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Maury Jackson
  • La Sierra University
    4500 Riverwalk Parkway
    Riverside, CA 90515
  • 9517431407

Maury Jackson

  • Professor of Practical Theology and an ordained minister in the Adventist Christian communion, Dr. Jackson served as ... moreedit
In recent years, there has been renewed focus on the justice issues of race and racism, the subject of worldwide protests in 2020 and ongoing social, political and cultural debate. The volume collects chapters written by 20 Adventist... more
In recent years, there has been renewed focus on the justice issues of race and racism, the subject of worldwide protests in 2020 and ongoing social, political and cultural debate. The volume collects chapters written by 20 Adventist academics, pastors and writers from diverse cultural backgrounds in response to the question of what Adventist Christian faith can offer to the vital and urgent work of antiracism. These authors draw on the Bible-including the Hebrew prophets and Adventist understanding of New Testament prophecy, Jesus and the gospel-as well as Adventist history, with the call to respond to these contemporary issues faithfully, thoughtfully, practically, pastorally and politically.
This chapter analyzes the relationship between thinking and learning. It employs the philosophical method: that is, it questions accepted beliefs about the nature of thinking and its relationship to reality, e.g., whether it reflects... more
This chapter analyzes the relationship between thinking and learning. It employs the philosophical method: that is, it questions accepted beliefs about the nature of thinking and its relationship to reality, e.g., whether it reflects reality or constructs reality. A brief review of influential philosophical voices sets the broader context for framing the problem, leaving us with a bigger problem to resolve. We are left to explore what is necessary for our exercises in thinking to bring about long-term cultural change. To explain and explore this topic, we offer flow diagrams to model the neuron processes that organically reinforce a relationship between thinking and learning. The dynamics between thinking and learning, under sensory stimuli and through the perceptual frames employed, impact social norms and behaviors, thereby warranting educational visions that intentionally reform thinking and learning through backward and forward feeds, respectively. This transformative sketch is proposed to better understand how to unshackle learning from the societal disparities that reinforce inequalities that directly affect gender and racial groups.
Book chapter for Can You Hear My Pain Now? Making Pastoral Theology Relevant in a Modern World. The implicit theodicy latent in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Sanctorum Communio" is explored for a practical theology of care.
Some historical notes on African Americans story throughout La Sierra University's one hundred year journey.
Book Review of John Stott's 2017 edition of "Between Two Worlds: The Challenge of Preaching Today"
The only version of the Bible African slaves in the English colonies known to exist was the King James Version (KJV). In reflecting on the 400th centennial of the arrival of African captives to America and the 1611 King James Version,... more
The only version of the Bible African slaves in the English colonies known to exist was the King James Version (KJV). In reflecting on the 400th centennial of the arrival of African captives to America and the 1611 King James Version, African American church scholars do well to mark this occasion, not so much for what the biblical text did to reform the church in Europe, but to commemorate its role in forming a people. When they published the King James Scripture, those 54 language scholars of 1611 no doubt understood the impact they would make as reformers of European Christianity. They may not have imagined their work would have such a profound impact on the formation of a community of abducted Africans. Their fellow brothers and sisters in captivity would teach the purveyors of the King James Version how subversive their text is to human political, economic, and religious institutions.
Given the emphasis on orthodoxy in early Christianity, it appears to go un-noticed that the real heresy of the patristic age was rooted in the linguistic practice of making apologies. Constraint on the use of argument, as understood from... more
Given the emphasis on orthodoxy in early Christianity, it appears to go un-noticed that the real heresy of the patristic age was rooted in the linguistic practice of making apologies. Constraint on the use of argument, as understood from the Pauline corpus, framed crucial restrictions in forming Christian communities. The twentieth-century linguistic turn in philosophy prof-fers a warning to Christian philosophical societies about the need to ponder the practice of argumentation in their communities. I revisit key figures, i. e., Paul van Buren, J. L. Austin, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, who leave Christian philosophers with additional tools to dissolve the dilemma of a Christian's call to be a faithful witness and the Christian constraint on linguistic practices of argument.
