The Spectrum Blog

Sabbath blog potluck of new and interesting things

by Johnny A. Ramirez and Alexander Carpenter

New Flavors

Statistician Nathan Yau of the Thai Seventh-day Adventist church in Hollywood is currently interning at the New York Times and actually made the above Hillary Clinton graphic.  Read his fascinating blog FlowingData here.

La Sierra alum Ana Gamboa lives in Los Angeles but works in Riverside and writes about both in her Toward an Interactive Urban Environment blog found here.

Newboldian Anca Tanasa writes about sunny days in her blog Les Adventures de Martinique found here.

AUC graduate Jennifer Peach-Guzman talks about breastfeeding and more at her Boy Mommy blog found here.

Old Favorites

It's a hot day over at The Wheeler Spin. 

Having trouble finding a job?  The Adventist News Network tells of South Korean opportunities. 

Doug Morgan takes on the Crusaders over at Peace Messenger. 

Speaking of gainful employment, Jonathan Pichot has a worthy summer suggestion for those better off.

Always interesting yet mostly in Finnish, Ansku post 8 facts about herself over at Pastorin blogi.

Trevan Osborn sends us to the thrift store in this Divergence post.

Julius and Kendra share some of their favorite Ellen G. White quotes over at Progressive Adventism.

The Spectrum Blog in the UK

By Alexander Carpenter

Greetings good readers. Dawn it just breaking this Sabbath morning, lighting up the white-striped English cottage across the road from my room at Newbold College. I've been up for several hours thanks to over-the-pond jet lag. I arrived in England yesterday and presented a workshop at the General Conference's Global Internet Evangelism Network meetings. Basically GIEN is a mix of young tech guys and older communications heads from around the world church -- yes, a disproportionately male crowd, but pretty international.

A couple of months ago, Ray Dabrowski called up and invited me to share what we're doing with the Spectrum Blog and to talk about social justice. After I reattached my fallen jaw and the Spectrum leadership graciously agreed I put together a presentation called: Radicalizing Adventist Community: Blogs, new media and evangelizing for peace and social justice. Yes, they actually let me print that.  Thanks to a certain foreign policy it's getting so that people almost want peace these days. . .

Several people showed up -- including folks who actually read The Spectrum Blog! It may be the jet lag but being here at plenary sessions by Spectrum crowd radicals like Zack Plantak and Jim Coffin gives me hope that parts of our church are getting serious about turning our faith into social action.

Also, don't tell the GC, but there's also another dynamic I noticed. The Friday afternoon breakout sessions are headed disproportionately by young tech guys.

In some ways it looks like some genius said "let's get our world communications leaders together and make them listen to the next generation of technologists." For example I attended a session by two hip fellas from Adventist World Radio, Marvin King (web manager) and Daryl Gungadoo (global distributing engineer). (Shout out to Marvin, who reads the Spectrum Blog!)

They did a heartfelt presention about the need for the church to run its media more effectively by using a media Asset Management system. Behind it lies a radical concept, as it would create a de-hierarchical, less-balkanized church decision-making structure. I heard one attendee whisper to another: "this won't happen, it's too political. But it's a good idea."  At another session, sharp Wolfgang Schick from the Trans-European Division exposed the crowd to online gaming. He helped the attendees understand that there is a whole generation out there that spends 4.5 hours a day online. Television is old news and that gaming juggernauts like CounterStrike and World of Warcraft and social media fads like Twitter are changing the way that the world communicates and perhaps we need to think of some new participatory ways to create meaningful Christian communities.

Right now, I'm going to get away from this computer screen and go talk to real humans. Happy Sabbath.

Post Script: As per England, I just read this post by Jim Wallis about Gordon Brown and it's an interesting perspective on the new guy at 10 Downing.

Adventist Blog Potluck

By Johnny A. Ramirez and Alexander Carpenter

Southern Adventist University student Beyond Belief: Progressive Christianity tackles homosexuality and Adventist community. He writes:

I believe that Seventh-day Adventists have been called to be a peculiar people. A people who display the love of Christ for all of humanity and who proclaim the dignity of all of God's children, GLBT persons included. It is therefore the duty of Adventists (for as it is written, "to whom much is given, much is required," and much has been given to the Adventist Church to lead Christendom in Christ-like love. When professed Christians, such as Pat Robertson, speak with biblical authority and divine appointment and say such things as, "When lawlessness is abroad in the land, the same thing will happen here that happened in Nazi Germany. Many of those people involved in Adolph Hitler were Satanists. Many of them were homosexuals. The two things seem to go together," we must rebuke it as hate-speech and unchristian ranting.

