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LJ_Jan-Feb_2008.indd 1
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008
Letter from the Chancellor At Liberty University, there is only one word that adequately describes the year 2007. That word is change. My father’s sudden passing required many of us in leadership to immediately assume new roles and leave behind jobs and routines in which we had become comfortable over many years. My father often told the story of how he learned to swim at age 6. His family was visiting a popular local swimming spot at the Rocky Dale quarry in Campbell County, Virginia. Dad was afraid to jump in the water. In order to help him conquer his fear, his father came by and pushed him in the deep water. Dad immediately was faced with a decision to either swim or drown. He taught himself to swim because the alternative was not very attractive. I am not advocating this method of swimming instruction for youngsters, but I do believe God sometimes must pull the rug out from under us in order to move us out of our comfort zones and into new experiences where we can reach our ultimate potential. One of the plaques in the new memorial garden honori and Jr. stands with his wife, Beck Chancellor Jerry Falwell ing my father on the campus of Liberty University is a Trey. and children, Wesley, Caroline quote of his that reads, “Life is filled with glorious opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.” The way we respond to sudden life-altering events determines whether those events make us “bitter or better,” my father often said. While God may have given us here at Liberty a “push” this year, He also has sent many incredible blessings our way to reassure us that He had not turned his back on us. These blessings came to mind as our extended family gathered at our farm this Thanksgiving. We missed seeing Dad enjoy the banana pudding and pumpkin pie but also realized how much we did have to be thankful for. I am pleased to report that contributions to Liberty University are at record levels. We have received tens of millions in contributions to our permanent endowment this year, far exceeding the amounts donated in any other year in the school’s history. Since Liberty is such a young school, we still have a long way to go to build an adequate endowment but, thanks to friends like you, we are on the way! Enrollment at Liberty is skyrocketing with more than 11,300 students expected in our resident program in Lynchburg in Fall 2008 and more than 20,000 expected in the distance learning programs. Another blessing from God in an otherwise difficult year has been the relationships my wife, Becki, and I have established with students and faculty. On Nov. 25, 2007, reporter Christa Desrets of our local newspaper, The News & Advance, wrote that, “Six months after becoming chancellor of Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr. has discovered a secret to his father’s success — the students. ‘I think that’s how he handled the stress of the business side,’ he said of his father, the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., who died May 15. He was known for spending his free time with students at sporting events, on campus and around town. ‘Now I see why he was more relaxed than I was. He had learned the secret that students were the key.’” Liberty University truly has the greatest student body in the world. They have encouraged, supported and assisted Becki and me at every turn. We hope you enjoy this winter edition of the Liberty Journal as you and your family experience a wonderful Christmas season.
4
LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
The Falwell family at Than
ksgiving 2007: Jeannie, Mac
el, Jonathan and Jerry Jr.
LIBERTY
Journal
Liberty Journal is an official bimonthly publication of Liberty University.
Publisher
Jerry Falwell Jr.
EXECUTIVE Editor Ron Brown
Managing Editor Tara Maxwell
EDITORIAL PAGE Editor Mark Smith
CONTRIBUTING Editor Becki Falwell
Designer Laura Sipple
Writers
Mitzi Bible Eric Brown Ron Brown Will Luper Tara Maxwell Johnnie Moore Karen Swallow Prior Mark Smith Jenni Thurman Elmer Towns Todd Wetmore
Photographers Jordan Crossingham Les Schofer Alex Towers
Circulation & Quality Control Claire Diamond
Business & ADVERTISING Steve Peterson
March/April Advertising Deadline JANUARY 10, 2008 If you would like to subscribe to the Liberty Journal for one year, please send a donation of any amount to Liberty Journal, Subscription Department, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA 24502, call 434-582-2432 or email lj@liberty.edu. Copyright 2007 by Liberty University. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Liberty University. All pictorial material reproduced in this book, whether in a produced ad or by itself, has been accepted on the condition that it is with the knowledge and prior consent of the photographer or the artist concerned. As such, Liberty University is not responsible for any infringement of copyright or otherwise arising out of publication thereof. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, Liberty University makes no warrant to the accuracy or reliability of this information. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.
