Along with friends and family, I attended the 2024 School of Medicine graduation ceremony held on the front lawn of the Loma Linda University church (Sunday, May 26). It was overcast and cool, for which I think most of us were grateful.

The ceremony progressed much like one would expect. Opening remarks were given by Dr. Richard Hart (President of Loma Linda University Health). There was cheering, triumphant music, and speeches thanking friends, family, and God. Then came the commencement address.

It began much like the many others I’ve heard before, then, about halfway through, it took an unusual turn. Before we get into that, a little background information about the speaker.

The person invited to speak was Dr. James Appel. He was introduced to the graduates by the Dean of the School of Medicine, Tamara Thomas. Here are some of the biographical details from the introduction:

Dr. Appel has been involved in many missionary excursions to places like China, India, the Philippines, the Middle East, South America, and Africa.
He worked for 7 years as medical director at Barry Adventist Hospital, Chad.
Conducted medical missionary work throughout Chad, including opening a surgery center.
Helped establish the Baraka Adventist Hospital.
Worked at Cooper Hospital in Monrovia (one of the only two hospitals that remained open during the Ebola epidemic).

Of note, Dr. Appel has authored several books including:

Nasara: Dispatches from a District Hospital in Chad
Ebola-iculous: A Physician Encounters the Ebola Capital of the World
Children of the East: The Spiritual Heritage of Islam in the Bible
Messiah: the Jesus of the Qur'an and the Gospels
Is the Bible Really Anti-Gay?

Dr. Appel’s opening line was curious, he announced,

“After living and working for the last 20 years in Africa, I feel I’ve earned the right to be a little controversial and I intend to take advantage of that today." That’s probably why they’ve given me only 10 minutes to speak.” [chuckles and nervous laughter]

After his opening remarks, the speech, as previously mentioned, progressed along fairly normal lines and Dr. Appel made appeals I can fully agree with. Things like “prizing financial freedom” by making every effort to live a debt free life. And “sacrifice to gain” – in which he recalled the hardships of missionary work (including losing one of his children to malaria), and realizing the gains made in serving and saving many lives certainly outweighed the sacrifices. He encouraged the graduates to “risk to benefit” as he recalled the great risk he took by going to work in Liberia during the Ebola epidemic and how that risk paid dividends later on by opening doors to more medical missionary work in that country.

Then came the middle portion of the address – the portion where the train began traveling a bit more loosely down the tracks. He opened with this contemplation,

“There have been many times when I’ve been faced with questioning certain paradigms I grew up with and wondering if I was wrong. There was confusion because the answers weren’t totally clear one way or the other.”

My comment: growing up and developing a theological paradigm that leads to confusion is a truly sad state of affairs. The development of a healthy, Christ Centered, Bible based paradigm should lead to reduced confusion (not more) when it comes to the important questions of life. How crucial a solid faith framework is before entering the world stage.

Dr. Appel continued,

“Because the answers weren’t totally clear one way or the other, I found that when I was in doubt, the best thing I could do was go in the direction that was the most loving.”

He goes on to provide examples of how he did that. But before we get to his examples I need to make an additional comment.

There is great danger when starting from a place of confusion and theological ambiguity — and then move from there in an attempt to define love. Without having the anchor of God’s moral law, as it is repeatedly and consistently revealed in the Bible, we are in danger of navigating life and love based on emotions alone. We end up drifting about on a sea of ideas with only our feelings to guide. A scary guide indeed considering that we’re told the heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9).

Back to the address.

Dr. Appel went on to present his two examples of how he let ‘love’ lead him during times he faced doubt about what direction to go. He recalled,

“I moved to Chad a couple years after September 11, 2001. So needless to say, I didn’t feel very positive about Islam, and Chad is a Muslim majority country.”

He explained that eventually he wanted to understand the Muslim people better, so in 2009, during the month of Ramadan, he stated,

“I read the Quran. I was stunned. I found myself crying often as I read this book, sacred to a quarter of the world’s population. Clearly, they were talking about the same God. I knew, of course, there are negative things about Islam. But there are negative things about Christianity too… By choosing the loving path instead of hatred, my whole experience in Chad was transformed. I realized Muslims were my long lost brothers and sisters. Rather than converting each other, we were able to help each other become better. God’s followers submitted to the one God we all serve.”