Such language is the same kind that empowered those who killed Matthew Shepard, the genocides in Rwanda and Darfur, the "ethnic cleansings" in Bosnia, the Holocaust, apartheid, slavery, the oppression of women, and religious fanatics. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, writes that, "It is unfair for homosexuals to be rejected by society. We cannot place them on the same level as criminals." I concur with that opinion whole-heartedly. When we sanction any one group to be separated and able to be hated we do ourselves a great harm regardless if we are a part of that ostracized group. John 4:8 reads, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

The Association of Seventh-day Adventist Historians just met at Oakwood College and several historian/bloggers have interesting things to say.

Hobbes' Place stopped off on the and spent quality time looking through the 60 reel Millerite and Early Adventist microfilm collection at the Library of Congress. He posted a great 36 slide show on William Miller. A must watch!

Adventist Historian notes a new book by Gilbert A. Valentine on the White Estate.

Johnny's Cache spotlights an initiative to end sex-trafficking.

Polished Mirror writes on contemplation and spiritual practice.

In a similar mood, Signs & Wonders watches a sunrise and muses: "Many evangelism series are far too fast & furious with the information shared. "Well, Jesus is coming soon and we must warn everyone" they say. Perhaps He IS at the door, but He referred to Himself as being "gentle, lowly and humble in spirit". Do the tactics reflect the Savior we claim to represent??"

And always talking about changing tactics, Re-inventing the Adventist Wheel (celebrating their anniversary) notes the similarities between Don Imus and Seung Hui Cho.

Not just talking about change, but putting his life where his mouth is check out FAITH HOUSE, Manhattan. Wait, has Samir gone mad?

Here's Monte Sahlin on urban church planting.

Need a good sermon? Here's Sherman Cox II preaching it: God is still speaking.

Speaking of straight talk, The Wheeler Spin has video of John McCain calling for the immediate withdrawal of troops. . .from Somalia. Circa 1993, it's surreal to hear the arguments that he gives, including him saying: that it's "baloney" that American should suffer in prestige by immediate withdrawal. McCain even notes that Reagan's withdrawal of troops after the Beirut  bombing was the right thing to do.

La Sierra honors student Zulema Ibarra posts on Different Media Perspectives.

 

Adventist Blog Potluck

By Johnny A. Ramirez and Alexander Carpenter

The hot news around Adventism this week was the statement about Islam issued by the Trans-European Division to be considered by the world church:

"We believe that among peoples of all faiths, God has through history preserved a people of authentic submission in the face of apostasy, oppression and persecution. We acknowledge that within Islam there are such people ... Within this group of sincere believers we see potential partners for further exploring our spiritual understanding of the One true God."

The Wheeler Spin comments, "I dare say that there are people of all religions who are better Christians than I am, even if they don't know it yet." ProgressiveAdventism notes it here.

Adventist Historian hits pedant pay dirt while going through the pre-sale archives of Paradise Valley (former Adventist) Hospital. Findings include, "an original letter by Ellen White, and the original book with stock certificates that document people like Josephine Gotzian, John Burden, Ellen White, and many other early Adventists who sacrificially gave the funds to not only start an Adventist healthcare facility, but to advance the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in San Diego."

Over at Adventist Gender Justice, guest blogger Victoria Bresee asks what can Lot can teach us?

The director of the North American Religious Liberty Association-West, Michael Peabody, Esq.,  does not mess around. Check a pdf of his Adventist Peace Fellowship essay, "At the Zenith of His Powers: The Unitary Executive and Inalienable Rights." Peabody writes,

"The transformation from a republic based on the concept of 'inalienable rights' of the citizens to a nation that depends upon the unitary power of the Executive which has risen in response to terrorism, may not yet affect the everyday lives of most Americans. However, though life may appear the same on the surface, if left unchecked, the emerging dominance of one branch over the others will undermine the rights of citizenship."

