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Spes Christiana 35
Table of Contents Download
Editorial
Laurence Turner & Paul B. Petersen
pp. 3–4
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Adventist Theology: A Shared Responsibility
Reinder Bruinsma
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pp. 5–26
The leaders in the Seventh-day Adventist Church are very concerned about what they see as a growing diversity in doctrinal convictions among the members. This article explores some key principles regarding the responsibility of both the church’s professional theologians and the denominational administrators. While the domain of theology is not restricted to professional theologians, they play an important role in the community of the believers as guides in the ongoing discovery of truth. It is to be expected that in a church with a world-wide presence theological diversity will inevitably develop, and that this may, at times, lead to doctrinal controversies. This has been the case in the past and is a challenge in the present. In recent times it appears that administrators have more and more considered it their task to resolve theological conflicts, to protect traditional views, and promote uniformity of belief. In doing so, they tend to make very limited use of the expertise of the academic theologians. However, theologians and administrators each have specific responsibilities and must cooperate, in mutual trust, in guiding the church on its theological journey.
Siegfried Horn: Strategies for Coping with Theological Tension and Conflict
Gilbert M. Valentine
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pp. 25–54
Siegfried Horn was an alumnus of both Friedensau Seminary and Newbold College, who subsequently served for 25 years at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary as professor of Antiquity, Chair of the Old Testament Department and finally as Dean of the Seminary. Through his field work and his writing, he became an internationally respected authority in the field of Biblical Archaeology. During most of his career but particularly through the 1960s and 70s, the Adventist church faced enormous social and cultural change and experienced increasing pressure for theological change in response to the need to accommodate new knowledge. Theological conflict often simmered underneath the surface of church life and as a result, Horn’s teaching and administrative responsibilities exposed him to significant stress as he navigated the sharp tensions. Utilizing Horn’s personal diary kept over fifty years, this paper will explore Horn’s private reflections on these tensions and his perceptions of the need for theological change. It will also seek to identify strategies he adopted in order to cope with the tensions associated with change and consider how he approached the challenge of maintaining personal integrity when his views and those of his church and its leaders markedly differed.
Botched Protestant Amalgamation at the 1529 Marburg Colloquy: Lessons for Theological Disputes
John Okpechi
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pp. 55–94
The 1529 Marburg Colloquy was a pivotal turning point in the history of the Protestant movement. It marked the beginning of an avoidable schism in the nascent movement. The disintegrating tendencies of the movement came to a head when the subject of the Lord’s Supper was not agreed upon, leading to loss of theological consolidation and a united Protestant front, which could have positively altered the course of Protestantism. This study focuses on the issues that characterized the Marburg Colloquy and the resultant consequential impact on the Protestant movement. Seventh-day Adventists, with their staunch Protestant ethos on the one hand, and a significant history of intra-theological disputes on the other hand, can glean valuable lessons from the consequential nature of ill-managed theological conversations, especially at a time when many theological incongruities have begun to threaten the unity and mission of the denomination. Adventist Studies will continue to benefit from a growing understanding of the Protestant Reformation.
On the Moral Implications of the Sanctuary Doctrine
Stefan Höschele
doi: 10.17613/yky77-sxp14
pp. 95–122
The Seventh-day Adventist teaching on a heavenly sanctuary has brought forth a long history of debate, but its moral implications have hardly been discussed so far. This paper argues that this doctrine has the potential to serve as a moral orientation because it entails several theological emphases that are closely connected with morality: holiness theology, the theology of judgment, notions of sacrifice, and a unique theodicy. When summing up the theological concerns behind these emphases, a sanctuary-inspired Christian morality will lean towards an ethic of continuity rather than constituting an ethic for a specific epoch. At the same time, like the Lutheran soteriological focus on justification, the Adventist emphasis on sanctuary imagery should not be overstretched with regard to its moral consequences; the limits of salvific imagery in one particular realm must be recognized.
Accepting Others in their Diversity: Paul’s Mediation Strategy towards the Weak and Strong
Filippo Alma
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pp. 123–142
In Romans 14:1–15:13, Paul offers the believers in Rome an articulate and vibrant call for mutual acceptance, while respecting the differences in practical observances (food and calendar matters) of some of them: the “weak in faith” and the strong. Within these differences, the community is experiencing conflict and laceration: some despise and ridicule others, while the latter, usurping God’s place, even go so far as to condemn the former. Paul does not limit himself to recommending tolerance, but intends to convince, to persuade, one another of the need to seek and build peace and unity in diversity together, because God and Christ have already manifested acceptance and love for every human being. Analysing this discourse, especially from a rhetorical standpoint, helps readers and today’s Church appreciate Paul’s mediation skills and understand the message’s relevance in a society like ours, marked by unyielding diversity in ethnicity, culture, and religion.
