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Dear friends,
As president I take seriously any charge that La Sierra University is not fulfilling
its sacred task and great responsibility to educate our students to be strong,
thoughtful individuals whose worldview and hope is grounded in a close
relationship with God.
We reject this implied atheistic charge. Every one of our science faculty share the
goal of students experiencing a vibrant Adventist Christian faith while pursuing
their education in the sciences.
People of faith who look at scientific data can reach differing conclusions and still
be collegial as brothers and sisters in the church. The Seventh-day Adventist
Church has always benefited from debate and indeed has matured because of it.
Faculty in Adventist institutions of higher learning have played an important and
sometimes courageous role in extending the boundaries of knowledge in many
fields.
We at La Sierra University are continuing to examine how we teach the science
relevant to origins in a supportive, Adventist Christian environment. We continue
to welcome input made in a spirit of constructive Christian fellowship and which
is respectful of scientific integrity — recognizing that while we may not fully agree
on everything, our mutual concern is always for unity in love to our Lord and in
service to His children. We are also committed to be of ongoing service to our
church in this important conversation of science and faith. A number of our
faculty have presented papers and have been involved in recent meetings that our
church has called to give study to this challenging area.
These charges made against us, sadly, are not unique to La Sierra University.
Some in our church continue to challenge and question our entire system of
universities and colleges. They question our commitment to the important work
of Adventist education. They challenge the orthodoxy of those who take on the
important and God-inspired task of educating our students in transforming ways
that have lifelong impact. I want it to be clearly understood that those of us who
teach, those of us who have the privilege of serving at an Adventist university,
take our mission and our responsibilities towards our students seriously. Our
faculty and campus community give their lives, and the best of their intellect and
service, to God through their academic preparation, ongoing research, teaching
• La Sierra students and faculty, this past year, provided more than 45,000
hours of caring service to our local community. We earned the coveted
community engagement designation from the Carnegie Foundation—one of only
118 institutions in North America to be so recognized.
Randal Wisbey
President