Elisabet Kirkland Page 18

31 Oct

PASTORS GRATEFUL FOR RECOGNITION DURING APPRECIATION MONTH

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Mickey Mallory – Denver, Colorado … Churches in the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) and beyond take time to show appreciation to their pastor every October. While not the only person ministering in the church, pastors have a unique role in that they shoulder the load of shepherding the church members. They are typically always on the giving end, rarely on the receiving end.

During the month of October, church members are given the opportunity to allow their pastor to be on the receiving end of appreciation. This is great for the pastor because it helps him/her know that their ministry is making a difference and that their members are grateful to God for all that He is doing through their ministry. Showing appreciation to a pastor communicates to a pastor that their church members care.

The Glenwood Springs Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Church in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, recently showed appreciation to their pastor, Leonardo Jiménez, and his wife. According to Leonardo, “the elders called me and my wife to the front to recognize the work we have done and thank us for what we have done. They were very generous to both me and my wife, giving us gifts and cards with nice wishes and then a cake. It was a wonderful Sabbath.”

Steve Nelson, pastor from the Cody District in Wyoming, and his wife, Samantha, shared, “thank you for caring and showing us the precious gift of your love during pastor’s appreciation month and all year long! We love you deeply and thank God for the gift of love and knowing you!”

Dave Ketelsen, pastor from the Colorado Springs Central Seventh-day Adventist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, mentioned that after receiving appreciation from his church members, he felt “loved and encouraged to keep serving for the Lord no matter what.”

“Thank you for remembering your pastor and their family at this time of the year and throughout the year. It really means a lot to them,” remarked Mickey Mallory, RMC Ministerial director.

—Mickey Mallory is the RMC Ministerial director. Photos supplied and by Liz Kirkland.

30 Oct

NEW VOLUNTEER PROGRAM AT ADVENTHEALTH PARKER ENSURES NO ONE DIES ALONE

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AdventHealth – Parker, Colorado … As a volunteer in the Emergency Department at AdventHealth Parker, Katherine Wiley frequently interacts with patients. But there’s one interaction from the past three years that she will never forget.

She was doing her rounds, offering blankets, water and coffee to the families of patients when she passed the room of a very sick patient who had no visitors. After talking to a nurse, Katherine found out she was an elderly woman who was dying.

“I sat down and started talking to her. I stayed with her, holding her hand, until she passed away,” said Katherine. “I consider it a great blessing that I was able to sit with her in her last moments.”

The patient’s two adult sons had been rushing to get to AdventHealth Parker from Colorado Springs but arrived after their mother passed.

“I introduced myself to them and explained I had been with her when she passed. They both cried and hugged and were so thankful someone had been with her. It was such a profound moment for me.”

That profound moment inspired Katherine to take the lead on launching the “No One Dies Alone” program at AdventHealth Parker. The program provides compassionate companionship to the dying who have no family or friends. The main goal is to provide one of the most valuable human gifts: a dignified death.

No One Dies Alone volunteers offer end-of-life presence and support by sitting at the patient’s bedside. They can do anything from holding someone’s hands to playing soothing music. Volunteers work in shifts until a patient passes away or a family member arrives. The program does not require any special background or credentials, and you do not need a medical background.

“The beauty of this program is that anyone can do it,” said Katherine. “The only requirement is to be able to sit there and be fully present with the patient. If you have a calling in your heart, we want to talk to you.”

Katherine says there are more patients who need this program than most people would expect.

“There are many different people who may be alone when arriving at the hospital. Some of them are known as elder orphans; all of their friends and family have died, or they just don’t have anyone who can drive to the hospital to be with them. Sometimes we see people who don’t have great relationships with their families. Other times, there are patients who have great relationships with their families but don’t want them to see them die. Or sometimes there are emergency situations like car accidents where no one can be here quickly.”

Right now, the program has about 30 volunteers, but Katherine’s goal is to have more than 100. There are no required number of hours needed to join the program. Volunteers simply give their time as they are able. All volunteers are also given training, so they are successful in this amazing ministry.

“It is a simple act of kindness and love to be with someone in their last moments,” said Katherine. “I get so much more than I could ever give by doing this work. I hope that volunteers are touched as deeply as I have been.”

While the No One Dies Alone program is only available at AdventHealth Parker right now, Katherine is already working with representatives from AdventHealth’s four other facilities in the Rocky Mountain Region to help get the program started in other hospitals.

“We all just want to be there for our patients. We are never alone when we are born. We should not be alone when we die.”

If you are interested in becoming a No One Dies Alone volunteer, email [email protected]

—AdventHealth. Republished with permission from the AdventHealth Parker The Newsroom website. Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels.

29 Oct

CAMPION GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL BONDS AT TOURNAMENT

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Olivia Uphold – Loveland, Colorado … The girls’ varsity volleyball team at Campion Academy (CA) in Loveland, Colorado, traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska, to participate in Union Adventist University’s (UAU) Fall Tournament, October 16-20, along with the CA boys’ varsity soccer team.

The girls played 5 games against: Sunnydale Academy from Centralia, Missouri, College View Academy from Lincoln, Nebraska, Spring Valley Academy from Centerville, Ohio, Georgia-Cumberland Academy from Calhoun, Georgia, and Minnetonka Academy from Minnetonka, Minnesota. The matches were close and competitive; however, the CA girls’ team ended the tournament with four losses and one win against Minnetonka.

