2021 ATS Annual Symposium to Meet In-Person
The 2021 Adventist Theological Society (ATS) Annual Symposium resumes its in-person annual event November 17-20 in Fort Worth, Texas. The meetings are being held in conjunction with the Evangelical Theological Society which meets November 16-18. This return to meeting in person comes following the 2020 virtual meeting that was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ATS meetings on Wednesday will feature ATS papers on the conference theme, “Wealth and Poverty.” ATS president John Reeve will chair the morning session. Presenters include Jahisber Peñuela-Pineda, Adventist University of Colombia, Jonathan A. Campbell, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Thomas R. Shepherd, Andrews University.
The afternoon session will be chaired by ATS president-elect A. Rahel Wells, and include presenters Jerome L. Skinner, Andrews University, Paul Dybdahl, Walla Walla University, and Alan F. Parker, Southern Adventist University.
To welcome in the Sabbath, attendees from ATS and the Adventist Society for Religious Studies will meet at the Laurel Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church in San Antonio for a banquet and worship that is sponsored by the North American Division Ministerial Department.
Sabbath, November 20, will be a full day of activities held at the Laurel Heights Adventist Church. “Meeting in a local church for Sabbath services provides the opportunity for our ATS members to meet local church members, fellowship with them, and share various topics of interest during the morning services and afternoon meetings,” says Rahel Wells. “This time serves as a bridge between the ATS and the local church.”
During this year’s Sabbath School time, a panel of scholars including Erick Mendieta, Jerome Skinner, Paul Dybdahl, and Alan Parker will be featured. Glenn Russell from Andrews University will be the Divine Worship service speaker.
Following lunch, ATS President John Reeve will present his presidential address. The topic will be Comfort My People: Isaiah 40:12 in the Hands of the Early Church Fathers.
The remainder of the afternoon programming features breakout groups that include ATS Bible Bites, and presentations on biblical studies and theology and practics. “The ATS Bible Bites have become a popular feature,” says Rahel Wells. “They are TED-Talk style presentations where speakers have fifteen minutes to share on a chosen topic. Many attendees find it refreshing to listen to these lighter presentations following several days of the more in-depth scholarly presentations.”
The breakout presentations will be followed by time to fellowship, an evening meal, and the ATS Business Meeting.
Click here to download a complete schedule of topics, locations, and presenters.
ATS Constitution Changes to Be Considered
The 2021 ATS Annual Business Meeting will be held at the Laurel Heights SDA Church in San Antonio, Texas, at 6:30 p.m. on November 20, 2021. All ATS members are encouraged to attend.
Attendees will review the ATS Constitution and discuss proposed Constitution and Bylaws changes.
“Five changes are being recommended by the Executive Committee,” says John Reeve, ATS president. “These include an additional clarifying statement about the principal officers of the society. Secondly, two sections deal with the addition of a vice-president and the length of term and succession plan. Other items include a nomenclature change for the current vice-presidents and the inclusion of two additional officer positions which have been added in previous years.”
The addition to the bylaws section addresses and clarifies when and where the general annual business meeting of the society will be held.
Click here to download a copy of the current ATS Constitution.
Click here to download a copy of the proposed adjustments.
“This time serves as a bridge between the ATS and the local church.”
News Shorts
Loma Linda University Sponsors Virtual Seminar
The Loma Linda University School of Medicine and the Department of Earth and Biological Science Sciences is sponsoring Biblical Perspectives: Why Seventh-day Adventists Believe in Creation and the Flood, a virtual seminar series. Presenters include ATS members Dr. Leonard Brand, Dr. Richard Davidson, Dr. Michael Younker, and Dr. Randy Younker. You can join the Zoom sessions using Meeting ID 933 57165235 Passcode 267183.
AUA Seminary 4th Research Conference
The Adventist University of Africa (AUA) Theological Seminary recently held its fourth research conference that featured a collaboration of researchers, leaders, and preachers who spoke on the theme, Discipleship: Biblical, Historical, and Missiological Perspective.
ATS member Dr. Melak A. Tsegaw, director, Master of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies, at AUA, served as the conference chairman.
“This conference was organized in response to the critical membership loss faced by the church despite its statistical growth,” says Tsegaw. “It was felt that it is high time for scholars to collaborate and contribute to the church’s core mission of disciple-making which deserved an in-depth exploration from a biblical, historical, and missiological perspective.”
Plenary speakers included ATS members Frank Hasel and David Trim.
“It is in light of this much-needed collaboration that the Adventist University of Africa sought to be a technological leader by using cutting-edge technology as far as hosting virtual events is concerned,” says Tsegaw. “Although the attendees were not able to meet face to face, the platform delivered deep attendee engagement and a rich online experience.”
The conference featured an intuitive and easy-to-use web interface where attendees interacted with conference speakers through built-in live sessions where they experienced real-time activities and content in event sessions. The platform also created an in-person event experience with meeting rooms for one-on-one private meetings. Audience engagement was facilitated through live chats, event feeds, and virtual meetings. To help build meaningful experience, the virtual event also included break-out session rooms where attendees would select a research paper presentation or event track to attend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw2_cZ9NtIY
Tim Poirier Awarded Honorary Degree
Peruvian Union University recently awarded Tim Poirier, vice-director, Ellen G. White Estate, and ATS member, the doctorate honoris causa for Poirier’s work and contributions at the White Estate.
