Adventist Forums
Encyclopedia
Adventist Forums is an international non-profit organization of Seventh-day Adventists. It publishes Spectrum
magazine. Its stated aim is to create community through open conversation. Local groups of the association are known as local forum chapters. It was founded by Adventist graduate students in the 1960s, and is known for its generally "progressive" Adventist
perspective.
was known for social change and challenging of traditional ideas. They applied the critical thinking
learned at those places of study, and which was prevalent at the time, to the Adventist church's beliefs and practices. Many of these graduate students began meeting together with other like-minded individuals for discussion and fellowship. These groups eventually unified to form the Association of Adventist Forums after meeting with church leaders in 1967.
The two officers were Dr. Alvin Kwiram of Cambridge
, Massachusetts
as president, and Dr. Roy Branson of Andrews University
, as secretary. The church endorsed it in 1968 in the Review and Herald (now the Adventist Review), the church's flagship magazine. According to this article, the stated aims and objectives were:
After meeting with the group the North American Division
committee under Neal C. Wilson
expressed the following action:
The association is now international, as originally intended.
In 2007 it adopted the name Adventist Forums.
.
United States:
Other countries:
Spectrum (magazine)
Spectrum is the official publication of Adventist Forums, published four times a year. It was 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...
magazine. Its stated aim is to create community through open conversation. Local groups of the association are known as local forum chapters. It was founded by Adventist graduate students in the 1960s, and is known for its generally "progressive" Adventist
Progressive Adventism
Progressive Adventists are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who disagree with certain beliefs traditionally held by mainstream Adventism and officially by the church. They are often described as liberal Adventism by other Adventists, the term "progressive" is generally preferred as a...
perspective.
History
The organization originated in the 1960s under the name "Association of Adventist Forums", when more Adventists began to attend non-Adventist universities and colleges. The decade1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
was known for social change and challenging of traditional ideas. They applied the critical thinking
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
learned at those places of study, and which was prevalent at the time, to the Adventist church's beliefs and practices. Many of these graduate students began meeting together with other like-minded individuals for discussion and fellowship. These groups eventually unified to form the Association of Adventist Forums after meeting with church leaders in 1967.
The two officers were Dr. Alvin Kwiram of Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
as president, and Dr. Roy Branson of Andrews University
Andrews University
Andrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College in Battle Creek, Michigan, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists, and is the flagship university of the Seventh-day...
, as secretary. The church endorsed it in 1968 in the Review and Herald (now the Adventist Review), the church's flagship magazine. According to this article, the stated aims and objectives were:
- To provide an organization which will facilitate fellowship between graduate students in different geographical areas of the United States.
- To stimulate evangelistic contact through cultural interaction with non-Seventh-day Adventist scholars.
- To serve as a point of contact between graduate students and the Seventh-day Adventist organization, and to encourage and facilitate the service of these students to the church.
- To encourage pastoral guidance for Seventh-day Adventist students on non-Seventh-day Adventist campuses.
- To maintain an organ of communication, wherein Seventh-day Adventist scholars may exchange academic information, thoughts, and opinions.
After meeting with the group the North American Division
North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda is officially organized as the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists...
committee under Neal C. Wilson
Neal C. Wilson
Neal C. Wilson, served as General Conference president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church from 1979 through to 1990. Wilson was head of the North American Division when elected on January 3, 1979, to take the place of the ailing former General Conference president Robert Pierson, who had resigned...
expressed the following action:
- That we express our interest in strengthening the relationship of graduate students to the church and our desire to cooperate as far as possible in the development of any means which will serve to make this relationship more meaningful and mutually beneficial.
- That we express sympathy with the stated aims and objectives of the proposed association.
- That we express our opinion that presently these objectives can be better served if church leadership were to serve the association in an advisory capacity and at its invitation.
The association is now international, as originally intended.
In 2007 it adopted the name Adventist Forums.
Conference
Adventist Forums holds an annual conference.- March 1996 March – fifth national conference, "Adventism on the Eve of the Twenty-First Century" in San Diego, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
- 2005 – Silver Spring, Maryland
- 2006
- The 2007 conference was held in Santa RosaSanta Rosa, CaliforniaSanta Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on September 28–30, with highlights including presentations on "Adventism's Futures" by the authors of Seeking a SanctuarySeeking a SanctuarySeeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream is a book about the Seventh-day Adventist Church coauthored by Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart...
, and a performance of the play Red Books about Ellen WhiteEllen G. WhiteEllen Gould White was a prolific author and an American Christian pioneer. She, along with other Sabbatarian Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, would form what is now known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Ellen White reported to her fellow believers her...
. - "Christians in the Public Square", September 26–28, 2008 in FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
- 2009 – "The Dance of the Generations: This Adventist Life" co-sponsored with the Association of Adventist Women (AAW)
Spectrum
Adventist Forums publishes the magazine SpectrumSpectrum (magazine)
Spectrum is the official publication of Adventist Forums, published four times a year. It was 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...
.
Local chapters
There are many local Adventist Forum chapters around the world.United States:
- AngwinAngwin, CaliforniaAngwin is a census-designated place in Napa County, United States. California. It is part of the northern San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 3,051 at the 2010 census. Its area code is 707. Its two zip codes are 94508 and 94576. It is in the Pacific time zone.The town was named in 1874 for...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - Battle CreekBattle Creek, MichiganBattle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... - Berrien SpringsBerrien Springs, MichiganBerrien Springs is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,862 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Oronoko Charter Township. Berrien Springs is best known for its Seventh-day Adventist community and Andrews University...
, Michigan - CollegedaleCollegedale, TennesseeCollegedale is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 8,282 at the 2010 census. Collegedale is a suburb of Chattanooga and is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
: Southern Adventist UniversitySouthern Adventist UniversitySouthern Adventist University is a college in Collegedale, Tennessee, owned and operated by the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. U.S. News & World Report categorizes it as a Southern Regional College, and the magazine has consistently ranked it as one of the top-tier schools in...
(website) - DaytonDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... - KeeneKeene, TexasKeene is a city in Johnson County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,196 in 2006.-Geography:Keene is located at ....
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... - Loma LindaLoma Linda, CaliforniaLoma Linda is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 23,261 at the 2010 census, up from 18,681 at the 2000 census...
, California - New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
– Metro New York Adventist Forum (website) - OrlandoOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... - Pleasant HillPleasant Hill, CaliforniaPleasant Hill is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 33,152 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1961...
, California - Saint PaulSaint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state... - San DiegoSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California (website?) - Spokane, WashingtonSpokane, WashingtonSpokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
- Takoma ParkTakoma Park, MarylandTakoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City," is a Tree City USA and a nuclear-free zone...
, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east... - Walla WallaWalla Walla, WashingtonWalla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
, Washington
Other countries:
- AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - Pacific NorthwestPacific NorthwestThe Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
(United States and Canada) - South British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia. Milton HookMilton HookMilton Raymond Hook is a Seventh-day Adventist religion educator, author and church historian. He is an honorary research fellow at Avondale College, New South Wales, Australia.- Biography :...
has been president
External links
- Spectrum magazine
- "The First Decade: The Establishment of the Adventist Forum" by Richard C. Osborn
- "Association of Adventist Forums" articles cataloged in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index