Adventist Voices by Spectrum: The Journal of the Adventist Forum

Spectrum

Our goal is to foster community through conversation. This podcast is a companion to Spectrum, a journal 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 merits of diverse views, and to foster intellectual and cultural growth. For more, go to: https://spectrummagazine.org/

  1. Sep 25

    What Stays When You Leave Adventism: A Conversation with Author Sally McMillan

    What parts of a faith stay with you after you leave? In Sally McMillan’s novel My Name Is Allen White, a young man raised in a prominent Adventist family has questions about science that take him beyond the church. His choices strain his relationship with his father, but ultimately, leaving behind certain beliefs does not erase the values and habits that shaped him. Allen’s story is fiction, inspired in part by Sally’s late brother. It also echoes parts of her own journey. Sally left Adventism roughly twenty years ago, then returned to its history, language, and tensions while writing the book. In this PodlyWomen conversation, host Natalie talks with Sally about the family experiences behind the novel, Adventism’s unease with books and ideas that challenge the denomination’s worldview, and how she navigated life after leaving the denomination. What can you carry forward from a religious upbringing, and how do you find community and spiritual meaning when your relationship with that upbringing changes? Resources: Learn more about Sally’s work at sallyjmcmillan.com. Sally’s book is available on BookShop and Amazon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@spectrummagazine1969 Follow us on Instagram. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at natalie@spectrummagazine.org. About Sally McMillan: Sally J. McMillan is the author of My Name Is Allen White, a novel inspired in part by her late brother and her Adventist upbringing. A former communication professor and university administrator, she now writes fiction, essays, poetry, and journalism. She lives in Seattle.

  2. Sep 10

    When Institutions Fail Women

    When does one bad decision become an institutional failure? In August, Good Good Golf released an advertisement showing male co-founder Garrett Clark shoving a female golfer-content creator, Alexis Miestowsk, to the ground over a golf club. The video was removed after widespread criticism, but it had already been conceived, filmed, edited, approved, and published. How did so many people fail—or feel unable—to object? Similar questions arise within churches, where spiritual authority, denominational and institutional loyalty, and concern for a ministry’s reputation can make it difficult for women to report harassment or abuse, and even harder for them to be believed. The investigations surrounding retired Adventist pastor John Bridges and the story told in Netflix’s Death of a Pastor’s Wife raise concerning questions about who gets protected when allegations involve pastors or other church leaders. The Podly Women, joined by their first male guest, discuss when individual misconduct points to a larger cultural problem; how institutions normalize, overlook, or conceal harm; and why policies alone cannot protect women when the surrounding culture discourages people from speaking. What would meaningful accountability look like? And what would change if protecting people were treated as central to the church’s mission? Resources: End It Now North America (Seventh-day Adventist initiative to prevent and respond to abuse) National Domestic Violence Hotline Raising Voices (Resources to end violence towards women) Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@spectrummagazine1969 Follow us on Instagram. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at natalie@spectrummagazine.org. About our panel: Natalie Bruzon is a journalist and editor whose writing explores religion, politics, and life inside—and just outside—Adventism. Trudy Morgan-Cole is a historical fiction author from St. John’s, Newfoundland, and a recently retired educator. Her novels include works set in Newfoundland and reimaginings of biblical stories.

  3. Aug 27

    Is Fiction Evil?

    Can an imagined story tell the truth? Suspicion of fiction has been part of the Adventist ethos since the denomination’s earliest years. Ellen White warned that fiction could inflame the imagination, distract readers from practical responsibilities, and weaken their interest in the Bible. Generations of Adventists were discouraged from reading novels. Some may even have stories of burning or discarding fictional books we already owned. But was Ellen White condemning all fiction, or the sensational, escapist literature of her time? And what might Adventism have lost by teaching people to distrust imagination? The Podly Women explore their own experiences with fiction in Adventist homes, schools, and churches; the difference between depicting immorality and endorsing it; and whether stories can deepen empathy, complicate our heroes, challenge our assumptions, and reveal truths that nonfiction cannot. Related listening: Romance Novels: Is It Porn? Mentioned in this episode: Watch the video essay Ella discussed Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@spectrummagazine1969 Follow us on Instagram. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at natalie@spectrummagazine.org. About our panel: Natalie Bruzon is a journalist and editor whose writing explores religion, politics, and life inside—and just outside—Adventism. Trudy Morgan-Cole is a historical fiction author from St. John’s, Newfoundland, and a recently retired educator. Her novels include works set in Newfoundland and reimagining of biblical stories. Ella Quijada is a SPECTRUM Campus Connect columnist studying psychology at Southern Adventist University, with a pre-medical emphasis and minors in Spanish, chemistry, and biology.

4
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

Our goal is to foster community through conversation. This podcast is a companion to Spectrum, a journal 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 merits of diverse views, and to foster intellectual and cultural growth. For more, go to: https://spectrummagazine.org/

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