Michael Nixon on Truth, Politics, Religion and the VP Files

Episode 2 unpacks the complex sources and component parts of prevailing conceptions of Adventist identity, and considers Tonstad's meditations on what lies at the heart of a biblical "remnant" identity and how an Adventist "remnant" community must move in the world.

Hey Daddy Gang, is Alex Cooper lying to you? That’s what Allie Beth Stuckey and other conservatives seem to be saying after Cooper announced her pregnancy. Cooper, who built a career talking openly about sex, dating, and hookup culture, is now married, pregnant, and seemingly happy. For some critics, that happy ending does not fit the story women are supposed to be told. This week, the Podly Women gather to talk about the expectations placed on women. Does doing everything “right” guarantee marriage, motherhood, stability, respectability, or success? And what does doing everything right even mean for a woman? Listen as three women from different stages of life discuss hookup culture, pregnancy rage, purity culture, the conservative and liberal expectations placed on women, and the troubling idea that a beautiful life must be earned. About our panel: Natalie Bruzon is a journalist, editor, and mom of two young kids, a Union Adventist University grad.  Trudy Morgan-Cole is a noted historical fiction author and a recently retired educator and Andrews University grad.  Sofia Lindgren is a fabulous twenty-five year old, office manager of SPECTRUM Magazine, and Pacific Union College grad.

In Episode 1 we introduce a number of key themes in the book, beginning with the ways in which ethnicity and culture shape religious identity and how tribal gods may resurface even after we have chosen a new identity in Christ. Shandelle Henson is an emeritus professor of mathematics and retired professor of ecology at Andrews University, and currently a co-mentor of Education for Ministry through the School of Theology at Sewanee, University of the South. Julius J. Nam is an attorney and an Adventist historian based in Loma Linda, California. Sigve Tonstad is a physician, specialist in internal medicine, New Testament scholar with a PhD from the University of St. Andrews, author of several books, and research professor of biblical interpretation at Loma Linda University.

Drawing on his education and healthcare admin experience, Michael Nixon discusses his SPECTRUM monthly column series, The VP Files, in which he shares important personal and professional moments in the recent history of Andrews University. We discuss his administrative work leading diversity and culture work on the campus, as well as the right and wrong ways to discuss politics and religion

The Podly Women return for part two of their conversation on modesty culture and beauty standards. In this episode, they unpack the beauty standards women are taught to chase and the ideals we all feel beholden to: the “prepubescent” look and where that trend comes from, the convergence of complementarianism and the “soft” aesthetic, aging gracefully, sacred bodies, and, yes, even the fascism of it all. Along the way, they ask the larger question: Is a woman’s purpose to be small and beautiful, or are we meant for more? Taglines: What happens when beauty standards, modesty culture, and theology all conspire to make women small? What if women were made for more than being small, pretty, and palatable? A conversation about sacred bodies, aging, beauty, control, and the systems that are telling women to disappear. The fascism behind beauty standards. Panel: Ezrica Bennett, a writer and graduate student at Claremont School of Theology, Oakwood University grad.  Natalie Bruzon, journalist, editor, and mom of two young kids, Union College grad.  Trudy Morgan-Cole, noted historical fiction book author and recently retired educator, Andrews University grad.  Ella Quijada, a writer and undergraduate studying science at Southern Adventist University

This week, the Podly Women gather to talk about modesty: the good, the bad, and the complicated. Together, they reflect on the messages women receive in church spaces about clothing, bodies, and temptation, and ask how those teachings shape the way women move through the world while often assuming men’s responsibility for their own behavior. The conversation remains nuanced—can modesty still hold meaning apart from shame or policing?—and explores what a healthier, more honest approach to women’s bodies might look like. Modesty teaching in the church lets men off the hook while asking women to carry responsibility for everyone else’s thoughts and behavior.  Modesty culture acquits men of sexual misconduct before they even commit it by placing the burden of blame on women.  As women, we can create a different culture for one another by empowering each other to see our bodies with more freedom, more dignity, and a more generous understanding of beauty. Ezrica Bennett, a writer and graduate student at Claremont School of Theology, Oakwood University grad.  Natalie Bruzon, journalist, editor, and mom of two young kids, Union College grad.  Trudy Morgan-Cole, noted historical fiction book author and recently retired educator, Andrews University grad.  Makayla Mattocks, poet, editor, Oakwood University grad. Ella Quijada, a writer and undergraduate studying science at Southern Adventist University

In this conversation on the Podly Women podcast, author Trudy J. Morgan-Cole and Sofia Lindgren, office manager of SPECTRUM Magazine, join journalist Natalie Bruzon to discuss her recently published Substack article, “I’m Sorry, but It Is Porn.” The three women explore the impact of romance literature, what makes content pornographic, and how to safeguard children against the prevalence and normalization of explicit content.

Ezrica Bennett [author of the recent hit article, “Thirty, Single, and Feeling (Pluri)Potent”] hosts a wide-ranging conversation on singleness, church culture, purity messaging, and what it means to build a meaningful life outside the “marriage as finish line” narrative. Joined by Natalie Bruzon, Trudy J. Morgan-Cole, and Ella Quijada, the group talks candidly about the pressure cooker of Adventist dating culture, the ways purity culture can distort intimacy and consent, and how women’s friendships and broader community can offer deep, sustaining love. Across generations and life stages, they wrestle with grief, freedom, and the ongoing work of “doing something while you wait”—not as waiting for a spouse, but as living fully in the present, with agency and spiritual depth. Ezrica Bennett graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Oakwood University. She has worked as a book editor for the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and has written for the Adventist Review and the Southeastern California Conference. She is a writer, public speaker, and coach, passionate about working with young adults to help them navigate life and faith, and a youth elder at the Loma Linda University Church.  Natalie Bruzon is a web producer for SPECTRUM, editor of SPECTRUM'S short news section, The Current, and the managing editor of the SPECTRUM journal. Her writing explores religion, politics, and life inside (and just outside) Adventism.  Trudy Morgan-Cole is a writer of historical fiction from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. She is the author of several works of historical fiction set in Newfoundland, as well as several novels re-imagining Bible stories, including Esther: A Story of Courage, and James, the Brother of Jesus. In 2025, Trudy retired after a forty-year career in education and is now, finally, a full-time writer.  Ella Quijada is a Campus Connect Columnist for Spectrum. She is studying psychology at Southern Adventist University with pre-medical emphasis and triple Spanish, chemistry, and biology minor.

President of Antillean Adventist University Edwin Hernández talks about the new $5 million grant the school received to tell its Christian educational mission, how it connects to the stories of Puerto Rico, and its post-hurricane diaspora in Florida. We also discuss the state of Adventist education, how its institutional identities need to change, and his thoughts on the Super Bowl halftime show featuring Bad Bunny.  Before recently becoming president of Antillean Adventist University, Hernández was the executive director of the Louisville Institute, based out of the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and served as president and provost at AdventHealth University. His career includes positions as senior program officer at the DeVos Family Foundations, founding director of the Center for the Study of Latino Religion at the University of Notre Dame, program officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts, and assistant professor of sociology at Andrews University. Hernández earned his PhD and MA in sociology of religion from the University of Notre Dame, an MDiv from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, and a BA in theological studies from La Sierra University.

In this episode of Adventist Voices I talk with Chris Blake about his book Imagine Life. We explore issues of justice, joy, and creativity that he tells stories about. We also talk about why he doesn’t really care about heaven, preferring to focus on the New Earth, and what the JustLove Collective is doing next.