this issue - Biola Magazine

the magazine of biola university
p.26 The Visionary
Influential art patron Roberta Green
Ahmahnson on her new role as Biola’s
‘visionary in residence’
p.28 God and Evolution
Physicist John Bloom shares his scientific
and scriptural concerns about an increasingly
popular theory
Making Room for Art in the Life of Faith
Fall 11
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16
features
Departments
16Sanctuary & Sacred Space
In honor of Biola’s Year of the Arts,
and its theme, “Sanctuary and Sacred Space,” several professors share
their reflections on art and seeking
God whenever and wherever we are.
5Reader Mail
22
22
24
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magazine.biola.edu
Inside Biola’s Year of the Arts
With the help of “visionary in residence” Roberta Green Ahmanson,
Biola has dedicated the academic
year to a celebration of the arts.
We give you a look at some of the
highlights.
The Illusionist
Artist Gregory Michael Hernandez (’99) enjoys playing tricks on
people’s eyes with his imaginative,
geometrical art installations — and
just for Biola Magazine readers, he’s
created an interactive, 3-D take on
Biola’s iconic Bell Tower.
6
The Big Picture
8President’s Perspective
9
The Red Report
26Ask An Expert
28
Defend Your Faith
29
In Print
30Alumni News
39
The Last Word
3
E dit o r ’ s N o te
Space for Art
President Barry H. Corey
Provost and Senior Vice President David Nystrom
Vice President for University Communications and
Marketing Irene Neller
About six months ago, art professor Barry Krammes popped into my office unannounced, looking eager to tell me about something (and ready to ask for some searious real estate in an upcoming issue of the magazine).
The something turned out to be the rough plans for Biola’s “Year of the Arts,” an
ambitious university-wide celebration of art and its place in the Christian life. Led
by influential art patron and longtime Biola supporter Roberta Green Ahmanson —
who agreed to serve as Biola’s “visionary in residence” for 2011–12 — the festival of
events would work to instill appreciation of the arts into students of all backgrounds
and bring some truly exciting artists to campus during the coming year.
After months of planning, the yearlong celebration kicked off this fall, and in its
honor, we’ve decided to devote much of this issue of Biola Magazine to highlighting art, artists and the idea of “Sacred Space,” which Ahmanson has selected as the
year’s theme.
In the pages that follow, you’ll find reflections from President Corey and Biola
professors about the importance of art and the role that it plays in helping us to slow
down and recognize the sacredness of our time and surroundings. In our “Ask an
Expert,” Ahmanson — who has appeared on Time magazine’s list of the 25 most influential U.S. evangelicals and was recently profiled in a lengthy Christianity Today
article under the headline “Connoisseur for Christ” — explains the year’s theme and
makes her case for why evangelicals should care more about the arts.
We’ve also profiled several Biola artists, including music professor Li-shan
Hung, filmmaker Zach King and visual artists Ryan Callis and Gregory Michael
Hernandez. Hernandez has created what I believe to be a first for Biola Magazine: an
interactive piece of art that you can cut out, fold up and display. (A great project for
any little future Biolans you may have at home.) Lastly, we’ve included an overview
of some of the most noteworthy Year of the Arts events — just a fraction of what’s
planned — in case you want to make plans to attend.
My special thanks goes out to Krammes, who has orchestrated much of the Year
of the Arts planning, contributed the essay on page 17 and offered great support and
brainstorming for this issue. Be sure to watch for more coverage of this year’s events
in the months to come.
Editor Jason Newell (’02)
Managing Editor Brett McCracken
Creative Director Brian Miller (’95)
Art Director Jessica (Nelson, ’04) Kemp
Designer Jeffrey Hiendarto
Editorial Intern Amy Seed (’12)
Photographer Stephen Hernandez (’11)
Editorial Board
Rick Bee (’79, M.A. ’90, Ph.D. ’01), Barry H.
Corey, Brett McCracken, Brian Miller (’95),
Adam Morris (’90, M.A. ’97, Ph.D. ’02), Irene
Neller, Jason Newell (’02)
Faculty Advisory Council
Kenneth Berding (M.A. ’96), Murray Decker
(M.A. ’93, Ph.D. ’96), Todd Hall (’91, Ph.D. ’96),
Craig Hazen, Lari Mobley (MBA ’05), Fred
Ramirez, Tamara Welter
Contact Us
Biola Magazine
13800 Biola Avenue
La Mirada, CA 90639-0001
biolamag@biola.edu
(562) 906-4516
magazine.biola.edu
To change your address, email alumni@biola.edu or
call Development Services at (562) 903-4774.
To support Biola University, visit www.biola.edu/
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Biola Magazine is published quarterly by University
Communications and Marketing, Biola University, and
is sent free of charge to alumni, parents, supporters and
friends of the university. Opinions expressed are those
of the authors or their subjects and do not necessarily
represent the official position of Biola University.
Jason Newell (‘02)
Editor
4
The mission of Biola University is biblically centered
education, scholarship and service — equipping men
and women in mind and character to impact the world
for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Re a de r M a il
Top 25 Stories
Debating Hell
What Would Jesus Drive?
Just for fun, I will add two cents (“The Top 25
Stories of the Past 25 Years,” Summer 2011):
Biola alumnus Todd Worrell (Tim’s brother),
who played for the St. Louis Cardinals. Todd
played in two World Series with the Cardinals (1985, 1987) and received baseball’s top
honors as a reliever. My favorite in the top 25
would be number 7, “Radio Silence.” My dad
listened to “The Biola Hour” for many years as
a young Christian and donated faithfully. His
prayer was that one day one of his kids would
attend Biola. Many years later, that kid ended
up being me. Drafted out of high school by
the Cardinals, I opted for Biola (unaware of
my dad’s prayer), where I played baseball with
Todd. I graduated from Biola in 1980.
My sincere appreciation to the Biola Student
Chapel Association that sponsored the May 16
debate [on] whether hell is a place of unending
conscious torment (advocated by Talbot/Biola
professor John McKinley) or a place of total,
irreversible annihilation (my position). No
one who attended that debate, and no one who
reads The Fire That Consumes, could possibly
say, as professor Ashish Naidu does here (“Is
Hell a Vital Doctrine?” Summer 2011), that he
is “not quite sure if there’s any biblical basis”
for annihilationism. Professor Naidu thus argues that hell is an “essential” doctrine, while
pleading ignorance of the biblical texts that
turned Clark Pinnock and Edward Fudge from
traditionalism to annihilationalism, as well
as Aberdeen’s longtime professor I. Howard
Marshall and many others who could also be
named.
I was a little surprised to see that the article
“Polytheistic Christians?” by Moyer Hubbard
in the Spring 2011 issue was not edited a little
more prudently. What took me by surprise was
the comment in the article that “the chairman
of the church drove an exotic luxury sports car
that cost in excess of $100,000. If that doesn’t
bother you it should.” What a “wealth envy”
statement. There are some real issues with a
statement like that. Judas said, “This could
have been sold and the proceeds given to the
poor.” Jesus said, “What do you bother this
woman?” As you are well aware there are many
other examples in Scripture about judging others. Does Mr. Hubbard know the man’s heart,
motive and history of giving? I think not.
What was not mentioned is this: The church
had vetted the man and found him worthy of
the position. Maybe he was independently
wealthy. Maybe he had many people working
for him, and he was successful. Was he a great
supporter of missions? Is he not entitled to
spend his money on finer things? Is success
non-Christian? Who says where the line is
drawn? Mr. Hubbard? This also brings on
another set of questions. Would a car costing
$29,000 have been OK? How about $59,000?
Would a Lexus be OK? How about a Yugo? Or
maybe a motor scooter?
Kell Schmidt (’80)
Reedley, Calif.
Edward William Fudge
Via the website
Stunning New Look
The redesign of the magazine is stunning
(not to mention the remarkable/clever cover
artwork). I greatly applaud you for taking
on a new style and doing so with charm and
elegance. Bravo.
Derick Zeulner, (’04, M.A. ’10)
Dana Point, Calif.
Capitalize Your Name
I favor proper spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. The use of small letters for title and
subtitle trivializes import and placates today’s
sloppy trends.
I was surprised that in Ashish Naidu’s response to the third question on “Annihilationism,” he said, “I’m not quite sure if there’s any
biblical basis for this.” Even though I believe
in the traditional view of hell’s eternal fire, I’ve
known for quite a while that Jesus said to “fear
him who is able to destroy both soul and body
in hell” (Matt. 10:28b). Surely any professor
of theology should not only know about this
verse, but be honest enough to admit it when
discussing the theory.
Linda C. (Rickards, ’79) Brown
Boise, Idaho
Jennifer Dorr (’72)
Bellingham, Wash.
Jack Clifford (’61)
Orlando, Fla.
Correction
Due to an editing error, the Spring 2011 issue
incorrectly listed Elizabeth Koo Edwards’ year
of graduation (“L.A. Stories”). She earned an
M.A. in marriage and family ministries from
Biola’s Rosemead School of Psychology in
1991 and a Ph.D. from Fuller Graduate School
of Psychology in 1997.
Tell us what you think!
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magazine.biola.edu
p.26 Love Warns
A Bible scholar weighs in on why hell
is a central doctrine
p.28 Good Without God
Can ‘new atheists’ really explain the origin
of right and wrong?
Spring ‘11
A look back at the most memorable moments
and milestones in Biola’s recent history
5
Brushing Up
Renowned muralist Kent Twitchell spent much of the summer restoring “The Word,” his towering portrayal of Jesus on the side of Bardwell
Hall. The mural, which was painted in 1990, had whitened and faded
dramatically over the past 20 years, and its top layer was cracked and
flaking. The complicated restoration process involved chemical treatments of the mural’s damaged surface and new layers of vibrant paint.
To see some of Twitchell’s other works, visit www.kenttwitchell.org.
6
photo: Stephen Hernandez
7
magazine.biola.edu
p r e s ide n t ’ s Pe r s Pective
2011-12: The Year of the Arts
B
iola University’s mural, “The Word,” has
for 20 years stretched from top to bottom
of Bardwell Hall, our science building. Painted
by renowned Los Angeles muralist Kent
Twitchell, this mural is one of many in his
repertoire of bigger-than-life outdoor art, from
Philadelphia’s “Dr. J.” to a Southern California
freeway underpass.
Kent was back at Biola this summer restoring “The Word” to its original condition.
Because this singular piece of art is the
largest and most dominant on Biola’s campus,
it has elicited a wide array of responses and
has stimulated many discussions. Art, by
its nature, provokes. It reflects tensions. It
demands from us a response, and inevitably
those responses vary. Art calls us to a deeper
way of thinking and pondering. When art fails
to stretch us in new dimensions to understand
God’s truth and beauty, it has fallen short of its
purpose.
Thinking biblically, or theologically, calls
us to a more robust appreciation of the arts.
Theology is complicated, and sometimes profound articulations of it come through art. The
arts excel at making sense of the big, messy,
incomprehensible world. Likewise, they are
uniquely equipped to explore and encounter
the intricacies and nuances of Christian theology.
This is not to say that art, poetry, photography or film says something directly theological. We need to create in a way that is true to
our experience and our identity as children
of God, who is himself a creator — God, who
created a world that he said was “good,” but
which now groans for restoration to that goodness that has fallen away as a result of sin, as
Paul writes in Romans 8.
Christian art serves its theological purpose
when it embodies this “in between” state
— between a perfect, unblemished creation
on one side and a restored, new creation on
the other. We are between two perfections,
and yet in our imperfect landscape there are
glimpses of incomprehensible beauty that
must be some sort of remembrance or longing for that which we know exists — that for
which we were ultimately created.
As parts of the body of Christ, we recognize that the kingdom of God exists in a curious “now and not yet” place. New Testament
theologian George Ladd helps us understand
the tension between this present evil age
brought about by the fall of man and the reality that Jesus reigns and the Kingdom of God
is present now. We are the mirrors reflecting
it to the world. But the kingdom is also still to
come. It’s a future glory that everything longs
for and looks toward.
Art is at its best when it has tension, because we live in a “now and not yet” world.
Music requires minor chords or dissonant
themes before it can resolve. Films are constantly putting roadblocks in the protagonist’s
path to redemption. The play of light and dark
in a painting, the jolting rhythms of a poem,
the haunting absences of a photograph. So
much of this in art is about tension.
The Christian liberal arts education offers
us a particularly strong framework from which
we can create meaningful art that lives in this
tension. The liberal arts help us broaden our
perspectives, question things, wrestle with
them in ways that are neither shallow nor
simplistic.
Barry H. Corey is the president of Biola University. Visit his office online
at www.biola.edu/president, on Facebook at facebook.com/presidentcorey
and on Twitter at twitter.com/presidentcorey.
8
This Year of the Arts at Biola will help us
focus on God, bringing together an interdisciplinary array of artists and thinkers. It’s an
opportunity for us to understand better what
“practicing theology” looks like in the world of
aesthetics. It’s an opportunity for us to wrestle
with the theological meaning of making art
and culture. It’s an opportunity for us as a
community of believers to think about how
art helps us get through this “now and not yet”
world.
