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Annual Meetings Schedule 2023
Adventist Society for Religious Studies
San Antonio, Texas, November 16-18, 2023
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"Cosmic Conflict: Out-of-Date vs. Up-to-Date"
​Thursday, November 16
Marriott River Center Hotel
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​6:00-7:00 PM - Reception
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7:00-7:15 PM - Welcome and Announcements by President-elect
Lena Toews
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​7:15-8:30 PM - Presidential Address 2023
"Cosmic Conflict: Out-of-Date vs. Up-to-Date: Three Stops on a Journey"
Sigve Tonstad
8:30-9:00 PM - Business Session I
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Friday, November 17
Marriott River Center Hotel
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6:45-8:00 AM
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Adventist Women's Scholars Breakfast hosted by North American Division
Location: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Republic B
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8:00-8:20 AM - Morning devotional
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Grand Ballroom, Salon H
Paper: A History of the Book: The Great Controversy, from 1858 to the Storming of the United States Capitol
Michael W. Campbell, North American Division SDA
8:30-9:45 AM - Paper Sessions
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Grand Ballroom, Salon H
Cosmic Conflict in the Book of Revelation
Sigve Tonstad, presiding
Paper #1: The Identity of Michael in Revelation 12:7
Jon Paulien, Loma Linda University
Paper #2: Making Sense of Suffering, Kingdom, and Endurance with the Help of Revelation 1:9
Oleg Kostyuk, AdventHealth University
Paper #3: Understanding Eternal Gospel in Revelation 14 in Light of its Literary Structure
Zandritiana Lovanomena, PhD student, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies
Con​ference Room 11
Cosmic Conflict and Judgement
Rodney Palmer, presiding
Paper #1: Creation, Cosmic Conflict, and Re-Creation
Martin Hanna, Andrews University
Paper #2: The Relationship of the Divine Judgment to God’s Love: A Biblical-Theological Examination
Jacob Aguimesheo, PhD student, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies
Paper #3: Exploring the Function of the Books in the Heavenly Courtroom in Daniel 7:10
Etienne M. Irakiza, Student, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies
Conference Room 12
Cosmic Conflict and the Gospels
Zdravko Stefanovic, presiding
Paper #1: Jesus’ Exorcism of the Temple: The Interplay between the Cosmic Conflict and Racial Conflict
Kenley D. Hall, Andrews University
Paper #2: Armed Forces Day? The Paradox of Cosmic Martial Imagery and a Peace Declaration at the Birth of Jesus
Ross Winkle, Pacific Union College
Paper #3: Cosmic Conflict in the Gospel of Mark and Its Significance for the Seventh-day Adventist Message
Igor Lorencin, Friedensau Adventist University
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9:45-11:00 - Paper Session 2
Grand Ballroom, Salon H
Cosmic Conflict in Ancient and Biblical Literature
Lena Toews, presiding
Paper #1: Is a Cosmic Conflict Biblical?
Jean Sheldon, Pacific Union College
Paper #2: The Silence of God and the Manipulative Whisperings of the Spirit: Great Controversy in the Book of Job Unmasked
Jan Barna, Newbold College, UK
Paper #3: The Mother of All Living: Listening to Her Tell the Story of Genesis 3
Mathilde Frey, Walla Walla University
Con​ference Room 11
Cosmic Conflict and Politics
James Walters, presiding
Paper #1: People of the Lie: Christian Alignment with the Antagonists in the Cosmic Conflict
Keith Burton, AdventHealth University
Paper #2: The Politics of Weaponizing the Controversy between Good and Evil”
Jeffrey Rosario, Loma Linda University
Paper #3: The Woman in the Wilderness and Other Tales: A Reassessment of Seventh-day Adventist Interpretation of Revelation 12
Kevin Burrell, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada
Conference Room 12
Cosmic Conflict and Divine and Human Interaction
David Williams, presiding
Paper #1: Cosmic Politics: Conflict Governance versus Cosmopolitan Shared Governance
Moises Isaac, Loma Linda University
Paper #2: Race: SDA Hamartiology and Theological Anthropology
Alexander Douglas, Kings College, Cambridge University
Paper #3: The Cosmic Conflict Macronarrative as Key Component in a Fourfold Hermeneutical Structure
Adelina Alexe, Andrews University
Discussion (15 minutes)
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11:00-11:30 - Business Session II (Grand Ballroom, Salon H)
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11:30 – 11:45 - Break
11:45-1:00 - Paper Session 3.
Grand Ballroom, Salon H
The Great Controversy
Michael W. Campbell, presiding
Paper #1: The Role of the Sabbath in the Great Controversy: A Voice from the Past
Nicholas P. Miller, Andrews University
Paper #2: The Great Controversy in Public Perception: California Edition (1859-1889)
James Wibberding, Pacific Union College
Paper #3: “Jacob Defeated God and So Can You: Ellen White’s Important Vision Reconsidered Anew”
Matthew Korpman, La Sierra University
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Con​ference Room 11
Cosmic Conflict in Literature
Alexander Douglas, presiding
Paper #1: Sauron or the White Witch? The Adversary in John’s Gospel
Jonathan A. Campbell, Burman University
Paper #2: Ethics of the Other and Christian Theodicy: A Focus on Emmanuel Levinas
Sunghun Choi, PhD Student, Andrews University
Paper #3
Ivan Karamazov’s Grand Inquisitor, the Mid-Twentieth Century Gas Chambers, and the Need for a Thicker Adventist Vision of the Cosmic Conflict
Zdravko Plantak, Loma Linda University
Conference Room 12
Cosmic Conflict and the End
Mathilde Frey, presiding
Paper #1: The Focal Theme of the End-time Great Controversy in the Central Section of the Book of Revelation
Alfredo G. Agustin, Jr., Asia Pacific International University
Paper #2: Cosmic Eschatology in Acts 2 and its Implications on the Community of Believers
Lena Toews, Union College
Paper #3: Advent Hope on the Edges of Silicon Valley: Technofuturism, Adventist Eschatology, and the Relevance of Cosmic Conflict
Michael Swenson, Safety Policy Manager, Meta, Inc.