Given that preaching is the primary mode of public theological discourse for most Christian ministers, an intellectual virtue of verbal restraint is required when practicing public theology and it is wise to address the ways that homilies... more
Given that preaching is the primary mode of public theological discourse for most Christian ministers, an intellectual virtue of verbal restraint is required when practicing public theology and it is wise to address the ways that homilies can shepherd public discourse practices. A theology of rhetoric includes the homilist’s moral purpose. Homilies either enhance public discourse or pervert it. This essay sketches a pattern of sermon movement that respects the logic operative in public theology, given the social context of America. Homilies can help cultivate the pastoral care of public rhetoric by modeling discourse that nurtures the politics of accountability. While many call for a public ethos where divergent moral voices engage each other in highly contested arenas, a precondition to practicing effective public theology requires that one exercises discourse in a way that respects the social limits on the free exercise of religion. It is important that a public theology of rhetoric clarifies the original social agreement for acceptable religious discourse in the public arena. Homiletics, as a dimension of practical theology, can teach preachers methods of pastoral care for public discourse. The social agreement in liberal democracies to contain the combative nature of religious discourse assumes a logic that is circumscribed by commitments to (1) religious pluralism, (2) theological agnosticism, and (3) epistemological pragmatism. Here we propose that a sermon’s form, which implicitly touches upon these commitments, can tap into the basic modes of persuasion in secular liberal societies. This respects the moral purposes previously agreed upon and expected of partisans during highly contestable times. This calls for incarnational humility on the part of the Christian public theologian and it guides her/his practice.
Since the moment Boethius meditated on the nature of time in his fifth book on The Consolation of Philosophy, we have more tools to reflect on the subject. The onset of relativity and quantum physics provides us with the best insight, to... more
Since the moment Boethius meditated on the nature of time in his fifth book on The Consolation of Philosophy, we have more tools to reflect on the subject. The onset of relativity and quantum physics provides us with the best insight, to date, that guides our reflections on the philosophical debates that attempt to theorize a definition of time. To clearly address the problems related to the theoretical models that account for the nature of time, adjustments to our interpretation of the contextual issues involved in special relativity are in order if we are going to preserve our notion of causal reality. As the construction of string theory emerges as the reigning theory for quantum gravity, a precise picture of causal reality can be accounted for through theories such as Dyson’s Chronological Protection Agency, Hořava’s theory of gravity, and new insight to how simultaneity is interpreted in relativity theory. With this model, the question about time in the philosophical debates ca...
This article documents a portion of a spiritual autobiography that struggled to give birth to a faith under the lure of sick minded religion versus healthy minded religion. It points out how a communion of faith can make that struggle... more
This article documents a portion of a spiritual autobiography that struggled to give birth to a faith under the lure of sick minded religion versus healthy minded religion. It points out how a communion of faith can make that struggle more than it needs to be when it chooses the weapon of fear to keep adherents.
The Sabbath principle, not the Sabbath day, can organize a social movement for environmental protection.
Hermeneutics must not remain captive to biblical studies. Hermeneutical injustice happens not only when biblical studies holds interpretation captive to texts, but also when ecclesiastical authoritative practices shut out the theological... more
Hermeneutics must not remain captive to biblical studies. Hermeneutical injustice happens not only when biblical studies holds interpretation captive to texts, but also when ecclesiastical authoritative practices shut out the theological wisdom of marginal communities within the religious organization. The goal is to interpret life.
Composite notions of demonic and satanic evil found in Christian folk religion explain away the problem of evil rather than offer any way to get rid of it. Naming the satanic allows Christian communities to resist social evils that have a... more
Composite notions of demonic and satanic evil found in Christian folk religion explain away the problem of evil rather than offer any way to get rid of it. Naming the satanic allows Christian communities to resist social evils that have a life of their own as well as a spiritual dimension: the lying spirit.
Church-sponsored media gatekeepers are entrusted by the larger constituency to shepherd a healthy and free exchange of ideas. In the larger context of our media-saturated era, Howard Myrick writes: “Complaints about the lack of... more
Church-sponsored media gatekeepers are entrusted by the larger constituency to shepherd a healthy and free exchange of ideas. In the larger context of our media-saturated era, Howard Myrick writes: “Complaints about the lack of objectivity in the electronic media are as frequent, if not more so, than in the print media. Comparisons between print and electronic media aside, the net result is a loss of confidence on the part of the news-consuming public in what is reported to them.”5 With the advent of web blogs and Internet media sites, to which many Adventist constituents are turning for information, it is even more important that official church-sponsored journals embrace their role to educate the church and to model ethics in media.
