What does it take to become—and remain—a history teacher at an Adventist school? I had the opportunity to hear some who love to study and teach history and was impressed with their passion for the subject—and their concerns for the future of the profession. At a convention held over the last weekend of March at Pacific Union College in Angwin, Calif.,35 members of the Association of Seventh-day Adventist Historians (ASDAH) discussed research papers, talked about the state of history teaching, and generally socialized. Graduate students in history also attended.

Teaching historians are concerned about the educa-tional climate in which technological professions are glamorized and funded, but social sciences, including history, are marginalized and even considered super--fluous. History teachers in secondary schools are subjected to unrealistic “standards” which destroy teachers’ autonomy and force them to teach to a format “wheel” that administrators say is somehow a reform of old-style teaching. And then in many boarding academies history teachers are expected to become jacks-of-all-trades, teaching diverse subjects and even driving the school bus. Overloading a history teacher’s assignments can indeed burn him or her out. And in Adventist schools particularly, a history teacher’s tenure may be terminated by personality clashes with an administrator, a school board member, or even a pastor or his wife.

But a main concern of the group was research reports brought by five presenters. Douglas Morgan, from Columbia Union College, in Takoma Park, Md., had examined the early Adventist treatment of European and American history in its scenario of the “Great Controversy.” Ellen White made this the title of one of her most popular books, written in 1888. Morgan pointed out that many large events of the 20th century like communism, Nazism, and the rise of Islam in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa were not represented in the book. He and the audience discussed the implications of recent historical trends for the great controversy theme. A featured speaker was Fred Hoyt, from La Sierra University, who had compared descriptions written by three observers of a meeting at which Ellen G. White gave a long talk.

Other speakers discussed the context in which early Adventist pioneers developed their theology and church structure, the course of Adventist city missions, and problems in medieval studies. Some of these research papers may be presented in future issues of Adventist Today.

I found the atmosphere of this convention to be warm and accepting; I had many shared memories with other in attendance. I look forward to meeting with them again if possible at their next triennial session in 2007.