[Editorial] A Day of New Beginnings

"Is this a day of new beginnings Time to remember and move on?"

So begins hymn #352 in the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, a song especially appropriate for New Year's observances. But it came to my mind as we are launching a revival of Adventists Affirm after a hiatus of about eight years. We can look back and remember about a quarter of a century of faithful, provocative publication, but it is also time that we move on, moving ahead with additional materials, new issues, new challenges. So even as we establish continuity with the earlier publications, this is a day of new beginnings.

Personally, I am honored to be asked to serve as editor again, having served for the first decade or so of the publication's existence. As before, it is still our aim to be affirmative in upholding Bible truth and Seventh-day Adventist beliefs. Some issues that Adventists Affirm has spoken to before continue to roil the church. We may return to these as needed. Other matters may present new challenges, and we will address some of these in ways we hope will be helpful.

The current issue addresses one of these new matters, namely, the recent pandemic of COVID-19. Though several of the articles deal with lessons we can learn from the pandemic, you will find little overlap among them, but rather a beneficial breadth that will provoke thought and bring refreshing insights. We hope that this will help to bring unity and renewed purpose to Adventist believers, some of whom may have become alienated from their fellow church members or from church leadership.

Welcome to this "day of new beginnings" in the publication life of Adventists Affirm!