The academic who wants to bring Adventists together

Alden Thompson’s legacy: to make reading of Bible and Ellen White safe and exciting

Academic Dr Alden Thompson drew a crowd to his Sydney Adventist Forum lecture at Avondale College of Higher Education’s Homecoming in August. The first part of the title of the lecture, “Jesus Hasn’t Come Yet: Uncle Arthur and a Host of Witnesses to the Rescue,” stated the obvious, but Thompson would go on to examine the difficult questions, “Why hasn’t Jesus come?” and, “What does this mean for Seventh-day Adventists?”. The lecture is now available as part of the Avondale Lecture Series podcast on Avondale’s iTunes Artist page.

Thompson is Professor of Biblical Studies: Old Testament and Adventist Studies in the School of Theology at Walla Walla University (Washington, USA). He is author of the books Who’s Afraid of the Old Testament God?, Escape from the Flames: How Ellen White Grew from Fear to Joy and Helped Me Do It Too and Beyond Common Ground: Why Liberals and Conservatives Need Each Other.

He answers questions from Signs Publishing Book Editor Nathan Brown about his passion for writing, teaching and the church.

How has your work as a professor at Walla Walla influenced the books you have published for general church readership?
Nearly all my books have been a direct outgrowth of the teaching I do in the classroom. This is especially true of the book that has proven so troublesome for some, Inspiration: Hard Questions, Honest Answers.

Do you intend to create controversy when you write?
My initial impulse for writing each book is the desire to be helpful not controversial. I found the response to Inspiration astonishing. I thought people wanted to address those issues in the Bible that were potentially troubling. Wrong. Many prefer to hear what they’ve always heard, even if traditional answers don’t address the actual questions.

Have your books changed people’s minds?
In time, yes. But the immediate response is often mixed. Most people who contact me tell me the books have helped them continue to be Adventists. A few admit the books have put their faith at risk, though these responses usually come from people who suddenly faced questions they hadn’t thought of before but grew through their questions. Generally, Adventists don’t do a good job of discussing differences with each other. I’d love to help the church address that problem by giving members permission to see the legitimate diversity in Scripture, in the church and in the writings of our pioneer Ellen White. My book, Beyond Common Ground, is a major part of that effort.

In Escape From the Flames, you narrate the progressive development of Ellen White’s understandings. Why is this an important aspect of reading her work?
I believe every passage of Scripture and counsel of Ellen White are best understood and applied when we see them in terms of their original time, place and circumstances. A playful example involves Ellen White’s differing narratives on the life of John the Baptist. In 1858, she described John’s life as “without pleasure. It was sorrowful and self-denying.” But in 1897, she wrote: “John enjoyed his life of simplicity and retirement.” When I mentioned this in class for the first time, a student quipped, “The more Ellen White enjoyed her walk with the Lord, the more John the Baptist enjoyed his.” Precisely. Grumpy Adventists will tell grumpy stories. Joyful Adventists will tell joyful stories.

You continue to write and speak in retirement. What inspires you?
I continue to teach part time. I have a great passion for Adventism and believe it has great potential for bringing together a wide spectrum of people onto common ground as followers of Jesus.

What would you like to have contributed to the church through your writing?
I’d like to believe what I write will have enduring value. I want to make it safe and exciting for thoughtful people to read the Bible. And I hope we can find a way to make it safe to read all of Ellen White’s writings from beginning to end. For that we need to provide a framework within which it is safe to see her writings as a powerful resource for scholars and believers alike.