First New Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary Released in Nearly 70 Years

December 7, 2022 Columbia, Md. Christelle Agboka

Volume 6 of the new Seventh-day Adventist International Bible Commentary is now available at the Adventist Book Center.

If you’re a longtime member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, you’re probably familiar with the 12-volume hard cover Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. First published in 1953, it’s still a staple in many church, school, or home libraries. But nearly 70 years later, the world has changed significantly, and a team of leading global Adventist scholars decided it was time for an update.

Recently, the first full volume (volume 6) of the new Seventh-day Adventist International Bible Commentary(SDAIBC) was released; it covers Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Three more volumes will be published in 2023, and the completed commentary will consist of 15 volumes.

We interviewed two of the scholars behind the SDAIBC: Martin Klingbeil, SDAIBC contributor and professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Southern Adventist University, and Jacques Doukhan, SDAIBC editor and professor emeritus of Hebrew and Old Testament Exegesis, Andrews University.

Christelle Agboka: Describe the commentary in a nutshell.
Klingbeil: The SDAIBC is a scholarly commentary on both the Old and New Testament written with a high view of Scripture by a group of international Seventh-day Adventist scholars from different cultural backgrounds.

Agboka: Who will benefit most from this commentary?
Klingbeil: Anybody who wants to dig deeper into the biblical text will see how the original languages, ancient history, and recent archaeology can illuminate our understanding of God’s message for His church during these end times.

Agboka: What differentiates this commentary from the former?
Doukhan: The former commentary, SDABC, was only written by North American writers. This new one is also the only Seventh-day Adventist Bible commentary that is international. Since the publication of the original SDABC, the church has changed: it has become international and has more trained biblical scholars. Accordingly, this series involves more than 60 authors from all over the world.

Agboka: What are the most attractive features of this commentary?
Doukhan: The SDAIBC features the latest grammatical, historical-cultural, literary, theological, and archaeological information, and fresh insights that help interpret the text from an Adventist perspective. It contains pertinent pictures, maps, charts, and highlights; assumes the divine inspiration of Scripture and its unity; and draws out practical lessons for personal growth, witness, and evangelism.

Agboka: What do you personally appreciate most about the SDAIBC?
Klingbeil: I appreciate the extended glossaries, the biblical text side-by-side with its corresponding commentaries, structural, and literary comments for each passage under study, the excursuses[*] on important topics, as well as an annotated bibliography for further reading.

Agboka: Why now? What is the significance of this volume in 2022?
Klingbeil: The new commentary series has been in the making for years. The first meeting of potential authors, editors, members of the Biblical Research Institute, and General Conference (GC) administrators took place in June 2012 in a kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Israel. The need for a new commentary grew out of the datedness of the SDABC (1950s) and the progress in linguistic, historical, and archaeological data since then. And the first post-COVID-19 GC session during the summer provided a good platform to present the first completed volume to the world church.

Agboka: What was the selection process for choosing the Adventist scholars who helped author the SDAIBC?
Doukhan: Two criteria determined the choice of writers: 1) Seventh-day Adventist Church members in good standing and 2) proven expertise on the biblical book they were commenting on (generally a Ph.D. or valuable works on the book). [Author names] were submitted to the executive members of the SDAIBC, comprised of members of the Biblical Research Institute, Andrews University professors, and scholars from other Seventh-day Adventist universities.

Agboka: What’s next in the series?
Doukhan: Volume 4 (1-2 Kings; 1-2 Chronicles) has been printed and is slated to be released early next year. And we plan to release around three volumes per year from now on, which will include Volume 1 (Genesis-Exodus) in 2023.

Click here to read more about the structure of the Seventh-day Adventist International Bible Commentary and here to order any available volumes.

[*] Merriam-Webster: an appendix or digression that contains further exposition of some point or topic.

Camp Fire in Calif. affects 1,300+ Adventists, destroys church/school; NAD YEM wrap-up reports; AdventSource ministry resource center joins NAD; more

News and Information from the North American Division

November 15, 2018

The Camp Fire, now considered the deadliest fire in California’s history, has claimed the lives of close to 60 in the Concow and Paradise vicinities. According to news reports, more than 52,000 were evacuated from the area; about 8,800 homes have been destroyed. Nearly 1,300 Adventist church members have been affected; and several Adventist properties have been destroyed or sustained serious damage. MORE

“We are all co-workers together with God,” remarked Daniel R. Jackson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, as he paraphrased 1 Cor. 3:9 at the start of his annual report at the first business session of the 2018 NAD Year-End Meeting. READ a summary of the report.

