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A Journey to Healing and Understanding A
s part of the ongoing conversation on mission and
and Nicholas Miller; pastor of the Capitol City Church
culture, the Lake Union Conference hosted “Journey
in Indianapolis William Lee; and Carmelo Mercado, vice
to Healing and Understanding,” a formal discussion about
president of the Lake Union Conference.
race relations within the Adventist church. The event,
a follow up to Lake Union Conference President Don
apologized for the racism displayed at Andrews University
Livesay’s apology for the failings of the church, delivered
in past years. “As an organization of Andrews university,
at last year’s Lake Region Conference’s camp meeting, was
we have been guilty of racial bias, of making African-
held at the Village Church on Saturday, October 1.
Americans and minorities feel less than. We have not
always listened well, we have not always been sensitive, and
The opening panel, moderated by Livesay,
During the first half of the program, Luxton
included: Executive Secretary of the Lake Union
have not always taken action when action should have been
Conference Maurice Valentine III, Lake Region Conference
taken. And for that, I’m very sorry.” She continued, “It’s
President R. Clifford Jones, and Andrews University
not good enough to see ourselves mirroring the challenges
President Andrea Luxton. An additional Q&A program
and conflicts of society at our point in history. As
also introduced Pastor Taurus Montgomery of the Harbor
Christians – as Seventh-day Adventists – we must always
of Hope church; Andrews professors Hyveth Williams
have greater expectations of ourselves. We never have
Lake Union Herald an excuse to devalue or make assumptions of someone
day Adventist church is wanting to get to the place where
because of their race. We have no excuse not to be open to
they are experiencing true reconciliation, it starts with the
understanding of our own sinfulness and bias.”
people at the top.” In regards to continuing the discussion,
Carmelo Mercado stated that four similar convocations
In the second half of the program, Nicholas Miller
detailed Andrews’ history in segregation and times where
were in development for Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, and
the residual effects of Jim Crow laws affected the campus,
Indianapolis. “The majority of our baptisms are multi-
such as when black students were forced to wait outside
ethnic,” he said. “How do we learn about each other? We go
the cafeteria until enough people had arrived to fill a
and talk to, listen to, and embrace each other.”
segregated table.
One moment that elicited thunderous applause and
sanctuary was generally positive, punctuated with rounds
brought many in the congregation to their feet was when
of applause and standing ovations. The biggest audience
Montgomery said, “Black people did not create the race
concern seemed to be what was going to happen next. “Can
problem. I, speaking for black people in general, have
we implement what we just talked about?” asked Clifford
some things that I need to repent of, but the conversation
Allen, an attendee from the Niles Philadelphia Adventist
has to start with white male leadership…If the Seventh-
Church, “And, what is the plan to move forward?”
Overall, the response from the filled-to-the-gills
Perspectives on Death Conciliar Post
This was a project I was offered to do by a friend who runs an interfaith theology blog. The article compared the how different denominations interpreted death, the afterlife, and the human soul, and I was to cover the Seventh-day Adventist perspective. Communicating the topic neutrally with a group of theologians of a varying faiths was different, but none the less fantastic.
T
he Seventh-day Adventist belief on the soul’s actions after death is primarily characterized by its lack of action. The verse primarily referenced is Genesis 2:7, which states, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” According to this verse, a soul is formed when dust is given God’s breath of life. God doesn’t give man a soul, but rather makes him one. Elihu seconds this motion by stating in Job 33:4 “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” Conversely, when an individual dies – when the breath of life leaves them – they cease to remain a soul and return to dust.
To cite Seventh-day Adventists Believe… (the official compilation of beliefs accepted by its members),“Though the
body returns to dust, the spirit returns to God. Solomon said that at death “the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7). This is true of all, both the righteous and the wicked.
Many have thought that this text gives evidence that the essence of the person continues to live after death. But in
the Bible neither the Hebrew nor the Greek term for spirit (ruach and pneuma, respectively) refers to an intelligent entity capable of a conscious existence apart from the body. Rather, these terms refer to the “breath”—the spark of life essential to individual existence, the life principle that animates animals and human beings. Not surprisingly, the subject of the soul’s post mortem actions is largely tied with topics such as the state of the dead, and the processes of immortality. Seventh-day Adventists equate death with an unconscious sleep, which Christ referenced when referring to the state of Jarius’s daughter and Lazarus. The “Awakening” from this sleep at Christ’s return is best summarized by Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:51-54.
