Retired 4-star general speaks for convocation

Originally published in The Southern Accent, Nov. 18, 2010 

Retired U.S. Army Gen. B.B. Bell told students on Nov. 11 he is concerned about the state of U.S. national security due to its foreign policy, energy policy and national debt.

The convocation speaker also weighed in on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. During lunch, he shared more of his suggestions about the war in Afghanistan with a group of Southern Scholars and veterans.

Bell said the U.S. should give Afghanistan one year to become capable of defending itself and then withdraw from the country. He said the U.S. should then keep counter-terrorism strike forces at two specific bases for as long as the U.S. deems necessary.

Bell said the U.S. should make quick, in-and-out strikes against al-Qaida and affiliated Islamic terrorist groups wherever they are.

“We should not be tied down fighting long, extensive counter-insurgency wars with our conventional troops,” Bell said. “The Israelis learned this long ago. You go where the terrorists are, cripple or destroy them and get out. We should learn from their playbook.”

Noble Vining, a 92-year-old World War II veteran and Collegedale native, agreed with some points Bell made. However, Vining was concerned about what the results would be if the U.S. struck terror groups by quickly going in and out of countries.

“In-and-out has merit,” Vining said, “but will it create more enemies for us? What will be the reaction?”

Bell also said the U.S. “quickly gave al-Qaida sanctuary in Pakistan.” Ryan McCollum, a sophomore theology major, spent two years in Iraq and Afghanistan while serving in the U.S. Army. He said he wasn’t surprised to hear Bell say al-Qaida was in Pakistan.

“Pakistan has been a safe-haven for Afghanis, not just al-Qaida, but Afghanis in general for as long as I know,” McCollum said. “It’s not like they really police their borders. People pretty much come and go as they please.”

Bell retired from the U.S. Army in 2008. Some of his 39-year career highlights include training and deploying NATO and Army troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, commanding the U.S. Army in Europe and commanding Allied forces in South Korea. Bell is currently a consultant for the Department of Defense. He and his wife live in Ooltewah, Tenn.

Adventist historian speaks at Southern

Originally published in The Southern Accent, Nov. 3, 2010

The Adventist Church is in danger of losing its understanding of what makes itself unique, says George Knight, professor emeritus of church history at Andrews University. 

Knight, the author of more than 30 Christian books, spent most of last week speaking to Southern students, faculty and alumni at several events including convocation. He spoke about Church history and advocated a different approach to preaching end-time events. 

Knight believes the Adventist Church needs to reignite a passion for sharing Christ’s soon coming. He says that message should emphasize God’s love and grace rather than fear and perfectionism. 

He said the Adventist Church’s understanding of end-time events is what set itself apart from other Christian denominations. 

“If we don’t recapture our vision, we’re dead in our tracks,” Knight said. “We’ll become just another toothless denomination that happens to keep Saturday instead of Sunday, and has a few dietary peculiarities.” 

Ethan White, a junior theology and archaeology near east and classical studies major, agreed with Knight’s statement that Adventists should remember their purpose. 

“I thought that he was right on,” White said. “It is important for Adventists to remember our reason for existence, we are a movement that was raised up for the last days to preach God's message to the world in preparation for His second coming.” 

Knight also addressed some Adventists’ use of Ellen White’s writings to condemn certain activities and dietary habits. He said many of her writings were letters of advice for specific people with specific problems, and were not meant as advice for the general public without those problems. 

“Every statement has a person behind it, has a problem behind it, has an issue behind it,” Knight said. 

Knight was invited to speak at Southern as part of an annual lectureship from the School of Religion’s new Institute for the Study of Ellen G. White and Adventist Heritage. The Institute will sponsor the Adventist heritage tours and research on Adventist history and Ellen White, said Jud Lake, professor at the School of Religion and director of the Institute. 

Knight said he was impressed with Southern’s campus and with the friendliness of the students. 

He continued, “I just hope that they keep it up and let Jesus shine through them.” 

Reality show contestant refuses to compete on Sabbath

Originally published on A Sabbath Blog, Aug. 20, 2011

Remember those stories from way back in time about people who went through hard times but still chose to keep the Sabbath, and lived happily ever after? Does that even happen anymore?