As we begin the 2011–12 fall semester
and welcome 6,000-plus students to a new
academic year, we do this in celebration of the
arts. On page 22 of Biola Magazine is a programmatic overview of Biola University’s Year
of the Arts. My desire is that our community’s
perspective on God’s truth and on the nature
of the beauty that he created will enrich and
delight us. Not for our sake, of course, but to
bring glory to the Lord.
Red
report
Pardon Our Dust!
New structures on campus, by the numbers
Biola’s campus was full of construction workers over the summer, and not just for the long-anticipated new Talbot School of Theology building (which
will be completed in October). Hard hats could also be found in Marshburn Hall and near the pool, where a massive new parking structure was
erected. Here are some facts about these two recently completed projects.
Building photos: Stephen Hernandez
New Parking Structure
Marshburn Portico
Situated between the baseball field and the pool, this new structure will
eliminate the stress of hunting for a place to park five minutes before
class. With enrollment at an all-time high, parking spots have been
highly coveted in recent years. But now, there are plenty to go around.
Over the summer, Marshburn Hall — home of the Cook School of
Intercultural Studies — received a facelift, with renovations to existing facilities and an expansion of space through the enclosure of the
entrance portico.
magazine.biola.edu
9
Art and Belief
In Their Words
Christian artists converge on campus for CIVA conference
“If you came here for
Lewis, I hope you have
a morphing in your
thinking and that
you leave here with
a bigger portion of God.
I hope Lewis becomes
a lens for you, but not
a focus for you. ... This
is a class about learning
more about God through
the lens of Lewis, in
the world in which he’s
placed us, in a way that
I hope, too, will also
end in worship —
which is where every
good academic exercise
should go.”
For a few days in June, 275 artists from around
the world convened on Biola’s campus for the
2011 Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA)
conference. CIVA, an organization founded
in 1979 to help artists, arts pastors, collectors,
critics, designers, historians and videographers explore the profound relationship
between art and faith, partnered with Biola’s
art department to bring the biennial conference to La Mirada.
The theme of this year’s conference, “Matter and Spirit: Art and Belief in a Digital Age,”
focused on the role of physical matter in art,
and included plenary addresses from speakers
such as iconographer Father Patrick Doolan,
poet Malcolm Guite and contemporary sculpture artist Lynn Aldrich.
“The Judeo-Christian worldview enjoins us
to believe in matter,” said Aldrich in her talk
on the role of matter in contemporary art. “It is
the stuff of creation, of which we ourselves are
constituted. ... Matter is declared good by the
living God.”
Presentations during the June 15–19
conference included both academic lectures
and artists presenting their current work. Cal
10
State Long Beach art history professor Karen
Kleinfelder gave an impressive presentation
on the role of spirit, matter and technology in
early 20th century modernist art, for example,
while contemporary artists such as painter
Bruce Herman and environmental designer
John Chan showed videos and images of their
recent work.
The conference also featured numerous
breakout session workshops and seminars,
including tracks on film, spiritual formation,
arts education and arts in the church. Conference attendees could also participate in figure
drawing workshops, photo critiques and a mural painting workshop led by Kent Twitchell.
The weekend conference also included
late-night performances, curated exhibitions,
art excursions to local museums and galleries,
a silent auction for CIVA member art works,
a Saturday night “arts festival,” worship and
prayer, and a “Soul Space” in Giamurra Courtyard for coffee, conversation and creativity.
– Brett McCracken
-Jerry Root (M.Div. ’78), adjunct professor of theology, speaking in June during
the annual summer session class he
teaches on the theology of C.S. Lewis. An
internationally recognized authority on
C.S. Lewis, Root has lectured on Lewis
for 31 years and in over 15 countries.
ONLINE EXTRA:
Watch videos from Jerry
Root’s C.S. Lewis course on
Biola’s iTunes U page.
Three
New Films
by Biolans
In recent years, Biola’s cinematic output has been prodigious. Here are three new
films from students, faculty
and alumni that you should
know about.
Trade of Innocents: Executive produced by film professor John Schmidt,
Trade of Innocents is a true story starring
Mira Sorvino and Dermot Mulroney as
a grieving couple who offer sanctuary to
young Asian girls sold into sex slavery.
It’s set to debut in theaters in 2012.
www.tradeofinnocentsmovie.com.
Civa photos: (Clockwise from top) Geoffrey isley, Silvana Kenney, Courtesy
Five Friends: Co-produced by Ken
Stewart (’06, MBA ’09) and edited by
Kyle Gilbertson (’09), this documentary explores an under-discussed topic:
meaningful friendships between men.
www.fivefriendsmovie.com.
Persimmon: Filmed in Japan by film
professor Dean Yamada and a team of
cinema and media arts students, Persimmon is a moving story about life, death
and letting go. www.persimmonfilm.com.
magazine.biola.edu
Student Filmmaker
Wins YouTube Contest
$35,000 the latest prize for frequently awarded Zach King (’12)
Biola senior Zach King made his first films at
age 7, when he picked up the home video camera and pointed it at his three younger sisters.
At 14, he used money in his “car fund” to buy
video equipment instead, purchasing his first
Mac computer, camera and tripod. Seven years
later, video technology has changed drastically, but King is still making movies. In May
he was named by YouTube as one of the 25
most promising young filmmakers in America,
an accolade that landed him in the pages of the
Los Angeles Times.
As part of its “NextUp Creators contest,”
YouTube awarded King and 24 other up-andcoming amateur filmmakers $35,000 each, as
well as a trip to New York City for a four-day
YouTube Creator Camp.
King, a senior film major from Portland,
Ore., has already amassed quite the trophy
case. In 2009, he won a $2,500 scholarship from Bridgestone Tires when his video
received the Critic’s Choice award in the
Safety Scholars Teen Driver Video Contest. In
2010, he won first place in a Hewlett-Packard
commercial contest, which earned him a trip
to walk the red carpet at the London Film
Festival.
With his $35,000 prize money from YouTube, King said he plans to create a 45-minute
Web series and make more short films for his
YouTube channel (FinalCutKing) and website, www.finalcutking.com.
King started his website in 2008, to offer
training and tips on how to use the editing
software Final Cut Pro. He quickly amassed
thousands of followers and began selling training seminars, which are helping pay his way
through college.
“I had no idea what I was really getting myself into,” said King. “When people ask me if
I have a job, they are always surprised to hear
that I work out of my dorm room full time.”
As for the future, King — who loves
action-adventure films and incorporates
impressive special effects in his own work —
dreams of one day directing feature films, “the
summer blockbuster kind.”
Like many young filmmakers who grew up
on Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, King aspires to be the next Steven Spielberg. Judging
by his success thus far, that doesn’t seem like
an unreasonable ambition.
– Brett McCracken
ONLINE EXTRA:
Watch Zach’s award-winning
videos at magazine.biola.edu.
11
Why You Should Bookmark
‘Biola Now’ Now
Earlier this year, Biola launched an impressive
new website designed to help you — alumni,
parents, students, supporters and friends —
stay up to date on everything that’s happening
at the university. Dubbed “Biola Now,” and
found at now.biola.edu, the site is loaded with
interesting articles, videos and audio, with
fresh content being added daily. Here’s just
some of what you’ll find:
COURSE TITLE
Christian Involvement in Politics
INSTRUCTOR
Scott Waller and Andy Draycott
DESCRIPTION
Should Christians be involved in
the public square, in general, or
the political sphere, specifically?
If so, in what manner should believers expend time and energy
in a variety of political pursuits?
This integration seminar from
the biblical studies and political
science departments explores
these tough questions and more.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
• Politics According to the
Bible by Wayne Grudem
• God’s Politics: Why the
Right Gets it Wrong and
the Left Doesn’t Get It
by Jim Wallis
• The Bible in Politics
by Richard Bauckham
SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS
Conduct a critical analysis comparing the thought of two believers with very divergent views on
politics, as well as the theology
that drives their views
• Breaking news and fun features. Biola
Now is constantly being updated with interesting news — whether it’s a professor
speaking on Capitol Hill, a student winning a major award or alumni working in
intriguing occupations.
• Free classes. Biola Now links you to the
latest offerings on Biola’s iTunes U and
YouTube sites, where you can watch entire 16-week courses for free (along with
chapels, conferences and special video
series).
• Biola’s appearances in the media. Want
to know when Biola is mentioned in the
Los Angeles Times, CNN, Christianity
Today and other media outlets? Just click
on Biola Now’s “News” tab.
• Blog posts from more than 50 professors. Many Biola professors are active
bloggers, and Biola Now makes it easy to
find their insights by bringing all of their
latest posts together in one place, so you
don’t have to jump from blog to blog.
• A complete schedule of upcoming
events. It’s easier than ever to find out
about upcoming concerts, lectures, alumni outings and more. Plus, an “Events
Recap” section offers photos from events
you may have attended.
• A chance to share your opinion. Stories
on Biola Now allow you to give feedback,
ask questions and join in the conversation. You can also easily share stories
through Twitter and Facebook.
• Award-winning design. The site was
recently named “Best News Site” of the
year by eduStyle, a website that spotlights
the best in university Web design.
To visit (and bookmark) Biola Now, just go to
now.biola.edu.
12
Summer
Tweets You Might
Have Missed
After commencement in May and
before opening weekend in August,
Biola’s campus is relatively quiet.
But Biola news doesn’t stop! Follow
@biolau on Twitter for daily updates
from Biola all year round. Here are
a smattering of summer tweets you
might have missed:
May 31: Natasha Miller graduated
from Biola on Saturday; the day
before, she won her third-straight
NAIA Heptathlon title.
June 2: Many Biola students are
doing internships this summer, like
junior @Courtney_Wallis, who is
working for @miirbottles.
June 15: Biola Youth Theater’s
production of “Annie” open tomorrow w/performances through 6/25.
Don’t miss it!
July 7: Prof. Craig Hazen is giving
a lecture on Capitol Hill tomorrow,
12pm-1. If you’re in D.C., come see
him speak!
July 29: Set your DVRs! Prof. Ashish
Naidu will be on Day of Discovery’s
‘What Jesus Said About Life’ this
Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on ion TV:
www.dod.org
Get to Know
Li-Shan Hung, world-class pianist
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice,
practice, practice.
It’s an old joke, and not a particularly funny
one. But Biola professor Li-shan Hung can
testify to its truth; in the course of her impressive musical career (which began at the age
of 5 in her home country of Taiwan), she has
given piano recitals twice at the world-famous
concert venue.
Family Life: When she’s
not teaching or performing, she spends most of
her time with her husband
and two children, ages 7
and 5.
“It’s like having children,” she says. “Before, you have all the excitement. But at the delivery time, you suffer. I’ve even heard people
say, ‘I will never want to do a second time.’ But
I went back again and did a second time.”
In addition to Carnegie Hall, Hung —
who earned a master’s and doctoral degree in
music from the Peabody Institute of the Johns
Hopkins University — has performed in major
Serious About Sushi: She
loves Japanese food. In high
school, she had her mother
agree to take her to a
Japanese restaurant if she
placed first in a national
piano competition in Taiwan
(or settle for homemade
dumplings if she placed
second). She won.
venues all around the world and garnered
numerous awards and accolades. For the past
seven years, she has been sharing her expertise
with students in Biola’s Conservatory of Music, where she serves as an associate professor
and keyboard area coordinator.
Here’s your chance to get to know her
- Jason Newell
Most Unusual Performance: In 1991, she
played at the Moscow Conservatory around
the time of an attempted coup against Soviet
president Mikhail Gorbachev. Outside, tanks
were everywhere, and she had to be escorted
by four armed soldiers.
Favorite Thing About Teaching: “I love the
fellowship with students. I just get to walk
with them to the throne of God, and we pray
together and experience God’s mercy and
God’s leading. It’s
such a privilege to
grow with them.”
Air Time: She’s performed all around the
world, including Italy, Korea, Germany, Austria, France and Canada. “I love to travel, to
the degree that when I pass by an airport or
hear the engine of an aircraft I get excited.”
German Blood? “Some of my friends say
that I have German blood, because I love a
lot of German composers,” she says. Among
her favorite composers: Brahms, Bach,
Beethoven, Schumann and Schubert.
photos: Stephen Hernandez
Rave Reviews: Her performances
have been praised in the pages of
publications such as The Washington
Post, The Baltimore Sun and New York
Concert Review.
magazine.biola.edu
A Score to Settle: “I try to squeeze every minute that I can practice. I
bring scores with me all the time, and if I have even five or 10 minutes
I try to practice.”
13
You’re
Invited
Please join the Biola University
community as we dedicate the
new
Talbot School of Theology building
October 14, 2011
9:30 a.m.
Metz ger Lawn
Following a special dedication
chapel on Metzger Lawn, be
among the first to tour the new
building during a student-led
open house. Then, continue the
celebration by taking part in “Biola
Weekend” — two days of festivities
for students, parents and alumni.
Still Building
Hudd Saffell continues to make a mark on Biola’s campus
Look around Biola’s campus, and you’ll find
Hudd Saffell’s fingerprints everywhere.
As far back as the mid-1970s, Saffell was
playing a key role in shaping the campus that
exists today, heading up the construction company that put up such buildings as Soubirou
Hall, Sigma residence hall, Metzger Hall and
other significant projects.
Now, though he’s long since retired, Saffell
is once again helping to transform the campus
— this time as one of several generous donors
who have contributed to the ambitious new
Talbot School of Theology building, set to
open in October. This spring, he and his wife,
Michele, made a substantial gift toward the
$18.2 million project — driven, he said, by
his support for Biola’s mission of biblically
centered education.
