Alden Thompson
Encyclopedia
Alden Lloyd Thompson is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian theologian
, author and popular speaker and seminar presenter. He is the professor of biblical studies at Walla Walla University
in Washington, United States
. He has published several books and hundreds of articles.
.
The same year he married Wanda Hoffman, who was also graduating from Walla Walla College, in nursing. Thompson graduated from Andrews University
with an MA
in 1966 and a BD
in 1967.
After serving as a pastor in southeastern California from 1967 to 1970, he became a faculty member of Walla Walla University in 1970. From 1972 to 1974 the college sponsored him to go on doctoral study leave at the University of Edinburgh
in Scotland
. He was awarded with a doctorate in Old Testament and Judaic Studies in 1974, and his dissertation was published in 1977 by Scholars Press.
In 1980 and 1981 he taught at Marienhoehe Seminary in Darmstadt
, Germany
. From 1986 to 1990 he served as the academic vice president of Walla Walla College, returning to full-time teaching in the School of Theology in 1990.
Thompson has commented on his wife's viral encephalitis
and Lyme disease
. "Living with her limitations for nearly thirty years now has opened my eyes to all kinds of things I never would have seen before. High energy and low energy people simply view the world and God in much different ways. At our house, we continue to learn a great deal from each other." They have two daughters, Karin and Krista.
of the Bible and prophets. He published a 4-part series "Adventists and Inspiration" in the Adventist Review, in 1985. Subsequently, church publisher Review and Herald
invited him to submit a book manuscript for publication. This became the 1991 book Inspiration: Hard Questions, Honest Answers, which had a large impact in the Adventist church. (Baptist scholar Clark Pinnock
reviewed it very favourably.) Two conservative responses to Thompson were published. Firstly was Issues in Revelation and Inspiration, published by the Adventist Theological Society
the following year. Secondly was Samuel Koranteng-Pipim
, Receiving the Word (1996) which was reviewed by Thompson in turn. Thompson is open to a small use of the historical-critical method of Bible interpretation, although many Adventists reject this method, for example, the 1986 statement Methods of Bible Study, "urge[s] Adventist Bible students to avoid relying on the use of the presuppositions and the resultant deductions associated with the historical-critical method."
He is much concerned with church unity, and has described his 2009 book Beyond Common Ground: Why Liberals and Conservatives Need Each Other as "a kind of capstone to my teaching career." He has discussed differing personality types and how they relate to God and the church.
He supports the process of change, and has argued for significant change in Ellen G. White
's views of God (see: inspiration of Ellen White#Change over time. For instance, his best known series is "From Sinai to Golgotha", a five-part sequence published in 1981 in the Adventist Review. It discusses a change from a more fear-based picture of God in the Bible at Mt Sinai, to a more grace-based image of God at the cross. He also claims Ellen White moved from fear to joy. See also his article, "The Scary Lady of Adventism Learns to Have Fun". His book Escape from the Flames: How Ellen White Grew from Fear to Joy - and Helped Me to Do it Too (2005) has a similar theme.
Thompson's speaking engagements and prolific writings cover many topics, including the Bible
, especially the Old Testament
, Ellen White studies, inspiration (see biblical inspiration
, revelation
), and Adventist history
.
Two chapters were withdrawn from Inspiration prior to publication, "Eschatology: The Angels Always Say the Time Is Short" (RTF format), and "The Adventist Church at Corinth" (RTF), which describes three dominant strands of Adventist theology. These were eventually published in Beyond Common Ground.
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
, author and popular speaker and seminar presenter. He is the professor of biblical studies at Walla Walla University
Walla Walla University
Walla Walla University is a University offering liberal arts, professional, and technical programs located in College Place, Washington, just a few miles from Walla Walla. The current President is John McVay. It was founded in 1892 and is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.The...
in Washington, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He has published several books and hundreds of articles.
Biography
He graduated from Walla Walla College (now Walla Walla University) in 1965 with a BABachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
.
The same year he married Wanda Hoffman, who was also graduating from Walla Walla College, in nursing. Thompson graduated from Andrews University
Andrews University
Andrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College in Battle Creek, Michigan, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists, and is the flagship university of the Seventh-day...
with an MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1966 and a BD
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
in 1967.
After serving as a pastor in southeastern California from 1967 to 1970, he became a faculty member of Walla Walla University in 1970. From 1972 to 1974 the college sponsored him to go on doctoral study leave at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He was awarded with a doctorate in Old Testament and Judaic Studies in 1974, and his dissertation was published in 1977 by Scholars Press.
In 1980 and 1981 he taught at Marienhoehe Seminary in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. From 1986 to 1990 he served as the academic vice president of Walla Walla College, returning to full-time teaching in the School of Theology in 1990.
Thompson has commented on his wife's viral encephalitis
Viral encephalitis
Viral encephalitis refers to a type of Encephalitis caused by a virus.Encephalitis may be caused by a variety of afflictions.Types include:*Arbovirus encephalitis**La Crosse encephalitis**California encephalitis virus**Japanese Encephalitis**St...
and Lyme disease
Lyme disease
Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto is the main cause of Lyme disease in the United States, whereas Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii cause most...
. "Living with her limitations for nearly thirty years now has opened my eyes to all kinds of things I never would have seen before. High energy and low energy people simply view the world and God in much different ways. At our house, we continue to learn a great deal from each other." They have two daughters, Karin and Krista.