Speaking of hegemony and religious conscience, the Adventist News Network covered the brave folks who marched for peace.

Check it out y'all! The youth of the Nairobi Central SDA Church have a new blog and are embarking on "an online campaign called 'The Adventist Life'! They write,"Its gonna be some really tight stuff so keep on logging in and checking. Hopefully we'll begin towards the end of April or slightly before." It's a good thing they are not at this church. But this Ghana pastor sounds like a very wise man. 

In other news, James Dobson of Focus on the Family reads tea leaves- they tell him that only Evangelicals are Christians.

Speaking of defining Christianity, former Adventist, now Catholic blogger, Hugo reads the Adventist Review and expresses umbrage at George Reid's understanding of Easter. Hugo writes: "misinformation has been recycled once again."

Pastor Greg of Oregon Adventist Pastor wrote an article for da Gleaner on the role of the sermon in worship.

And that powerhouse of eclectic conversation, ProgressiveAdventism, brings up a new book on Waco and the Branch Davidians reviewed by the president of Fuller Theological Seminary. He writes that Adventist theologians need to take some time to reflect on the repercussions of their ideas. What say you?

Random thoughts: share whatever's on your fine mind

By Alexander Carpenter

We've got some exciting things planned for the future of the Spectrum Blog and I thank everyone who reads and comments here. We're almost at 2000 comments and it looks like Elaine may be driving some of that. Did you know that she's somewhere around ninety? There's something to that Sevy lifestyle. . . Update: oops, as one can see I was wrong there, but I guess I was adding extra years of wisdom. . . You're a treasure Elaine!

Anyway, today's post is a place for your random thoughts -- props to Rochelle. What's on your mind this week besides hermeneutics, creation, and Adventism?

Feel free to drop a random comment below. I'm getting ready for my Masterpieces of Religious Art class tomorrow afternoon where we'll be studying Stephen de Staebler's Winged Figure.  I also had some good baked eggplant for dinner and a great Ben and Jerry's Half-baked ice cream bar. . .mmm.

Adventist Blog Potluck

By Johnny A. Ramirez & Alexander Carpenter

Image taken by the exploratory group for the upcoming NAD sponsored "cruise with a mission". 

On that line Tompaul Wheeler notes that mission work effects teen faith more than worship.  Makes one wonder if that cruise wouldn't be a bad thing for your adolescent children and church members after all!

Marcel Schwantes writes on a new edition of the Bible entitled "Jesus Loves Porn Stars".

The Loma Linda University School of Religion (kudos!!) is full of blogging Profs: Julius Nam of Progressive Adventism says  “I am the Ghost of Ash Wednesday!”  and also writes about Project Whitecoat. Incoming dean Jon Paulien writes about Biblical Apocalyptic and the problem of worry.   Johnny Ramirez-Johnson says that God is in Hollywood and David Larson provides a great essay asking How Biblical is the Christian right?

Adventists in Alabama (Birmingham) run an active blog from their Sabbath School class called Epicenter Conversations.  Read their latest post on the season of bright sadness.

Hollywood Pastor Ryan Bell hangs out with celebrities while fighting human trafficking and slavery.

Canadian Adventists and CUC alums might appreciate bookmarking the blog of the Student Association at Canadian Union College.

Canadian Adventist author Trudy Morgan-Cole writes of her good day, good cause and good film.

The entire Adventist church in Ireland and Great Britain together as part of the British Union Conference really steps up and owns its community.  From the environment to their latest stand against crime, they are present, vocal and active.  They are a role model for us all!

All the faith and none of the guilt?  A Cultural Adventist writes about the history of cultural Adventism.

Go back to school with Claremont School of Theology student Trisha Famisaran as she shares a bibliography and more in her post Theology of the Body.

Adventist feminist Johnny A. Ramirez hears Mary Byler and remains cynical of, and mostly unimpressed by, Amish forgiveness.

Law student locus standi must have attorney friends to take on the subject of Israel, Apartheid, and the Occupied Territories.

Brethren Priestess writes that the HOW matters, too in her criticism of Sojourners sexism.

Frequent Spectrum Blog commenter Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer in his new blog Goethic (great title!) writes on the four G's of Christianity.

Spectrum contributor and newly installed Pastor Trevan Osborn lets us in on the key to quality ministry.

