PULSE Issue 7

A COLLABORATION OF ADVENTIST ACTIVISTS

OCTOBER 2024 ISSUE 7

HOW SHOULD A CHRISTIAN VOTE? A DISARMING HISTORY OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT CHRISTIAN STATEMENTS AND RESOLUTIONS A NEW BOOK ABOUT SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS JESUS FIRST, POLITICS SECOND

Action Creates Hope

CONTENTS 4

INSPIRE

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REVIEW

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COVER FEATURE

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FEATURE

loaded: a disarming history of the second amendment

how should a follower of jesus vote?

christian statements and resolutions: why they matter

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INTERACT

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REVIEW

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FOR ART’S SAKE

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REVIEW

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FEATURE

vote like it counts

maiden: the finish line knows no gender

childlike wonder

queer insights: a new book about same-sex relationships

“confession of evangelical conviction”: jesus first, politics second

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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InSpire Begin with the end in mind. —Stephen Covey

MORE THAN EMPTY SPACE There’s no reason to imagine that God would choose to surround Himself into infinite time with people whose only distinction is that they failed to transgress.

—Marilynne Robinson

REMAIN WHOLE LISTEN . . .

Another world is not only possible, she’s on her way.

Many of us won’t be here to greet her, but on a quiet day, if you listen carefully, you can hear her breathing.

Peace if possible, but truth at any rate.

—Martin Luther

MARTIN LUTHER

—MARILYNNE ROBINSON

—Marilynne Robinson

ILLUSORY Fame is the illusion that one person has more value than another.

—Marty Rubin

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED In our world the road to holiness necessarily runs through the world of action.

—Dag Hammarskjold

RIPPLES If we are to better the future we must disturb the present.

—Catherine Booth

TIPPING POINT Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.

—Harriet Beecher Stowe

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ReView

A Disarming History of the Second Amendment A well regulated Militia, being necessary to

it, and by the time the Constitution was written,

the security of a free State, the right of the

the Second Amendment secured and justified

people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be

this aspect of the social contract. Meanwhile,

infringed.”—Amendment 2, Constitution of the

westward expansion continued at the cost of

United States

more Indigenous lives.

Although Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment appears to be a relatively quick read, I found myself taking my time to sit with the uncomfortable truths exposed about our

Don’t you dare take our guns that God gave us the right to carry.

nation’s barbaric founding. While we tend to sit in our history classes and romanticize early colonialism and Manifest Destiny, our nation is

So was born gun culture in the United States.

built on the ruthless extermination of Indigenous

We have since romanticized outlaw icons, manly

people, whose indiscriminate killings were made

hunter-men, and oh, so many “good guys with

efficient by firearms. This book goes there. It

guns.” We have also brought God into our warm

goes to the shameful place in which colonizers

and fuzzy founding myth, telling ourselves that

who brought back the scalps of slaughtered

everything happened exactly the way God

Indigenous children were rewarded and called

wanted it to happen. If we fully believe that, let’s

heroes; genocide was the patriotic way of life in

give ourselves 50 gold stars for being God’s

early America. It was an obligation to participate

special favorite! God bless America! And don’t

in the expansion of America on bloody land.

you dare take our guns that God gave us the

The author moves on to give insight to the

right to carry.

patrol participation was, again, required of the

The recent evolution of the National Rifle

white citizenry. Gun ownership came along with

Association from a safety and marksmanship

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

society to a gun fetish cult has fueled American gun culture to explosive levels. Its lobbying efforts include those that allow domestic abusers not to be deprived of their perceived right to bear arms. We dive deep into gun culture links to white nationalism and blatant racism with roots that go back long before the Trump presidency and today’s alt-right.

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Trump took office. We learn that this phenomenon comes from fears of the government taking away guns and nervousness about the impending loss of white supremacy.

While Dunbar-Ortiz does not attempt to forcefully sway her readers’ opinion one way or another regarding the correct interpretation of the Second Amendment, her well-researched, logical look through a historical lens allows us to make an educated assessment of our own. This

Our nation is built on the ruthless extermination of Indigenous people, whose indiscriminate killings were made efficient by firearms.

might be a good title for your next book club if you enjoy a spirited debate. It might get uncomfortable.

Sales trends from the firearms industry indicate that after mass shootings, and when gun control advocates take high-level government office, sales of firearms increase.

Gun sales skyrocketed after the Sandyhook massacre and throughout Barack Obama’s presidency. They decreased when Donald

—Marcia Nordmeyer lives and works in Lincoln, Nebraska. Union Adventist University employs her, and she can be found in the library. Marcia and her husband, Jeremy, are parents to two kids who are encouraged to read banned books.

