Samuel Koranteng-Pipim - Misplaced Pages

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Samuel Koranteng Pipim (born December 10, 1957) is a US-based Ghanaian thinker, author, speaker, and theologian. He is a leading African voice for excellence and youth empowerment, and a Christian activist for change in African mindset and attitudes. Trained in engineering and systematic theology, he bases his office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he ministers to students, faculty, and staff at the University of Michigan. He is a provocative and inspirational writer, having authored and co-authored more than a dozen books. He also speaks extensively around the world at events for youth, students, and young professionals. In his regular lectures on African university campuses, he promotes “mind liberation” as the key to the intellectual and moral transformation of the African people. He sits on the Board of Directors for the Generation of Youth for Christ organization (GYC), a revival movement of Seventh-day Adventist youth in North America.

Biography

Pipim was born in Ghana, West Africa. He holds a degree in engineering from the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, where he subsequently served as a research and teaching assistant. Having been a leader in a non-denominational, charismatic movement, Pipim later became a Seventh-day Adventist, joining a church he terms “the most biblically-consistent, Evangelical Protestant denomination” After accepting the call to the gospel ministry, he served the Central Ghana conference as its Coordinator of Campus Ministries. He later went to the United States to pursue a ministerial training at Andrews University, Michigan. In 1998 he received a PhD in systematic theology, specializing in biblical authority and interpretation and ecclesiology. His doctoral dissertation was titled “The Role of the Holy Spirit in Biblical Interpretation: A Study in the Writings of James I. Packer.”

While pursuing his doctoral studies, Pipim distinguished himself as a rising-star in Adventist scholarship when he published his first two books, Searching the Scriptures (1995) and Receiving the Word (1996). The clarity with which these books addressed the hotly-debated issues of women’s ordination and biblical interpretation, and the endorsement the books received from prominent thought leaders of his church, gained Pipim instant recognition around the world as an articulate African theologian who could hold his own in the Western world.

Though skilled in biblical and theological scholarship, Pipim’s rare gifts as a motivator, trainer, and inspiring leader became evident when, in 1998, his church leadership in Michigan appointed him to direct its newly created department of Public Campus Ministries to cater for the spiritual needs of students on secular university campuses. Since that time, Pipim has grown his ministry to students into a movement of students in the United States. His secured base in Michigan has also provided a launching pad for his extensive work among youth on his home continent and those in the African diaspora.

Youth Empowerment

Pipim is a passionate advocate for youth empowerment, believing that students committed to academic and spiritual excellence are the most effective agents for change, whether in the church or in society.

He currently runs one of the most successful secular campus ministries in the Adventist church in North America. He is the founder and director of CAMPUS (Center for Adventist Ministry to Public University Students), which is a division of Michigan Conference Public Campus Ministries department. Located near the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the programs and events at CAMPUS have attracted and earned the trust of many students and young people. Since 1999, the missionary training program at CAMPUS has developed brilliant and godly student leaders to engage the world.

In seeking youth empowerment, CAMPUS combines biblical spirituality with the philosophy of excellence and a methodology of simplicity. As explained in his book From Ministry to Movement, the vision of CAMPUS is to develop “a Bible-based revival movement in which every student is a missionary.” This vision statement is not simply about a youth revival within the church, but also aptly describes the reforms Pipim seeks to promote in society at large. Far more effective than political or social activism, he maintains that a lasting community transformation must be grounded in the Word of God, be effected through heart renewal or change of mindset, and must enlist young people, especially students, as the most potent vehicles of change.

Pipim’s role in transforming a ministry to students into a movement of students is best illustrated by how CAMPUS is training and empowering North American and African youth as agents of spiritual and social renewal.