USC Ph.D. student Ron Osborn still has us laughing with his latest haiku.

Adventist Environmental Advocacy talks about trashing outer space.

Catalan Adventist Ferran Sabate writes from his missionary journey in Bolivia on Precarnaval.

Read about Adventists and Masons at Hobbes Place.

We want to encourage Jonathan Scriven of Just Inside the Beltway to start blogging again!

Revisit the evolution vs. creation debate with Michael Petersen.

Newbold alum Andrew Willis asks- How does the US Adventist view the rest of the world?

The Adventist Peace Fellowship and Christians for Peace in Iraq are organizing events on  March 16, 2007(PDF).  Is your congregation joining this effort? 

Adventist Women for Peace thinks you should be involved in the Adventist Peace Fellowship partnership.

Our own Alexander Carpenter writes a worthy roundup of the Christian web for Faith in Public Life.

Britain's great abolitionist, William Wilberforce, worked to change society's values, not just its laws, reports Christianity Today. 

Read Monte Sahlin at Faith in Context review the Amazing Grace Sunday movement which draws on the recent movie on William Wilberforce, Amazing Grace.

And finally, test your Sabbath School Skills by taking this Bible Quiz from Just Pastors. 

Young Adventist Podcast roundup

What some Adventist emerging leaders are talking about.

Ryan Bell tells a tale of two hills.

Trevan Osborn has an open door theory.

Sherman Cox II's Second Advent Pulpit for memorizing scripture.

Trisha on a theology of the body. (Ok, not actually a podcast, but worth reading since this will be the future.)
 

Have you thought about a Sabbath Economics? Johnny Ramirez channels Ched Myers. 

Interfaith Blog Potluck

By Johnny A. Ramirez & Alexander Carpenter

Image taken by Marlon Butler, who works for ADRA in Malawi, on his recent trip with Ron Osborn of Deserts of Vast Eternity during his Advent season sojourn in Africa.

Get to know Adventist filmmaker and missionary Tim de la Torre.

Sherman Cox II thinks about the future of conversations in the Adventist blogosphere.

Oregon Adventist Pastor notes that he is batting 0 for 4 with his congregation according to a new church growth study.

This week started off with the right wing Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) alleging that the National Council of Churches gets as much or more funding from liberal foundations than from member denominations.  It didn't take long for it to come out that the IRD report was actually authored by a Bush campaign worker.  It also turns out that the IRD gets a whopping 40% of its funding from conservative foundations.

Hundreds of Reformed Judaism Rabbis signed a letter stating that "Jewish labor law rests on the assumption that a full-time worker shall earn enough to support his/her family." Via Religion Clause.

Read Joy Tirado ruminating about Mi Mamá at A Time For Joy.

Trevan Osborn of Divergence looks back at his first few days as an associate pastor in Richmond, Virginia.

East and West, Catholic and Adventist, icons pro and con- it is all discussed on this Progressive Adventism post on Catholic Adventism: Cause for Concern or Celebration? by Nathaniel Gamble.

David of Just Pastors provides for a few good laughs in his post Leap of Faith.

Karen Holverson of Adventist Women for Peace links us to a 1939 cartoon calling for peace on earth.

Monte Sahlin of Faith in Context reacts to a poll on  What do They Think Will Happen in 2007?

Jim Miles of JimBlog thinks back to his own minimum wage jobs on this post on the recent increase.

If you like Adventist-related books you may enjoy these posts from Hobbes' Place and Johnny's Blog.

Endorsed by heavyweights Brian McLaren, Tony Campolo, Jon Paulien & Monte Sahlin, Adventist Pastor Samir Selmanovic is well on his way towards starting Faith House Manhattan.  Read about it here.  Read some of the push back here.

Adventist Peace Fellowship blogs on war and Martin Luther King over at Peace Messenger.

Our own Alexander Carpenter writes a worthy roundup for Faith in Public Life as well as Zeitgeist 8.0 for The Beatitudes Society.  Well done!

Asbury Theological Seminary is in the midst of a serious crisis reports Christianity Today.

Don Byrd of Blog From the Capital tells us about the coming Religious Freedom Day, January 16.

If you or your church is planning to participate, drop a comment and let us know how.

Year-end Blog Potluck

By Alexander Carpenter & Johnny A. Ramirez Jr.