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Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

Ten Suggestions for 2024 and Beyond Whenever voting season arrives, we face

The key word is reasonably, which connotes

questions. How do we navigate a field mined

balance. In one sense everything is political,

with incompatible claims? Whom can we truly

including the air we breathe and the streets we

believe? Which storylines are most important?

drive on. To stay clear of all “politics” is to veer

The following are guides to consider when, as

from life. Voting matters because it profoundly

committed followers of Jesus, we prepare to

affects the day-to-day lives of people who are

cast a ballot in any election.

dearly loved. Sure, we can’t be expected to

1. Thou shalt remain reasonably knowledgeable about issues.

know every proposition and county supervisor,

Jesus directs, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Mark 12:17). Evidently, He knew what was in Caesar’s salad and what wasn’t. Romans 13 begins, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities” and provides an impassioned defense for paying taxes (verses 6, 7). Jesus isn’t commenting on Herod’s good looks when referring to the regional governor as “that fox” (Luke 13:32).

The argument that Jesus didn’t involve

but we can review proposition summaries and candidate statements.

Apathy is not a Christian virtue. In the true Lord’s prayer, Jesus sends us into the world (John 17:18) to help a suffering planet. One way is by being an intelligent, engaged citizen.

2. Thou shalt not hitch thy wagon to one political party, right or wrong.

A close friend of mine in his mid-70s confided, “I’ve been a registered ..................................... since I was 18, but I’m changing parties this

Himself in the politics of His day so we

year.” We are never too old or young for healthy

shouldn’t in our day, is misguided. His context—

change.

living in an occupied country under a

Political parties are not sacred vessels. God

dictatorship without voting rights—was

is not a Republican or a Democrat, a Libertarian

different from most nations today. We might as

or a Green, or a member of the Inanimate

well refuse to use cell phones or wear

Objects Party. Our personal identity is

eyeglasses because, after all, Jesus didn’t.

inextricably, joyfully bound up with Jesus.

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Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

We may land upon a convincing political point

telling the truth sets people apart. Mistrust in

of view, an agreeable pulse and trajectory, but

any relationship sooner or later violates and

in the end, every political party can rightly

imprisons. By contrast, Jesus declares, “The

admit that they are, along with all humanity,

truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

“wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17).

3. Thou shalt acknowledge that complexity cannot fairly be reduced to a 15-second sound bite.

The Information Age morphed to our Age of Entertainment, in which what attracts attention and heightens affection is style over substance.

Unfortunately, shimmer and bounce do not help us to assess justice, love, and truth. In his classic Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman laments, “Americans no longer talk to each other; they entertain each other. They do not exchange ideas; they exchange images.

They do not argue with propositions; they argue with good looks, celebrities, and commercials” (pp. 92, 93). He wrote that four decades ago.

Within today’s complex realms of immigration, healthcare, energy, inflation, abortion, homelessness, and free speech we encounter layered nuances and knotted suppositions. We may feel like muttering “Whatever” and bolting, or else join the spin merchants. Neither approach honors Jesus, who said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).

Sift. Read. Investigate. Compare. Reach beyond easy pieties and cynical offerings.

Remain patient and attentive. Don’t tell time by the second hand.

Love with your mind.

4. Thou shalt weigh integrity of character.

Adlai Stevenson quipped, “Your public servants serve you right.” Character matters.

We are voting not merely on a candidate’s recorded past but on a foreseeable future.

In a culture where lying is epidemic, simply

The apostle Paul warned, “Remember that there will be difficult times in the last days.

People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious; they will be unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent, and fierce; they will hate the good; they will be treacherous, reckless, and swollen with pride; they will love pleasure rather than God; they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. Keep away from such people” (2 Tim. 3:1-5. GNB).

Avoid voting for them.

5. Thou shalt obtain decisionmaking information from multiple sources.

Whether it’s MSNBC, CNN, FOX, CBS, or ABC, TV news is a medium of disconnected images.

Postman calls the result disinformation that “creates the illusion of knowing something but which in fact leads one away from knowing” (p. 107).

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Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

In addition, “news” is driven mostly by fear. I knew a household that was tuned to one cable news network 15 hours a day. During those 15 hours fresh fears were concocted, coddled, and proclaimed. Finally, the family decided to limit their news viewing.

at last, “so much for open-mindedness.”

He shrugged. “Yep.” That question is one I have wrestled with myself: At what point would I change my mind on any subject? We all need humility. Naming a tipping point enables us to remain fluid, to concede that something does exist on the other side of our present conviction.

Everything is political, including breathing.

7. Thou shalt not be a generalizing, one-issue voter.

Voting issues are multi-faceted. For example, pro-life actually includes nutrition, housing,

If you watch TV news you can battle confirmation bias by clicking the “other” stations—including PBS and BBC—to honestly examine differing perspectives. For political reading, The Week magazine features excellent contrasting ideas and pithy international views.

If you’re on digital platforms make certain to sample outside your “input bubble” and stay aware that your information avenues are being bought and sold.

Followers of Jesus see life primarily through the lens of the living Word, who challenges His followers to be unafraid and to look beyond their worldview. (For evidence, see Matt. 6:25; 8:26; 12:7; 28:10; Mark 5:36; 9:35; 12:43; Luke 4:21; 5:10; 9:55; 24:27; John 14:1, 27; 16:12; 20:21.)

