This interview, published online in 2007, is from an important twenty-four part series of “interlogues” by Julius Nam. Since retiring his blog last year, Progressive Adventism, Nam has given Spectrum permission to republish his interviews with significant figures in Adventism.

Since the second edition of Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart’s Seeking a Sanctuary was released four years ago, the book has been widely read, extensively quoted and adopted as a text in various Adventist colleges. Some reviews of the second edition are listed at the end of this post.

I think time is ripe for Adventists to start law schools, and I think La Sierra is probably the best place for it. I’ve heard through the grapevine that La Sierra has been interested in it, but I don’t know for sure if they are. My perception is that La Sierra’s location, strong business school, dynamic emphasis on social justice issues, and institutional strength make it an ideal candidate among Adventist colleges and universities to start a law school.

But one might ask - why?

Anticipating Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart’s presentations at the Adventist Forums conference last September (which is now available in the current issue of Spectrum) triggered the following (very) random thoughts—which are now almost a year old….

Marianne Thieme is a Dutch politician, animal activist and publicist. She is the chair and political leader of the first animal rights party in history that is represented in a national parliament. She is also a Seventh-day Adventist.

Introducing…Gilmore Girls

Not since Archie Bunker first introduced Seventh-day Adventists to American television viewers in the mid-seventies with his memorable line—“Raise him a Luferan if you want, raise him a Norman with seven wives, a holy roller, a Seventh-day Adventurer”—has there been such an extensive treatment of Adventists and their community on prime time television as in Gilmore Girls, a popular Tuesday night dramedy on the CW (formerly WB) channel that concluded its run in spring 2007 after seven successful seasons.

Nam: You studied at Avondale for your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in religion. Is it a normal or common thing for Adventist ministers in Japan to be educated abroad, or are almost all of them products of Saniku Gakuin College, which I believe is the only Adventist college in Japan?