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The Anonymous Letter concerning the presidential candidacy of Dr. Alex Bryan, which has been circulated to, among others, the WWU Board of Trustees, is nothing more than a collection of half-truths and fabrications. Its assertions are misleading at best, and often simply false. This document gives a point-by-point exposition of the numerous factual inaccuracies of The Anonymous Letter. We will go through the document in order, refuting each assertion with information gleaned from multiple sources, including Dr. Alex Bryan himself. Note: Unless otherwise stated, all quotations refer to The Anonymous Letter, and can be found in the corresponding section of The Letters outline. 1. Alex Bryans Background a. This item claims that Dr. Bryan created a Sunday service church and left Seventh-day Adventist employment. This assertion is a half-truth. The Georgia-Cumberland Conference established the church as a unique approach to young adult evangelism. Part of the strategy included a Sunday evangelistic meeting, based on Ellen G. Whites explicit suggestion in Testimonies to the Church, Volume 9, page 233. While Dr. Bryan remains passionate about evangelism, he has since expressed some regrets about the way this implementation occurred, and has never taught or practiced Sunday-keeping as an alternative to traditional Adventist doctrine. b. This item claims that Dr. Bryan received a Doctor of Ministry degree from George Fox University in emergent church spiritual formation. This assertion is false. Dr. Bryans degree is in church leadership, not spiritual practice. c. This item claims that Dr. Bryan invited his mentor, a self-admitted spiritualist and leader of the emerging church movement, Leonard Sweet to speak for Vespers at Southern Adventist University in an attempt to indoctrinate the Southern University Theology faculty by bringing Sweet to speak with them specifically. This assertion is misleading. Leonard Sweet is not Dr. Bryans mentor, nor are they regularly in contact with each other. Additionally, Sweet has been an invited speaker at General Conference, North American Division, union conference, and local conference gatherings. Furthermore, the assertion that the theology faculty at Southern Adventist University would be so easily indoctrinated by Sweet seems to belittle the credibility of Adventist theologians. d. This item claims that Dr. Bryan opened his pulpit to emerging church leader Shane Claiborne. This assertion is also misleading. Claiborne was an invited guest of Walla Walla University. His visit was part of a regularly scheduled campus weekend of worship. Dr. Bryan played no part in the invitation of Claiborne to the WWU campus, although he did open his pulpit in cooperation with the WWU administration and campus ministries.

2 e. This item claims that Dr. Bryan has called Ellen G. White a 19th century mystic. This assertion is a half-truth. Dr. Bryan did refer to Ellen G. White as a mystic with the intention of emphasizing her supernatural prophetic gift. Dr. Bryan has since clarified his use of the term from the WWU Church pulpit, admitting that the term mystic was not the most precise. f. This item claims that Dr. Bryan promoted Roman Catholic Mystics and Contemplative authors at the Adventist Forum on Spiritual Formation in October 2011. This assertion is misleading. Particularly at an institution of higher education like WWU, standards of academic inquiry necessitate a thorough examination of a wide range of sources on any issue. The works of authors such as Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Brennan Manning, and Henri Nouwen have been widely recognized as excellent and influential contributions to the study of spirituality. Our own Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University utilizes such books. This fact suggests that the study of such books does not imply endorsement of their subject matter. g. This item claims that Dr. Bryan often quotes from the writings of leading emergent church leaders. This assertion is preposterous. It seems to insinuate that it is unacceptable to ever quote a leading emergent church leader from an Adventist pulpit. Generalizations such as this are dangerous and unhelpful. We reject the premise that only Adventist authors should be quoted from the pulpit. h. This item claims that Dr. Bryan belittles Adventist doctrine in favor of mystical experiences. This assertion is false. Dr. Bryan has preached specifically on how Adventists can maintain their unique identity while also being present in the world in which they live. Furthermore, Dr. Bryan is a fifth-generation Seventh-day Adventist who has consistently defended Adventist doctrines from the pulpit. (For access to a library of Dr. Bryans sermons at WWU, please visit www.wwuchurch.org.) 2. Educational Experience a. This item claims that Dr. Bryan does not significantly meet three of the expectations identified in the WWU presidential job description. The expectations, according to the job description, were 1) Possess significant senior leadership experience, 2) Have an earned doctoral degree, and 3) Have teaching experience at the college or university level. This issue was seriously considered by the presidential search committee from the first moment. And after an extensive process of interviewing and vetting, the search committee, led by Elder Max Torkelson, recommended Dr. Bryan to the WWU Board of Trustees. 1. In regards to leadership experience, Dr. Bryan has been the senior pastor of a church that is larger in membership than

