantial amount of money in this vision. They put up $500,000 just for the land, a corner lot at an ideal central location providing a direct view of the UN's General Assembly and Secretariat buildings.

The CCIA has maintained an office at the Centre, and in fact had its whole staff based there until the director's office was moved to Geneva in 1969. A spot with such direct access to the UN headquarters is "very beneficial" to an office operating as "the eyes and ears of the WCC". Church representatives have access to a library whose resources include a comprehensive collection of documents on the UN and women's issues, named for the woman who began it, Esther Hymer.

From the beginning, the building was a church centre, not a Methodist one, and it has served as a place where the needs of the world community were addressed ecumenically. There, United Methodists join forces with Quakers, Unitarian Universalists, Presbyterians, Seventh Day Adventists, Lutherans and other allies.

Some groups that formerly maintained offices and programmes at the Centre, including the US national council of churches, decided that tightening financial pressures would not allow them to continue, though the council's refugee, relief and development arm, Church World Service, has now re-established an NCCCUSA presence. And new groups have come in, including two orders of Roman Catholic nuns and the World Conference on Religion and Peace.

The religious groups, that get priority in renting space, now occupy about half the building's offices, and the rest is used by non-governmental organizations like the International Women's Tribune Centre, Rotary International, International Peace Academy and World Federalist Association. Epps says the building has come to serve not only as a centre of church activity related to the UN, but as "the heart of global civil society efforts" to make its presence felt at UN meetings.

A key person at the Centre is Mia Adjali, who was working for the Methodist women when the building was planned, served on the staff there from the opening in 1963, and today directs the United Methodist Office, which includes a representative of the Board of Church and Society.

Born in Algeria to Methodist missionaries from Norway, she had a special interest in Africa, and during the period of struggle for majority rule in southern Africa, helped arrange for national liberation groups to work at the Centre when they came to the UN. And similar help has gone to others - representatives of indigenous communities and people coming to promote causes such as independence for New Caledonia and East Timor.

Adjali says that in the beginning, the church offices concentrated largely on constituency education, and that this remains a big part of the work. People come from across the United States to seminars where they hear church and UN representatives reporting on world issues and how they are addressed at the UN.

But subsequently, more church offices secured consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and this enables them to participate in its commissions by suggesting language for statements, sharing information and presenting church positions on issues, Adjali says. And the UN itself, she adds, has itself become more open to the views of churches and other non-governmental organizations.

Year in, year out, the Church Centre serves the entire NGO community as a place where people of similar interests can get to know each other and form networks, a coordinating point, a convenient location for holding committee meetings, luncheons, receptions, press conferences, panel discussions and briefings..

Epps says that although the churches have not exerted major influence on the UN, they have had some success in shaping the UN agenda and the tone of debate. "They have kept in the forefront a moral and ethical approach to global issues that tended to be treated as mechanics."

The building and its staff also provide an important a pastoral service to people in the UN community, supporting "people of conscience" when they are struggling to maintain a sense of moral purpose in the face of bureaucratic and political pressures, Epps says.

More directly pastoral, the Centre has a chaplain's office, currently unfilled but to be continued, for people who may be looking for religious counsel. And a chapel on the ground floor serves for weddings, memorial services and commemorative occasions of many kinds. It is designed to serve not only Christians, but people of other religions as well, and many international couples, often inter-religious, have found it an appealing site for weddings.

Commemorative occasions have been many and varied - anniversaries of significant world events, memorials to leaders in the cause of peace, celebrations for forward steps in the struggles for justice. And now, on 10 November, the chapel will provide the space for a commemoration of the Church Centre itself, the vision of its founders and the witness of its forty years.

A high-resolution version of a photo of the Church Centre for the United Nations is available on our website:
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/churchcenter-ny.html
-----------------------

During the week of 10-14 November, the World Council of Churches' Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) is organizing an "Advocacy Week" in New York. It will take place in the Church Centre, and will bring together key people responsible for international affairs in churches, specialized ministries and ecumenical organizations throughout the world to coordinate strategy and make their work more visible at the UN. It is intended to express "support for United Nations work on peace and conflict resolution," says CCIA director Peter Weiderud.
Opinions expressed in WCC Features do not necessarily reflect WCC policy. This material may be reprinted freely, providing credit is given to the author.