Jesus also assures, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). This guided tour is rarely a quick trip.

6. Thou shalt be willing to change thy mind.

Such a change isn’t flip-flopping; it’s called education. We should grant the same freedom to political players.

In a college public speaking class I taught one student delivered a persuasive talk on climate change. His premise was plain: Climate change is a hoax. During question-and-answer time I asked, “What evidence would make you believe you were wrong about this?”

He thought for a moment. “Nothing.”

I tried to stifle my astonishment. “Well,” I said

pollution, war, prescription drugs, education, adoption, racism, and eldercare. If we discount these elements, pro-life is nothing more than probirth.

Jesus announced His public ministry to “preach good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18). He was speaking to helping people spiritually, physically, and mentally through discipleship, healing, and education. That’s why Seventh-day Adventists focus on churches, hospitals, and schools.

During the past year I’ve heard people declare that their U.S. presidential vote is based on one issue only. “Climate change.” “Abortion.” “Inflation.”

“Universal healthcare.” “Civil rights.” These choices are definitely more than tomato/tomahto, yet we don’t have to pick one and ignore the others.

Include multiple items from the menu.

8. Thou shalt not vote only for thine own interests.

As followers of Jesus we are called to stand up for the vulnerable, to carry a voice for the voiceless. With persistence and love we speak truth to power (Eph. 4:15).

Poor people are not peripheral to God. They are central. More than 2,000 Bible verses point out the sacred duty to protect and uphold those of us who are poor.

Though the roads to efficacy may differ, policies and budgets ought to seek the common good. This “common good” is

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Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

is aimed especially at people on life’s margins,

served Muslims. Eleanor Roosevelt refused to fear

no matter their age, race, beliefs, wealth,

anybody, thus birthing the Universal Declaration of

nationality, or orientation (Isa. 1:17; 10:1, 2).

Human Rights. Nelson Mandela included his former

Voting primarily for our own bank accounts

captors in restructuring South Africa. Democrats

is monstrous. We cannot serve both money and

and Republicans joined together multiple times to

Jesus (Matt. 6:24). With defiant optimism and

pass funding to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

by God’s grace, we refuse to conform to a

All were determined to “cross the aisle,” to

grasping culture (Rom. 12:2). Like the Shepherd,

keep their heart and hands open for the better

we live with compassion and courage.

promises of peaceful love.

Jesus always came down on the side of real people rather than systems. Which candidate is treating the populace as loved individuals, not data points or conduits to power?

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you [voted on behalf of] one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you [voted] for me’” (Matt. 25:40, NIV).

9. Thou shalt truly love thy enemies.

In addition to the commandment “Love your

10. Thou shalt vote each moment of every day.

Our ultimate allegiance extends to Jesus of Nazareth. How we live each day is in itself an act of voting (Col. 3:23). Each moment is a precinct gathering with God. Conscience, context, the Bible, and thoughtful consideration provide our best voting guides.

The ballot box of daily living confirms our status as liberated, teachable, grace-saturated citizens of the New Earth. Everything matters. Each

enemies” (Matt. 5:44)—as much a command as

thought and every action, all day long, channel to

the original Ten—Jesus said, “Blessed are the

one choice.

peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9).

[ ] Follower of Jesus

Find at least one thing on which you can agree with the opposing side. The two churches where I served as pastor welcome believers of every hue on the political spectrum, yet we work together as one body. As distasteful and destructive as “that side” appears, followers of Jesus do not react with dismissive rancor.

By the way, Jesus didn’t say, “Like your enemies.” We don’t have to like people or their words or acts. Jesus does call us to love everyone as He does—to treat all people with grace and dignity, created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Christ calls us to comprehensive civility.

History reverberates with stories of gracious inclusion. While hanging on the Cross, Jesus prayed for the very people who had Him crucified (Luke 23:34).

Following the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln ordered the military band to play “Dixie.”

Mohandas Gandhi, a Hindu, protected and

——Chris Blake is professor emeritus of English and communication at Union Adventist University, a former editor of Insight magazine, and author of hundreds of articles and many books.

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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CHRISTIAN STATEMENTS AND RESOLUTIONS Why They Matter

As president of an organization committed

and resolutions don’t actually do anything. To

to the biblical call to social justice, I get asked

some, signing on to statements might seem

to sign a lot of letters, statements, and

performative or even harmful: a way to soothe

resolutions. Sometimes, I help write these

our consciences over the brokenness we see all

statements or organize other leaders to sign on

around us by making us feel an illusory sense

with me. Over the past year, I’ve signed on to a

that we have done something, a sense that

quite a few, including a letter calling on

creates the permission structure for us not to

President Joe Biden to take urgent action on

take any real action to solve the issue in

the crisis in Sudan, a letter urging Congress to

question. To others, these statements aren’t

pass an expanded Child Tax Credit, and the Call

useful because they don’t change anyone’s

to Civic Discipleship for which I was lead writer,

mind on the issue in question, and instead

organizing 30 other Christian institutions and

merely “preach to the choir.”

denominations to embrace a less polarized but still robust faith in our civic life and politics.