CAMPUS is the birth place, headquarters, and a sponsor of GYC, Generation of Youth for Christ (formerly General Youth Conference), a thriving, grassroots, revival movement organized and led by Adventist young adults in North America —“and now around the world.” An article in the book Here We Stand (2005) describes the crucial role of CAMPUS in the rise of GYC. Written by one of the founders and past presidents of GYC, the article mentions that CAMPUS “provided a vision, methodology, and philosophy that rejected mediocrity and challenged young people to aspire to spiritual and academic/professional excellence.” The article continues:

“CAMPUS was influential in challenging and changing the lives of other students attending some of our nation’s most prestigious universities: Boston University, Brandeis, Brown, Harvard, Princeton, Rutgers, and others. Some of these students formed SPARC—Students Preparing Adventists for the Return of Christ—and began impacting the lives of their friends and classmates. Others graduated from Michigan and moved on to Loma Linda Medical School to found and organize Advent H.O.P.E., which is an acronym for Helping Others Prepare for Eternity. All these students, who had been impacted by CAMPUS, would later compose a large part of the first GYC Executive Committee.”

Not only has Pipim’s ministry at CAMPUS played a major roleAdventist Review in the rise and exponential growth of GYC, it has also attracted a large global following. “Youth training events in Canada, Australia, Germany, and other places around the world have been inspired by the successful GYC grassroots movement.” Among these students and youth groups, Pipim “has developed a reputation for his bold messages and commitment to the ultimate authority of God’s Word.” Young people admire him for his passion for excellence, his straight-forward messages, as well as “his affable and congenial spirit.”

One student leader sums up his appeal among students and youth: “Pipim . . . exemplifies the ideals of excellence and devotion to the Scriptures. His uncompromising loyalty to the Scriptures as understood by the SDA church, the theological rigor of his publications, the Biblical simplicity of his presentations, combined with his sense of humor and contagious friendliness is a combination that has served to inspire and galvanize a generation of Adventist youth and young adults into an army of young people, rightly trained. His willingness to get the attention of young people by blasting them, then encouraging them to dedicate their lives and talents and abilities to the Lord demands our respect and admiration at a time when leaders and parents in the Adventist church are doing everything that they can to avoid calling sin by its right name.”

But as Pipim’s ministry at CAMPUS has grown beyond its Michigan base to other parts of North America, Europe and Australia, he has also extended his reach to his home continent of Africa. Besides his own frequent lectures on several university campuses on the continent, he has also encouraged African students and young professionals in North America who have embraced the CAMPUS ideals to duplicate the same on the continent. In response, these young people have founded an organization called ALIVE (Africans Living In View of Eternity).

Sponsored by CAMPUS, ALIVE seeks to “change the face of Africa,” by mobilizing “committed and dedicated young people with the courage to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.” In the words of a leader of ALIVE, this new breed of Africans are responding to the call “to lead by principle and conviction . . . to cease settling for mediocrity and become an agent of positive change.” In this respect, ALIVE seeks to do in Africa what GYC is doing North America.

Theological Influence

Besides youth training and empowerment, Pipim also exerts influence as a theologian. By voice and by pen, he has challenged his church to its biblical teachings. His stance on theological issues and his theological method, as reflected in his apologetic writings, notably his well-publicized book Receiving the Word, have distinguished him as a conservative theologian.

In their comprehensive study on the sociology, history, and culture of Seventh-day Adventists, Oxford University scholar Malcolm Bull and London-based journalist Keith Lockhart describe Pipim as “one of the church’s most articulate critics of liberal Adventism.” They mention Pipim’s influential book Receiving the Word as playing a notable and successful role in the 1990s in the return of his church to the “plain reading of the Bible.”

In addition to challenging the method of moderate liberalism, Pipim’s book made a strong case for his Church’s 1986 statement “Methods of Bible Study,” which “urge Adventist Bible students to avoid relying on the use of the presuppositions and the resultant deductions associated with the historical-critical method.” Receiving the Word also documented how the use of contemporary higher criticism (the historical-critical method) was undermining key Seventh-day Adventist beliefs and practices. The book generated considerable reaction—for and against. Generally, scholars who embrace the church’s official positions were very supportive of the book. But others with “progressive” leanings on the Bible’s inspiration or who were open to the use of the historical-critical method of interpretation denounced the book.

His vigorous critique of liberal Adventism and his articulate defense of the long-standing biblical teachings of his church have not been received kindly by some “progressive” Adventists. Charles Scriven captures the sentiments of those who seek to revise Adventist beliefs and practices and who, therefore, criticize Pipim because his writings provide “the energy” for the church’s opposition to “the adventure of truth.” In the view of his critics, Pipim is fueling the “drift” of the church “ever closer to religious fundamentalism”—characterizations that Pipim has strongly contested, arguing that they are the resort of those who themselves have embraced “liberal fundamentalism.”

