Andrews University Agenda

Andrews University Agenda http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/ News and Events at Andrews University en-us Copyright 2025, Andrews University Thu, 3 Apr 2025 15:33:00 +0000 Thu, 3 Apr 2025 15:33:00 +0000 webmaster@andrews.edu webmaster@andrews.edu Celebrating 500 Years: Anabaptist Conference http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/67072 The Anabaptist movement has played a significant role in shaping Christian thought and practice over the centuries. For Adventists, whose theological roots share common ground with the Anabaptist tradition, this conference presents a unique opportunity to explore the historical connections and shared values between these two movements. As Adventists seek to deepen their understanding of their own heritage and engage in meaningful dialogue with diverse Christian traditions, this conference offers a space for reflection, collaboration and mutual learning. By examining the Anabaptist legacy, Adventists can glean insights that resonate with their commitment to biblical fidelity, community and peacemaking. Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:53:23 +0000 From Amish to Adventist: The Story Continues! http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/47595 Join us as we celebrate the 500-year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation! Special guests include Andy and Naomi Weaver, who before joining the Adventist movement, were born and raised in one of the strictest branches of the Amish faith. They will share their story of how God led them to embrace the Sabbath truth and inspired them to form a ministry dedicated to reaching the Amish.  Services include:  Friday vespers: 7:30 p.m. at Newbold Auditorium (Buller Hall, Andrews Univ.)  "Interview with the Amish" Sabbath service: 11:15 a.m. at the Michiana Fil-Am church (8454 Kephart Lane.) "From Amish to Adventist" Sabbath afternoon: Panel discussion and Q&A session:  5 p.m. (Michiana Fil-Am) "Reaching the Amish... and the world too" Thu, 19 Oct 2017 17:24:00 +0000 The Foundation of All Freedom http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/43896 Nicholas Miller, professor of church history at the <a href="http://andrews.edu/sem">Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary</a> on the campus of Andrews University, attended the 18th annual “Meeting of Experts,” which is hosted by the <a href="https://www.andrews.edu/sem/centers-affiliates/international-religious-liberty-institute.html">Andrews International Religious Liberty Institute</a>. During the meeting, which was held over three days in August of this year at <a href="http://hds.harvard.edu/">Harvard Divinity School</a>, attendees presented papers and discussed the issue of religious restriction. Despite a trend over the past few decades of advocating religious tolerance, many places across the globe still restrict religious practice. Progress has been stymied by this paradox. In a statement written by the meeting’s attendees, the authors state, “In sum, a major shift in the debate about freedom of religion or belief may well be occurring in its intellectual heartlands. Until recently, religious freedom norms were widely accepted; debate was about their details, about how they should be applied in different contexts, and about how they could be more effectively extended and implemented. Now their very legitimacy is being challenged, whether explicitly or implicitly.” Miller’s role in the meeting was to compile a document that provided an overview of everyone’s presentations. “I was the main respondent at the end that summarized, synthesized and responded to all the presentations made in trying to help facilitate with the group a way forward based on the three days of meetings,” explained Miller. In his document, he identified two themes of those who presented, “the philosophical and ideological challenges to the idea of international religious freedom,” and “the practical and political challenges to the realization of international religious freedom.” The IRLA’s secretary-general <a href="https://www.adventistliberty.org/dr.