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
From Mission to Mission
T
“ I was supposed to be a Canadian, but the birth records were destroyed in the war in Egypt.”
his is the story of pastor Glenn Russel begins. An Andrews professor with a proficiency and passion for mission work, Russel has been educating through Andrews for more than three decades, and is involved in mission fields across the
world. Anyone going on a mission trip through Andrews should get to know Professor Russel, whether their trip is just for spring break or if collegiate education being abandoned for a pursuit in a life of missions. Not surprisingly, Russel’s journey to Andrews was as sundry as his passport stamp collection. Lest it be assumed that even the most longstanding of Andrews professors grow on meticulously labeled trees, I give you the life and times of Glenn Russel.
Conflicts surrounding the Suez war caused the Russel family to move from Cairo, Egypt to Beirut. With the
documents displaced, Russel’s parents began working at Middle East College as deans and teachers, while their children
The Glenn Russel Story Envision Magazine
“technically” became American. “Lebanon was home” reflected Russel, “I viewed myself as an American who lived in Lebanon, and coming back to the states was just an extended vacation.” One might think that this cultural limbo would hinder adolescent social deviation, since latching onto negative American culture is kind of hard if you have only been their twice in your lifetime. However, being an American made the Lebanese party circuit was easily accessible.
As spiritual progress was put on pause, the third-culture kid started searching for entertainment. “When I
was fourteen [through] sixteen, I was already going to parties and clubs,” Russel reflected. “Lebanon had plenty of clubs… and being a foreigner, you could easily get in places [where] you were under aged.” “I struggled with faith, [and] I wasn’t an atheist in the sense that I thought there wasn’t a God. I thought there was a God, I just didn’t want to be bothered.” An Adventist parent in the United States may threaten to ship their misbehaving offspring to the mission field, so what happens when a missionary child sparks parental chagrin? They move to Pennsylvania. “My mom and
dad didn’t say it outright, but they did hint that, [I] was leaving that whole world, and that it would be a good time for a change.” Under the influence other missionary friends, spiritual interest was gradually rekindled until finally, it culminated into a classic conversion, as Russel recalled praying, “Lord I want to give you my life and want to start fresh.” It was then that the concept of being a pastor came into play as an occupational option.
Being the son of a teacher and a pastor, Russel never wanted to be a teacher or a pastor. “I actually wanted to go into
music, become a musician, and play in a band,” he recalled. “It’s probably good not to tell God what you won’t do, because he has a sense of humor.” However, music performance was still part of God’s plan, since while touring camps with a praise team, the soon-to-be pastor met his another camp staff which theology majors refer to as a “Proverbs 31 woman.” “Always marry someone that is better than you. I married a woman whose spirituality I deeply admire. She had a strong devotional life and prayer when we met.” Russel happily recalled. “Marry someone who will help you get into heaven.” Following in the grand old tradition of aspiring pastors, Russel got engaged and became a theology major. After an upbringing in the mission field, a conversion after a party lifestyle, training in theology, and the all-important clerical accomplishment of promised matrimony, every box on the “perfect pastor” checklist had been marked. And so, a Russel began his career as a truck driver.
“That forced some thinking,” recalled Russel, as he started asking God “Why did I learn all this Greek? Why did I learn
all this biblical stuff when I’m driving a truck? I prepared to be a pastor and yet there is no job for me.” “As a result, the Lord lead me to this conclusion: I have called you, others haven’t seen it yet, so you just serve me now.” However, this did not relocate Russel to preaching for a congregation of windshield bugs. On off days he began leading Bible studies in his church, asking the pastor for any work that utilized theology and a willingness to witness. “As I started doing that, it started becoming clear that, even if I had to drive a truck for five or ten years…sooner or later, [the] Lord would open the door for me to become a pastor. That was in mid-January and a week or two later, I got hired to be a pastor in the Potomac conference in Virginia.”