Even with the disappointing results, the Campion team members remained upbeat and bonded with each other during the tournament. Damaris Lopez, CA team player, says, “I like how despite our losses the team still came together with a positive attitude which made this tournament memorable.”

Whenever the girls had free time, they went to rest, spend time with friends, or support the CA boys’ varsity soccer team. Natalie Bryant, CA team player, says, “It was really fun to support the soccer team. It got really tense because I was on the same side as the soccer team hearing everything on the sidelines.”

At the end of the tournament, CA’s Olivia Uphold was given an award for being the team’s Most Valuable Player.

—Olivia Uphold, Campion Academy Student News Team. Photos supplied.

29 Oct

CAMPION BOYS’ SOCCER TEAM TAKES SECOND PLACE IN CHAMPIONSHIP

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Gabriel Costa – Loveland, Colorado … Topping off a successful season, the boys’ soccer team at Campion Academy (CA) in Loveland, Colorado, made it to the championship game at Union Adventist University’s (UAU) Fall Tournament, October 16-20, for the first time in five years. In the end, they lost against Sunnydale Academy (SA) from Centralia, Missouri, after the closely contested game went to penalty kicks, taking second place overall.

On the first day of the tournament, October 16, Campion won their game 4-0 against College View Academy (CVA) from Lincoln, Nebraska, with 2 goals from CA team captain Brayden Marroquin, one from CA player Philemon Amisi, and one from CA player Daniel Lopes. However, in the second game of the day, they were beaten 4-0 by Andrews Academy (AA) from Berrien Springs, Michigan, the reigning tournament champions.

On the second day, Campion was placed against the same opponents and needed to win both games to reach the final. Campion won 2-1 against CVA in the morning and was able to turn the tide against AA’s strong team, beating them 1-0. Gabriel Costa, the CA team’s striker, scored all the goals in both games.

Costa said, “We were upset that we had lost to Andrews [Academy], but we came together for a team meeting and encouraged each other. We arrived on the second day with our heads up and motivated to win. It was great that I scored the goals, but what made me most happy was how the team was able to deal with the defeat and improve.”

The final game against Sunnydale Academy on October 19 was a difficult and thrilling game. Both teams fought hard, ending the time in a draw, 1-1. After 10 minutes of extra time and no goals, the game was decided by penalty kicks. Both teams scored their first three penalty kicks, but Campion lost the fourth goal, so the game ended with Campion down 4-5.

Marroquin reflected, “The best moment of the game was when we equalized the game with seven minutes to go in the second half. When our team got a free kick from a foul, Davi crossed the ball into the box, Bruno headed the ball back, opening the way for Gabriel to score.”

Marroquin was selected as the Most Valuable Player of Campion’s soccer team. “The final game was full of stress, but I was confident that my team was going to play their hearts out,” Marroquin furthered. “The best part for me was the teamwork we put in. I’m proud of the team for giving it all they had.”

—Gabriel Costa, Campion Academy Student News Team. Photos supplied.

24 Oct

WHAT’S YOUR SECRET?

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When he was alone with his disciples, he went over
everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.
(Mark 4:34, The Message)

Jesus was a master storyteller. The Gospels made us aware of lessons that come from listening to what Jesus was explaining to those around him, including his disciples. It was the parables and their lessons that made me a Christian.

Jesus spoke to many, but disciples were treated to something extra. We read that “He went over everything, sorting out the tangles and untying the knots,” Mark reports.

Wouldn’t we wish to find out what he was sharing with them in the privacy of their seclusion? What were those secrets he unveiled? What were the issues he raised with them?

Moreover, wouldn’t our own Christian attitude today be different if we knew what and about whom he was talking about? What if among his different explanations, Jesus was teaching them how to embrace and love those who did not look like them and us, who did not believe like us.

Perhaps some of the Twelve asked him about the issues, predicaments, and all that stuff we are experiencing today—in XXI Century version—yet have no easy answers to give. Perhaps He talked to them about the future, as he explained the secrets of our human lot—whether then or now?

Perhaps He talked to them about being responsive to the cries of the voiceless as Jesus enlisted them to join a band of those whose task is to “repair the broken world?”

Then, at other times, he would sit among the “extraordinary sinners,” pagans, even … women. Consider specific examples of two tax collectors—Matthew and Zacchaeus—a Samaritan woman, and a few prostitutes. With him came a new reality and a mega change.

Often, I ask myself about my own faith community as to why we are being so selective in addressing world’s issues, which we seem to have lots to complain about.

During my days when I was living and working in Poland, my church was engaged in combating social pathologies. This did not sit well with some of the clergy. I remember a pastor raising his hand in a Q&A session and asking: “What could I do with 150 drug addicts and parents who came to my church last Friday night seeking help? Our church is not about that,” he said.

Perhaps the church was not prepared to do that, but the church, as a healing community, is about being responsive to the plight of those who are seeking a better way of life.

In this context, perhaps a lesson of listening to Jesus, which I must do, speaks loud and clear in a more modern encounter with what I would describe as “repairing the world.”

