What the Bible Really Says about Women Spiritual Leaders–Dwight Nelson

Shortly after that conversation, I came across an example of this in the life of Paul. In a letter to the community in Corinth, Paul shares his troubled emotions. “For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more” (2 Cor. 7:5-7; emphasis added). God could have comforted Paul by sending angels or by supernaturally giving him deep peace within; however, God chose a fellow human—Titus and the friends who sent word via Titus—to support Paul.

God certainly does act directly at times, but it is generally when humans have failed to play their part, or are simply unable for whatever reason. Carl shared how Jesus’ experience in Gethsemane is an example of this last resort. Jesus wanted his friends to be with him in his dark hour, but only when they failed to support him did God send angels to do the job.

This methodology of providing comfort and compassion through fellow humans was also highlighted by Ellen White. She wrote: “God designs that the sick, the unfortunate, those possessed of evil spirits, shall hear His voice through us. Through His human agents He desires to be a comforter, such as the world has never before seen. His words are to be voiced by His followers: ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me’” (Welfare Ministry, p. 22).

Who has God used to encourage me? Who might God want to comfort through me today?

Jeff: You have said that when faced with evil and tragedies, we should not ask, “Where is God?” but instead ask, “Where are those who claim the name of Christ?” Why is this reorientation of the question important?

Carl: As I travel around and speak with what are considered secular audiences, I’m constantly looking for a vocabulary to communicate the truths that I believe Jesus came to make plain to us. It’s often pretty meaningless to use phrases like “God was with me,” “God protected me,” “God provided for me.” When you stop and ask, “How did God provide for me? How did God protect me? How was God with me?” you start to see this truth that we’ve known all along: God’s primary way of intervening on this planet is through people.

[complete interview]

Previously, I wrote about Carl at the Summit on Social Consciousness at Andrews University.

“Adventists in the United States have not sought public office as often as have Baptists and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Should more Adventists run for public office? Or are there good reasons not to? With this election year upon us, several speakers with an Adventist background will recount why they plunged into politics–local, state, national.”

Details:

• Saturday, May 12, 2012
• 3:00-4:30pm
• Centennial Complex, Damazo Amphitheater
• Loma Linda University

ACS Disaster Response: “Adventist Community Services in Oklahoma give us the ability to touch and bless our community in a way seldom offered. In the darkest times we can be the light with the help of our God. Give to support Disaster Relief and Community Services.”

In preparing for social action, there is one element that should be prioritized—prayer. Because of its importance, this week’s practical step is to pray. Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove remind us that “prayer and action can go together; in fact they must. Otherwise we have little more than a bunch of inactive believers or worn-out activists, and neither do much good for the world” (Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers: Prayer for Ordinary Radicals, 2008, p. 12).

That article also included part of the story of when Rick McKinley, Donald Miller and others started praying for the needs of Portland as they started a church plant (you can read more of their accounts in this PDF, and a bit of context for that document here). Prayer is powerful.

Recently, my wife and I have been reading George Müller: Delighted in God (1981), which tells the moving story of how Müller cared for thousands of orphans by relying on prayer (and the God who hears our prayers) to supply his needs. His stories just amaze me–his trust in God, his dedication to prayer, his embrace of risk. And when I came across this paragraph where he reveals his motivation, I wanted to share it with you, A2 blog readers:*

Two new [orphan] Homes with the necessary land…would cost about £50,000. “And how,” people said, “will you be able to accomplish the building, as then the regular current expenses will amount to about £35,000 per year?”

I feel the force of all this [Müller replied] looking at it naturally. I am not a fanatic or an enthusiast, but, as all who know me are well aware, a calm, cool, quiet, calculating businessman; and therefore I should be utterly overwhelmed, looking at it naturally; but as the whole of this work has commenced, and ever has been gone on with in faith, trusting in the living God alone for everything, so it is also regarding this intended enlargement. I look to the Lord alone for helpers, land, means, and everything else needed. I have pondered the difficulties for months, and have looked steadily at every one of them; but faith in God has put every one of them aside.

Indeed, it was  to demonstrate what can be wrought by faith that Müller originally began his work.

