Fulton Adventist University College, located in the Pacific Island nation of Fiji, hosted the first Bible and research conference August 19-23, 2025. Hundreds of students, pastors, and local church elders from across Fiji attended the conference.
The Biblical Research Institute (BRI) staff, based at the General Conference in Silver Spring, Maryland, were the featured presenters for the event.
During the five-day conference, the scholars gave presentations covering a wide range of topics, including “Theology and the Mission of the Church,” “Adventist Identity,” “Biblical Hermeneutics and Its Challenges,” “The Doctrine of the Trinity,” “Dual Allegiance and Syncretism in the Adventist Church,” “The Attraction and Danger of Conspiracy Theories,” “Independent Ministries (Offshoots) and their Activities,” “Theological Research and the Use of AI” and more.
Each morning featured a devotional by one of the scholars, and time was allotted for active question-and-answer sessions following the morning and afternoon presentations. The conference culminated on Sabbath with Elias Brasil de Souza, BRI director, presenting the sermon, “Understanding Adventist Theology.” In the afternoon an extended question-and-answer session took place that included the entire BRI team.
Scripture Foundational
Throughout the conference Scripture was emphasized as the foundation of all Seventh-day Adventist beliefs. Reflecting on the impact of Fulton’s first Bible and research conference, Limoni Manu O’Uiha, dean of the School of Theology, stated, “We are so privileged to have the BRI here. The presentations were good and relevant to our students, and they have touched on critical areas.”
Elisha Marfo, dean of Research and Innovation at Fulton, said that the conference was organized to address issues connected with local independent ministries. In Fiji there are 24 offshoot groups.
“We needed to find a way of dealing with that and came up with an agenda that most of the presentations would be about what the independent ministries were teaching. The topics also dealt with questions pastors, students, and members had,” he said.
“The core issue, as we see it, are issues of interpretation,” added O’Uiha. “The presenters reaffirmed to our students that Adventist theology and doctrines are well established.”
A Positive Impact
Tabua Tuima, deputy vice chancellor, was pleased with the positive impact the conference was having on the wider area.
“For our pastors in the field—Fiji plus other areas—these meetings have affirmed them in our worldview and interpretation, and that is why they are asking a lot of questions, which have been answered,” he said.
Matagia Masoe, a third-year theology student from American Samoa, found the question-and-answer sessions particularly helpful, stating, “They gave us a glimpse of what we should know and how to answer these questions.”
A Stronger Research Emphasis
Fulton Adventist University College is placing a stronger emphasis on research. Explaining how the island communities traditionally value oral communication, Ronald Stone, vice chancellor, said, “We wanted BRI to give presentations and to demonstrate how to write so our students would be inspired. Having BRI come was like igniting something in the hearts of our students.”
To further encourage research and writing, the school has introduced two new journals—the Fulton Adventist University College Journal of Theology and the Fulton Adventist University College Interdisciplinary Journal.
During their visit to the campus, BRI donated several books to the school’s library.
Well-Grounded
Expressing gratefulness for the book donation, Agnes Kola, program director of the Master of Arts in Ministry program, pointed out how the students were grateful to have had the opportunity to interact with the BRI scholars. “Thank you so much for the books you have donated,” she added. “We need to go to our well-grounded authors.” In addition to the books, students were encouraged to visit the BRI website for more resources.
Fulton Adventist University College began as the Fiji Training Institute in 1905 and was located on the island of Ovalau, one of more than 330 islands in the Fijian archipelago. In 1940 the school relocated to Tailevu on the country’s largest island, Viti Levu, where it was known as the Fulton Missionary School and later as Fulton Missionary College.
In 2014 the college moved to its current location at Sabeto, near the international airport at Nadi, allowing easier travel access.
Currently Fulton Adventist University College offers fully accredited degrees and diplomas in theology, education, and business. The university college has a total enrollment of 1,594 students, with 665 on campus and the reminder studying at extension campuses in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Kiribati.
