Why September 11?

Why September 11 and similar tragedies in the course of history? There is no satisfactory answer at this time. Yet it is possible to discern a merciful hand in the events, in spite of their horrific nature. The toll at the World Trade Center could easily have been tens of thousands dead– if the planes had struck a few hours later in the day, if they had struck the towers at a lower level, if the towers had collapsed more quickly, if evacuations hadn't started so quickly and efficiently in the south tower. As horrible as events were, it could have been, in a sense should have been, much worse.

For those of us who experienced it, September 11 was an unimaginable expression of evil at its worst. It fundamentally altered our perception of the world and our own role in the world. But September 11 was not the most evil act of all time. The Holocaust, as chillingly brutal and unfair as it was, was not the most evil act of all time. The Inquisition, the Crusades, the genocides of Armenians, Russians, Rwandans, and Cambodians in the 20th Century, the slave trade across the Atlantic, all of these qualify as acts of systematic pre-meditated evil. But none of them qualify as the most evil act of all time.

The cross was the most evil act of all time. When human beings, for temporary and limited political advantage, crucified the God who came down and lived among us, they acted in the most incomprehensible, unfair and evil manner possible. In rejecting Him, they were doing more than just condemning an innocent man to death, they were destroying the source of their own life and rejecting their own place in the universe. The cross of Jesus Christ is an evil act of infinite proportions. If the human race is capable of such an act, no evil action is unimaginable.

But there is a silver lining to the dark cloud of human evil. God has turned the cross into a powerful act of reversal. The greatest evil ever done has been transformed by God into the most powerful act of goodness ever performed. By death God brings life. Through defeat comes victory. Through shame, humiliation and rejection come glory, grace and acceptance. Through the cross God has turned the tables on evil and death. The greatest evil has become the basis for the greatest good.

The cross shows us how to live in conflicted times. In the light of the cross there is plenty we can do in the face of terrorism. We can learn to love our neighbors the way God does. We can help to build bridges between groups in our communities. We can make a daily effort to project love and care into the world, and not return evil for evil. We can visit the sick, feed the hungry, and comfort the suffering. We can even learn to love our enemies the way Jesus did! The cross demonstrates that in the grace and power that come only from God evil can be transformed into good.

Seminary Enrollment, Fall 2002

With a large incoming class joining our family this fall, the Seminary's enrollment is at a high point. There are a total of 536 students attending the Seminary. As you can see from the chart at the right, this is the highest total enrollment in the last dozen years and, indeed, in the history of the institution.

One statistic that might be of interest to MT readers is that the enrollment of women in the Seminary increased this year by 44%. Total women students are up from 55 last Autumn to 79 this year. Women now make up nearly 15% of the Seminary's student body, up from a more usual 10-11% in recent years (See the slide to the right).

We are grateful for the exuberant and dedicated group of students who have chosen to make the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary their academic and spiritual home.

First Annual
Seminary Adventist Heritage Sabbath
Sabbath, September 7, 2002 / Full Heritage Sabbath Gallery

The first annual Seminary Heritage Sabbath took place on September 7, 2002 in the Historic Adventist Village in Battle Creek, Michigan. More than 75 students, faculty, and their families participated. The day began with early-Advent stories and hymns led by James R. Nix, Director of the White Estate, which was followed by an impassioned plea for an Adventist worldview that reflects our identity by Woodrow W. Whidden II (see the summary of his remarks included with the full gallery).

A bountiful potluck was followed by a tour of the Village and Oak Hill Cemetery led by Elder Nix. Each building in the Village tells a story of the Adventist message colored in human-interest stories. In the James & Ellen White's Wood Street home, for example, the stories are told of how Ellen White wrote The Great Controversy, and how the White family conducted family worship. Visitors are told how members of the local community still call the White home the "angel-house" when passing by. Andy L. Lagredelle, a first year M.Div. student remarked, " It was a moving experience and I think that it brought us to the core of what Adventism is about."

The day closed with a vespers that included more early Advent songs (what Ellen White would call "hymns of progress") and stories followed by a communion service. Dean McVay challenged those present not to become intellectually or spiritually distant from the pioneers for their story is our story.