The Spectrum Blog has been taking the holiday week easy, mosty chilling with relatives and eating fondue with the Spectrum crew. Now for your Sabbath, here's a year-end blog potluck.

Five Adventist Professors Who Blog

1. Check out David Larson's site, Ponder Anew! where his wife, Bronwen posts about a 60 Minutes story.

2. Jon Paulien has started a new blog, Revelation - Armageddon.  Read his take on Iraq and the Law of Unintended Consequences.

3. Check out Graeme Sharrock's new photograph heavy site.

4. Julius Nam of Progressive Adventism has a quick chat with our own Bonnie Dwyer.

5. Another new blog, Johnny on CPR, asks if it matters if some Jamaican Adventists don't celebrate Christmas.

His son, Johnny, posts on Oregon Senator Gordon Smith.

Sherman Cox II points out Jan Paulsen's recent calls for a greater presence for women in the church and an increased use of the internet.

Ansell writes about dangerous ideas that need debunking.

Marcel, over at Reinventing the Adventist Wheel posts a letter to former Adventists.

Monte Sahlin of Faith in Context ponders Time and church- Is It All About You?

The Adventist Review starts us off with their top religion news stories of the year.

Over at God's Politics Diana Butler Bass lists her top religion books of the year.  As does Amy Sullivan.

The Barma Group lists the 12 most significant religious findings from 2006.

Blog from the Capital, a Baptist blog, has a list of top religious liberty stories of 2006. 

If you like that list you'll also enjoy a similar top list from another stellar religious liberty blog, Religion Clause.

Adventist Blog Potluck

By Trisha Famisaran

Happy Holidays! A meander through the following blogs provides a good break from all the shopping and Christmas traffic. Enjoy!

• At Intersections, Ryan Bell notes that Procrastination is not Anticipation.

• Torsten Pedersen in Locus Standi reflects on Jimmy Carter’s book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.

• Trisha Famisaran, over at SDA Gender Justice, shares her concerns about women and the global SDA church.

• Progressive Christians Uniting reflects on the holidays by announcing, Away With the Manger!

• On the Spectrum Blog, Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson announces an art auction to benefit the family of James Kim.

• Marcel Schwantes, at Re-Inventing the Adventist Wheel, compares the institutional church paradigm with the biblical church paradigm. He asks, “Is the church you attend on Sabbath “biblical?”

• Julius Nam, at progressiveadventism.com, offers an overview to Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart’s book, Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream.

• Hobbes’ Place explores the religious milieu of Ellen White’s hometown-- Portland, Maine in the nineteenth century.

• Monte Sahlin, over at Faith in Context, explores dynamics of evangelical leadership. His discussion taps into an article from the Washington Post.

• Johnny A. Ramirez links over to Christmas sermons that “stir the Advent heart and mind.”

• In Christianity Today, Nate Anderson and Gregory Sisk dialogue about whether mainstream Christians or marginalized religious groups receive better treatment in religious liberty court cases.

Adventist Blog Potluck

By Johnny A. Ramirez Jr.

Image is from Memo Pisa el Lodo, the blog of La Sierra alum and street art aficionado, Ana Gamboa.

Jan Paulsen is calling for an Advent season full of acts of mercy and compassion. He recently made time to talk with Adventist women.

Monte Sahlin in Faith in Context says that faith communities with any pretense of fellowship with African Americans should speak up against the looming dismantling of Brown vs. Board by the Supreme Court.

Peace Messenger Interchange, the blog of the Adventist Peace Fellowship, thinks you should see this before enlisting in the military.

Speaking of APF, I recently bought Adventism and the American Republic (PonderAnew!) and am really enjoying it. 

Speaking of great books on Adventism and society, I join Monte Sahlin in totally recommending you buy Seeking a Sanctuary.

Over at progressiveadventistm.com recently hired LLU Faculty of Religion Prof. Julius Nam writes a post entitled: Same-Sex Marriage: A Question of Morality or Justice?

Marcel loves on Southern California Pastor Elizabeth Talbot.

Greg Nelson of Second Wind is celebrating some December traditions.

Sherman Cox II writes for those stuck in finals.

Hollywood Pastor Ryan Bell posts about his congregation's recent trip to see icons at the Getty Center at intersections.