-ganoune-diop">Ganoune Diop</a>, who is also director of public affairs and religious liberty for the Seventh-day Adventist church, described some of the reasons behind why countries are reluctant to maintain these standards of religious freedom. Getting to the root of the problem means analyzing the critiques that these countries launch against tenets of religious liberty in the first place. A common critique is of the idea of “individual rights,” which tends to be associated with religious freedom and, according to Diop, “doesn’t sit well with cultures based on a more communal and community-based approach to rights.” Depending on the society, religious freedom can be seen as liberal permissiveness, a slippery slope that descends to widespread moral decay. Yet another worry is that the dominant religion of a country, especially ones with major historical significance, will be undermined by advocating freedom of religion. Diop continues, “Examples of this are some forms of Islam in many Middle Eastern countries, or Orthodoxy in some Eastern European countries.” Some countries simply worry that these ideals serve western imperialism more than anything. Also causing problems for religious freedom is postmodernism’s influence. The worldview’s emphasis on scepticism of universal norms means that the many societies, notably western ones, lack interest in religious freedom, dismissing it as having little importance in today’s world. Secularism has also lent a hand to decreasing interest, as has a waning trust in government’s ability to uphold our freedoms. “It’s little wonder that many people dismiss international institutions and laws–even those that purport to promote universal human rights–as futile, at best, or as a political tool of repression, at worst,” Diop commented. Miller’s document summarizes the steps needed to overcome the issue. “We need to explain why a community of rights, freedoms and values, allowing for diverse moral frameworks to co-exist, is superior to a system where one moral framework is imposed by the state,” he says. “We have to point out why religious freedom is foundational to all other freedoms, in that it acknowledges a zone or realm of transcendence that is not subject to the state, and thus beyond its control, and that this serves as the basis for all other rights.” The Meeting of Experts will meet next year at <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/main/">Princeton University</a> in New Jersey. “These meetings are immensely valuable,” states Miller, “in that they bring focus and attention to important religious freedom concerns.”   <h3> Related Links</h3> <ul> <li> Read more about <a href="http://andrews.edu/sem/centers-affiliates">centers and affiliates of the Seminary</a></li> <li> <a href="http://andrews.edu/sem">The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University</a></li> <li> <a href="https://www.irla.org/upcoming-events">Upcoming events</a> of the International Religious Liberty Association</li> <li> <a href="http://hds.harvard.edu/">Harvard Divinity School</a></li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion">What is religious liberty?</a></li> <li> <a href="https://www.adventist.org/en/service/religious-liberty/">The Adventist Church and religious liberty</a></li> </ul> Thu, 27 Oct 2016 15:20:19 +0000 Ellen G. White Symposium 2016 http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/40933 The 2016 Symposium on Ellen G. White Issues will take place in the chapel of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary on the campus of Andrews University on Monday, March 28, from 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. “The purpose of this event is to break new ground in understanding Ellen White and the issues relating to her life, ministry and prophetic gift that have current importance,” explains Merlin Burt, director of the Center for Adventist Research in the James White Library on the campus of Andrews University. The symposium will have an academic structure, with papers presented and comments made by presenters. The papers will later be published in a journal to be made available at a reasonable cost. “There will be an opportunity for attendees to submit questions relating to Ellen White issues,” says Burt. “We will attempt to discuss as many of these questions as time allows.” Speakers this year are Brian Strayer, Bryce Bowman, Katrina Blue and Merlin Burt. The symposium is free and open to the public. Pastors, theologians, scholars of Ellen White and Adventist studies and history and seminary students might be particularly interested in attending this event. “We are very much looking forward to this annual event,” says Burt. “Though this will be an academic symposium it is our intention that it also provide spiritual encouragement and inspiration for those who attend.” For more information about the Symposium, visit the <a href="http://www.centerforadventistresearch.org/wherewhat/egw_symposium/">Ellen G. White Symposium website</a>. Thu, 17 Mar 2016 14:07:01 +0000 2016 Great Controversy Tour http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/38739 ‘2016 Great Controversy Tour, July 15– 28, with Gerard Damsteegt of the Department of Church History. See prophecies of Daniel and Revelation come alive! Visit Rome, Italy, and Reformation sites in the Waldensian Valleys, Switzerland, Germany, France. A most exciting experience! Call 269-815-8624, or email <a href="mailto:gctours@mac.com">gctours@mac.com</a>. See the attachment below for more details. Thu, 17 Sep 2015 10:11:56 +0000