The Book Steps to Christ as a Dynamic Guide for Christian Spirituality
Harri Kuhalampi
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pp. 143–162
In Christian spirituality it is sometimes difficult to focus on what is most essential. Frequently, rather than concentrating on union with Christ, believers focus on themselves. Spiritual disciplines can too often be approached through following customs and rituals and losing sight of the goodness and grace of God. I invite my Adventist readers to pay more attention to the fundamental spiritual steps introduced by Ellen White in Steps to Christ. After presenting some general observations about Christian spirituality and the challenges it presents for scholars, I engage with the fundamental elements of spirituality as they are presented in Steps to Christ. I argue that the book’s importance for Adventist spirituality is underestimated and too often dismissed as being too basic and elementary. However, I maintain that a Christian can never reach a stage in his or her spiritual development where the vital primary steps are no longer relevant or important.
Storms
Kendra Haloviak Valentine
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pp. 163–177
The gospel of Mark draws heavily on imagery from the Exodus in telling the stories of Jesus. Reading the three Markan sea crossings literarily provides new possibilities for interpretation. Not only do the first two sea crossings with their scary storms echo the Exodus and invite readers of Mark to see Jesus as the one who calms chaos, the third sea crossing might be the riskiest storm of all because of the danger that fears overcome faith – that disciples might succumb to the fears induced by Pharisaic attitudes and political oppression.
From Ruined House to Ruined Land (Haggai 1:9–11). Examination of the Impact of Ritual Practices on the Environment
Goran Zivkovic
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pp. 179–220
The book of Haggai is among the finest examples of prophetic literature where various issues concerning nature and the environment are thoroughly addressed. Ecologically sensitive interpretations of the book of Haggai are scarce, and those few that are made emphasize two primary causes for the natural disaster of that time. On the one hand, Kessler attributes ecological crisis to socio-political and economic factors, while on the other hand, Meadowcroft and Jieun suggested a close connection between natural calamity and the state of the temple. Even though these scholars established a firm ground on which other ecological readings of Haggai should build, they have not done much on the interconnectedness between ritual activities and ecological well-being, which is clearly emphasized in this book. This paper revisits the ecological crisis delineated in Haggai by focusing on the function of two rituals: the ritual of offering (Hag 2:10–14) and the ritual of laying a foundation (Hag 2:15–19). Utilizing an approach based on ritual studies (Ronald L. Grimes) within the framework of an ecologically sensitive reading of Haggai (Christopher J.H. Wright), this paper demonstrates the crucial role that rituals play in shaping the natural world. On the one hand, infelicitous rituals of offering lead to nature’s suffering, while on the other hand, felicitous foundation-laying rituals contribute to its flourishing. While contemporary secular ecologists emphasize the importance of caring for the environment through physical actions, an eco-theological reading of Haggai suggests taking a further step: both our deeds and moral obligations to practice life-affirming rituals directly impact the natural world..
Fictitious Tales or Historic Treasures? Ellen White and the Apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla
Matthew J. Korpman
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pp. 221–244
While Ellen White’s use of the Old Testament Apocrypha in her King James Bible has been and continues to be studied deeply by scholars, her utilization of the New Testament Apocrypha has largely gone unnoticed. In this article, her familiarity and use of the various apocryphal Acts of the Apostles accounts will be investigated, examining whether she had access to the documents and to what extent their influence can be detected in her accounts of the lives of the apostles. The conclusion of this research demonstrates both that White did in fact appear to read and utilize such works in her writings (books like the Acts of Paul and Thecla), but also that White appears to exhibit a distinctly different attitude toward these works in comparison with the Old Testament Apocrypha and canonical Scriptures found in her Bible.
Satan’s Captives are Burning the Bible: Did Ellen White Endorse the Apocrypha in 1849?
Matthew J. Korpman
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pp. 245–282
Book Reviews
Father Miller’s Daughter: Ellen Harmon White
Donald Edward Casebolt.
Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2022. 318 pp.
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Seventh-day Adventist Health Reform ‒ A Crucible of Identity Tensions: Ellen G. White and Dr. John H. Kellogg ‒ The Battle for Seventh-day Adventist Identity
Richard B. Ferret
Eugene OR: Pickwick, 2023. 162 pp.
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