So, in keeping of the second most infamous tradition of aspiring Adventist clerics, the newly-formed Russel family
sojourned to Andrews University, returning four years later to Virginia to continue ministerial work. However, it should be noted that Virginia is not Michigan, which is where our story ends. It should be noted though, that the now-Pastor Russel had already contradicted his adolescent plan to not become a pastor, and God and irony both required that he become an educator as well. “When we left seminary, we pulled out of Maplewood and said, “we’re now leaving Andrews and we’re probably never coming back again.’ We now live on Maplewood drive, not far from the apartment we used to live in.” Apparently, Andrews Academy was in need of a bible teacher, and who better than a pastor conveniently on the other side of the country!
Russel continued to be a Bible teacher at the academy from 1985-2000. One fateful day in the time of Vanilla Ice
and JNCO jeans, the youth pastor of PMC poised the idea of a three-week, short-term mission trip. “That’s not a mission trip, that’s a vacation!” Russel remembered himself saying. “I thought it was a joke, but the more he talked about the philosophy of mission and how you do it makes a difference. You can do a mission trip that is leisure time, not making much of an impact, but if you have clear goals and purpose, it can become worthwhile.” And so began the first of many academy mission trips to Romania, right after the fall of communism. “It was rough. There was no email or phone system. We were gone from our kids and because of the infrastructure being damaged by communism, there were times we went 4-5 days without showers and hardly any water. The church in Romania taught us so much. The believers were strong after being persecuted.” Though that first trip involved putting on children’s camps and building, Russel admitted that “we were better at the camps.” Missions to Romania improved and continued until Andrews University called for a teacher, and Russel began short-term missions to Honduras with AU college students.
If you happen to find yourself on a short-term mission trip with Pastor Russel, its unlikely that you will be doing
much church building in the literal sense. Working with local aids and ministries, these trips focus primarily on witnessing and improving local facilities. “It may come as a shock, but Andrews students don’t have a lot of money. Building costs a lot of money. They do have a lot of energy though, and all students have something they can teach, which is why we do camps.” A regular day camp involves campers pouring in from the streets to an Adventist locale, and filling an extremely old bus to the gills with anyone who whishes to attend. Aside from the huge language barrier and a ton of improvisation more flexibility, its just like any other day at camp! “I usually have very little discipline issues,” reflected Russel, “since at the end of the day, everyone is too tired!”
This laid-back organization has an effect that drives students to perform their best by having a leader who is both
relatable and trustworthy. “He is very detail-oriented and always has a plan, yet he’s also flexible and willing to consider any ideas anyone has,” recalled short-term mission veteran Eliana Iller a behavioral sciences major and member of the last mission trip to an orphanage in Honduras. “He’s more of a leader by example. He’s not afraid to stand up and do what is right, but he does it in a way with so much love. The best way I can describe it is how Christ wants us to handle situations.” Another Honduras trip member, Joses Ngugi, declared, “the biggest characteristic that that he had that made us feel like we were in good hands, was his confidence in God’s providence. He never made a decision without praying first.”
Looking around Pastor Russel’s office, the mutual impact between himself and individuals from every part of
the globe is striking. No diploma is visible. Education was just a means to a better end. Every spare centimeter of shelf space has been converted into a veritable museum. An Egyptian boat painted with hieroglyphs sits next to pan pipes from Romania and a Zimbabwean elephant with its trunk raised “for good luck”. Muslim prayer beads from Lebanon sit next to a Kenyan combat club, all gifts small glimpses of relationships established and conquest over cultural barriers.
However, these relationships cut deeper than daintily scrapbooked memories. They mean spiritual victories, but also
the grim reality that must be faced when going “into all the world.” Eliana recalled a time when the mother of a child in the orphanage was unable to communicate with anyone, until repeatedly prayed over. Last summer in Lebanon, a woman came to the short-term medical clinic, unable to remember how to take medicine capsules. After being assisted, the woman kept returning, claiming the same issue. After a while, it was revealed that she was in shock, after witnessing her family murdered in front of her during the war in Syria. “That is one of things I deeply resonate with in missions. You see the raw edge. You see sin as nasty as it is. You see the ugliness of this world, and it makes you get tired of it. But you can also see God’s grace and working though the Holy Spirit in mercy. Missions get you on the front lines. You can be happy with this world if you do missions. You can’t be happy going back to your same old life.”
