One of the popular trends in Hollywood recently has been adapting famous Bible stories into movies. The original popularity of some of these projects such as The Prince of Egypt and The Passion of the Christ spawned a growth in religious and secular portrayals of spiritual stories. Several religious-based film companies have begun releasing films ... [Read More…]
Lent: How to make the most of your fast
Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent, also known as spring training for Christians. The 40-day fasting period is traditionally celebrated by Catholics to commemorate the 40 years the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness and Jesus' 40 days of fasting and prayer in the desert. During this season, participants abstain from various ... [Read More…]
On the road, again
Everybody needs to hit the road. I don't mean that in a rude way, but more as a matter-of-fact. Being from California, one of the states that's too close to fly but still wretched by car, I've been on my fair share of road trips. Even before I got to ACU and my parents told me they could rarely fly me home, I drove around several states almost ... [Read More…]
Rediscovering child-like faith
Most people experience some kind of faith crisis in college. Our childhood beliefs are shaken when we are confronted with the brokenness of the world. Here at ACU, we are also faced with the apparent contradictions of the Bible and the fact that many of our churches are built on a delicate structure of cultural assumptions. Everything we thought we ... [Read More…]
Praying for the Super Bowl
On Sunday 111.5 million of us gathered together to witness miracles. We partook of the game day snacks. Some even tithed $2000 and made the pilgrimage to be there in person. And 33 percent of football fans prayed to God to help their team win, according to a poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute. This bothers me. The ... [Read More…]
Midnight Worship moves to new location
An activity that brings students from all three Abilene colleges together on Friday nights has moved this semester. Midnight Worship is now taking place at Fountaingate Fellowship's Worship Campus, at 909 N. Willis St. And the move couldn't have come at a better time. The building Midnight Worship had been using belonged to University Baptist ... [Read More…]
Baylor professor to discuss religious identity
A history professor at Baylor University will come to campus to conduct two lectures for faculty, staff and students. Dr. Barry Hankins, professor of history and church-state studies at Baylor, will reflect on the religious identity question at Baylor University and address the university's choices. A lecture for faculty and staff is scheduled ... [Read More…]
Reading the Bible as poetry
I haven't read my Bible in almost a year. It glares at me, mocking me from its dusty spot on my nightstand, but no matter how many Church services I attend or how large my internal conviction grows, I cannot bring myself to open it. An intrinsic cynicism, years of my own questioning and two years of intense Bible classes have left me disillusioned ... [Read More…]
I Am Second series shares with campus
I Am Second aimed to leave an enormous impact on the ACU campus through the testimonies that were shared during Chapel this week. Guest speaker Lisa Luby Ryan and the coordinators in the Chapel office hope to bring I Am Second back next year. The guest speakers included former U.S. Army Ranger Chris Plekenpol, artist Marc Eckel who introduced ... [Read More…]
Does God get to vote?
God sits back in his throne-shaped cloud and sighs as he closes his MacBook. "Man, I've got to get off Facebook. There's no way I'll remember all their names by Wednesday's vote anyway." God has had a busy week. ACU students have all been requesting that he put them in the club that he thinks they belong in. Talk about ... [Read More…]