Young Women and the Word - “Hearing Voices, Finding Your Own”

By Trisha Famisaran

[Crossposted from Spectrum Magazine.]

More than 50 participants and over 125 guests met at Campus Hill Church in Loma Linda, California, on April 12, 2008, for the first annual Young Women and the Word Conference. The inaugural theme, “Hearing Voices: Finding Your Own,” was an invitation for speakers, panelists, and attendees to consider the question of young women and leadership across professional lines.

Young Women and the Word was inspired by the annual Women and the Word seminar started by Kit Watts. Rooted in empowering women and men through in-depth scriptural study to pursue issues of gender equality throughout all levels of God’s human family, the Young Women and the Word strives to engage the youth in this passion and dream. Speakers and participants showed commitment to empowering, connecting, exploring, and supporting a generation of young women and men across professional lines; with a hope that they become leaders whose voices and actions reflect faith in an inclusive and loving God, the Creator who affirms both Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female because we are all one in Christ Jesus. While the Women’s Resource Center’s most immediate connections are with women in ministry it also seeks to help individuals make a real and intentional difference in the wider world, whether they work in healthcare, education, social justice, politics, parenting, or business.

Four universities in the North American Division sponsored women theology majors to attend the conference—Alyssa Foll (Southern Adventist University), Portia Howard (Oakwood College), Amanda Whithers (Walla Walla College), and Jacqueline Sanchez (Columbia Union College).

Alyssa Foll opened the conference with a scripture study, “In the Cave: Between Anointing and Appointing,” which was a touching account of the time David spent in the cave of Adullam found in 1 Samuel 22. Pastor Marlene Ferreras offered the morning worship sermon, “Breaking the Rules,” which was an insightful exploration into the relationship between Judah and Tamar found in Genesis 38. The morning worship service included special music by Patty Cabrera, songs of praise by students from Loma Linda Academy and La Sierra University, and a responsive reading by students from Loma Linda Academy and Orangewood Adventist Academy. Kendra Haloviak opened the afternoon sessions with a message titled “The Voices at the Well,” a study of Jesus and the Samaritan woman found in John 4.

La Sierra University students performed The Cost, an original drama written and directed by Kassy Skoretz. This powerful story critiques the notion that progress necessitates leaving some groups behind and asks whether progress is good, in itself. The script was heavily inspired by liberation theology, which is a commitment to the visibility and voice of marginalized people and God’s “priority for the poor” demonstrated in the life and teachings of Jesus.

Yami Bazan moderated a leadership panel that included Kathy Proffitt, Carla Lidner Baum, Portia Howard, and Julie Schaepper. Breakout sessions were led by Carla Gober (Spiritual Wholeness, Jessica Trevithick (Art and Media in Ministry), Dilys Brooks (The Woman in the Mirror), Prudence Pollard (Leadership), and the Students for Social Justice Club from La Sierra University. The conference closed with an Agape Supper, which included a special liturgy written and led by Patty Cabrera.

Young Women and the Word was organized by Trisha Famisaran, Maritza Duran, Marlene Ferreras, Jessica Williams, Felisa Meier, Vaughn Nelson, Zulema Ibarra, and Heide Ford. Visit the Women’s Resource Center website for more information. [Note: DVD and audio recordings of the conference are available through the Women's Resource Center.]

Rundown of the Schedule:

9:30 am to 10:40 am - Sabbath School: “In the Cave: Between Anointing and Appointing” by Alyssa Foll (Theology Major, Southern Adventist University)

10:45 am to 12:30 pm - Church Service: “Breaking the Rules” by Marlene Ferreras (Youth Pastor, Campus Hill Church)

2:30 pm - Scripture Study: “The Voices at the Well” by Kendra Haloviak (Professor of New Testament, La Sierra University)

3:15 pm - Special Feature: “The Cost,” an original drama written by Kassy Skoretz (Undergraduate Student, La Sierra University)

4:15 pm - Special Feature: Leadership panel moderated by Yami Bazan, with audience participation, and featuring the following individuals:

Julie Schaepper (Director of Community-Academic Partners in Service at Loma Linda University)

Portia Howard (President of Sister Connection at Oakwood College)