There is so much one could list, and we, as Adventists, are able to provide chapter and verse of what is wrong with our world. We do this through a fascinating story of the great controversy between good and evil. The media pregnant world of today craves the excitement brought by a Batman, a Spiderman, or the Man of Steel, one after another.

I would propose that we connect ourselves more with the flesh, blood, and bones of human experience, away from a virtual, digital experience and more with humanity in a one-on-one manner.

Our family would sit at a kitchen table, and, as it happens in many homes, we talked about the current affairs. It was my grandmother Janina who often kept us in wonder. She would recall the days of her youth and concluded with a comment: “Those were the ‘golden years.’ I wish they returned.”

Those were the “golden years!” And people were kind toward each other.

Our parents were more respectful about changes. The war was over, though the post-war reality was slowly settling-in after the years of WWII. Together with my siblings—living in a new reality—we would challenge the grown-ups: Golden years? Really? When? We would ask.

Frankly, I wish today was at least gold plated, even for a moment.

Every generation considers, even for a moment, that theirs is a reality to keep a bit longer. But …

For me, my present reality (now noted as post reality) is inscribed with the words by Coldplay, describing a heartbreak, yet giving a richer relevance. They sing: “Once upon a time, we burned bright, now all we ever seem to do is fight.”

Rajmund Dabrowski is the RMC communication director and editor of Mountain Views. Email him at: [email protected]

24 Oct

SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING SOLID

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In 2016, Pastor David Jeremiah released a book: I Never Thought I’d See the Day! Sounds like something you or I could probably write, now doesn’t it? The times in which we find ourselves living are indeed far different from those of the not-too-distant past. As Bible-believing Christians, however, we should not be taken totally off guard by the state of the world.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NLT), we read:

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.

If that were not found in the Bible, I suspect we could expect to find it in a present-day newspaper. I believe the same could be said about Apostle Peter’s words (2 Peter 3:3): Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days, scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.

While I wholeheartedly accept that these forebodings apply to our age, I believe it is also important to keep our times in perspective. Take our political climate for example. The rhetoric seems to be getting more vicious and personal with each election season. Candidates, it seems, are not content to focus on their political differences with their “opponent,” they seem driven to debase, discredit, and belittle them at every opportunity.

In a 2016 column in the Los Angeles Times titled “Lies, insults, and exaggerations: A U.S. presidential campaign tradition,” Alexia Fernandez wrote the following: “The presidential campaign of 1800 gave the American public its first taste of how outrageous and fierce candidates could be in pursuit of the highest office. Thomas Jefferson, who lost the 1796 election against John Adams, campaigned formidably against the incumbent. He paid the editor of the Richmond Examiner to print anti-Federalist and anti-Adams articles and praise his own campaign. Written attacks by Jefferson supporters claimed Adams was a “hideous hermaphrodital character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman.”

Adams’ campaign retaliated, calling Jefferson a “mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father.”

What’s that expression … “the more things change, the more they stay the same?” And didn’t Solomon tell us That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9, NKJV).

I’m not sure it is much comfort to realize that the world has always been in a mess and we have no right to expect our age to be any different. Be that as it may, how should we as Bible-believing, Christ-following, Holy Spirit-filled Seventh-day Adventists function amidst all the turmoil around us?

I firmly believe that in this age of change and uncertainty people are searching for something solid that they can hold on to today, tomorrow, and all the tomorrows to follow. Thankfully, we have that solid footing that will steer them, and us, in the right direction. People are living in fear these days, and if they do not have a relationship with Jesus, they have every right to be afraid. As believers, however, we know that “God has not given us a spirit of timidity and fear, but of power, and love, and a sound mind” (see 2 Timothy 1:7).

This is certainly not a time to water down our deeply held beliefs. Joe Crews, the founder of the Amazing Facts Ministry in his must-read book Creeping Compromise, said that the church always stays a certain distance from the world. The problem he noted is that the further the world gets away from God, the same applies to the church.

This is a time for us to be more determined to truly live out our faith by knowing and claiming God’s promises found in His Word. We should be earnestly praying each day for the Baptism or Infilling of the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us on our journey. This is a time for us to be more bold in our witness and share our faith which can and should serve us well in these troublesome times. All about us are people whose hearts are “failing them from fear” (Luke 21:26). Oswald Chambers put it well when he said, “Let your faith be stronger than your fear.” Again, when our focus is on the condition of the world, dread is a reasonable response. When our focus is on our Lord and Savior, and His anticipated return, however, such a response makes no sense at all.

Some reading this might come away thinking I’m saying we should accept the fact that we cannot change the state of the world and we should just throw up our hands in despair. Well, maybe yes, and maybe no. I do believe we can positively impact our families, churches, and communities. But as for the whole world, I suggest we would be better advised to throw up our hands in prayer.

Richard Neibuhr summed up what I am suggesting in his famous “Serenity Prayer.” Many are familiar with the first verse, but many others do not realize there is a second verse. Apparently, the prayer has appeared in various versions, and even its authorship and date of origin are in question. Nevertheless, I invite you to consider how you might apply it to your life:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right, if I surrender to His will,

That I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.”

Sounds wise to me. Amen?