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org




The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 347 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland..


Source: http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/feat-03-13.html

P.S. BOLDS AND HIGHLIGHTS ADDED, FOR EMPHASIS!

ADRA TO OBSERVE WORLD AIDS DAY DEC. 1

ADRA to observe World AIDS Day December 1

November 19, 2007 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States .... [ANN Staff]

Among the efforts to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS it has led since 1985, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency runs preventative education programs around the world. This year, ADRA is distributing World AIDS Day kits to observe the December 1 awareness day. [photo: courtesy ADRA International]

Some 800 young people in the West African country of Mali are learning basic anatomy and health principles along with teamwork and leadership skills through a project that uses sports to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Organized by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Mali, "Play Safe, Live Safe" is one of hundreds of projects run by the international, non-governmental organization headquartered near Washington, D.C.

To observe World AIDS Day, December 1, ADRA is offering World AIDS Day kits, which include a poster, World AIDS Day ribbons, sermon and presentation ideas, age-appropriate student resources and AIDS facts and stories from AIDS victims around the world.

To order a kit, or for more information on observing World AIDS Day, visit http://www.adra.org/.

Nearly 33 million people, half of whom are women, live with HIV/AIDS worldwide, according to an annual United Nations AIDS study released November 20.

Since 1985, ADRA has worked to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and encourage people to get involved in the global effort to stop AIDS. ADRA runs shelters, skills-training centers, provides for AIDS orphans and offers preventative education at its regional offices around the world. Johannesburg, South Africa-based AIDS International Ministry has also worked to combat the spread of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, where AIDS is the leading cause of death.

Copyright (c) 2007 by Adventist News Network

Source: http://news.adventist.org/data/2007/10/1195510708/index.html.en

QUESTIONS ON DOCTRINE FOLLOW-UP


Date: November 12, 2007
Contact: pr@andrews.edu
Website: http://qod.andrews.edu/
Phone: 269-471-3322


Scholars gathered at Andrews University from October 24-27 to discuss what many consider to be Adventism's most controversial book, amid concerns that the gathering itself might lead to new controversies. Instead, they experienced what turned out to be a rich spiritual feast.

More than 200 scholars, pastors, administrators and lay members of the Adventist church met to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine, a book released as a response to doctrinal inquiries by conservative Protestants in the mid-1950s. Over the past half-century, the book has been the subject of an intense debate among many Adventists--with the debate centering on the book’s treatment of the human nature of Christ.

Many of the participants of the Questions on Doctrine 50th Anniversary Conference had been part of that contentious debate. "I think it is safe to say that no prominent players in the controversy...were left out," said Robert Johnston, professor emeritus of New Testament at Andrews University who chaired a panel discussion. "Every possible view that could be reasonably discovered was credibly represented."

The conference, which was billed as "an engaging, reflective, scholarly dialogue about Adventist history and theology," consisted of 12 formal sessions during which 24 presenters (two of them non-Adventist scholars) read papers, engaged in panel discussion and delivered homilies. Most of the sessions featured academic papers representing difference perspectives on the history and theology of Questions on Doctrine, the relationship between Adventists and evangelicals, and the present and future of Adventism. Through all these, the goal of the gathering was "simply to listen to and understand each other better," rather than to debate or to arrive at a binding consensus, according to the organizers representing Andrews University, Loma Linda University, and Oakwood College, the three co-sponsors of the conference.

Though there were some concerns that this conference would itself lead to new controversies, the spirit exhibited by the participants of the conference was anything but contentious. "It was a wonderful conference of fellowship, clarification of issues, and inspiration," exclaimed Hubert Sturges of Woodland, Calif. Colin Standish, president of Hartland Institute who presented a paper, remarked that this was "one of the most inspiring conferences" he has attended. Roy Adams, associate editor of Adventist Review who also gave a presentation, observed that such an atmosphere was possible because "just about everyone was compelled to adjust their attitude" to be more sensitive toward each other’s views, "even if minds may not necessarily have changed."

