Seminary Newsletter Deans Message

Greetings Friends! We are pleased to introduce to you our theme for this newsletter: Celebrating Diversity with Intentional Inclusion. This fall at Seminary Convocation for the 2019-20 school year, it was exciting to watch students from each of the inhabited continents, and from Oceania, stand and be welcomed. We take seriously the privilege and responsibility of leadership in preparing individuals from every corner of the earth for excellence in service to God, to the church, and to our world. Even as we rejoice in our diversity, we also recognize that achieving a diversity of numbers is not enough. True diversity is about more than a headcount. The practice of mature Christian diversity means that men and women of every ethnicity, nationality, and background feel valued for who they are and have an equal voice in the community. It means that no one dominates conversation and decision-making, that all feel adequately represented in leadership, and that the gifts, concerns, and challenges that each brings to the table are recognized and treated with respect, solidarity, and empathy. It also means that injustices are recognized and addressed and that a continual growth in understanding is sought.

The importance of educating ourselves to value diversity and inclusion has been underlined in North America recently by, for example, the slurs against the Chinese in relation to Coronavirus 2019, attacks on Muslims and their mosques, inaccurate assumptions about immigrants, and in the ongoing historical stereotyping and prejudices enacted against African-Americans. Valuing of diversity is especially important for us as Seventh-day Adventists because we honor the Sabbath, in which God calls His people to celebrate deliverance from oppression and enact fair and equal treatment in our spheres of influence (Exod. 20:10; Deut. 5:15). We teach and preach the Three Angels’ Message of soon-coming judgment, a judgment which, according to Scripture, includes consideration of how we treat the other (e.g. Exod. 22:21-27; Isa. 1:13-19; Matt. 25:31-46; Luke 10: 25-37). And we look forward to soon joining together with all of God’s diverse people in unity (Rev. 21:1-4).

Here at the seminary we have been praying, dreaming, and acting in recent years to move beyond numbers and rhetoric about diversity. We acknowledge and grieve the injustices and negligence committed in the past and recognize that even now we move forward imperfectly and sometimes stumblingly. However, we are committed to learning from our mistakes and acting as wisely and decisively as possible with the help of our seminary and church community. This newsletter shares with you a few of our recent initiatives.