“Biola has stuck to its formula of what it
wants to produce in a student,” he said. “It’s
never wavered or changed or watered it down.
It’s still the same as it was in the beginning,
after 100 years. I think that’s something to be
said for the school.”
When it’s completed in October, the new
four-story theology building will add 34
faculty offices, eight classrooms, two conference rooms, a multi-purpose meeting room,
a prayer chapel and plenty of beautiful study
space to Biola’s campus. But more than the
features of the building itself, Saffell said he’s
excited about the impact that the facility will
make on thousands of future students.
“I think about what this building is going
to provide in the future for young people who
will be salt and light for the world when they
graduate,” he said. “When they get out into the
world, they really will be salting everything
down and improving relationships, improving
society, businesses, churches, everything. And
I don’t know of an awful lot of schools that I
would feel that way about.”
Saffell’s relationship with Biola dates back
to the ’70s, when his company was selected to
build Soubirou Hall, which now houses the
nursing program. He’s felt a strong connection
to the school ever since, even though he never
attended. A few years after retiring from his
construction company, Saffell & McAdam, in
1996, he was invited to join Biola’s Board of
Trustees, where he served for 10 years before
retiring in 2009.
Now, in retirement, Saffell said that he
seeks to use his resources to further God’s
kingdom, recognizing that everything he has
is God’s.
“It’s his, and he lets you use it the best way
you can,” he said. “If you’ve got a heart for people and a heart for God, you’re going to give a
lot more than you keep for yourself. That’s the
greatest way to live that I can think of.”
– Jason Newell and Kira Williams
For information, visit
biola.edu/biolaweekend
or call (562) 903-4728.
How to Support Talbot
The new Talbot School of Theology building is still $630,000 away from being
fully funded. To donate, visit giving.biola.edu or call (800) 632-4652.
14
Tennis
Player Wins
National
Award
Saffell photo: Kira Williams; Calbeck photo: courtesy; Atkinson Photo: courtesy
Being good at sports isn’t always
the same thing as being a good
sport. But both are certainly true
of senior Danielle Calbeck, who
recently earned a national award
honoring her skills and sportsmanship both on and off the
tennis court.
In May, the Intercollegiate
Tennis Association selected
Calbeck for its Arthur Ashe Jr.
Leadership & Sportsmanship
Award, given annually to a male
and female tennis player in each
of the major national conferences.
Calbeck has been a threeyear team representative of the
Biola Athletic Ministry (BAM)
program, in which athletes
minister to each other and serve
the surrounding community. She
has also volunteered as an intern
for the junior high students at her
church, created service opportunities for a group on a San Diego
mission trip and helped teach
tennis to local children.
“She inspires others by the
way she lives her life, putting the
needs of others before those of her
own,” said head coach Dee Henry.
magazine.biola.edu
Golden Girl
Runner Amy Atkinson (’11) wins international medals on a hopeful road
to the Olympics
Amy Atkinson has always loved to run long
distances, but over the past couple of years
her legs have taken her farther than she ever
dreamed possible.
This summer, the recent Biola University
graduate proved herself to be one of the fastest
women in the entire South Pacific, racing in
two international competitions on behalf of
her home island of Guam.
In June, she competed against runners
from 22 nations in the Oceania Regional
Track and Field Championships, bringing
home a gold medal in the 5k and two silver
medals for the 800-meter and 1,500-meter
races. That was the warm-up for early September, when she was expecting to compete in
several races in the Pacific Games, a significant
Olympics-style competition for nations in the
South Pacific that takes place once every four
years. (Her races were scheduled to take place
as Biola Magazine was going to print; visit
magazine.biola.edu to find out how she did.)
Atkinson, who graduated from Biola in
May with a liberal studies degree and plans
to return this year to complete a teaching credential, said the high-profile races have been
exciting for her competitive side, but have also
given her a forum to talk about Christ.
“God is just great, because he’s given me
the opportunity to win a lot of races here on
Guam, and people ask you a lot of questions or
interview you, so it’s been a way to share my
faith,” she said. “I feel like he’s made it clear
that this is what he wants me to do right now.”
Originally from Oregon, Atkinson moved
with her family to Guam when she was 12,
and in the years since has become a star in the
running community. She holds a number of
running records on the island — a small U.S.
territory near the Philippines where her father
pastors a church — and has represented the
island in numerous competitions.
Despite her running abilities, Atkinson
actually didn’t run for the track or cross
country teams while at Biola (where her parents, alumni Greg and Terri, met in the ’80s).
Instead, she fulfilled a childhood dream by
playing on the women’s soccer team, serving
as a captain during her junior and senior years.
She also played on Guam’s national women’s
soccer team, which allowed her to travel and
compete internationally.
It wasn’t until she injured her knee toward
the end of her college career that she decided
to focus her attention completely on running.
Now, she dreams of one day competing in the
Olympics.
“Depending on how the Pacific Games go
and how I place, I am a candidate out of a few
girls to possibly go,” she said. “That’s a big goal
and it’s going to take a lot of work over the
next year. But I’m praying that if that would be
God’s will, it will become a reality.”
Beyond the competitions, Atkinson —
who said attending Biola was the best decision
of her life — plans to pursue a career in education. After completing her teaching credential
this May, she hopes to teach middle school,
perhaps on Guam.
“The schools here are very run down and
poor,” she said. “The teachers don’t get paid
very much. This is my home, and I’ve had so
many opportunities to travel and represent
Guam that it would be cool to come back here
and invest in kids.”
– Jason Newell
15
It’s the theme of Biola’s Year of the Arts,
but what does it mean?
W
hat is sacred space? And how does it relate to art, theology and the life of faith? In the
essays and features that follow, Biola Magazine explores the theme of sacred space from a
variety of perspectives. In the introductory essay, art professor Barry Krammes writes about why
Christians should make room for the sacred spaces of art in their lives. Theology professor John
Coe examines the concept of space as it relates to prayer and worship (p. 19), while photography
professor Kurt Simonson looks at “kairos time” as sacred space (p. 20). On pages 24–25 we see
how one alumni artist is making sense of space through his geometrical installations, and in
an online extra (magazine.biola.edu), literature professor Natasha Duquette explores nature as
sacred space. Finally, in an “Ask an Expert” interview on pages 26–27, Roberta Green Ahmanson
gives her thoughts on sacred space and its role in the Christian life. If that isn’t enough, check out
the calendar of events on pages 22–23 to find out what else is happening at Biola this year related
to the arts and sacred space.
The Arts:
Generous Gifts for All Believers
By Barry Krammes
S
Artwork: (From left to right) Makoto Fujimura, Heidi Peterson
ome people speak of the Christian life in
terms of “battle” and “warrior” language,
metaphors which can certainly be found in
Scripture. But what works better for me as
an artist are biblical descriptors dealing with
nourishment and creation — like images of
nursing mothers, potters forming clay vessels
or shepherds rescuing lost sheep.
The arts (music, literature, poetry, visual
art and architecture, dance, film, theatre and
the culinary arts) are languages of the soul,
distinct from routine language. We turn to
the arts to express our deepest feelings and
to explore the mysteries of both the physical
and spiritual realms. The arts reflect through
sensorial means a celebration of God’s multifaceted and diverse creation. They incorporate
passionate responses to all of life’s experiences. They reflect man’s search for meaning, and
endeavor to make sense out of the fragmented
pieces of our earthly existence.
Although Christian artists value ultimate
truth, they find uncertainty and multilayered
ambiguity to be inhabitable spaces. They approach “scratching” in the world with a sense
of curiosity and childlike wonder, open to all
sorts of possibilities. They think symbolically,
creatively, conceptually and abstractly. Resonating with Paul’s striking image of “seeing
through a mirror dimly,” they feel comfortable
asking difficult questions but are often reluctant to provide too many answers.
Several years ago a friend who has spent his
life ministering in Asia told me the compelling story of a North Korean pastor who was
imprisoned and tortured for his unwavering
commitment to Christ. When his captors
finally released him, his parishioners asked
how he had endured such hellish treatment.
He replied, “I prayed and quoted Scripture
and I danced.”
The arts make us feel alive, lift us up, energize us and offer some of the most powerful
ways to express our praise and adoration to
God.
Another friend, serving with her husband
as missionaries in Europe, was suddenly
hurled into the abyss of despair when her teen-
magazine.biola.edu
age son was brutally murdered. In the months
following his untimely death she found herself
irresistibly drawn to the healing beauty in the
national art museum near her home. Day after
day she wandered the galleries, finding solace
in works by the great masters.
The arts can slow us down and help us
refocus, stimulating deep reflection and stirring our hearts with hope, even in the midst of
wrenching grief.
“Watch The Singing Revolution,” my wife
recommended some time ago, “It’s the amazing documentary of Estonian liberation from
the shackles of Soviet communism.”
The arts make us
feel alive, lift us up,
energize us and offer
some of the most
powerful ways to
express our praise and
adoration to God.
Little Estonia had been the victim of nasty
occupations from neighboring superpowers for decades. Interestingly enough, music
has always played a central role in Estonian
cultural life. Since 1869, countrywide song
festivals have been held every five years in the
capital city with choirs of 30,000 and audiences of hundreds of thousands. Although
these festivals had a nationalistic flavor,
Russian oppressors carefully monitored each
performance.
In the summer of 1988, officials closed
down a rock concert in the center of the
capital. Undeterred, the young audience
walked three miles to the traditional festival
site and resumed singing and for the next six
nights they kept on singing. Each night the
crowds grew larger and stronger as hands were
joined and lifted, hearts were united and those
hauntingly beautiful, illegal-to-sing folk songs
echoed throughout the land. As these beloved,
forbidden hymns began to create a resounding
groundswell, Estonian flags were unfurled,
passions were ignited and during the next
three years Estonians sang one long, unending
song until the enemy was finally defeated.
Currently, Javier Sicilia, a well-loved Mexican novelist/poet is leading grassroots national protests against the soulless drug cartels
and the extreme violence they are inflicting
on the people of Mexico. In China, Ai Weiwei,
an internationally renowned contemporary
visual artist/architect and one of China’s most
prominent political activists, is calling for
radical changes in the Chinese government.
Both artists are in the thick of the most intense
sort of spiritual struggle.
Artists tend to be change agents and the
arts, vehicles that give voice to irrepressible
truths. They can be powerful tools to convict,
convince and inspire positive change in individuals as well as organizations and societies.
I have had the privilege of experiencing
many satisfying, even exhilarating art-filled
moments throughout my life. In his book, Pilgrim Heart, Pepperdine University’s provost,
Dr. Darryl Tippens, suggests that the arts exist
so that we might more fully “encounter truth,
awaken a longing for transcendence, experience mystery and ... cultivate faith through the
exercise of the imagination.”
I concur and would go so far as to say that
if it weren’t for the arts, I probably would
not be a Christian today. For it has been and
continues to be in those mysterious, sensate,
soulful encounters that the Lord has chosen
to confirm his presence and nourish me at the
very center of my being.
Barry Krammes is a professor of art
and director of the University Art
Gallery at Biola.
17
The images on these pages come from Stepen Childs (‘98),
an adjunct professor of photography at Biola
18
Sacred Space, Here and Now
By John Coe
W
Artwork: Steve Childs
hen we think of the important subject
of prayer and worship, it is interesting
to notice that the Christian faith affirms that
sacred spaces and places have more to do with
the when of one’s existence than with where.
Let me explain.
As I write this piece, I happen to be in England, where there are many “sacred places”:
from the stone circles of ancient druids and
other worshipping, superstitious people to the
grandeur of the Christian cathedrals of Westminster, Canterbury and York Minster. Sacred
spaces and places have always been important
to people, for we are by nature a worshiping
people, whether in truth or falsehood. Only
the ignorance of the contemporary skeptical
mind is so foolish to think there are no holy
spaces. As Christians, we do not shirk from
sacred places, for God has given us bodies by
which to worship and pray. He has blessed
certain places where he has acted in space and
time, where we have set down memorials to his
work and his people. Recall the many sacred
places in the Old Testament where saints
remembered the work of God and his people
(Gen. 35:7, 14, 20). We are not pure spirits
who have no place to pray. There is a where-ness
to Christian spirituality. We pray in space
and time, in this room or that building or that
park. And since God has blessed creation, we
too can bless our places of prayer and worship
with external reminders of beauty, goodness,
meaning and significance.
However, we are not just body but are also
a spirit. And as spirit, we are not bound by a
place or a space to approach God. The believer
can approach him at all places and spaces, not
due to any special spiritual ability on our part
but because God has revealed himself to us
by sending his Spirit into us by which we cry
out in prayer, “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15–16).
