This year (2012) will again provide stimulus for “thinking believers” who seek a fuller understanding of Adventist Studies. Here is a preliminary list of Educational Events, sponsored by the Avondale College Church, that are planned for the immediate future. The usual venue is Ladies Chapel; if an alternative venue becomes a necessity, that fact will be advertised nearer the actual time of any particular presentation. Watch this page as more details and other events are added.
March 24: Dr Ross Cole, “Reading Genesis in the 21st Century.”
For further information , see the blog on this website dated 3 February 2012, “Genesis, the Jewish Bible and Adventist Studies.” Dr Cole is a senior lecturer in Old Testament at Avondale College of Higher Education.
March 31: Dr Andy Nash, “Meet at the text: The case for a strong Adventist centre.”
Dr Nash is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at Southern Adventist University (Collegedale, Tennessee, USA), a former editor of Adventist Today, the author of five books, including the spiritual memoir Paper God, and a columnist for Adventist Review.
April 21: Dr Steve Thompson: “Hard Spirits versus Holy Spirit: Wine in and around the Bible.”
According to early church tradition, Paul’s young companion Timothy lost his life when he confronted a procession of devotees to Dionysus, the god of wine. This illustrates the tense standoff between early Christians and those devoted to the most popular and celebrated god of the ancient world. This and other discoveries have come to Steve’s attention during 30 years exploring the ancient cultural context of the Bible’s references to wine and drinking. He now reads biblical references to wine and drinking against this emerging context, with some interesting results, which he will summarise in his presentation. As a biblical scholar, Dr Thomson’s teaching and research embraces both the Old Testament and the New.
June 9: Dr David Trim: “‘Making room for two creationist positions’: The origins and evolution of Adventist Fundamental Belief No. 6.”
Dr David Trim is from the Washington, D.C. area; currently he is the General Conference Archivist, Statistician and Director of Research. Many readers will remember Dr Trim’s scintillating presentation on 20 August 2011, one of last year’s Educational Events sponsored by the Avondale College Church.
August 4: Dr Kendra Haloviak Valentine and Dr Gilbert Valentine, “The Prophet and the Present: The Ordination of Women in the Seventh-day Adventist Church”
Gilbert and Kendra will bring us up-to-date on the significant events of this year and then Gilbert, a specialist in Adventist history, will offer a way to better understand and apply the writings of Ellen G. White.
August 18: Launch of the newest book edited by Dr Bryan Ball, a series of essays on creation by some of the finest writers in the worldwide Adventist church.
September 15: Dr Rolf Pöhler: “Understanding continuity and change in Seventh-day Adventist thought.”
For further information, see the blog on this website dated 10 October 2011, “Rolf J. Pöhler is coming to Australia in 2012.”
October 13: Nathan Brown, book editor of Signs Publishing Company: “Ellen White, a voice for justice.”
Nathan is author of five books, including the novel Nemesis Train and another which was recently published in German. He is currently writing monthly short stories for the magazine, Spectrum. He also is a continuing tertiary student, studying writing, literature and history.
I advise that you check the College and College Church websites for more detail about the educational events that are scheduled six or more times each year. Everyone is welcome. Usually the Church Office Administrator (Joy Taplin, 02 4980 2272 or collegechurch@avondale.edu.au) can supply a DVD of the presentations for $3, or, with packing and postage, $7.
Arthur Patrick, 10 February 2012