Theology
Thompson has written much about the inspirationBiblical inspiration
Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology that the authors and editors of the Bible were led or influenced by God with the result that their writings many be designated in some sense the word of God.- Etymology :...
of the Bible and prophets. He published a 4-part series "Adventists and Inspiration" in the Adventist Review, in 1985. Subsequently, church publisher Review and Herald
Review and Herald Publishing Association
The Review and Herald Publishing Association is one of two major Seventh-day Adventist publishing houses in North America and is the oldest institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The organization publishes books, magazines, study guides, CDs, videos and games for Adventist churches,...
invited him to submit a book manuscript for publication. This became the 1991 book Inspiration: Hard Questions, Honest Answers, which had a large impact in the Adventist church. (Baptist scholar Clark Pinnock
Clark Pinnock
Clark H. Pinnock was a Christian theologian, apologist and author. He was Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at McMaster Divinity College.-Education and career:...
reviewed it very favourably.) Two conservative responses to Thompson were published. Firstly was Issues in Revelation and Inspiration, published by the Adventist Theological Society
Adventist Theological Society
The Adventist Theological Society is an international nonprofit organization of Seventh-day Adventist scholars and lay-people. The society holds its annual meeting in connection with the Evangelical Theological Society. It describes its theology as "balanced and conservative Adventist theology"...
the following year. Secondly was Samuel Koranteng-Pipim
Samuel Koranteng-Pipim
Samuel Koranteng Pipim is a US-based Ghanaian author, speaker, and theologian. Trained in engineering and systematic theology, he based his office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where, up until 2011, he ministered to students, faculty, and staff at the University of Michigan. He has authored and...
, Receiving the Word (1996) which was reviewed by Thompson in turn. Thompson is open to a small use of the historical-critical method of Bible interpretation, although many Adventists reject this method, for example, the 1986 statement Methods of Bible Study, "urge[s] Adventist Bible students to avoid relying on the use of the presuppositions and the resultant deductions associated with the historical-critical method."
He is much concerned with church unity, and has described his 2009 book Beyond Common Ground: Why Liberals and Conservatives Need Each Other as "a kind of capstone to my teaching career." He has discussed differing personality types and how they relate to God and the church.
He supports the process of change, and has argued for significant change in Ellen G. White
Ellen G. White
Ellen Gould White was a prolific author and an American Christian pioneer. She, along with other Sabbatarian Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, would form what is now known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Ellen White reported to her fellow believers her...
's views of God (see: inspiration of Ellen White#Change over time. For instance, his best known series is "From Sinai to Golgotha", a five-part sequence published in 1981 in the Adventist Review. It discusses a change from a more fear-based picture of God in the Bible at Mt Sinai, to a more grace-based image of God at the cross. He also claims Ellen White moved from fear to joy. See also his article, "The Scary Lady of Adventism Learns to Have Fun". His book Escape from the Flames: How Ellen White Grew from Fear to Joy - and Helped Me to Do it Too (2005) has a similar theme.
Thompson's speaking engagements and prolific writings cover many topics, including the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, especially the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, Ellen White studies, inspiration (see biblical inspiration
Biblical inspiration
Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology that the authors and editors of the Bible were led or influenced by God with the result that their writings many be designated in some sense the word of God.- Etymology :...
, revelation
Revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
), and Adventist history
History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church had its roots in the Millerite movement of the 1830s and 1840s, during the period of the Second Great Awakening, and was officially founded in 1863. Prominent figures in the early church included Hiram Edson, James Springer White and his wife Ellen G. White, Joseph...
.
Books
His books include:- 2009. Beyond Common Ground: Why Liberals and Conservatives Need Each Other, Pacific Press; publisher's page
- 2005. Escape from the Flames: How Ellen White Grew from Fear to Joy - and Helped Me to Do it Too (Pacific PressPacific Press Publishing AssociationThe Pacific Press Publishing Association, or Pacific Press for short, is one of two major Seventh-day Adventist publishing houses in North America. It was founded in 1874 by James White in Oakland, California, and is now located in Nampa, Idaho. Its titles include theological works as well as...
). ISBN 0-8163-2085-3 - 1995. Samuel: From the Danger of Chaos to the Danger of Power. Boise, ID: Pacific Press (part of The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier series) ISBN 0-8163-1265-6
- 1991. Inspiration: Hard Questions, Honest Answers, (Review and Herald), now translated into GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second... - 1988. Who's Afraid of the Old Testament God? (PaternosterPaternoster PressPaternoster Press is a British Christian publishing house which was founded by Howard Mudditt in 1936. Mudditt was a Bank of England clerk who decided to move into publishing after seeing the many publishers based on London's Paternoster Row during his lunch hours; the firm was named after the...
, 1988; ZondervanZondervanZondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association .- History :...
, 1989). ISBN 0-310-51921-7; one publisher's page including first chapter - 1977 Responsibility for Evil in the Theodicy of IV Ezra (Ph.D. thesis) Dissertation series, Society of Biblical LiteratureSociety of Biblical LiteratureThe Society of Biblical Literature, founded 1880, is a constituent society of the American Council of Learned Societies , with the stated mission to "Foster Biblical Scholarship"...
; no. 29)
Two chapters were withdrawn from Inspiration prior to publication, "Eschatology: The Angels Always Say the Time Is Short" (RTF format), and "The Adventist Church at Corinth" (RTF), which describes three dominant strands of Adventist theology. These were eventually published in Beyond Common Ground.
External links
- Alden Thompson's homepage, which includes a brief biography and the full text of many articles.
- Good Word – Bible study guides and audio commentary by Thompson and others for download. Broadcast on KGTS (website) (Formerly known as "Probe"?)
- Interview by Alita Byrd of Spectrum
- "A Peek Inside: An Adventist Scholar Shares His Heart" by Rachel Davies, Spectrum website
- Interview by Adventist pastor David Hamstra
- Articles by Thompson and about Thompson as cataloged in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index (SDAPI)