Ron Price is a member of the Piñon Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in Farmington, New Mexico. He has authored three books in his PLAY NICE in Your Sandbox series, created a small group study in conflict management, and is the co-founder of the Institute for Biblical Peacemakers. Email him at: [email protected]

23 Oct

A CALL FOR COMPASSION OR FOR CONSPIRACIES?

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A few months back, a fairly controversial Adventist speaker came to my home state of Maine and delivered a couple eyebrow-raising presentations that garnered some attention around the Adventist world. Speaking of the COVID-19 crisis, and how the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists refused to lend official support to those who tried to opt out of getting vaccinated, he said one thing in particular that caught my attention. The COVID-19 crisis, he proposed, “was the single largest evangelistic opportunity in our lifetime, and we fell in line with the papacy.”

We did so, he insisted, because the General Conference failed to give official support to its members who lost their jobs by refusing to get vaccinated. Instead of officially standing up for each member’s religious liberty, the Adventist Church caved to neo-Marxist pressure—and thus failed to reap the gains of non-Adventists around the world who’d be impressed with a truly Protestant denomination that stood up for the rights of its individual members.

It’s not my interest to analyze or critique the views of the speaker—nor to assess the steps or missteps of the General Conference (then or now). Neither am I trying to rehash old debates and discussions about COVID-19 and the efficacy, or non-efficacy, of any particular approach to treatment.

What I find interesting, however, is the underlying assumptions that the speaker presented, and the (perhaps) competing perspectives on how Adventists should act during postnormal times and moments of crisis. There’s also divergent—perhaps even dichotomous—opinions on what actions are off-putting to an onlooking world, and which ones are evangelistically attractive.

For example, the General Conference, in explaining why they gave general support to the public health measures promoted by health officials (even while making it repeatedly and abundantly clear that they also respected and supported the choices of individual members), cited the need to “lov[e] our neighbors as ourselves” as a reason to follow vaccination recommendations.

To be clear, whether one agrees or disagrees with the efficacy of such measures is besides my point; the stated goal, at least, was to be good neighbors, trying to practice Christ’s second greatest commandment and to put others’ potential wellbeing above one’s individual rights.

At the same time, implicit in this stance, was the fear that to dogmatically assert one’s individual rights in such an instance would be to potentially undermine our witness in the world.

This particular speaker, and the dozens—and perhaps hundreds—who “amened” his presentation, felt the exact opposite about what constituted a good evangelistic witness. It was not through actions that could be perceived as loving one’s neighbor that could yield the biggest evangelistic returns, but standing up for and asserting one’s individual rights that could greatly impress the onlooking world.

Of course, underlying the whole presentation was an eschatological assumption. We’re living in the last days, and just about every crisis that comes along is an opportunity for the governments of the world to chip away at individual liberty.

So, taking a stand and asserting one’s individual liberty, is a prophetic and God-ordained work—an implicit resistance against the satanic forces that are trying to suffocate freedom of conscience. To fail to stand up for religious liberty, as the speaker defined it, is to turn one’s back on our prophetic calling, and to neglect to prepare people to receive the “seal of God” and resist the mark of the beast.

Thus, it’s not only a failed evangelistic opportunity; it’s a failed evangelistic mandate (which, obviously, trumps any governmental mandates).

Again, I’m not trying to be critical of any individual or institution. I just think this episode illustrates two paths that Adventists can take when it comes to how we relate to and navigate through postnormal times. We can prioritize love of neighbor, works of justice and mercy, and empathy; or we can give more emphasis to individual rights, our prophetic interpretations—and what we perceive to be our calling and responsibilities in light of those prophetic interpretations—and last-day timelines.

This isn’t at all to imply that these two paths have to be mutually exclusive. But far too often, they seem to be for many Adventists.

When crisis strikes, many times Adventists become more known for blanketing a community with The Great Controversy than saturating a community with blankets. We tend to make sure that no good crisis goes to waste, leveraging people’s fears and scarcity for our eschatological ends. In many ways, in such instances, we relate to people in crisis as objects to be “sealed” rather than people to be helped and loved.

And even when we do lead with works of love, it’s often just a set up in preparation to blitz them with what we really care about: the truth (about the end-times).

Again, this may sound like a false dichotomy—or overly-critical. I wish to be neither. But if I’m inching close to cynicism or negativity, it’s because I find myself so incredibly jealous for love serving as the primary position from which we operate. I desperately want Adventism to be known—especially in postnormal times—for its compassion, mercy, generosity, and care, rather than its conspiracies and uncompromising assertion of individual liberty (motivated chiefly by beliefs about what will supposedly happen in the future).

What was it, after all, that Jesus told his disciples would indicate they were his followers? By this all will know that you are My disciples, John recorded him as saying, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). Warning people about impending disaster, or fighting for individual rights, isn’t necessarily in opposition to loving well, of course. We don’t need to set up false dichotomies.

But if the people we’re supposedly trying to love consistently feel like we’re not loving them well, there’s a decent chance we’re not.

Truly, postnormal times are incredible opportunities to let our lights shine. But let that be the light of love—not simply a litany of prophetic proof-texts. Let’s reach out to our neighbors with a genuine and selfless love, free from ulterior motives and hidden agendas, and treat others as we would want to be treated.

