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Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist Forum

Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist Forum

By Spectrum

Our goal is to foster community through conversation. This podcast is a companion to Spectrum, a journal established to encourage Seventh-day Adventist participation in the discussion of contemporary issues from a Christian viewpoint, to look without prejudice at all sides of a subject, to evaluate the merits of diverse views, and to foster intellectual and cultural growth. For more, go to: spectrummagazine.org/
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Pastor Golovenko on Ukraine

Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist ForumMar 08, 2022

00:00
32:42
Colour Problematic: Finding Peace in Diverseness

Colour Problematic: Finding Peace in Diverseness

Pastor Iki currently serves as the first lead pastor of colour for the La Sierra University Church. With his Tongan background & stories of being an undocumented immigrant, he boldly expresses his full self so others may likewise do so.


Oct 06, 202345:38
Mark Carr on Regional Conferences

Mark Carr on Regional Conferences

Alaska Region Director of Ethics for Providence Health & Services, Mark F. Carr, MDiv, PhD, studied with James Childress, PhD, one of the world’s premier “principles-based” bioethicists at the University of Virginia. He mastered competencies in Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Philosophical, and Bio, ethics, focusing his dissertation on moral decision making methods in clinical contexts. In addition to the chapter he contributed to A House on Fire, he wrote and helped edit a number of books including, Passionate Deliberation: Emotion, Temperance, and the Care Ethic in Clinical Moral Deliberation and World Religions for Healthcare Professionals. As a professor at Loma Linda University he directed the Master of Arts degree in Clinical and Biomedical Ethics and served as the Theological Co-Director for the Center for Bioethics.ReplyForward

Sep 25, 202346:47
Pastor Manuel Arteaga on Hispanic Heritage

Pastor Manuel Arteaga on Hispanic Heritage

Manuel is the founding pastor of Kalēo Adventist Church, a Spanglish congregation in the Glendale, California. He has a degree in Business Administration and MTS from La Sierra University, and is working on his DMin in Urban Ministry at Fuller Seminary.
We discuss why being a Spanglish—mixing languages from the platform was a needed correction, how thinking theologically about “familia” helps grow congregational identity, and how Pastor Arteaga is able to preach social justice with boldness.

Sep 20, 202330:01
Janice De-Whyte on Faith and Failure

Janice De-Whyte on Faith and Failure

Janice De-Whyte reflects on God’s priorities by looking at the failure of the religious community in Bethel. The conversation is based on her chapter in the book, A House on Fire: How Adventist Faith Responds to Race and Racism, which was edited by Nathan Brown and Maury Jackson. Nathan Brown and Lisa Clark Diller join Janice to explore these themes together.
Janice De-Whyte, PhD, is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at the School of Religion, Loma Linda University. She is the author of Wom(b)an: A Cultural-Narrative Reading of the Hebrew Bible Barrenness Narratives. As a biblical scholar and clergywoman, Dr. De-Whyte’s research and teaching engages Scripture and its intersection with gender, race, economics, and health. She’s attended Newbold College (Bachelor of Divinity), Andrews University (MA Old Testament) and McMaster Divinity College (PhD Old Testament).

Sep 01, 202356:22
Novelist Explores Food and Adventism

Novelist Explores Food and Adventism

In the novel, Stillwater, by noted Canadian writer, Darcie Friesen Hossack, sixteen-year-old Lizzy is trapped, caught between her passion for science and the teachings of her Seventh-day Adventist father and Mennonite mother. In this conversation with her, profound Adventist author Trudy Morgan-Cole, joins me as we explore food, religion, Canadian regional lit, and what it’s like to create Adventist characters. 


Darcie Friesen Hossack is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers with roots in the Mennonite and Seventh-day Adventist communities. A career food writer and editor of the online WordCity Literary Journal, her short story collection, Mennonites Don't Dance (Thistledown Press), was a runner-up for the Danuta Gleed Award, and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading Evergreen Award for Adult Fiction. 