My chief object was the glory of God, by giving a practical demonstration as to what could be accomplished simply through the instrumentality of prayer and faith, in order thus to benefit the Church of Christ at large, and to lead a careless world to see the reality of the things of God, by showing them, in this work, that the Living God is still, as four thousand years ago, the Living God. This my aim has been abundantly honoured. Multitudes of sinners have been thus converted, multitudes of the children of God in all parts of the world have been benefited by this work, even as I had anticipated. But the larger the work has grown, the greater has been the blessing, bestowed in the very way in which I looked for blessing; for the attention of hundreds of thousands has been drawn to the work and many tens of thousands have come to see it. All this leads me to desire further and further to labour on in this way, in order to bring yet greater glory to the name of the Lord… That it may be seen how much one poor man, simply by trusting in God, can bring about by prayer; and that thus other children of God may be led to carry on the work of God in dependence upon Him; and that children of God may be led increasingly to trust in Him in their individual positions and circumstances, therefore I am led to this further enlargement. (pp. 157-158)

I see a similar reliance on prayer in two faith-based organizations today working against human trafficking:

• International Justice Mission — Global Prayer Gathering, Prayer Partners
• Tiny Hands International — One Girl Prayer Initiative. The prayers of local Christian congregations at the border between Nepal and India also speak to me — Daughters of Nepal (THI video; more).

If this topic interests you, you might appreciate these three books:

• Is That Really You, God? (Loren Cunningham, 2001)
• The Peacemaking Power of Prayer (John Robb & Jim Hill, 2000)
• Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers (Shane Claiborne & Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, 2008)

Maybe I need to blog less, pray more, and do more. :)

*NOTE: I intended this blog is to be for, by and about Adventists, so this story focusing on George Müller, Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Donald Miller and Rick McKinley is an exception.

The second thing I appreciated was the attitude between people. No one disfellowshipped anyone else. Everyone deserves respect. We are all trying to be true to the Bible and to God’s Spirit. Yet no one has all the data or is interpreting all the data objectively and accurately. We need each other. I need your information. I need your perspective. Jimi Hendrix said he never met a guitarist he didn’t learn from. I may not switch to your side of the argument, but I will at least have a better understanding of both sides of the issue. So I appreciated that both sides granted the other the benefit of the doubt regarding sincerity and their place as children of God.

Disagreeing must be done in the context of the affirmation that we are seekers of God, at least as honestly and faithfully as humanly possible. We may disagree about who (if anyone) should be ordained, about how to engage in the political sphere, about military ethics, or how to care for creation, but we are still part of one family–God’s family. We are part of a religious tradition that at its best has promoted “unity in diversity” rather than “conformity.” May this always be true of our conversations here. We’re all doing the best we can, and hopefully together we can figure more out and engage in more faithful action than we could alone.

At about the same time that the ordination conversation was occurring, I read a post by Shane Claiborne on the same topic–his disagreements with Chuck Colson. This line stood out to me: “Despite disagreeing on some important things, he left me wanting to talk more, rather than less. I’d say our world of mean politics and ugly theology could use more Chuck Colsons.”

This conversation also reminds me of the TED talk by Kathryn Schulz, On Being Wrong. “I can’t actually think of anything that I’m wrong about.” Let’s not fall back on the unfortunate assumptions about those who disagree with us.

Grace and peace my brothers and sisters in Christ,

Jeff

This evening I appreciated Dan’s story of transitioning from pastoral ministry to international mediation and conflict transformation. I also valued the roles that Mennonites John Howard Yoder and John Paul Lederach played in Dan’s journey and in the journey of Baptist peacemaking more generally. In addition to describing his own personal path, Dan also told stories from the field, such as this one from a trip to Liberia–I’m the Socks.

Dan’s current role is quite intriguing. He is the “American Baptist International Ministries’ Global Consultant for Peace and Justice. He works with [Baptist] missionaries and national church partners around the world to deal constructively with conflict situations. In addition, Dan trains church and community leaders in conflict transformation skills, utilizing experiential education methodologies and Bible study” (from a pamphlet for International Ministries). Carl Wilkens’ presentation at Andrews University earlier this month tells me that the Adventist church needs this kind of leadership as well. And what would it take for us to have a recurring global peace conference or convention like the Baptists do?

To learn more, visit Dan’s blog and website, or check out these books:

• Blessed are the Peacemakers (2011)
• Interfaith Heroes (2007)
• Interfaith Heroes 2 (2008)

Also related is Friendship and Faith: The Wisdom of Women Creating Alliances for Peace (2010), and there is talk of a project called Blessed are the Filmmakers as a follow-up to his book Blessed are the Peacemakers.

