The Pilgrim’s Protest

By Amy Roberts

On Friday, October 19, 2007 an email was sent to residents of the Columbia International University Village presenting the administration’s plan to execute a new housing project that could be implemented within the next year. Some residents of the Village wonder how they will fare financially within the upcoming year and for the duration of their education. The CIU Village is a community of 86 mobile homes located on the eastern side of CIU property and provides housing for the students and employees of the university, divided among renters and owners. The school is planning to build garden style apartments and phase out the trailers.

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By Caleb Wimble

With the upcoming December theatrical debut of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, his book has begun to receive a much greater deal of attention than it ever garnered upon its initial release. Christians in particular have reacted heavily to the title, although not generally with the same enthusiasm as secular readers. On the contrary, Compass seems to be receiving more scathing criticism from Christian circles than any book since the first entry in the Harry Potter series, and perhaps to an even greater extent than even that contentious Philosopher’s Stone. This time, however, it seems entirely possible that the violent reaction may well be justified – in contrast to the largely magical and child-friendly world of Rowling’s initial masterpiece, the realm crafted by the imagination of Philip Pullman is a dark and bloody one indeed. Criticisms have flown out against the book for dozens of reasons, ranging from mere offense at the level of explicit content in a so-called “children’s” title to the accusation that the book is a treatise against God himself, a veritable compendium of blasphemy to the core.

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‘Out of the Bubble’ is a column that reports recent news items from the Columbia area and around the world, in order to help CIU students remain aware of events off campus.

World
Attack at a Baghdad Market
On November 23, thirteen people were killed and over 50 were wounded when a bomb exploded in a Baghdad pet market. In spite of tight security, the bomber managed to plant explosives in the crowded market; the bomb exploded around 9 a.m., a time when the market is very crowded. The market is visited by families of all sects and is a popular attraction on the Muslim day of prayer. The Ghazil market has been a target for bombers in the past; 15 people were killed last January when a bomb hidden in a box of pigeons exploded.
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By Caleb Wimble

Change – it may well be the only “value” held in common by nearly every major democrat and republican currently vying for candidacy. Whether it’s change in health care, change in the Iraq War, change in civil rights, or change in any number of other major issues, the promise of some kind of major change seems practically a prerequisite for anyone with a desire to be involved in the 2008 race. Of course, at this point it has become fairly common knowledge that the promises of politicians – particularly those with eyes on the oval office – tend to hold a value roughly equivalent to that of an ice cube on Mt. Everest. And odds are that, by now, anyone who’s been keeping up with the 2008 presidential election has grown more than a little overwhelmed by the sheer degree of change promised by these potential candidates, both liberal and conservative alike. We’re not just electing a new president anymore; instead, we’re choosing the person that will revise, revolutionize, revamp, and otherwise revitalize the U.S. government to a nearly unrecognizable degree – a process that a certain candidate has even gone so far as to call another “New Deal” for the American people. The question on probably everyone’s mind right now is simple – will this election really be different from any other? In other words, will any of these promises actually be kept?
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By Courtney Kilgore and Drew Wilson

Courtney Kilgore interviewed new Communications professor, Ken Rife to find out more about his life and ideas.

What interested you in media?
Growing up I lived in a rural area in Virginia where there wasn’t much to do, so I watched TV a lot and learned to draw. As time went on I started realizing that I had a talent in the visual arts. I originally started out in architecture because I didn’t think I was a good enough artist to be an illustrator, but after a year in technical college I thought it wasn’t something I wanted to get into, so I ended up getting into the graphic design side of things. That is how I got my start.
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By Sarah Nixon

Imagine my shock when, only a month before I came to school at CIU freshman year, I had one of my mentors tell me those very words. He had been very influential in my life over the past few years, and his opinion meant the world to me. God had used his teaching to show me the bondage of my legalistic self-righteousness, and I thought highly of his opinion. I was, naturally, very confused. I trusted this godly man, and yet I knew that CIU was where God was placing me for the next chapter of my life. Why would God call me to a school that would feed the very legalism that I am constantly trying to escape?
It was with this mindset that I set off last year to come to CIU, a young, wide-eyed, freshmen, scared that I was going to a school that would lock me up in a legalistic cage and suck all of my passion for Christ away.
What I found was the complete opposite. Despite my mentor’s warning, I found grace in nearly all areas of CIU life, from the expected to the unexpected, warming my heart and causing God to speak into my heart in ways I never could have dreamed.

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By Beverly Strobolakos

I was excited. After a twenty-year hiatus to raise a family, I was back in college once again. As I sank down into the seat of the large auditorium for ICS 1210, I realized I had no idea what ICS was. It was a required class but, in my eagerness, I neglected to find out what I had signed up for.
I soon discovered ICS stood for Intercultural Studies and my class was called “Introduction to the World Christian Movement.” The course was a general overview of the history and scope of world missions. Although I entered class that day horribly uninformed, it was not by mistake. Unknowingly, I had a serious heart problem the Lord needed to correct. When it came to missions, like Dr. Suess’s Grinch, my heart was at least two sizes too small.
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By Beverly Strobolakos

‘Twas the night before formal open dorms and none were at rest;
busy plotting and planning what would work best.
The theme was Disney, the mission quite clear-
to transform humble dwellings into stories brought near.
The day started early, running morning till night;
all working together to make it just right.
Better hurry, the judges soon will be here.
Quick into costumes, for alas, they draw near!
The characters stepped right off the screen;
Beauty and Beast, from the ballroom scene,
the Mad Hatter, Aladdin, Mr. Potato Head too
Buzz, Sid, and Mary to name just a few.
Palaces appeared in place of empty halls,
gardens and rooftops made from cinderblock walls.
Mad tea parties and enchanted forests filled our senses,
along with red roses by white picket fences.
Who would win? How hard it was to decide!
In the end it was the magic carpet ride,
That earned the prize and made East Two shout-
but our poor judges were left sorely worn out.
So away with the props, costumes, and glitter,
the dumpsters now filled with all kinds of litter.
Left only with memories to console through the years,
such as Dell in pink pajamas and kitty cat ears.

By Sarah Nixon

“When Sinners Say I Do” is a beautiful look at marriage, love, and relationships in a fallen world. As the title suggests, this book talks a lot about sin; however the author, Pastor Dave Harvey, writes not to glorify sin, but instead to glorify the gospel. Where he talks about sin, the truth of grace immediately follows. He writes “when sin becomes bitter, marriage becomes sweet”, and so he emphasizes sin to promote God-glorifying marriage built on the foundational truth of the gospel Read the rest of this entry »