When I think about why I sign these letters, I

There’s some validity to that skepticism. We need to be on guard against any statement or resolution that serves as a substitute for more

think of verses such as Proverbs 31:8, 9, which

tangible direct action. But we often

commissions us to “Speak up for those who

misunderstand the purpose behind these

cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of

statements. I often sign on to statements and

all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly;

support resolutions because they shine a

defend the rights of the poor and needy.” While

spotlight on an issue and serve as catalysts to

I always want to empower and support people

inspire direct action.

to speak for themselves, I see statements and

After the horrific October 7 [2023]

resolutions as an instrumental way we can

massacre by Hamas, I publicly joined with many

amplify people’s voices, demonstrate our

others in issuing a statement condemning the

solidarity, and defend the rights of those who

attacks and calling for an immediate cease-fire.

are so often unheard or marginalized.

Since then, I’ve lent my name—and my

I know it’s easy to be skeptical, even cynical,

organization’s name—to a number of

about the value of sign-on statements as

statements and letters renewing that call for an

vehicles for achieving any true progress. The

immediate cease-fire that leads to the freeing

key criticism I hear is that these statements

of hostages, addresses the dire humanitarian

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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crisis, and creates new momentum to ensure

authoritarianism, including “white supremacy,

the long-term dignity and security of all Israelis

antisemitism (and other forms of religious

and Palestinians, including a two-state solution.

bigotry), xenophobia, persecution and

But here’s the key: Signing these statements is

scapegoating of LGBTQ+ persons, misogyny, and

only one facet of how I and others at my

ableism” by appropriating “the name of Jesus

organization support peace and justice in the

Christ and the language and imagery of scripture

Middle East. Our editors have worked to publish

to promote this ideology, in direct contradiction

extensive coverage of the escalating violence,

to the gospel Jesus preached.”

including an interview with an Israeli lawmaker

While this resolution isn’t binding on the

opposed to the war and an essay by a

denomination’s congregations, the statement

Palestinian peace activist, to give just two

does provide guidance and pressure. I

examples. Our campaigns and mobilizing team

appreciated that the statement doesn’t treat the

has created action alerts that press elected

heresy of Christian nationalism as simply a

officials to take our concerns seriously. I have

problem to be addressed “out there” beyond our

also spoken about the need for a cease-fire at

churches or ourselves, but instead offers

several ecumenical and interfaith protests and

repentance for the ways in which all of us can

vigils, and have met directly with Biden

promulgate both subtle and overt beliefs aligned

administration officials.

with Christian nationalism. In talking with the

Often, sign-on letters pave the way for in-

denomination’s general minister and president,

person meetings with decision-makers where

Rev. Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens, I learned that the

we can make our case to them directly. While it

resolution started with two dozen congregations

can be frustrating that these and so many

that joined together to propose the resolution to

other efforts haven’t succeeded in the way we

the wider denomination. And though leaders had

want, I believe that they have played some role

anticipated the resolution generating controversy

in influencing and pressuring the Biden

at the denomination’s 2023 assembly, it passed

administration.

resoundingly. But again, the Disciples of Christ

The same can be true for denominational

didn’t stop with a resolution: Since its passage,

resolutions, which do not often contain any

the denomination has been developing and

actual policy changes but rather lay down a

providing resources to further support

marker of where a denomination stands on a

congregations in discipling people away from

particular issue. Last year at its biennial

Christian nationalism. The denomination has

assembly, the Christian Church (Disciples of

partnered with the Baptist Joint Committee to

Christ) denomination adopted a formal

equip other ministries and make resources

resolution condemning Christian nationalism.

available to their 31 regions. . . .

By taking an official stance and concrete action

Statements and resolutions have the power

to counter this harmful and heretical ideology,

and potential to illuminate injustice, raise

the denomination put themselves in a unique

awareness, galvanize action, and build

place in terms of the institutional church in the

desperately needed social and political will. The

U.S. In the statement, the Christian Church

question isn’t whether we should utilize this tool,

(Disciples of Christ) “denounces Christian

but how can we deploy it in ways that are most

Nationalism in all its forms as a distortion of the

strategic to advance the cause of liberation and

Christian faith, and commits to opposing it

justice.

wherever it appears, for the sake of the gospel and the good of the human family.” The resolution also emphasizes the ways in which Christian nationalism promotes violence and

Adam Russell Taylor is president of Sojourners and author of A More Perfect Union: A new vision for Building the Beloved Community. This article appeared June 27, 2024. bit.ly/PulseChristianStatements

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

WHO WE ARE Pulse is the monthly digital magazine of JustLove Collective.

This month’s issue is edited by Stephen Chavez and designed by Jeffers Media.

