Julius Nam - Biography

Biography

Nam received a BA in religion from Andrews University in 1990, followed by a MA in systematic theology in 1992, from the same institution. He served as a church pastor in Korea, Michigan and Southern California.

From 2001 to 2005 he was the editor of Compass, a monthly magazine for Korean Adventist youth and young adults in North America. He taught at Pacific Union College for three years, teaching a broad range of Christian subjects. In 2005 he received a PhD in Church History/Adventist Studies, also from Andrews University. His thesis is entitled, "Reactions to Seventh-day Adventist Evangelical Conferences and Questions on Doctrine (1955–1971)" (Chapter 4 available online) and was completed under the guidance of George Knight. His thesis served as a catalyst for the October 2007 conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the publication of Questions on Doctrine.

In 2006 the Pacific Union Conference "commissioned" him to ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He chose to be commissioned, rather than ordained, as an expression of solidarity with women ministers who are currently barred from ordination in the Adventist church. Women ministers are "commissioned" instead. The same year, Nam moved to Loma Linda, California when he accepted a teaching position at the university.

Nam was one of the organizers of the 2007 Questions on Doctrine conference marking the 50th anniversary of the publication of book. The conference was largely precipitated by his doctoral thesis. The book represented major interactions between Adventists and other conservative Christians, yet has been very controversial. The conference was unique in that it gave people with widely differing views opportunity to present a paper, and "no prominent players in the controversy... were left out". It was considered a great success by the attendees, and a time of some healing of longstanding tensions. Nam presented the paper, "The Questions on Doctrine Saga: Contours and Lessons".

Nam co-edited World Religions for Healthcare Professionals with his Loma Linda colleagues, Siroj Sorajjakool and Mark Carr, published by Routledge in 2009.

Nam was one of the main organizers of the "Ellen White Project" (2009), which has brought together 65 scholars of varying backgrounds to write a scholarly work, possibly to be published by Oxford University Press.