When communities embark upon shaping a vision of healthcare, such a task requires hearing more than the voice of financial decision makers. T.R. Reid argues for other voices when he writes that “the primary issue for any health care... more
When communities embark upon shaping a vision of healthcare, such a task requires hearing more than the voice of financial decision makers. T.R. Reid argues for other voices when he writes that “the primary issue for any health care system is a moral one.”2 While the 2012 U.S. presidential race resulted in the re-election of president Obama, one may be mistaken to suppose that healthcare reform is secure. Legislators who opposed so-called “Obamacare” voice fierce determination to continue the fight through budgetary maneuvers. For people of faith, economic and ethical issues address only part of their concerns. Because human beings are children of God, there are matters of the sacred to be considered. How might Adventists listen, rethink, and reimagine the ministry of healing in light of contemporary voices that speak with a trio of theological, economic, and ethical concerns? How might Adventist voices today retell the story of the healer from Galilee?
Today the stakes are high. As the denomination celebrates numerical growth (which is marginal at best, according to my colleague who says that “Adventism accounts for 0.2% of the global population, and the world population is increasing... more
Today the stakes are high. As the denomination celebrates numerical growth (which is marginal at best, according to my colleague who says that “Adventism accounts for 0.2% of the global population, and the world population is increasing faster than Adventism”2), the forces of globalization take a unique shape. The commercial forces recruit global cities in an effort that shows our world is also urbanizing. Have the old strategies of mission by mass literature distribution3 prevented new visions of evangelism from taking form? Do bolder visions entail evangelizing not only the people but, more importantly, the globalization processes?
When Sojourner Truth phrased her "Ain't I a Woman?" speech, she demonstrated that theology can be radically transformed when the gospel story is taken literally, and seriously, in the mind of a despised woman. With boldness, she... more
When Sojourner Truth phrased her "Ain't I a Woman?" speech, she demonstrated that theology can be radically transformed when the gospel story is taken literally, and seriously, in the mind of a despised woman. With boldness, she confronted a clergyman who argued for the natural marginalization of women, based on biblical principles. The courage to confront her male rival is only outdone by the power of her re-interpretation of the gospel.
Preachers and politicians: this is the undertone to the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign. Whether the pastor is Rick Warren, John Hagee, or Jeremiah Wright, people are tuning in to how much the present voice of the Christian pulpit... more
Preachers and politicians: this is the undertone to the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign. Whether the pastor is Rick Warren, John Hagee, or Jeremiah Wright, people are tuning in to how much the present voice of the Christian pulpit influences the future voice of the bully pulpit. Somehow, in all this sound and fury the problem of race relations found a central voice. It's impossible for a sacred conversation on race to be a single-day event.' There have been many conversations on race but too few are designated "sacred." In the spirit of the United Church of Christ's audacious call, this essay seeks to help spark a similar conversation within Adventism.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
We argue that the Great Advent Movement, in fact, did not begin with the Millerites, but rather its beginnings in this nation go further back, and is discovered in communities of enslaved African who awaited the return of the promised... more
We argue that the Great Advent Movement, in fact, did not begin with the Millerites, but rather its beginnings in this nation go further back, and is discovered in communities of enslaved African who awaited the return of the promised deliverer. In claiming this, we also seek to challenge African American Adventist theologians and all Adventist historians to rethink the ways in which we teach and research our history. We contend that future scholarship by these theologians should reconceptualize the origins of our history and move towards the development of a theology that is consistent with both our community’s Blackness and true Adventist heritage.
One might say that Bonhoeffer’s understanding of the church is the only true “corporations are people”1 argument that a Christian can accept. He claims that “The Church is the present Christ himself…While we are used to thinking of the... more
One might say that Bonhoeffer’s understanding of the church is the only true “corporations are people”1 argument that a Christian can accept. He claims that “The Church is the present Christ himself…While we are used to thinking of the church as an institution, we ought instead to think of it as a person with a body, although of course a person in a unique sense.”
Some look at the Grand Canyon and believe that it is an expression of God’s creative imagination. Others who stand in the same spot believe the Canyon portrays the fallout from God’s wrath. I have two thoughts regarding the Genesis 1... more
Some look at the Grand Canyon and believe that it is an expression of God’s creative imagination. Others who stand in the same spot believe the Canyon portrays the fallout from God’s wrath. I have two thoughts regarding the Genesis 1 creation account that I want to cast in the form of questions. The Prst is, “who gets to evaluate whether or not creation is good?” In other words, can God be the proper judge of God’s own work? The second thought is, “how satisPed should we be with the Bible writers who have left us with so few stories about this ‘pre-fall’ creation?”