Not only did cordiality mark each session, but also some healing took place among participants. "This conference...gave people the long-needed opportunity to share their views, listen to others’ positions, and start to heal relationships that have been damaged for so long," said Bronwen Larson, an attendee from Loma Linda, Calif. "People in our church have desperately needed to know, and experience, that it's okay to believe a little differently and still be part of God’s family," she added. Another attendee, Lisa Clark Diller of Collegedale, Tenn., observed that "there was so much tear-shedding and constant reaffirmation of the Christian love that we share that I know the Spirit moved in really powerful ways." "Hopefully from now on," she continued, "people will recognize that it is too easy to caricature people you disagree with and that face-to-face prayer and study are the way to have unity in diversity." Edwin Reynolds also of Collegedale, Tenn., echoed Diller’s sentiments: "I hope we can have more conferences like this one to bring Adventists together to talk to each other about things we value, though we may differ on the details of interpretation."

All the papers presented at the conference and the video recordings of all the sessions will be available in January on the conference web page at http://qod.andrews.edu/.


Source: http://www.andrews.edu/news/2007/11/qod_conference.html

P.S. Bolds and Highlights added for emphasis. Blogmaster.

50th ANNIVERSARY OF QOD SPEAKERS

50th Anniversary Conference
October 24–27, 2007
SDA Theological Seminary
Andrews University
Berrien Springs, Michigan

Keynote Speakers

Herbert E. Douglass has served the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a teacher, editor, writer, administrator and pastor. He taught at Pacific Union College, Atlantic Union College and Weimar Institute. Douglass wrote for the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary series and worked as an associate editor of Review and Herald and a book editor and vice president for the Pacific Press. He holds a ThD degree from the Pacific School of Religion.

George R. Knight is professor emeritus of church history at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. His background includes time spent as a pastor and educator. Knight earned his EdD degree in 1976 from the University of Houston, and is one of the most prolific authors on Adventist history. In 2003, he edited the annotated re-publication of Questions on Doctrine (Andrews University Press) which has stirred renewed conversations on the book.

Angel Manuel Rodríguez is director of the Biblical Research Institute at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, where he has served since 1992. He has also served as president of Antillian College and academic vice president of Southwestern Adventist University. Rodriguez holds a ThD degree in biblical theology from Andrews University. He is the author of several books and has a monthly column in Adventist World.

Presenters

Roy Adams has been an associate editor of the Adventist Review since 1988. Previously, Adams served the Adventist church in the U. S. and the Philippines. He obtained a ThD degree from Andrews University. He has authored several books including The Sanctuary (Review and Herald, 1994) and The Nature of Christ (Review and Herald, 1994).

Larry Christoffel has served as administrative pastor of the Campus Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loma Linda, Calif., since 1986. He has also served as a pastor in Ohio and Georgia. Christoffel has published on issues relating to the evangelical identity of Adventism in Ministry and Adventist Today.

Donald Dayton is an independent scholar residing in Pasadena, Calif. He has taught at Drew University, Asbury Theological Seminary, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and Azusa Pacific University. His PhD degree was awarded by the University of Chicago. Dayton co-edited (with Robert K. Johnston), The Varieties of American Evangelicalism (InterVarsity, 1991).

Denis Fortin is dean of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, where he has taught in the Theology Department since 1994. His PhD degree comes from the University of Laval. He is the co-editor (with Jerry Moon) of the forthcoming Ellen White Encyclopedia.

Larry Kirkpatrick is pastor of the Mentone Adventist Church in southern California. Prior to his tenure at Mentone, he pastored churches in Nevada and Utah. Kirkpatrick is a graduate of the MDiv program at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He serves as the webmaster for GreatControversy. org and publishes books on last generation theology.

David R. Larson is professor of religion at Loma Linda University where he has specialized in Christian ethics since 1974. Before that he was a pastor in southeastern California for four years. He holds a DMin degree from Claremont School of Theology and a PhD degree from Claremont Graduate University. Larson has written a number of articles and edited one book, Abortion: Ethical Issues and Options (LLU Center for Christian Bioethics, 1992).

Paul McGraw is associate professor of history at Pacific Union College. His research interests include marginal religious groups in American religious history. His doctoral dissertation, completed at George Washington University, is entitled "Born in Zion? The Margins of Fundamentalism and the Definition of Seventh-day Adventism." It focuses on the history of the Adventist church and the designation "cult."

