04 Oct

STUDENTS UNLOCK THE READING CODE AT HMS RICHARDS SCHOOL

By Gwyn Reeves – Loveland, Colorado … A hands-on approach is key to a new language arts program implemented at HMS Richards Adventist School in Loveland, Colorado.

“Unlocking the Reading Code” incorporates an interactive approach to teaching students reading and writing from kindergarten through fourth grade. Teachers comment that students are enjoying the new program.

“Students are excited about it,” Alisha Anderson, third and fourth-grade teacher, commented; “It’s forcing them to think in ways they haven’t before. I think it will improve their reading abilities for the long term as it gives the kids a better understanding of words and their meanings.”

The program focuses on teaching kids the fundamental building blocks that will better their reading and speech skills. Teachers have been doing special training to lead this program. In Kari Lange’s first and second-grade classroom, students have an individual binder filled with items like colorful blocks, comic strips, and other manipulatives to be used during language arts time.

“I like it because it has my favorite colors in it. It’s kinda hard to pay attention sometimes, but I like using my hands and doing the super-fast pictures,” Caspian, a first-grader, said.

Typically, students will take out their binder, and Lange, depending on the lesson, may ask them to listen and be able to use blocks to identify specific letters sounds. She may also ask students to break apart word sounds (phoneme segmentation) by counting them on their hands. Lange works one-on-one with students doing timed tests asking them to name as many pictures, using correct pronunciation, as they can in a minute.

Teachers will continue extensive training in this new program through the Rocky Mountain Conference and are looking forward to seeing the positive effects on the students’ reading and writing abilities, explained Lange.

–Gwyn Reeves, Campion Academy senior; photos supplied

30 Sep

MOUNTAIN VIEWS: IMAGINING TOMORROW TODAY

RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … “When I look at the Adventism of the future, I see Jesus.  I see a church that has fully embraced Him and fully embraced His Gospel,” Shawn Brace writes in his latest article for Mountain Views.

The fall issue, which is scheduled to start arriving in your mailbox next week, focuses on the topic of Adventism and Imagination.  What will Adventism look like in 5, 10, or 40 years?  What is our hope for the future?

The editors are hoping to stir conversation and a reevaluation of one’s self-identity in the Adventist faith. “We are a people of hope, walking always into the future. Imagination helps. When I close my eyes and look toward the Second Coming of Jesus, I turn my thoughts into a world of wonder–what it will be like in the future Jesus promised?” comments Rajmund Dabrowski, editor.

Mountain Views features, among others, include, “The Seventh-day Adventist Church in 2040”; “Jesus: The Future of Adventism”; “Imagine Transforming”; and a conversation with Doug Inglish, RMC vice president of administration, and his daughter Chelsea Inglish titled “We Know Our Ultimate Future.”

This is also the last issue of Mountain Views under the editorial leadership of Ed Barnett, RMC president who retired at the end of August.  The editors of Mountain Views look forward to working with new RMC president Mic Thurber on the next issue.

If you are not receiving the magazine, please update your mailing address or subscribe for free here.

On the Back Page we are challenged: “God gave you brains. Use them.” Read Mountain Views.

–RMCNews; photo supplied

30 Sep

BRINGING THE CLASSROOM OUTDOORS IN GRAND JUNCTION

RMCNews with IAANews – Grand Junction, Colorado … The classroom moved to the great outdoors during the final week of September when students from Intermountain Adventist Academy (IAA) and Delta Adventist School joined together to explore nature, rediscover pioneer tasks, bond with new friends, and have fun.

The week began early for IAA’s elementary students (K-4) on Sunday when they joined the Adventurer club and spent the afternoon on the Grand Mesa hiking around the lake and completing a scavenger hunt by finding algae, mushrooms, rose hips, currants, arthropods, and more. The day concluded with a trip around Beaver Lake in rowboats.

“It was an amazing time because I love God’s nature,” Mason, fourth-grader, expressed enthusiastically.

The fun learning experience continued the next day at the arboretum located at the Mesa County Fairgrounds. Two horticulturists from the Colorado State University Extension school program guided the group around the gardens. The students tried their hand at grinding corn and were only able to grind enough to make 1.5 corn muffins.

Reflecting on the skills they learned, Daniel, a second-grader, commented, “It was hard for people a long time ago because they used rocks to grind corn.”