Carla Lidner Baum (Director of the Dental Oncology Service at Loma Linda University)

Kathy Proffitt (Former United States Ambassador to the Republic of Malta and Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Call-America)

5:00 pm - Conversation Cafes:

Carla Gober (Spiritual Wholeness)

Dilys Brooks (The Woman in the Mirror)

Prudence Pollard (Leadership)

Jessica Trevithick (Arts/Media in Ministry)

Social Justice Club at La Sierra University (Social Justice)

6:00 pm - Agape Supper with Patty Cabrera

“Thanks for organizing this historic and inspiring day. I was truly blessed, as were many others I spoke to who also attended. We’d love this to be a ‘regular’! May God continue to use each of you in mighty ways.” - Cheryl Harvey Webster

“Thank you so much for making me feel welcome at the Young Women and the Word Conference. It was so nice to hear from other ladies in the ministry. I appreciate all the planning and work that went into the conference.” - Amanda Whithers

[Photo Credit: Briana Famisaran]

Richard Rice Profiles Open Theism

By David Larson

More than twenty years following the publication of his book “The Openness of God,” which named and launched a new school of Christian thought, Richard Rice profiled its primary themes for several dozen bright and lively university students. They were the guests on Sabbath Eve, November 9, of Julius and Iris Nam, and their sons Sherwin and Ansel, in Loma Linda, California. Trisha Famisaran moderated the discussion. Perhaps because of my interest in process theology, I was also invited to participate. Iris and a few others prepared the meal that was eagerly enjoyed by all!

Richard, Julius and I teach in the Loma Linda University School of Religion, respectively in the specialties of theology, history and ethics. Trisha, a graduate of La Sierra University and the Claremont School of Theology, is now studying for her doctorate at Claremont Graduate University. Iris is a student at the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry.

Richard traced the development of “Open Theism” by beginning with the thought of John Calvin (1509-1564) who held that (1) God determines everything that happens right down to the smallest detail and that (2) God knows the past, present and future as though they are a single moment. This was a first step.

He identified a second step in the thought of James [Jacobus] Arminius (1560-1609), John Wesley (1703-1791), Ellen G. White (1827-1915) and others. Christians such as these split Calvin’s twin convictions, affirming one but not the other. They held that God knows the past, present and future with equal completeness but that God does not determine everything that occurs because God gives human beings genuine freedom.

“Open Theism” goes beyond this in a third step, Richard explained. It holds that Scripture, logic and experience urge us to reconsider both of the two convictions from Calvin with which we began, contending instead that God neither predetermines every thing that happens nor foreknows all that will occur. I pointed out that, although it may seem new to some, in less detailed forms the basics of “Open Theism” have been taught at Loma Linda University for about fifty years, beginning at least as early as long-time professor Jack W. Provonsha.

Richard explained that today the “Openness of God” movement makes a path about half way between traditional theism, on the one hand, and contemporary process theology, on the other. With process theology, it holds that human beings have enough freedom partly to determine the future. With traditional theism, it holds that human freedom is not inherent; rather, like the whole of creation, it is a gift from God.

He emphasized that “Open Theism” makes God’s love, rather than God’s power, glory or sovereignty the primary and conceptually controlling theme. It holds that, as Jesus taught, God relates to us more like a good parent than an overpowering king or queen.

From this point of view, the Christian moral life is not primarily a matter of submitting to God’s commands. It is the joy of responsively and responsibly interacting with God in bringing about in each situation as much flourishing as possible. I contrasted “the ethics of prohibition” and “the ethics of imagination,” the latter being what “Open Theism” champions.
Richard made it clear that according to “Open Theism” God knows everything there is to know. But there are some things that God does not know because they have not yet come into being and, given the reality of human freedom, they may or may not eventually occur. These things are not yet “there” for God or anyone else to know.

This is a very important point. It means that those who wish to criticize “Open Theism” should not accuse it of “limiting God” because such arrows miss the target. They should aim at its understanding of human freedom instead.

If it is inherently possible for genuinely free decisions to be predicted with 100% accuracy, then God certainly knows what they will be. But “Open Theism” contends that to understand freedom this way is to rob it of its true meaning. What we mean by “freedom” is therefore the crux of the issue.