And the Spirit of God and my spirit are now
one spirit in the Lord so that he indwells my
very person — body and soul — making it his
temple. Thus, wherever I am is a holy place
to worship and pray (1 Cor. 6:17–20). This is
precisely what Jesus and the New Covenant
predicted.
magazine.biola.edu
It was Jesus himself who expanded our notion of worship beyond a place, beyond where
it must take place. The superstitious pagans in
ancient times have always been overly attached
to spaces for worship. Even the Hebrews came
to regard the place and its where-ness as perhaps overly important to the reality of worship
itself. Listen to the Samaritan woman: “Our
fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you
people say that in Jerusalem is the place where
men ought to worship” (John 4:20). She raises
this issue of where-ness as though this were a
theological question of major significance. But
Jesus cuts right through this conversation with
a view to Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit as promised in the New Covenant: “Woman,
believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in
this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. ... But an hour is coming, and
now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the
Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and
those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth (John 2:21–24). In a few words, Jesus has
transformed worship for all times: Worship of
the true God is no longer bound by space or
place but is whenever and wherever the people
of God find themselves.
Because the Spirit indwells us, the best
place to worship is here and the best time is
now. In that sense, the when of prayer determines the where of prayer. Special times and
sacred places of retreat for extended prayer
and solitude are to be encouraged, for all
relationships need these. Nevertheless, when
is the best time to pray? Now. And, thus, there
is no better place to pray than here.
My prayer life has changed over the past
17 years from particular times and special
places to praying now. Right now. The when
of my prayer life has become more important than where. Of course, I do not pray as
I ought. Even Paul the Apostle freely admits
his weakness in prayer: “the Spirit helps our
weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as
we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for
us with groanings too deep for words” so that
we might grow into the image of Christ (Rom.
Because the Spirit
indwells us,
the best place
to worship is here
and the best time
is now.
8:26–29). He is always praying for us in the
deep. And so, even if I fail to pray now, he does
not. Nevertheless, every moment I am invited
to pray, to share whatever is on my mind with
God. Thus, every moment can be a transformation of self-talk to God-talk. The New Covenant has fundamentally transformed external
sacred spaces into an inner-space in which we
are invited to commune with the Living God
— here and now. May the Spirit of God open
us to this reality.
John Coe (’79, M.A. ’83) is the director
of the Institute for Spiritual Formation
and professor of spiritual theology and
philosophy at Biola University. He holds
a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University
of California, Irvine.
19
Chronos, Kairos and Tea Breaks
By Kurt Simonson
“Take my tired body, my confused mind, and my restless
soul into your arms, and give me rest, simple quiet rest.”
T
hese words from Henri Nouwen’s Reaching Out appear at the beginning of my
journal from my first visit to the L’Abri Fellowship in rural Hampshire, England — a place I
have stayed for two summers in order to seek
after rest and sacred space.
To truly experience rest, however, first I
had to learn a few things about time. After
all, this desire to rest that we often feel in our
stress-burdened and anxiety-filled lives comes
from a desire to get out of the manic flow of
time, to slow down, and to find that muchneeded rest. Yet still, that rest often remains
elusive, so it might do us some good to first
re-examine what we mean when we talk about
time. To most contemporary Westerners, this
is simple. There is one word for time, and when
we say time, we mean something that has to
do with our schedules, the hours, the days,
the allotted moments to get certain things
done. Time is something that we think we can
manage, and we get frustrated when we lose
it, or more specifically, lose our control over
it.
When I was about 8 years old, I read A
Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, a book
that has forever haunted me. It was the first
time that I had a taste of understanding time
differently, and later as an adult I came to
understand why. As L’Engle writes in Walking
on Water, ancient cultures understood time far
differently, and probably far better, than we do.
The Greeks had two words for time: chronos
and kairos, both of which are used in Scripture,
and yet sadly many of us have lost the distinction between them.
We all know chronos — it’s the world of the
clock, time marching onward as a chronology
of linear history. L’Engle explains that kairos,
on the other hand, is:
20
Real time, God’s time. That time which
breaks through chronos with a shock of joy, that
time we do not recognize while we are experiencing it, but only afterwards, because kairos
has nothing to do with chronological time. In
kairos, we are completely unselfconscious, and
yet paradoxically far more real than we can ever
be when we’re constantly checking our watches
for chronological time. The saint in contemplation, lost to self in the mind of God is in kairos.
The artist at work is in kairos. The child at play,
totally thrown outside herself in the game, be it
building a sand castle or making a daisy chain,
is in kairos. In kairos we become what we are
called to be as human beings, co-creators with
God, touching on the wonder of creation. This
calling should not be limited to artists, or saints,
but it is a fearful calling.
The images on the adjacent page are from a
body of work that I’m tentatively calling “And
there was evening, and there was morning.”
They are all images that in one way or another
touch upon the sense of kairos, a moment of
participation in God’s time, outside of the
stress and anxiety of our chronos time.
Of course, one does not have to be in a
manor house in rural England to experience
rest, or a sense of God’s peace, but often we
need these places to be stark contrasts to the
life we’ve found ourselves wrapped up into.
Here, outside of my normal chronos, I was able
to enter into the life of the L’Abri community,
a place where each day has a rhythm and a
liturgy. There’s a time for everything, whether
that be personal study, prayer and reading,
or chores like laundry, gardening and food
preparation. All meals are shared together
as a community, as are multiple tea breaks
throughout the day, because, of course, this is
England, and the world stops for tea. I think
they are on to something with that. In these
daily rhythms, the slavery of a schedule falls
away to provide a space where everything
can potentially be experienced in kairos time,
and as I would stop to sip tea with my fellow
pilgrims, I began to see that. Rabbi Abraham Heschel, in his book The
Sabbath, reminds us that in the Jewish mindset, the goal of time is “not to have, but to be.”
Time, kairos time, is a sacred space. Heschel
warns that we can’t solve our problems with
time through the conquest of time; we can
only solve the problem of time through its
sanctification, which he refers to as “building
cathedrals within time.” It is time, and the
events that occur within time, that God has
made holy, not specific spaces, as is the case in
other religions. A restful retreat to someplace
special is often what we need in our modern
lives, but it can also happen wherever you are,
right now, because we have a God who has intervened in chronos and occasionally shows us
what participation in his time looks like. Have
a cup of tea and think about that for a while.
Stop doing, and start being; you might just see
and experience a little bit of kairos.
Kurt Simonson (’00) is an artist and
assistant professor of photography
at Biola University. His work has
been exhibited throughout the country
and internationally. View his work at
www.kurtsimonson.com.
Photos courtesy of Kurt Simonson
The photographs
shown here are from
Kurt Simonson’s project
“And there was evening,
and there was morning,”
a series of still life studies
done at the English
L’Abri between 2007
and 2010. To see more
of the work, visit
www.kurtsimonson.com
Inside Biola’s
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011
The Art of Maja Lisa Engelhardt from
the Ahmanson Collection
Maja Lisa Engelhardt is a beloved
Danish artist who has lived and worked
in France, Denmark and Ireland. Internationally known, her lyrical abstractions are based on childhood memories,
expressions of Christian faith and the
special light of spring in Denmark.
T
his fall, Biola launched its first-ever
“Year of the Arts,” two semesters
dedicated to deepening our understanding and love of God through the arts.
Over the coming months, Biola will
bring several highly celebrated musicians,
painters, performers, poets, filmmakers
and thinkers to campus to share their
works and insights. Here are just some of
the highlights of the year to come.
OCTOBER 2011
Searching for Sanctuary in Film
Professor Gerald Fisher and the Cinema
and Media Arts department present
Biola’s first-ever non-student film festival. “Searching for Sanctuary in Film,”
a one-day film festival, will explore the
universal, multifaceted human longing
for a safe haven through recent awardwinning films from around the world.
November 2011
December 2011
Recital with Ann Schein, Pianist
Conservatory of Music Annual Christmas concert: Manger of Glory
Ann Schein is a celebrated pianist who
has performed in more than 50 countries around the world and received
many distinguished honors for her performances and recordings of Chopin.
According to The Washington Post, she
“creates music so powerful you cannot
tear your self away.
FEBRUARY 2012
An Evening with Dana Gioia, former chairman of the National
Endowment for the Arts
Dana Gioia currently serves as the Judge Widney Professor of Poetry
and Public Culture at the University of Southern California. Among
many other accomplishments, his poetry collection, Interrogations at
Noon, won the 2002 American Book Award.
22
Biola will celebrate the incarnation of
the Savior with its annual Christmas
concert, produced this year by Amick
Byram, a two-time Grammy nominee. This annual tradition, featuring
instrumental and vocal performances of
Christmas hymns, is a favorite for many
alumni and community members.
“Dana Gioia is one of those
rare people who really
deserve to be called
‘national treasure.’”
Gregory Wolfe,
Image Journal
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
MARCH 2012
MARCH 2012
Twentieth-Century British Art from
the Ahmanson Collection
Lecture and Recital with Paul
Barnes, Pianist
7th Annual Biola Art Symposium:
Sacred Space & the Role of the Artist
This major exhibition, exploring
the role of Christianity in visual art
throughout the 20th century in Great
Britain, will include paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures by some of
the most important and beloved 20thcentury British artists, including Stanley Spencer, Eric Gill, Jacob Epstein,
Barbara Hepworth, Edward Burra and
Graham Sutherland.
Praised by The New York Times for his
“Lisztian thunder and deft fluidity,”
pianist Paul Barnes has electrified
audiences with his intensely expressive
playing and cutting-edge programming. In honor of American composer
Phillip Glass’s 75th birthday, Barnes will
perform Glass’s piano music, following a
lecture on Glass.
The 7th annual art symposium will offer
an array of speakers and performers eager to explore how artistic vision transmutes sacred space from metaphysical
imagination to physical reality, thereby
helping all of us glimpse, experience and
ponder God and his universe in ways we
had not previously considered.
APRIL 2012
An Evening with Painter Makoto
Fujimura
Makoto Fujimura is an internationally
known painter, writer and advocate for
the arts and Christianity. As the founder
and director of IAM (International
Arts Movement) Fujimura is a leading spokesperson, calling for a more
redemptive, loving, Christ-filled art.
MAY 2012
ALL YEAR
Sacred Spaces/Cursed Places Oratorio
Robert Denham, Composer
“Random Acts of Culture”
Robert Denham of Biola’s Conservatory of Music is composing a new
oratorio, Sacred Spaces/Cursed Places,
especially for the year of the arts. Conceptually the oratorio deals with the
paradox of “holy” places that have
been desecrated with unholy activity.
Premiers with members of the Pacific
Orchestra will take place on Biola’s
campus and at Orange County Rescue
Mission’s Village of Hope.
Throughout the year, professor Elizabeth
Larson and the Conservatory of Music
will implement a new concert series that
brings soloists and ensembles out of the
music building and into spaces on campus usually not considered performance
venues, including eating areas, the Fluor
Fountain and other high-traffic sites.
“[Robert Denham] is one
of the most gifted composers of his generation.”
Timothy Lees,
concertmaster, Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra
DATE TBA
Poetry Reading with Scott Cairns
Scott Cairns has been praised as “one of the best poets alive” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Dillard. According to Publishers Weekly, his subject matter includes “the mysteries, consolations and consequences of Christian belief. … Cairns seeks compassionate ways
to apply the lessons of theologians or of Christ to his own life.”
For a full calendar of events,
including detailed information for each of the events seen here, visit biola.edu/yota or call (562) 903-4807 to request a festival events poster.
magazine.biola.edu
23
The Illusionist
Artist Gregory Michael Hernandez (’99) bends reality with his imaginative, geometrical installations
by Betsi L. Freeman
Visitors to the Emma Gray Headquarters art
gallery this summer were immersed in a 3-D
optical illusion: Flatland, an installation project by artist Gregory Michael Hernandez.
To produce Flatland, Hernandez first went
to the Mojave Desert and built a frame replicating the shape of the gallery, intersecting
with an existing abandoned homestead. He
then photographed the combined structures,
returned to Emma Gray Headquarters, and
installed intricate paintings, wooden boards
and gradated shadows at precise angles. Taken
together, it is as if the viewer is in the homestead, looking out at the desert beyond.
“If you stand in the right spot, you get the
perspective of a house around you, and only a
portion of it is actually physically in the space,
and the rest of it is sort of shadows and paintings,” Hernandez said. “The gallery has always
been seen as a white cube, and as a white cube,
it exists apart from the world and allows you to
focus on the art object. I wanted to play with
the idea of bringing things into the gallery, or
specifically, bringing the wilderness into the
gallery … bringing real life into the space.”
Since graduating from Biola in 1999 with
a degree in drawing and painting, Hernandez
has pursued art wholeheartedly, employing his
skills in math, construction and photography
in conjunction with more traditional art forms.
24
Hernandez’s Flatland installations experiment with geometry and perception.
“In the past couple of years, I’ve been
playing with this idea of how through visual
language and perception, how can you pique
the imagination of people to consider two
different things happening in one space?” Hernandez said. “Giving the viewer a sense that
you are here, but you’re also somewhere else.”
Hernandez’s earlier 2011 project The Dig,
a re-creation of a 1977 Bruce Metro project,
found him following in the footsteps of another performance artist by digging a hole and
taking self-portraits at various heights. The
photographs were then layered onto a background photo of the boarded-up Los Angeles
Hall of Justice.
“I thought about the time-space connection between [Metro] and I, because I repeated
his actions on the same exact day, exactly 34
years after he did. I followed the time intervals
… when he took a picture at 1:30 p.m., I took a
picture at 1:30 p.m.,” Hernandez said. “To me,
digging has become a metaphor of pretty much
what I do as an artist. I find something, I want
to know what’s underneath the surface, I’m
digging it up.”