• Volunteers in Action: Mike Kontes (Maranatha video, N.D.)
• A Cinderella Story (NAPS, N.D.)
• Washington Church Reaches Out to Migrant Farm Workers & Immigrants (Adv Today, 21 Apr 2012)
• Adventist Students Protest Chinese Industrial Development in the Solomon Islands (Adv Today, 20 Apr 2012)
• 2012 Ellen White Issues Symposium: “Ellen G. White on Leadership and Power” (Memory, Meaning & Faith, 20 Apr 2012)
• Earth Day: ADRA Celebrates Commitment to Maintain a Healthy World (John Torres, ADRA, 19 Apr 2012)
• Retired GC President Jan Paulsen Addresses Women’s Ordination Issue at Spring Meeting (Adv Today, 18 Apr 2012)
• This is What He Said (Jan Paulsen, Spectrum, 17 Apr 2012)
• Fundamentalism, Women, and the Adventist Church (Ginger Hanks Harwood, Spectrum, 17 Apr 2012) 
• Mongolia: ADRA Improves Access to Education and Health Services for Children with Disabilities (John Torres, ADRA, 17 Apr 2012)
• Social Justice and Adventism (Charles Eaton, Adv Today, 16 Apr 2012)
• June is National Torture Awareness Month (ReligiousLiberty.TV,  16 Apr 2012)
• Interfaith Moral Action on Climate to Meet April 24 in Washington, DC (Karen Scott, ReligiousLiberty.TV, 15 Apr 2012)
• Saving ADRA (Bonnie Dwyer, Spectrum, 15 Apr 2012)
• In China, Adventist believers display spirit of service, sacrifice (Andre Brink, ANN, 13 Apr 2012)
• Weekend Feature: Green Technology Saves Pacific Union College Millions of Dollars (Adv Today, 13 Apr 2012)
• Justin Kim, Congressional Candidate, Speaks with Spectrum (Alexander Carpenter, Spectrum, 12 Apr 2012)
• Miracle Greenhouse (Sandra Blackmer, Adv Review, 12 Apr 2012)
• Adventist Peace Fellowship sponsors Torture Awareness Month in June (Adv Today, 11 Apr 2012)
• Church Chat: For Adventist blind ministry, cutbacks kindle new growth (Elizabeth Lechleitner, ANN, 11 Apr 2012)
• A Bend Toward Justice in the Trayvon Martin Story (Jason Hines, Spectrum, 11 Apr 2012)
• Resurrection: On Mission and Chavez (Geoffrey Nelson-Blake, Spectrum, 10 Apr 2012)
• World religious freedom congress to help advocates identify emerging threats (Bettina Krause, ANN, 10 Apr 2012)
• New Funding Achieved for Community Clinics Staffed by Loma Linda Volunteers (Adv Today, 10 Apr 2012)
• If He Is King, Where Is His Army? (Charles Scriven, Spectrum, 9 Apr 2012)
• Weeping with Jephthah’s Daughter (Kendra Haloviak Valentine, Spectrum, 6 Apr 2012)
• Trayvon Martin and the Adventist Imperative (Keith Burton, Spectrum, 5 Apr 2012)
• Adventist Congressman Re-nominated for Sixth District in Maryland (Adv Today, 4 Apr 2012)
• Announcement of Women’s Ordination Brings Tears, Cheers (Jared Wright, Spectrum, 4 Apr 2012)
• Urban Economic Development in Papua New Guinea empowers Women (South Pacific Record, Adv Today, 2 Apr 2012)
• Five Lessons on Loving Your Enemies (Jason Hines, ReligiousLiberty.TV, 1 Apr 2012)
• Dr. Leslie N. Pollard, Eleventh President of Oakwood University (Ramona L. Hyman, Message, Mar/Apr 2012)

