The Pilgrim’s Protest

By Gina Russo

In 1972, a group of CIU students published two issues of a newsletter that was released on the CIU campus. TPP was intrigued to find out about this publication because of the similarities in origin between TPP and the 1972 publication. Gina Russo, former Editor-in-Chief of TPP, gives her thoughts on this publication from a previous era in CIU history.
-Elizabeth Castellow,
Editor-in-Chief
Flipping through a 1972 CIU student publication entitled Little People Think, I encountered phrases that were all too familiar to me as a former editor for The Pilgrim’s Protest. “Honest dialogue, forum for students, administration, and alumni,” and trains of thoughts indicating that the publication was not anti-authority or a mouthpiece for bitter former students. It admonished students to think for themselves, encouraged student leaders to have vision, questioned standards, and wondered how effective CIU student culture was in shaping students for mission and ministry. The anonymous authors discussed their perception of the sad state of evangelicalism and controversial subjects such as women’s liberation.
The authors (some alumni and others current students) chose to remain anonymous in order not to be punished by the administration through expulsion or some other disciplinary measures. From reading the articles, one can tell they were bright people, with extensive vocabulary and a keen ability to form sentences.
But a key factor is missing from a paper that claimed to be a forum for ideas: respect. Articles such as “The One Solution” are thick with sarcasm. The author is concerned that the school forms students into “dull holy joes” and then calls support of such treatment “bull.” Such rhetoric is not only unprofessional, is does little towards the Christian’s goal of “speaking the truth in love.” The authors strive to create a “us and them” mentality between the students and administration.
That’s not to say there is no room for sarcasm in persuasive writing; one need only read the works of Henry David Thoreau of Mark Twain to see that humor, satire, and sarcasm can be used effectively, professionally, and persuasively to communicate ideas. The problem with the humor in Little People Think is that it is an unfiltered reaction towards what the authors consider to be an unfair cultural system at work in Columbia Bible College. I am not going to debate whether their feelings are legitimate (a feeling is legitimate in so far as it exists; what one does with that feeling is what needs to be judged and considered), since the relationship between these particular students and the administration of that time is something I am not privy to. However, I can say with some confidence that there are much more effective ways to utilize the power of the written word. The publication was eventually shut down by the administration for being “divisive.” Whether that was due to the unprofessional manner of the publication or if it would’ve been prohibited even if it had respectfully questioned school policy and cultural norms is not something I am able to judge. As a student who has taken great care to work with the student body and CIU administration in writing articles that respectfully question a principle or policy at CIU, I know that effective communication is possible. It can be an uphill battle, and sometimes the students one is striving to serve may accuse the author of attacking the school. It is important for everyone who participates in any side of a debate to prayerfully, respectfully, and professionally present their thoughts and opinions in order that the Body may be uplifted, encouraged, and refined by the Holy Spirit.