Some people flatly reject the idea that our choices actually do alter the flow of events somewhat, holding that all such impressions are illusory. Others who agree that our choices can make this kind of difference do not see why they are inherently incapable of being foretold. “Open Theism” disagrees with the first of these positions. It holds that the second fails to discern the full implications of what it believes about human freedom.

The questions and comments from the university students were pertinent and probing. One suggested that the language of paradox and the practice of serving the needy might be more helpful ways of dealing with the topics of our discussion. Others probed the implications of “Open Theism” for prophesy, intercessory prayer, miracles, divine judgment, specific Biblical narratives like the story of Joseph and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. In every case Richard emphasized God’s unending and unlimited love and the privilege we have of cooperating.

Because more than one questioner brought it up, both Richard and I commented on the relationship between “Open Theism” and Adventism’s understandings of the “investigative” and “final” judgments. We emphasized that SDAs do not believe that God judges people now for what God foresees they will do in the future. Neither do we teach that at some point in the future God will unilaterally render a negative verdict on those who might have subsequently responded positively to God’s influence in their lives.

I especially appreciated Richard’s reminder that, linguistically speaking, as evidenced in the New Revised Standard Version of Scripture, one can translate Romans 8:28 in at least three ways. The most familiar alternative is “all things work together for good, for those who love God.” A second legitimate option is “God makes all things work together for good.” The third is “in all things God works for good.” Given its overall understanding of God and humanity, “Open Theism” opts for the third alternative.

This discussion of “Open Theism” was one of monthly conversations that the Nams host for university students in the Loma Linda area.

Living Conversations

By Trisha Famisaran

Professor Julius Nam regularly hosts a forum called Living Conversations. I will moderate the upcoming forum this Friday, interviewing two theologians about Open Theism. Please come and participate in the discussion!

Theme: Exploring Open Theism: Why God Might Not Know Everything There Is to Know

November 9 (Fri), 6:30-9:00pm ~ Guest: Richard Rice and David Larson, professors of religion at Loma Linda University School of Religion.

Fwd: Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality?

For the Bible Tells Me So is a documentary that explores homosexuality and the Bible, shown at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The Spectrum Blog posted insightful film reviews; one by Daneen Akers, Spectrum’s Review Editor; Obed Vasquez and Jacqueline Hegarty, Kinship members from San Franscisco; and David Larson, Professor of Religion at Loma Linda University.

Akers writes:

“This film didn’t want to simply toss out Christianity for its intolerance and storied past of scripturally-sanctioned abuse towards gays. This film wasn’t an angry steed. Instead it was a heartfelt and passionate plea for a new attitude, one in which gays didn’t have to deny themselves or their religion. This film proposes reconciliation…”

Vasquez and Hegart write:

“This is the strength of the documentary, the joining of home and the altar. Home is where the young homosexual feels the pressures of the ultimate sacrifice of coming out. Will they be rejected by their parents as they acknowledge this “truth” about themselves, and will God side with their parents? What is their God really like? The message from both home and church seems clear: we are an abomination. But are we? “

Larson writes:

“I misspoke. This movie is not about them. It is about the rest of us. It is about how we straight—or pretending-to-be-straight—Christians often treat them. It is about why homosexual men and women commit suicide at three times the rate of others. It is about sin, not theirs but ours.“

Click HERE to read more.

Supporting the principle of equal opportunities at every level

by Johnny A. Ramirez

 This was originally posted on August 7, 2007. It was revived because of its comedic quality. Enjoy. - Trisha

The following clip is from the Equal Opportunities episode of Yes, Minister. In this episode Jim Hacker MP decides to promote more women to high civil service positions despite civil service opposition. This scene is from the meeting of permanent secretaries (civil servants) deciding how to counsel the elected Ministers of Parliament (MP’s) on the proposal by Jim Hacker. Read more about this specific episode here.

I enjoy this clip because it reminds me that our progress on gender justice is measured no by our rhetoric but by our action. Also that sometimes our own discussions as men, even in the church, mirror the one depicted in this video.

AAF Conference

By Trisha Famisaran (Oct. 2, 2007)

I’m back home from the Association of Adventist Forums annual conference that was held in Santa Rosa. It was my first time attending and had a wonderful experience. We watched an amazing play on Friday evening called Red Books (if you’re interested in encountering your Adventist roots, the production will be playing in Riverside this weekend….I’ll try to find more information about the showing).

Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart, authors of Seeking a Sanctuary, traveled all the way from London to be with us. Their narrative is a comprehensive account of Adventist identity in America. The book was thoroughly dissected during the weekend, demonstrating its strengths and weaknesses.

Kendra Haloviak spoke on Sabbath morning and offered a new meaning of sanctuary. She spoke of different kinds of sanctuaries and enlarged the scope of the term to emphasize global and social perspectives. Hmm, maybe Kendra will let me post sections of her sermon online. I’ll ask.

We spent two hours on Sabbath afternoon in small group discussions. I led a discussion on gender equality in the church. The voices around my table brought up issues ranging from anger at inherited guilt from The Fall in Eden to the question of recognizing women leaders in local churches, women who are often overlooked for elder ordination. Several men joined the group and offered meaningful insight to gender injustice. I was glad for their presence and contribution. It helped counter the prevalent idea that women don’t want to talk to men about gender issues and vice versa. I managed to put my two cents in concerning a critique that I have of the chapter on gender in Seeking a Sanctuary. I have reservations about the authors’ use of the masculine/feminine binary in such a way that the “feminine” was incorrectly privileged. I don’t think the use of the binary is helpful for furthering gender justice in the long run. But more about that later.

Other than the Forums conference, I’m several weeks into the Fall semester at Claremont Graduate University, two weeks into teaching my first college course at La Sierra University, and neck deep in work at the Center for Process Studies. I’m sorry if some of you receive your issue of Process Perspectives late. This editor is feeling overwhelmed.

Rally for Burma

[1] Students of La Sierra University:

A group of students are planning to hold a rally on La Sierra
University campus in support of the Saffron Revolution.

“Over half a million peaceful demonstrators have taken to the streets
in Burma(Myanmar) demanding freedom. They are being led by Burma’s
maroon-clad monks. Unfortunately, the military has brutally cracked
down on the peaceful protesters and killed hundreds and imprisoned
thousands.
Students are now standing up to lead this revolution, and for that
many have been massacred. We ask you to stand with us on this day and
wear red in support.” -U.S. Campaign for Burma

We hope to stand in solidarity with hundreds of different schools and
universities across the country.

WHEN: 12:15 PM Friday Oct. 5
WHERE: The Prodigal Son statue in the middle of the campus, between
the bookstore and the administration building.

WEAR RED!

[2] Also, an Adventist Forums member, Spectrum writer and USC political science doctoral student, Ron Osborn is organizing a Burma-supporting event in Los Angeles. Visit the Spectrum blog for more info. Click here.

Bloggin’ the 28, continued

Catching up with the Bloggin’ the 28 series.

Over at Divergence, Trevan Osborn addresses Fundamental Belief #11: Growing in Christ.

The purpose of the Bloggin the 28 series is to focus on the practical, social implications of each belief which inherently provides the critique that the fundamental beliefs as currently written have some great theology but little practical, social emphasis. The newest fundamental belief is part of the church’s attempt to address the critique inherent in this bloggin the 28 series. The new belief is very well written and in many ways reads like a sermon. The reader is urged to accept Christ’s sacrifice which means that they will die to self daily and live a life of spiritual growth which they outline the hallmarks of.

I found it very interesting that the belief places a huge emphasis on the death of Jesus while barely referencing how he lived his life. There is no doubt that the Cross stands as the central event in the life of the Christian but if we forget about his life, we can lose sight of how we are supposed to live as Christians today.

On the Intersection site, Ryan Bell discusses The Church: Witnessing to the Reign of God.

I share that brief history to say this: the Seventh-day Adventist Church has, in my view, backed reluctantly into its ecclesiology. We hoped we would never need one. Due to this reluctance, we have still not done serious ecclesiological work (one exception being Richard Rice’s small volume, Believing, Behaving, Belonging. Yet I believe there are, implicit in the Adventist psyche, the seeds of a robust ecclesiology that can give renewed meaning to a new generation of Seventh-day Adventists who wish to be the people of God, giving tangible witness to the present and arriving reign of God.