CONTENTS Liberty Journal January/February 2008
7
RAISING THE BAR
10
COLD COURAGE
22
FROM LIBERTY TO ZIMBABWE
28
LU DINING ENTERS NEW PHASE
38
SIMPLY SPECTACULAR
43
VOICE OF A LEGEND
64
CONGRATULATIONS FLAMES
School of Law students prove themselves with high bar exam passage rate
LU professor aims for Iditarod glory while training in Michigan
Student makes incredible journey from Africa to pursue his dream of serving God
Liberty Dining Services undergoes $5 million transformation
Thomas Road’s Virginia Christmas Spectacular brings holiday cheer to thousands
Gospel great Doug Oldham still in tune with his talents
LU athletes break records during weekend of triumphs in a season of champions
SECTIONS 6
GENERAL NEWS
22
STUDENT LIFE
38
THE CHURCH
43
MEMORIES FROM LIBERTY MOUNTAIN
48 ACADEMIC LIFE
ON THE COVER The Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr.’s burial garden shot in the twilight hour by Jordan Crossingham in late November. For more on the burial garden’s progress, see page 6.
52
OPINION/Editorial
58
Alumni
62
Sports
www.liberty.edu
5
GENERAL NEWS
Falwell Burial Garden nears completion
Construction of the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s burial garden entered its final stages in late November. Falwell, the founder of LU and Thomas Road Baptist Church, died May 15 at the age of 73. He is buried on the lawn of the former Carter Glass mansion where his office was located at the time of his death. When completed, the burial garden will contain an eternal flame, a fountain and sidewalks leading to Falwell’s grave.
6
LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
Jordan Crossingham
Students excel on bar exam by RON BROWN Liberty Journal
W
hen third-year Liberty University law students arrived for fall semester in August 2006, they attended an opening ceremony in which they touched a stone taken from Mt. Sinai, the peak where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. “It was a reminder that they were linking back to the great law giver, God, who gave the law to the earthly law giver, Moses,” said Liberty University School of Law Dean Mathew D. Staver. “I challenged the students to set an example for every student to come in the future. We challenged them to have bar passage rates that would compete with any law school in the country.” Mission accomplished. More than 89 percent of LU law graduates who have taken state bar exams this year passed them. “I wasn’t necessarily surprised,” Staver said. “I was exceptionally pleased. It’s like finding a diamond in a coal mine. We had set a high standard for our students to reach.” The success of its graduates places LU’s law school in the top 20 percent of all American Bar Association-approved law schools with respect to bar passage rates. Staver said it is not unusual for a new law school to have a bar passage rate in the 30 to 40 percent range. A milestone in the history of a law school is when it reaches a bar passage rate of 70 percent. In Virginia, the overall passage rate for all law schools was 71.97 percent. LU’s passage rate for the Virginia bar exceeded 83 percent. Last May, a total of 50 students made up the law school’s first graduating class. Of that 50, 45 took bar exams in 16 different states. One of the graduates took bar exams in two states. All told, 41 of the graduates passed state bar exams. Staver said students who
have not taken bar exams plan to do so in February. The LU School of Law opened in August 2004 and received provisional ABA accreditation in February 2006. The law school’s drive toward permanent accreditation will be bolstered by its bar passage rate. The law school’s lawyering skills
program is the most comprehensive in the country, combining the theory of law with the skills of law, Staver said. Despite the success of the first graduating class, Staver said he will push for improvement. “I have challenged our current third-year law class to meet and exceed this current bar passage rate,” he said.