• Adventist Leaders Speak Out About the Killing of Trayvon Martin (Adv Today, 30 Mar 2012)
• Southern Union Looks to the General Conference on Women’s Ordination (Bonnie Dwyer, Spectrum, 30 Mar 2012)
• Yet Another Conference Votes to Support the Ordination of Women Clergy (Adv Today, 29 Mar 2012)
• Rwanda: ADRA Donates Latrines to Primary School (John Torres, ADRA, 28 Mar 2012)
• Nepal: ADRA Combats Poverty Through Agro-based Training Program (John Torres, ADRA, 28 Mar 2012)
• Potomac Conference Moves Ahead with Intention to Ordain Women (Bonnie Dwyer, Spectrum, 27 Mar 2012)
• The Widow’s Mite…A Modern Day Story (Debbie Burns, Adv Community Services, 26 Mar 2012)
• Just Claim It prayer conference offers spiritual development, community service (ANN, 26 Mar 2012)
• North American Division Calls for Justice in Trayvon Martin Death (Alexander Carpenter, Spectrum, 26 Mar 2012)
• SECC Votes to Ordain Pastors Without Regard to Gender (Adv Women’s Blog, 23 Mar 2012)
• Another Denominational Governing Committee Supports Ordination for Women Pastors (Adv Today, 23 Mar 2012) 
• Native American Tribal Chairman, Intertribal President and Adventist Elder (Adv Today, 23 Mar 2012)
• Pacific Union Conference Reaffirms Commitment to Ordination for Women Pastors (Adv Today, 22 Mar 2012)
• Southeastern California Conference Executive Committee Votes to Ordain Women (Jared Wright, Spectrum, 22 Mar 2012)
• Trayvon (Raintree’s Village, 21 Mar 2012)
• Another Union Conference Votes to Urge the Regular Ordination of Women Clergy (Adv Today, 21 Mar 2012)
• NY artist brings joy through art to BSS students (Amistad, 20 Mar 2012)
• Will Social Networking Change Religion the Way Gutenberg Did? (Monte Sahlin, Faith in Context, 20 Mar 2012)
• Adventist Church president supports community, spiritual development during Africa tour (ANN, 20 Mar 2012)
• Columbia Union Reaffirms Request to Ordain Women (Alexander Carpenter, Spectrum, 20 Mar 2012)
• Adventist Churches, Government Leaders Pray for Peace on Ghana’s 55th Independence Day (Adv Today, 20 Mar 2012)
• Blessing and Being Blessed: Mission Trip Helps Develop Organic Farming in Jamaica (Debbonnaire Kovacs, Adv Today, N.D.)
• National Protest by Churches against Foreclosures is Led by Adventist Pastor (Adv Today, N.D.)
• Avondale College Scientist Honored for Environmental Action (Adv Today, N.D.)
• Women’s Ordination – YOUR Voice Matters (Adv Women’s Blog, 19 Mar 2012)
• WRC Supports REVO (Adv Women’s Blog, 19 Mar 2012)
• In Peru, 20,000 youth outreach event delivers community service, evangelism support (Ansel Oliver, ANN, 16 Mar 2012)
• The Pacific Union Reaffirms the Ordination of Women, Makes Plans for Action (Gerry Chudleigh, Spectrum, 15 Mar 2012)
• Ted Wilson Praises Zimbabwe’s Mugabe (Alexander Carpenter, Spectrum, 15 Mar 2012)
• A Tale of Two Gatherings (Nathan Brown, Adv Today, 14 Mar 2012)
• Why Men Should Not Be Ordained (J. David Newman, Adv Today, 12 Mar 2012)
• Update from the Mid-America Union on Vote to Support Women’s Ordination (Alexander Carpenter, Spectrum, 12 Mar 2012)
• Adventist Pastor Quoted in ‘The New York Times’ on Responsible Banking (Geoffrey Nelson-Blake, Spectrum, 11 Mar 2012)
• Hands Off! Religious Liberty Furor Over Birth Control (ReligiousLiberty.TV, 9 Mar 2012)
• The Mid-America Union Votes to Support the Ordination of Women (Bonnie Dwyer, Spectrum, 9 Mar 2012)
• Mid-America Union Conference Votes to Support Ordination of Women (Adv Today, 9 Mar 2012)
• Adventist Volunteers Respond to Midwest Tornadoes (Adv Today, N.D.)
• 7-Minute Seminary: Women and Ministry from Scripture (Alexander Carpenter, Spectrum, 8 Mar 2012)
• Why This Progressive Feels Proud to be Ted Wilson’s Adventist Brother (Doug Wilson, Spectrum, 7 Mar 2012)
• In Rwanda, Adventist president highlights unity, reconciliation and lifting up Jesus (ANN, 6 Mar 2012)
• An Update on Seventh-Gay Adventists (Daneen Akers, Spectrum, 2 Mar 2012)
• No Shelter: On Mission and Chavez (Geoffrey Nelson-Blake, Spectrum, 29 Feb 2012)
• A Small Town in West Virginia and Two Couples (Adv Today, 25 Feb 2012)
• Congregations in Kazakhstan Face Problems with Religious Rights (Adv Today, 23 Feb 2012)
• RIVERSIDE: First Muslim speaker at Adventist university’s lecture (David Olson, Press-Enterprise, 23 Feb 2012)
• When Women Break the Bread of Life (Donna J. Haerich, Spectrum, 23 Feb 2012)
• Adventists in Ghana Focus on Public Service and Visibility (Adv Today, 21 Feb 2012) 