Profile: Jason Miller The Student Movement
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s an Andrews alumnus, Jason Miller has gone where no Fountianview-graduating, fundamentalist-article writing, vegetarian has gone before, and in the wake of the recent papal visitation, Miller offers an interesting
perspective on what it’s like going form a conservative boarding school in Canada, to the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, establishing an identity at a school where Adventism is conceptually unheard of, and the delicate area where religion and politics successfully intersects.
During the early Bush era when political motives were becoming more approved by Christian audiences, Miller
enrolled at Fountainview Academy in British Columbia. Though it sparked disputes with fellow students, his passion in political and legal matters resulted in a charge from his bible professor Olaf Clausen, who encouraged Miller to follow his governmental interests. “I know that you have this passion for politics and religious freedom and religious liberty,” Miller recalled his teacher saying. “We’re getting to the last days and we really need good people who understand these issues and care about these things to go into government, politics and law.”Graduation landed Miller at Andrews University as a political science major, where he began interviewing senators and working as a research assistant for an international law course. After providing the weekly conservative opinion column in the Student Movement, running for class office, and a year-long mission trip in Honduras, he graduated from Andrews and heeded an acceptance letter to the Columbus School of Law in Washington D.C. “It made sense, because my profile is perfect for them” recalls Miller on the reasons behind his acceptance. “ I’m a Seventh-day Adventist, I’m a conservative, [and] my law-school personal statement was all about…coming from a society and religion where politics and law are…questioned.” “I’ve been using my story to prove that idea wrong. “
Interestingly enough, studying in an ocean of catholic scholars didn’t reveal any grand internal skepticism towards
Adventism, but rather the lack thereof. “Most people don’t know anything about Seventh-day Adventism. What they know about [Adventism], they know from me.” Because of this type of influence, standards have to be held tightly. “Most people know I don’t eat meat, and they defiantly know I don’t drink,” states miller. “There is a bifurcation between my social life which is Adventist, and my academic work life which is non-Adventist. One thing I did do, I put boundaries down pretty quickly on what I believed and what I was going to compromise on and what I wasn’t going to, and so I took a pretty firm stand on alcohol.” “With only a few exceptions, I would stay away from hanging out in a bar.”
Being at a catholic university did place him in the middle of papal visitation, with the pope’s canonization of the
18th-century friar Junípero Serra, the massive 30,000-member mass, and a close encounter with the pope during a parade. “That was one of the most insane experience of my life,” states Miller. “All of a sudden, the crowd starts cheering, and from around the corner comes the pope-mobile. My mouth was just agape.” (As for the rally with Kathy Griffin, Miller said it happened while he was interning, and was completely accidental. “I was running around D.C., and I see all these people waving and cheering. Then I hear them yelling “Kathy Griffin! Kathy Griffin!” Some guy came up and asked, “Can I take your picture?” and as I was chatting with him, he told me that this was a protest for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. “)
“In the world, not of the world” is a good description of Mr. Miller’s experience in Washington. Through
political involvement, the alumnus has cultivated a very centered view of Adventism and politics. “I don’t encourage any Adventist to jump into the political world,” Miller concludes. “If we did get more involved, the level of tension in churches would increase tremendously, and you would have some literal splits in divisions.” “But there are certain people I have seen [whom] God is guiding, who have talents, skills, and understand what they believe, and to those people, I say go for it. [If] God is opening doors and has put you in a good position, take full advantage of it.”
I
Room 224
Andrews University Student News
nterning is a confusing time period. As a student, you are hanging in the limbo between employment and scholastics, balancing classes with a new job and trying to ignore the fact that paying for internship credits appears to be a little worse than slavery.
However, a recent development at Andrew’s School of Business is changing the internship game, by placing a paid, unaffiliated accounting internship right in Chan Shun Hall. Since December, the accounting firm Crowe and Horwath has operated the paid, 3-month internship out of office room 224 in the School of Business. “We came up with this idea last fall,” states CPA advisor and Andrews alumnus Paul Smith. “My colleague who runs the group I’m in came up with the idea and we started reaching out to different universities last fall. I reached out to Andrews and they said, “We think we can give you some space.’”
In the span of four months, the accounting internship had been established, with students working on campus instead
of from Crowe’s South Bend office. “Obviously, Crowe is happy to be on campus and get the publicity of offering internships for recruiting purposes, but also it’s a win for the students as well because instead of having to commute into the office every day, basically they can walk across the room, go to class, and then come back and keep working.”
