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Diversity in Adventism exists to a much greater degree than many understand. In 2017 a Conference was held in an attempt to understand that diversity, and determine if a greater degree of unity would be appropriate. The following link takes you to an article that discusses that Conference, and further links present the various papers that were presented at that conference. NOTE Amazon also sells a book on that Conference for $5. https://atoday.org/the-unity-conference-an-afterword/ The following is an interesting quote from the 3rd day of the Conference:

Brazil, contrary to what we may think, has more SDA members than any other nation on Earth. Yes, more than the United States. Zelota is an independent magazine published in Brazil that is similar to Adventist Today, in the United States. You may access that magazine at the following link. If your computer allow such, you will need to have it translate into English, as my computer will do. https://revistazelota.com/

Reflections on Adventism: In the following article, Mark Johnson reflects on what Adventism is like. https://atoday.org/twenty-eight-is-twenty-seven-too-many/ NOTE: The so-called 28, began as 27. At that time, the intention was to describe the diversity that exists within Adventism. There was no intention of establishing a creed.

I worry more about the states that have a ton of Evangelicals in them. They scare the dickens out of me.

Schools: You may have been told that SDA schools are shrinking in enrolment. The following article reports on extensive research on the national picture related to schooling in general, by Pew Research. It is well worthy of consideration by all interested in Adventist education. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/06/06/us-public-private-and-charter-schools-in-5-charts/

Pacific Union Colleges has fired a custodian of 14-years. The following article raises questions as to whether or not the full story is being told. If this is a lack of openness, it would seem that the litigation is justified. If the report that the police found that no criminal behavior was involved is accurate, additional questions are involved. https://spectrummagazine.org/news/ethiopian-staff-fired-by-puc-raises-fairness-questions-in-community/ At the end of the above article, multiple questions have been raised. I posted the following: [quite]So, we have a person who may have immigrated to the U.S. from another country. I wonder what the standards are in his native country? It seems to me that his cultural background may need to be taken into consideration. I once lived in a country where the public restrooms were shared by males and females. Public urination by males and females was common. I could tell you more, but I will stop here. I understand why legal services has been obtained. [/quote] I actually could have posted much more. But, I did not want to be sensational. The bottom line is that such issues are associated with a lot of cultural understandings. It seems to me that PUC has not given consideration to this as a possible part of his background. NOTE: I will e-mail. Dr. Ralph Trecartin, the President of PUC and invite him to respond to the publicity.

SDA Education in China: The following article informs as to the status of SDA education in China. https://spectrummagazine.org/views/interviews/the-difficulties-recruiting-adventist-teachers-to-china/

Brian Kylor & Beau Underwood, Baptizing America: How America's practice of civil religion' and its endorsement by mainline Protestants' paved the way for Christian Nationalism. Chalice Press, 2024. NOTE: Amazon is selling it for $22. The main thesis of this book ". . . is that by tolerating and indeed promoting forms of civil religion that symbolically link God and country, mainline Protestant clergy established structures that spawned today's more extreme forms pf Christian Nationalism." NOTE: The above quotation comes from an "Editor's Note" to a three-page article in the June 2024 issue of Church & State. That article consists of an excerpt from the book. That published excerpt makes multiple comments related to the U.S. Senate Chaplain, Seventh-day Adventist, Barry Black. On a personal basis, I am concerned about Christian Nationalism. IOW, I am negative about it. I find this chapter to be challenging and worthy of thought.

Internet Ministry: The following link takes you to an article published by the Review that informs of an Internet website by a SDA couple. In a published comment attached to that article, which I wrote, Club Adventist is mentioned. https://adventistreview.org/profile/small-town-pastoral-couple-in-kentucky-reaches-thousands-through-media-ministries/#comment-6468530838

SDA Challenges: The following article suggests the major challenges that the Seventh-day Adventist Chruch faces in the future. It is well worth considerting. https://atoday.org/the-challenges-to-the-church-in-a-nutshell/

Gustave: I have never heard a SDA suggest that the reason for Mary not to touch him was because He might not be worthy of worship, or that He was uncertain as to whether or not His sacrifice had been accepted by the Father. I will not suggest that there is a clear Biblical picture as to why Christ may have wanted to return to the Father at that time. All is probably speculative and your opinion is as likely to be correct is my opinion on that issue. In any case, in my thinking the 1st Advent was completed in those few days prior to the report in Acts 1, as Christ guided in the beginning of the organization and functioning of the Christian church. From this perspective, I see a 1sst advent that has occurred in the past, and a 2nd Advent that will occur in the future.