BONUS (Other Christian Stories and Headlines)

• Young Evangelicals and the 2012 Election (Jack Palmer, God’s Politics Blog/Sojourners, 20 Apr 2012)
• Food as Spiritual and Political Praxis: An Exchange between Autumn Brown and Nekeisha Alexis-Baker (Autumn Brown & Nekeisha Alexis-Baker, Jesus Radicals, 19 Apr 2012)
• What is Post-Candidate Politics? (Tim King, God’s Politics Blog/Sojourners, 18 Apr 2012)
• “The land is mine” (the importance of Leviticus 25:23) (Morgan Guyton, Red Letter Christians, 16 Apr 2012)
• Wells Fargo and Easter (PICO/SFOP/Episcopal News Service, 12 Apr 2012)
• Village Voice / Backpage Petition Delivery (Groundswell, 29 Mar 2012)
• Setting the standard or feeding the problem? (Tom Davis, Red Letters, N.D.)

(April 11-14, 2012)

This past weekend, Andrews University hosted Carl Wilkens at the Summit on Social Consciousness.[i] Wilkens, who worked for ADRA at the time and is now the co-founder of World Outside My Shoes, was the only U.S. citizen who remained in Rwanda during the 100-day genocide in 1994.[ii] I was able to attend only the Saturday programs, and based on their quality I am sorry to have missed the bulk of the Summit. Christon Arthur, Dean of the AU School of Graduate Studies and Research, described the event as “the first annual.” I hope his off-hand comment will prove true because a number of important themes raised at the event deserve further attention, such as personal and institutional responses to violence, Christian involvement in the political sphere, and forgiveness and reconciliation.

Sabbath School

For Sabbath School Cassandre and Andreas Beccai interviewed both Carl and Teresa Wilkens. I was interested in three parts of their explanation for why Carl stayed in Rwanda when most other foreigners left. First, Teresa described their relationship with two Tutsis who worked for the Wilkens family. These individuals were deeply important to the Wilkens, and the family knew both would be murdered if Carl did not stay. Second, Carl mentioned the tendency to question authority. When ordered by the U.S. embassy and also SDA leaders to evacuate, Carl questioned these calls and chose to respond as he saw best. This theme—we always have a choice—came up a number of times in the presentations and workshops (especially Ann Gibson’s breakout session). Third, Carl explained that just because it was right for him to stay does not mean that the people who left were not right in leaving. In such a time of chaos and uncertainty, no one decision is necessarily right for each person given their various roles, responsibilities and extenuating circumstances. I appreciated this openness.

The role of community was another theme that came out during the interview. Teresa did not evacuate alone, and Carl did not remain active and alive during the genocide as a one-man savior. Neighbor ladies protected the family with the power of humanizing stories on the first night of violence when men tried to attack the Wilkens’ home. Other Rwandese and foreigners, such as the Union Treasurer and an orphanage manager, were instrumental in Carl’s survival and effectiveness during the ordeal.

One of the most troubling issues that surfaced in the conversation was the failure of the church to adequately respond to the violence; in fact, two Adventist leaders have been convicted of participating in the genocide.[iii] With some 300,000 Adventists in a population of seven million, was there not something more the church could have done? This is admittedly a very difficult question to address, but Carl pressed us to look at what the church (our church) spends its time and money on and to ask, “What really matters?” Carl did note that many Adventists were faithful on a personal level—with many dying for their faithfulness—but he called us to ponder how the church as an institution could have acted more effectively on behalf of peace and love.

During the open question time, an audience member asked if Carl had used a weapon for protection, and Carl shared that he actually turned down the offer of a gun. He believed that if a person has a gun, they are not quite as willing or able to look for other responses—to negotiate, to build allies, to look for options. He was also quick to add that he was not trying to make a bigger statement about guns or police, but that for him and his situation, this was what he believed was best.

