Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist Forum

Father Leahy, O.S.B., headmaster of St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, NJ, shares about a new documentary, executive produced by Steph Curry, that explores how his own basketball program offers personal growth, but often false social hope for young American men. We also talk about how his Catholic faith informs his social values and has fueled his decades of academic leadership as well as the history of how alumni saved St. Benedict’s by converting it into an elite school serving disadvantaged youth.

The film, Benedict Men, viewable on Quibi, follows the “St. Benedict’s boys basketball team as they strive to add another state championship to their legacy. Along the way, they uncover the true meaning of unity, selflessness, and hard work.”

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Dr. Alex Bryan, chief mission officer for Adventist Health, talks about reading a biography on every American president. We discuss his insights into the meaning of the presidency, who he learned to love, and some major lessons on leadership.

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Continuing our American politics series from last week, Vanessa Corredera, PhD, chair of the English Department at Andrews University and Courtney Ray, PhD, ordained minister and president of the Society of Black Neuropsychology, explore the problem of epistemic closure and others issues like race and abortion. Additionally, they both share very personal examples of their own social views changing.

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Lisa Clark Diller, PhD, chair of the History department at Southern Adventist University and Jason Hines, PhD, associate professor in the department of Healthcare Administration at AdventHealth University join me in a spirited debate on U.S. politics and the problems of a fragmentary civic epistemology. Approaching issues from progressive and even anarchist perspectives, they talk about what’s at stake at the Supreme Court, for folks of faith, and those who care about social justice.

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Spectrum managing editor Alisa Williams reports on global Adventist finances, electronic voting, and the changes to next year’s GC Session. We also discuss the rise of Adventist pioneer parody Twitter accounts and why they might be good for learning our history.

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With sports increasingly back from quarantine, I talk with a London-based Adventist who played semi-pro football (soccer) before returning to Sabbath observance. He shares his story of struggling with his faith, being an Everton FC fan, and how he continues to combine his love of sport and community uplift.

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Alisa Williams and Julius Nam join me to each tell and discuss stories from the less well history of Adventism. Alisa shares a story of a planted letter at the Ellen White Estate vault about a fake prophet (and attempted murderer) and Julius take us to Korea where an American missionary became an international pariah for punishing a young boy for stealing an apple.

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Three emerging filmmakers share the inspiration for their beautiful and theologically complex retelling of the Hosea Bible story. Writer and director Ryan Daniel Dobson with producers Suzanne Watson and Avril Z. Speaks talk about setting “Hosea” in Oklahoma, deconstructing the chauvinism by focusing on his wife, and focusing on the divine in sensuality, art, pain, and relationships that redeem.

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I talk with Adventist Health + Rideout president Rick Rawson about how COVID-19 and mitigation controversies have impacted his community. We also discuss the conclusions he learned from racial health inequalities and how “defunding” healthcare offers hope for the future.

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Adventist Forum board chair, Carmen Lau, shares about how her white Southern Adventist upbringing blinded her to the realities of racism. We also talk about “Spectrum’s early history” with the Civil Rights movement and the plan for a group of Adventists to visit Alabama next month to learn more about that history of social justice.

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