Adventist, Eh? Thandazani Mhlanga, generous spirituality in a constrained religious environment.

Zach Lambert is the lead pastor and co-founder of Restore, a church based in Austin. He emphasizes the importance of building inclusive communities where everyone feels valued, shifting the spiritual focus away from belief statements to a centering on Jesus. Zach encourages Christ followers to assess faith by its fruits, in both personal and communal introspection. He also advocates for a holistic approach to scripture, offering thoughtful engagement rather than outright dismissal. His upcoming book presents solutions to harmful Bible interpretations, providing a path toward deeper, more meaningful understanding.

Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart is dean of St. Andrew’s Hall and professor of Mission Studies at Vancouver School of Theology. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Noticing that fewer and fewer people are interested in Christianity, Ross uses his doctrinal research to ask, "What, then, does church mission look like?" He shares that as Canada moves further toward secularization with its history of colonialism, the question is no longer, is Christianity true? but rather, is Christianity any good?

Terry Shaw, president and CEO of AdventHealth (revenue $21 billion), shared with Spectrum why his Climate Resilience Plan improves whole-person care. He also explained why government funding of health and humanitarian work is essential.  Reflecting on his 40-year career with the now 100,000 employee network stretching from Florida to Colorado, he shared how an internship inspired him and how his focus on extending the healing work of Jesus inspires his leadership.

Thandazani Mhlanga is a pastor in the British Columbia Conference, and also serves as a hospital chaplain. Through his passion for humanity he notices how Canadian society has mastered the art of virtue & moral signaling. This mismatch of saying the right thing but not doing the right action shows that the church may not be ready to embrace all people. Thandazani reflects on Jesus’ sermon on the mount, noting that Christ’s words were, “blessed are the peacemakers,” not “blessed are the peace talkers.” In his media channels, Never Black and White and Inspired Passions, Thandazani aims to show the beauty of truly seeing people.

Dr. Melodie Roschman is a writer, academic, and the daughter of an Adventist pastor. Her ongoing research focuses on the intersection of popular culture and gender with right wing American Christianity. In our conversation, she reflects on her experiences as a young queer woman growing up in the Adventist church in Canada, as well as the links she sees between her personal experience and research. We talk about the relationship between personal and group identity, and ask questions of how we collectively navigate differences while struggling to agree on fundamental definitions.

Paul Llewellyn is the president of the Adventist Church in Canada. Coming from a teaching & youth ministry background, he shares about how the most important jobs of the church are the local pastors and teachers. Paul highlights the need for cultural understanding in ministry, along with the challenges of the Church in Canada being a small but significant part of the North American Division. Describing how the importance of focusing on Jesus and not getting distracted by other issues must be maintained for effective ministry.

David Hayward pastored in Eastern Canada for 30 years. During which he noticed a growing desire to be more open about spirituality and to empower people away from spiritual dependency. This evolved into his creator's title of NakedPastor. Called such because David seeks to tell the naked truth, no matter how vulnerable it feels. During our conversation he shares more about the role of open dialogue through art aimed at activating Jesus’ message of “my burden is light.”   To check out more, find NakedPastor at (web) nakedpastor.com (Instagram) @nakedpastor Books: The Liberation of Sophia Without a Vision My People Prosper   (Spectrum book review)

Dr. Loren Agrey is the current president of Burman University, located in central Alberta, Canada. He shares about his journey from being a teacher, to a principal, then into higher educational teaching and academic administration and ultimately to now leading the only Adventist university in Canada. Dr. Agrey highlights the immeasurable resolve of early Adventists in starting the school, along with current challenges it faces. He also details the unique ways Burman U offers advantages to students, Adventist and non-Adventists alike. Dr. Loren's webpage: https://www.burmanu.ca/directory/loren-agrey

Spectrum is excited to launch a new podcast series called Adventist, eh? With host Kevin McCarty. This Canadian based series seeks to engage in conversations about the spiritual and cultural landscape of the Great White North. Guests include Adventists and non-Adventists who bring various unique views on what it means to be religiously minded in Canada.  Kevin is a staff member at Spectrum who is a regular host on Adventist Voices, along with his first series called Integrating Self. He completed his undergraduate degree in educational and social studies at Trinity Western University, having also attended both Walla Walla University and Burman University. Since then, he has held various jobs, including youth work and teaching. Along with experiences in preaching and being a church board member. Next he then graduated with his masters in Indigenous and Interreligious Studies from the Vancouver School of Theology, a Christian ecumenical seminary in British Columbia. Kevin is currently working towards his second master's degree pastoral leadership along with his certification as a spiritual care practitioner. His Spectrum page can be found here.

JustLove Collective's co-leaders, Chris Blake, retired pastor and educator, and Dr. Dilys Brooks, campus chaplain at Loma Linda University, share the beginnings of this movement to bring about social change through the context of Adventism. They note how Jesus' life was filled with both love and justice, a model that is rooted deeply in neighborly love. JustLove Collective is a non-profit, international gathering of Adventist activists dedicated to bringing people from all walks of life together for a deep encounter that leads to action. Check out JustLove's Website and the latest issue of Pulse Magazine.