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1:00-2:00 - Lunch Break
2:00-3:15 - Paper Session 4.
Grand Ballroom, Salon H
Cosmic Conflict and Theodicy
Zdravko Plantak, presiding
Paper #1: The Devil is in the Details: Black Theodicy from a Cosmic-Conflict Perspective
Ingram London, Oakwood University
Paper #2: Cosmic Conflict as an Answer to Innocent Suffering
Thomas Toews, Union College
Paper #3: De-Framing God: Theodrama and the Challenge of False Narratives in the Face of Evil
Tihomir Lazic, Newbold College, UK
Conference Room 11
Cosmic Conflict in theologians, Old and New
Johnny Ramirez-Johnson, presiding
Paper #1: The Vindication of God’: Edward Heppenstall and the use of the concept of cosmic conflict for reframing the sanctuary doctrine – a contextual study of theological development.
Gilbert Valentine, La Sierra University
Paper #2: Martin Luther and Seventh-day Adventism’s Antichrist(s)
Daniela Pusic, PhD student, Andrews University
Paper #3: “And there was war in heaven” — A Comparison of Ellen White and John Milton on the Fall of Lucifer and Its Theological and Pastoral Implications
Denis Fortin, Andrews University
​Conference Room 12
Cosmic Conflict and Adventism
Olive Hemmings, presiding
Paper #1: Antisemitism and redefining the use of anti-Jewish rhetoric and hate speech in the Church.
Rodgir Cohen, Loma Linda University
Paper #2: Revelation 13 - From Out-of-date to Up-to-date
Mihai Bijacu, PhD student, Andrews University
Paper #3: Cosmic Conflict: A Dynamical Redemption Story
Tammy Wiese, University of St. Andrews
3:15-3:30 - Business Session III (Grand Ballroom, Salon H)
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3:30-4:45 - Session 5. Sectional Meetings by discipline
Grand Ballroom, Salon H
Biblical Studies (OT and NT)
Ross Winkle, presiding
Paper #1: What happened to the thrones in Daniel 7:9
Zdravko Stefanovic, AdventHealth University
Paper #2: Cosmic Conflict and Adventist Ethics
P. Richard Choi, Andrews University
Paper #3: Daniel and Revelation: Blasphemy in the Cosmic Conflict
Bohdan Kuryliak, PhD student, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Ihor Kuryliak, PhD student, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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Conference Room 11
Theology, Ethics and History
Martin Hanna, presiding
Paper #1: Cosmic Conflict as Story—Literal and Symbolic
James W. Walters, Loma Linda University
Paper #2: The Power and Relevance of Cosmic Conflict as Aesthetic Narrative
Greg Hoenes, La Sierra University
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Paper #3: A Progressive Understanding: The Great Controversy in the past and now.
Donny Chrissutianto, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies
Conference Room 12
Practical Theology and World Religions.
Thomas Toews, presiding
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Paper #1: The Great Controversy and World Religions in the Mission Work of Eric B. Hare
Laura Wibberding, Pacific Union College
Paper #2: Cosmic Conflict as the Best Bridge to Others
Christian Dumitrescu, Adventus University, Romania
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Paper #3: The Great Contrast: The Psycho-Social-Spiritual Validity of the Great Controversy Narrative in Explaining the Erosive and Corrosive Nature of Evil & Christ’s Bitter Fight for Wholeness
Cory Wetterlin and Duane Covrig, Kettering Health
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4:45-5:30 PM - Additional Sectional Meeting and Convener
Grand Ballroom, Salon H
Black Theology Group
Alexander Douglas, King's College, Cambridge University
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Conference Room 11
Women's Group
Lena Toews, Union College
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Conference Room 12
Philosophy of Religion and Ethics
Zdravko Plantak, Loma Linda University
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Friday Evening, November 17
The First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio
(404 N. Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX 78205)
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5:45-9:00 PM - Adventist Scholars' Supper/Vespers by the North American Division Ministerial Department
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Sabbath, November 18
Westin Hotel, Navarro Room
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9:00 -9:20 AM - Devotional (paper)
From the Minutest Atom to the Greatest World: Worship
David A. Williams
9:20 -10:35 - Sabbath School panel discussion.
"Cosmic Conflict: Out of Date, Up to Date?" Implications for the Curriculum at an Adventist Institution of Higher Learning.
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11:00-12:00 - Sabbath Service.
Sermon: "Navigating the Cosmic Conflict: Insights from the Great Controversy Motif" by Dr. Daniel Duda
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