Oh, yes it does.

A few days ago, a reality TV show contestant told the show’s host (and the world) that she couldn’t participate in the Saturday-scheduled challenges because she is a Seventh-day Adventist.

The host told the contestant that things would get complicated if she didn't participate in those challenges.

With tears in her eyes, and as cameras rolled, the young Adventist woman decided to drop out of the show.

And boom! She became an overnight celebrity ….but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Here's how it all began:

Reality Show

There is a TV show in Brazil called, Tudo é Possível (Everything is Possible), and they are wanting to hire a new female reporter. They decided to create a reality TV show and hire whoever is the winner of that show.

In this reality show, called A Casa da Ana Hickmann (The House of Ana Hickmann), 10 female contestants try to get the job by competing in different challenges and activities.

Adventist Contestant

Wasthi Lauers de Castro, a 25-year-old journalist, was one of those contestants.

In a show that constantly highlights the contestants’ bodies, Washti was the only contestant with journalistic experience (everyone else is a dancer or a model).

The young woman quickly found herself having to choose between breaking the show’s rules or breaking God’s rules.

Sabbath Problems

Friday night came, and host Ana Hickmann told the contestants to get ready for a dance party they were having that night.

Wasthi chose not to go.

On Saturday, the contestants had to do a swimming challenge. Again, Wasthi declined to participate.

The host asked Wasthi why she wasn’t willing to participate in the recent activities and challenges. Wasthi wouldn’t explain. The host then asked if she’d be willing to explain it to her in private. Wasthi agreed to do so.

The Moment of Truth

That Saturday evening, Hickmann called Wasthi to her office. She asked the contestant what was bothering her and why she wouldn’t participate.

Wasthi told her she was a Seventh-day Adventist and that she believes God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. She said God told people to observe the seventh day as the Sabbath. She explained that she does different activities on Sabbath.

Wasthi began tearing up.

The host told Wasthi that she respected her faith and religion. However, the host also told her that there would be challenges everyday and that not participating in those challenges would make things complicated.

“What do you suggest?” asked Hickmann.

“If I have to participate,” Wasthi said, “and if I have to participate on Sabbath because that’s the criteria, then I can no longer participate in the program.”

Wasthi told Hickmann that she believes God must have other plans for her. She then said she believes in a quote she likes.

“For as great as your dreams may be, the dream of God is greater,” Wasthi said.

Happy Ending

At the end of the episode, the host had a surprise for Wasthi. Even though Wasthi chose to drop out of the competition, the host wanted Wasthi to stick around and put her skills to work.

The host hired Wasthi to be a reporter for the reality show and be in charge of reporting about the contestants.

Instant Celebrity

For Wasthi, sticking to her convictions was more important than getting her dream job —and people noticed. She became an overnight celebrity.

Twitter and Facebook lit up with people talking about what Wasthi had done. One person created a Facebook Page for people to write encouraging thoughts on how Wasthi’s actions have impacted them.

So many people tried friending Wasthi on Facebook, that Facebook displayed an error message.

Videos of Wasthi giving her testimony were posted on YouTube. People have been duplicating and reposted these videos over and over again.

News websites have also picked up on the story, sharing her testimony with even more people.

All student missionaries in Egypt leave the country

Originally published on A Sabbath Blog, Feb. 14, 2011

Adventists living in Egypt's big cities found themselves in an uncertain situation due to massive and often violent protests in Egypt.

All Adventist student missionaries working in Egypt have left the country. They were told to leave by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. All foreign staff members at Nile Union Academy have also left Egypt, said one student missionary, whose name is omitted for her safety.

Llewellyn Edwards, president of the Egypt Field of Seventh-day Adventists told A Sabbath Blog of the courage of a number of Sudanese students and Egyptian staff, who are guarding Nile Union Academy, with teams patrolling the compound 24/7.

No church member has been injured as a result of the violence, he said. No church property had been damaged either. Some people tried breaking into a church in Upper Egypt, but were quickly caught on the scene by the army.

"Most SDAs are out in the villages –where there are no problems," Edwards said. "Don’t believe some of the news medias that are suggesting that the whole country is in crisis and danger."

