Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist Forum

Ronald E. Osborn, Associate Professor of Ethics and Philosophy at La Sierra University, and host Alexander Carpenter discuss Albert Camus’ 1947 novel “The Plague.” Can the narrative parallels and its philosophical perspective provide insight into our current coronaviral reality? Join us as we all try to survive #AloneTogether. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For your sheltering-in-place needs, special guest George Nolfi talks about his newest film, The Banker, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie. We also discuss why Nolfi changed from academic pursuits in philosophy and political science to filmmaking, how he researched, wrote, and directed this latest work, and its themes of race and class.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Loma Linda University medical students, Martha Duah and Adrienne Green, discuss their bioethics project, a podcast called “A Medical History of Color.” (Add link: https://ccbpodcasts.podbean.com/e/a-medical-history-in-color-one-root-deep/We talk about racism in healthcare, their career plans, and how the coronavirus pandemic is effecting med students right now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recorded at the recent Spectrum conference Sammy Reyes, a former pastor, shares ideas for connecting imagination and inspiration to create a more humanistic and generous spirituality.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the context of this summer's GC Session Jason Hines discusses his latest column on the Spectrum website. In addition to pondering the possibility and meanings of unity, we talk about the recent Adventist Forum conference and its focus on identity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legendary scholar, administrator, and former board chair of Adventist Forum, Charles Scriven gets passionate about the Bible. We discuss why Jesus is key to understanding the whole Bible, the ways that an historical hermeneutic helps, and how he really appreciates Paul.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ray Tetz, director of communication and community engagement for the Pacific Union Conference, explains what "noncompliance" means vs. what matters. He also details the union's new media initiatives and why he's hopeful about Adventism in the west.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yale Divinity student, Matthew Korpman, discusses growing up idolizing Adventist evangelists, how La Sierra University challenged him, and the controversial argument in his new book: Saying NO to God: A Radical Approach to Reading the Bible faithfully.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The conductor laureate Herbert Blomstedt discusses his strict and musical Adventist upbringing, his favorite hymns and the changing landscape of hymnals, why he pursued a career as a conductor, and what concerts he has in store. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1927, Herbert Blomstedt moved with his family to Sweden in 1929. His mother, a pianist, gave him his first musical training. this led him eventually to the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and to the University of Uppsala. Herbert Blomstedt is in constant demand as a guest conductor and had led many of the world's greatest orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Philadelphia Orchestra.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back to 1969, I read the first four poems to appear in Spectrum: poets include Ben Jacques, Isaac Johnson, James Londis, and Freidrich Nietzsche. Additionally, in memory of Dr. Richard Ritland, I read from the first exploration of science and faith by him to appear in the journal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prolific author Dr. Ron Osborn talks about current issues in Adventism, reads aloud from his book Death Before the Fall, and opens up about his experience with writer's block.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We kick off the new year with Dan Weber, director of communication for the North American Division. We discuss why diversity is the future of NAD health, his personal experience with life changing mission service, and Kings basketball.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our final podcast in 2019, Bonnie Dwyer, the editor of Spectrum, and Alexander Carpenter reflect on the year in Adventism including Annual Council and recent scholarly work on the 1919 Bible conference. We also look back on the year for Spectrum and draw attention to some major investigative reporting as well as hint at what Spectrum will be doing in 2020. Finally, we reflect on the Advent season and the spirit of giving.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A figure in Adventist social media for over a decade, The Adventist Caricaturist reveals a little about his denominational past, laugh about Headship Bobbleheads and #GossipJuice, as well as reflect on the role of satire in the Adventist community. To protect the caricaturist's identity, we used a voice-masking app so apologies for any oddities with the audio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Sydney Freeman, Jr., is an associate professor at the University of Idaho. He is founder and editor-in-chief of The Journal for the Study of Postsecondary and Tertiary Education.In this episode I speak with Dr. Freeman about his passion for black authors, a black theology within adventism, and the concept of a Black Adventist Identity Development.