If that creates a curiosity about the religious commitments that motivate our behavior—which it often does—then that’s an extra bonus, and we can humbly bear witness to the hope that’s within us. But if it doesn’t open up those avenues, we should honor people’s agency and not try to force them to take a medicine they don’t realize they may need.

Though experience has taught me that many of us choose the path of conspiracy over compassion, that’s fortunately not always the case.

Being Love

I remember a conversation I had with a new friend of mine quite a few years ago that was both unique and surprising—so unique that I still remember it to this day. We had connected at Dartmouth College because we were both doing Christian ministry on the campus, and when he asked me what specific faith community I was a part of, his response to my indication of Seventh-day Adventism caught me off guard. “Oh,” he said with a grateful smile on his face, “you guys are the ones who run ADRA.” He then added, “You do really good work around the world.”

As I said, his response caught me off guard. I had never encountered a response like that when I’ve told someone I’m an Adventist—nor have I had someone respond like that since then. Most of the time, people have either never heard of us, they think we’re Mormons, they immediately identify some traditional practice we’re known for—the Sabbath or vegetarianism—or they increasingly identify us as the people who send out a “strange” and unsolicited book via mass mailing.

But imagine if everyone, when they heard the name Adventist, immediately thought of people who just want to help other people. Imagine if in times of crisis, we were known as the people who love—rather than people who are quick to push “conspiracy theories” about those crises in an attempt to try to leverage people’s fears, anxieties, and deficits for what we perceive to be our eschatological mission.

Imagine!

We can still speak of our prophetic understanding—which can be, when done wisely and in the context of God’s love, extremely relevant and clarifying. But we definitely shouldn’t push that button unless and until we first overwhelm people with the unadulterated message that we are for them, we love them, we want what’s best for them, and our service to them isn’t contingent on them joining our team or receiving our “seal.”

So how should Adventists act in postnormal times, and what should we be known for in times of crisis? Just the same as always: By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

Shawn Brace is a pastor, church planter, and author in Portland, Maine, and a DPhil Candidate at Oxford University. You can subscribe to his weekly newsletter at shawnbrace.substack.com. Email him at: [email protected]

23 Oct

OPPORTUNITY THE WORLD NEEDS

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I first encountered the term “post-Christendom” in a college course on postmodernism. I had no idea what it meant, but I was intrigued. Eventually, I discovered the same definition everyone else has who works in the fields of theology, missions, education, cultural studies, political science, social services, government, and general church work:

Post-Christendom refers to the dismantling of the veneer of Christianity in Western civilization—assumptions about the role and place of Christian beliefs, notions of Christian-influenced morality, and the Church as a community institution—as the accepted religious shape of a given society and its culture.

In other words, post-Christendom refers to the ongoing practice of Western societies to move away from Christianity as the assumed leader of morality or a leading influence on culture and government. The biggest impact post-Christendom has had on our lives has been the increasing reality that Christian identity is no longer considered axiomatic in our larger society and culture. Living in a post-Christendom society inevitably means learning to live without the comfort, security, or ease of the forms and expressions of Christianity that previously made it easier to live unbothered as a believer.

Adventism, Normalcy, and the Problems of Living in Postnormal Times

Why am I talking about the concept of post-Christendom? The reason is because people are now living in what can only be called the “postnormal” and having the same experience with postnormal times as I first did with post-Christendom times. Like it or not, the last few years have been anything but normal. In fact, they’ve been downright strange and even a little bizarre. I’m not going to address any of the odd events that have occurred in the United States or throughout the world for the last four years, because that level of strangeness can be absolutely overwhelming on certain days! Instead, I want to address some of the postnormal that has been happening in the Seventh-day Adventist Church that has now come to define much of the spiritual background of our lives.

Since 2020, these postnormal times have witnessed a blossoming of independent Adventist movements and “supporting ministries,” whose sole purpose seems to be to angrily snipe at the organized Adventist Church for its apparent apostasy, while still wanting to be identified as part of the organized Adventist Church. You know it’s not normal when other independent ministries start to express discomfort with this new breed of “Adventist” independent ministry.

Likewise, the presence of anti-trinitarian groups in Adventist circles is not new to the denomination, but the rise in a militant style of anti-trinitarianism is something novel. This “Adventist” anti-trinitarianism not only tries to take over local congregations but also whole conferences (and their headquarters!)—which isn’t so much alarming as it is strange.

What is stranger still, however, is the phenomenon of Adventist church members allying themselves with odd theological and social bedfellows. Adventists who tend to describe themselves as progressive or liberal are increasingly joining forces with mainline Protestant groups and organizations. This is nothing new, though what is a little unusual is how much self-proclaimed social activists within Adventism are starting to also embrace the liturgical life of these denominations, given their historic disinterest in liturgy.

But even more odd are the self-identifying conservative and moderate Adventists who are now flirting with the secret rapture, the role of Israel in end-time events, and the seven-year reign of the antichrist as acceptable Adventist beliefs, or at least an openness to Adventism being wrong about the end-time apostasy of other churches.

Perhaps the strangest thing of all are those Adventists and independent groups who are now claiming Ellen G. White always believed that Christians need to turn the United States into a theocracy, with the organized Adventist Church slipping into apostasy while the American evangelicalism of the culture wars is considered the true remnant. Talk about postnormal times indeed!