Each of the topics covered begged for more time, more stories, more point and counter-point, but the limits of the schedule inevitably prevented a thorough reflection. In all, it was a spiritually provocative morning of worship.

Keynote Address

Before Carl Wilkens rose to speak for church, we were invited into a minute of silence to remember those who had died in the genocide. All was quiet except two babies who offered a duet of sounds reminding us of innocence and hope for a better future.

After the moment of silence, campus and church leaders gathered on stage to read a statement on the Rwandan genocide and to lead the congregation in a litany (Statement & Litany, PDF).

Without going into the details of the sermon, one point that stood out to me was the need to remember that Rwanda should not be defined by the three-month span of the genocide. Rwandan history and society is much broader and richer than this burst of horrible violence. To that end, Carl tried to bring out aspects of joy and community in the stories he told of his experiences during the genocide. You can find these stories in his new book, I’m Not Leaving.[iv]

In his call to action, Carl made the point that “stories move our hearts, but stories without service leave us worse than when we started.” Audience members were therefore encouraged to support Life Lifting Hands, a non-profit that works in Rwanda distributing cows, caring for orphans, and promoting education.

Breakout Sessions

After lunch six breakout sessions were offered; however, because three were presented at a time and none were repeated, participants faced difficult choices. The 3:30pm workshops included:

• Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Healing from Trauma (David Sedlacek)
• Personal Ethics: Our Responsibility (Ann Gibson)
• Who is My Brother? Race & Ethnicity in the Church (Christon Arthur)

The 4:30pm sessions included:

• Why is There So Much Evil in God’s Good Creation? (Martin Hanna)
• The Causes of Ethnic Conflicts & the Role of the Church (Leonard Gashugi)
• Violence Against Women: End It Now! (Heather-Dawn Small)

In the future it would be helpful to expand this portion of the event so that attendees can attend more of the offerings. For example, a third time slot could be added or all six presentations could be offered during both (or all three) sessions.

Closing Session

A concert by Girls of Mercy[v] started the evening, then Carl spoke, and finally his wife played a moving piano piece while the audience viewed pictures from the Panzi Foundation website (Congo).

In addition to the compelling stories, two points Carl made in the closing session stood out to me. First, when faced with evil and tragedies, we shouldn’t say “Where is God?” but “Where are those who call on the name of God?” Second, we should embrace the power of story and service to build peace.

In summary, I greatly appreciated the thought-provoking stories from Rwanda. The one part of the day that was a bit thin in my estimation relates to the name of the summit–Lessons from Rwanda. What are the actual lessons? We admitted that the church did not shine as a bright light on a hill during this atrocity, but from the various speakers I did not hear what we actually learned and what could practically be done better in the future (or now in places of on-going violence). What should the church have done differently? What is the church’s role during massive social upheaval (levels: GC, divisions, unions, conferences, congregations, members)? How should the church prepare its institutional structures and members to respond to local and international social evil? In addition to making important statements, are there additional actions that each level of the church can take to be a nonviolent force for peace in society? How can the church proclaim in word and deed the full gospel of Jesus, whose kingdom is characterized by peace and justice? How can we positively be engaged with humanitarian issues that are politically charged?

We may discuss the proper response of world governments to genocide, ethnic cleansing and a whole host of social injustices, but the most pressing question to me is What is the role of the church? In my view, campaigns like EndItNow! speak to this because it aims to shape church member attitudes and practices in practical ways, and what we do in times of chaos is determined by who we are formed to be in times of relative peace. By taking a stand for peace today or by serving someone today, we show love in the moment and prepare for when the stakes are higher. Whatever other role the church may or should play in society, this seems to me to be an important and uncontroversial first step.

I hope Andrews University will indeed have another Summit on Social Consciousness next year. There are many potential themes and presenters for such an event, and the following are a few at the top of my list:

• Karen Kotoske (Amistad, Intl). The power of prayer. The power of one. The power of collaboration. The power of friendship. [I have an interview with her due to be published in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Adventist Education.]
• Anthony Paul (NAPS). Hunger and poverty.
• Douglas Morgan (WAU). Adventists and politics.
• Paul Yates (Tiny Hands, Intl). Human Trafficking. The power of prayer. Congregational social action. [Paul isn’t SDA, but Union College is on board with his work.]

NOTE: Video cameras were rolling throughout the event, so I will update this post with links to the content if it becomes available online. Thank you, Lenworth Sealey, for keeping me informed about this.