On Labor Day…

My colleague compiled this list of articles and statistics. I have not read the entirety of all of these articles, so please forgive any oddities you may find. Happy reading. –Trisha F.

World Women and Work

“Women earn approximately 10 percent of the world’s total income, but they are responsible for up to 60 percent of the work performed.” –WOW! Work of Women

http://www.workofwomen.org/ 

“Older people… Onerous child care responsibilities in countries where AIDS or military destabilization has resulted in few middle age adults and high numbers of children in stress.”UN Development Fund for Women, “Risks and Vulnerabilities Associated with Employment at Different Stages of the Life Cycle” in Progress of the World’s Women 2005: Women, Work, and Poverty, 28.

http://www.un-ngls.org/women-2005.pdf   

Women in Paid Work in the U.S.“In 2004, women in the United States were paid 76 cents for every dollar men received for comparable work.” –AFL-CIO,  

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/factsstats/upload/women.pdf  

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/women/  

In 2006, “Of the 118 million women age 16 years and over in the U.S., 70 million (almost 60%) were labor force participants—working or looking for work.” –US Department of Labor

http://www.dol.gov/wb/stats/main.htm 

In 2006, “The median weekly earnings of women who were full-time wage and salary workers were $600, or 81 percent of men’s $743. When comparing the median weekly earnings of persons aged 16 to 24, young women earned 94% of what young men earned ($395 and $418, respectively).” –US Department of Labor

http://www.dol.gov/wb/stats/main.htm 

To view an essay with many informative graphs about women’s work over time and in comparison with men’s work, “Women and Work: A Visual Essay,” click:  

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2003/10/ressum3.pdf   

Women and Unpaid Work

“Women are concentrated in the most precarious types of informal employment.”UN Development Fund for Women, “Progress of the World’s Women 2005: Women, Work, and Poverty”

http://www.un-ngls.org/women-2005.pdf   

“The analysis presented suggests that women opting out of paid work entirely is problematic because it puts insufficient pressure on the workplace to afford flexibility for the many workers who need it. More important, the article suggests that the extant division of unpaid labor, even in households in which both spouses perform paid work, is putting many of the equality gains that women have made in jeopardy.”Katharine K. Baker, “The Problem with Unpaid Work,” click:  

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=996161 

“Unpaid labor is a taboo subject because acknowledging it would undermine one of the most important ideological foundations of capitalism. The owning class does not want to admit that they can only prosper by not paying for seventy-five percent of the true work of the planet.”Cindy L’Hirondelle, “Housework Under Capitalism: The Unpaid Labor of Mothers,” Off Our Backs, Jan/Feb 2004.

http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/feminist/housework_capitalism.html   

International Bodies Create “Instruments” Regarding Women’s Labor:For International Labor Organization “ILO Instruments Concerning Human Resources Development of Women,” click:  

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/skills/hrdr/topic_i/t_49_ilo.htm  

For “UNESCO Instruments Concerning Human Resources Development of Women,” click:  

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/skills/hrdr/topic_i/t_49_unes.htm  

More Resources

A Non-Profit Supports International Women’s Work:

http://www.worldwomenwork.org/ 

Film: “Working Women of the World,” A Film by Marie France Collard

http://www.frif.com/new2002/www.html   

Bloggin’ the 28: “The Nature of Man [sic]“

Continuing our summer Bloggin’ the 28 project, elder, Vanderbilt seminarian and technologist Sherman Haywood Cox II applies the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of The Nature of Man to contemporary life.

Juanita Bynum is shown on the news. We see a prominent, strong, black woman beaten by her husband in public no less. I have known about domestic violence, I knew it was a problem, but before doing this research, I did not know how big of a problem. Approximately 1/3 of American women report that a close partner has physically or sexually abused them during their lives.   “It is estimated that 503,485 women are stalked by an intimate partner each year in the US.” “Family violence costs between 5 billion and 10 billion dollars annually in medical expenses, police and court costs, shelters and foster care, sick leave, absenteeism, an non-productivity.” These numbers particularly become ominous when we take into account that domestic violence is often unreported.    This is certainly an epidemic.  Because of the relative silence in this society, it is a quiet epidemic.

Read and comment here.