Outdoor learning concluded for the elementary school on Tuesday, when they explored Cross Orchards Farm Historic Site in Grand Junction. Students toured the farm, learned some Colorado history, saw an old-fashioned, hand-cranked apple cider press, tasted some freshly-squeezed cider, and explored an old restored train.

“You get to go sightseeing to learn the things people might have used to work, live, and stay alive. I learned that you could ride in a train caboose that has seats that you climb a ladder to get to! I hope you can go there,” Gemma, fourth-grader said.

While the elementary students explored The Western Slope with day field trips, the middle school (5-8) joined Delta Adventist School for a retreat at New Beginnings Ranch in Norwood, Colorado.

They spent time learning about water ecology, examining life in a pond through the lenses of microscopes, picking up survival skills such as building a fire, going on hikes, and facedfacing the rock-climbing wall.

The boys were very gentlemanly as they slept outdoors in tents so the girls could enjoy the comforts of the cabins.

Joining the students on their adventure was Nathan Cranson, pastor of the Montrose church, who led the group in morning and evening worship, guiding them through Bible study on the topic of “In God We Trust.”

Reflecting on the event, a teacher commented that “this experience encouraged the kids to appreciate the outdoors, learn teamwork, and build a closer friendship with Jesus.”

— RMCNews with IAANews; photos supplied

30 Sep

COMMENTARY – A PIECE OF BARBED WIRE

By Rajmund Dabrowski … It was in Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp in southern Poland, where I met astonishment and anger, all at once. There, I learned the meaning of being available–to God–and he would help me to be available to others.

Auschwitz is a place where one’s own spiritual wonder would meet Maksymilian Kolbe, a priest who gave his life in place of a fellow prisoner. At the end of July 1941, three prisoners disappeared from the camp. Ten men mere picked to be starved to death in an underground bunker to deter further escape attempts. When one of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, “My wife! My children!”, Kolbe volunteered to take his place.

For nearly two decades I refused to go to Auschwitz. But a time came in the mid-70s that I was asked to assist the Adventist world church leader and translate for him as he laid a wreath at the wall of death. It was a solitary walk just within the perimeter of the camp where I spotted a piece of barbed wire, a leftover piece lying on the path. I kept it as a reminder of those tragic days when hatred for those who were different had a winning run.

It was at this sacred place, consecrated by the blood of the innocents where my uncle Anszel’s first wife and two small children perished. My personal wonder was fortified out of that context through a conversation I had with him, sitting in his hospitable home, having the best of home-cooked Jewish cuisine, and trying to unlock his thoughts. He said: I have forgiven the Nazis. One cannot forget the past completely, but its not me who should judge them. I dont want to talk about it.

In that moment, for me, the concept of forgiveness became a child of what it means to love. It was God forgiving me that put me on the road of following Him, no questions asked. And my Christian attitude is to be wherever my fellow sojourners in this world are. Many of them are strangers to you and me. They look different, yet are still seeking and wondering, “Who is this Jesus?”

 Will they see you and me as a people who are always ready to give all we have to save them?

–Rajmund Dabrowski is RMC communication director; photo by Rajmund Dabrowski

30 Sep

KARAOKE, FLANNEL, AND EVERYTHING FALL ON DISPLAY AT CAMPION

By Airi Nomura  — Loveland, Colorado … Fall arrived in typical Campion style on September 25. Students decked out in flannel, enjoyed hayrides, face painting, pumpkin pie, games, and karaoke at the annual student association fall party.

Karaoke was a favorite activity of the evening among the students. “It was definitely fun and very homey. I enjoyed karaoke the most, just singing with everybody all gathered around. It was nice because I didn’t feel self-conscious singing in the crowd,” Kloe, freshman, said.

The night included the highly anticipated announcement of the November banquet, which included a surprise plea from the stage when Camas, a student, thought it was good to ask for his date. “I asked Kylie, and I was very happy when she replied, ‘Heck yea.’ Overall, the fall party was a success, and I can’t wait to help with the next event.”

Even though they put a lot of work into the event, the student association officers took the time to enjoy the evening. “As an SA officer, I expected to be working all night, and I did, but what I didn’t expect was to have so much fun! SA had a blast setting up and had even more fun serving and helping,” Edward, student activities director commented.

Concluding the party, seniors gathered together on stage for the yearly tradition of singing “See You Again.”

“I really liked the fall party because of the time that I could chill with my friends and the pictures we took,” reflected Gabriel, senior. “These will be good memories that I will always remember because it’s my last year at Campion.”