This situation can easily feel overwhelming and discouraging. The polarization of Adventism seems to be increasing by the day and it’s unclear what the solution is. Talking about the problem is of no help either. Different factions within Adventism have drawn up their doctrinal, lifestyle, missional, and authorial reasons for this polarization, including who is to blame (and in some instances, who ought to be expelled from the Adventist Church). The only thing these disparate perspectives can agree on is that there is a problem and that these are not normal times!

Besides, we know what the true problem—dare I say crisis?—actually is, because it has been with us for a long time: lovelessness. We are judgmental and ungracious to ourselves and each other, and we generally distrust our leaders, pastors, and teachers. We are also suspicious and fearful of each other, both from the clergy side and the laity side, and we often actively undermine each other in subtle, passive, and indirect ways—which ultimately undermines our mission and witness. Like my original confrontation with post-Christendom, it can feel good and reassuring to go back “to when things were normal” and even strive to reclaim a semblance of that normalcy. But if time tells us anything about normalcy, it is that one can never go back to when things were normal and made sense (and they probably never existed anyway). All you can do is move ahead.

Constructing an Adventist Theology of Hope

The requirement to move ahead (because there is no other option) brings us back to the issue of Adventism in postnormal times. How are we to move forward? What we need is an Adventist theology of hope. I’m not talking about Jürgen Moltmann’s famous book Theology of Hope, though this is an admirable example of hope as the tenor of theology and faith. I’m talking about the very bones and sinew of Adventism! So many Adventists approach their denominational identity and mission devoid of hope. Some of us focus on doctrine, others health, still others church policy and tradition, while yet still others highlight any number of marginal hobbyhorses. The problem with this approach is not that it creates competition between all these good and important aspects of the mission, though it truly does, and we have been reaping the limiting and stagnating effects of this for well over a century. The real problem is that none of this can give any hope for the mission, because all of this is the fruit rather than the root of Adventist mission and identity.

A theology of hope, I believe, has four core elements: a foundation, an orientation, a life, and a structure. The foundation of an Adventist theology of hope must be the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus, the God-man, is the only reality that can sustain the Adventist Church, because Jesus is the only one who has died for us, conquered death, and strode forth from the grave robed in everlasting life. Such a rootedness in Jesus’ resurrection inevitably lifts us out of empty searching for meaning and purpose and sets us on he who is meaning and purpose itself. Consequently, the orientation of an Adventist theology of hope must be the second coming of Jesus. He who came the first time to die for us is the same one who will come the second time to finish the work of salvation he began in us, and who has preserved that work with his ongoing heavenly ministry for us.

But an Adventist theology of hope can only be nurtured and lived out of a living connection with the crucified and risen Lord Jesus who is coming again. This kind of theology of hope can never be sustained by wishful thinking, hoping things turn out well, or trying to live your life the best you can. Rather, it is only by the grace and fellowship that is daily given to us by the Lord and Rabbi to whom we belong and who calls us his beloved. Finally, such a life and connection with the risen Jesus can only be maintained by structuring it around what I call missional gospel practices: fasting, prayer, Bible reading, giving to the poor, Sabbath, sharing your faith, hospitality, spending time in nature, being with your family, serving, practicing forgiveness, resting, and trusting in God.

Conclusion: Living as an Adventist in Postnormal Times

An Adventist theology of hope will enable Adventists to live boldly and robustly in postnormal times. Such an Adventism would be relevant, not by someone else’s standards but by its own standard. The reason this is true is obvious: an Adventist theology of hope gives us the courage to reclaim our identity, mission, and unity, practice Jesus’ commands to care for the poor and oppressed in society, proclaim the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and joyfully embrace the responsibility to share the three angels’ messages with the world in preparation for the soon return of King Jesus. Like the early Adventists who were energized by their friendship with Jesus and invigorated by a theology of hope to get involved in missions, hospitals, schools, and relief work, the sky is the limit for twenty-first century Adventists who will do the same.

Nathaniel Gamble is the RMC Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Director and pastors four churches in Colorado. He is currently finishing his PhD from Calvin Theological Seminary and is married to Alexandria. Email him at: [email protected]

23 Oct

DIFFERENT DAY, SAME GOD

In

One of my favorite places to get dessert is CRUMBL Cookies. It’s a cookie chain that serves giant fresh baked cookies in a brilliantly bright pink box. The unique thing about this business is that the entire menu changes. Each week, five flavors of cookies change entirely. For example, one week the menu may offer a Chocolate Covered Strawberry cookie, but within seven days, that flavor will be traded out for Lemon Poppy Seed. Customers never know what flavors will show up each week, nor do they know when a certain favorite flavor of theirs will return to the menu. It’s a genius business model if you really think about it. The ever-changing menu keeps customers curious and coming back regularly in anticipation to see which flavors are offered in the limited span of six business days.

CRUMBL Cookies is very similar to life in that you can always count on one thing … change. If only every change we experienced in this life were as sweet as fresh baked cookies. There are many changes happening in our world, whether it be changes in society, the economy, with technology, in politics, in religion, the list goes on and on. Sometimes it seems like the entire menu changes weekly. But it makes me wonder if the changes that are happening in our world today can lead us as Christians to a place of curiosity and anticipation rather than fear and anxiety. It makes me wonder if the changes that are happening in the world around us can lead us to a place where we say, “Different Day, Same God.”