www.liberty.edu
7
GENERAL NEWS
Donation aids LU School of Business Les Schofer
by RON BROWN Liberty Journal
I
n parlaying a door-to-door Bible selling job into a publishing empire, Sam Moore learned to think big. Now Moore, the former chief executive officer of the Thomas Nelson Inc. publishing company, has big plans for the Liberty University School of Business. He has agreed to donate a $5 million matching gift, which will be used to lure other donors and pay for a major upgrade of the school. Moore wants LU to incorporate business courses into its seminary curriculum to prepare future pastors for the business side of their ministries. “He believes the business training is neglected by seminaries everywhere,” said LU Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. In announcing his gift, Moore has articulated some lofty goals. “He wants us to have the best Christian school of business in the country among all Christian schools,” Falwell Jr. said. “He wants to hire some of the top professors vailable.” LU plans to aggressively seek out
Professor Scott Ehrhorn speaks on finance and economics during a class at Liberty’s School of Business. donors to match Moore’s gift. “We’re searching hard for that matching donor, who can give another $5 million,” Falwell Jr. said. “Mr. Moore said he’s willing to go to other donors to help us find the matching gift.” Falwell said the university benefits by having a well-established business program and the school of business will be named in honor of Moore. “We do not have to start from scratch like we did with the law school,” Falwell
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Jr. said. “The goal is to improve the business school we already have.” Dr. Bruce Bell, dean of the school of business, said the improvements will likely come in the form of upgraded facilities, increased enrollment in business courses and an expanded curriculum. “Honestly, at this moment, I can’t tell you exactly what it will look like,” he said. “We have a plan for the people we need and the programs required to grow the school. We’re meeting almost daily to try and make this become a reality.” Currently, the school of business has 28 faculty members — about half the number that will be needed when improvements to the business school are made. “Within business, we have a number of specializations,” Bell said. The school now teaches courses in management, international business, marketing, finance and economics. “So, it is a pretty well-rounded curriculum,” Bell said. In the future, the business school plans to offer specializations in areas such as human resource management, non-profit management, organizational leadership, project management and possibly resort or hospitality management. Bell would like to add a residential master’s of business administration program, something that is currently being offered solely by LU’s Distance Learning Program. “I think we are going to come close to doubling the size of our student base,” he said. The School of Business instructs courses for about 1,300 LU students each year. About 250 of those students graduate with business degrees. Bell expects those numbers to double within the next three years.
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GENERAL NEWS
10
Army Master Sergeant and Liberty University DLP Professor of Religion Rodney Whaley gives Oscar the dog a hug at Al Hardman’s musher’s camp in LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008 McMillan, Mich.
(Below) Rodney Whaley points out one of the Iditarod racing routes in Alaska. The race is more than 1,150 miles long and will take 10 to 17 days to complete. (Right) Although the temperature was only in the 40s, the dogs run through the cold water of a lake in Michigan in November.
by TARA MAXWELL Liberty Journal photos by JORDAN CROSSINGHAM
W
LU Professor on Path to Alaska’s Great Race
hat compels a man to endure a grueling 1,159-mile trek across ice and snow in the wilds of Alaska, entrusting his life to a team of dogs and his survival skills, all for a relatively small reward and the promise of hardship? For Army Master Sergeant and Liberty University Distance Learning Professor Rodney Whaley, the answer is both complex and simple. His drive in entering the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race is closely tied to his childhood in Alaska, his decades of service to his country and his love of adventure. Entering Iditarod veteran Al Hardman’s musher camp, Alcan Kennels, on Michigan’s Upper-Peninsula, is like stepping into another world. Snuggled between Lake Michigan and Lake Supe-
rior, the chilly air is filled with wood smoke and the deep howls and sharp barks of dogs ready to run. Accommodations are rustic yet comfortable and the main cabin has a battery generator for power. Outside the cabin, a shiny row of metal pans used to feed the 37 dogs in the dog lot dry after the morning rations while a group of colorful, well-used dog sleds, some on wheels, hang from the rafters of a nearby open-sided shed. Although snow has fallen, it has not yet begun to accumulate in early November and the dogs are being run with 4-wheelers. It will take at least a foot of snowfall to allow the dog sleds to be used and eventually there will be nearly four feet of powder on the ground through spring.