Not only is the development of an on-campus, unaffiliated internship convenient, it also more closely resembles
an accounting job in the digital age. According to Smith, Crowe implemented a new mobility strategy, which allows employees to do work from their own locations and set up their client meeting locations in areas where office space would be at a premium. Students in office room 224 work on lower-risk accounting assignments for clients, while supervisors work beside to assist if needed. Along with setting up the on-campus office, Smith also negotiated a $10,000 donation to the school of business for the privilege of on-sight connections. “I wanted Crowe to make a donation and pay essentially for this privilege, because its putting us in a very good position in terms of recruiting students. I’m kind of first in line now, and I think that just being in that position Crowe need to acknowledge the benefit they are being given, and we are in your space, so we should be paying rent”
Surprisingly, even inter-company networking hasn’t been hindered by the 27-mile separation from the South Bend
Office. “I wouldn’t say we lost a lot of communication compared to when we were at Crowe, since everyone at Crowe instant messages each other anyway,” reflects accounting graduate Abigail Tejeda, “I almost talk to them more now that I am away.” Melissa Ruhupatty, an international business major with a minor in accounting, expressed similar sentiments. “I like it better. At the office its so quiet all the time and everyone is in their cubicles. Here its less scary, more communal, and even though we are working here, we’re still talking to people outside. We still talk to field team people, which are crow employees out at the companies we are auditing, [and] we still talk to some of or supervisors which are back in the office.”
Josh Stall, an accounting and communication management major, summarized his approval as well. “One of the things
I really enjoy about this internship is that I am able to do it during school, and a lot of the focus in this internship is just building your experience and exposure to different processes you would encounter when working for a public accounting firm. It’s experiencing a typical day at work. I really enjoy it because it’s allowed me to get a lot of experience even when I’m in college because its something I can do during the school year instead of putting everything on pause until summer.”
In regards to the future of the program, School of Business dean Ralph Trecartin spoke positively and hoped that
similar opportunities would develop in other fields of business. “Our job is to educate well, but also prepare students for the job market. The wave right now is to have a lot more internship and experiential learning, mixed in with academic learning. this is where we need to move, for all of our students, not just 2 or 3. It’s a little piece of something really big that needs to happen, but its still pretty big.”
The Adventist Perspective on Fiction The Student Movement
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iction fits into that gray area of unanswered Adventist controversy that seemed super important
in High School. An apparent brick in the dividing wall between conservative and liberal camps, the topic seemed to gain importance whenever a young
even that class of books called religious novels—books in which the author attaches to his story a moral lesson— are a curse to the readers. Religious sentiments may be woven all through a storybook, but, in most cases, Satan is but clothed in angel-robes, the more effectively to
adult novel got adapted into a movie, causing parents
deceive and allure.” (272)
to remember that children can read. With the ever-
polarizing Harry Potter series celebrating its 20th
point to the portion not covered in the “in most cases”
anniversary, it’s a good time to address the dividing
as a justification. Though mainstream fiction admittedly
topic of a Christian’s relationship to fiction, which starts
has its flaws, the lessons found in the aforementioned
with addressing the two differing sides.
parables are available through other authors as well.
In one camp lies those who oppose fictional literature. Untrue stories, aside for the parables of Jesus,
The religious allegories of Narnia, good/evil dichotomy
Bunyan, Aesop, and Uncle Arthur, are lies no matter
historical fiction prove that the category of “fiction” isn’t
how they are dressed up. Even though there may be a
all vampire romance and wizarding plot conveniences.
message or “lesson” found at the end of a novel, the end
Even darker and morally dubious pieces like The
does not justify the means. This view is backed by Ellen
Hunger Games and Game of Thrones can be gleaned for
White’s commentary in Messages to Young People, which
their social commentary – warning readers of what not
declares, “Love stories, frivolous and exciting tales, and
to do while illustrating why it might be tempting.