One student missionary told A Sabbath Blog she felt safe when she was in Egypt because the demonstrations were all localized, but also said it could get scary at night.

"At night, people shoot into the air to scare off thieves and looters, and the falling bullets have caused minor injuries for people patrolling the campus at night," she said.

The student missionary was serving as a teacher while in Egypt. She said all her students are worried about the future of Egypt.

"It's a time of uncertainty," she said. "There is no telling what could happen in Egypt now. This could be an opportunity for Egypt to become a better place for people to live, with less poverty and corruption, but it is also possible for things to become terrible for Christians. There are 8 Muslims for every Christian (mostly Coptic) in the country, and as things were, although Christians were tolerated, they experienced prejudices on a regular basis."

The student missionary said that the demonstrations are most dangerous to the futures of her students. She said many of them have gone through tough times in their lives and that graduating from Nile Union Academy is their "only real shot at having a future that doesn't involve poverty."

One Canadian student missionary to Egypt made it back to her hometown safely. You can read about how she was able to make it back home in an article by The Daily Courier.

Student missionaries are students from Adventist-owned universities who are taking a year off from school to volunteer in the mission field around the world. Some of the universities and colleges with student missionaries in Egypt include Andrews University, Southern Adventist University, Union College and Walla Walla University.

Update #1 — Egyptians protested in the streets for 18 days, demanding President Hosni Mubarak to step down. On Feb. 11, Mubarak resigned and transfered power to the Egyptian military. Mubarak ruled Egypt for almost 30 years.

Update #2 — BUC News reports some staff members are returning to teach at Nile Union Academy. According to the school website, NUA will resume classes on Feb. 21, 2011.

Southern Adventist University goes under lockdown, police have a suspect in custody

Originially published on A Sabbath Blog, Jan. 23, 2014 

Southern Adventist University went under a campus wide lockdown Thursday afternoon in response to a "percieved threat" by a former student.

The lockdown lasted approximately 2 hours as police flooded the administration building and men's dormitory. The Greater Collegedale School System also went under lockdown, according to the Georgia-Cumberland Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

After the lockdown was lifted, the university released a statement saying that a former Southern student made a threat over delayed paperwork. The university was alerted to this threat by Chattanooga State Community College officials, the statement said.

The university said Collegedale police located the former student off campus and was brought in for questioning.

According to a report by Adventist News Network, this individual "had not attended Southern for several years."

The lockdown began around noon when the university sent out an emergency alert message to all students:

"This is not a test. We have executed a Campus wide lock down. Campus Safety is investigating a potential threat. Please remain inside and away from windows. Please hold all phone calls. We will send more information as it is available. This is not a test."

During the lockdown, university officials and city police did not publicly release information over the kind of threat the university faced, which led to a lot of speculation and assumptions by the public.

Rumors of bomb threats, shootings and arrests quickly spread on Facebook and Twitter by students and local news media. Local news channels — heavily citing student Facebook posts — incorrectly published reports about gunfire, even though no shots were fired.

Requests for prayer also spread through social networks. Sister universities across the North American Division gathered in prayer for the Collegedale, Tenn. school. Staff at the North American Division also paused to pray for the university.

The university held a joint worship for students that evening to clear up any rumors and provide more information.

This is why the suspension of "The Record Keeper" is important to young Adventists

Originally published on A Sabbath Blog, Apr. 12, 2014 

The Seventh-day Adventist world church leadership suspended the release of its highly anticipated dramatic web series, "The Record Keeper." 

The announcement came Friday afternoon via the world church's news service, Adventist News Network. 

Here are a few questions you may be asking yourself and our attempt to answer them:

What was "The Record Keeper"?

"The Record Keeper" was an upcoming 11-part dramatic series based on the "The Great Controversy" by Ellen G. White.

The series followed the struggle of two angels caught in heaven's civil war. The series also followed the story of another angel tasked with keeping a record of events, while not trying to get involved.

The show's look was steampunk-based. Steampunk is a bit of an aesthetic style —a futuristic science fiction version of the Victorian Era.

The series won some awards and has been screened at a few places in the United States, but hasn't been officially released. The release date had been pushed back several times.

Who was making "The Record Keeper"?