-- Michael Campbell

Editor's Note: Pastor Michael Campbell, currently studying at the Seminary, developed the proposal for the Seminary Adventist Heritage Sabbath and led in organizing the event. We are grateful for his leadership. To see more pictures of the event, click here.

Next Year's Seminary Adventist Heritage Sabbath is Sabbath, September 6. Reserve it!

Full Heritage Sabbath Gallery
Dr. Woodrow Whidden's Sermon

Field School of Evangelism, Plano, TX

We have seventeen students at the Plano, Texas field school. I have worked with the Richardson Church over the last three years preparing for this meeting and helping them plant a church. They have really caught "the bug" and things are growing fantastically here.

Three years ago we had one church in Richardson with an attendance of 550. Two years ago, they planted Metro North in Plano, where we are holding the meetings. It now has an attendance of 200. Last year they planted a Spanish church. It now has an attendance of 300 and they are hoping to plant a new Spanish church in Plano as a result of these meetings. In turn, this Spanish church has just planted a Portuguese church four weeks ago and already have 60 coming.

The Richardson church now has an attendance of 600. (I preached four times a few weeks ago on Sabbath morning to all groups). That is a total attendance now of over 1150, compared to 550 just three years ago. God has really blessed church planting here. Metro North is hoping to plant a new church in Frisco as a result of these meetings, so much is happening.

The meetings are being held at Metro North in Plano, where they rent an auditorium in a shopping mall that seats about 350. We had 400 the first night, 420 the second night, and 350-360 on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We are holding between 150-200 non-church members each night and have the names of over 300 who have attended. We have had about ten people come forward to accept Christ so far and the students are reporting that several are already asking how to join the church and get baptized.

Pray for us. We are hoping for a great harvest.

-- Dr. Russell Burrill, NADEI Director
and Field School of Evangelism Leader

Western missionaries reflect the increasing prosperity of their sending constituencies in a world in which the gulf between rich and poor are widening, where the rich are becoming proportionately fewer, and where the material prospects of a majority of human inhabitants of this planet are bleak. Culturally driven entitlement to a level of prosperity unimaginable to the vast majority of people among whom Western missionaries serve raises profound troubling questions about the relationship between medium and message, since what the Bible says to and about the rich, it says to and about affluent missionaries serving in contexts of poverty. This lecture series will explore the issue from rational, communicatory, strategic, ethical and theological vantage points, and will suggest ways in which Biblical teaching and missionary practice can be brought together.

For more information contact:

Andrews University
Department of World Mission
Berrien Springs, MI 49104-15000
Phone: (269) 471-6505
Fax: (269) 471-6202
E-mail: mssn@andrews.edu

Speaker: Dr. Jonathon Bonk

Dr. Jonathan Bonk is director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center, New Have, Connecticut and editor of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research. He served as Professor of Global Christian Studies at Providence College and Seminary in Canada before his relocation to the United States in 1997. He was raised in Ethiopia, where he and his wife later served as missionaries.

He is an ordained Mennonite minister, and has served as President of both the American Society of Missiology and the Association of Professors of Mission. He is the author of numerous articles and reviews, and has published four books, the best known of which is Missions and Money: Affluence as a Western Missionary Problem (Orbis1991), now in its seventh printing. He is Project Director for the multilingual (English, French, Portuguese, Swahili), electronic Dictionary of African Christian Biography.

Bonk is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.A.) and the University of Aberdeen (Ph.D).

One of the students pictured below is Pastor Denis Sands. The other is Pastor Scott Manly But which is which? Is that Denis on the left and Scott on the right? Or is the other way around? (Yes, it is a trick question)

It happens to them once or twice a day. Someone--sometimes someone who should know better like the editor of MT--mistakes one of them for the other. So here they are, side-by-side together with a few facts about them:

Just so we leave no confusion in anyone's mind, in the picture on the left, it is Denis on the right. And in the picture on the right, it is Scott on the right. Now that should make it all perfectly clear, right?

Dederen Festschrift

Recently, a Festschrift was published honoring Dr. Raoul Dederen, Professor of Theology, Emeritus.