◆ COURAGE continued on page 12 www.liberty.edu
11
GENERAL NEWS ◆
COURAGE from page 11
Whaley left his home in Franklin, Tenn., to train at the musher’s camp (mushing is dog sledding) in early October. He is the first Tennessean to ever enter the Iditarod. Joining Whaley and Hardman at the camp are dog handler Danielle DeBruyne, who has a master’s in ecology, and Private First Class National Guardsman Matthew Cheek. Cheek’s active duty assignment is to assist Whaley in the care and training of the dogs. The Army National Guard is sponsoring Whaley’s participation in the 2008 Iditarod by covering the cost of transportation to Alaska, food for the dogs and lodging. Liberty University is also one of Whaley’s sponsors. “I will be using the skills I’ve developed for the past 24 years in the Army National Guard,” 55-year-old Whaley said. “The Iditarod is the ultimate experience and my lifelong dream.” Although Hardman never planned to be a dog musher, his road to the Iditarod began with two puppies. “I started off with two little Samoyeds I got in 1990 and then they liked to pull and I got them to pull the toboggan and give the kids a ride. My employees got them a sled and my wife has cursed them every since,” Hardman said. Hardman flew to Alaska as an Iditarod spectator in the early 90s and later purchased the musher’s camp in Michigan near the rural hamlet of McMillan. Now in his 60s, Hardman is planning to run his fifth Iditarod in March. “I don’t know what it is. It’s got to be the challenge I guess,” Hardman said. “It’s just you do it and then you make a lot of mistakes and think ‘I’m never going to do this again.’ I remember getting to Nome and thinking, ‘I’m never going to do this again.’ I told my buddy this is the last time.” The terrain of the “Last Great Race on Earth” includes jagged mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense woodlands, tundra and coastlines with temperatures normally below zero. From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, the race route is alternated every other year, one year going north through Cripple, Ruby and Galena, the next year south through Iditarod, Shageluk and Anvik. Each team of 12 to 16 dogs will travel at a trot of about 8 miles per hour to complete the race in about two weeks. Ninety-five mushers have signed up to run the 2008 Iditarod, which begins on March 1. “Some days you wish you weren’t alive and other days the scenery is beautiful and you think, ‘Wow the team is going good,’” said Hardman, who has finished as high as 21st place. The dogs at the musher’s camp come in an array of colors, including tan, white, black, yellow and multi-color and weigh around 45 pounds. They are known as Alaskan Huskies, or mutts, as Whaley calls them. Their names range from Sackett and Whiskey to Soap Here and Spelling Bee. “When you think of sled dogs, you typically think of the Siberian Husky, which was my first love. Over the years they started mix-breed dogs and they just call them Alaskan Huskies now … They are extremely excitable dogs. They are not trained to sit down and stay, they are trained to run, run, run. Gee haw. They live to run,” Whaley said. Most dogs running the Iditarod are 4 or 5 years old, but there have been cases of 10-and 11-year-old dogs participating. They will run 40 to 50 miles without stopping
12
LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
(Top) Rodney Whaley tends to a dog after a training run near Alcan Kennels in Michigan. (Middle) Al Hardman’s Alaskan Huskies pause for a drink of water during a training run in Michigan. The dogs ran more than 100 miles the weekend prior to the run and were having an easy session of only six miles. (Bottom) Alaskan huskies take a break during a run while pulling Rodney Whaley on his 4-wheeler in Michigan. The team of dogs can get up to about 8 miles per hour and will pull a sled in place of the 4-wheeler when there is adequate snow accumulation.