An officer of the NAD, a vice president, and a ministry director gave their final respective reports during the division’s 2018 Year-End Meeting this past week as they prepare for their retirements. Executive committee members seized the opportunity to thank the leaders for their service and lasting impact on the division and the Church’s mission of spreading the gospel. MORE

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The final day of the 218 NAD YEM yielded opportunities for mission expansion for immigrants and refugees. Executive Committee members also heard reports on verified volunteers, church planting, and a taskforce by NAD Conference presidents. The day concluded with a young adult delegate reading a response from AIA student representatives to a GC document voted at the most recent Annual Council. MORE

The Social Media Best Practices Checklist for Ministries is foundational info for those seeking to start successful digital mission work. Whether your denominational entity is just getting started on social media or conducting a review/audit of existing social media accounts, read the blog and download the latest version of the NAD Social Media Guidelines for an in-depth manual with resources/guidance for safe, professional, and effective social media ministry.

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It Is Written is pleased to announce the ReCHARGE Evangelism Retreat, to be held on Dec. 9-11, at the Cohutta Springs Conference Center in Georgia. Join IIW for practical seminars that will improve your evangelism skills. Call (661) 319-9529; or CLICK HERE to email for more information or to register.
 

Adventist Community Services' Emotional & Spiritual Care class will be offered Dec. 11-12, at the NAD headquarters in Columbia, Md. This course will equip and deploy volunteers to serve as credentialed responders providing emotional and spiritual care to individuals traumatized by disasters and other tragic incidents. Pre-register by Nov. 22! CLICK HERE to register.

ALC's "Introduction to the Psalms" mini-course focuses on the unique elements of Hebrew poetry used in the Psalms, allowing a deeper understanding of the Psalms as poetry, prayers, and songs. You will also take a look at personal and corporate worship as it relates to Psalms–leading to a better interpretation of the Psalter as a whole. Earn 0.5 continuing education credits.

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Young adults: Join the Cruise With a Mission for its next adventure in the Caribbean on Dec. 15-22, 2019! Visit www.cye.org/cwm for more information; registration begins Oct. 10. Come, be a part of changing our world for Christ! And ... CLICK HERE to check out the story about our last cruise on Sept. 9-16, where we made a difference in several communities in Alaska.

It Is Written's My Place With Jesus is excited to introduce a brand new mobile app designed to help children learn about Jesus and the Bible in a fun, interactive way. Players can customize their character, enjoy fun Bible lessons, hang out in the tree house with friends, earn badges for their backpacks, gather collectibles that unlock mini-games, and much more! Download it now for free. My Place With Jesus is available for both Android and iOS devices.

November

11-17 Prayer Focus: South Central Conference
15      National Philanthropy Day
17      Welcome Home Sabbath
17      Offering: Local Church Budget
18-24 Prayer Focus: Southeastern Conference
24      Offering: Local Conference Advance

November Focus:
Prayer

Prayer Focus:
Southern Union


 

December

1        Offering: Local Church Budget
1        Bible Sabbath
8        Prison Ministry Sabbath
8        Offering: World Budget
15      Offering: Local Church Budget
22      Offering: Local Conference Advance
29      Offering: Union Designated and 13th                        Sabbath Offering: Southern Asia-Pacific                  Division

Higher Ed Leaders Vote to Explore Collaboration

News Chicago, Illinois •  Debbie Michel

Adventist college and university leaders meet with church leaders to discuss future of educational system.

5 Min Read

Published on: 2 days ago

Against a backdrop of tighter finances and a dwindling enrollments at Adventist colleges and universities in North America, school administrators and church leaders voted overwhelmingly in favor of forming a “strategic alliance” to strengthen the overall educational system.

Sunday’s vote on what was dubbed “The Chicago Declaration” came after four days of presentations on the Future of Seventh-day Adventist Higher Education Summit, following the North American Division (NAD) Teachers’ Convention in Chicago. The declaration states, “We share a commitment to shape a strategic alliance, consisting of a coalition of the willing, with the goal of first piloting and then evaluating the efficacy of an eventual higher education system. We intend for this to result in a whole that is stronger than the sum of its’ parts.”

After the vote, NAD president Daniel R. Jackson said, “When we allow the Spirit of God to move in a room, you can bring the diversities of thought, of geography, gender, and racial ethnicities; and when you bring those all together and you subject it to the Spirit of the Lord, you can come out with something that bodes well for the future.”

Details on the collaboration will be hammered out in coming months. A timetable is set for college and university presidents to discuss the issue with their various constituencies and by the end of the calendar year each campus is to select a representative to serve as liaison between the schools.