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retired Southern Adventist University president Gordon Bietz shares his vision for a North American Division Higher Educational SystemSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I chat with Dave Ferguson, Director of Church Relations for Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International, an organization for current and former Adventists who identify as LGBTIQ+.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alisa Williams, Managing Editor for the Spectrum website, reviews the North American Division Year-End Meetings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr.Jaime Kolwessar serves with his wife Carlene, and two daughters, as a pastor of the City Temple Sda Church in Dallas Texas. He is widely known as the “Seventh-day Activist” due to his passion and commitment to social justice advocacy in the church and community. In this episode we discuss Dr. K’s views on social justice within an Adventist theological framework, women’s ordination, his writings and practical steps churches and individuals can take to engage justice work!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrews University president Andrea Luxton, PhD, joins Adventist Voices to discuss the state of her institution as well as the broader future of higher education. We converse about her love for John Milton as well as how schools can welcome diversity-seeking students, what questions board members should ask, and why there's hope despite the recent Annual Council actions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Adventist Voices talks with Matt Gal, Regional Director of Population Health and Capitation Management for Adventist Health. He explains this emerging focus in corporate healthcare, how it engages local communities, and what about it forwards Adventist mission.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bonnie Dwyer, Spectrum editor, draws from her decades of Annual Council reporting to set the stage for this meeting of General Conference Executive Committee. She provides background on who will be present, the four major topics to watch, and why it all matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bryant Rodriguez shares how he went from studying theology at Southern Adventist University to becoming the Digital and Social Media Strategist for McKee Foods Corporation, the maker of Little Debbie snacks. We discuss how he blew up the internet as an intern, the tensions between health-conscious Adventist values and making Cosmic Brownies, the "voice" of Little Debbie, and how Bryant stays connected to Adventist ministry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We kick off a new series focused on Adventist education with Richard Osborn, PhD, Vice President for WASC Senior College and University Commission. Previously, he was President of Pacific Union College and an education administrator for the North American Division. Based on his current work accrediting educational institutions around the Western United States and his work on an NAD commission, Dr. Osborn shares his unbridled concerns about the direction of Adventist higher education and offers some models for how it might change for the better.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our third episode of the "Road to the General Conference Session" series I chat with our social media stars from the last one: Rachel Logan and Alisa Williams. We laugh a lot remembering the 2015 session. We also discuss the role of Twitter and independent journalism, and they provide some survival tips for first timers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week I talk with Nat Kofi Abu Bonsrah, the Emergency Response Planning Manager for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency's response to Hurricane Dorian damage to The Bahamas. He very passionately shares some early observations from the ground, briefly opens up about how he became involved with ADRA, and gets very specific about how folks can help.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Leslie Foster connects art and spirituality, being a church elder and a Burning Man temple guardian. A graduate of Southern Adventist University, Leslie is a Los Angeles-based experimental filmmaker and a current member of the Torrance Art Museum FORUM residency program. An activist and longtime leader at an Adventist community, he shares his journey and explores why pauses in participation can be faith restoring.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vanessa Corredera, PhD, joins Adventist Voices to talk about growing up crossing borders, her Andrews University course on Shakespeare and Race, and how understanding intersectionality helps Adventist identity. Dr. Corredera will be one of our presenters at the 2019 Adventist Forum conference on Labor Day weekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I chat with Humans of Adventism creator Kaleb Eisele about his hometown of Indianapolis, the site of the 2020 General Conference Session. We discuss the culture of Indiana Adventism, how GC attendees can better understand urban contexts, as well as hospitality insights from his recent visit to Oregon camp meeting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Adventist Voices, I ask Adventist Forum boardmember Jason Hines about his recent column for Spectrum "Liberation and Reconciliation. We discuss Black Liberation Theology, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, and how Adventism might address the race-based inequalities in our community. Jason Hines teaches at AdventHealth University in Orlando, FL. He holds a doctorate in Religion, Politics, and Society from Baylor University, a Master’s in Religion from the Seminary at Andrews University, a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of ConnecticutSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our Adventist Voice this week is the prophetic Michael Nixon, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Andrews University. We discuss race, Adventist identity, his work with Ty Gibson on Against the Wall, as well as Michael's background as an attorney and the son of a pastor. He will be at our Adventist Forum conference, leading a panel discussion on Youth, Ethnicity and Adventist Identity on Aug. 31.