GENERAL NEWS
and sleep on straw while still hooked into their harnesses on the line. The dogs wear booties in the snow to protect their paws from fissures caused by impacted ice and snow and veterinarians run complete check-ups on every dog at check-points during the race. If a dog is found unfit to run they are flown back by plane. Whaley was first introduced to dog sledding when he was 6 years old. Originally from eastern North Carolina, Whaley’s family moved to Anchorage in 1958, when Alaska was still a territory and the rough, unpaved Alaskan Highway took more than a month to traverse. In Anchorage, there was a winter festival called the Fur Rendezvous, which included three days of sled dog races called The World Championship Sled Dog Races. It was at the festival that Whaley got a glimpse of the sport he would later come to love. “For three years I kept asking for a husky, but we lived in a two-room house and finally after a lot of persistence my parents got me one,” Whaley said of his first husky. “By the time I was in fourth grade, when I was 10 years old, I raced my first race in the one-dog class, went a half mile and won a couple trophies.” Each year Whaley added more dogs to compete in longer races. He came in second place in the Junior Fur Rendezvous, to the son of Joe Redington who is co-founder of the Iditarod. Whaley continued to participate in dog sled races until junior high when his family moved back to North Carolina because his mother became ill. The family brought Stormy, one of their Huskies, with them. Although Whaley wasn’t dog sled racing in high school, he continued to follow the races into his teenage years. In 1970, Whaley graduated high school and in 1973 the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race was born to commemorate the diphtheria serum run of 1925 in Nome. Although Whaley wanted to join the military after finishing high school, his mother wanted him to attend a Bible college, so he enrolled in Free Will Bible Baptist College in Nashville where he would later meet his wife, Vicki, and eventually become part of the faculty. Whaley earned a master’s degree in music and played the trumpet and French horn. Still interested in joining the military, Whaley learned the National Guard had a band. “I talked to the commander and found out I could enlist in the band and go to basic training during the summer. The more I performed duty, the more I really enjoyed it. After I was in the Guard, when I was teaching, I would do different types of duty in the summer. I really enjoyed the military experience.” During Desert Storm, Whaley was in the Army band and was called to duty. During that time his wife and children began to attend a Southern Baptist church. Whaley then transitioned from a ministry role to a role in the military. He took a job as a readiness non-commissioned officer and has had several different
assignments since then, including troop commander, recruiter and as part of the inspector general’s office. Whaley continued to follow dog sledding and the Iditarod, and a trip to Washington State convinced him to get back in the game. “My wife is a big dog lover from Washington State and we went to visit her mother and went snowmobiling and stayed in a cottage. We went mushing on two sleds with a team,” Whaley said. “We got two little huskies and I took them out jogging and then with a harness and hooked them up to a little cart. Then I started going mushing every winter in British Columbia and Washington and took them with me and found races to enter.” In 2004, Whaley went to the Iditarod as a dog handler for fourtime Iditarod musher Hardman. Hardman and Whaley became friends and are now training together in Michigan for the upcoming race. No stranger to physical challenges, Whaley, who says he “has always liked extreme things,” ran 14 marathons after turning 40. He even ran the Blue Angel Marathon in Florida on his 50th birthday. Whaley, whose brother Dr. Vernon Whaley is the director of Liberty’s Center for Worship, is teaching a 400 level religion class through Distance Learning and is a Liberty Seminary student. “My goal is to retire from the military and have my doctorate at the same time in the next couple years and then hope and pray for a ministry opportunity,” Whaley said. Whaley, who teaches Sunday School in Tennessee, brings his dog Maverick to be a teaching assistant. He has also officiated high school football for more than 20 years and speaks to school groups about mushing and the Iditarod. “There’s a lot of camaraderie, but there’s not many people that do [mushing]. The big camaraderie is between a musher and his dogs. You have really got to love them.” Whaley’s training in Michigan will continue until January, when he must complete two sanctioned qualifying races totaling 500 miles. Whaley plans to enter a race in Michigan and one in Minnesota. After qualifying, Whaley will head to Alaska in mid-February for final preparations for the Great Race.
Alaskan Huskies take a moment, while wearing their harnesses, to rest after forging ahead into a small lake on a cold Michigan afternoon. www.liberty.edu
13
GENERAL NEWS
Around Liberty
Adopt-A-Champion lends helping hand to students This October, the Adopt-A-Champion Program was introduced to the Liberty University Board of Regents at its annual weekend meeting. The program was conceived by Becki Falwell, wife of Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr, as a vehicle to help some of Liberty’s best students secure the necessary funds to remain enrolled at the school. Many of these students had already received financial assistance from parents. “We chose students who are performing well academically and who are spiritual examples for others but who need some financial assistance to stay in school,” Becki Falwell said. Donors who adopt a student through this program will be able to correspond anonymously with the student receiving the scholarship.