Trisha Farmisaran of Adventist Gender Justice asks- What am I?

Alexander Carpenter does a great job on the blog roundup over at Faith in Public Life.

Victoria Bressee of adventistwomen4peace links us to the diary of a family in Baghdad.

Newboldian Julian Kastrati, M.A. writes on Mediation: The Neglected Gem in Adventism.

Pastor Rajkumar Dixit wants to know- Do you worship?

Adventist educator Kimi Puen reflects on how two words can mean so much.

Read Jim Miles on The Ground Truth. It's a review of a movie about who exactly is fighting in Iraq.

Michael Covarrubias of In a Word... is "teggin id izi".

... and not Adventist but still interesting

Mustafa Akyol tells us how in Turkey Christmas wars are proxy battles for their secular state. 

Christianity Today ran a piece arguing that Sunday laws promote morality.

Adventist Blog Potluck

By Johnny A. Ramirez Jr.

Image is from Pastorin blogi, the blog of Ansku Jaakkola, pastor of three congregations in Finland.

Pastor Mike Leno (Ontario, CA) asks in GraceNotes-  Would Jesus torture his enemies?

The British Union Conference is reducing climate change one church at a time. 

Read two posts promoting "An Advent Peacemaking Opportunity" by Ryan Bell and Melvin Bray.

Monte Sahlin in Faith in Context notes that Jews for Jesus have taken evangelism too far.

David R. Larson in Ponder Anew! reviews Physics to Theology: An Essay in Rationality and Religion by Philip Clayton.

Ron Osborn, currently trekking across Africa on his way to hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro, leaves us an enjoyable read recounting his chance meeting with acclaimed singer and onetime attorney general John Ashcroft.

Sherman Cox of Adventist Pulpit notes that John Ashcroft will be speaking at the coming NAD Prayer Ministries conference.  Read another take on the same conference by Ryan Bell at intersections.

Greg Brothers posts a Christmas 2006 wish list listing things he'd like to see from Adventism.

Trisha Farmisaran (Faamisaaaran) of Adventist Gender Justice ponders the name game.

Alexander Carpenter does a great job editing and publishing podcasts from the Coeur d’Alene Conference.

Hobbes Place looks into Phrenology–The Adventist Connection.

Just Pastors asks What fires you up in Ministry?

Newly employed Associate Pastor Trevan Osborn (kudos on the house!) asks in Divergence what you'd do if and when Bill Gates joins your church.

Ron Corson asks- are pastors less informed about culture in America?

Torsten Pedersen in Locus Standi asks Christ or Amnesty?

The Pilgrimage has this past week posted a series of thoughts for the day.

Johnny A. Ramirez thinks you should see "Blood Diamond" this weekend.

... and not Adventist but still interesting

Christianity Today asks if some people take loving Jesus a bit too seriously in a post entitled Dating Jesus.

Mainstream Baptists tackle recent attacks on "private prayer languages" in their post Go Babble Somewhere Else.

What I appreciate about Adventism

By Alexander Carpenter

All too often folks worry that independent Adventist media exists only in the negative. I once sat next to a Union Conference communication chief who responded to my question about what's happening in his territory with a curt: "well, I like good news." Ouch. In fact, most of us do, too - and that's why we stick around, because we love our church and realize that communities are only as good as the people who create meaning within them.

This Thanksgiving season I'm especially thankful for those folks who read and write Adventist blogs. What a thoughtful emerging community. Graduate students, great grandfathers, pastors and laity all creating a space where old-media mavens like Cliff Goldstein can tangle with perpetual students like perpetualstudent. Welcome to new blogging standouts like Trisha over at Adventist Gender Justice and the anonymous historian of Hobbes' Place. There are plenty of things to improve about our faith, but here's the top three things I appreciate about Adventism. Feel free to share your own top three in the comment section.

1. The Office of Legislative Affairs for the church which works hard to protect our separation of church and state.
2. The Loma Linda University student dentists who tended my teeth as a kid.
3. Andrews University profs who encourage thinking about how cultural production and the scientific method fashion truth.

On giving thanks, Courtney, over at One-in-Indy points out: "Here are some other facts to think about as we sit down to our Thanksgiving meals, whether they be with the traditional turkey, tofurky, or even better special K loaf.