3 some of the conferences in this union. Furthermore, Dr. Bryan has been significantly involved in the WWU Presidents Council in his role as senior pastor, and has had the opportunity to intimately understand the dynamics of leading WWU. 2. In regards to the Doctor of Ministry degree, Dr. Bryan would not be the only Adventist university president to hold such a degree. Dr. Gordon Bietz, president of Southern Adventist University since 1997, and Dr. Randall Wisbey, president of La Sierra University since 2007 both hold the very same Doctor of Ministry degree. In addition, former WWU presidential candidates Dr. Dave Thomas and Dr. Dwight Nelson both hold the same degree. 3. In regards to teaching experience, Dr. Bryan has been highly successful in the classroom at WWU. He has taught multiple classes in the WWU Schools of Theology and Business since his arrival. He is widely regarded as a brilliant lecturer, with his classes regularly experiencing long registration waitlists due to their popularity. He is a member of the Honors General Studies committee. While, as pastor, he is not a tenured professor, his classroom and academic experience compares favorably with the rest of the pool of WWU presidential candidates. b. This item merely repeats the commonly accepted opinion that WWU needs a president with a working knowledge of higher education and demonstrated success as a good teacher. Once again, this issue was taken very seriously by the presidential search committee. By the time they recommended his name to the Board of Trustees, the search committee had clearly been satisfied that Dr. Bryan met the criteria enumerated in the presidential job description. 3. Spiritual Formation a. This item states that Dr. Alex Bryan has indicated that Spiritual Formation shall be incorporated in all venues of the WWU church. This statement is half-misunderstanding, half-willful ignorance. At the core level, those who object to spiritual formation are fundamentally confused about its definition. Fortunately, the WWU School of Theology has not been silent on this issue. Dr. Dave Thomas, Dean of the School of Theology, recently authored a concise and thoughtful article on this topic that was published in the Winter 2012 issue of Spectrum Magazine.1 With strong statements like this one so easily available, it is surprising that controversy remains on this topic.

1 David E. Thomas. The Great Spiritual Formation Kerfluffle, (Spectrum Magazine, Vol. 40 No. 1, Winter 2012) 44-49.

4 b. This item claims that Dr. Bryan has significant problems with arrogance as well as a dismissive attitude toward the opinions and arguments of others. This complaint is simply a matter of opinion. From our perspective, it is unfounded. Dr. Bryan has consistently exhibited a commitment to listen respectfully to people with widely differing opinions. We agree that Bryan needs to be willing to listen to people who disagree with him, but it is our opinion that he does this well. c. This item claims that Dr. Bryan has an ecumenical focus and supports joining other denominations and leaving behind our Adventist distinctiveness and practice. This assertion is deeply misleading. While Dr. Bryan is committed to engaging with other Christians to further the cause of Christ, he has never advocated leaving behind the ideas and doctrines that have always set Adventism apart. For example, he is currently slated to be featured on the Loma Linda Broadcast Network to promote his newest book, published by Pacific Press, The Green Cord Dream: Ellen Whites Vision for an End-Time People. (see also Appendix I) d. This item claims that under Dr. Bryans tenure, Seventh-day Adventist beliefs are rarely presented from the pulpit. The Three Angels Messages, the Sanctuary message, the Remnant, the distinctive messages of Adventism are not being heard. This assertion is false. Dr. Bryans pastoral message has consistently been deeply Adventist, and his sermons have been exceedingly helpful in leading the students and faculty of WWU into a deeper understanding of and appreciation for Adventist doctrines.

It is our opinion that, given the above, it is impossible to grant The Anonymous Letter any credibility. We, the undersigned, encourage anyone who has read the letter to disregard it. We believe the WWU Board of Trustees has made a grave mistake IF this letter was allowed to influence their decision against Dr. Bryan. Signed, James Oliver Alexander Scott Bill Lenz Emily Muthersbaugh Sara Mayne Ian Field

 Appendix I: Partial list of venues at which Dr. Bryan has been invited to speak Loma Linda University (school and church) Southern Adventist University (school and church) Andrews University (school and church) Union College Kettering College Canadian University College Newbold College La Sierra University Adventist Intercollegiate Association meeting Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities meeting Campus Ministries national meeting Calimesa Adventist Church Retreat North Cascade Adventist Church Retreat Beyond the Bottom Line, NAD treasurers conference ABC managers conference Numerous Adventist Academies and Church Schools Adventist conferences in Europe and Australia Idaho Conference Camp Meeting Carolina Conference Camp Meeting British Columbia Conference Camp Meeting Georgia--Cumberland Conference Camp Meeting Montana Conference Camp Meeting Multiple Camp Meetings and convocations in Europe and Australia