Gift will help LU students attend medical school An $800,000 bequest to Liberty University will make it possible for more LU students to afford to attend the Virginia College of Osteo- pathic Medicine (VCOM), a medical school in Blacksburg that specializes in medical missions. The announcement was made by LU Chan- cellor Jerry Falwell Jr. at the Nov. 14 convo- cation. The money comes from the estate of Pauline T. Harbaugh. According to a letter from a Mesa, Ariz., attorney, Harbaugh’s husband, Duward, “was unable to attend medical school due to financial reasons and had always hoped that this gift to Liberty University could be used, at least in part, to assist needy students.” “This way, donors can witness firsthand how their contribution is making a difference in the life of a deserving student,” Falwell Jr. said. Due to the generous response of donors, Liberty decided to continue the Adopt-A-Champion program throughout the school year. Thomas Road Baptist Church members have been asked
weekly by Pastor Jonathan Falwell to adopt students during worship services. To date, more than $45,000 has been donated.
Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee visits LU
Republican Presidential hopeful and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee spoke to Liberty students in November and received Jerry Falwell Jr.’s personal endorsement. Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, was friends with the late Rev. Jerry Falwell and spoke at LU and TRBC. While governor, Huckabee became the youngest president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
Surprise message moves crowd to tears
The Oct. 19 convocation stirred emotions as the message was delivered by the university’s founder, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. With the audience unaware and the Board of Regents present, a video recording played Falwell’s 2005 convocation message. The message, “Champions for Christ,” encouraged students to be visionaries and prayer warriors, to have convictions and stay morally pure.
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
GENERAL NEWS
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GENERAL NEWS by RON BROWN Liberty Journal
Prospective student numbers soar
I
f student applications continue to roll in at the current pace, Liberty University may be forced to shut off its application process by May. That would be the first time the application cycle has been shortened in the 36-year history of the university. By late November, 2,300 prospective students had paid a $250 deposit, which indicates their interest in attending LU in fall 2008. At the same time last year, 1,500 deposits had been received. At the same time, the school had received a total of 15,784 applications for fall 2008 compared with 10,309 last year. LU accepted a total of 21,665 applications for fall 2007. Liberty expects to have 11,300 students on campus next fall. The school presently has about 10,500 residential students. The school has a long-range goal of enrolling 25,000 residen-
tial students. Chris Johnson, executive director of resident recruiting, said LU’s growth has accelerated as facilities improve. “We have new majors that have helped us attract students,” he said. This year, the school added an engineering program for the first time. “We have always had inquiries from students who wanted to go to Liberty and attend a school of engineering,” Johnson said. “Previously, students walked away because they didn’t have an opportunity to study that.” Johnson said he thinks Liberty benefits from its distinctly Christian approach to academics. “As our chancellor has pointed out several times, employers are now looking for employees that are graduating from faith-based institutions,” he said.
DLP hits 20,000 by RON BROWN Liberty Journal The enrollment for Liberty University’s Distance Learning Program on Dec. 10 topped the 20,000 mark for the first time. Registrar Lawrence Shackleton confirmed the enrollment figures in an e-mail to school officials Thursday afternoon. Officially, the enrollment topped 20,000 at 1:45 p.m. “It’s an exciting day,” said Ronald S. Kennedy, executive director of Distance Learning and Graduate Studies. Last school year, the distance learning program finished with about 18,000 students. “We are looking at a 10 percent growth year to date with six months still ahead of us,” Kennedy said. “We are hoping to surpass 25,000 students by May or early June.” Kennedy credits “God’s blessing” for the program’s growth. “He’s certainly smiled upon us,” he said. “I have a good staff that is very dedicated. They’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done. It takes a willing heart to come in and work some of those long hours. They are the backbone that makes the program what it is today.” www.liberty.edu
17
Embracing the
ordinary Gloria Gaither shares her wisdom on serving God and making the most of marriage
by TARA MAXWELL Liberty Journal
P
icking up your socks may seem like one of life’s lowliest chores, but it may also be one of the simplest keys to serving God Gloria Gaither, Grammy award-winning Christian artist, author and wife of Gospel music great Bill Gaither, said the best piece of advice she ever received was from her mother, who said, “‘God’s will for your life is God’s will for this minute. Do what you know to do now and don’t ask God for any more information until you’ve done that.’” Gaither said her mother would make this advice applicable whether she was picking up socks or making an ‘A’ on a school test. “She’d say ‘If you know to pick up your socks, pick up your socks; it’s God’s will for your life. He’s not going to tell you anymore until you’ve done what you know to do today.’ She’d also say ‘Make an A on your math test; it’s God’s will for your life.’ “My whole life has been, I guess, picking up my socks to find out the next thing God wanted me to do,” Gaither said. Gaither was one of several speakers at the Extraordinary Women’s Conference at Liberty University’s Vines Center in September. Kay Arthur, Angela Thomas, Chonda Pierce and Jennifer Rothschild spoke on topics ranging from plastic surgery and Britney Spears to cheese crackers and living with blindness, with the underlying message of trusting in the Lord and making the most of every day to serve Him. The conference played host to more than 8,000 women from all over the United States and featured the musical talents of Avalon, Charles Billingsley and Michael O’Brien; and authors and prominent Christian leaders. The conference theme, “Beautiful in His Eyes,” was reflected in speakers’ stories of personal trials and a look into society’s image obsession.