Unless indicated otherwise all Bible references are from the New Revised Standard Version.

STEPHEN CHAVEZ Retired after a career as a parish pastor, then as a staff member of Adventist Review. He is Director of Church Relations for Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International.

MARCIA NORDMEYER Marcia is a circulation/reference associate at Union Adventist University's library in Lincoln, Nebraska.

CHRIS BLAKE Taught Conflict and Peacemaking and Critiquing Film at what is now Union Adventist University. He has also served as an academy teacher, editor, author, and pastor

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InterAct

VOTE LIKE IT COUNTS

Seventy countries around the world, encompassing 44 percent of the world population, have had or will have major, significant elections in 2024. In several countries democracy is hanging by a thread. In some countries election results are ignored and those who protest are jailed. In nearly every country wild, unsubstantiated rumors abound, seeking to sow doubt on election results. While it’s tempting to believe “my vote doesn’t matter,” our participation in the election process is our witness that we care about our communities.

In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, roughly 158 million Americans turned out to vote, the highest number since 1900, about 20 million more than in 2016.

That number—158 million—represents what percentage of eligible voters?

California, Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and Washington all enacted laws in 2023 to make it easier to vote. Which state passed the most pro-election laws?

A.

California

C.

Michigan

A.

19 percent

C.

66 percent

B.

Connecticut

D.

Nevada

B.

39 percent

D.

88 percent

C. Even with two-thirds of its eligible voters casting ballots in 2020, the United States lags way behind countries such as Rwanda (98 percent), Singapore (93 percent), Uruguay (90 percent), and Bolivia (88 percent) bit.ly/PulseVoterTurnout

Which country has the lowest minimum voting age?

A.

Bangladesh

C.

Nicaragua

B.

Ethiopia

D.

Samoa

C. Nicaragua joins Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Cuba, among others, for which the minimum voting age is 16. On the other end of the spectrum, voters have to be 25 to cast ballots in the United Arab Emirates. bit.ly/PulseMinimumVotingAge

Which state makes it most difficult to vote?

A.

Alabama

C.

New Hampshire

B.

Arizona

D.

Wyoming

C. New Hampshire is considered the most difficult of all 50 states to cast a ballot. It requires proof of identity and citizenship when registering to vote. It does not allow early voting. Those without an absentee ballot must show up in person at their polling place on voting day. bit.ly/PulseVotingDifficulty

C. Legislators in Michigan voted to expand access to voter registration, extend automatic voter registration, and expand access to online and same-day voter registration.

Fourteen states enacted more restrictive voting laws in 2023. That year, 356 restrictive voting laws were considered by lawmakers in 47 states. Which state has the most restrictive voting laws?

A.

Colorado

C.

North Carolina

B.

Idaho

D.

Texas

C. North Carolina shortened the period for returning mail-in ballots, eliminated ballot drop boxes, and made it more likely that those who use same-day registration will not have their ballots counted.. bit.ly/PulseVotingLaws It has to be said that the 14 states that enacted more restrictive voting laws did so primarily because of the oft-repeated lie that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen.” It’s also worth noting that the subsequent restrictions most often affect those who are poor, elderly, and people of color, effectively restricting their rights as citizens.

—Stephen Chavez

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ReView

Maiden (2018) 93 minutes (PG) Rotten Tomatoes 98% positive Directed by Alex Holmes Available on Apple TV and Prime Video

The Finish Line Knows No Gender When 26-year-old Tracy Edwards wanted to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race, the most dangerous sailing competition on earth, she was turned away. No team wanted her. In a previous race she had been a cook where, she says, “I was treated like a servant.”

Tracy looked to enter the race on her own terms, with her own boat and all-female crew. She chose a helmswoman, first mate/navigator, bowman, cook, doctor, watch captain, and sail trimmers. To enter the race, she needed to obtain a yacht and a sponsor and raise funds totaling one million pounds ($6 million). Hundreds of companies turned her down.

After two years of striking out, she remortgaged her house to buy a secondhand boat renamed Maiden that was, as Edwards puts it,

that included running away from home from an abusive, alcoholic stepfather and getting thrown out of school. As an adult, she grappled with fears and self-doubt. After three years of work— only three weeks before Whitbread—the crew of 12 shrank to 10 as they lost the cook to a broken wrist (“I was gutted,” she remembers) and the first mate, fired.

Edwards observes, “We were a real mixed bag of mostly dropouts, misfits, gypsies, and nomads. We were all running away from something, but we were family units. I mean surreal family units.” Competing against their Great Britain team stood male crews from New Zealand, Spain, Belgium, Germany, France, and Soviet Union.

“quite scruffy looking.” One of her crew describes it in starker terms. “I thought, Bloody hell, would you look at the state of that?” The crew spent an entire year refurbishing the 58-foot sailing vessel.

Nobody in the press believed they would finish the first leg.

Eventually, Royal Jordanian Airlines and Jordan’s King Hussein stepped up to sponsor them.