Aug 18, 202349:58
Brian Strayer on Hiram Edson: Man and Myth

Brian Strayer on Hiram Edson: Man and Myth

Drawing from his research for the first scholarly biography of this Adventist pioneer, historian Brian Strayer details the rise, decline, and mythology of Hiram Edson. He didn’t have visions, but “presentments.” Also, despite being the man who saw the heavenly sanctuary on October 23, 1844, Edson focused his interests elsewhere. He even quit going to church for a while late in life. Strayer grounds all this in the larger mid-1800s New York religious context where innovation, ecstatic expression, and social change were influencing what became the Adventist Church.

Aug 04, 202343:59
Larry Geraty on Ron Numbers and Fritz Guy

Larry Geraty on Ron Numbers and Fritz Guy

I interview Larry Geraty, president emeritus of La Sierra University, about the passing this week of Ron Numbers, historian of science, and Fritz Guy, professor of theology and philosophy. Larry reflects on each man’s legacy and shares anecdotes about what drove Numbers out of Adventism and what kept Fritz committed to the denomination.

Jul 28, 202354:06
Religion Reporter Bob Smietana on the Changes Ahead

Religion Reporter Bob Smietana on the Changes Ahead

Bob Smietana has been senior editor of Christianity Today, religion writer at The Tennessean, correspondent for Religion News Service, and contributor to OnFaith, USA TODAY, and The Washington Post.
In his conversation with Spectrum, he discusses his interactions with Adventism and what we could be going better. We also discuss the current landscape of Christianity that he researched for his new book, Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why it Matters.

Jul 21, 202344:21
Fundamentalism and Race

Fundamentalism and Race

Michael Campbell discusses the connections between Adventism, fundamentalism, and race. He earned his PhD in Adventist history from Andrews University and currently serves  at the North American Division as the Director of Archives, Statistics, and Research. He recently published the book, 1922: The Rise of Adventist Fundamentalism by Pacific Press. He is the founding editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Seventh-day Adventism

Jul 13, 202341:39
Hugh Howey on Stories and the Human Condition

Hugh Howey on Stories and the Human Condition

I talk with best selling author Hugh Howey about the Silo TV series based on his novel series Wool. We discuss philosophy, apocalypse, and ways that stories can explore the human condition.

Jun 29, 202319:02
Race and Other Creation Myths

Race and Other Creation Myths

Hosts Nathan Brown and Lisa Diller talk with Angela H Li, the Assistant Director of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries (Pacific Region) for the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. She holds a PhD in Practical Theology and leads the Women in Chaplaincy Project. She is married with two young-adult children.

Jun 23, 202345:33
Race and Grace

Race and Grace

Kayle de Waal taught New Testament studies at Avondale University College in Australia for many years. Before that de Waal served as a minister in the Kwazulu Natal Free State Conference in South Africa and the North New Zealand Conference where he earned his PhD from the University of Auckland. In 2021, he was named Director of Education and the Disciple Making Coordinator for the Trans-European Division. In this episode, he and host Nathan Brown, Book Editor for Signs Publishing Company, discuss de Waal's chapter, "Christ, Race, and Grace."

Jun 15, 202343:49
Adventist Christianity’s catholic vocation

Adventist Christianity’s catholic vocation

Hosts Nathan Brown and Lisa Clark Diller talk with Maury Jackson about his contribution to the A House on Fire book. Jackson earned his DMin from Claremont School of Theology. He is Associate Professorof Practical Theology at the HMS Richards Divinity School at La Sierra University. He studies the intersection between theology in the public square and Christian witness, participation, appreciation activism and critical reflection. The tools of theological reflection, moral evaluation, and cultural investigation inform his study of ministry practice

Jun 08, 202348:13
Author Matthew Vollmer Explores Loss and Adventism

Author Matthew Vollmer Explores Loss and Adventism

Ted Wilson’s nephew, noted writer Matthew Vollmer, discusses his 2023 book, All of Us Together in the End. In it he explores loss, family, and his own connections to Adventism. The chapter, “A Peculiar People” from Vollmer’s book, appears in the latest issue of the journal and on the website. A review of his work by Sari Fordham is also on the website. 

