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

Beyond The Remnant Episode 6 discusses how race, sex, and gender belong in that same conversation in Adventism and why truthful testimony on these topics is key to remnant identity.

Can an imagined story tell the truth? Suspicion of fiction has been part of the Adventist ethos since the denomination’s earliest years. Ellen White warned that fiction could inflame the imagination, distract readers from practical responsibilities, and weaken their interest in the Bible. Generations of Adventists were discouraged from reading novels. Some may even have stories of burning or discarding fictional books we already owned. But was Ellen White condemning all fiction, or the sensational, escapist literature of her time? And what might Adventism have lost by teaching people to distrust imagination? The Podly Women explore their own experiences with fiction in Adventist homes, schools, and churches; the difference between depicting immorality and endorsing it; and whether stories can deepen empathy, complicate our heroes, challenge our assumptions, and reveal truths that nonfiction cannot. Related listening: Romance Novels: Is It Porn? Mentioned in this episode: Watch the video essay Ella discussed Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@spectrummagazine1969 Follow us on Instagram. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at [email protected]. About our panel: Natalie Bruzon is a journalist and editor whose writing explores religion, politics, and life inside—and just outside—Adventism. Trudy Morgan-Cole is a historical fiction author from St. John’s, Newfoundland, and a recently retired educator. Her novels include works set in Newfoundland and reimagining of biblical stories. Ella Quijada is a SPECTRUM Campus Connect columnist studying psychology at Southern Adventist University, with a pre-medical emphasis and minors in Spanish, chemistry, and biology.

Episode 5 examines whether health is a theological concern, why the body is a sacrament, and who the health message really is for.

Is Nara Smith a tradwife? Not according to her. Nara’s recent interview with Alex Cooper on Call Her Daddy reignited the internet’s debate over whether she has built her brand on tradwife aesthetics while rejecting the label, and whether her denial amounts to gaslighting her audience. The Podly Women use Smith’s interview and this summer’s buzziest novel, Yesteryear, as launching points for a broader conversation about tradwife culture. Is it an ideology, an aesthetic, or both? Why has it become so appealing, and what messages does it carry about femininity, womanhood, and a woman’s identity? Join the Podly Women as they explore the cultural phenomenon of traditional womanhood, and what we lose when a complicated conversation becomes a label. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@spectrummagazine1969 If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at [email protected] About our panel: Natalie Bruzon is a journalist and editor, a mom of two young kids, and a Union Adventist University grad.  Ezrica Bennett, a writer and graduate student at Claremont School of Theology, Oakwood 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 4, we discuss why the Greek “pistis Iēsou Christou” should be translated as “the faithfulness of Jesus Christ,” rather than “faith in Jesus Christ,” and how that reshapes our understanding of God.

Episode 3 discusses good Sabbath theology, which begins with the Sabbath healings in the Gospel of John.

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