I’ll preface my comments on the above by saying I have been amazed to see how many in the Muslim world have had dreams about Isa (Jesus in Arabic) and have gone on to seek conversion and Christ through Christianity. Here are just two examples [1] [2]. In contrast to this was the position of Dr. Appel, who after reading the Quran, felt it was so nice that no one tried to convert the other, as in his words, “we were able to help each other become better, submitted to the one God we all serve.”

But where does Jesus fit into that? How about truth? The Bible?

While it may be true that working with others in a spirit of kindness can help us to be “better,” as in more refined, polite, or tolerant, the vision of the Gospel goes far beyond mere social graces. The purposes of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is to transform lives at a much deeper level. A level that goes beyond just being “better” according to human standards. While the fullest intent of the gospel does not exclude being personable, it reaches to a place meant to shape our minds and character through scriptural truth and personal contact with Jesus Christ.

Dr. Appel continued his address,

“The second example [of when in doubt, love] concerns gay people. Growing up as a conservative Adventist Christian, I inherited the belief that same-sex relationships were sinful. However, right after I came back from Liberia during Ebola time, I had another paradigm shift. Through a long series of encounters, documentaries, and books, I came to realize that similar to my old anti-Muslim sentiments, I’d had a similar wrong bias against gay people. I felt compelled by my culture and religion to denigrate a community that I didn’t even know anything about. Now as I was reading and learning, I came to a different understanding. I realized there were many ways to interpret what the Bible says on the subject. There was doubt in my mind about the traditional anti-gay interpretation. So I chose the direction that was the most loving and became an affirming ally of the LGBTQ community. I joined SDA Kinship International, an organization providing support to queer people of some connection to Adventism. I attended many of their yearly meetings and have been enriched personally by those experiences of overcoming prejudice and becoming more loving. If one day God tells me I’ve been too loving and accepting, I’ll gladly accept that criticism. I’d rather err on that side of the equation because in the end it has brought me such freedom and joy to be free of the burden of scapegoating and hate.”

There’s a whole lot to unpack from this section and I’m not going to attempt a comprehensive analysis. F7 readers are more than capable of doing that for themselves. I’ll bullet point a few things that stood out to me.

He “inherited” the belief that same-sex relationships were sinful.” In other words he never came to a personal conviction regarding homosexuality based on what the Bible teaches.
“Through a long series of encounters, documentaries, and books, I came to realize that similar to my old anti-Muslim sentiments… I’d had a wrong bias against gay people.” The Bible is not mentioned as having played a role in his theological understanding of the issue.
“I felt compelled by my culture and religion to denigrate a community that I didn’t even know anything about.” I’m not sure what culture and religion he has in mind, but neither Christ or the Apostles denigrated anyone. They where clear about what constitutes sin – but always in love and always with the goal of redemption.
“Now as I was reading and learning, I came to a different understanding. I realized there were many ways to interpret what the Bible says on the subject.” Words fail.
“I joined SDA Kinship International.” Makes complete sense.
“If one day God tells me I’ve been too loving and accepting, I’ll gladly accept that criticism. I’d rather err on that side of the equation.” What’s on the other side of his equation? Truth?

He then spoke a few final words and the address was over.

Fulcrum7 Reader

“Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment” (Exodus 23:2).

These eight individuals (among others) are on the Loma Linda Board of Trustees.

Chair: Thomas Lemon, MDiv, General Vice President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland

Vice chair: G. Alexander Bryant, DMin, President, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, Columbia, Maryland
Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, PhD, Director, Department of Education, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland
Erton Köhler, MTh, Secretary, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland
Peter Landless, MB, BCh, MMed, Director, Department of Health Ministries, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland
Robert E. Lemon, MBA, Special Assistant to the Treasurer of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland
Ted N.C. Wilson, PhD, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland
Ella Simmons, EdD, Retired educator & administrator, Louisville, Kentucky