Vollmer holds a BA in English from the University of North Carolina, an MA in English from North Carolina State University, and an MFA in fiction writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. A Professor of English, he is a faculty member of the MFA in Creative Writing program at Virginia Tech.

Jun 07, 202355:48
The Beast of Racism

The Beast of Racism

Along with host Nathan Brown, guest Yi-Shen Ma discusses his chapter, "The Beast and the Matrix of Power" in A House on Fire: How Adventist Faith Responds to Race and Racism (2022). Yi Shen Ma earned his PhD from Claremont School of Theology and is an assistant professor of Religion and Ethical Studies at Loma Linda University. Ma is the co-director of the Center for Christian Bioethics and focuses his teaching and research on health equity, trauma-informed care, racism, and the social impact of economic inequality. 

Jun 02, 202343:34
Preaching a Black Christ 

Preaching a Black Christ 

Guest Matthew Korpman talks with hosts Nathan Brown and Claudia Allen about his chapter in A House on Fire, “Preaching a Black Christ: Doing Black theology with Ellen White.” 

Korpman has a Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R. in Second Temple Judaism) at Yale Divinity School and is an adjunct professor of religion at La Sierra University. He is working on a PhD program (focused in New Testament) at the University of Birmingham. 


May 25, 202301:07:55
A House on Fire 3: Talking About Racism with Claudia Allen
May 18, 202357:51
A House on Fire 2: Talking about racism with Matthew Burdette

A House on Fire 2: Talking about racism with Matthew Burdette

A graduate of La Sierra University, Matthew E. Burdette is a theologian and an editor at Convergent Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. He holds a PhD in theology from the University of Aberdeen, having researched the theology of Robert W. Jenson and James H. Cone. He talks with book editors Maury Jackson and Nathan Brown about his contribution to the book. 

May 11, 202354:33
A House on Fire: Talking racism with Maury Jackson, Nathan Brown, and Lisa Clark Diller

A House on Fire: Talking racism with Maury Jackson, Nathan Brown, and Lisa Clark Diller

In a collaboration with Spectrum and Adventist Peace Radio, Maury Jackson, DMin, Nathan Brown, and Lisa Clark Diller, PhD, launch a new series about Adventists and racism based on the book, A House on Fire: How Adventist Faith Responds to Race and Racism.

Maury Jackson and Nathan Brown edited the book, which brings together a number of writers to analyze these critical themes.

We are also excited to be distributing the series with Adventist Peace Radio which is doing the production work.

May 05, 202353:02
Researchers Discuss Ex-Adventist Survey
Apr 20, 202301:03:52
Traveling with Pope Francis 

Traveling with Pope Francis 

I talk with Academy Award nominated filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi about his new documentary on Pope Francis. It chronicles the first decade of the pontiff's travels in 53 countries as he represents his values on issues such as poverty, migration, environment, solidarity, and war. We discuss the definition of the contemporary prophetic voice and how the film explores how words and physicality convey spiritual power. 

Mar 30, 202324:13
Ellen White on Masturbation and the Pope

Ellen White on Masturbation and the Pope

Concluding a 5-part series with Don Casebolt on his book Father Miller's Daughter, we discuss Ellen White's statements about the papacy and Casebolt presents evidence for White's dependence on discredited historians for her statements that the Pope changed the Christian day of worship to Sunday. Casebolt also critiques Samuel Bacchiocchi's contributions to this belief. We conclude by exploring White's idea that masturbation (solitary vice) caused tuberculosis among many ills and was directly responsible for "killing tens of thousands" a year. 

Mar 23, 202332:38
Unionization and Loma Linda University Health

Unionization and Loma Linda University Health

Alex Aamodt shares insights from his week of watching the National Labor Relations Board hearing on the unionization efforts at Loma Linda University Health. He talks about the role played by representatives from the General Conference (David Trim and Bill Knott) who were sworn in to explain institutional structure and Adventist policy on unions rooted in Ellen White's writings. Drawing on the proceedings and his legal and historical research, Aamodt also details key definitions (students or employees), explains the difference between LLUH and LLUHEC, and provides perspectives from both sides: the physician residents/fellows and the arguments made by the lawyers representing LLUH. 