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week I talk with someone I've been shooting the breeze with for several decades: Ronald Osborn, Associate Professor of Ethics and Philosophy at La Sierra University. We talk about our top three books of the Bible, The Brothers Karamazov, the HBO series Chernobyl, the current film The Farewell, and other light summer fare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we kick off a new series focused on the next General Conference Session. My guests are Bonnie Dwyer, editor of Spectrum and Raymond Dabrowski, longtime director of communication for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the current director of communication for the Rocky Mountain Conference. In this rambling conversation focusing on media at the GC session, Ray shares his insider perspective managing church messaging and Bonnie discusses what she finds important for reporting the news.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A founder of the Society of Adventist Philosphers, Zane Yi talks about his early Adventist life and what book of the Bible sparked his interest in the contemplative life. Dr. Yi teaches at Loma Linda University and holds master’s degrees in philosophy from Loyola Marymount University (2004) and a master’s degree in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary (2005) as well as a doctorate degree in philosophy at Fordham University.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nathan Brown is a writer and book editor at Signs Publishing Company, based near Melbourne, Australia. He has collaborated with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) on “The Least of These” Sabbath School Quarterly project over a period of almost 10 years. Nathan is author/editor of 16 books, including two this year—Of Falafels and Following Jesus and For the Least of These (companion book to the third quarter Sabbath school lessons). He has completed two masters degrees, in professional writing, and theology and justice, respectively. In this episode we discuss his work on the quarterly, what’s just about Adventism, and how he lives the writing life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She probably reads more books than you. In this Adventist Voices episode, managing editor Alisa Williams talks about how she reads about one hundred books a year. She also shares the highs and lows from the ten she read in June—on religion, young adult literature, poetry and suspense. We also discuss the pros and cons about her life online with Spectrum and what gives her hope for the future of Adventism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week I talk with Stephen Allred who's been on an interesting Adventist journey. A graduate of the self-supporting Heartland College, he then got his M.Div. from Andrews University and worked on the same pastoral staff as Doug Batchelor. In 2012 he received his JD from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and now works on religious liberty cases for the Pacific Union's Church State Council. In this episode we talk about racism, social justice, Ellen White as well as some of the tensions surrounding Adventist displays of patriotism and and church/state separation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Claudia Marion Allen: Doctoral Student at University of Maryland; Content Manager for Message Magazine Datrean Pileggi: Neuro-physiologist, scholar, professor. This episode explores the intra-racial conflict within the Black Community, specifically focusing on African Americans, Caribbeans, and Africans. The episode addresses the impact of white supremacy, realities of migration, lack of communication & cultural understanding amongst these groups, and envisions a path towards reconciliation and rebuilding the community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Friday night speaker for our 2019 conference coming up on Labor Day weekend, Gerald Winslow, PhD, the director of the Center for Christian Bioethics at Loma Linda University, talks with me about his earliest memories of growing up Adventist, how he approaches the complexity of human identities, and what he thinks Adventism offers the world. Spectrum Conference; https://spectrummagazine.org/news/2019/adventist-forum-conference-consider-impact-identitiesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week I had a good chat with Ryan Becker and Kevin Christenson, two media-savvy Adventists who care about their community. In addition to learning more about their current Kickstarter campaign to create The Scratch (an Adventist news aggregator), we discuss their roots and their vision for fostering creativity in Adventism. The