–Airi Nomura, campion senior; photos by Josh Jackson

To view a student-produced video by Noah Sturges, please click here

30 Sep

MHA 2021 GOLF TOURNAMENT SUPPORTS ADVENTIST EDUCATION

By MHA News — Mile High Academy (MHA) hosted its annual Alumni Golf Tournament on Friday, September 24 at Plum Creek Golf Club. Located in Castle Rock, the golf course came alive with banter about the next hole-in-one, who’s been practicing and hellos of reconnecting friends.

“Playing in the MHA Alumni Golf Tournament is a fun way to support our school while enjoying a round of golf,” said Dr. Kris Fritz, golfer and MHA parent. “It’s great seeing the students, staff, parents, grandparents, and community members come together for a great cause every year.” Dr. Fritz’s wife, Dr. Tiffany Fritz, owns Piney Creek Family Dentistry and was a sponsor of this year’s golf tournament.

The golf tournament went ahead as scheduled even though MHA’s administration and board voted to move the school’s Alumni weekend to the Spring of 2022. And while the tournament was a little lighter on attendance this year, more than 30 players who came out to enjoy the beautiful weather. Congratulations to Andy Rockwood who won the $100 Putting Green competition and to the Castle Rock Adventist Hospital team for winning the tournament with 15 under par.

Littleton Adventist Hospital also sponsored this year’s event. Dany Hernandez, lead chaplain, reflected on the day by saying, “Littleton Adventist Hospital loves partnering with Mile High Academy for their annual golf tournament. Over the years, we continue to see the positive impact Mile High Academy makes, not only for the students that attend the school, but also to the community that we all care for.”

He continued, “The leadership at Mile High Academy puts on a fantastic event that brings together individuals who would otherwise not have the opportunity to be together. Most importantly, it helps raise funds for a great cause.”

MHA is currently planning for its in-person Alumni weekend celebration in April 2022. The weekend will kick-off with Grandparents Day on Friday, April 8 followed by Alumni Sabbath on Saturday, April 9 and the school’s Annual Auction at Topgolf on Sunday, April 10.

“Thank you to each golfer and sponsor who joined us this past Friday in support of Adventist education,” said Andrew Carpenter, MHA principal. “MHA is a close-knit community; one I am thankful to have joined. I appreciated the opportunity to make several new friends all while raising money for our school. God is here at MHA as we continue our mission of a Christ-centered education for not only this generation but for future generations to come.”

[This article was submitted by MHA News]

29 Sep

ARE NUTS REALLY WHAT THEY’RE CRACKED UP TO BE?

By Dustin Stegen — You want a snack but don’t want to go for those potato chips, ice cream, or granola bar. You see a large container of mixed nuts in your pantry. You have heard nuts have a lot of fat and calories in them. You’ve also heard you should avoid them because they will make you fat. Instead, you grab those potato chips as your afternoon snack.

There are numerous reasons why you should have gone for the mixed nuts over the potato chips. Sadly, nuts get a bad reputation. So, let’s set the record straight on nuts.

The term “nuts” encompasses a wide variety of foods. Dried seeds like hazelnuts, chestnuts, and acorns are considered nuts. More commonly, almonds, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, and Brazil nuts are what come to mind when considering nuts. Cashews are the product of a fruit called cashew apples. Peanuts are considered a legume due to the type of plant they come from. For this blog, we will be referring to the typical nuts you would find in a mixed nuts container, such as peanuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, Brazil nuts, and pistachios.

It is true nuts contain fat, calories, protein, and fiber, which doesn’t make them bad for you. They also contain essential unsaturated and monounsaturated fat like omega-3 and omega-6 fats. Nuts are a good source of vitamin E, vitamin B2, folate, and essential minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, copper, selenium, and magnesium. Obviously, nuts can be eaten separately and you are welcome to enjoy the benefits of that single type of nuts, but to get a wide variety of nutrients, a handful of mixed nuts will be beneficial.

Do your best to find raw and unsalted mixed nuts to avoid added calories and unnecessary sodium in your diet. If you do buy salted nuts, place the nuts in a colander and shake them to let the extra salt drop off the nuts to lower the amount of sodium in your mixed nuts.

VERSATILE AND BENEFICIAL

Nuts are a versatile food also. When peanuts are made into peanut butter, it becomes a delicious spread perfect for adding nutrients and flavor to almost any dish. Almond butter and cashew butter are delicious as well.

