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As a creationist, I have always been deeply interested in the issues of science related to the origin of the Universe and the beginning of biological life. Throughout the years, a basic understanding of science had remained stable as related to the beginnings of life and the Universe. Relatively minor changes have been accepted as time has passed. Major issues have remained the same in general terms. With the advent of the Hubble telescope things slowly began to change. New concepts began to be proposed. The James Webb telescope had greatly accelerated this process. On an almost daily basis I am seeing articles that propose major changes in our understanding of the origin of the Universe. Those often suggest that fundamental concepts may need to be reviewed and possibly revised. On some levels, these potential changes may appear to be minor. However, taken together, they often add to major changes in our understandings. The following links report on such proposals. Those links are only a few. There is much more information for people who want to search the Internet. * https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-discover-surprise-at-beginning-of-time-which-changes-understanding-of-universe/ar-AA1nNAyU?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=8e2b726af1eb49a0ab8ccf474b644fe7&ei=5 * https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/webcontent/web-content/vi-HSi84%2BGkVQ0qrA?vid=TXH9ILdcO-o&provider=yt&ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=9448b5434c774aa5b847ad840bb0b63b&ei=11 * https://thedebrief.org/new-james-webb-space-telescope-findings-are-challenging-our-accepted-ideas-on-how-galaxies-form/ * https://www.ladbible.com/news/science/james-web-space-telescope-real-surprise-universe-583562-20240424 * https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-12-amazing-discoveries

Sunday is my day of rest, says a committed Seventh-day Adventist. For an interesting outlook, see: https://atoday.org/why-sunday-is-my-day-of-rest/

Massive baptisms in PNG are being reported. The immediate question is: Will those people be properly discipled? See: https://atoday.org/papua-new-guinea-early-baptism-estimates-surpassed/ https://spectrummagazine.org/news/over-a-quarter-million-recently-baptized-in-papua-new-guinea/

For additional critical comment on the above see: https://spectrummagazine.org/views/analysis/adventist-church-grows-by-a-full-percent-in-just-two-weeks/ And https://ronaldlawson.net/2019/05/14/from-political-subservience-to-political-power-and-influence-seventh-day-adventists-in-papua-new-guinea/

Death by Coconut: Earlier today, I briefly tuned in to a program on Hope TV (A SDA TV Channel) and listened to a speaker compare the number of people who died from shark attacks with the number of people who died from coconuts falling on their heads. I decided to check his figures out. To my surprise, there are multiple Internet sites that claim to give such numbers. The figures cited in the TV program, while popular, are likely false. If you have a great desire to learn the truth as to how the death rate from falling coconuts compares with shark attacks, the following website will inform you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_coconut

(N) Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

Training Opportunity: The following article informs as to an interesting training opportunity that is available for $15.00 for the training. My suggestion is that it might be of value for other areas of North America. https://register.adventsourceevents.org/EmotionalandSpiritualCareTraining

Adventist Today is looking to hire a person for the following position:

One of the rules of this forum is that it cannot be used by members to request gifts. Such requests will be deleted. One reason is that we cannot verify that such requests are valid. A second reason is that it costs money to run this forum. We do not charge a fee to be a member. WE invite people who want to contribute to a worthy cause to help to fund this forum. On occasion the management of this forum may publish a request for funds. That will be an exception and is not a change in the fundamental policy. NOTE: I have deleted a request for funds. My doing so does not indicate that the request was not valid. It may have been a valid request. But, it violated a rule of this forum. So, I deleted it, as I will delete future requests.

College costs are climbing for students at SDA schools. The following article can serve as a basis fo compare the costs of attending a SDA college with those of other well-known schools. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/the-top-10-most-affordable-colleges-on-the-new-ivies-list-from-forbes-2-are-private-schools/ar-BB1mrdxW?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=db806c40126943df94f09a53c579e016&ei=11

The following Spectrum article is well worth considering: https://spectrummagazine.org/views/opinion/adventists-christians-without-borders/

My personal position: * The Holy Spirit is in charge of our spiritual development. * God only holds me responsible for what the Holy Spirit has convicted me on.

That was quite the series of articles there. They somewhat align with the way I think of it. While I can acknowledge that certainly there are now and will be Hindu's in heaven my conscience would not allow me to become a Hindu because I believe I am held by God to a higher standard because I've been given the fullness of the truth while a devout Hindu (or put in any other faith tradition) was not given the fullness of the truth - therefor a Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Baptist or SDA's conscience wouldn't stand against them in the particular and general judgement while mine would stand against me if I downgraded my beliefs. Just my .02 cents here. I would love to see the reaction of the President of the General Conference SDA's as he was consuming these several articles - they seem to be a combination and knock-out punch to those types of SDA's that insist what the mans Grandmother asserted against her neighbor (that it was too bad she wasn't SDA because she was such a nice woman). Thought provoking articles!

