It is a true privilege for Southern Adventist University to have an Adventist Forum on campus this semester. Under the leadership of Advisor Dr. Lisa C. Diller and President Ms. Allison Gerard this semester is sure to have an engaging and thoughtful series of discussions. Adventist Forum of Southern Adventist University has chosen the book Seeking A Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream written by Mr. Malcolm Bull and Mr. Keith Lockhart. There are six meetings planned for this semester covering a significant portion of the book and an array of topics from ‘Culture: Living Adventist,’ current controversies in the church, church history & sources of authority, ‘Identity: Who is an Adventist?’ and much more.
Each “General Forum Meeting” will have a discussion leader. This person will outline the chapters to be discussed (with each topic) a week before the scheduled meeting. She or he will also lead out in the discussion and keep the conversation flowing from one topic to the next. Ms. Shaunda Helm has volunteered to lead out the first General Forum Meeting covering the introduction and chapters one and two. She has outlined chapters one and two. Her outline can be downloaded from the link of outlines.
Additionally, the Forum meetings will be videotaped for online reference by Forum members and those not able to attend meetings. Those videos can be viewed on this web blog. Our meetings will begin promptly at 12:00 noon and end at 1:00 PM. Members are encouraged to come as their schedule permits.
Should a member not be able to make a meeting she/he may e-mail questions/comments to Adventist.Forum@gmail.com for the group to consider in discussion at the General Forum Meeting. It is expected that each member of the Forum shall conduct themselves in a manner that respects the opinions of other members; Adventist Forum aims for dialogue and not debate – a genuine understanding of the many opinions contiguous to the issues being discussed rather than consensus of opinion.
Most importantly, Adventist Forum of Southern Adventist University seeks to foster a better understanding of our collective Adventist heritage through our reading and discussion of Seeking a Sanctuary. We invite everyone – students, faculty, staff, and members of the community – who wishes to become greater informed about Adventism to join our meetings.
I look forward to reading this book, sharing my thoughts, and listening and considering your thoughts as we dialogue together to understand and celebrate our common heritage.
Cordially,
Raymond D. Thompson, Jr.Secretary, Adventist Forum