Peanut butter has been shown to lower the risk of ischemic heart disease, overall cardiovascular disease, stroke in women, and all-cause mortality in a 2014 study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The famous Adventist Health Study validated the relationship between eating nuts and whole wheat bread and the reduction of coronary heart disease.

The research also found that eating nuts one to four times a week lowered the risk of nonfatal heart attacks by 74 percent and lowered the risk of fatal coronary heart disease by 73 percent. Those are incredible percentages from just eating these delicious God-given foods. Please go read more about the Adventist Health Study if you want more information on how eating plant-based meals can improve your health.

I have no issue with people eating potato chips when they want to. Even your friendly dietitian eats potato chips when it’s the right time. But if you are looking for a healthy, protein and nutrient-packed food that will keep you full and that may improve your cardiovascular health, next time, reach for those raw and unsalted mixed nuts or nut butters.

— Dustin Stegen is a Registered Dietitian and lover of all things outdoors, cooking, and teaching others about living a healthy lifestyle and eating. He is the founder of Ten Times Better, LLC a nutrition consulting business that focuses on connecting faith and food. Photo by pixabay.

This article was originally published on Outlook Magazine website.

29 Sep

THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN 2040

By Ed Barnett — As I am writing this editorial on the last day of my work in the Rocky Mountain Conference, I gave myself into a moment of wondering what our church would be like a generation on, say in 2040. It is a random choice of a year, but a worthwhile moment of imagining the future.

Now believe me, I hope we are in heaven long before 2040! But if that is not the case, what will the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America look like? I am not a prophet, but after 42 years in ministry I have seen some trends that I believe will continue and I imagine they will have a profound effect on our church as we know it today. Let me illustrate.

First, the small congregations which have, in many ways, been the backbone for the church, will continue to dry up and eventually cease to exist. Many of the towns that they are in are already on the verge of collapse as well. The little rural towns throughout Wyoming and the eastern plains of Colorado today are not the thriving communities that they once were. The same goes for farming. The small farms will be gone. Some of my friends are farmers and they have 3,500 acres of land and these can keep up with the farm equipment available today, but the little prairie farms are simply going away.

Another trend that I am seeing is that the big churches in Denver, for instance, are struggling because as more and more people are priced out of the cities, they move out further and further away from the city centers. Some of our major churches that have, over the years, subsidized the small ones are shrinking as people are commuting to the churches out in the suburbs instead.

So, what will happen to our church? What should we expect?

First, thank goodness God oversees His Church. He will continue to guide it through the turbulent times we are living in. Ellen White, the church’s founding pioneer, says the church will look like it is going to fall apart, but it will go forward till the end. All is not bleak.

You must admit that here in the United States, we have had it pretty cushy when it comes to our church. A lot of times, the pastors just spend time taking care of the saints. They really haven’t spent a lot of time out in the world winning souls for God’s Kingdom. Many of our members feel it is the pastor’s job to do both the congregational work and the soul winning. And if he or she is not able to do it, then they recommend hiring an associate pastor or a Bible worker to do it. Someday, some way, we need to realize that every one of us is called by God to do the work of ministry. Every one of us needs to be involved in the soul winning mission.

It wouldn’t surprise me if, in many areas, we may have to hold more home churches where the faithful laity will oversee services on Sabbath morning and during the week. We may not have the fanciest music, like in some churches, but we can certainly have meaningful and heartfelt worship and fellowship which is critical to our wellbeing.

The Bible warns us that near the end of time on this earth the church will be “lukewarm.” I believe we are already there. We all need to get back to the basics, spend more time with Jesus in His Word and on our knees, get back to the strong relationship we need in Jesus.

Yes, the church, as well as how we do church, is changing all the time, but the church won’t save us; it is only Jesus Christ who can do that. My fellow believers, we have to stop playing church for a couple of hours a week and start spending time with Jesus daily to see our way through the exciting, yet difficult days that lie ahead.

May we always remember that God is in control, and that we can’t go wrong if we stay close to the captain of the ship. Jesus is coming soon, turbulent times are all around us, and church may look different in the days ahead, but keep your eyes on the prize, as heaven is not far away! The day is coming when God’s church will be triumphant, and I want to always be faithful to Him to be a part of that faithful group of people who will be in heaven soon!

Maranatha!

