A Tribute To Dr Raoul Dederen (1925-2016)
By Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, PhD
[NOTE: Dr. Raoul Dederen (1925-2016) was my “doctorvater,” theological and spiritual mentor, pastor, father, and role-model in research and teaching. I learned from him humility in service, simplicity in lifestyle, and graciousness to those who hurt us. Through him I not only discovered the joy of teaching, but also the fact that teaching is, perhaps, the highest office in the ministry. Below is my tribute at his funeral on Friday, October 28, 2016, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Below is my tribute at his funeral on Friday, October 28, 2016, in Ann Arbor, Michigan,[1] The tribute does not reflect his stature as one of our Church’s most distinguished theological giants. (At the appropriate time, I will do so). Rather, in presenting him as a man who was “formed of steel, but coated in clay, the tribute captures some of my personal interactions with him during the last five years of his life—a particularly difficult...
[Dr. Pipim's Thanksgiving Devotional, November 2015]
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend” (Melody Beattie). The key to gratitude is contentment. For a contented heart is a grateful heart. And a heart full of gratitude is a fountain from which life’s richest blessings flow.
“Oh, what a happy soul I am,
Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't
To weep and sigh because I'm blind
I...
(Dr. Pipim's Funeral Tribute To the Late Mother Josephine, June 6, 2013)
Though I’m a Ghanaian living in the USA, and though she was a Nigerian, the late Madam Josephine was my mother. This is why I deem it a privilege to be asked by the immediate family to represent all the people to whom Madam Josephine was a mother.
Before I share my tribute, I’ll briefly explain (i) why Mother Josephine was my mother and (ii) how I got to know her. Then I’ll proceed to share (iii) lessons I’ve learned from her sickness and death.
1. WHY SHE WAS MY MOTHER
Giving birth doesn’t necessarily make a person a mother. Nor does loving and caring alone (as does a step-mother, adoptive mother, guardian, grandmother, aunt, nurse, teacher, or social worker). Motherhood is more than biology (nature) and sociology (nurture); it’s also theology (Scripture). Jesus explains: “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My … mother” (Matthew 12:50).
Correctly understood, a true mother is any woman who caringly...
A Tribute to Iyeling Miller
By Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, PhD
[NOTE:Iyeling Miller was an Australian, a Christian businesswoman, humanitarian, and an active contributor to many missionary projects around the world. She died suddenly of heart attack on March 9, 2013, and her funeral service took place in Sydney, Australia, on March 18 at 11:00 AM.[1]The following is the tribute I paid publicly to her, in my capacity as one who had been closely acquainted with her in her spiritual walk and in her life of service to humanity and to the cause of God. Iyeling was also a Board member of EAGLESonline organization (www.EAGLESonline.org). The title of the tribute, is the subject line of a text message Iyeling had sent me three years before her death. If you want to LISTEN to the audio highlights of the funeral service, you can click on this link: http://eaglesonline.org/resource/conduct-my-funeral/ or https://soundcloud.com/samuel-pipim/conduct-my-funeral-a-tribute.]
I. INTRODUCTION
...
A Tribute to Mrs. Hedwig Jemison
(November 25, 1912—April 5, 2005)
Friday, April 8, 2005, at 11:00 AM, Greeneville SDA Church, Tennessee
By
Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, Ph.D
Director Public Campus Ministries, Michigan Conference
At this solemn hour, I cannot help but call your attention to two great, but contrasting, funerals being conducted today for two influential personalities. The first funeral is taking place in Europe for an 84-year old man. The other is being conducted in this country (USA) for a 92-year old woman. These two individuals live in two super-power nations.
250,000 people are attending the first funeral, with an additional 2 billion watching the event on TV screens around the world. But less than 100 close circuit friends and family are attending the other funeral.
Without doubt, Pope John Paul II was a remarkable man—one who greatly impacted the world and his church because of his religious and political convictions. At...
[Tribute to Dr. C. Mervyn Maxwell]
Pioneer Memorial Church, Andrews University, July 26 1999
By
Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, Ph.D
Director, Public Campus Ministries, Michigan Conference of SDA
Exactly a week ago today, I arrived here in Berrien Springs, MI (from Ann Arbor), in response to an urgent message Dr. Maxwell had left on my answering machine. The message said: “Hello Samuel Pipim, this is Mervyn Maxwell encouraging you to get me your article and diskette as soon as possible. I need to finish my work.”
The specific work he wanted to finish was the editing of the next issue of Adventists Affirm. But I want to believe that he was also speaking about his larger work for the Lord–a work of teaching, writing, singing, preaching, Christian friendship and kindness--for which he is known around the world.
We’ve gathered here this afternoon because our lives have been impacted by a man who believed that...
A TRIBUTE TO DR. GERHARD F. HASEL
By Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, Ph.D.
(Published in the Journal of the Adventist Theological Society 6/1 (Spring 1995):97-111.)
Throughout the centuries of time, great leaders for God--Moses, Deborah, Elijah, Nehemiah, John the Baptist, Paul, Luther, Calvin, Owen, Wesley, James and Ellen White, to mention but a few--have been characterized by a resolute faith in God, and a holy zeal for His honor and glory. The zeal spoken of here should be understood in the manner defined by the prominent Anglican scholar, James I. Packer:
It is not fanaticism; it is not wildness; it is not irresponsible enthusiasm; it is not any form of pushy egoism. It is rather, a humble, reverent, businesslike, single-minded commitment to the hallowing of God's name and the doing of his will.[1]Whenever situations occur in which God's truth and honor are being jeopardized, rather than allowing the matter to go away by default, God...
Beyond Worldly Ambitions, Attractions, and Affections
Matthew 6:19-21
By
Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, Ph.D.
Director, Public Campus Ministries, Michigan Conference
We live in a world in which success is measured by the size of one’s wealth or possessions, by one’s accomplishments or fame, and in terms of one’s IQ, grades or GPA, educational degrees, talent, position or power.
Regrettably, Christians are also often tempted to view success in terms of these temporal realities. They forget that whereas fame, education, wealth, beauty, athletic prowess, talent, and power can easily be lost, there are some things that are of enduring value—such things as compassion, love, generosity, kindness, sympathy, humility, etc. These virtues not only measure the greatness of a person, but they also reveal who a person really is. We call these virtues character traits. According to our Lord Jesus...
(The Call to Faithfulness No Matter What)
By
Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, Ph.D.
Director, Public Campus Ministries, Michigan Conference
In response to liberalism’s sophisticated challenge to our beliefs and practices, the world church sponsored the First International Jerusalem Bible Conference, June 8-14, 1998. The goal of this convocation in Israel was to urge our Bible teachers and thought leaders around the world “to remain faithful to God’s holy Word and the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.” I was invited to be one of the plenary speakers at the conference, apparently because of the impact of my book Receiving the Word. [1]
My original objective was to describe candidly the theological situation in the church, showing the baneful impact of contemporary higher criticism on the church’s life and witness and suggesting a response to it. I chose my title (“Suffering Many Things”)...
Why Must We Forgive and Forget?
By
© Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, PhD
Director, Public Campus Ministries, Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Author, Patience in the Midst of Trials and Afflictions
It is said that the most forgiven people should be the most forgiving people. And yet, this is easier said than done. Some of us are too hurt to forgive those who have wounded us. Let me illustrate what I mean with the following concrete examples that have come to my notice. I have personalized each example so that you can ask yourself this specific question: “Why and how can I forgive and forget this particular person?”
--Your closest friend wants your position; she lies and spreads false rumors about you, ruining your good reputation, and takes your position or job. After...