Like all things, this brings me to go look at the Word of God. This subject of change   brings me the old solid Bible story of David and Goliath:

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle?” Am I not a Philistine? And are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me (1 Samuel 17: 8).

Goliath makes a solid point here. Why would the guys in the Israelite army line up for battle, day after day, morning and evening, for forty days, just to run away?! I guess I can’t blame the Israelites, because with single man combat, the Israelites are no longer looking to God or their full army for help. Instead, they start comparing themselves to what’s in front of them, Goliath. When they compare, they see they have big odds stacked against them! Their struggle is very real! So, they keep lining up, and running away, lining up, and running away.

But what if the army of Israelites had compared their circumstances, their surroundings, and, ultimately, their giant to their God? What if we compare our circumstances, our surroundings, and, ultimately, the giants we are facing in our world to our God? I recently heard a song that sang, “The only remedy for big odds, is a big God.” It makes me ask the question, “Are we as Christians comparing our big odds to our big God?”

Next up in the story, a shepherd boy named David, the youngest son of Jesse, heads out to deliver bread and cheese to his brothers who are “fighting” in battle. That’s right, before there was DoorDash, there was David.

David happens to show up right as the Israelites are lining up for battle and that’s when he hears Goliath talking trash about his God. He also hears about the reward for the one who kills the giant: you get wealth, a wife, and waived from taxes! What a deal! People hear David discussing these matters and bring him to King Saul.

Which brings us to the passage that I believe is the heart of the story and the heart of this article.

But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine (1 Samuel 17:34-37).

This passage often gets skimmed over, but it is the cornerstone of this Bible story. Forever, I heard this story growing up, and the emphasis was always on David and how much faith he had in God. The title we give this story is, “David and Goliath.” The songs we sing about this story go something like, “Only a boy named David.” Forever, I thought David was the main character of this story and the main point was to have courage and faith like David did. But this passage changed everything for me.

This passage reveals that

God was the one who made the first move.
God was the one who first rescued David from the Lion.
God was the one who rescued David again from the paw of the bear.
God rescued David first.
God loved David first.

David is just an eyewitness of the Living God, and THAT makes David look at his current situation and say, “Different Day, Same God. Different Giant, Same God.”

It’s God’s faithfulness that gives David the courage and confidence to … go to the frontlines,

To boldly speak truth to the giant;
To run towards him;
To kill him with a stone;
To stand over him in victory; and
To, ultimately, reverse the entire story for the Israelites.

The story even ends with the Israelites doing a victory chant and chasing after the Philistines.

Talk about a plot twist. I think God loves a good plot twist.

The point of this story is not just “Try to have the SAME FAITH as David,” but that “We have the SAME GOD as David.”

I used to think of the Bible as stories about

Abraham having faith in God.
Joseph having faith in God.
Moses having faith in God.
David having faith in God.
Daniel having faith in God.

And I used to think the main point of these Bible stories was that I need to try to be like these characters and have a lot of faith. That’s not a bad message by any means, but the problem was that once the Bible ended, it’s done. That’s where the God stories stop. That’s where the powerful God stops, because all of those Bible characters are dead and done, including God.

But when reading through the Bible, I realized it is not just a bunch of separate stories of humans having faith in God, the Bible is one BIG story of God being faithful to humanity.

Which means, when the Bible stops, God keeps going.

Which means, when our world throws us curveballs, God keeps working.

Which means, when our world keeps changing, God remains constant.

Which means, when it’s 2024 and we are surrounded with new challenges, our big God is still in it with us.

It means He’s NOT just the God of Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, and David …

He’s the God of Mollie,
The God of Rajmund,
The God of you, Reader!
The God of each and every one of you.

He is so in love with us, ready and willing to walk, talk, and do life with us.

Fellow Christian, our God is the God who is and who was and who is to come. He’s got the whole world in His hands. So instead of looking at the changes and challenges that surround us in this world today with fear and anxiety, let’s confidently be in a place of curiosity and anticipation. Let’s be curious and excitedly anticipating how God is going to work this time, how He’s going to come through this time, how He’s going to win this time.

When we realize that our God is big and faithful, this gives us the confidence to live confidently in an ever-changing world, with ever changing battles, with ever changing giants. So whatever change or challenge we face, whether good, bad or ugly, we can confidently say,

Different Day, Same God
Different Struggle, Same God
Different Job, Same God
Different Battle, Same God
Different Economy, Same God
Different World Leaders, Same God
Different Life Chapter, Same God
Different Giant, Same God.

Mollie Dupper is the associate pastor at Boulder Adventist Church. Email her at: [email protected]

23 Oct

MEMOIRS OF A SANDWICH

In

I am a sandwich.

Well, metaphorically …

I guess I could more accurately say that I am a member of the “sandwich generation,” a loose term for the segment of the population who are simultaneously caring for their aging parents and supporting their own children, even if only financially. And I am in good company with about a quarter of the U.S. adult population joining me in this passage.1

To continue with the taxonomy, I also lie within the largest group of this segment deemed “middle-aged” with around 70% of this group between the ages of 40 and 59.2  Within the North American Division (NAD) of Seventh-day Adventists, we comprised almost half of the membership as of 2022.3

So, what is important about this classification other than comprising a significant number of the Adventist population? We were also “sandwiched” between two worlds: analog and digital.