–Ed Barnett, RMC president, retired on August 31. Email him at: [email protected]

Thank You

ED BARNETT, THANK YOU!

This is the last edition of Mountain Views under the editorial leadership of Ed Barnett. He retired as of the end of August. He provided editorial direction and guidelines to foster conversation in the church about issues that we usually talk about and dissect at the dinner table and in the church lobby. He often said, “There will be those who will disagree with what we publish. We need to be honest with ourselves, learn beyond what we know, stick to what the Scripture says, and be free to disagree with each other.” His guidance was appreciated over the last six years, and his interest in helping the church have a deeper understanding of what we believe and who we are was crucial to this publication.

There is no doubt that he will continue to be a faithful reader and creative critic. The Editorial Team will miss Ed’s frequent reminder that Jesus is coming soon. Mountain Views will continue under the editorial leadership of Mic Thurber, new RMC president

Rajmund Dabrowski, Editor

29 Sep

JUST IMAGINE WHAT THE CHURCH COULD BE LIKE . . .

By Reinder Bruinsma — Imagination is a wonderful gift. Children use their imaginations as they play and transform a few cardboard boxes into a castle. Walt Disney once stated that Disneyland will never be completed but will continue to grow if there is imagination left in the world.

As a ten-year-old Dutch boy, my imagination worked overtime as our schoolteacher told us about his vacation trips to Hungary, and as he mentioned that very few people had ever been to Albania. Little did I know that what I imagined would just a few decades later become reality when I represented the church in numerous meetings in Hungary and Albania and in dozens of other countries.

William Blake (1757–1827), the famous English poet, painter, and printmaker, already stated in his days: “What is now proved was once only imagined.” The nineteenth century adventurer and novelist Jules Verne (1826-1905) imagined that people would one day build a vehicle that would allow them to travel through the air at great speed. As I write this article, the ultra-rich businessmen of this planet compete with their rockets and space capsules to show the world which of them can reach the farthest beyond the earth’s atmosphere. And they imagine how their expensive hobby can he turned into a money-making tourist industry.

Illusion and Imagination

Dictionaries define imagination as the faculty of the human mind to form new ideas or concepts of things that are not present to the senses. Imagination has to do with what can become reality through visionary thinking, commitment, and perseverance. It is more than mere optimism or wishful thinking. It also differs from illusion, which results from fantasy and will often mislead us rather than take us to our eagerly desired destination. Imagination provides a mental picture of what may become reality. Christians see imagination first and above all as God’s gift to successfully navigate this life, with the Holy Spirit as their compass. God created human beings with the capacity for imagination, to enable them to unlock their full potential.

The Bible uses several words for the concept of imagination. Different Bible translations employ different terms—some use the actual words “imagine” or “imagination.”

As with all God-given possibilities, men and women have not always used the gift of imagination as God intended. In the time just prior to the great flood, people had lots of imagination, but of the wrong kind. “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (KJV). The New Living Translation tells us that, what the people in Noah’s day “thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.” The apostle Paul reports that many whom he categorized as belonging to “the wicked,” had become “vain in their imaginations” (Romans 1:21, 21, KJV). And Jeremiah refers to false prophets who “tell a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the Lord (Jeremiah 23:16, NASB). These and other texts in the Bible warn us to control our imaginations, and to direct them to whatever is positive and in line with Christian discipleship. Philippians 4:7 (NLT) is very clear: “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” This is the basis of the right kind of imagination.

Holy Imagination

In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul directs the imagination of believers in the church in Colossae to “things above.” He refers to what we might call “holy” or “sanctified” imagination: “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1, 2, NIV).

These words apply to all of us, but especially to those who are leaders or aspire to lead—in society at large as well as in the church. We do not need the kind of leaders who will just “look after the shop,” but leaders who have imagination—who see possibilities where others can see only challenges. The church can only flourish if it has leaders who possess a large measure of creative imagination, and who allow the Spirit to guide them in transforming their vision for the church into a blessed reality.

If there is one topic which invites the use of our sanctified imagination, it is the eternal future that God has in store for His children. There is no limit to where our imagination may lead when we contemplate the bliss of salvation: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no one’s heart has imagined all the things that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, Complete Jewish Bible).

The Church I Imagine

I remember how, in my teenage years, the pastor of our small congregation mentioned in his sermon that “our” church had now passed the one-million-member mark. I could not imagine that our small denomination (our family were the only Adventists in the village where we lived!) would in my lifetime develop into a worldwide denomination of more than twenty-two million members, who worship in some 90,000 congregations.

