In 1978 over two hundred leading Christian conservative luminaries convened in Chicago at the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (1). One of the key points was that Scripture in its entirety is inerrant, with the general idea being that God superintended the endeavor such that we have full assurance that no error exists in the original autographs (2).

Most of us recognize the thin ice we are on when we think and speak in categorical terms, yet it is all around us—talk-radio, cable news channels, religion, and yes, occasionally even postings on the Spectrum Blog. So what is it about human nature that inspires the spirit of dogmatism and self-delusion? More importantly, how do we create a more mature and defensible modus operandi? These are pressing questions facing us today as a civil society, as a church, and as a virtual community.

In the December 8, 2011 issue of the Adventist Review (AR), Mark Kellner, News Editor at the AR authored a column under the title, “If the Account of Creation Isn’t True…” He frames his discussion by referencing a recent New York Times op-ed authored by two evangelical scholars who lament the rampant anti-intellectualism among many evangelicals as well as many who compose the politi

_{“Therefore, just as through one man}

_{sin entered into the world,}

_{and death through sin,}

_{and so death spread to all men,}

_{because all sinned.” —Romans 5:12}

_{“For the wages of sin}

_{is death….” —Romans 6:23}

In his book Farewell to God (1), Charles Templeton outlines the reasons for his transition from a Princeton University educated Christian evangelist and pastor, working with Billy Graham, to that of an agnostic. Primary among his reasons was the problem of evil. He articulates some perennial questions.

Memories of my youth in the American Midwest include visits by the conference evangelist who you could always count on having impressionable pictures of multi-headed beasts depicted in the book of Revelation. Much of this interest in the book of Revelation, of course, is an outgrowth of another book well known to Adventists, The Great Controversy (1). So, in a sense, this childhood memory dovetails with recent actions of the Adventist church leadership to undertake a mass distribution of this book.

As most readers of Spectrum are now well aware, recent events occurring at La Sierra University (LSU) resulted in the forced resignations of four individuals for employment policy violations. It was the rather unusual circumstances under which these policy violations came to light that created most of the controversy and drove much of the discussion. The intent of this article is to examine some potential legal implications emanating from this set of circumstances that arise from California’s strict privacy laws.

A few days ago, Spectrum reported on a public forum held at the Redlands California Seventh-day Adventist Church in which Ted N. C. Wilson made some general remarks and then fielded questions. I was in attendance at this event.

In view of the events that occurred in Atlanta 2010, there are reasons to be less than optimistic about the future of Adventism, and recent events on this forum will probably not disabuse most of us from such sentiments. Yet, I hold out hope that like cream, wisdom will rise to the surface in the end. In the meantime, perhaps it would be a useful exercise to reflect on, and honor the best of Adventism. My own worldview is indebted to it, given that 18 out of 21 years of formal education occurred within the walls of Adventist educational institutions.

This is the concluding installment of this 10-part series, and so we should probably spend a little time putting all the many and varied pieces together into a comprehensive mosaic.