Hernandez, who lives in Los Angeles with his
wife, Elise Barclay, credits Biola with giving him
dedicated mentors, and opening his eyes to the
world he would be entering upon graduation.
“It was a four-year incubation period where
I was able to weave together the historical
traditions of my faith and thinking about the
classic images and texts of the faith tradition,
and thrusting that into this art conversation
for hundreds and hundreds of years … and
combining that with the culture around us,”
Hernandez said.
Over the past 12 years, Hernandez has
supported himself by setting up other artists’
installations in art galleries in the Los Angeles
area, picking up skills in construction along
the way. He currently works for Susanne Vielmetter Gallery in Culver City, which has given
him networking opportunities with curators
and art collectors. Hernandez is also a recent
recipient of an Emerging Artist Grant from the
California Community Foundation.
“I’ve never been the type to run up to
somebody and say, ‘Here’s my card,’” Hernandez said. “I’ve always been sort of quiet
and just done my job, and if somebody asks
me about my job, well then, I’ll answer. And I
think L.A.’s the type of place where, if you quietly do your thing and are constantly improving yourself and your own work … if it’s good,
eventually it’s going to get noticed.”
‘Captive Universe #58: Biola Bell Tower’
Gregory Michael Hernandez created this build-it-yourself 3-D representation of the Bell Tower just for Biola
Magazine. Here’s how to put it together:
1. Make some color copies first, in case of any mistakes.
Photos courtesy of Gregory Michael Hernandez
2. Cut the image out along its outer edges.
3. Fold every straight edge that joins a square to an
octagon, leaving a sharp crease.
4. With the image facing down, fold each “arm” upward
from the center until it touches the adjacent “arm.”
Tape each edge together from the inside.
5. When complete, the shape will look similar to the
top image on the adjacent page.
Go to magazine.biola.edu for a completed example.
magazine.biola.edu
25
A s k a n ex p e r t
What is Sacred Space?
A
s part of Biola University’s Year of the
Arts, philanthropist, art historian and
collector Roberta Green Ahmanson was
invited to be Biola’s 2011–12 “visionary in residence.” Last spring, environmental designer
John Chan was the first visionary in residence,
choosing the theme “The Future of Paradise,”
an interdisciplinary exploration through the
vantages of art, architecture, urban studies,
theology and ecology.
As the second visionary in residence,
Ahmanson — who chairs the board of New
York’s Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA)
— has chosen the theme of “Sanctuary and
Sacred Space.” As part of this, Ahmanson
has helped to organize and fund a yearlong
series of exhibits, interdisciplinary lectures,
concerts, readings, symposia and collaborative
projects (see a partial calendar of this year’s
events on page 22).
Biola Magazine recently sat down with
Ahmanson — who along with her husband,
Howard, was listed among the 25 “most influential U.S. evangelicals” by Time magazine in
2005 — to ask her about “sacred space” and
the importance of art in the Christian life.
The following is an edited transcript of the
interview.
Roberta, how do you see your role as
“visionary in residence” for the 2011–12
“Year of the Arts” at Biola?
Well it’s a great honor and it’s also somewhat flabbergasting. I think it’s visionary on
the part of Biola to have this position. I’m
looking forward to it a lot. I think it’s really
a wonderful thing Biola is choosing to do,
to place an emphasis on something that is
non-utilitarian, something non-pragmatic. It’s
an emphasis on something that is even more
important — who you are, what kind of person
you are, how you understand the working
of God in your life and in the world. It’s an
emphasis on something all human beings can
share and enjoy.
26
We’ve got so many strands of the arts that
will be a part of this year. The goal is to emphasize the essential role that the arts play in
being human, particularly in being a Christian
human, because the arts are about our ability
to create — which we get from being created
in the image of the Great Creator.
You have selected “Sanctuary and
Sacred Space” as the theme for your
yearlong collaboration with Biola’s
Year of the Arts. What do you mean
by “sacred space?”
A friend of mine who is Russian has done
a lot of work on something he calls hierotopy,
which is sacred space, and how hierotopy is an
art form. Human beings create sacred spaces
— spaces where they can worship, spaces that
honor God. This is essential to being human.
Joel Kotkin, who is Jewish, wrote a book
called The City: A Global History, and in it he
says that there are three things a city needs to
have to survive and thrive over time. The first
is it needs to provide safety and project power
beyond its borders, so people feel safe. Second,
it needs to foster a thriving economy. And
three, it needs to provide sacred space. If any
one of those three is missing, the city will not
survive over time.
All the arts play in to creating sacred spaces, because a space is both its architecture and
its furnishings, its sounds, its smells, its touch,
its taste. If you think about it, the Christian liturgy historically was in itself a dramatic form,
with taste and touch and sight and smell and
sound. You had the architecture of the space,
people moving in the space, people taking the
Eucharist in the space, you heard singing and
instruments, you smelled incense, you could
touch the pews, the walls. All the arts, if you
will, come to play in the liturgy, but when
we take them out of the church and in to the
world, they don’t lose that power.
One of the projects at Biola this year is
going to be a charette, which is an architectural
term for bringing a bunch of people together
to figure something out. It will be led by
architect Paul Bertelli and Danish artist Peter
Brandes. They are going to lead a charette to
design a sacred space at the Orange County
Rescue Mission’s Double R Ranch. Paul and
Peter are going to lead a group of Biola people
and others to do this charette to plan this
space, and it will eventually be built. There are
also some plans for some Biola students and
faculty to create some sacred spaces on the
Biola campus.
The purpose of all this is to talk about
how we understand space and our presence in
space, the kinds of spaces we create and what
we communicate by them.
What would you consider the “sacred
spaces” in your life?
Two places come to my mind immediately,
and then a couple more. One is a church I
attended for many years in Toronto — little
Trinity Anglican Church. It was a place where
I could think and pray and worship, and
where I felt at home. The same was true of the
old St. James Episcopal Church in Newport
Beach. It was built in the ’50s when people
built churches like churches. One place on
the planet that makes me feel overwhelmed
with awe and wonder is La Sagrada Familia
in Barcelona, Gaudi’s great church growing
out of the ground. But also in Barcelona is
Gaudi’s Park Guell, which is a place I love to
go because I love to be there, sit and see his
inventiveness. Places like Park Guell are places
where you can contemplate.
In a culture that is so distracted,
impatient and busy, how do you make
the case for the importance of making
space for the arts?
When you only do the utilitarian you
become dry, you become cynical, you become
dead. If you are overstimulated you become
agitated and you can’t do anything. Augustine
says our hearts are restless until they rest in
God. We are restless because of the longing
which is deep within us. No matter how busy
you are, you need to make space.
iStockphoto
What would you say to Christians who
say that we shouldn’t waste money on
buildings and aesthetics when we could
be using it to serve the poor? Why is art
important for the mission of the church?
The medieval church served the poor.
They had alms houses all over Europe. But at
magazine.biola.edu
the same time they were doing that they were
building Chartes Cathedral. There was an
understanding that that beauty, that grandeur, that extravagance of color, design, shape
and space was something that human beings
longed for and needed, even when they were
sick and poor.
There’s a Catholic theologian philosopher
named Dietrich von Hildebrand who wrote a
book called The Nature of Love. In it, one of his
examples is the Wedding at Cana, and he says
that Christians need to understand that part
of what Christ was teaching at Cana was how
necessary to us celebration and extravagance
are. It’s not that we shouldn’t be giving money
to the poor and the suffering, but in that we are
just meeting material needs. Human beings
are more than that. We all have spiritual and
emotional needs of our being. The first miracle
Jesus does is not to feed the hungry, give drink
to the thirsty or heal the sick. His first miracle
is to make wine, and not just any wine, but fine
wine for a party. Von Hildebrand says this is
the extravagance of God. Why do we feed the
hungry, give water to the thirsty, heal the sick?
So they can enter into joy. Joy is the theme.
The arts in all of their aspects bring us into joy,
though sometimes the journey is difficult. Art
isn’t easy, but it takes you somewhere beyond
yourself and outside of your own little world.
That’s the path to joy.
It’s always both/and. We need to be working to care for those in all sorts of need, but at
the same time we can’t forget why. Those early
Christians who had the heavenly Jerusalem
on the arch over the altar were living in the
present reality of the coming reality. And
that’s what sacred space is all about, where you
understand that it isn’t just now and it isn’t
just material. We don’t live in a world that is
merely material, but we live in a world that was
created by someone who loved matter. God
created this tension within us, but it’s also a
wonderful unity.
As a lover and curator of the arts, do
you have any recommendations for what
a Christian evangelical university like
Biola can do to improve the climate of
appreciation and engagement with art?
The biggest thing I would say is that evangelical Christians need to look and look and
look, and to understand. They need to engage
artists who don’t agree with them theologically
or morally, and to look at a lot of contemporary
art. Some of it is good; some of it’s not. Like
any age, there’s good art and bad art. Often
though, what Christians have done is to retreat
into surrounding themselves with what I would
call sentimental images, which are pretty and
sweet but are caricatures of reality.
You have to develop your taste. The more
you see, the more you learn. A lot of evangelical Christians just haven’t looked enough.
Los Angeles is a huge art city. It has one of
the most important art schools in the world
in Cal Arts. Then there’s Parsons, and the Art
Center in Pasadena, and they’re all very good.
Engage them. But also there’s MOCA, there’s
LACMA, there’s lots of galleries in Los Angeles. It’s a matter of looking, and by looking
you discern, trying to understand the mind
and spirit behind what’s going on. You develop
taste by looking, by experiencing; you understand the world we live in, and then you’re able
to communicate with it. But if you don’t speak
the language, you can’t communicate.
Is there anything else you’d like to say
about art, sacred space, or Biola’s Year
of the Arts?
I think it’s exciting that Biola — with its
heritage of wanting to uphold orthodoxy and
share the gospel with the whole world, which
is a thing to be very proud of — is taking on
something that applies this important understanding to the contemporary world. I really
admire Biola for its holding on to the essentials of the Christian faith while also applying
it to all realms of life, including intellectual
life and the arts.
Ab o u t the E x p e r t
Roberta Green Ahmanson
is a writer, philanthropist
and art enthusiast who is
serving as Biola’s visionary
in residence for 2011–12.
She and her husband, Howard,
live in Corona Del Mar, Calif.
27
D e f e n d y o u r f a ith
Theistic Evolution
Isn’t Fit for Survival
T
heistic Evolution is a view
held by Christians who
believe that Darwinian evolution
is true. Some theistic evolutionists believe that God guided the
evolutionary process and that
Adam and Eve were animals
“ensouled” by God, but a vocal
group of theistic evolutionists
today takes a more radical view,
insisting that the conservative
evangelical interpretation of Genesis as history needs to change.
These theistic evolutionists insist
that God did not even guide the
evolutionary process, that the Fall
never occurred, and that Adam,
Eve and the Garden of Eden are
only myth or metaphors. Proponents of this view, who sometimes
call themselves “evolutionary
creationists,” often appear on the
BioLogos Foundation website
(www.biologos.org) and were
sympathetically presented in a
recent Christianity Today cover
story.
The key issue here is this: “Is
Darwinism true?” Darwinian
evolution appears to occur at a
trivial level, like drug resistance
in bacteria, but Darwinism is
28
certainly not true on larger scales
or helpful in answering crucial
questions such as how the major
animal groups originated during
the Cambrian Explosion (a period
of sudden diversification in the
fossil record) or where humans
came from. (Do we really share
a common ancestor with chimps?)
For starters, Darwinists do
not have a clue how life first got
started “by itself,” as was well
documented in the recent movie
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.
The genetic code, “the language of
life,” turns out not to be a “frozen
accident” in DNA, as Francis
Crick proposed, but is designed to
minimize the mutational change
in proteins. We recently discovered that the male Y chromosome
between humans and chimps is
only about 50 percent similar, and
that overall, human and chimp
DNA are only about 75 percent
similar, not the 98 percent value
which we have heard for decades.
An explosion of biochemical data
over the past 10 years showing the
unimaginable complexity of living things has overwhelmed the
Darwinian story that somehow
everything gradually mutated
and was somehow selected, so
that here we are. For example,
Darwinists did not predict that
“junk DNA” and “pseudogenes”
— long held to be useless leftovers
from the evolutionary process —
play critical roles in cell regulation, nor did they anticipate the
sheer genius of alternative gene
splicing.
A second issue is whether this
new, radical theistic evolution
view makes theological sense.
If God did not even guide the
evolutionary process, how is
God sovereign over his creation?
Did God intentionally make us
in his image? If humans gradually evolved, and our sinfulness
is merely the inherent selfishness resulting from a Darwinian
process, then human history
is progress, not corruption, so
shouldn’t humans ultimately be
good enough not to need a savior?
Given Psalm 19:1–3 and Romans
1:20, why must we assume that
God’s actions and attributes
are absolutely undetectable by
science? And if we think that
Adam and Eve are mythical, who
else is? Noah? Abraham? Moses?
Samuel? David? Such skepticism
towards the historical accounts in
early Genesis (and elsewhere by
extension of the same methods) is
typical of liberal theology, which
historically evangelicals opposed.
In fact, many of these same issues began poisoning mainline
seminaries a century ago, and led
to Biola’s founding.