John McVay is president of Walla Walla University. Prior to his current post, he served as dean of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He has also taught at Pacific Union College and worked as a pastor in Iowa and Georgia. McVay received his PhD degree in New Testament from the University of Sheffield, England.

A. Leroy Moore is a retired minister, college teacher and pastor. Upon his retirement, he co-founded Lavoy Missionary College, a lay training center in Alberta, Canada (1995–2003). In 2005 he authored Questions on Doctrine Revisited (AB, 2005). Some of his other books include Theology in Crisis (Life Seminars, 1979) and Adventism in Conflict (Review and Herald, 1995).

Julius Nam is assistant professor of religion at Loma Linda University where he teaches courses on Adventist history & theology. Prior to his arrival at Loma Linda in 2006, he taught at Pacific Union College. His 2005 Andrews University dissertation, "Reactions to Seventh-day Adventist Evangelical Conferences and Questions on Doctrine, 1955–1971," served as a catalyst for this conference.

Arthur Patrick is senior honorary research fellow at Avondale College. He holds a DMin degree from Christian Theological Seminary and a PhD degree from University of Newcastle. He has pastored in New Zealand and the U.S. and taught at Avondale and La Sierra University. He also served as director of the Ellen G. White/ Adventist Research Centre for the South Pacific Division of SDA.

Jon Paulien is dean of the School of Religion at Loma Linda University. Previously, he spent over two decades teaching New Testament at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He received his PhD degree in New Testament from Andrews University. Prior to that, Paulien worked as a pastor in New York for several years.

Richard Rice is professor of theology and philosophy of religion at Loma Linda University. He received his PhD degree in theology from the University of Chicago Divinity School. Rice has published numerous books including Believing, Behaving, Belonging: Finding New Love for the Church (Association of Adventist Forums, 2002).

Kenneth Samples is a senior research scholar at Reasons To Believe, a science-faith think tank based in Pasadena, Calif. He holds degrees in philosophy, social science, and theological studies. He also teaches a weekly class at Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, Calif. In the past, Samples has worked as senior research consultant with Christian Research Institute (founded by Walter Martin).

Nikolaus Satelmajer is editor of Ministry, published by the Ministerial Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. He has served in a variety of pastoral and administrative posts in New York and Ontario, Canada. He earned his DMin degree from Andrews University.

Ciro Sepulveda is chair of the History Department at Oakwood College. His doctoral degree from the University of Notre Dame is in Latin American history. He is currently doing research in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He has written a biography of Ellen White published in Spanish.

Colin Standish is the founder and president of Hartland College. He obtained his PhD degree in psychology from the University of Sydney. Standish has served in a variety of academic and administrative posts at Avondale College, West Indies College, and Columbia Union College. He has authored and co-authored with his brother, Russell, numerous books on Christian theology and living.

Russell Standish is a physician living in Australia. He has served as missionary and hospital administrator in Southeast Asia as well as in his native Australia. Standish received his medical training at the University of Sydney. He is also the founder of Remnant Ministries and has authored and co-authored with his brother, Colin, numerous books on Christian theology and living.

Alberto R. Timm is professor of historical theology at Brazil University Center—Engenheiro Coelho Campus and director of the Brazilian Ellen G. White Research Center. He completed his PhD degree in Adventist Studies at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He has produced numerous scholarly works on Adventist history and theology.

Mervyn Warren is provost and senior vice president of Oakwood College. Prior to his current position, he held various administrative posts at Oakwood, including chair of the Religion Department. He holds a PhD from Michigan State University and a DMin from Vanderbilt University. Warren has written several books, including King Came Preaching: The Pulpit Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (InterVarsity, 2001).

Woodrow W. Whidden is professor of systematic and historical theology at the Adventist International Institute for Advanced Studies. Prior to his current appointment he taught in the Religion Department at Andrews University (1990–2006). He holds a PhD degree in historical theology from Drew University. His books include Ellen White on Salvation (Review and Herald, 1995) and Ellen White on the Humanity of Christ (Review and Herald, 1997).