Between 1995 and 2000, Pipim served as a member of the General Conference's Biblical Research Institute Committee (BRICOM), the highest theological body of his church. His name is listed as one of the denominational theologians who reviewed the scholarly articles contained in the Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology , which is volume 12 of the “Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary” series. Pipim has served as a delegate to five General Conference sessions (1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005), the most authoritative convocation of his church. At these sessions he has spoken passionately on issues he perceives as impacting the identity, message, and mission of the church.

Pipim is listed as one of the contributors to The Remnant Study Bible (2009), an independently published study Bible containing selected comments by Ellen G. White (1827-1915). Unlike other official publications by the Ellen G. White Estate, the idea for this study Bible arose in conjunction with Remnant Publication’s “Bibles for Africa” project.

Public Speaking & Writing

As a public speaker, Pipim speaks extensively in churches and church gatherings, at schools and civic events, and has been featured on Christian TV channels like 3ABN, Hope Channel and Amazing Discoveries.

He is also a frequent speaker at local and international conventions of professionals and business personnel. This includes ASI, Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries, the most influential, mission-driven body of Adventist professionals. Introducing Pipim as the keynote speaker for the 2006 International ASI convention in Gaylord, Texas, the General Vice-President of ASI, Chester Clark III gave four reasons why Pipim is greatly appreciated within ASI and youth circles: “ His commitment to the Word of God. . . . His belief in people, especially young people. . . . He does not look at young people the way they are. He sees potential in them, he trusts them and puts them to work. His honesty and frankness; he always says exactly what he thinks. You don’t have to wonder. The way he can be agreeable, even when he is disagreeing. If you ever disagree with Dr. Pipim he’ll always have a smile on his face and you’ll know he loves you anyway.

Pipim also extends his influence by pen. In addition to his published articles which have appeared in both scholarly and popular journals, and his endorsements of other authors, through the introductions and prefaces he has written for their works, he has written several books of his own. They include:

1995. Searching the Scriptures: A Call to Biblical Fidelity
1996. Receiving the Word: How New Approaches to the Bible Impact Our Biblical Faith and Lifestyle
1997. In the Spirit of Truth: Key Issues on Biblical Inspiration and Interpretation
2001. Must We Be Silent: Issues Dividing Our Church
2003. Patience in the Midst of Trials and Afflictions
2004. The Humility of Christ
2004. The Forgotten Grace of Humility - The Cure for Cancer of the Soul
2005. Here We Stand: Evaluating New Trends in the Church, General Editor
2006. God is Faithful: A Journey of Faith & A Test of Commitment
2007. This Is Love: Closer Relationships, Deeper Love, and Higher Spirituality
2008. Not for Sale: Integrity in A Culture of Silence
2009. Healed Wounds, But Ugly Scars: Choices and Consequences
2010. From Ministry to Movement—The Potential of Public Campus Ministry

Liberating the African Mind

Pipim’s ministry goes beyond youth empowerment and spiritual revival within the Seventh-day Adventist church. He is a Christian activist for change in African mindset and attitudes. Though based in the United States, one of his present passions is to contribute to the intellectual and moral development of the African people, by inspiring, cultivating, and training a new generation of African leaders. His stirring calls for “mind liberation” is resonating with African students, young professionals, and intellectuals who are dissatisfied with the mediocre and incompetent leadership often displayed by many African leaders—both within and without the church.

Explaining why Africans need “mind liberation,” Pipim argues that the challenges facing contemporary Africa—e.g., misplaced priorities, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, war, hunger, disease, culture of dependency, abuse of power, etc.—can only be effectively addressed by a new breed of Africans who think and act differently. “Our problem is not the African mind, but the African mindset,” he insists. “It is not a lack of resources, but a deficit of resourcefulness.” He repeatedly tells his audiences: “Whereas post-colonial education may have helped to emancipate the African mind from the metal chains of traditional idol worship and its superstitious beliefs and practices, this formal education has not succeeded in liberating us from the mental chains of contemporary secularism and its attendant ethos of selfism.” As a result of this “endemic malady of selfishness and jealousy,” the continent has been severely handicapped by many “African PhDs”—people suffering from a “Pull Him Down (or Pull Her Down) Syndrome.”