1) Tomorrow over 1,000 people will be killed in Darfur.
2) Tomorrow 16,000 children will die from hunger related causes.
3) Tomorrow 13.9 million children in the United States will go hungry.

Also, reflecting on what it all means for the future, Ron writes: "Adventism is what we make it, Adventism can be a totalitarian uncompromising religion or it can be a rational and pluralistic religion. We have the power to mold Adventism."

And Sherman Cox II over at Adventist Pulpit nails it. I'd love to hear a sermon on these points this Sabbath:

"I also am happy that the Adventist church speaks of God's active involvement in contemporary history. We usually call this the sanctuary message and we usually limit it to either a going over the books, or a cleansing of individuals. However, at the very least we can see from this a recognition that God is seeking to build community and moving history towards such a building. God is in control and God is active in the world moving it forward." Oh what, the Tabernacle gave the Jews community and direction. Hmmm.

Check out his list here. 

On this holiday celebrating a new assemblage, thank you community for creating a promising conversation. See you on the flip side.

Adventist Blog Potluck

Ah. . .the comity of nations.
Photo from a 3ABN visit to La Sierra University last year.

At Divergence, seminarian Trevan Osborn continues his great discussion of the effectiveness of evangelistic mailings. Sound boring? It's not, in a previous post he reveals some San Francisco bloggers complaining about the Adventist fliers.

Danish blogger kb-Adventist opposes small groups.

Community organizer, now asst. pastor and prolific blogger Johnny rips into evangelical pastor Mark Discoll who blames the Ted Haggard disaster on Haggard's wife. Read why here.

After you read that, check out the empirical evidence on egalitarian marriage at Trisha's Adventist Gender Justice blog.

Re-inventing the Adventist Wheel examines Christianity as a demographic.

Historian, Hobbes' Place revisits the story of Adventist civil rights pioneer Irene Morgan.

At intersections, Hollywood pastor Ryan mourns the loss of anti-tobacco CA prop. 86.

Greg, the Oregon Adventist Pastor, notes that speaking in tongues is a control issue.

Poll time! At Adventist Pulpit, Sherman asks: Should we combine the union conference and the local conference levels? Vote here.   

For his blog, Faith in Context, Monte Sahlin points out the connection between church growth and creativity.

Feel like a bit o' football and philosophy, check out Ron Osborn's Deserts of Vast Eternity video post, if only to catch Marx warming up.

Adventist Blog Potluck

Here's some sharp blogs by emerging Adventist thinkers and leaders.

Hobbes' Place posts his favorite sources for Adventist history on the web. Did you know about the Jenks Memorial Collection at Aurora University? It's a school that was started by another remnant of the Millerites.

Care about Adventist gender justice?

So does La Sierra alum and Claremont graduate student, Trisha Famisaran.

She just started her blog, Adventist Feminists and has a comment on the recent statement about "giving and not getting" by our elected female leaders. 

She defines feminisms here.

 

Ron Osborn, studying political science at USC, weighs in on the body count in Iraq.  Having worked in places like Kosvo, Cambodia, Thailand, and parts of Africa, he brings an experienced perspective to the debate about how many people are dying in the Iraq disaster. He muses: "Why is it strangely comforting to me to read conservative pundits in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere dismissing the latest Johns Hopkins study on Iraqi fatalities by way of appealing to the greater authority, wisdom, and accuracy of the United Nations?"

Hollywood pastor, Ryan Bell hosted a ONE campaign "hunger banquet" at his Adventist church. What? Are those fellowship halls for more than cooking classes and Rev. seminars?  Check out the fun here. 

Interfaith Blog Potluck

On Street Prophets, Pastor Dan gives  you all you need to know about our do-nothing Congress. Oh wait, yesterday it did pass a bill that would "cut off financial awards to plaintiffs who bring successful lawsuits against expressions of religion like Christmas displays on government grounds. The aim of the measure, approved 244 to 173, is to discourage lawsuits against local, state and federal governments over issues of separation of church and state."

If you missed your morning coffee induced heart-pounding visit Talk to Action where court stripping looks evan more exciting than you think. Joan points out that the main Representative (Hostettler R-IN) behind this act said this:

"When the courts make unconstitutional decisions, we should not enforce them. Federal courts have no army or navy. The court can opine, decide, talk about, sing, whatever it wants to do. We're not saying they can't do that. At the end of the day, we're saying the court can't enforce its opinions."