Source: http://qod.andrews.edu/presenters.html

***

No other book has aroused so much controversy in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine. Published in 1957 as a direct result of the dialogues between evangelicals Walter Martin and Donald Grey Barnhouse and a select group of Adventist leaders, Questions on Doctrine was hailed initially as the apology par excellence of Adventism by its writers and promoters. However, when the book came out, it created great uproar among Adventists who questioned whether it accurately represented Adventist theology and the writings of Ellen White, in particular.

For Leroy Edwin Froom, one of the authors of Questions on Doctrine, the book "completed the long process of clarification, rectification of misconceptions, and declarations of truth before [the Christian] Church and the world." But M. L. Andreasen, a theologian and author on the sanctuary doctrine, saw the book as "the most subtle and dangerous error" and "a most dangerous heresy."

Hence, historian George Knight has noted that Questions on Doctrine "easily qualifies as the most divisive book in Seventh-day Adventist history," while theologian Herbert Douglass has observed that "most, if not all, of the so-called 'dissident' or 'independent' groups of the last 45 years are direct results of the explicit and implicit positions espoused by [Questions on Doctrine] on the atonement and the Incarnation."

On October 24-27, 2007, 50 years after the publication of Questions on Doctrine, scholars, church leaders, and pastors across the theological spectrum of Adventism, along with guest scholars from the evangelical world, who have given careful study to the theology of Questions on Doctrine and Adventist history of the past half-century, will convene at Andrews University for an engaging, reflective, scholarly dialogue.

Source: http://qod.andrews.edu/index.html

50th ANNIVERSARY OF QUESTIONS ON DOCTRINE

Questions on Doctrine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cover of Questions on Doctrine
Cover of Questions on Doctrine
"qod" redirects here. For the medical abbreviation, see List of medical abbreviations#Q.

Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine (often abbreviated "Questions on Doctrine", or "QOD") is a book originally published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1957 to help reconcile Adventists and conservative Protestants. The book generated greater acceptance of the Adventist church within the evangelical community, where it had previously been widely regarded as a cult. However, it also proved to be one of the most controversial publications in Adventist history[1] — the release of the book brought prolonged alienation and separation both within Adventism and evangelicalism.

Although no authors are listed on the title of the book (credit is given to "a representative group" of Adventist "leaders, Bible teachers and editors"), the primary contributors to the book were Le Roy Edwin Froom, Walter E. Read, and Roy Allan Anderson (sometimes referred to as "FREDA").

The term has come to refer to the meetings between Adventists and conservative Protestants as a whole, in addition to the book itself.

The original 1957 edition of Questions on Doctrine can be read online at SDAnet.

Contents


History

Background

The publication of Questions on Doctrine grew out of a series of conferences between a few Adventist spokepersons and Protestant representatives from 1955 to 1956. The roots of this conference originated in a series of dialogues between Pennsylvania conference president, T. E. Unruh, and evangelical Bible teacher and magazine editor Donald Grey Barnhouse. Unruh was particularly concerned because of a scathing review written by Barnhouse about Ellen White's book, Steps to Christ. In the spring of 1955 Barnhouse commissioned Walter Martin to write a book about Seventh-day Adventists. Martin requested a meeting with Adventist leaders so that he could question them about their beliefs.

The first meeting between Martin and Adventist leaders occurred in March 1955. Martin was accompanied by George Cannon and met with Adventist representatives Le Roy Edwin Froom and W. E. Read. Later Roy Allan Anderson and Barnhouse joined these discussions. Initially both sides viewed each other with suspicion as they worked through a list of 40 questions. Central to these concerns were four alleged items of Adventist theology: (1) the atonement was not completed at the cross; (2) salvation is the result of grace plus the works of the law; (3) Jesus was a created being, not from all eternity; and (4) that Jesus partook of man's sinful, fallen nature at the incarnation.

The most problematic topic was the Adventist understanding of the human nature of Christ. Earlier William H. Branson, Adventist General Conference President, had written that Christ "took upon Himself sinful flesh."[citation needed] (By 1953 the statement had been omitted from his book.) Most Adventists prior to 1950 agreed with this statement.[citation needed] Froom appears to have misled evangelical leaders because he gave the impression to Martin that Adventists had always believed in the sinless human nature of Christ. Despite this shortfall, what was clear to Froom and others was that they needed to articulate Adventist beliefs in language that evangelicals could understand.