Many of my peers and I remember the days when every electronic had a tether or a dial. As children, we had the role of being the human TV remote, physically going to the TV to change the channel. There was no such thing as auto dial, and you painfully watched the rotary dial on phone slowly track its way back to set before whirling it to the next number in the sequence. And one of our most valued possessions was our bicycle and the freedom and adventure it brought.

Then suddenly, in retrospect, the proverbial technology roller coaster completed the slow clackety climb to the analog apex of the track’s big drop and into the fast-paced digital world we rushed. The familiar “schwack” and “ding” of the typewriter was replaced by the jarring sound of the dial-up modem. Telephones became mobile and were no longer terra-firma bound. You could write to people all over the world and transfer knowledge in a split second rather than with costly phone plans and slow mail service.

So, you take this constantly changing physical and technological world of our youth and the constantly changing requirements of our adulthood, and I am not sure if my counterparts and I have ever really known “normal.”

So here is the rub … for us, everything is “normal.”

We were familiar with times of being relatively “unplugged.” We were also young and adaptable and growing along with this fledgling digital technology. We were certainly a sizable number of early engineers and are a large portion of the continued producers of what we are experiencing now in this period being labeled “Postnormal Times,” or PNT for short.

This concept of PNT was popularized by Ziauddin Sardar, a British-Pakistani scholar, writer, and cultural critic. It is identified as a departure from society’s previous social and governing structures and is characterized as a period of interconnected systems, unpredictability, instability, and contradictory values, beliefs, and realities.

If I were to be honest, I feel as though the twentieth century was one big postnormal time, from the roaring 20s to the female workforce during WWII to the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s to the punk rock subculture emerging in the mid-1970s. And the twenty-first century has certainly followed suit with the growth of social media, COVID, and now the integration of AI in our daily lives.

So, what has this all meant for my fellow Adventist sandwiches? My sandwich peers are half of the Adventist population and are “in line” and currently taking the leadership reins from the previous generation in the Church. Unfortunately, in a 2011 global survey of former Adventist church members commissioned by the General Conference (GC) Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research, found that around 35% of middle-aged members leave the church.4 These departures are for a multitude of reasons but included losing touch with the Adventist Church, feeling shame to not being able to live up to perceived standards, anger over treatment from the church, and more.5

So how does the Church address these problems in these continued unstable times and keep this group engaged and supported, and, ultimately, retained in the Church?

My fellow sandwiches all face some similar challenges to varying degrees. Probably one of the most basic struggles is the financial burden of supporting essentially three generations. The Church may not be able to address this issue with each individual’s circumstances, but there are benefits to being part of a supportive community in terms of hearing of employment opportunities, caregiving assistance, financial gifts from church members for significant needs, and an eager prayer community.

There is also trying to balance career responsibilities and caregiving duties that weigh on sandwiches. The stress of caregiving can take a toll on the mental and physical health of this generation. Many benefit from access to mental health services, respite care, and support groups to manage stress and avoid burnout.

Building and maintaining strong social support networks is essential. What better place to encourage from and build upon a positive support network than the Church. These networks can provide emotional support, practical assistance, and a sense of community, helping to alleviate some of the pressures of caregiving.6 What can be more Christ-like than that!

And since sandwiches manage three plus generations in their spiritual and church lives, ease of accessibility to the community is crucial. While the Adventist denomination may have initially been slow to adopt the new digital advances, it certainly has its presence on them now, from live-streamed Sabbath services to online publications and most churches and related clubs on social media.

While we can mostly agree that being present and in-person in our Church community provides the greatest spiritual and personal gains, a more hybrid approach in the Church can give those with demanding schedules greater ability to be active and engaged in the community, rather than just having to “opt out” until their lives allow for more mental, emotional, and physical space to participate. Flexibility for sandwiches is key.

So, while we wait for His second coming to eliminate the struggles and stresses of all, putting focus on all-encompassing access and tailored support to the Church community is paramount to continuing our commission in the name of Jesus and continuing to build a supportive, thriving Christian community in these ever-changing times.

Liz Kirkland is the RMC communication assistant. Email her at: [email protected]

 

1  Blazina, C. (2022, April 8). More than half of Americans in their 40s are ‘sandwiched’ between an aging parent and their own children. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/04/08/more-than-half-of-americans-in-their-40s-are-sandwiched-between-an-aging-parent-and-their-own-children/

2  Parker, K., & Parker, K. (2013, January 30). The sandwich generation. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2013/01/30/the-sandwich-generation/

3  Coppockm. (2023, April 12). Age Statistics in the Adventist Church – Adventist Research. Adventist Research. https://www.adventistresearch.info/age-statistics-in-the-adventist-hurch/#:~:text=In%20essence%2C%20while%20there%20are,80)%20comprise%20only%2012%25

4  Trim, D. (2011). Foundational Research. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://www.adventistresearch.info/wp-content/uploads/NR2017TED_2.pdf

5  Ibid.

6  Cohen, S. (2004). Social relationships and health. American Psychologist, 59(8), 676–684. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.59.8.676

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