The Size of our Universe is estimated to have a diameter of some 46,000,000.000 light years. This provides an observable universe of some 13,000,000,000 light years. With this we are informed that we shall never be able to see beyond that last figure. Not with any advanced telescope, either that uses light or radio waves. In other words, there is much to our Universe that we will never be able to observe in any manner. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/on-a-cosmic-scale-the-universe-is-quite-small-this-could-transform-our-understanding-of-it/ar-AA1gU7zT?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=6c5139b5f3a04e988dcbf366c6cf9cdf&ei=17

Moral Development: In psychology, Dr. Lawrence Kohlberg postulated a well-accepted theory that all children develop moral consciousness in specific steps. In the following article, Jared Martin suggests that Christian beliefs are individually developed in a similar process. https://atoday.org/from-nazis-to-nuance-applying-kohlbergs-stages-of-moral-development-to-christianity/

GC President gives birth: In the following article, Reinder Bruinsma challenges us to consider what the SDA denomination will look like in the future. It is well worth considering. https://spectrummagazine.org/views/10-hopes-for-the-church-of-tomorrow/

I have posted information related to the situation in the Oregon conference in the past. The following article, along with the links to other articles, provides more current information. I find it of special interest that the medical doubled in cost to reach h $7,000,000. In my 20 years as a hospital chaplain, I became aware of medical costs to an extent that most people do not understand. https://atoday.org/oregon-conference-announces-changes-to-36-positions-following-recent-transitions/ The following article lists some of the reasons for the budget problems. https://atoday.org/oregon-conference-shares-open-letter-from-president-dan-linrud/ The following article lists the 36 positions that have been affected by the reduction. https://www.oregonadventist.org/news/pastors-leaving-the-oregon-conference-team-during-2nd-quarter-2024-announced

Recently, a Conference was held at Newbold in England, that focused on Ellen White and her place in Adventist life. The following link takes you to a comprehensive report on that Conference. In style, it meanders a bit, taking one from personal reflections to individual reports that differed in content from other reports. Participants came from Europe, the U.S., and included several from the General Conference. It is apparent to me that the Conference was not united in a cohesive approach to EGW. In short, this Conference illustrates the diversity that exists within Adventism and suggests that further examination of the role of EGW in Adventist life is warranted. https://spectrummagazine.org/news/questions-remain-after-ellen-white-conference-at-newbold/ The following is one interesting example from the Conference:

May 12, 2024 Today I was informed that the material posted above had been cited in a sermon preached yesterday (May 11) in a church in Central California. Interest in this subject extended beyond the sermon time.

introversion & Church: The article linked below is an interesting comment on doing Church. It links to two books that have been written on this subject. Give it some thought. https://atoday.org/an-introvert-in-a-happy-church-world/

The Pope Acts: The following article presents the picture of a religious leader who acts with compassion. All too often our proclamation lacks the compassion of the Christ whom we claim to follow. Truth should not be diluted. Compassion reflects the ministry of our Lord. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ar-BB1lQpFB NOTE: This article is attracting some attention in Adventism. It has already been posted in Spectrum.

The Loma Linda Center For Bioethics is probably a little-known resource in Adventism. Those who would like to learn about it, see: https://religion.llu.edu/bioethics/ On Saturday, May 18, from 3 to 4 PM, it will sponsor a discussion titled: "My Body, Their Baby--A Progressive Christian Vision for Surrogacy." The following are the objectives: * Examine the intersection of reproductive justice and Christian ethics in the context of Surrogacy. * Discuss ethical norms and principles to guide Surrogacy relationships, celebrating reproductive generosity and solidarity. Those who cannot attend in person may participate by Zoom. Meeting ID; 91251175671 Passcode; 273121

Good Morning Eden is a new podcast by two pastors in Australia, who in this first series are talking about the gospel of Mark. https://www.the1project.org/media/drdzjwv/s1-e1-mark-1-1-13

Gustave: I appreciate your response. I need to better explain my comments and correct where I may have been responsible for misunderstandings. Fundamental Beliefs: This was first published as a list of 27 statements of belief. It has been expanded to 28, and may be expanded to a larger number in the future. This was not intended to be a creedal test of Fellowship, or to put it in other words, it was not intended to be a requirement for what one should believe in order to be a SDA member. Rather it was intended to be a statement related to the common beliefs that are held in the Big Tent of Adventism. Each of the stated beliefs is stated in a chapter devoted to that belief. On a page prior to each chapter there is a short formal statement that has been formally voted as a common statement of SDA belief. Again, that is not intended to be a required statement that must be held in order to be a SDA member. The published chapter that follows that formal statement is an expanded explanation of the range of how that beleif is understood and practiced within Adventism. however, those chapters often do not contain the full range of belief and practice within Adventism. As an example, the chapter on the Sabbath, in the book that I am looking at, has about 16 pages. It correctly states that we believe that the Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday evening and ends at Sundown on Saturday evening. But it fails to mention that there are minority Adventists that begin and end the Sabbath at other times of the day. Adventism allows for such. NOTE: The numbering of the fundamental beliefs in the book of 27 is not exactly the same as in the book of 28. Baptismal Vows: are statements of belief that are required in order to become SDA member and to remain a SDA member. They exist in the two forms that I have listed--13 statements and 3 statements. They commonly have slight differences in wording such as: "Do you believe. . . .? & I believe. . . In the shorter set of three, reference is made to SDA fundamental beliefs. I understand that reference to refer to the set of 13. Others understand it to refer to the 28. Doctrines, Teachings, and Policies is the title of an article published in the Review on November 28, 1991, and written by Calvin B. Rock. In that article, he states that Doctrines consist of the 27 voted belief statements as I have commented on above. He calls Teachings as not being formally voted, but as having high value, and clearly states that they are not to be taken as a "Test of Fellowship," or to put it in other words, they are not a specific requirement of belief in order to be a SDA member. He then says that a Standard is a guide to the application of the Doctrine (my wording). He further comments on Policies, which guide the operation of the SDA Church at its various levels.