"The Record Keeper" was a project by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. It was both commissioned and sponsored by the General Conference, according to Spectrum Magazine.

The series was written by Jason Satterlund, Garrett Caldwell, and Rajeev Sigamoney. They also served as producers for the show, with Satterlund directing.

Jason Satterlund is an Adventist filmmaker with Big Puddle Films. Garrett Caldwell is the public relations director for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Rajeev Sigamoney is an Assistant Professor of Film and Television Production at Pacific Union College.

Wait, wasn't the show saved by an online petition?

A few months ago, "The Record Keeper" was believed to be at risk of being shut down. However, Adventist college students began an online campaign to "Save The Record Keeper."

Williams Costa, Jr., the communications director for the General Conference, subsequently assured fans on "The Record Keeper" Facebook page.

"The General Conference is not considering stepping away from The Record Keeper project," Costa wrote. "The challenges that we currently face have less to do with production than with marketing – what should be the release strategy for a product designed with a specific demographic in mind."

Why was it cancelled?

Initially, it would seem the project had been at risk because leaders couldn't figure out how to market the series, as Williams Costa, Jr. said.

However, the current reason given for it's suspension is more along the lines of leaders' expectations and Biblical truth.

The Adventist Church says that the Biblical Research Institute did an analysis of the series and found some "problematic and theologically inaccurate matters."

The Biblical Research Institute says "The Record Keeper" misrepresented Biblical truths, according to Adventist News Network.

"Church leaders were looking for a much stronger portrayal of the love of God, the creation of a perfect world, the Plan of Salvation and the final renewal of heaven and earth as recorded in the Bible," ANN reported.

However, the series had been "vetted through many committees and [had been] approved for production," according to Dave Gemmell, Associate Director of the NAD Ministerial Department.

How did the General Conference —with such heavy involvement— not notice any of these "problematic and theologically inaccurate matters" sooner?

Questions remain about why these issues weren't resolved at the writing stage rather than just before being released.

Why does this matter?

Here's why the suspension of "The Record Keeper" is so important.

For a while now, many young, creative Adventists —particularly in the North American Division— have felt that their Church didn't care too much about creative visual mediums such film and television.

Media ministries based in North America such as Amazing Facts (independent), 3ABN (independent), and Hope Channel (church-owned) are largely perceived to be targeted to an older generation. Additionally, the Adventist Church's media center in California was recently closed down.

Many young, creative professionals are often disappointed by the quality of work put out by the Adventist Church in North America.

When Adventist students in North America graduate from college with degrees in film, animation, graphic design, or other visual fields, the last place many of these students dream of working is in the church.

This is because many of them —whether right or wrong— perceive their church to be outdated or unsupportive in these areas. Not very encouraging for someone wanting to make great work.

"The Record Keeper" changed many of these students' minds. This series provided a tiny glimpse of hope that their Church was willing to invest in a medium and format that is relevant to our generation.

For a moment, "The Record Keeper" cast doubt on the idea that nothing "cool" comes from the Church. For a moment, "The Record Keeper" showed students that the Adventist Church was willing to try new things.

Here's the main problem:

For many, the trust is gone.

Suspending the series, rather than fixing and releasing it, further cements the idea in many young Adventists that working for the Church isn't worth it. That if they work for the Church, there's a good chance all their hard work will be for nothing or that their ideas won't encouraged.

This is sad.

The Church needs young people not just for their skills or intuition, but because a Church without young people leading out is a dead Church.

Sorry, the article looked too long, so I skipped to the bottom. What's the short version?

The Adventist Church made a highly anticipated series based on The Great Controversy. However, the series won't be released anymore.

Many people are bummed out about it. The General Conference's reputation among young creative Adventists took a hit.

• The General Conference could sponsor another cool project and try all over again
• There's always the chance that the show could have been received poorly or "cheesy" among non-Adventists and its a good thing it wasn't released (even though it was really popular among Adventists).
• At least the South American Division is consistently coming out with cool stuff. We could learn from them —scratch that— we NEED to learn from them.
• I believe God is ultimately in control. I KNOW He will guide you and me and the world church leadership —even if we can't see it from our current point of view

Exclusive: "The Record Keeper" director talks about why the series was cancelled

Originally published on A Sabbath Blog, Apr. 18, 2004.