As discussions ensue, the division’s leadership has stressed the importance of each campus maintaining their unique identities under the control of local union conferences and with local alumni support. Larry Blackmer, NAD vice president for Education, reaffirmed this commitment. “We are only voting that we agree that we need each other. And that we agree that that independence still needs to be there in many ways and needs to be tempered with collaboration,” said Blackmer.

Some areas under discussion where centralization may be most feasible include the sharing of “back office” systems, consolidation of human resources, and marketing services. 

Blackmer noted that distance education is one area ripe for collaboration. “Instead of Andrews having to hire a professor to teach three students, and Walla Walla and Union and Southwestern [doing the same], we can hire one professor to teach that required low-enrollment course and have a broader input from students in a larger course, which would save the other universities from hiring a faculty member. Those are the collaborative kind of things we’re talking about, that doesn’t diminish the independence of any of those institutions.”

Identity Crisis

Seminary professor emeritus George R. Knight cautioned the group in his Sabbath morning address that, while it may be tempting to travel the route of other colleges with historical church ties by competing in the secularized world of higher education, it’s crucial to stay true to the tenets of Adventist education.

“The losing of the denomination’s unique theological understanding, . . . is the greatest threat Adventism and it’s educational system face in the 21st century,” he said.

Knight also reminded the audience of more than 200 that a former college president raised the topic of a unified Adventist system more than a hundred years ago. As he thanked Gordon Bietz, retired Southern University president and current NAD associate director of Higher Education, for organizing the conference, Knight elicited laughter from the audience when he quipped, “All we need is Solomon to figure out how to cut up the baby!”

Trends

As put forth in a document distributed beforehand, a confluence of critical factors are driving these discussions:

• Declining population of traditional college/university student populations
• Decreasing financial capacity of many Seventh-day Adventist families to afford private higher education
• Decreasing willingness to borrow to finance a private education
• Extraordinary increases in costs of providing a traditional college/university experience over the past 25 years
• Increasing availability of competitive and educational modalities that no longer require a residential campus (free community college, online degrees, subscription-based programs
• Transformation of the job market to more competency-based education
• The closure of Atlantic Union College, as well as many other small colleges and universities primarily because of financial exigency.

Several presenters and researchers expounded on these trends, including Andrea Luxton, president of Andrews University, who noted in her presentation that this wasn’t the first time there have been discussions about collaboration. In 2009, she chaired a group evaluating the threats to higher education and a decision was made for institutions to work more closely together. However, there wasn’t much progress, for many reasons, including a need some felt to protect “my campus” and the complexity of the organizational structure.

In a panel discussion church and university/college leaders expressed a deep sense of urgency. “Unless we do something tangible and concrete the system many of us grew up with and love will be history,” said Southwestern Union Conference president Larry Moore.

There was a recognition from the conference participants consisting of university and union presidents, university/college board members, cabinet members, deans and faculty that this was time for decisive action. Bubbling up out of table discussions, led by higher education consultants from Credo, were the following five key objectives for success:

• Make Adventist Education affordable so that kids whose families make less than $50,000 per year can afford to go to Adventist schools
• Faculty support: system wide support through a Teaching and Learning Center that focuses on pedagogy, modalities…also discipline teams, research teams
• Meaningful and measureable preparation for and successful internships during studies and employment after graduation based on industry perspectives and needs
• One division platform for Online Education
• Customized degrees enriched through micro-credentialing, badging, and competences-based learning.

Richard Hart, president and CEO of Loma Linda University, noted in his presentation that over the past five years enrollment in the 13 Adventist colleges and universities in North America has shrunk from 26,000 to 24,000. “The handwriting is on the wall,” he said somberly. “We’re at that point in history where we have to make some tough decisions.”

Education Summit Wrap Up from NAD Adventist on Vimeo.

Will This Time Be Different?

Aside from the sense of urgency today, there’s a person who can focus almost entirely on this issue. Bietz is championing this renewed push. 

Another key factor, said Blackmer: “This declaration was actually written by college presidents, not written by the North American Division and forced upon colleges and universities. Colleges and universities, from a grassroots level, developed this and brought it to the group. I think that’s a difference.”

John Freedman, president of the North Pacific Union Conference, soberly told the group, “My dad said the best time to plant the oak tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is today. We can’t keep kicking the can down the road. We’re all in this together. This is still [God’s] church and His divine way for education. Start and move it and see where God is leading.”

Click here to read the Chicago Declaration; watch a statement from Gordon Bietz. Adventist Learning Community will provide additional video from the summit at a later date. 

Debbie Michel is Lake Union Conference associate director of Communication.