Pipim contends that “African PhDs” who hold positions of power—whether in society or church— have stifled the cultivation, development, and fruition of mature and responsible African leadership. Pipim refers to such dysfunctional leaders as “African black beans”: They are black on the outside, but white on the inside. “Pigmentally and geographically, these African leaders may be classified as black; but they have the same mindset of their former—and present—colonial masters,” he insists. He tells his African audiences: "Don't be fooled by the appeal of tribal racism. Tribalism is the most comfortable shelter under which our African leaders hide their own incompetence and selfishness.”

In his ministry to his fellow Africans—both those on the continent and those living, studying, and working abroad—Pipim prescribes “mind liberation” as the cure to the malady of “African PhDs.” As he sees it, what Africa needs is not simply more educated minds, but more transformed minds—“not merely mind improvement, but mind replacement.” The mind liberation that is needed is one which is radically committed to biblical excellence—academic, professional and spiritual excellence.

Pipim regrets that African society and church leaders seldom tolerate people who think and act on the principles of biblical excellence. But he counters: “If we don’t think for our selves, someone will do our thinking for us. And if we don’t strive for excellence, we shall pay the high price for mediocrity.”

To cultivate a new generation of African thought leaders who think and strive for excellence, Pipim conducts regular Bible Lecture series on major African university campuses, both secular and religious.

"Why" & "Excellence" Bible Lectures

Since 2006, Pipim’s name has become well-known in university circles of Africa because of his unique one-week Bible Lecture Series, notably his “WHY” and “Excellence” series. These lectures grew out of presentations he first gave to different groups in the United States, but which he now adapts for students, faculty, and staff on African university campuses.

Pipim considers the “Why” & “Excellence” Bible lecture series as his personal contribution to the intellectual and moral transformation of the African people. Believing that the “African mindset” is the problem, and not the “African mind,” Pipim’s lectures his audiences to think differently, take responsibility for the destiny of their lives, their institutions and their nations. He frequently tells his audiences to “change the world, by first being changed.”

Imploring students to be part of the solution in transforming the African situation, Pipim insists that there is no reason to wait until after school. “If not now, we’re late,” he says. He pasionately believes that the change that Africa needs today can be (or must be) brought about by its young people. But he argues that the first step in changing Africa is to clearly understand the nature and true cause of the problem. This step calls for critical thinking and the asking of some relevant “Why” questions. Hence his “Why” lecture series.

The titles of his “Why” lectures are rhetorical in nature, providing biblical solutions to everyday questions he considers relevant to students and to the larger African society. They include such topics as:

Why Dwell on A Written Past, When You Can Write the Future?
Why Worry About Tomorrow, When You Can Know the Secret?
Why Settle for Good, When Better Is Available?
Why Be A Chicken, When You Can Be An Eagle?
Why Suffer A Broken Heart, When You Are So Special?
Why Fear Evil Forces, When Supernatural Help Is Near?
Why Try to Look Good, When You Can Easily Be Good-Looking?
Why Be Afraid of Death, When There Is Hope?
Why Be Confused, When the Bible Is So Plain?
Why Be Perplexed, When There's A Plan?
Why Should You Fail, When Success Is Guaranteed?

The change Pipim is promoting is one which moves Africans from the “chicken mindset to eagle mindset,” from mediocrity to excellence. He derives the chicken/eagle metaphor from the statement by James E. K. Aggrey (1875-1927), one of his esteemed African role-models: “My people of Africa, we were created in the image of God, but men have made us think that we are chickens, and we still think we are, but we are eagles. Stretch forth your wings and fly! Don't be content with the food of Chickens.”

As the title of the “Excellence” series suggests, Pipim invites Africans to aim high, to strife for excellence in all aspects of life—academic, professional, and spiritual. For example in his lecture titled “Shine Like Gold” (in which “gold” is a metaphor for such desirable virtues as diligence, integrity, selflessness, simplicity, compassion, patience, kindness, and others), he urges his fellow Africans: “Don’t lose your gold; don’t substitute brass for gold; and don’t be content with anything less than gold.”