The film is punctuated with interviews and

The 1989 race itself was astounding. From September to May, traveling 167 days at sea

archival news reports. One crew member

over 33,000 miles, navigating at -20 degrees

observes, “Being a girl in the sailing world is like

windchill past nighttime icebergs, plugging leaks,

being disabled.” Another notes, “We felt

surfing “with a rooster tail” down 50-foot waves,

patronized. You know, the little ladies.”

and being stuck with no wind, they ran 24/7—

This is women’s ordination on the high seas.

each crew four hours on, four hours off.

Tracy Edwards had endured a troubled youth

(Try that for nine months.)

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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Though it was an endurance race, nobody in

Decades after the race, Alex Holmes, the film’s

the entire press corps believed they would

director, heard Edwards speak at his daughter’s

finish the first leg to Uruguay. “People were

elementary school graduation. He calls Tracy the

scathing,” recalls a crew member of the rampant

next morning and says, “I’m a documentary maker

sexism. Bets were placed on abbreviated

and I have to tell your story. I suppose it will need

distances, including one day. Yet when the first

to be a drama because there’s no footage.”

leg was completed, media questions were not about race tactics but whether the women had “squabbled.” One Maiden woman remarks, “You never saw them ask the guys those questions.”

This is women’s ordination on the high seas.

Leveling the field Fast forward to decades later. After she had sold the boat, Tracy Edwards learned that Maiden was rotting on the rocks in The Seychelles, a small group of islands in the Indian Ocean where it had been abandoned. She crowdfunded money to repurchase the wreck in 2016, then took another year to restore it at Southampton, where she and her crew had rebuilt it the first time.

In 2019, she began a world tour to raise money and awareness for girls’ access to education in poorer nations. Her project is “The Maiden Factor.” Edwards notes, “We were told

Of course there’s footage,” replies Tracy. “We filmed the whole thing.”

I won’t spoil the race results here. Much like the towering waves, there are peaks and valleys.

As Jo, Tracy’s childhood friend and Maiden cook comments, “If you believed in everything that people tell you you can’t do, what would humankind have achieved?” Tracy herself admits, “This was the first time in my life I had stood up for something I believed in.”

If you’re not weeping at the end, check your pulse to see if you’re alive.

we couldn’t do it, but we showed how sailing is a level playing field. Now, I’m making it my mission to advocate for girls’ education around the world.”

—Chris Blake

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

Childlike Wonder—Makayla Castillo Makayla Castillo studies Studio Art at Montgomery College in Maryland. She hopes to start her own business, supporting artists in her community.

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Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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ReView

NEW ADVENTIST BOOK ABOUT SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS A Valuable Resource for Pastors and Church Members

Queer Insights: Contributions to a more balanced discussion on sexual orientations and relationships,Werner E. Lange, Dennis Meier, and Reinder Bruinsma, editors; 353 pages, Association of Adventist Forums/SPECTRUM (under license from STAB-Verlag, Germany), 2024.

Twenty-four years after same-sex relationships were sanctioned in the Netherlands in 2001, the Adventist Church still wrestles with how to deal with its LGBTQI+ members. Nearly 40 countries now recognize same-sex unions, with only the most repressive (think Russia, China, several countries in Africa and the Middle East) still maintaining archaic restrictions based on ancient traditions or rigid religious orthodoxy.

Those of us who have friends in the queer community, both in and out of the church, have heard countless variations of the same stories: young persons who come out to their families and are put out of their homes (or the church); church members who post on social media their support of LGBTQ+ people and are removed from positions of responsibility; clergy members who are disciplined for presiding over same-sex commitment services Ironically, while Seventh-day Adventists and other Christian Fundamentalists insist that

homosexuality is one of the last great deceptions of Satan, the society in which we live has moved on to more substantive issues, thus leaving this Christianity to appear as increasingly bigoted, out of touch, and [1] According to Gallup, in 1996 28 irrelevant.[1] percent of Americans thought that gay marriage should be allowed. In 2024 it was 69 [2] percent.[2That number will undoubtedly increase as professional athletes, entertainers, politicians, neighbors, and family members publicly identify as homosexual.

"Conversion therapies" maintain, without evidence, that one can "pray the gay away."

Until recently, Christians who wrote about “homosexuality” did so from a narrow, traditional interpretation, based on a handful of Bible texts that may or may not have been correctly translated and interpreted. One of the first Adventists to take a scholarly look at the historical, linguistic, and cultural context of these texts was a young pastor who lost her job when she came out as bisexual. Alicia Johnston’s book, The Bible and LGBTQ

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

Adventists: a Theological Conversation about Same-sex Marriage, Gender, and Identity, is the result of her study.[3] Johnston’s book not only provided a counterargument to the few Bible verses used to condemn homosexuals and homosexual practice (so-called “clobber texts”), it gave lay Christians a vocabulary to understand that twenty-first century concepts of consensual homosexual relationships have little or no correlation with Old and New Testament restrictions.

