Seventh-day Adventist education

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The Seventh-day Adventist educational system is the second-largest Christian school system in the world, after the Roman Catholic system (see Catholic school).

It has a total of 6,966 educational institutions operating in over 100 countries around the world with over 1.3 million students world-wide.

The denominationally-based school system began in the 1870s.^[1] The church supports holistic education:

"Mental, physical, social, and spiritual health, intellectual growth, and service to humanity form a core of values that are essential aspects of the Adventist education philosophy."^[1]

The Journal of Adventist Education (JAE) is published.

1 Education by level
2 Education by area
- 2.1 North America
- 2.2 Asia
3 See also
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Education by level

[edit] Primary

[edit] Secondary

[edit] Tertiary

In the United States, certain Adventist colleges and universities have a reputation for being more progressive than many other such places of learning. These include, for example, Walla Walla University, Pacific Union College, Loma Linda University and La Sierra University.

Others such as Southern Adventist University and the Adventist University of the Philippines have a reputation as being more conservative.

[edit] Theological control

At times there has been intense discussion between educators and church administrators.

Raymond Cottrell describes "the decade of obscurantism (1969–1979)" as when a "triumvirate" consisting of General Conference President Robert H. Pierson, Gordon M. Hyde and Gerhard Hasel attempted to gain control of Adventist biblical studies.^[2] According to Cottrell, Hasel used his position as dean of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University to make Drs. Sakai Kubo, Ivan Blazen, Fritz Guy, and Larry Geraty feel very unwelcome.^[2]

Fred Veltman, who was called to closely investigate "literary parallels" in Ellen White's writings, was concerned about his ongoing employment in the church, and whether the results of his study would be publicized. He wrote that General Conference President Neal C. Wilson that both his employment was secure and that his work would not be in vain.^[3] His study is now available online from Adventist Archives.

Former General Conference President Robert S. Folkenberg's "Total Commitment to God" initiative was voted by the Annual Council in Costa Rica in 1996. In 1998 Folkenberg's action to establish a "Board of Ministerial and Theological Education" in every Division of the church to oversee its theological seminaries "has evoked significant criticism in some areas, including North America",^[4] and was put on hold.^[5] There was concern over the document International Coordination and Supervision of Seventh-day Adventist Ministerial and Theological Education.GC (General Conference) Sets Standards for Ministerial and Theologic Education See a response Toward Spiritual Assessment in Seventh-day Adventist Colleges and Universities by Duane C. McBride, which appeared in the April/May 1998 issue of Adventist Education.

According to one article, at the 2001 annual meeting of the Andrews Society for Religious Studies, "not a single person had anything good to say about this program. No one. Perhaps there was secret support for it, but no one spoke out loud expressing the slightest support". This is despite a range of people being present.^[6]

[edit] Education by area

[edit] North America

The North American Division Office of Education oversees 1049 schools with 65,000 students in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda.

[edit] Asia

In some Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Adventist schools are referred to as "Sam Yuk" or similar, meaning literally "threefold". This refers to a holistic education involving the three components of mind, body and spirit/soul. Contemporary approaches commonly include a fourth component, social.^{[citation needed]}