Adventist Forum, publishers of SPECTRUM and spectrummagazine.org, is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to promoting community through conversation in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
We’ll be live-streaming the 50th Anniversary Adventist Forum Conference. Watch it on our Facebook page or here on our website: https://spectrummagazine.org/news/2018/live-stream-50th-anniversary-adventist-forum-conference
Excellent presentations during the Friday night session, especially about the difficult concept of amalgamation in Ellen G. White’s early writings and subsequently Uriah Smith’s “The Visions of Mrs. E.G. White, A Manifestation of Spiritual Gifts According to the Scriptures”, where The Review and Herald editor defended the amalgamation concept with James White’s endorsement. Fortunately, the concept was removed from her later writings as she grew and developed in her understanding.
Understanding the times, prevailing concepts, philosophies and prejudices of which she was a part, will aid in the reading of her writings, especially the context of her world and reality. Picking passages from here and there does a disservice to the complete oeuvre of her writings.
Outstanding Sabbath morning programming. Kendra’s historical timeline revealed new information. Great panel, too.
Interviews with Fritz Guy and Larry Garety filled in gaps of how formal documents evolve.
Chris Oberg’s homily focusing on involvement locally with a focus on community, so apt.
Condolences for the losses in the La Sierra Church family this week. Such an illustration of how worship and fellowship is local, after all.
I was particularly struck by Glen Coe’s quote, on Sabbath afternoon, from a friend of his that “The one thing that God cannot change is a person’s perception of reality,” and how applicable that statement is for so many things in our lives.
This is a major complicating factor to the work of a true prophet, because it raises suspicion. Something went wrong, something was wrong, it is still “complicated.” How to explain this weird puzzle to someone that we would like to invite to the Adventist experience? It’s almost impossible, it needs to be hidden - but doing this would be dishonest.
This is why, for personal piece of mind and spiritual enhanced safety, I decided to go “Sola Scriptura” since the days of Glacier View.
Remember she got the Sabbath from a sea csptain, the heavenly sanctuary from two boys in a corn field, her health message from Dr. Graham, her history of the church from extant publications. Remember she grew out of the Pentecostal stream of Methodism. The tongues of fire still is an important symbol as the Cross. Let us all focus upon the fact that the Everlasting Covenant has become the Everlasting Good News, by what God in Christ did a great cost. The question is How do we respond to such love? Certainly not a clean sweep fore and aft by appointed committees.
A big thank-you to Adventist Forum for making these presentations available online! I wanted to go to the conference in person but had unresolvable conflicts. I just finished watching all of the presentations, and was greatly blessed. Much food for thought!