In approval of fiction, readers of differing opinion
of Tolkien’s stories, and the contextual insight that
The problem that both sides face in saying
how problematic steamy pulp fiction or a novel about
“fiction is good” or “fiction is bad” , is that it places
supernatural teenagers may be, a greater danger
a rule where a brain should be used instead. In her
occurs when infractions on the truth infiltrate religious
colorful warning against novels, Aunt Ellen doesn’t say
doctrine, scientific writing, historical analysis, and
that fiction should be avoided because it simply isn’t
news reporting. I believe this is the Christian’s most
true and could be deceiving someone or braking the
important relationship to fiction – to spot its damage
9th commandment. Instead, her cautions are against
not only when it is marked in the “fiction” section of a
the content of the stories and how they affect the
bookstore or library, but also when it sneaks into things
devotional process. It could be that a fictional story
that are supposed to be. To quote Proverbs 14:15, “The
like Pilgrim’s Progress or The Shack helps strengthen
simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to
spiritual understanding, while a very true war story or
their steps.” (NIV) As problematic as the Harry Potter
Kardashian autobiography could to just the opposite.
series was for the Christian community, it pales in
comparison to the damage done by “The Origin of The
When it comes to literature, “good” does not
mean “real” and “bad” does not mean “fictional”. However, there are fields of writing where such sentiments are true, as science, journalism, and theology. Here, things are good when they are true and bad when they are fictitious, and where the Christian’s focus eliminating them should be placed. No matter
Species.”
The Writers Desk: Envision 2017 “On October 6, 2016, the Adventist News Network released a report, stating that General Conference leaders considered voting Adventist Education into a spot as the 29th Fundamental Belief”
Though it still remains unclear what the institution of the proposed 29th belief will look like, many members
are on board with its inclusion. After all, if “true education” is such a pinnacle of the Adventist faith, why shouldn’t it be written into its guidelines? At Envision Magazine, we as writers have a variety of school situations under our collective belts, including public high schools and colleges, Adventist equivalents, awkward homeschool years, and wacky unaffiliated Adventist offshoot institutions. With Adventist education stepping into our faith’s limelight, we found it necessary to sit down with “True Education” (the work by Ellen White) and figure out what “true education” (the concept) strives to be. “Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator – individuality, power to think and to do.” Education. For us, at Envision, we feel like this quote sums up exactly what we think true education is. It depends on that of the individual and there needs. Every person is created unique. Some learn quick, while others take a little longer to grasp certain ideas.
There’s nothing wrong with that, we all learn at our own pace. We feel as though true education isn’t based on a certain
title, or religion. True education is that which meets the needs of the student, whatever that may be. God imparts wisdom upon each individual. With that knowledge, it helps mold and create us into the person God wants us to be. He can teach us and mold us not just in school buildings, but anywhere He chooses. His wisdom doesn’t stop molding us if we decide to go to non-Christian school.
True education can also be found outside the classroom. Some of the most useful things one can learn can’t be learned in a
book. Real world experience is a great form of true education in our eyes. Different experiences and personalities will determine our needs as learners. True education is in the eyes of the learners.
Every Adventist institution claims to institute “true education” – a term for holistic education coined in the Ellen White
document of the same name. However, the variety found across different Adventist schools, outside different occupational training, communicates that there are many different ways to interpreted True Education. Is it more student freedom? Is it mandated exercise and worships? Is it diversity in opinion and lifestyle or unity in one goal? Both Conservative offshoots and affiliated schools will agree that most implementation of true education starts in the scholastic realm, and then radiates into the aspects of spiritual and physical education.
True Education
So how do we interpret “True Education”? How is this fantastic document to be read so its not a veneer to advertise a
school to Christians or a way bend students to a teacher’s lifestyle ideals? As an institution, this work should be read in favor of the students. When White says that True Education “strengthens the character, so that truth and uprightness are not sacrificed to selfish desire or worldly ambition,” this isn’t for the sake of a teacher’s beliefs, a marketable strategy, or even in hopes of “God’s blessing.” True education is for the best of the student, while they are in school and when they leave. When reading the book by the same name, this outcome should be kept in mind. That is where the conflict lies. Though Adventist education should always strive towards true education, for some students, “true education” might happen at home or at a public school. Perhaps an alternative would be instituting true education as the 29th fundamental belief, or establishing Adventist education as family upbringing or religious education through the church. Though its interpretation and institution are, and may always be, under development, a literal equivalence between membership and school attendance seems to limit true education by mandating Adventist education.
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