Pipim asserts: “Excellence is a Christian obligation. To settle for anything less is a denial of faith.” He, therefore, wants to see 21st century Africans who will respond to the challenge identified by one of the pioneers of his Seventh-day Adventist church, Ellen G. White (1827-1915): “The greatest want of the world is the want of men-- men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.” The integrity called for in this statement is the basis of Pipim’s book Not for Sale: Integrity in a Culture of Silence (2008).

The ultimate goal of the “Why” and “Excellence” lectures is to equip university students, faculty, and staff so that they can effectively compete in the global world—an objective that dovetails with the mission statements of many African universities. Judging from the large turnouts at his lecture series, it appears that Pipim’s message of “mind liberation” is being taken to heart in Africa. On March 14, 2009, The Pan-African organization at Andrews University, Michigan, recognized Pipim “for his spiritual leadership and positive role model as a worthy son of Africa.”

Notable Quotes

Among some of the quotes from Pipim's sermons and lecture series are the following:

“There is nothing wrong with the African mind. Our problem is the African mindset. It is not a lack of resources, but a deficit of resourcefulness.”
“To change the world, you must first be changed.”
“The complacency of success is the first step to mediocrity."
“Excellence is a journey, not a destination.”
"Excellence is distinction. Mediocrity is extinction. We can choose to be DISTINCT or EXTINCT."
“Excellence is a winsome lifestyle. Therefore be nice to people.”
“Lead by actions, not by directions.”
“Leaders need foresight and insight. Foresight provides the scope of vision. Insight discerns the perspective.”
“Without vision, sight is blind.”
“Those who read are those who lead. But those who write keep the leaders right.”
“The pen of truth is the most effective weapon against the arrogance of power.”
“Learn to think for yourself, otherwise somebody will do the thinking for you."
"Discouragement is my encouragement."
“Setbacks shouldn’t set you back. They’re stepping stones. Step on the stones and you’ll move upward and forward.”
"A goal without a deadline is a dream."
“If not now, we’re late.”
"In a culture of theological pluralism, biblical teaching is controversial and divisive."
“The silent majority are not silent. Their voices of apathy are louder than the courage of their convictions.”
"Never underestimate the potential of one person--you!"
“The Bible is the inspired Word of God. . . . Let us study the Bible. For if we do so, we shall find rest for our souls.”