Gustave: If you are wanting to generate a good laugh, you have made a point. you have clearly illustrated how common language can be misunderstood. I just cannot believe that you are making a serious comment. Perhaps you are suggesting that Christianity in general should, in order to be accurate, talk about a third comming. Anyway, SDAs consider the 1st Advent to begin at the birth of Christ and to end When Christ return to God as mentioned in the first chapter of Acts. Anyway, thanks for pulling our leg a bit.

According to Ellen White it has. "Jesus quickly ascended to His Father to hear from His lips that He accepted the sacrifice, and to receive all power in heaven and upon earth.... The same day He returned, and showed Himself to His disciples. He suffered them then to touch Him ; for He had ascended to His Father, and had received power."-Early Writings, pp. 187, 188.

SDA Evangelism, 2025 is discussed in the following article. https://atoday.org/nad-announces-pentecost-2025-to-increase-north-american-evangelism/ To read an extensive comment that I made on this article, either dick on "comment" at the end of the AT article, or click on the URL below: https://www.facebook.com/AToday.org/posts/pfbid0NThugfbK8FSjd9yFZq2e6DpgJ459UyFvb5fRvHs4XBcYvZ88ThrftzEWrnCW5ar9l

What!!!! I must've been sleeping through church all these years. The 2nd coming hasn't happened yet.

The position that I take on conditional prophecy is that it applies only to the aspects of prophecy that depend on a human response. Jonah is the classic example. God is unchangeable in His purpose to effect salvation for all who wish to spend eternity with Him. Christ was God in human form. I am uncertain as to what Gustave was attempting to say when he said that Christ was not a conditional prophecy. If he was attempting to say that the First advent was not conditional, I totally agree with him. Adventists who propose a conditional aspect to prophecy do so in the context of the human element, as with Jonah. They do not do so, as I understand them, in the context of a changable God.

Survivors: In the following article, the author examines both members and SDA administrators. He suggests that such have survived a process in which those who did not fit a proscribed mold, are filtered out. He then comments as to how this filtering process impacts both the Adventism of today and of tomorrow. NOTE: On a personal basis I have seen this process working to reduce our congregational membgership. https://spectrummagazine.org/views/columns/only-survivors-run-the-church/

A question has been raised as to conditional prophecy; The SDA position includes the following: * Issues related to the fundamental nature of God, and not conditional. e.g. There is a Second Advent that is going to happen. It is not conditional. * Issues related to humanity are likely conditional. e.g. The timing of the Second Advent are likely related to a human response to God, which makes the timing of the Second Advent conditional. The classic example of this is the story of Jonan, and the fact that when the people repented, destruction did not happen.

The SDA Church are likely one of (if not the only) Church that could enter into a nurturing relationship with Islam. Below is a fairly friendly statement made in the Sabbath Herald about Islam back in 1909. Adventist Review and Sabbath Herald, October 28, 1909 In the pervious article the chivalrous and romantic story of the birth of the Ottoman empire was traced. In this paper will be shown the rapid and remarkable rise of that people to opulence and power, and also the motive force back of this and all Mohammedan movements. Perhaps it will be best to take the last feature first. The Turks hold that they are descended from Japheth, the son of Noah. He was the father of three sons. The Turks teach that to his firstborn Aboul-Turk, he gave the sovereignty of Turkestan. Again: the Turks profess the religion of Mohammed: "The creed of that faith is generally compressed into the well known forumla: "There is no god but God, and Mohammed is his prophet." But there is another and longer form which reads as follow: -- "I believe in God and his angels, and his books, and his prophets, and the last day, and the predestination of good and evil by God, and the resurrection after death. I bear witness to that there is no God but God, and I bear witness that Mohammed is his slave and his prophet." From the above IT MUST BE PERFECTLY CLEAR that Mohammedanism is very far from being a heathen religion, as some are wont to believe. It teaches belief in God, angels, the prophets, the last day, and the resurrection of the dead. MORE THAN THIS ABOUT ONE HALF OF THE KORAN IS A POLEMIC AGAINST POLYTHESIM AND TRINITARIANISM. In fact the word Allah is an abbreviation of Al-iah, which means the ONE, TRUE, ONLY God. I'm guessing a devout Muslim would really appreciate this Sabbath Herald article. To be honest if any Church could get great with Islam it would likely be the SDA Church. I for one wish them well in this endeavor.

Crisis in Haiti: The following article reports on the very real crisis that the SDA Church is currently facing in Haiti. https://interamerica.org/2024/05/inter-american-division-top-leadership-pledges-to-assist-adventists-displaced-in-haiti/