Mar 17, 202328:52
Don McAdams on Ellen White

Don McAdams on Ellen White

Don McAdams, PhD, discusses his legendary embargoed paper documenting Ellen White’s literary and narrative dependence on Protestant historians. After 50 years it has been published as part of a book titled Ellen White and the Historians: A Neglected Problem and a Forgotten Answer (2022). McAdams discusses how he discovered this issue in the 1970s, how the Ellen White Estate reacted, and why it is finally time for the Adventist Church to openly confront its “founding myth—not the inspiration of Ellen White, but her authority in all matters.”

Mar 09, 202301:05:55
The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself

The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself

Japanese American writer, poet, culture critique, David Mura discusses his new book The Stories Whiteness Tell Itself, published by University of Minnesota Press, 2023. Mura grounds his work in historical and fictional narratives that whiteness tells society in order to uphold systems of Black oppression. We discuss his own family history of internment during WWII, James Baldwin, spirituality, as well as how the stages of grief connect to anti-racist awareness.

Feb 23, 202335:45
Tom Dybdahl: On Pursuing Justice

Tom Dybdahl: On Pursuing Justice

Former Spectrum journalist, Adventist pastor, and then defense attorney, Thomas L. Dybdahl talks about his life and his new book. Published by The New Press, When Innocence Is Not Enough: Hidden Evidence and the Failed Promise of the Brady Rule tells several gripping tales of crime and the wrongs done to the falsely accused when prosecutors don’t share evidence.

Feb 16, 202336:26
Casebolt on Crosier and Crafting the Sanctuary Doctrine
Feb 09, 202325:40
A Spiritual Journey from Kenya to Minnesota

A Spiritual Journey from Kenya to Minnesota

Paul Mugane grew up in Kenya in a family that valued independent thought and Adventist faith. In Minnesota he received his MDiv from an ecumenical seminary and spent time teaching and pastoring in Adventism. Now he is an award-winning chaplain for Sharp Grossmont Hospital in Southern California. In this first of two conversations we explore his political and spiritual heritage and why he calls Adventism a mother.

Feb 02, 202331:00
Adventists on Racism

Adventists on Racism

I talk with the editors of A House on Fire: How Adventist Faith Responds to Race and Racism. Signs Publishing book editor Nathan Brown and La Sierra University professor Maury D. Jackson share how this multi-scholar project was started and why this is a comprehensive Adventist approach to one of the most persistently intractable issues of our time.

Jan 19, 202345:02
On Spiritual Healing with the Wildcat Filmmakers

On Spiritual Healing with the Wildcat Filmmakers

Filmmakers Trevor Frost and Melissa Lesh talk about their documentary Wildcat, streaming now on Amazon. We discuss their beautiful film, set in the rainforest of Peru and featuring a lot of very cute baby ocelot footage. The story focuses on two real young people and the mental and spiritual healing that re-creation provides. One is a troubled British veteran, suffering from PTSD acquired during his tour in Afghanistan. The other is an American female PhD student researching in the jungle and dealing with her history with complicated men.

Jan 05, 202323:54
Snow + White: Part 2 on Father Miller’s Daughter

Snow + White: Part 2 on Father Miller’s Daughter

In part two of a series of conversations with Don Casebolt about his new book, Father Miller’s Daughter, we discuss a minor figure with a large influence on Ellen White: S.S. Snow. Casebolt explains how Snow wrested control of the Millerites in late 1843 and used several highly allegorical interpretations that whipped the believers into a frenzy for Oct. 22, 1844. With historical detail Casebolt explores several of the texts used and then shows how Ellen White reinforced the questionable methodology even as Snow grew increasingly marginal and erratic.

