Religion in the Classroom

In this essay, Chancellor Robertson addresses the role religion has had in society, and in the public schools in particular. He stresses the significance religion had to the Founding Fathers and in the inception of a public school system in America. Chancellor Robertson maintains that the remnants of our country\u27s religious heritage can still be seen today. He warns, however, of the dangers that can result, and in fact have resulted, because of the absence of religion in modern society. Chancellor Robertson argues that many Supreme Court cases have distorted the Establishment Clause, resulting in numerous violations of students\u27 freedom of religious expression. He concludes by urging that many Americans want religion returned to the public classroom and to its place in society

The Social Gospel Movement and Adventism from Late Ninteenth to Early Twentieth Century in the United States

The Social Gospel is a religious social-reform movement prominent in the United States from about 1870 to 1920. Advocates of the movement interpreted the Kingdom of God as requiring social as well as individual salvation and sought the betterment of industrialized society through application of the biblical principles of charity and justice. The Social Gospel is rooted in American Protestant liberalism, which was largely influenced by the ideologies of the Progressive Era during late nineteenth century. The Seventh-day Adventist Church, while distancing itself from the Social Gospel mainly due to theological reasons, had fought for social issues of its time by implementing a form of social welfare programs as part of the gospel rather than replacing it. Adventists’ primary focus had been on the salvation of the soul of individuals, drawing on the belief that total social redemption is possible only with God who will fulfill it at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Toward a Biblical and Missiological Framework for Transformational Advocacy in the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Problem Adventists have been inconsistent in dealing with inequality and injustice in society, swaying between silence, accommodation, positional statements, and direct advocacy approaches. Although advocacy has become more prominent among Adventist thinkers since the end of the twentieth century, there is a lack of empirical data which answer questions related to contemporary Adventists\u27 beliefs and practices in relation to advocacy in the context of mission. Concomitantly, there does not yet exist a documented or articulated Adventist missiological perspective on advocacy. Research Questions (1) What part, if any, has biblically-based social advocacy played in Adventist mission history? and (2) What do contemporary Adventists believe and practice about social justice advocacy? Method This dissertation starts by laying the theoretical and theological basis for addressing the problem. It then looks into Adventist mission literature, particularly the legacy of Ana and Ferdinand Stahl, to find the role advocacy has played in Adventist mission history. The field research applies a mixed-method. The quantitative method consists in the collection of beliefs and practices regarding advocacy from a sample of 260 Adventist students and faculty from Andrews University by using an online survey. The qualitative method includes interviews with 10 Adventist scholars and administrators (4 from Andrews, 1 from Oakwood, 1 from La Sierra, 1 from Loma Linda, 1 from Washington, 4 from the General Conference and its Divisions) and 2 PhD students. The questionnaires combined a series of closed and open-ended questions. Prior to the actual survey research, I tested the method with 33 seminary students (30 online questionnaires, 3 interviews). Findings Seventh-day Adventists have traditionally viewed evangelism and social ministry as two separate components of the Church\u27s mission with evangelism having the upper hand. Nevertheless, there have been exceptions such as the experience of the missionary couple Anna and Ferdinand Stahl who integrated evangelism and social activism. However, overall, the research participants expressed favorable views about advocacy and would like to see the Adventist Church become more engaged in social justice advocacy as a significant element in its outreach to the world. Those views are representative of younger church members (18–34 years old) and highly educated, older members, but not of most of the Church, which is, in fact, made of mostly older members (around 50 years old). The higher age groups in the sample, quite small in number, are somewhat skewed towards higher education (Masters or doctorates), which correlates with more progressive views. Only one demographic response was found to influence views on social justice advocacy: Non-Whites are significantly different from Whites on How often should Adventist Pastors advocate for social justice from the pulpit? Non-White respondents want to see pastors advocate for social justice from the pulpit more often than their White counterparts. Conclusion and recommendation A careful study of three fundamental characteristics of the Adventist identity and message—the Sabbath in the context of Isa 58, the Three Angels\u27 messages in the context of Rev 14, and the Second Coming as expounded in Matt 24–26—reveals that Adventists have been called to be a prophetic movement and a repairer of breaches. As such, Adventists are by nature prophetic evangelists, as exemplified by the life and ministry of Ana and Ferdinand Stahl. The dissertation recommends that Seventh-day Adventists critique, serve, intercede, and influence. In so doing, they will be guided by three basic commitments: commitment to Scripture, commitment to peacemaking, and commitment to human flourishing

Uphill All the Way: The Fortunes of Progressivism, 1919-1929

With very few exceptions, the conventional narrative of American history dates the end of the Progressive Era to the postwar turmoil of 1919 and 1920, culminating with the election of Warren G. Harding and a mandate for Normalcy. And yet, as this dissertation explores, progressives, while knocked back on their heels by these experiences, nonetheless continued to fight for change even during the unfavorable political climate of the Twenties. The Era of Normalcy itself was a much more chaotic and contested political period - marked by strikes, race riots, agrarian unrest, cultural conflict, government scandals, and economic depression - than the popular imagination often recalls. While examining the trajectory of progressives during the Harding and Coolidge years, this study also inquires into how civic progressivism - a philosophy rooted in preserving the public interest and producing change through elevated citizenship and educated public opinion - was tempered and transformed by the events of the post-war period and the New Era. With an eye to the many fruitful and flourishing fields that have come to enhance the study of political ideology in recent decades, this dissertation revisits the question of progressive persistence, and examines the rhetorical and ideological transformations it was forced to make to remain relevant in an age of consumerism, technological change, and cultural conflict. In so doing, this study aims to reevaluate progressivism's contributions to the New Era and help to define the ideological transformations that occurred between early twentieth century reform and the liberalism of the New Deal