Werner E. Lange, a retired Adventist pastor and book editor of the German Adventist Publishing house (Advent-Verlag), now a freelance editor and owner of his private STABVerlag (which cooperates with the [WEL2] AdventVerlag, STAB being an acronym for Seventhday Adventist books), was approached by Dennis Maier, president of the North German Hanse Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Churches, about publishing Johnston’s book in German. Subsequent considerations led Lange —together with co-editors Dennis Meier and Reinder Bruisma—to assemble a completely new volume by soliciting manuscripts from a variety of mostly German authors who could write authoritatively about same-sex relationships from a biological, therapeutic, theological, Adventist historical or practical perspective. It has now been translated into English and the Association of Adventist Forums, publisher of Spectrum, agreed to publish it in North America. The book is a work of more than 25 chapters by more than 25 authors. It’s 350 pages sometimes feel like overkill, but they are a testimony to the thorough and comprehensive treatment this important subject deserves.

The book is divided into five sections. First, stories of Adventists who were forced to reconcile their attraction to people of the same sex while understanding the church’s antipathy against such relationships. Second, the biological causes of same-sex orientation, and why it’s inaccurate and disingenuous to insist on a binary understanding of sexual orientation.

Failed attempts to change sexual orientation are surveyed, as well as the Adventist Church’s

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misguided efforts to change people’s sexual orientation. Third, a comprehensive look at Bible references to same-sex relationships and how they should be understood when properly considering the ancient meanings of the words and the historical context. Fourth, how the Adventist Church treated its queer members over the past decades and how Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International was founded and developed. Two reports from queerfriendly Adventist congregations are also included. Fifth, chapters that describe how to implement civil conversations on personal and corporate levels to ensure that queerness is no longer, or even a primary descriptor or a person or group.

The great tragedy is that those who need its message most are least likely to read it.

Queer Insights is not recreational reading.

Its list of authors and their qualifications demonstrates the seriousness with which the editors approached this topic. Except for the chapter that contains reflections of Adventists who’ve had to grapple with their sexual orientation, the chapters written by specialists in their fields of expertise are thoroughly sourced. Indeed, one of the book’s minor weaknesses may be that a few of the authors of the various technical chapters use vocabulary (especially in biology and biblical languages) that may be difficult for lay readers, although quite understandable to those familiar with those fields of study. Much more straightforward and understandable are the chapters about the Adventist Church’s historical efforts to deal with the issue and practical suggestions for implementing fundamental change in our congregations and communities.

Nothing in Queer Insights is unique to those who have been working to demonstrate Christian grace, love, and justice to members

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

of the LGBTQI+ community. What is unique is the attempt to take this message to Adventists, whether pastors, administrators, educators, or lay members. It should be in the libraries of all Adventist colleges and universities, as well as widely available in Adventist book stores.

Those who care about this issue will find the book useful for combating the ignorance and prejudice often heard in public pronouncements, private conversations, and social media posts. [4] The great tragedy of assembling a book like this, with its weight of persuasive writing supported by professional scholarship, is that those who need its message most are least likely to read it. Decades of a narrow, literal [WEL2] reading of the Bible, combined with a pathological inability to admit past mistakes, makes it likely that as an institution the Adventist Church is condemned to wander in the wilderness of ignorant bigotry for the foreseeable future. Ignoring scientific evidence to support the theory of a recent, literal, six-day creation harms no one. But willfully ignoring science and supporting “conversion therapies” that maintain, without evidence, that one can “pray the gay away” inflicts irreparable harm on those who follow its false claims. Those involved in sexual orientation or gender identity conversion efforts (SOGICE) are more than twice as likely as the general population to [5] attempt suicide.[5] “I am proud of my church because it takes the Bible seriously,” writes co-editor Dennis Maier in one of the book’s prefaces. “I want to be faithful to the Bible.” This is the great strength of Queer Insights. The editors and

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authors of the various chapters don’t minimize the meaning of Scripture. Instead, they understand that a surface, literal reading of the Bible without taking into account its historical context is inadequate to judge the modern reality of sexual orientations and same-sex relationships. Everyone knows that heterosexual relationships are less about sex than about sharing one’s life with someone who has the same spiritual, emotional, and intellectual interests. Our queer friends and family members know, as we all do, the truth of the statement, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18, NIV).

Adventists around the world owe a huge debt to the editors and writers of this book. It will be much referenced as the church, Christ’s body, endeavors to reflect His character to queer members, their friends, and families in their communities.

[1] Issues that many consider more of a threat than nonhetero-sexual orientations include climate change and the degradation of the planet, incivility in social and political discourse, increasing economic disparity between developed and undeveloped nations, blatant and public racism, sexism, and antisemitism.

[2] bit.ly/PulseGallop [3] Affirmation Collective, 2022.

[4] The books are available from Amazon at an introductory price of $20 and as an e-book for $7.99.

[5] bit.ly/PulseSuicidalityReports

—Stephen Chavez, retired after a career as a pastor and editor, is director of Church Relations for Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International.