Dec 22, 202242:00
New Growth for a New Year
Dec 16, 202236:33
LGBTQ+ PUC Students Discuss a Campus Kerfuffle

LGBTQ+ PUC Students Discuss a Campus Kerfuffle

Along with faculty sponsor Bryan Ness, PhD, four Pacific Union College students of GASP (Gay and Straight People) discuss what recently happened on campus that created a lot of pain. They also share stories of coming out and explain why a welcoming campus witness can be a great Adventist recruiting tool.

Dec 15, 202246:44
Spirituality & Mental Health

Spirituality & Mental Health

Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle and myself, Kendra Arsenault, discuss on a recent panel hosted by SDA Kinship the role of Spiritual Care amid a mental health crisis. As a Spiritual Care Provider for the psychiatric unit, Chaplain Del Valle works with a team of care providers and specializes in a particular set of interventions to de-escalate and establish a grounded connection. As one of our listeners asked, how do you continue to care for your mental and spiritual health when you’re doubting your faith? What happens when your deconstruction journey takes you down the road of isolation, and you’re looking for ways to connect with self, community, and God once again? Today’s sponsors are Spectrum magazine @spectrummagazine.org and SDA kinship international @sdakinship.org.

Dec 09, 202255:29
Jody Washburn on Psychology and Faith
Dec 08, 202250:21
The Pryde | LGBTQ Senior Housing Project

The Pryde | LGBTQ Senior Housing Project

Gretchen Van Ness, Civil Rights Attorney and Executive Director at LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc., discusses how the LGBTQ affordable senior housing project took flight and why LGBTQ seniors are a particularly vulnerable population. The Pryde LGBTQ, affordable Senior housing project, is a model for how to support the marginalized, provide justice for the outcast, and begin the work of healing past traumas. You can find out more at LGBTQSeniorHousing.org. Today’s sponsors, Spectrum magazine and SDA kinship international can be found at spectrummagazine.org and sdakinship.org. 

Dec 02, 202238:46
William Miller's Influence on Ellen White

William Miller's Influence on Ellen White

For this week: I kick off a new Adventist Voices series with Donald Casebolt about his brand new book, Father Miller’s Daughter (2022). He talks about his extensive research showing how William Miller’s faulty hermeneutic continues to influence Adventism through Ellen White’s endorsement. Casebolt details more than a dozen examples of William’s failed predictions—beyond the 2300 day prophecy—all employing a typological-allegorical method. He also debunks myths about Williams originality, shares specific quotes from Ellen White supporting Miller, and also notes the extremely sectarian Millerite roots of the Three Angels’ Messages.

Dec 01, 202232:35
Fighting For Change | History of LGBTQ Rights
Nov 25, 202241:34
The Androgyny of Christ

The Androgyny of Christ

This week we are making space to hear Nathon Hilton’s story of being disfellowshipped at his church due to the affirmation of himself and other gay Christians. We also discuss his work in which he looks at the Androgyny of Christ in Scripture, along with other ways that marginalized identities throughout history have made space for their existence by finding their own stories in the narrative of the Bible. Nathon holds a Master of Arts in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the University of Salamanca in Spain, in addition to a BA in English and Theology from Andrews University. He is currently translating Alicia Johnston’s book “The Bible and LGBTQ Adventists" into Spanish and focusing his studies on the philosophical and theoretical intersections of literature, religion, and spirituality. I first met Nathon a few years ago back at Andrews, and I am excited to have him share his personal journey of faith through the LGBTQ lens as well as some of his contributions to the world of queer theology. I’m your host, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. And our sponsors for today’s episode are Spectrum Magazine @spectrummagazine.org and SDA Kinship International @sdakinship.org.