The Adventist Church has been my life. I have seen many wonderful things in my church. During my long denominational career, the church has been good to me and given me a very interesting and satisfying life. I acquired a large international network of colleagues and friends. But now, in my retirement years, I am realistic enough to acknowledge that the church faces many problems and that an unfortunate degree of polarization causes severe tensions. And while the denomination continues to grow in many countries, we note that the rate of growth is slowing down, and that large numbers of young, and not so young, members leave the church. At times this depresses me and makes me wonder whether the best days of Adventism are behind us. However, I keep telling myself that these thoughts of disappointment and concern must not be allowed to dominate my thinking. The church continues to have a promising future. Why? Because, when all is said and done, the church is not “my” church, or “our” church, but it is God’s church.

It is at this point that our sanctified imagination comes into play in a special way. What the church can be in the future depends to a large degree on what we imagine the church can be like. Our imaginings can inspire us to invest all our energy and spiritual power into making the church truly a place where God meets us and where the sense of being a community of Christ-followers fills what we believe and practice.

Let me share with you, who read this article, how my imagination helps me to envision the Adventist Church of the, hopefully near, future. First, I imagine a church that is able to change and to adapt in such a way that it responds with 21st century answers to 21st century questions. I long for a church where genuine fundamental unity prevails at all levels of our denominational structure, exhibiting a rich diversity in the way we express our convictions and practice our principles—in a fruitful dialogue with the cultural world in which we happen to live.

My imagination is focused on what it means to be a faith community, in which people have a sense of true belonging. I imagine a community that has a “safe” space for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical or mental handicap, profession, education, or economic status. I imagine a community that will inspire seekers for meaning and truth and welcomes doubters; that will not constantly judge the doctrinal orthodoxy of its members but recognizes that we all carry a different kind baggage and are at different stages in our spiritual pilgrimage. In my imagination I see a group of believers who want to serve the wider community, inspired by the values of justice, equality, and peace. I imagine church services that are innovative, inspiring, and deeply spiritual; that attract new believers and are meaningful for those who have never been regular churchgoers, while they are also by long-time members.

This vision may seem an unrealistic illusion to those who no longer see a future for the church. They may regard it as no more than pie in the sky. They may feel that the present condition of the church in many places around the world gives us little reason for hope that the church can change and become more relevant. But I continue to believe that God will not forsake His people. He wants us not to give up on His church, because He will not abandon it.

However, our imagination must not be built on the idea that we have the required skills and the capacities to turn our imaginings into reality. It must be based on the biblical principles of what the church is in its essence. It is the body of Christ, of which we all are members, with different roles. Together we form a “kingdom of priests”—whatever our gender or status in society may be (Galatians 3:26-28). Together we are God’s extended family.

Let’s never forget that our sanctified imagination can give us a vision of what can happen to the church if we leave enough space for the Spirit.

–Reinder Bruinsma, PhD, has served the Seventh-day Adventist Church in publishing, education, and church administration on three continents. He writes from the Netherlands where he lives with his wife Aafie. Among his latest books are “I Have a Future: Christ’s Resurrection and Mine” and “He Comes.” Email him at: [email protected]

29 Sep

Jesus THE FUTURE OF ADVENTISM

By Shawn Brace — A few years ago, when we were visioning to replant our church, one particular gentleman asked if he could meet with me privately to express some concerns about our direction. Over the course of our visit, he described what was troubling him, pointing to a few proposals we’d made about our reformatted worship gathering. In particular, he was bothered by our rhythmic-guitar playing, which was apparently a little too sensual for his scruples, as well as our proposal to serve refreshments at the beginning of the service (“After all,” he said, “Adventists don’t eat in between meals”). It all left him exasperated. “Is this even an Adventist church?” he wondered incredulously.

I want to make it clear: I know this man loves Jesus and was just trying to stay true to his conscience. I don’t want to make light of that—or him—at all. He is sincere and honest. But it left me concluding that we have two diverging visions of Adventism.

It’s not that I yearn for an Adventism that is characterized by snack-eating and guitar-playing, as though that is the height of denominational achievement. Perhaps snack-eating and guitar-playing are issues that need to be curbed. But the point is this: I’m not sure I want to be a part of an Adventism where these issues are the litmus test of a person’s or church’s fidelity to the denomination’s core principles and identity. Truly, do we want—or do we think—that only those who don’t eat in between meals are the true Adventists?