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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A new confession of conviction aims to

God as our Savior, or that a Christian’s loyalty

inspire evangelicals to publicly proclaim their

should belong to any political party,” it says.

loyalty to Jesus Christ, to serve as theological

“We reject any message that promotes

backing for beleaguered pastors, and to set an

devotion to a human leader or that wraps divine

example of faith for a younger generation of

worship around partisanshi

Christians.

“This statement is designed to hold up a mirror to those who read it and reflect back either the image of Jesus or the image of their partisan idolatry,” said Skye Jethani, author,

We give our allegiance to Jesus Christ alone.

speaker, and co-host of “The Holy Post” podcast.

“Ultimately, this is a moment for us all to take

We will lead with love, not fear” follows with

stock of where our allegiances lie. Who’s

biblical reminders that Jesus never will abandon

teaching and what teaching are we really called

his people: “We reject the stoking of fears and

to pursue in this world? If it’s not the teachings

the use of threats as an illegitimate form of

of Jesus and if it’s not the values of his kingdom,

godly motivation, and we repudiate the use of

then maybe we shouldn’t be calling ourselves

violence to achieve political goals as

his followers,” Jethani said.

incongruent with the way of Christ.”

The confession presents seven convictions

The truth of Scripture and its warnings

central to fostering revival and civic renewal,

against bearing false witness also are affirmed:

beginning with “We give our allegiance to Jesus

“We reject the misuse of holy Scripture to

Christ alone.”

sanction a single political agenda, provoke

“We reject the false teaching that anyone other than Jesus Christ has been anointed by

hatred or sow social divisions, and we believe that using God’s name to promote

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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misinformation or lies for personal or political

of God’s love, or that impose limitations on the

gain is bearing his name in vain.”

command to ‘love your neighbor’ that Christ

Belief in the gospel’s healing power over world divisions also is affirmed, as is God’s care

himself removed.”

The final conviction is the pledge to

for every nation and race: “We reject any

“recognize godly leaders by their character”

attempt to divide the church, which is the body

including by evaluating them by the fruit of their

of Christ, along partisan, ethnic, or national

actions: “We reject the lie that a leader’s power,

boundaries, and any message that says it is

popularity, or political effectiveness is

God’s desire for the human family to be

confirmation of God’s favor, or that Christians

perpetually segregated by race, culture or

are permitted to ignore the teachings of Christ

ethnicity is a rejection of the gospel.”

to protect themselves with worldly power.”

The statement concludes with a resolution to uphold the gospel regardless of cultural shifts

“We reject the false teaching that anyone other than Jesus Christ has been anointed by God as our Savior.”

or political pressures: “We commit to being a light in the world, and faithful witnesses to the transforming power of Christ’s love. We pray that God’s Spirit will revive our church and strengthen Christ’s people to be agents of his presence and blessing in this turbulent age.”

Among the more than 375 initial signers of the

A commitment to the church’s prophetic

confession are scores of pastors, scholars and

mission of sharing the gospel and bringing social

other evangelical leaders from across the

and racial reconciliation is another key

theological and political spectrum.

conviction affirmed: “We reject both the call for the church to withdraw from societal issues out of fear of political contamination, as well as any attempt to distort the church into a mere vehicle of political or social power.”

The sixth conviction states, “We value every person as created in God’s image.” That belief compels Christians to act with mercy and love toward all people because they are made in God’s image, the document says. “We reject any messages that employ dehumanizing rhetoric, that attempt to restrict who is worthy

—Jeff Brumley is senior news writer for Baptist News Global. He lives in Jacksonville, Florida.

This is adapted from bit.ly/PulseConfession It originally appeared September 9, 2024.

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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What have you watched, read, listened to or otherwise engaged with that changed your mind, gave new insights, told a good story or again inspired you for the work of justice? Write a review of 300 to 399 words and send it to Pulse to share with our JLC community.

Send your submissions to admin@justlovecollective.org

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International sdakinship.org

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Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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INSPIRATION COLLECTIVE Podcasts We Just Love

A House on Fire: This Adventist Peace Fellowship podcast series is based on the excellent book on race and racism

Adventist Voices: Weekly podcast and companion to Spectrum designed to foster community through conversation

The Social Jesus Podcast talks about the intersection of Jesus, faith, and social justice today

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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INSPIRATION COLLECTIVE

Red Letter Christian Podcast: Christian commentary on the way of Jesus in the world today

Adventist Pilgrimage: A lively monthly podcast focusing on the academic side of Adventist history

Just Liberty: A fresh, balanced take on religious liberty—where justice and liberty meet

Pulse / JustLove Collective / October 2024 / Issue 7

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Gratitude As we launch, we are particularly grateful for every contribution to JustLove Collective. Donations are tax-deductible. Though we are a global movement of volunteers, we do need to pay for expenses related to this magazine and to the Summit. For more information, please see our website at justlovecollective.org

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