By the summer of 1956 the small group of evangelicals became convinced that Seventh-day Adventists were sufficiently orthodox to be considered Christian. Barnhouse published his conclusions in the September 1956 issue of Eternity magazine in the article, "Are Seventh-day Adventists Christians?"[2] In it, they concluded, "Seventh-day Adventists are a truly Christian group, rather than an anti-Christian cult."[3] This greatly surprised its readers, and 6,000 canceled their subscriptions in protest![4]

Following this announcement, Adventists were gradually invited to participate in Billy Graham's crusades.[5]

Conflict within Adventism

In Barnhouse's article it was stated that most Adventists believed in the sinless human nature of Christ and those who did not were part of the "lunatic fringe." M. L. Andreasen, a conservative Adventist theologian, took exception to this statement.

Further hostilities broke out between Andreasen and Froom in February 1957 after Froom published an article on the atonement in Ministry magazine. In this article Froom argued that the atonement was a "full and complete sacrifice."[citation needed] He furthermore asserted that "the sacrificial act on the cross [is] a complete, perfect, and final atonement for man's sins."[citation needed] Froom's articulation of the atonement was in stark contrast to Andreasen's beliefs. Andreasen articulated a three-phase understanding of the atonement. In the first phase Christ lived a perfect life despite having a fallen nature. During the second phase the death of Christ on the cross occurred. And finally, during the third phase (the focal point of his theology), Christ demonstrates that man can do what He did. Satan was not defeated at the cross but would be defeated by the "last generation" in its demonstration that an entire generation of people could live a sinlessly perfect life.[6]

Questions on Doctrine inflamed the tensions over these issues because it defined the death of Jesus as a complete work of atonement and asserted that Jesus possessed a sinless human nature. It thus reflected Froom's theology while contradicting Andreasen's.

As a consequence, Andreasen embarked on a campaign against QOD. He published a series of responses to Froom in 9 papers written in 1957/1958 and in a series of booklets entitled Letters to the Churches (1959). On April 6, 1961, Andreasen's ministerial credentials were suspended by the church because of his ongoing public protests against church leadership. He died on Feb. 19, 1962. On March 1, 1962 the General Conference executive committee revoked its earlier decision.

Evangelicals Divided Over Questions on Doctrine

In 1960, Walter Martin published his own response to Questions on Doctrine, entitled The Truth About Seventh-day Adventism,[7] which had wide circulation.[8] The book carried with it a disclaimer that only those Adventists whose theology agreed with Questions on Doctrine were true members of the body of Christ.[citation needed] From June 1960 till July 1961 Ministry published a long series of responses to continued inquiries about points of differences. These articles (available online)[9] were reprinted as the book Doctrinal Discussions.

There were other evangelicals who disagreed with Martin and Barnhouse's positive assessment of Adventism. In 1962 Norman F. Douty published Another Look at Seventh-day Adventism and Herbert S. Bird Theology of Seventh-day Adventism, both of which argued that Adventists were still a cult. The majority of Christians today follow Martin's view that Adventism is not a sect.

Legacy

Church historian George R. Knight wrote,

"The publication of Questions on Doctrine did more than any other single event in Adventist history to create what appear to be permanently warring factions within the denomination."[10]
"Official Adventism may have gained recognition as being Christian from the evangelical world, but in the process a breach had been opened which has not healed in the last 50 years and may never heal."[10]

Herbert Douglass agreed,

"most, if not all, of the so-called 'dissident' or 'independent' groups of the last 45 years are direct results of the explicit and implicit positions espoused by [Questions on Doctrine] on the atonement and the Incarnation."[11]

Around 138,000 to 147,000 copies were circulated, but the book was so controversial that attempts to reprint it were blocked after 1963.[8] Evangelicals including Walter Martin himself continued to call for the book to be reprinted. In an interview around 1986 with Adventist Currents, Martin said

"If the Seventh-day Adventist [Church] will not back up its answers with actions and put Questions on Doctrine back in print... then they're in real trouble that I can't help them out of; and nobody else can either"[12]