ATS Members in Print, on Video, and on Podcasts
ATS members are busy writing and sharing their thoughts with audiences worldwide through various periodicals, YouTube, and podcasts. Here are some of the recent productions:
Nikolaus Satelmajer reflects on reformations and what we can learn from them to bring reformation today in his article “The End of the Reformation is Coming.” https://www.adventistreview.org/2109-18
The Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research (ASTR) has released the first volume of its newest publication, Journal of Adventist Archives. Featured articles in this inaugural edition include contributions by ATS members Kevin Burton (Seventh-day Adventists and Abolitionist Petitions) and David Trim (Varieties of Adventists after 1844: Emerging From “Fanaticism of Every Kind” into “The Order of Heaven”). Download a copy here.
In his article, “Irenaeus: Right or Wrong,” John Reeve, associate professor of church history, Andrews University, and ATS president, reminds us that “correcting misguided beliefs is an ongoing challenge.” Although Irenaeus began his work to protect others from Gnostic truth claims, his path took him in the wrong direction. How do we avoid making the same mistake? https://www.adventistreview.org/2109-22
The fear that our ministry isn’t reaching those we are working with can paralyze our ministry. ATS member Ekkehardt Mueller, associate director (retired) of the General Conference Biblical Research Institute, examines this in his article, “In Vain.”
https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2021/07/In-vain
In his article, “A Book About Jesus,” Dr. Denis Fortin, professor of historical theology and ATS member, reminds the reader that the book of Revelation “is about Jesus, the Lamb of God slain for the redemption of His people. It is a book about hope and God’s faithfulness.”
https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2021/07/A-book-about-Jesus
Dr. Frank Hasel, associate director of the General Conference Biblical Research Institute and ATS member, reviews the first volume of the Andrews Bible Commentary in his article “Andrews Bible Commentary: Light. Depth. Truth.”
https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2021/07/21-07-resources
ATS Members in Video
Have you ever wondered about camels and their use in the Middle East? Journey with ATS member Randall Younker, PhD, Professor of Archaeology and History of Antiquity
Director, (Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology) Program;
Director, Institute of Archaeology, Andrews University, to onsite archeology sites and learn more in the episode, “Camel Petroglyphs: How Do They Answer Objections to the Bible’s Record of History?” in this episode of Seeking Understanding—Stories of Faith and Science hosted by Tim Standish, biologist, Geoscience Research Institute.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czVtTN7F4NU
New Dinosaur Video Released for Creation Sabbath
Dinosaur bones, a dusty cattle ranch in Wyoming, and a team of scientists all play a role in helping a man, who as a young boy, thought he was destined for the priesthood, unravel a mystery. This video was released in time for Creation Sabbath, and features ATS members Art Chadwick, professor, Southwestern Adventist University, Texas, and series host Tim Standish, biologist, Geoscience Research Institute.
https://www.grisda.org/audio-visual-media?album=3055947&video=561597629
inVerse Sabbath School Focuses on Deuteronomy
Check out this quarter’s Sabbath School lessons on Deuteronomy with inVerse host and ATS member Justin Kim: https://www.hopetv.org/shows/inverse/episodes/
A Biblical-Theological Symposium on Discipleship: Theory and Practice in the 21st Century
The Iglesias Adventistas Hispanas en Suecia (The Spanish Adventist Church in Sweden) hosted A Biblical-Theological Symposium on Discipleship: Theory and Practice in the 21st Century. ATS members Albert R. Timm, Jiří Moskala, Frank M. Hasel, Ekkehardt Mueller, and Clinton Wahlen were featured speakers.
Discipleship in the Writings of Ellen G. White with Dr. Alberto Timm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1OGhuqwKlA&t=6s (in Spanish only)
Patience: The Sublime Virtue of Discipleship with Dr. Frank Hasel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NtG4t9T-Y4&t=208s
Discipleship in the Book of Revelation with Dr. Ekkehardt Mueller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYQ4hnHyBOQ
How to Cultivate God’s Presence in Our Lives with Dr. Jiří Moskala https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT_3oPAMrU4
Matthew as a Manual for Discipleship with Dr. Clinton Wahlen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAb5YsLkEV4&t=55s
ANN In-Depth
ANN In-Depth brings Adventist thought leaders worldwide to talk about current events and ideas from an Adventist perspective. If you don’t have time to watch the video, you can download the podcast and listen to it while on the go.
Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ann-in-depth/id1583637696?uo=4
Google Podcast https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3ByZWFrZXIuY29tL3Nob3cvNDkyMjc0Ny9lcGlzb2Rlcy9mZWVk
Spotify Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/6imedxkyVKOtTyklDu9xlT?si=ELU0nRsDS_KvgnqIJtbing
Take a break and refresh your thoughts about Sabbath rest with ATS member Frank Hasel, associate director, Biblical Research Institute, in this episode titled “Sabbath [How Should You See It as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian?]”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwGWE9bSMEY&t=447s
What does biblical justice look like? How do we relate to it? Join ATS member David Trim, director, Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research in this episode on “Biblical Justice [What Is It and What Are Its Origins?]”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYW79WYS-Hk
In a world of suffering, hurt, grief, disasters and more, people often ask, “Where is God?” Frank Hasel, associate director, Biblical Research Institute and ATS member reflects on this topic in the episode “God [Where is He in All the Crises Happening Now?].”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YjI8fXj7cg&t=8s
ATS Members on Podcasts
In this episode of Mission Lab with Shawn Brace, learn about “The Greatest Evangelistic Meeting Ever?”
Take an Adventist Pilgrimage with Greg Howell and Michael Campbell as they discuss snippets of material that they have discovered in historical archives in the episode “Tales From the Z-File.”
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tales-from-the-z-file/id1558388185?i=1000537324719