This is not the time to be
deciding what beliefs we should
give up in order to help prop up a
failing vision in science. In fact, I
find it striking that just when the
biochemical evidence for creation
is becoming dramatically clearer,
some Christians who accept
Darwinism as true feel that they
must attack creationists and mythologize important Scriptures.
A sober look at what Darwin
cannot explain should give them
pause and perhaps more respect
for their brothers and sisters who
have solid scientific and biblical
reasons for questioning this prevailing naturalistic paradigm.
ONLINE
EXTRA:
For more information
and resources, including details about the
studies mentioned, visit
the online version of this
column at magazine.
biola.edu.
John A. Bloom is a professor
of physics and academic
director of the M.A. in science
and religion program at
Biola University. He holds a
Ph.D. in physics from Cornell
University and a Ph.D. in
Ancient Near Eastern studies
from the Annenberg Research
Institute.
Books
by
Biolans
I Choose to Forgive: an
Intimate Journey with
God, by Dianne B. Collard (’98, M.A. ’04), WestBow Press, March 2011;
We live in a fallen world
where offenses and serious
grievances occur in every
person’s life. These painful
situations demand that
all of us face the question,
“Does God expect me
to forgive?” I Choose to
Forgive is a heartbreaking
journey from devastation
to freedom and presents a
strong biblical foundation
undergirding the practical
steps of doing forgiveness.
Earthen Vessels: Why Our Bodies Matter to our Faith,
by Matthew Lee Anderson (’04), Bethany House, June 2011. Our
bodies matter. Christians today sometimes forget this, dangerously
ignoring the importance of their physical selves when it comes to
technology, sexuality, worship and even death. Anderson’s book
will help readers learn what the Bible says about our bodies and
grow to appreciate the importance of embodiment in our spiritual
lives. Just as Christ’s body was crucial to our salvation, our own
bodies are an important part of the complete Christian life.
The Whole Bible
Story: Everything That
Happens in the Bible
In Plain English, by
William H. Marty (’65),
Bethany House, March
2011. The Bible tells a story
of God’s love for people
throughout history. But
often the story can get lost
among the laws, genealogies, prophecies, poetry and
instructions. Here, Marty,
a professor at Moody Bible
Institute, retells the entire
story in the Bible in one
easy-to-read, chronological
account aimed at both new
Christians and seasoned
believers wanting a
refresher course.
Doing Philosophy as
a Christian, by Garrett
J. DeWeese (professor of
philosophy of religion and
ethics), IVP Academic,
September 2011. After
addressing the oft-misunderstood relation between
faith and reason, DeWeese
elucidates the fundamental questions of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics
and aesthetics, philosophy
of mind and philosophy of
science, finally making a
case for the integration of
philosophy and Christian
spiritual formation.
Six - W o r d S u m m a r y
March of Progress Image: Veer
Don’t Avoid Goodbyes.
Prune With Purpose.
Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses,
and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up
in Order to Move Forward, by Henry Cloud (Ph.D. ’88),
HarperBusiness, January 2011.
magazine.biola.edu
Knowing Grace: Cultivating a Lifestyle of
Godliness, by Joanne
Jung (M.A. ’01, assistant
professor of biblical studies and spiritual formation), Biblica Publishing,
May 2011; There are many
fine written works describing the need, purpose and
methods of spiritual disciplines. Knowing Grace
complements these by
fostering and deepening
the reader’s engagement
with God through various
means of grace, emphasizing God’s initiation, invitation and empowering to
engage with him in ways
that foster a greater sensitivity to his movements,
stirrings, nudges and
voice. By growing more
familiar with being in his
presence, one experiences
more of his grace, moving
us from duty to delight.
Walking in the Spirit,
By Kenneth Berding (M.A.
’96, associate professor of
New Testament), Crossway Books, August 2011.
In this journey into what
the Bible teaches about life
in the Holy Spirit, Berding
uses the apostle Paul and
his words in Romans 8 to
model what it looks like to
live both empowered and
set free by the Spirit. Written at an accessible level,
Berding covers a variety
of topics, showing readers
how to set their minds on
the things of the Spirit, put
to death the deeds of the
body, be led by the Spirit,
know the fatherhood of
God, and hope and pray in
the Spirit. Discussion questions for each chapter facilitate personal reflection
and small-group study.
29
W he r e a r e they n o w ?
Alumni
News
New s a n d N o te s
Janice Ardrey (’65) recently retired from a
16-year teaching career in veterinary technology at Cosumnes River College. She also
worked for 25 years as a registered veterinary
technician and 12 years as Christian education director of Willow Ranch Baptist Church.
Janice currently lives in Ione, Calif., with her
husband of 48 years, Loren. They have two
daughters and three grandchildren. Janice also
teaches a women’s Bible study and volunteers
in the library of her church. Lynne Hawkins (’65) recently retired after
serving with TEAM in Zimbabwe for 40 years.
She now serves the Lord in Fresno, Calif., with
Kairos, a ministry to women at Valley State
Prison for women, and CASA as a court appointed special advocate for children in foster
care.
Robert Seelye (’65)
recently published
his autobiography,
Amazed By Grace.
Coming from a
liberal church,
he and his wife,
Barbara, had some
traumatic but
faith-building early
days. The book
traces the shaping
of their lives, which resulted in many coming
to Christ. Ministry trips were taken abroad,
including four two-week evangelistic meetings
in Catholic Malta. Evangelism was forbidden
for 600 years; a loophole in the law opened the
doors. Robert developed a soul-winning tract
called “The Gentle Touch” to which people
respond based on what (little or much) they
already know, trusting Christ when the dots
connect. To preview the book, go to www.
amazedbygrace.net.
Diane (Nisbet, ’79) Zalk and her husband,
Bob, are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on Nov. 1. The couple lives in Lake-
30
wood Village in Long Beach, Calif., and as of
fall 2011 both their sons are Biola students:
Tim is in his fourth year at Biola, and Andy is
a freshman.
Bob Fritch (’81) was recently appointed by
the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem–USA Branch as the local liaison for the
Phoenix, Ariz., area.
David and Karen Cassidy (’83) finalized the
adoption of two older Ethiopian children on
July 5, 2011. They welcomed Hosanna, 12,
and Leza, 13, to their family. The children join
the couple’s two biological children, Sean, 16,
and Rachel, 14. The Cassidys live in Arroyo
Grande, Calif., and celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary this summer.
Dave Beyer (’84) was named sports information director for Mercer University in
January 2010. Beyer has more than 25 years of
service in the athletics media relations field,
most recently serving in a similar capacity
at Benedictine University (Ill.). He has also
worked as the SID at Rockford College (Ill.),
Loras College (Iowa), Aurora University (Ill.),
Cal State-San Bernardino, Rancho Santiago
Community College (Calif.) and Biola University during his career. Beyer is a member of
the College Sports Information Directors of
America (CoSIDA) and is in his 11th year sitting on the prestigious Capital One Academic
All-America Committee. He is also in his sixth
year as a member of CoSIDA’s Publication
Contest committee.
This year Bill (M.Div. ’86) and Pam (Rogers,
’83) Farrel launched a new website, www.
love-wise.com, and released several new
books: 10 Best Decisions a Man Can Make, 10
Best Decisions a Single Can Make; and 52 Ways
to Wow Your Husband (all published by Harvest House). Bill and Pam add, “Our education
and the strong network of friends and professors have given us a great foundation to build
on to reach many for the kingdom. (Thanks
Biola and Talbot!)”
Jenny Dayco (’01) has been designing and creating her own jewelry
for the past six years. Her jewelry
designs have been featured in magazines such as Elle, Marie Claire and
Teen Vogue, and have been worn by
such celebrities as Ke$ha, Eva Longoria, Beyonce Knowles and Taylor
Swift. Dayco said the inspiration for
her jewelry comes from iconic figures
and famous movie roles. “Sometimes
it’s just creative instinct. I’ll see a
part, a pendant, a stone, and I let
that thing — whatever it be — inform me what to do with it,” Dayco
said. “When I see a part I like, I have
this internal dialogue, and I try to
envision making it into a necklace,
earrings, ring or bracelet.” Before she
became a jewelry designer, Dayco
worked as a graphic designer, an art
gallery assistant, an agent assistant,
a junior agent and a wardrobe stylist
assistant. She attributes much of
her success to the relationships she
built with people during these years
and the friends who spread the word
about her jewelry. She hopes to design more jewelry for costumes that
are used in music videos and photo
shoots. Her designs are displayed
online at www.jennydayco.com.
The Rumor Mill
Fact:
After 27 years of faithful service to Biola,
Michael Anthony (‘75. M.A. ‘76), vice provost
of academic development and effectiveness and
a professor of Christian education, recently left
Biola to become president and CEO of Hume
International Ministries.
Al u m n i f ile s
Survey Says …
S
Fiction:
Chick-Fil-A has plans to build a location
on Biola’s campus.
Unsubstantiated:
An incoming Biola student won a sizable
scholarship by constructing a prom dress
entirely out of Duck-brand duct tape.
magazine.biola.edu
everal alumni surveys have been completed in recent months that have helped
us gain significant insights on both our alumni
services and your attitudes as graduates and
former students. Surveys like these help us
know where to adjust focus, and help ensure
that the programs, events and services that
we provide for you are worth our time (and
budget) and yours!
Here are some highlights:
• Alumni want to be more involved. Those
who live near Biola want to help with
student mentorships, internships and
career advice. Those at a distance want
to provide networking for students who
come to their areas.
• Alumni (especially young alumni) want
the kind of professional networking that
their peers in the best secular schools
have.
• Alumni want to feel appreciated for
more than just their pocketbooks.
• 96 percent of alumni from our online
survey describe the quality of their
education as good to outstanding, and
98 percent felt their education prepared
them for their chosen career.
And, when it comes to giving back:
• Alumni are surprised that more alumni
don’t give back to Biola (about 12 percent of alumni give back each year) and
many have asked why giving percentages
aren’t higher.
• Alumni are passionate about supporting scholarships and faculty salaries,
especially in the programs from which
they graduated.
• Alumni understand the need for more
classrooms and dorm space, but want to
make sure we are taking care of students’
financial needs first.
So, why aren’t more alumni giving back?
We’re not really sure! Our data suggests that
only a few alumni consider school loans to be
a challenge to supporting their alma mater.
Others have expressed an interest in hearing more about the university’s needs before
giving. And some say they aren’t in a position
to help due to the economy. If something is
holding you back from supporting Biola, I
would encourage you to email me. If there is
more that your alumni office can and should
be doing to better communicate with you, I’d
like to know!
So, what are we doing with the tons of data
we have gathered from you? Well, for starters:
• We are making changes to better serve
your needs. Over the summer, we
launched a new alumni online directory
with more than 7,000 active alumni
email addresses. (Find it at biola.edu/
alumni.) If you have taken a few minutes
to check it out, you know how easy it is
to keep your information current and
help provide a resource directory for
fellow alumni.
• We are working with academic departments to create internships and career
advisement that, with your involvement,
will help new grads and other alumni
find employment.
• We are building a stronger sense of Biola
pride in our current students. That begins by telling stories of alumni — like
you — who have come before and overcome difficult situations to accomplish
much for the Kingdom.
• We are examining affordability, training
students about debt and increasing our
efforts to raise scholarship support.
• We are creating more opportunities
for alumni involvement, from academic advice to service projects. We
want you to continue to serve with
us in preparing future generations of
Biolans.
My special thanks to all of
you who have completed a survey in recent months. Watch
your mail and email for opportunities to serve with us
here at Biola! Together, we
are … Alumni for Life!
Rick Bee (’79, M.A. ’90, Ph.D.
’01) is senior director of
alumni relations. Email
him at alumni@biola.edu
or call (562) 903-4728.
31
Mikel Del Rosario (’96, M.A. ’03) is a Christian apologetics professor, speaker and trainer
in Roseville, Calif. He will begin teaching
Christian apologetics courses at Western Seminary and William Jessup University this fall.
Mikel also teaches a world religions course
at University of Phoenix and now represents
Biola University as the Biola alumni chapter
leader for the Sacramento area. Mikel was recently featured as a plenary speaker alongside
J.P. Moreland, Craig Hazen and Clay Jones at
“Reasonable Faith in an Uncertain World” in
Rocklin, Calif. Mikel helps Christians defend
the faith with confidence. Visit his website at
apologeticsguy.com.
William Casey Wells (’06) was recently
admitted to the University of Southern California Master of Construction Engineering &
Management program and was also recently
promoted to senior associate/relationship
manager at Wells Fargo Real Estate Equity.
William is concurrently pursuing an M.S. in
biotechnology and M.S. in bioscience regulation at The Johns Hopkins University. In
addition to his current academic pursuits, William holds an MBA from USC and an M.S. in
real estate finance & development from MIT.
William intends to found a private equity firm
focused on opportunistic real estate investment and life sciences venture capital.
Thaddeus
Williams
(’01, M.A. ’05)
recently published
Love, Freedom, and
Evil: Does Authentic
Love Require Free
Will? (Rodopi,
2011). Contemporizing insights
from Augustine
and Edwards, sympathetically handling the
arguments of Rob Bell, and bringing theology
through the atmosphere to the real world, the
book is intended to be a vital resource for anyone seeking to “increase and abound in love.”
www.lovefreedomandevil.com.