References

Michigan Conference Camp Meeting Ordination Booklet, June 29, 2002.
The endorsements appeared on the back covers of the books. Pipim’s first book, Searching the Scriptures: A Call to Biblical Fidelity, was endorsed in 1995 by C. Mervyn Maxwell (Professor Emeritus of Church History, Andrews University), Mercedes Dyer (Professor Emerita of Education, Andrews University ), Roy Gane, (Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Andrews University), and George Reid (Director, Biblical Research Institute). In 1996, his second book, Receiving the Word: How New Approaches to the Bible Impact Our Biblical Faith and Lifestyle (Berrien Springs, MI: Berean Books. ISBN 1-890014-00-1, OCLC 36080195), received endorsement from Norman R. Gulley (Professor of Systematic Theology at Southern College), Paul Gordon (Director, Ellen G. White Estate), Raoul Dederen (Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University), Clifford Goldstein (Editor, Liberty Magazine), Alberto R. Timm (Professor of Church History and Historical Theology, Brazil Adventist College, Central Campus), William H. Shea (Associate Director, Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference), Keith Burton (Assistant Professor of New Testament, Oakwood College), C. Raymond Holmes (Professor Emeritus of Church Ministry, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University), Artur A. Stele, President (Zaokski Theological Seminary, Russia), and Randall W. Younker, Director, Ph.D./Th.D. Program, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University).
See the “Introduction” Sikhululekile Hlatshwayo, Justin Kim, and Stephanie Quick, eds., For this Purpose. Generation of Youth for Christ, 2008, pp. 2-4, 156; ISBN 978-1890014-10-0. Read also the testimonies of some of the students in his Not for Sale: Integrity in a Culture of Silence. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Berean Books, 2008. pp. 129-152; ISBN 978-1890014-09-4.
From Ministry to Movement: The Potential of Public Campus Ministry. Ann Arbor, Michigan: CAMPUS p.r.e.s.s. & Berean Books, 2010. pp. 13, 41; ISBN 978-1890014-12-4. Michigan is the state where the Seventh-day Adventist church was first organized (in 1863) and where the Adventist youth movement was begun (in 1879) with Luther Warren (14) and Harry Fenner (17), the two young pioneers who organized the first-ever Adventist Youth Society with a missionary purpose. One hundred and twenty years later, in 1999—again in Michigan—another youth movement was launched with the establishment of CAMPUS.
http://www.gycweb.org.
In an article, titled, “A Great Awakening: The Remarkable Story of Generation of Youth for Christ”, published in the December 24, 2009 issue of the official Seventh-day Adventist magazine, Adventist Review, the editors describe GYC thus: “Call it a movement. Call it a ‘confederation of possibilities.’ Call it a Spirit-inspired meeting of minds and hearts. Or just call it GYC—Generation of Youth for Christ. The eight-year-old young adult organization has grown from a handful of idealistic college students to a powerful force for Bible study, evangelism, and mission service in the life of North American Adventism—and now around the world.” Accessed March 22, 2011.
See Israel Ramos’s article, “What Adventist Young People Really Want: The General Youth Conference Experiment,” in Here We Stand: Evaluating New Trends in the Church. Berrien Springs, Michigan: Adventists Affirm, 2005. pp. 62-63; ISBN 0-9677622-1-9.
For Pipim’s role in GYC, see “A Great Awakening: The Remarkable Story of Generation of Youth for Christ”, Adventist Review, December 24, 2009, online edition, accessed March 22, 2011; From Ministry to Movement, pp. 17-24, details how Pipim impacted the lives of students associated with CAMPUS and SPARC; ISBN 978-1890014-12-4. Cork, Bill. “Some Reflections on GYC”, accessed March 22, 2011. See also Pipim’s first-hand account, “A Grassroots Youth Revival Movement The Untold Story of the Struggle & Triumph of GYC (With A Timeline and Background To Major GYC Events, Meetings, & Documents)”, accessed March 16, 2011.
Klingbeil, Gerald A. “More than Just a Weekend”,, January 13, 2011, online edition. Accessed March 22, 2011. See also Osterman, Staci. “General Youth Conference Calls Youth to Evangelism”, Adventist Review online edition. Accessed March 22, 2011.
2008 GYC programming booklet, p. 16. The same description is found in the 2009 and 2010 GYC programming booklets.
See page 2 of the booklet for the 2009 GYC-Great Lakes meeting in Gurnee, Illinois, USA.
This is how Pipim was publicly introduced by Jared Collins, the President of the Great Lakes chapter of GYC, when he explained why Pipim was selected as the speaker for the May 2009 GYC-Great Lakes conference in Gurnee, Illinois.
Karemera, Valmy Stephen. “President’s Welcome,” http://www.africansalive.org, Accessed March 22, 2011.