Scratch: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryan180becker/the-scratch-news?ref=project_linkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He just earned his MFA from the prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art and now opened a major solo show at the Jessica Silverman gallery in San Francisco. Conrad Egyir might be the hottest emerging artist with Adventist roots in America. But America and Adventism is less than half his story. A relatively recent immigrant, in his own words Mr. Egyir’s creative practice borrows from the text and visually based languages of his native Ghana and the pre and post-colonial histories of West Africa. In my conversation with him for Spectrum, Conrad talks about identity, culture shock, his favorite thing about Adventism, and why he paints the same portraits over and over in his art. Links: Gallery: https://jessicasilvermangallery.com/exhibitions/conrad-egyir/ Website: https://conradegyir.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode of Adventist Voices, Alexander Carpenter talks with both Bonnie Dwyer and Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson about SPECTRUM: The Journal of the Adventist Forum. We discuss the beginnings of Bonnie's editorship twenty years ago and the secret theological structure for how the quarterly publication is structured. Associate Editor/Designer Sharon shares her design philosophy and art-based process. If you haven't read the most recent issue (Vol. 47, issue 2), open it up and join our conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the week Daniela Jean works in risk management for the city of North Miami; on the weekends she leads a young adult pop-up night for her local Adventist community that includes poetry and "mocktails." Author, speaker and church programming innovator, Daniela Jean earned her M.A. in global strategic communication from Florida International University. In 2001 Daniela started the Hands at Work for Christ Sign Language Troupe and spent a three-year term on the Florida Conference Executive Committee. She has won several regional “under forty” awards and was a 2018 EBONY magazine POWER 100 people’s choice nominee. In this Adventist Voices episode we discuss her immigrant story, what drives her care for creating community, and why she wrote her recent book, Live Your Worth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1: This episode explores the intersection of religion and politics, the Christian responsibility to engage community and civic engagement and personal development to sustain long term social justice work. Tiffany Llewellyn, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is passionate about all things race, justice, mental health and culture. Although she considers herself a change agent and voice for the voiceless, her passion for social justice aims to restore voices to those who have been silenced. Phillip M. Malcolm has been a relentless advocate for truth and justice and is passionate about the intersection of politics and religion. In 2016, Phil coined the nickname, “The Bearded Host,” after hosting his first ever radio show called “The Real Phil Show.” He is a business owner, and also works for the Department of Justice providing compensation and resources for victims and families of those affected by 9/11 attacks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Adventist Voices I talk with Kaleb Eisele. We discuss how he founded Humans of Adventism ( https://www.adventisthumans.com ), what he's learned about empathy and public criticism, and what his new media job with the Oregon Conference entails.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week’s Adventist Voices conversation, Alexander Carpenter talks with newly elected Adventist Forum (publisher of Spectrum) board chair Carmen Lau. After being a stay-at-home mom for twenty-five years, she will graduate this week with a Master of Arts in the Anthropology of Peace and Human Rights. She relishes traveling with her husband, Yung, particularly when it involves seeing their three children who are scattered across the United States. She is a reader and podcast connoisseur who enjoys being in nature in the company of her two dogs. We discuss how she first read Spectrum at Southern, her recent trip to research the Rwandan genocide, and her vision for the future of Adventism. Our goal is to foster community through conversation. This podcast is a companion to Spectrum, a journal established to encourage Seventh-day Adventist participation in the discussion of contemporary issues from a Christian viewpoint, to look without prejudice at all sides of a subject, to evaluate the merits of diverse views, and to foster intellectual and cultural growth. For more, go to: https://spectrummagazine.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this first episode of Spectrum’s new podcast, “Adventist Voices,” Adventist Forum board member Alexander Carpenter talks with Jennifer Allen, author of the book Confessions of an Adventist Boy, which dialogues with young Adventist men, ages 21 to 40, about where they are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually on issues as diverse as education, sex, baptism, money, gender bias, and more. Alex also gives listeners a sneak preview of the Adventist Forum Conference line-up. The Conference will take place Labor Day Weekend, August 30 – September 1, 2019 at AdventHealth University in Orlando, Florida. Look for registration information coming to the Spectrum: https://spectrummagazine.org/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.