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Spes Christiana 33.2
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Editorial
Reinder Bruinsma
First Published December 2022; pp. 3-6
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Resisting “Neo-Adventism”:
Tensions between Seventh-day Adventist Traditionalists and “Progressives” – 1966‒1979
Gilbert Valentine
doi: 10.17613/z5v2-ec45
First Published December 2022; pp. 7-46
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During Robert Pierson’s leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as General Conference President from 1966-1979 the church experienced theological turmoil in a struggle between traditionalist and progressive perspectives. Pierson perceived a major threat to the conservatism of the church in the form of “creeping liberalism.” In his struggle to “keep the church on a conservative track” he adopted various strategies of protest and resistance. Theological and biblical scholars in the denomination’s two universities in California and Michigan served as change agents in advocating the necessity of more progressive views in the light of new knowledge. They too adopted strategies of protest and resistance. The paper ex-amines this period of turmoil in the Adventist Church against a wider background of similar struggles in other traditions such as the Southern Baptists and Lutherans, with a view to better under-stand the tensions in theological change and development.
Saying Farewell:
Paul’s Last Word to the Elders in Acts 20:1‒35
Paul B. Petersen
doi 10.17613/dh89-b795
First Published December 2022; pp. 47-66
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This article studies Paul’s farewell speech to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:18‒35. It has a unique role among the many speeches of Acts because of both its content and its position in the narrative progress of the book. In contrast to most other speeches in Acts, it is in-house; it is not spoken, for instance, for evangelistic purposes or as a legal defense. Further, it comes as the narrative depiction of Paul’s activities changes from presenting him as an evangelistic pioneer to an affirming pastor. The central theme of the speech is Christian leadership, and an analysis of its structure reveals the centrality of verse 28 which highlights the activities of the triune God. The thematic relation between these two themes, Christian leadership and the triune God, is then further explored with a view to their presence in the theology of Acts.
All These Women – The King’s Servants:
Feminism and the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sweden – A Historical Approach
Yvonne Johansson Öster
doi 10.17613/1nsd-m833
First Published December 2022; pp. 67-92
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As in other Scandinavian countries, the Swedish Seventh-day Adventist Church has greatly benefited from the service of women. Today, many of them are pastors, who are now treated as fully equal with their male colleagues, except with regard to ordination. For decades, however, they had been discriminated against, in terms of financial support, status and professional development – in spite of the generally progressive views about the status of women in Swedish society, and the prominent role of women in other religious bodies. Swedish women played a disproportionally significant role in early Adventist foreign missions, often in their own right, but as time went by church policies proved to be unreasonably restrictive. Women like Ingrid Albiner and others nonetheless contributed in major ways to the growth of the Adventist community in Sweden, and administrators like Bertil Utterbäck and some others did what they could to rectify the unequal treatment female church workers had received.
Ethical Issues in Revelation
Laszlo Istvan Hangyas
doi 10.17613/79ea-qn44
First Published December 2022; pp. 93-106
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The Apocalypse can be considered a theology of power. This article discusses seven ethical issues related to the use and abuse of dele-gated power/authority (exousia). First and foremost, delegated authority is a relational term with dual-directional aspects. It implies that both humans and heavenly beings are morally responsible creatures. Second, this responsibility includes God-given basic human rights: life, freedom, and dignity. Embedded in these basic rights is resistance when one is confronted by unjust authority. Third, our personal freedom comes with discernment. Humans and heavenly beings are all created by God as free moral agents. Fourth, a seven times reoccurring Greek noun for patient endurance (hupomone) that signifies an active virtue, a courageous perseverance and persistence that cannot be shaken by fear or evil or danger. The fifth ethical issue is unity. In Revelation two opposing powers (good and evil) aim at unity for two completely different reasons and using contrary means. The sixth issue is therefore influence. The seventh ethical is-sue is the certainty of final victory that offers a theology of hope and rewards in every chiastic unit of the Apocalypse.
Ellen Gould White and the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha:
Jasher, Enoch, and the Amalgamation of Man and Beast
Matthew J. Korpman
doi 10.17613/aqzr-ef21
First Published December 2022; pp. 107-130
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Although the topic of Ellen White’s relationship to the Apocrypha has recently begun to be given more attention in scholarship, the topic of her interaction with and utilization of the larger non-canonical literature outside her family Bible has received virtually no academic research. As such, this article seeks to correct this silence by undertaking a careful review of all currently known statements by White that reference, allude to, or informally quote apocryphal and pseudepigraphic Old Testament works outside her 19th century Bible. The conclusion of this research argues both that she did in fact utilize such works in her writings (books like Jasher), but also that she remained open to the possibility of discovering even further parabiblical works (books potentially like 1 Enoch). Moreover, acknowledging her indebtedness to Jasher demonstrates the value of such research by revealing that her early comments about the “amalgamation” of man and beast were based on a passage from this pseudepigraphic work, pointing to a new understanding of her intentions when she invoked the controversial statement.
Book Reviews
Profiles of a Religious Man: Confessions of a Religious Addict.
Edwin Zackrison.
Eugene, OR: Resource Publications, 2020. 636 pp.
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The Hope of the Gospel: Theological Education and the Next Evangelicalism.
Mark S. Young.
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2022. 151 pp.
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The Satan: How God’s Executioner Became the Enemy.
Ryan E. Stokes.
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2019. 304 pp.
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We Aim at Nothing Less Than the Whole World: The Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Enterprise and the General Conference Secretariat, 1863‒2019.
A.L. Chism, D.J.B. Trim, and M.F. Younker.
Silver Spring, MD: Archives of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2021. 312 pp.
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Ostriches and Canaries: Coping with Change in Adventism, 1966‒1979.
Gilbert M. Valentine.
Westlake Village, CA: Oak and Acorn Publishers, 2022. 492 pp.
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