Richard Williams (’06) recently joined the
highly selective Teach For America’s 2011
Teaching Corps. After six years in church
youth ministry, he is now teaching Algebra II
to 10th grade students at Animo Leadership
Charter High School in Inglewood, Calif.
As one of 9,300 corps members teaching in
high-need public schools in 43 regions around
the country, Richard is thrilled to be working
alongside other dedicated educators to give
students the educational opportunities they
deserve. “I could not be more proud of my
students, who are so capable and are working
hard every day,” he said. “In their faces, I see
future members of the college Class of 2018!
And who knows? With my help, perhaps a few
of them will be Biolans!”
Michelle Anderson (’06) is a contemporary
Christian recording artist who just released a
new single, “Do You Know My Name?” While
at Biola, Michelle began writing her own music and traveled to Nashville and Richmond
to perform and learn from other Christian
artists. She took extensive vocal training, and
even went to round three in American Idol in
2006. Michelle currently lives in Los Angeles
and is working on an album, hopefully to be
completed by the new year. You can download
Michelle’s song on iTunes and watch the music
video at www.vimeo.com/michelleanderson.
Joe Miller (D.Min. ’11) recently published his
fifth book, More Than Cake: 52 Meditations to
Feed Your Team. The book is a compilation of
52 meditations that take on issues of church,
culture and theology in a way that will engage
your team in a full-orbed discussion of life.
Miller is currently an adjunct professor in
Southern California teaching a variety of
courses in practical theology and leadership.
In addition, he coaches multiple church planters. You can purchase his new book online at
www.createspace.com/3375589.
Did you know?
Biola won three awards in this year’s eduStyle Higher-ed
Web Awards. Biola Undergrad (undergrad.biola.edu) won
“Best Sub-Site” and “Best Admissions Site” and Biola Now
(now.biola.edu) won “Best News Site.” Biola Magazine
(magazine.biola.edu) was also nominated.
32
W he r e a r e they n o w ?
Joseph King Barkley (’98) initially laughed at the idea of becoming a pastor, but now finds himself
leading a church. After graduating
from Biola in 1998 with a degree in
business marketing, Joseph pursued
a musical career, touring the country
with the worship band Plumbline.
In 2005, Joseph and his wife, Katie,
became two of the co-founders of
Ecclesia, a church that meets to worship in the heart of Hollywood, in the
historic Pacific Theater. Though he
had preached a few sermons on Sundays, Joseph’s role at Ecclesia was primarily to lead worship until former
pastor Brandon Dickerson decided to
step down in 2009. Then God spoke
to Barkley about stepping up. Now
in his second year as Ecclesia’s lead
pastor, Joseph said his preaching is
aimed at putting God’s wisdom into
practice, and allowing the Holy Spirit
to transform lives. “[Hollywood is]
a vulnerable place, and people make
a lot of awful decisions to address
the isolation they feel. We want to
meet them in that point of need as an
expression of God’s love for them—
to replace their false sense of worth
with the identity that can be theirs
in Christ.” The Barkleys have two
daughters: Tessa, 5, and Marlow, 2.
W eddi n g s
Dr. Roberta (Price, ’74) Zapf married Wiley
Roberson (’77) on the island of Kauai on June
9, 2011. Both bride and groom attended Biola
in the ’70s and are currently living in Bakersfield, Calif.
Debra P. Marquez (’01) and Shane A. Butts
were married on March 19, 2011, in Ruidoso,
N.M. Donna M. Araujo, Debra’s sister, was
matron of honor and Brennan Cross, Shane’s
oldest nephew, was best man. Chaplain Darrell
Winter of Race Track ministry, where Debra
volunteers, presided.
Kevin Wong (’04, M.A. ’08) and Sarah
Hannesson (’08) were married at Mariners
Church, in Irvine, Calif., on June 12, 2010.
They met through Sarah’s sister and maid of
honor, Laura Hannesson (’08). Other alumni
participants included best man Michael Owen
(’05, ’10); groomsmen Clint Stringfellow (’04)
and John Burge (’06); bridesmaids Adria Murphy (’09), Gina Centanni (’09) and Amanda
Turner (’08); and officiant professor Ben
Shin. The couple now lives in Orange County,
Calif., where Sarah works for a law office and a
Christian nonprofit. Kevin is pursuing further
graduate studies at Fuller Theological Seminary while teaching part-time for Biola’s M.A.
in Christian apologetics and M.A. in science
and religion programs.
Travis Eisenhour and Charlotte Newkirk
(’05) were married March 5, 2011, in Lomita,
Calif. Biolans in the wedding party were Daniel Newkirk (’03, M.A. ’09), Sarah (North, ’04,
M.A. ’09) Fordyce, Jamie Rosenberry (’06),
Crystal Sachau (’04) and Joy (Buller, ’05)
Walker. The happy couple honeymooned in
New Zealand and currently lives in Torrance,
Calif. Travis works as an engineer in Redondo
Beach and Charlotte is an accounting manager
in Anaheim.
Annelise (Guisinger, ’07) and Jason Wiens
were married in a traditional Anglican ceremony on April 30, 2011, in Washington, D.C.
Biolans in the wedding party included Laura
Cuthill (’06). Annelise and Jason met while
walking to work on Capitol Hill and continue
to work for members of Congress. They attend
the Church of the Resurrection.
magazine.biola.edu
Amber Brady (’08) and David Briggs were
married at Christ’s Church of Tucson, Ariz.,
on Jan. 15, 2011, in a ceremony officiated
by pastor Dale Briggs, the groom’s father.
Bridesmaids included Biolans Jocey Rogalski
(’08), Ashley Nicolaides (’09) and Megan
Brady (’08). The couple now reside in Scottville, Mich., on Briggs Farm. David is a herd
manager and Amber works at a Christian
pregnancy center.
Amanda (Vidak, ’08) and Hans Frei were
married June 25, 2010, in Stockton, Calif.
They enjoyed a relaxing and tropical honeymoon in the Caribbean on Carnival Cruise
Lines. Amanda teaches fifth grade at a
Christian school in Stockton and is working
on clearing her teaching credential. Hans is
a controls engineer in Modesto. They live in
Oakdale.
Lehua Kamakawiwoole (’09) married David
Faulkner on May 29, 2011, in Kaneohe,
Hawaii. Biolans in the wedding party included
Amy Cano (’09) and Katherine Duarte (’09).
The couple honeymooned on the big island of
Hawaii. Lehua works as an associate graphic
designer in the University Communications
and Marketing department at Biola, and David
works as an assistant editor at Pixwel, a postproduction studio in Hollywood.
Newkirk-Eisenhour Wedding
Guisinger-Wiens Wedding
Brady-Briggs Wedding
Zapf-Roberson Wedding
Vidak-Frei Wedding
Hannesson-Wong Wedding
Kamakawiwoole-Faulkner Wedding
33
D e a th s
Paul Woodrow Rood (’37), son of Biola’s
third president, Paul Rood, passed away on
May 6, 2011, at Mt. Miguel Covenant Village
in Spring Valley, Calif. Born on June 4, 1914,
“Woody” spent his childhood in Minnesota,
Washington and California. After attending
Moody Bible Institute for two years, he transferred to the Bible Institute of Los Angeles
in 1935 when his father became president.
At Biola, Woodrow studied music and voice
under Herbert G. Tovey. A year after graduating, he married Tovey’s daughter, Ruth, in a
ceremony officiated by two Biola presidents:
his father and Louis Talbot. Over the course of
the next 40 years, Woodrow served in pastoral
ministry in churches throughout California
and Arizona, while also serving on the boards
of numerous organizations. In 1949, still early
in his ministry career, Biola awarded him an
honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. After the
death of Ruth in 1987, he later married Leona
Horberg, who was his companion for nearly
20 years before her passing in 2006. Woodrow
loved to minister and encourage others, and
in his limited free time enjoyed golfing. He
is survived by his son, Raymond Paul, and
daughter-in-law, Mary-Ellen; grandson, Blake
Edward, and wife Becky; great-grandson,
Jackson Paul; younger brother, Don Rood,
and sister-in-law Margaret Ann Rood; and 10
nieces and nephews.
Robert Leslie Carpenter (’44) passed away on
May 1, 2011, surrounded by his family. He was
89. Born on Oct. 29, 1921, in San Diego, Calif.,
Bob moved to Los Angeles as a child. After
high school he enrolled in the Bible Institute
of Los Angeles, majoring in Bible and graduating in 1944. After graduating from Biola he enrolled in Westmont College, graduating with
a degree in history. At Biola and Westmont, he
lettered in both basketball and baseball. Bob
married Jane Yount in 1945, and in 1950, he
became the pastor at the Garden Farms Union
Church in Atascadero. During that time they
were blessed with the birth of their son, Tim,
and their daughter, Carol. In October 1957,
Bob became the pastor at Nyeland Community Church in Oxnard. Pastor Bob served
as the shepherd of this flock for 31 years. In
1980, Jane went to be with the Lord. Shortly
thereafter, their longtime friend, Art Ramey,
went home to be with the Lord. In 1982, Bob
and Anna Ramey were united in marriage.
34
Bob and Anna continued to serve together
until Bob retired from Nyeland Community
Church in 1988. Following retirement, Bob,
with his helpmate Anna, continued to serve
the Lord in a variety of ministries, including
as an interim pastor at several churches in
Southern California, as well as a year at South
Hills Bible Church in Spokane, Wash.
Verna B. Smith (’47) was born in Dallas,
Ore., on Feb. 5, 1924, and went to be with
her Lord and Savior on June 23, 2011. Verna
grew up just outside of Dallas in the Guthrie
community. Her parents were Edward and
Beulah Pike. She attended Biola College and
completed her teaching and counseling degree
through Asuza Pacific College Advance Program. Verna married her school sweetheart,
Joseph H. Smith, in 1946. They then moved
to Southern California, where they eventually established a home in Long Beach. After a
successful career in education as a teacher and
eventually an administrator, she retired with
Joseph to Yreka, Calif., where she remained
until her return to the land of her birth. She
lived out her final years at the Dallas Retirement Village. Verna was a vivacious Christian
who loved people and loved sharing stories of
her life and the many adventures she enjoyed
throughout her 87 years.
Thomas “Thom” Michael Flavin (’89) of
Gilbert, Ariz., was called home to be with
his Lord on July 11, 2011, in Chandler, Ariz.,
at the age of 51. Thom was born in 1960 to
Francis and Patricia Flavin in Evergreen Park,
Ill. He served his Lord all his life and was an
encouragement and example to all who knew
him. He is survived by his wife, Susan, four
children and four brothers.
Q&A
Q. Which Biola employee managed to
work on campus as a commencement
chair-placer, an admissions campus
tour guide, a cashier, a central plant
maintenance man, and a campus safety
trainee during one week in May?
W he r e a r e they n o w ?
Samuel Joseph Smythe (’07)
has been working as a composer
and technical coordinator for video
games, film and television since
graduating from Biola with a degree
in music composition. Sam earned
a graduate certificate in scoring for
motion pictures and television from
the University of Southern California in 2008, and has been working
as an assistant to film and television
composers ever since. Sam currently assists composer Jim Dooley,
whose credits include the new FX
show Wilfred, the ABC show Pushing
Daisies and the recently released
Disney video game Epic Mickey. Sam
writes additional music for Dooley,
as well as helping to run a studio
housing 26 computers synchronized
to simulate an orchestra. Sam is
also collaborating with fellow Biola
alumni Ben Long, Trenton Waterston and Andrew Fisher on a short
film called Buttons In The Ground,
and takes on other freelance projects
as a composer. His musical style is
grounded in a traditional orchestral
sound, but he enjoys using a variety
of styles. “It’s been a long journey
and a lot of up and down,” Sam said,
but quickly adds that he feels called
to his work. “It ultimately makes me
very happy … it’s nice to wake up
and really love your job.”
A. President Corey. As part of a video
spoof of the popular TV show, Undercover Boss, Corey donned moustaches,
sunglasses and various uniforms to
showcase the day-to-day work of Biola
staff members. The video, which can
be viewed on YouTube at youtube.com/
biolauniversity, was first shown to employees at a June all-staff training day.
B i o l a n s u p cl o s e
Biolans Up Close: Ryan Callis (’02)
Artist, designer, assistant to Jim Carrey
In the nine years since Ryan Callis (’02) graduated from Biola University, the Long Beach, Calif.-based painter has had his work shown in
galleries across the country and featured in publications like Artweek,
OC Weekly and the Los Angeles Times, where he was included in the
article “45 Painters Under 45” in 2007. Callis — who received his MFA
from Claremont Graduate University in 2007 — has also been the studio assistant of actor Jim Carrey, and recently launched a canvas shop
in Seal Beach. He recently shared some of his story — and art — with
Biola Magazine.
I graduated with my B.S. in
Art Therapy in 2002. Biola was
a good place for me to live in a
college bubble and focus on work.
My friends that went to other
schools didn’t have the same experience as they either commuted
to school, or got wrapped up in
the city where the school was
located, where at Biola you live on
campus in urban sprawl so you are
stranded with good friends, and
your schoolwork.
elements and turning those into
a new combination. So I don’t get
stuck on a certain brand of paint,
or a certain procedure of painting.
I make it a game.
I have been very fortunate to
have had a lot of exposure and
Kids, kids, kids, and our business occupy my time these days.
