As students currently pursuing senior theses, we understand that research is often viewed as a means to make someone “normal,” or to fix some disability that is seen as a “problem.” We’re aiming not to discourage research but to encourage the right mindset of how to go about it. The view of research as a means through which we “fix” people often invalidates the feelings and suffering of those with disabilities and deficits. In Psalms, we often see David crying out to God, being honest about his frustrations and doubts, but still trusting in Him. From a Christian perspective, we should see people, note and appreciate the unseen, and validate feelings with the end goal of using research as a way to serve them better, and not simply “fix” them. We will examine the mindset that should guide inquiry, highlighting service, holistic care, and unique insights gained from studying disabilities. By appreciating the beauty in the hidden complexity of each person, we can move towards a more thoughtful approach, one in which we inspire not just learners to study the body, but to ponder how to practically apply this mindset in different fields of research.
Restore Creation has invited Josh Nelson, a representative from Casella, to Gordon to present on zero-waste strategy and campus waste services. This presentation will give students and staff insight into how Gordon's waste is processed and managed. It will also highlight practical steps individuals can take to reduce waste. This event builds on the visit to Casella's new recycling facility that the Restore Creation Department made last semester. Our everyday actions have an environmental impact, both locally and globally. By providing an opportunity like this, we aim to empower the Gordon community to make informed decisions and a difference.
A quick 15-minute address on the underlying motif of beauty within French culture and their desperate need for the Gospel as we enjoy traditional French hors d'oeuvres.
The people of France have so strayed from the true source of beauty, pursuing a temporal, fading ideal.Only about 1% of France is evangelical. France desperately needs to know the God from whom all beauty flows. Come to understand that current state of France and how a culture so famously rich in worldly beauty is so starved of the only beauty that lasts.
IJM and the Social Welfare Club hope to host a faculty panel discussing the role of systems in God's redemptive purposes. Both IJM and SWC advocate for justice for the most vulnerable, understanding a holistic vision for the part Christians play in bringing it forth. Through this panel, we aim to explore how broken systems can be transformed into avenues of redemption, reflecting both truth and grace. Drawing from faculty across disciplines such as social work, political science, and theology, the conversation will invite interdisciplinary insight into how justice is pursued within complex institutions. This topic grows out of students’ curricular and co-curricular engagement at Gordon, particularly through coursework on social systems, ethics, and global justice, as well as involvement in service, advocacy, and IJM initiatives. Ultimately, we hope to cast a vision of justice that is not only about confronting the failures of systems but also about restoring beauty in individuals, communities, and institutions.
Rachael and I both attended the UN climate change conference as observers with a group of fellow Christians, and we would like to share our experience. There are evangelicals present in conversations of eco-stewardship and climate justice, and their work is ever growing. We would like to highlight this as encouragement to students and staff that there is a space within this controversial topic that Christians are inhabiting–as we should! Taking care of the Earth is just as much a part of love your neighbor as caring for the poor and widow (who are often the one's facing the brunt of climate catastrophe). We saw the Holy Spirit moving in stagnant plenary rooms, and especially in the multitude of nations who gathered to share their progress towards climate goals, even if the United States was not a part of it in an official capacity. Even more so, we saw how the Lord is moving in the city of Belém; our accommodations were provided generously to us through the Brazilian Bible Society, hence the nickname, "Bible Boat." There are many more stories of restoration that we can share, but most of all we want to give light to the work yet to be done. This is parallel with the work on campus of Dr. Boorse, (many of whom the participants knew of and are friends with–small world moments were plentiful), and the student-run club, Advocates for a Sustainable Future.
A post-performance panel discussion on Gordon's recent production of Twelfth Night the Musical. Come learn about what went into creating the show and bring your own thoughts on Twelfth Night!
“How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?”
The Bible is full of hard questions like these. One of the unfortunate truths about living in a broken world is that we will inevitably experience suffering and injustice. Lament, the act of crying out to God in the midst of grief, is an inherently Christian practice. Lament opens the door to the uncomfortable tension between love and loss. It is a space where grief and hope coexist. So we’d like to invite you all to enter that space with us!Join us for a staged reading and feedback session of our devised play “But, Yet”, centered around the concept of Christian Lament.