Koranteng-Pipim, Samuel (1996). Receiving the Word: How New Approaches to the Bible Impact Our Biblical Faith and Lifestyle. Berrien Springs, MI: Berean Books. pp. 198–200. ISBN 1-890014-00-1, OCLC 36080195. For conflicting reviews of the Pipim’s Receiving the Word, see George W. Reid (pro) and George R. night (con) in Ministry, December 1997, pp. 30-31. Pipim adopts conservative theological positions on issues such as Biblical inspiration, homosexuality, women's ordination, creation (in the debate over evolution, divorce and remarriage, worship, church growth, prayer warriors and other prayer ministries. See his Must We Be Silent: Issues Dividing Our Church (2001). Berrien Springs, MI: Berean Books. ISBN 978-1890014032; cf. .
Bull, Malcolm and Lockart, Keith. Seeking A Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventists and the American Dream. 2nd edition. Bloomington and Indianapolis: University of Indiana Presss, 2007. pp. 278, 35.
[http://adventist.org/beliefs/other-documents/other-doc4.html “Methods of Bible Study: Pressuppositions, Principles, and Methods,” available on the General Conference and Biblical Research Institute websites (http://biblicalresearch.gc.adventist.org/documents/Methods%20Bible%20Study.htm). It was subsequently published in the Adventist Review (January 22, 1987), pp. 18-24.
Besides the favorable review of the book by the Director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference, George W. Reid, in Ministry, December 1997, 30-31, Receiving the Word was also endorsed by the following prominent thought leaders of the church: Norman R. Gulley, Paul Gordon, Raoul Dederen, Clifford Goldstein, Alberto R. Timm, William H. Shea, Keith Burton, C. Raymond Holmes, Artur A. Stele, and Randall W. Younker.
Alden Thompson, “En Route to a `Plain Reading' of Scripture,” Spectrum 26:4 (January 1998), pp. 50–52. George R. Knight, “Review of Receiving the Word,” in Ministry, December 1997, p. 30; cf. his, “The Case of the Overlooked Postscript: A Footnote on Inspiration,” Ministry, August 1997. See also Charles Scriven, “Embracing the Spirit,” Spectrum 26 (September 1997): 28-37; Norman H. Young, “‘Moderate Liberalism’ Threatens Adventism,” Spectrum 26 (May 1997): 49-50; cf. Timothy E. Crosby, “The Bible: Inspiration and Authority,” Ministry, May 1998, 18-20; Robert M. Johnston, “The Case for a Balanced Hermeneutic,” Ministry, March 1999, 10-12.
See Scriven, Charles. Embracing the Spirit: An Open Letter to the Leaders of Adventism (August 1997). Takoma Park, MD: Columbia Union College. Pipim’s response to Scriven is found in his booklet, In the Spirit of Truth: Key Issues on Biblical Inspiration and Interpretation (1997). Berrien Springs, MI: Berean Books; see also chapter 28 of Pipim’s Must We Be Silent (2001), the chapter entitled “Embracing What Spirit?”
See “Publisher’s Introduction” to “The Remnant Study Bible” (2009). Coldwater, MI: Remnant Publications. pp. v-vi. The 30 contributors to The Remnant Study Bible are well-known conservative Seventh-day Adventists. “These contributors represent a wide cross-section of committed Christians from all walks of life: scholars and laymen, men and women, young and not-so-young” (p. viii).
See “Tell What Now”, accessed March 22, 2011.
“Rise Above Mediocrity, Scholar Tells Youths”, The Times of Zambia, 7 July 2009. Accessed March 25, 2011. See also, his address at Ashesi University College in Ghana: “Dr. Samuel Koranteng Pipim Speaks about Making a Difference”, accessed March 18, 2011.</
See, for example, his three presentations at the 2007 convention of ALIVE (Africans Living In View of Eternity), titled “What’s Wrong with Our Mind?”, “The Greatest Mind”, and “The Transformed Mind”. Accessed via the Hope Media website on March 25, 2011.
As of March 2011 Pipim has given Bible lectures at the following African institutions of higher learning: Babcock University, Nigeria (2001, 2010), Helderberg College, Somerset West, South Africa (2003), University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, Kenya (2003), University of Ghana, Legon (2004), University of Cape-Coast, Ghana (2005, 2007, 2009), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana (2006, 2008), University of Education, Ghana (2007, 2011), Tshwane University of Science & Technology, Pretoria, South Africa (2007), Valley View University, Ghana (2007), University of Lagos, Nigeria (2008), University of Zambia (and Evelyn Horne College), Lusaka, Zambia (2008), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria (2008), Ashesi University College, Ghana (2010), and University of Botswana, Botswana (2011).
For example, during his March 2010 lecture at Ashesi University College in Ghana, Pipim outlined the following steps or principles to aid Africans in their quest to improve conditions on the continent: 1. Know and understand the problem; 2. Grow people to think outside the box; 3. Pursue excellence; and 4. Don’t underestimate the power of one person. See, “Dr. Samuel Koranteng Pipim Speaks about Making a Difference”, accessed March 18, 2011.
Although Pipim lists Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah, Steve Biko, and others as African role-models, in his public lectures on African universities campuses he indicates that he identifies more closely with the philosophy of Dr. J. E. K. Aggrey, a 20th-century Ghanaian scholar, minister, and educator.
From quotes printed on his “Why Lecture Series” invitation bookmarks.
Ellen G. White, Education, p. 57.

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