JSpot posts Stephen Colbert's Days of Repentence for Jews clip and also features Nathan Newman on how California taxpayer won't have to subsidize anti-union campaigns.

Chuck Currie speaks up on torture:

"President Bush is pressuring the Senate to act on the compromise agreement this week, citing the need for intelligence gathering to maintain strong national security.  As people of faith, we are called to stand against policies and practices that violate fundamental human dignity."

TAKE ACTION AGAINST THE TORTURE COMPROMISE HERE.

Philadelphia-based Leming writes on CrossLeft about the evangelical School for Social Change at Eastern University.

Muslim Wake Up wonders about the reaction within Isreal over the recent war with Hezbollah.

City of Brass writes: "among the reasoned responses to the Pope is Tariq Ramadan's essay, which argues that the real context of the Pope's address was to emphatically place Islam within the category of Other with which no true dialog can be undertaken."

Christo Lumen tells the Parable of the Good Homosexual.

Jim, over at Disples from the Left, provides a short ethical reflection on the recent Values Voters Conference.

Mainstream Baptist notes the growing discontent with the Iraq war. Where? Among retired military leadership. Why? Because Iran is looming and they don't want to go through another Rummy mess.

Answering the Rev. Deb Haffner's questions about sex on the edges of the public discussion, the Rev. Meg Riley writes about the importance of coalition building within the progressive movement. She states:

"Over the years, in coalitions, I have watched a number of areas of disagreement--notably about the Middle East, abortion, and gay rights, take down too many good efforts. I think it is key to leave room for disagreement on some issues while moving forward on others."

Even the Devils Believe posts "via Lutheran Zephyr, Beliefnet has a story about a Muslim group in Florida that is sending $5000 in seed money to Palestine to help rebuild Christian churches that were burned there. The group's spokesperson points out that the churches should be protected under the tenets of Islam. Allahu Akbar, and many prayers that we Christians can return to our Muslim brothers and sisters the love expressed in this gesture."

Johnny points out: "The enormity of what is happening in Utah cannot be understated.  They are embracing the future in a way no other state has - this truly is a progressive policy from one of our most religiously devout states."

Finally, listen to Provoke Radio! This week "don't miss this fascinating story of one man's awakening to the social justice message of the Gospels. Guest: Mr. Brian McLaren, best selling author of such books as, 'The Secret Message of Jesus' and others. Brian is a leader in the Emergent community and a man Time Magazine referred to as a 'paradigm shifter'. Special guest host: Dr. Steven Miles, Profesor of Theology, Loyola College of Maryland."

Interfaith Blog Potluck

Oy! Is George Allen a self-hating Jew?  Jspot posts video of "Gevalt" Allen doing an angry, sputtering discussion of his heritage. Jew lover Mik Moore supplies sharp analysis:

"This can only mean that he felt that the reporter was insulting him, or his mother, by talking about their Jewish ancestry. Coming right at the end of his remarks, it revealed that his alleged anger over the reporter’s disdain for the first amendment was a cover for what he was really angry about: being outed in front of his constituents as the son of a Jew."

It's a values smackdown over at Beliefnet. Jim Wallis and Ralph Reed dialoging this week on the new God's Politics blog. Wallis states: "The Religious Right has now lost control of the evangelical political agenda  and here’s why."

Chuck Currie answers the question: according to the beliefs of your religion whats sorts of electronic material should not be found on the internet?

Posting for CrossLeft, Big Daddy Weave points out that Calvinism is on the rise in the Southern Baptist Convention.

For Talk to Action, Frederick Clarkson welcomes Sen. Danforth to the fold. Apparently Sen. Danforth confesses:

"Maybe I was obtuse. . . But in my own mind, it didn't have the urgency until the Schiavo case. In the past year or so, what was maybe a general interest of Robertson and others in politics and one particular issue, namely abortion, has been transformed into something much more detailed and much more a full-fledged political agenda."

Islamicate writes on Packer's New Yorker profile of Taha. And also weighs in on the Pope's recent comment. As does City of Brass, saying: "apology accepted, but the damage is done."