Jim Carrey has been making
art since he was 10, and he’s
My new project is my shop in Seal
Beach which will be a beacon of
hope and good vibes in an otherwise terribly dull world.
obsessed with it. I am his studio
assistant.
Canvas Shop is our new undertaking. There is a history of artists
owned a gallery in Los Angeles
for a while, and made a lot of art.
It’s been fun.
Painting chose me at a young
age. I was always interested in art
have had work shown nationally
and abroad. I have had gallery
representation, and played
that whole art world game, but
recently quit my gallery (Taylor
De Cordoba in Culver City) and
decided I’m bored with those
soulless shenanigans.
opening shops as an art project
so we thought we would give it a
try. Like a giant installation. We
do custom canvas (boat covers,
patio covers, etc.) and classes, and
retail, events, art, etc. It’s a whole
thing.
as it is one of the few things about
the physical world that makes
sense in multiple ways.
My favorite show was one that
I did last year for my friend
I have designed album covers,
T-shirt design and posters. I
Amanda up in Idaho at Northwest
Nazarene University, where she
got a great group of her college
students to help me make the
work for the show on the gallery
walls for a week leading up to the
opening. It was a blast.
love doing “design.” It’s way more
fun than making boring, cerebral
paintings. But mostly I insist on
making boring cerebral paintings
as it allows me plenty of time to be
alone with my thoughts.
My painting “style” changes
with whatever project I am
working on. I would say overall
my style is a “make do” style, as I
think one of my favorite aspects
of art-making is taking disparate
Ab o u t the
ill u s t r a t o r
magazine.biola.edu
I’ve also taught, done a lot of
gallery and museum work,
I live in a small town, surf
almost every day, go to my shop
and make things out of canvas,
sail, paint, have great community,
and go to a great small church.
My life is made up of work, work,
work, but it’s a blast as I’ve been
blessed with a commitment to
make my life mine and make my
work count. Each activity leads to
the next thing, and God is always
winking on my wife and I, and it
has been really fun. Hard work,
but fun.
This illustration is a self portrait by Ryan Callis. View more of his artwork at magazine.biola.edu.
35
B i r th s
Bill (M.A. ’08) and Angela (Yarrall, ’04) Loudon celebrated the birth of a baby boy, Cedric
Thomas Loudon, on May 24. Cedric was born in
Bogota, Colombia, where the couple is serving
as missionaries. He’s their first baby after 12.5
years of marriage. “We have waited for him for a
long time!” Angela said.
Ralph (’01) and Wendy (Pinkham, ’98) Grant
welcomed Liam Charles Grant on Dec. 5, 2010.
Big sister Ainsley and big brother Rafe love him
to pieces. The Grants live in La Mirada, where
Ralph is a general contractor and Wendy works
lots of hours at home and a few hours at CHOC
Children’s Hospital as a physical therapist.
Ricky and Shannon (Hueners, ’02) Vaught are
delighted to announce the birth of their son, Titus Richard. He was born July 6, 2010, weighing
7 pounds, 14 ounces and measuring 21 inches.
The Vaughts reside in Belleville, Ill.
Steve and Ruby (Burgan, ’03, M.A. ’05) Lin are
grateful and blessed to announce the birth of
their son, Hudson Stephen. He was born on July
28, 2010, at 12:42 a.m. at 6 pounds, 1 ounce and
19 inches long. Steve works at the University of
Southern California as a webmaster. Ruby will
begin teaching at Biola this fall as an adjunct
teacher in the School of Education.
Jeremy (’03) and Liza (Okazaki) Gant proudly
announce the birth of their first son, Peyton
Tetsu Semucyo Gant, on March 3, 2011. Jeremy
graduated from the radio, television, film program and currently has his own ministry-minded
production company, One Ten Pictures (www.
onetenpictures.com). Liza is the kids small
groups lead coordinator at Saddleback Church.
Together they lead annual children’s PEACE missions trips to Rwanda; hence the second middle
name of Semucyo (which means “of the light”).
Send Us Your
News & Notes
Email
Mail
biolamag@biola.edu
News & Notes
Biola Magazine
13800 Biola Avenue
La Mirada,
CA, 90639
Website
magazine.biola.edu
36
Steve and Kelley (’04) Crummitt would like
to announce the birth of their first baby, Kate
Marie Crummitt, on Feb. 19, 2011. She weighed
8 pounds, 2 ounces and was 21 inches long. Kate
is the most precious baby and they are thanking
God daily for the gift he has given them.
Michael (’05) and Kimi (Payne, ’05) Musser
welcomed Quinten Kenichi on May 13, 2011.
Michael is a freelance graphic designer who
owns his own small business, Anticipate Invitations. Kimi is a speech language pathologist
in the surrounding area school districts. They
currently reside in Marietta, Pa.
Luke (’07) and Jocelyn (Ventura, ’06) Glaze
are proud to announce the birth of their first
son, River Luke, born on Feb. 14, 2011, in Amman, Jordan. The Glazes currently live in Jordan
and are working for a nonprofit organization.
Gordon (’07) and Sarah (Steele, ’08) Hendrickson welcomed their first baby girl,
Corinne Taylor, on July 10, 2010. She weighed
9 pounds, 1 ounce and was 21 inches long. She
is happy and healthy and such a joy. Gordon is
working as a police officer in Los Angeles and
Sarah is substitute teacher and stay-at-home
mom.
Garrett (’08) and Lisa (Geerdes, ’08) De Blauw
would like to joyfully announce the birth of
their beautiful little girl, Emma Jane De Blauw.
She was born June 26, 2010, at HOAG in
Newport Beach, Calif., and weighed 9 pounds,
5 ounces and was 21 inches long. The family resides in Costa Mesa, Calif. where Garrett works
Answer:
for SER law firm and Lisa manages performing
groups at Disneyland.
W he r e a r e they n o w ?
Photographer Angi Welsch (’10)
hasn’t let any grass grow under her
feet since graduating from Biola in
2010 with a degree in studio arts.
Her senior show at Biola, portraits
of a Riverside family made up of 13
children adopted from foster care,
was also shown by Phantom Galleries and Gallery 1233 in Long Beach.
“I’m drawn to people struggling to
get through everyday life within
different cultures,” Angi said. Angi
estimates she’s taken over 40 domestic flights in the past year to capture
weddings and portraits, including
work for designer Julia Barbee and
musicians Luke Barber, James David,
and Evrika. Her photography has
been featured on specialty websites
and blogs such as FFFFound, Style
Me Pretty, Ruffled, VisualizeUs,
and Grey Likes Weddings. She also
spent a month in Reykjavik, Iceland,
beginning a project on the theme of
isolation, and hopes to return once
a year to add to that body of work.
Angi credits Biola faculty with helping shape her character as she makes
artistic decisions, and teaching her
“to create as I was created, and really
respond to God in my photography.”
Angi plans to move to New York this
fall to pursue work assisting a documentary photographer.
Please limit your updates to 60 words and
include your years of graduation or last year you
attended Biola.
to appear in the In Print section, self-published
books must have a back cover endorsement from
a known name in the book’s field.
Death announcements must be submitted by a
family member or be accompanied by a photocopy of a published obituary.
Photos must be at least 1 megabyte for digital
photos. Photo inclusion is based on space availability. Print photos will not be returned.
Books authored by alumni may be featured
either in News & Notes or in the In Print section, depending on space availability. In order
Your update will appear in the first available
issue.
Baby
Biolans
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
01. Cedric Thomas Loudon
04. Hudson Stephen Lin
07. Peyton Tetsu Semucyo Gant
02. Corinne Taylor Hendrickson
05. Kate Marie Crummitt
08. Quinten Kenichi Musser
03. Emma Jane De Blauw
06. Liam Charles Grant
09. River Luke Glaze
10. Titus Richard Vaught
Memory
Lane
On May 26, 1957, more than 3,000
people attended a groundbreaking
ceremony for Biola’s new La Mirada
campus, situated on a 75-acre plot of
sprawling olive groves not far from
the newly created Santa Ana Freeway.
The early summer day was a scorcher
and, according to Sam Sutherland,
sprinkler heads were converted to
drinking fountains.
magazine.biola.edu
37
Study
his word.
Serve
his world.
talbot School of theology
A biblically centered seminary at Biola University that
prepares you to serve God and join in His mission in the world
Master of Arts | Master of Divinity | Master of Theology
Doctor of Ministry | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctor of Education
www.talbot.edu/Study theword | 1.800.652 .4652
Find us on
and
College is a once–in–a–lifetime experience.
38
Are you looking for college that will deepen your faith and
prepare you for an influential future? Come visit Biola during
a fall visit event, such as Biola Bound on Oct. 29 or University
Day on Nov. 13, and see what Biola’s all about!
Go to www.undergrad.biola.edu for more info.
T he
Last Word
The Last Word features posts from the Talbot School of Theology faculty blog, The Good Book Blog (thegoodbookblog.com). An extended version of this column was first published on May 9, 2011.
Handling ‘Heroes’ in Hebrews 11
I
can understand why the so-called “Hall of
Faith” in Hebrews 11 includes luminaries
like Abel and Enoch who have untarnished
records in Genesis. I can also appreciate why
imperfect people like Noah, Abraham, Sarah,
Moses and Rahab are included among the
faithful. But what about characters like Jephthah and Samson in Hebrews 11:32? These
infamous figures from the book of Judges appear to be severely faith-challenged. So what
are they doing in this august list?
Why in verse 32 does the author mention
Gideon and Barak (who had reluctant/fearful faith) and Samson and Jephthah (who had
ignorant/shallow faith)? Wouldn’t he have
done better to mention the “better” judges like
Othniel, Ehud and Deborah? Or perhaps he
should have skipped over the judges altogether
and gone straight to David?
First, it is important to clarify that the
author of Hebrews 11 is merely listing people
from biblical history who demonstrated some
faith. He is not technically interpreting the
book of Judges or any other specific book of
the Old Testament (at least not by our modern
“objective” methods). Rather, he presumes
that his audience already knows about the
depressing message of the book of Judges; so
he intentionally does something different.
Notice that Hebrews 11:32 actually runs some
of the judges together in a litany that includes
David, Samuel and “the prophets.” Thus, he is
neither expounding on the book of Judges nor
on the book of Samuel; he is merely drawing
illustrations from biblical history.
Second, it is important to interpret both
Hebrews 11 and Judges according to their
respective messages, or “big ideas.” This is
derived from what an author says or does not
say and from how the author says it. The point
of Hebrews 11 is to inspire us to grow in our
faithfulness to Jesus; the point of the book
of Judges is to warn us about our tendency
toward apostasy (or faithlessness)! Since Hebrews 11 has a positive objective, the author
selectively includes only the positive details
from people who had imperfect faith. Judges,
on the other hand, has a negative objective; so
the author selectively emphasizes the negative
details about Israel’s imperfect leaders.
The “big idea” of a biblical passage also
relates to theology proper. If the ultimate
purpose of the Bible is to reveal God, then our
interpretations must always be “theocentric”
in focus. With regard to Hebrews 11, one
must read past the chapter division into the
following verses where the reader is exhorted
to look “to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of
our faith,” and to “Consider him… so that you
may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Heb.
12:2–3). The point is that one should not focus
on any of the feeble “heroes” of chapter 11 per
se, but rather, one should focus on Jesus.
Likewise, the book of Judges should not be
read as an anthology of “hero” stories, unless,
of course, the hero is Yahweh himself. God
is clearly the one in the book of Judges who
sends oppressors, raises up leaders, sends his
Spirit and grants deliverance. God is therefore
identified in the book as the ultimate ruler
(8:23) and the ideal judge (11:27).
In light of these general considerations,
I would suggest the following principles for
interpretation:
1. Avoid making any biblical character into a
role model or behavioral example to follow
(positively or negatively). Whereas the
human characters are incidental, God is
the only “hero” in the biblical drama to
be imitated.
2. Abstain from reading the book of Judges
through the “lens” of Hebrews 11. Judges
has its own God-inspired message and it
stands on its own two feet as Scripture.
This means that the message of Judges
is understandable without the aid of
Hebrews 11 (and vice versa).
3. Don’t try to replicate the subjective method
that is employed by the inspired author of
Hebrews 11. It should go without saying
that we are not inspired in the same sense
as the biblical authors, and thus we do
not have the freedom to handle biblical
texts in the same subjective manner that
they did.
In conclusion, I would suggest that in
Hebrews 11 we have not so much the “Hall of
Faith” but rather the “Hall of Feeble Faith.”
The only real “hero” in this passage is Jesus
himself (Heb. 12:2–3). The point in Scripture is never that we should be like Abraham
or Moses, or — God forbid! — Jephthah or
Samson. While these characters may have
exhibited some measure of faith, the purpose
is to point us to God so that we can be formed
into his likeness (see Eph. 5:1–2).
The truth is that all of us are faith-challenged and works-in-progress (see Rom. 3:4).
This is what makes “role modeling” so precarious. The proper way to imitate a faithful saint
is explained by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
In other words, we should only be like Paul
insofar as he is being like Jesus.
istockphoto
Ken Way is an associate professor of
biblical exposition at Biola’s Talbot School of
Theology. He holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil. from
Hebrew Union College.
magazine.biola.edu
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