Gloria Gaither, who was part of the Extraordinary Women’s Conference held in LU’s Vines Center in September, speaks about her life experience after receiving an E-Women award.
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
Helping your fellow man According to statistics given by Arthur, the average American Evangelical gives less than 4 percent away to all charities, and 96
Photos by Alex Towers
GENERAL NEWS
Photos by Alex Towers
GENERAL NEWS
More than 8,000 Christian women from across the United States converged at the Vines Center to hear inspirational speakers and be entertained at the Extraordinary Women’s Conference in September.
percent of Evangelicals give less than 10 percent to all charities. Christian giving is less now than during the Great Depression and the more money we make, the less we give. It is in these statistics on giving that Gaither finds a disturbing trend. To Gaither, helping your fellow man in the moment is more important than just waiting and preparing for a grand calling from God. “God’s will for your life is to get involved today. I would say very strongly to college students, if you think it’s gonna get you to some glamorous place because you went to Liberty University, God will never use you. Never. But, if you are able to recognize His will, right now when it interrupts you, whether that’s as unglamorous as cleaning up your room … If you are capable of studying and instead go to the corner hangout and drink Cokes all night until your brain doesn’t work and you can’t study for your test, don’t be telling me you want to find God’s will for your life. God’s will for your life is now.” Gaither said students should study for tomorrow’s test, be nice to the people they don’t particularly like and embrace the things they thought were ordinary. “If you can’t find compassion for your broken roommate who is maybe a jerk, but the more you find out about them, the more you find out why [they act the way they do]; if that doesn’t break your heart like it breaks the heart of God, then don’t tell me you’re going to go minister in Africa. It’s not gonna happen,” Gaither said. “People who are blind to what God is asking them to do today pretty much remain blind to what God is asking them to do the rest of their lives. It doesn’t get any more glamorous than that. That’s it. This ain’t the rehearsal — this is the play and we’re in it right now.”
Making marriage work As for Gaither’s long marriage and partnership with her husband Bill, Gaither said jokingly that she and Bill don’t
recommend their busy lifestyle to other couples. “We have been pretty independent, both of us, but we’ve been independent together. We’ve written together, we have kids together, we travel together, we are critics of each other’s art and we have three very artistic, opinionated kids. With five very artistic, opinionated people in one house-hold, you could sell tickets,” Gaither said. Gaither said she believes two “whole” people make a “whole” relationship and she doesn’t recommend that anyone look for a marriage partner to be their other half, or missing piece. “I don’t think you find someone to mend your broken heart to fix you somehow. If you’ve got brokenness in your life, fix it before you try to get married. Don’t take that stuff into a relationship, because then you’re going to have kids and propel that into another generation,” Gaither said. “People ask, ‘Do you ever fight?’ Well, yeah. I think you don’t need to worry about conflict; you need to worry when you don’t care anymore. When you just say, ‘whatever.’ Whatever is a really bad word in a relationship. If you’re in that place, that’s not a good place. As long as there’s passion, even if it’s passion to argue, there’s still hope, because there’s a real close relationship, psychologists say, between love and hate.” Gaither said that because she and Bill are together all the time, they have tended to grow in the same direction. “I think you should marry someone who’s on your page. Does that mean you’re not going to be different personalities? I think really sunny people tend to marry more steady people and people that are more melancholy tend to go after more outgoing people. In my experience, long-term marriages are more often between people with more in common, more alike. “Look for somebody who is your best friend, the first person you can think of who you’d like to spend the rest of your life with.” www.liberty.edu
19
The Adventures of Billy Keith and the Tooth Fairy By Annie Mae Poole
T
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
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GENERAL NEWS
Les Schofer
Taking care of
business
Stylists stay busy serving students and the public at the Arte’ Dei Capelli salon, which opened Oct. 12 in Campus North. The full-service salon has nine stylists, including two students who are licensed professionals.