Nov 18, 202241:02
The Dangers of Deconstruction

The Dangers of Deconstruction

This week on Imago Gei, we are talking about the importance of the "box," as well as the dangers of deconstruction, especially when done in isolation.  Imago Gei is a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, because equality and dignity of BIPOC and LGBTQ lives matter. I’m your host Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. along with Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. We will also be discussing some never before heard pieces of Ms. Arsenault’s journey to affirming as well as nuggets of our own deconstructive journey, the benefits as well as the perils. So stay tuned because this is an episode you do not want to miss! We want to shout out to our sponsors for today, Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship. This month Kinship has an incredible lineup of educational panels and opportunities for connection, so if you would like to be a member or are just curious about finding more ways to connect with the LGBTQ community, please check them out at SDAKinship.org. As always, Spectrum Magazine has some of the latest and greatest articles about what is happening in the academic world, so to keep up with some contemporary happenings, please sign up at Spectrum Magazine.org.

Nov 04, 202242:58
Superstition, Intuition, or Something Else?

Superstition, Intuition, or Something Else?

On Imago Gei Halloween Special we discuss superstition and the ways it shows up in our spirituality. How do we integrate our encounters with coincidence, intuition, and bad energy with our rational minds, and do we even need to?  Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. is our co-host, along with yours truly, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. In this episode, we continue our Redefine series creating bigger boxes for a bigger God. Today we explore the Salem Witch trials, the superstitious mind, and the bordering lines between spirituality and psychosis. And we end with how connection with Self, God, and Community, are helpful bridges to cross the chasm of belief and how compassion is the tie to what makes us truly human.

Oct 28, 202235:27
Spooky Encounters

Spooky Encounters

This Halloween, we’re talking about spooky encounters and experiences that could be classified as supernatural. How do we determine what’s real, what’s not, and what might be a mental health condition? Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. is our co-host, along with yours truly, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. In this episode, we are continuing our Redefine series, creating bigger boxes for a bigger God. Today we’re discussing the role of chaplains amid a mental health crisis and ways we can feel more empowered when confronting eerie encounters and things that go bump in the night.

Oct 21, 202247:34
Valentine on Siegfried Horn

Valentine on Siegfried Horn

In our third conversation on the three main figures in Gil Valentine's Ostriches and Canaries: Coping with Change in Adventist 1966-1979, we focus on Siegfried H. Horn, influential archaeologist and scripture scholar who taught at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary from 1951-1976. In this conversation Valentine shares about how he obtained Horn's diary, the role it plays in the book, and what it reveals about the tensions between occupation preservation and commitment to truth. We also draw some conclusions about how the themes of the book intersect with today's tensions between clerical administration and academic inquiry.

Oct 20, 202242:55
Something Bigger Than Ourselves

Something Bigger Than Ourselves

Today we’re tackling the pinnacle of faith and what it all relies on, and that is the belief in God or the belief that there is something out there bigger than ourselves. Sometimes the wounds we receive in communal spaces are so big and so traumatic that we need alternative routes for connecting with God. Picking up the Bible and attending exclusive gatherings like non-affirming churches can often be more triggering for those in the LGBTQ community because of the rejection we have experienced at the hands of religion. Finding alternative routes to God, spirituality, and a personal derivation of meaning and community might mean you blaze a trail off the beaten path. Ultimately, our goal is to give each other space to encounter the Divine at our own pace. Sometimes that might look like deriving meaning from cosmic coincidences or feeling connected to something bigger than ourselves while driving through the vast landscapes of an Arizona desert. Other times, it's simply gathering gems, meaningful pieces of insight, and treasure that we can pass on to a new generation to build a bigger box for a bigger God to dwell in. 

Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, because equality and dignity of BIPoC and LGBTQ lives matter. This week Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. is our co-host, along with yours truly, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. In this episode, we are continuing our Redefine series creating bigger boxes for a bigger God.

Happy National Hispanic Heritage month, everyone! There is so much to learn from indigenous cultures of the past and present and the ways we can validate a spirituality that is native to ourselves. Our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine.org and SDA Kinship.org, so if you haven’t already, please sign up for their newsletters, where you will get the latest updates on queer news and happenings or follow them on Instagram @adventistforum and @sdakinship!