Last week, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists suspended the release of its highly anticipated dramatic series, "The Record Keeper." 

The series was based on "The Great Controversy" by Ellen White, but the cancellation of the series has itself become a controversy and somewhat of a public relations situation for the General Conference.

A Sabbath Blog reached out to Jason Satterlund, director of the project, for his thoughts on the cancellation of "The Record Keeper" and its impact on the Adventist Church. 

Below is our exclusive interview in full:

What's next for "The Record Keeper? Is there a future for the series?

That is a very good question. I am not an employee of the church, so I am not privy to all the meetings that were had. From the limited information I have, I have been told that the church is not only halting the release, they are shelving it. I don't think they even want to sell it. 

I will tell you, though, that this series was based on an idea I had years ago that I still own the rights to. If I got the money, I would go back to that idea and shoot it.

Who owns "The Record Keeper?" Was this the church's project or only sponsored by the church?

The church owns it. It was a work for hire. They hired myself and Rajeev Sigamoney to come up with an idea for the series, and the copyright belongs to them. There is nothing we can do about the ownership or release.

The Adventist News Network article says there were theological problems in the series. Why weren't these issues brought up during the pre-production stage rather than almost before the series was released?

We carefully wrote this series and had to go through a big committee process before we could shoot a single frame. We got the stamp of approval from those committees AND the stamp of approval from the White estate. They agreed with everything we had. Not only that, but representatives from the GC were on set every day of production. On top of all this, executive producer and co-writer Garrett Caldwell has his doctorate in theology and is a pastor. Rajeev and myself have studied and taught bible studies for years within our church. We know this material and were prayerful and diligent to get it right.

So, the idea that there are theological problems was a big surprise to me. I haven't heard any specifics other than they seem to think that God isn't portrayed as a loving God, and that simply isn't true. All the good angels talk about God and the Prince with the deepest affection and respect. One of the last episodes Raina speaks with the Holy Spirit and it is one of the most touching, beautiful episodes we shot. The love, compassion and joy in that episode brings tears to people's eyes. It is moving.

I suspect the real issue is that we pulled no punches in showing how difficult this war is for the angels. It is tearing everyone apart. We didn't paint the angels that are in earth's trenches as these glowing, floating beings with big wings and white robes that never seem effected by anything. They are fighting old friends, just like in the American Civil War. They are watching mankind die. They are witnessing the effects of sin. It isn't pretty and it is hard. 

In episode 5, Raina (The Record Keeper) is talking with a broken Cadan who is sobbing about the effects of this war. He has been pushed to the breaking point and says, "I hate this war," She says to him, "We all do. We have all had to let go of someone we love. But it will continue until everyone has made their choice. This has to be allowed to play itself out. Everyone has to see what life looks like without the King. It’s hard, I know, but it’s necessary. And until the that last second passes, we will not give up on humanity." I suspect that we may have pushed some people too far with these ideas.

To many young, creative Adventists, The Record Keeper's suspension appears to be a step backwards for large-scale Adventist filmmaking. How can the Adventist church regain young people's trust that the church really is committed to using "creative methods of outreach?"

The thing that we all have to keep in mind is this: The church has never tried anything like this before. This is new and yes, a lot of people aren't going to like it. It's easy to be frustrated by this decision, but you know what? THEY TRIED. They did something new. They recognized that the world is now speaking a different language and we are quickly becoming irrelevant. Garrett Caldwell and Williams Costa should be applauded for sticking their necks on the line for this. 

None of us have any idea how much strife those two have suffered. They have been waging a full on war over this series. I think if we just focus on the final decision, we will be missing the bigger picture. There are those in upper leadership who know how important this is. It may take some time to change opinions and open some eyes, but we can't give up.

Maybe the temporary solution here is to create projects outside the system until the system catches up. Just like HMS Richards did with Voice of Prophecy.

Would you like to make another Christian film in partnership with the Adventist Church?

Good question. All this is so fresh that I don't think I can make a rational decision. I also know that God is in control of all this. It's His project, not mine. I'm also his servant. As much as I would love to shout out that I'll never do this again, I may have to eat those words if God said to me, "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

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