The volume, on the theme of the doctrine of the church, contains essays by South American and North American theologians. Most of the contributions are in Spanish. The volume contains a complete bibliography of Dr. Dederen's own scholarly contributions and a short life-sketch and appreciation written by Dr. Miroslav Kis.

Full bibliographic information on the volume follows:

Gerald A. Klingbeil, Martin G. Klingbeil, Miguel Ángel Núñez, eds., Pensar la iglesia hoy: hacia una eclesiología adventista. Estudios teológicos presentados durante el IV Simposio Bíblico-Teológico Sudamericano en honor a Raoul Dederen. Libertador San Martín, Argentina: Editorial Universidad Adventista del Plata, 2002. ISBN 987-98248-4-9. Pp. 524+xxxii.

Copies of the volume may be purchased by contacting editor Gerald A. Klingbeil.

We offer our hearty congratulations to Dr. Dederen. And we invite your continued prayers on his behalf in his battle against cancer.

Retirement Receptions:
Johnston & Richards

The Seminary family invites the wider University family as well as friends, former colleagues, and former students to participate in retirement receptions for two esteemed colleagues of the Seminary faculty, Dr. Robert Johnston and Dr. Larry Richards. Both professors are members of the New Testament Department and both are continuing teaching ministry on a part-time basis.

The receptions are to be held in the Seminary's Student Commons at the dates and times listed below:

Dr. Robert Johnston

Tuesday

Sept. 17

3:00-5:00pm

Dr. Larry Richards

Monday

Sept. 30

3:00-5:00pm

Announcing:
New England Adventist Heritage Tour
Oct. 10-15, 2002

The first New England Adventist Heritage Tour will be held this fall from October 10-15. The tour will be led by storyteller James R. Nix, Director of the Ellen G. White Estate.

Come and see the sites for yourself. Hear their story. Experience the same Jesus Christ our pioneers loved and prepare to have your life changed. The tour, designed for Seminary students, is available for one hour of credit plus $249. For more information please visit our web site: (www.SeminaryHeritageTour.org) or contact Michael Campbell at 471-6787 or by e-mail: heritagetour@andrews.edu.

-- Pastor Michael Campbell
M.Div. Student and Tour Organizer

Dr. Michael Behe to Lecture
Oct. 18-19, 2002

Friday, Oct. 18, 7:30pm
"Darwin's Black Box"
(Pioneer Memorial Church)

Saturday, Oct. 19, 3:00pm
"Answering Criticisms of Intelligent Design"
(Seminary Chapel)

Seminary Events

(Note: Events through fall semester are listed here. The full Calendar of Events for 2002-2003 is posted to the Web and is updated regularly. You may access it by clicking here or going to http://www.andrews.edu/SEM/Calendar2002-3.htm. A link to the Calendar is provided on the Academics page of the Seminary Web Site.)

Seminary Study Tour
Italy, Greece, Turkey, May-June 2002

Did you know that the Seminary held extension work this summer on the Isle of Patmos (see the header of this e-letter)? Rome? Athens? Delphi? Laodecia? Pompeii? Istanbul? The Seminary Study Tour laid claim to all these places and dozens more.

The tour was organized very capably by M.Div. student, Pastor Maury Castro. Pastor Castro's superb planning meant that the tour was financially accessible to students (about $2,000 for five weeks of travel, in addition to tuition costs). Dr. John McVay, Seminary Dean and Prof. of New Testament, led the tour and taught the accompanying course work. Students were able to take up to five semester hours of credit, choosing from three courses: GSEM Biblical Lands Study Tour; NTST Pauline Writings; NTST Greco-Roman World.

The five weeks were more-or-less evenly divided among Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Tour members toured scores of sites and museums, enjoyed lectures and discussions in exotic locations, and relished the opportunity to fellowship with Seventh-day Adventist believers. Grateful for safe travels and blessed by a wide array of sites and experiences, tour members returned home . . . just in time to begin classes during the second summer session.

Next summer's tour is to be organized by the Old Testament Department. For information, prospective student participants may contact the department's secretary, Mrs. Dorothy Show.