Oct 14, 202241:34
Redefining Salvation

Redefining Salvation

Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei because the equality and dignity of BIPOC and LGBTQ lives matter. This week Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. is our co-host, along with yours truly, Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. In this episode, we are continuing our Redefine series creating "bigger boxes for a bigger God. "A pillar of faith that could use some remodeling is the topic of Salvation. Today we are exploring the relational dynamic that we have with this concept, not to contend with anyone’s personal relationship with God. Rather we discuss how easy it is to transfer this Savior relationship to the relationships around us and how the pursuit of savior figures can keep us from important stages in adult development. We also discuss the importance of knowing when to ask for help. Sometimes a problem can be too big for one person to solve. We also challenge ourselves to know when to venture into the impossible and how to think responsibly about our futures.

Happy National Hispanic Heritage month, everyone! There is so much to learn from indigenous cultures of the past and present and how we can validate a spirituality native to ourselves. Our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship international, so if you haven’t already, please sign up for their newsletters at spectrummagazine.org and sdakinship.org, where you will get the latest updates on queer news and happenings.

Oct 07, 202234:57
Composing Music from Cuba to California

Composing Music from Cuba to California

Ernesto Herrera, a music student at La Sierra University, talks about how he went from creating music in Cuba to the USA. We discuss how his Adventist faith, cultural heritage, and interest in mixing the sacred and secular inspires his art. In this special podcast, we also mix in several of his compositions, sung by the Brigham Young University singers.

Sep 29, 202224:12
Building Community On Shared Values

Building Community On Shared Values

Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, because equality and dignity of LGBTQ lives matter. This week  co-host Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. along with your host Kendra Arsenault, M.Div discuss the ways we can improve relationships and find community through shared values. Spiritual Care Provider Del Valle explores her spiritual evolution through the work of chaplaincy along with a few intriguing stories on how chaplaincy has forced her to bridge divides through common connections. We also continue our celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, exploring insights from Kat Armas' book Abuelita Faith. Our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship international, so if you haven’t already, please sign up for their newsletters, where you will get the latest updates on queer news and happenings.

Sep 23, 202237:50
Gil Valentine on Richard Hammill

Gil Valentine on Richard Hammill

In the second of a three-part series, historian Gil Valentine focuses his analysis on the main characters in his book, Ostriches and Canaries: Coping with Change in Adventism, 1966-1979, (Oak & Acorn), 2022. For this conversation, Valentine explores the motivations and methods of Richard Hammill, President of Andrews University. We explore the difficulties he tried to navigate church administrator concerns about the scholarly work and beliefs of faculty.

Sep 22, 202231:54
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month

Welcome back to Imago Gei, a podcast dedicated to the value of Imago Dei, because equality and dignity of LGBTQ lives matter. This week we have Spiritual Care Provider Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. along with your host Kendra Arsenault, M.Div both discussing the first topic in the Redefine series, where we look at finding bigger boxes for a bigger God. This week we are addressing fundamental belief number one: the Bible is a sacred text. In the spirit of finding community through common values, we’re tackling one of the first central tenets of Christian beliefs, including SDAs, to see if we can turn this belief into a value that can be shared by both Christians and non-Christians alike. In addition to this, we are celebrating  National Hispanic Heritage month and beginning our podcast discussing our experience as Latinx LGBTQ persons of faith. Our sponsors for today are Spectrum Magazine and SDA Kinship international, so if you haven’t already, please sign up for their newsletters, where you will get the latest updates on queer news and happenings. 


Sep 16, 202238:13
Bigger Boxes, Bigger God

Bigger Boxes, Bigger God

Welcome back to Imago Gei a play on the term Imago Dei because the dignity and equality of LGBTQ lives matter. This week on Imago Gei Kendra Arsenault, M.Div. and Roxan Del Valle, M.Div. host the episode Bigger Boxes, Bigger God, where we discuss the limitations of belief to bind us as communities and instead learn how we can begin to find common ground in common values. Further still, we ask how can we begin to find a resolution between our beliefs and our bodies. What do we do with cognitive dissonance, and how cognitive dissonance shows up in our spiritual practices?

Sep 09, 202233:50