The Seventh-day Adventist Church is currently engaged in a global conversation about women. The Church in North America in particular is having a passionate debate about the role of women in the official church hierarchy and what limits it should place on how women serve the Church. But there is much more to this discussion than women’s ordination. There is the issue of how the church listens to victims of sexual violence; there is the deeper theological question of “headship,” submission, and domination.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is currently engaged in a global conversation about women. The Church in North America in particular is having a passionate debate about the role of women in the official church hierarchy and what limits it should place on how women serve the Church. But there is much more to this discussion than women’s ordination. There is the issue of how the church listens to victims of sexual violence; there is the deeper theological question of “headship,” submission, and domination.

It has been quite a ride for me as the blog editor for the month of July. History unfolded before my eyes as I watched from the helm of the Spectrum blog. I have a much deeper appreciation for all of the hard work that Alexander Carpenter and the rest of the Spectrum team put into this community. I have witnessed first hand behind the scenes how dedicated the team is to fairness, accuracy, and service to our community, and I appreciate their patience, advice, and camaraderie during my short tenure. I am grateful for the experience.

In a special constituency meeting today the Columbia Union Conference voted overwhelmingly to authorize ordination without regard to gender. The vote was 209 (80%) in favor, 51 opposed, 9 abstained, and 2 blank. The motion reads as follows:

"Motion: That the Columbia Union Conference authorize ordination to the gospel ministry without regard to gender."

The Columbia Union Conference has gathered a variety of resources on its website to educate its constituency in anticipation for its Special Constituency Meeting set for July 29 to authorize ordinations without regard to gender.

The Flat Earth Society is real. The nearly 500 member society has as its mission “to promote and initiate discussion of Flat Earth theory as well as archive Flat Earth literature." It isn’t a parody or a hoax. People really believe that the earth is not a sphere. Globular theory, apparently, needs to be answered.

Then there’s the Galileo Was Wrong conference. From their website:

Church leaders participated in a discussion led by evangelist Shawn Boonstra discussing the New York 13 Project, an evangelistic crusade targeting New York City next year, and The Great Hope Project, a mass distribution of an abridged version of The Great Controversy "into every home," in an hour-long special airing on the Hope Channel and 3 Angels Broadcasting Network.

Eric Shadle, pastor of the Richland Seventh-day Adventist Church in Washington, begins his bike trek across the United States today to raise money for a diaper charity.

"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." Revelation 13:11

The following announcement is republished from the Alumni Association, School of Medicine of Loma Linda University. The original article appears here.