-- John McVay

Study Tour Members at the Mamertine Prison, Rome

A Gelati Break Outside the Walls of Vatican City (Photo by Andrew Kim)

Tour Members Clamber over Mars Hill, Athens (Photo by Felix Cortez)

Families of Faith
4th Annual Adventist Family Conference
July 19-21, 2002

The Seminary was privileged to join the NAD Family Ministries department as cosponsor of this year's Adventist Family Conference. This important conference featured Dr. Jo Ann Davidson, Asst. Prof. of Systematic Theology. If you missed this year's conference, make plans to attend next year's event (see information, below).

The conference is an important part of the ministry of our Religious Education faculty members, Profs. Jane Thayer and John Matthews. We are pleased that the Religion Education ministries, programs, and faculty are now a full and integral part of the Seminary family.

Save this date!

5th Annual Adventist Family Conference
July 18-20, 2003

Keynote Speaker: Jude Boyer-Patrick, MD, MPH
"Pareting Teens: STrengthening the Tie that Binds"

Andrews University
Berrien Springs, MI

Sponsored by North American Division Family Ministries
and the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

2002 InMinistry Cohort

InMinistry Director Walt Williams Addresses Attendees at the Consecration Banquet, July 18

Natural Church Development
Coaches' Training
July 14-17, 2002

NCD Coaches' Training in the Seminary Chapel

Masters-Level Cohorts:
On-Campus and Beyond

This summer, the Institute of Hispanic Ministry sponsored an on-campus cohort of some seventy Hispanic pastors. This winsome and vivacious group of pastors were in residence for six-eight weeks, fulfilling residency requirements of the Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry program. Six classes were taught, with all instruction in Spanish. The pastors came from three unions in the North American Division: Atlantic, Lake and Southern. At the end of the session, on August 4, about twenty-five of the group graduated.

The Seminary extension program has opened a new site in Romania this year, where the Master of Arts in Religion is being offered. About twenty students have registered for this program. Romania joins India, Russia, Nigeria, South Africa, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Colombia and Jamaica as countries where we are currently offering masters-level programs by extension.

-- Dr. Atilio Dupertuis, Director
Institute of Hispanic Ministry; M.A. in Religion

In addition to modules meeting off-campus, four Doctor of Ministry modules were presented on the Berrien Springs campus this Summer. They were:

• Spiritual and Theological Foundations for Ministry
  
  
• Doctor of Ministry Dissertation Proposal Seminar
  
  
• African American Ministry cohort
  
  
• Hispanic cohort

Each group had about 20 participants.

-- Dr. Skip Bell, Director
DMin Program

Recently completed Doctor of Ministry projects/dissertations include the following:

• Anna Galeniece, "A Historically and Culturally Contextualized Proposal for Health Evangelism in Latvia," Jerry Moon, advisor
  
  
• Ray Walker, "Empowering and Equipping the Laity in the South Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists," Clifford Jones, advisor
  
  
• Hesron Byilingiro, "The Rwandan Ethnic Crisis of the 1990s: An Historical Analysis of the Causes and a Strategy for Reconciliation and Forgiveness From a Seventh-day Adventist Perspective," Russell Staples, advisor
  
  
• Angel Rodriguez, "Development of Targeted Strategies for Church Growth Within the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists," Doug Kilcher, advisor
  
  
• Nelson de Oliveira, "An Integration of Quality Assurance and Existing Worship Components: A Model for the Small SDA Church," Lilianne Doukhan, advisor (for an excerpt from this dissertation, see "A Seventh-day Adventist Theology of Worship")
  

Montemorelos DMin Cohort

While the DMin program was busy on-campus, it was also busy off-campus as well with international cohorts meeting. One of these, a cohort meeting at Montemorelos University, has recently graduated from the Seminary's Doctor of Ministry program.

Drs. Alfonso Valenzuela, Nancy Vyhmeister, Werner Vyhmeister, and Ricardo Norton have been teaching and advising the cohort of seventeen students. The cohort includes two union conference presidents, three seminary deans from different schools in Inter-America, and three seminary professors. In addition, there are several union conference officers and local conference presidents.