Instead, what I see for Adventism, what I see for its future, is a faith that is defined by one thing and one thing only: Jesus.

Going Back to the Future

The tension I describe above is nothing new, of course. Long ago, Ellen White saw this vision for Adventism as well, when she encountered and rejoiced over the preaching of two young preachers, Alonzo T. Jones and Ellet J. Waggoner. Culminating in the denomination’s 1888 General Conference session in Minneapolis, these two young men brought the Gospel to a dry and thirsty faith. “As a people,” Ellen White recounted two years after Minneapolis, “we have preached the law until we are as dry as the hills of Gilboa that had neither dew nor rain.” Many ministers, whom she referred to as “unconverted men,” were so zealous about the church’s recapturing of the seventh-day Sabbath teaching, as well its emphasis on other issues like diet and healthy living, that they had left out “Christ and His matchless love.” They instead presented “argumentative discourses.” But they needed “to have their eyes directed” to Christ’s “divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family,” because “many had lost sight of Jesus.”

Jones and Waggoner brought exactly what the church was missing: Jesus, in all His beauty and love. When Ellen White heard them preach in Minneapolis, her whole heart leaped for joy, and “every fiber of my heart said, Amen,” she recounted. She called their presentations as a “most precious message” that God “in His great mercy” had sent. It was “the message that God commanded to be given to the world” so that “the world should no longer say, Seventh-day Adventists talk the law, the law, but do not preach or believe Christ.” What’s more, the message they proclaimed, according to White, was “the light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory.”

But it was not to be. The old guard, believing they were protecting Adventism and the “old landmarks,” violently pushed back against this “new light” that Jones and Waggoner brought. The tragic irony is that the old guard thought they were just protecting the “old landmarks”—that is, they thought they were protecting true Adventism—when, according to Ellen White, “they knew not what the old landmarks were.”

The upshot of the whole Minneapolis episode was a great turning away from Jesus. “By exciting that opposition,” Ellen White later lamented, “Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them. . . . The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world.”

And we’ve been reaping the results ever since.

Reimagining Adventism

When I look at the Adventism of the future, I see Jesus. I see a Church that has fully embraced Him and fully embraced His Gospel. He is our only hope. Our future success won’t come because we’ve figured out the right evangelistic or missional formula; it won’t be the result of having nicer buildings or recapturing some sort of “historic Adventism.” It will happen because we’ve gone all in on Jesus.

This is not to create a false dichotomy or diminish the importance of missional innovation (of which I’m a big fan). When we go all in on Jesus—truly go all in on Jesus— creativity and innovation naturally follow in His train.

Neither does it mean that Jesus stands over-against Adventist theology and doctrine. Embracing Jesus does not come despite Adventist theology but results from a proper understanding of it.

Indeed, I’m not speaking of a vague and vacuous notion of Jesus. I’m talking about a full-orbed expression of Jesus that has definition and substance. I’m talking about a Jesus who literally experienced hell because He deemed our eternal existence more important than His own; a Jesus who died to prove that we are worthy and valuable; a Jesus who gives us rest, including a weekly reminder of it, so we can be liberated from our guilt, shame, fear, and constant hustling; a Jesus who looks at us with love, rather than condemnation; a Jesus who gives us principles by which to live, so we can experience optimal human flourishing; a Jesus who will one day finally vanquish all evil so we can live forever in peace and safety; a Jesus who has even put His reputation on the line, willingly being marred and maligned, believing that His love will ultimately win out and His character proven right.

That’s the Jesus I’m talking about.

And there is nothing or no one more beautiful. And there is nothing more worthy of our contemplation, nothing else around which we should organize our faith. If Adventism is to be about something, let it be Jesus. Everything else is pointless and a dead-end street.

Can Adventism get there in the future? I hope and trust and believe we can and we will. And I am committed to laboring to that end—through pen, voice, and, most importantly, action.

–Shawn Brace is a pastor and author in Bangor, Maine. His book, “There’s More to Jesus” (Signs Publishing), further expounds upon this vision for Adventism. He is also a D.Phil student at the University of Oxford, researching nineteenth-century American Christianity. You can follow him on Instagram @shawnbrace, and sign up for his weekly newsletter at shawnbrace. substack.com

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