"It's a very positive and aggressive statement of Adventist beliefs", according to George Knight.[8] "This book played an important role in the history of the Adventist Church", according to Gerhard Pfandl.[8]

It was not republished until Andrews University Press independently chose to reprint the book in 2003 as part of their "Adventist Classic Library" series. This new edition contained annotations and a historical introduction by George R. Knight.[13] The text of the book had also been available online for several years prior to this republishing, through a private website.[8]

Questions on Doctrine generated a vocal minority theological movement which backs the theology of Andreasen and opposes the teaching set forward in the book. These "historic Adventists" perceive Questions on Doctrine as representing a major departure from traditional Adventist teaching, and believe that its publication has been harmful to the church. Other Adventists feel that Questions on Doctrine represents a courageous and insightful restatement of Adventist theology, while acknowledging that the book is not free from fault. For instance, it is clear that the authors pushed the facts too far with regard to Adventism's historic understanding of the Trinity, and present data about the human nature of Christ in a way that presents a false impression.

In 2005 Julius Nam, a doctoral student of George Knight, defended his dissertation on Questions on Doctrine.[14]

50th anniversary conference

A scholarly conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the book's publication was held from October 24–27, 2007 at Andrews University in Michigan. Scholars, church leaders and pastors from widely varying positions on the Adventist theological spectrum will join with non-Adventist evangelical scholars interested in Questions on Doctrine for dialogue.

The keynote speakers were Herbert Douglass, George Knight and Ángel Rodríguez. Other presenters are Roy Adams, Edith L. Blumhofer, Larry Christoffel, Donald Dayton, Denis Fortin, Larry Kirkpatrick, David R. Larson, Paul McGraw, John McVay, A. Leroy Moore, Douglas Morgan, Julius Nam, Arthur Patrick, Jon Paulien, Richard Rice, Kenneth Samples, Nikolaus Satelmajer, Ciro Sepulveda, Colin and Russell Standish, Alberto R. Timm, Mervyn Warren and Woodrow Whidden.[15] The organizers were Julius Nam and Michael Campbell, young Adventist scholars specializing in Adventist history.[16]

Online materials from the conference include entries on the Spectrum Blog by theologians Richard Rice and David Larson, and also by Bill Cork. Arthur Patrick's paper is available online.

Topics

Questions on Doctrine addressed the following topics:

See also

References

  1. ^ George Knight in the annotated edition describes the original as "the most divisive book in Seventh-day Adventist history", p.xiii
  2. ^ Donald Grey Barnhouse, "Are Seventh-day Adventists Christians?" Eternity, September 1956, 7.
  3. ^ as quoted by Loren Dickinson
  4. ^ Richard Schwartz, Light Bearers to the Remnant (Boise, Idaho: Pacific Press, 1979), 544; as quoted by Dickinson
  5. ^ Dickinon
  6. ^ M. L. Andreasen, The Sanctuary Service, chapter entitled "The Last Generation"
  7. ^ Walter Martin, The Truth about Seventh Adventists (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1960)
  8. ^ a b c d e Questions on Doctrine Annotated, Republished by Mark Kellner. Adventist Review
  9. ^ a b Articles from Ministry (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald), ISSN 0026-5314. Accessed 2007-11-16:
  10. ^ a b (2003) in George R. Knight: Questions on Doctrine: Annotated Edition. Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press, v, 522. ISBN 1-883925-41-X.
  11. ^ as quoted on http://qod.andrews.edu/index.html
  12. ^ "Currents Interview: Walter Martin" in Adventist Currents, July 1983, 15. Text as quoted by Kellner
  13. ^ World Church: "Questions on Doctrine" Book Annotated, Republished, Adventist News Network, 18 November 2003.
  14. ^ Juhyeok Nam (2005). Reactions to the Seventh-day Adventist Evangelical Conferences and Questions on Doctrine 1955-1971. Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University. Chapter 4 available online.
  15. ^ http://qod.andrews.edu/presenters.html
  16. ^ QOD conference bulletin one by Richard Rice

For a review of the annotated edition, see Julius Nam, Andrews University Seminary Studies 44:1, p.185-86

External links

Online edition

The original 1957 edition of QuQuestions on Doctrine can be read online at SDAnet. It is also available at the Adventist Archives.