Dr. Niels-Erik Andreasen, President of Andrews University, was present to speak for the graduation exercises which occurred at Montemorelos University on the weekend of August 10.

We offer our congratulations to the esteemed graduates and the faculty members who have facilitated their successful completion of the doctoral program.

Information about the Seminary's excellent Doctor of Ministry program is available via the program's web site, http://doctorofministry.com.

A Busy Summer for
Religious Education Programs . . .

With the move of the Religious Education programs and faculty to the Seminary, we have the privilege of hosting cohorts and classes for the Religious Education programs (M.A.; Ph.D.; certificates).

It was a special privilege to have students from Religious Education in our building this summer.

In addition to teaching courses and conducting an important conference--the Adventist Family Life Conference (see above)--the Religious Education faculty also hosted a successful site visit by representatives of the Association of Theological Schools.

Welcome, Religious Education!

Thank you, Whirlpool Corporation!

We are grateful to the Whirlpool Corporation for providing a full set of appliances for the kitchen which is located just off the Student Commons.

This important donation, contributed on April 8, is commemorated by a plaque in the kitchen.

The kitchen, together with the Student Commons, has been used frequently at the opening of the 2002-2003 academic year. "First Stop," the initial point of greeting and registration for new Andrews University students, was hosted here. Fall Fellowship, the annual convocation for Andrews University faculty, was likewise hosted in the Commons with the use of the kitchen. Some meals, conducted as part of the Seminary's own New Student Orientation, were hosted in the space.

Thank you to Whirlpool for contributing in such a helpful way to the kitchen and to the Seminary community.

Introducing . . .
Dr. R. Clifford Jones
Incoming Chair, Christian Ministry Department

On July 1, Dr. R. Clifford Jones began serving as the Chair of the Christian Ministry Department. We welcome him to the post.

R. Clifford Jones is currently an associate professor of Christian Ministry and, because of his deep love for pastoral ministry, the senior pastor of the New Life Service on campus. Before coming to Andrews in 1995, he pastored in the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, serving as senior pastor of several churches, including two of the largest African American congregations in North America-Hanson Place SDA Church, Brooklyn, New York, and Ephesus SDA Church, Harlem, New York. From 1991 to 1995, he also served as an adjunct professor of Urban Ministry at New York Theological Seminary, New York City.

Born in Trinidad, West Indies, Jones attended Atlantic Union College, Andrews University (M.A., 1979), New York Theological Seminary (D. Min., 1989), and Western Michigan University (Ph. D., 2001). He is married to the former Elva A. Williams, also from Trinidad, and they are the proud parents of a son, Clifford, Jr., and a daughter, Jewel. Being a servant of God and a friend to man is the abiding mission of Dr. Jones.

Introducing . . .
Ms. Laura Flores, Secretary to the Dean

For the past few weeks, there has been a new face in the Deans' Offices Suite. Ms. Laura Flores is the new Secretary to Dean. We are already appreciating her gracious ways and skillful work. Welcome, Laura.

Laura introduces herself as follows:

My mom is Cuban and my dad is Mexican. I have an older sister and a younger brother. I was born in Berrien Springs while my dad was attending Andrews
University. Then the family returned to Mexico where I grew up. At the age of 11 we moved to South America where my parents were missionaries for 6
years. We returned to the United States in 1993. I graduated from Walla Walla College with a Business Administration degree. Since then I've been an accountant for the Oregon Conference.

Introducing . . .
Student Leaders

Student leaders play very important roles at the Seminary which is blessed with a growing number of student organizations. Student leaders spend many hours organizing and leading in events that shape and bless our community.

We honor them for their willingness to contribute their time and talents to enrich all of our lives.

The overarching student organization of the Seminary is the Seminary Student Forum which this year is led by President Andrew Francis. A directory to the SSF officers is provided below.

Pastor Mario Perez (MDiv student, right), congratulates new SSF President, Pastor Andrew Francis (MDiv student, left)

Two other student organizations have recently announced their officers for 2002-2003:

Dybdahl Farewell:
Scribing Parting Words