Development projects pop up across campus by JENNI THURMAN Special to the Liberty Journal Extensive construction projects at Liberty are inevitable as the university steadily progresses toward a goal of 25,000 students on campus. One of the most exciting developments in the works is a new campus bookstore, which will replace the current 5,500 square foot bookstore located in DeMoss Hall. The new 26,000 square foot, two-story “superstore” will be a Barnes & Noble College Bookstore, a sister store of Barnes & Noble, Inc. The Jeffersonian-style building will feature white columns and will be
constructed in P-5, the upper half of the commuter parking lot next to Williams Stadium. Ellen Mayes, manager of the current bookstores on campus, said Barnes & Noble has opened many bookstores on Christian college campuses, but Liberty’s will be the largest in the nation. “We are calling this a Christian superstore, which will be the first of its kind for Barnes & Noble,” she said. Although the superstore is still in preliminary planning stages, the university has confirmed that a full-size Starbucks Café and a spacious student lounge will be located in the superstore. “The administration really wants to give the students a place to hang out, so it makes sense to put a student lounge in the bookstore where Starbucks will be open late,” Mayes said. Construction on the superstore is expected to begin in January, and the administration hopes to have it open when students return to campus in August 2008 for the fall semester. The new Thomas Road Baptist Church
bookstore, called the Scribe Bookshop, is also part of Barnes & Noble. The store had its grand opening on Oct. 29 at the church’s Main Street. The store features more than 500 different titles, including a large selection of Christian trade books and children’s books. A Christian music section includes CDs from TRBC artists. Main Street is also home to Consider the Lilies, a florist located near Kid’s Cove. The shop, which opened Oct. 1, sells silk and fresh flower arrangements and takes orders. All proceeds from the shop benefit the Liberty Godparent Home. Another new addition on campus is the Arte’ Dei Capelli salon, which opened on Oct. 12 in Campus North. The full-service salon offers haircuts, waxing, perms, updos, coloring and foils. Manager Kelly Mann grew up as a Lynchburg resident and member of TRBC. She opened the first Arte’ Dei Capelli salon in June 2004 in Lynchburg’s Wyndhurst and was thrilled when Liberty’s administration approached her in the spring about opening a salon on campus. “I just love Liberty and Thomas Road, and I wanted students to be able to come to a nicer salon with experienced stylists, rather than going to a ‘chop house,’” she said. The salon has nine stylists, including two students who are licensed professionals, and three student receptionists. Arte’ Dei Capelli, which means “the art of hair” in Italian, is open to the public. Students can satisfy their sweet tooth down the hall at Mountain Frost Creamery, which opened Feb. 9. The creamery offers 12 of their most popular flavors every day, including vanilla cake batter, chocolate peanut butter and mint chip and 13 other flavors that vary each day.
www.liberty.edu
21
STUDENT LIFE
From
Zimbabwe to Liberty University
istock.com
Les Schofer
Zimbabwe
by TARA MAXWELL Liberty Journal
22
LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
I
Albert Mavunga, a sophomore at LU, says he enjoys helping people at the school bookstore where he works. Mavunga’s dream is to positively influence politics in his native Zimbabwe and to preach the word of God.
t is Albert Mavunga’s voice that allowed him to fulfill his dream of attending Liberty University and it will be his voice that will carry the word of God back to his homeland of Africa. Mavunga, a sophomore and member of LU Praise’s International Choir, is from the township of NKETA 8 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Bulawayo, known as the “City of Kings,” is the second largest city in the country, which has a life expectancy at birth of 40 and suffers from soaring inflation and unemployment, supply shortages and a
refugee crisis. Although syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous) religious belief is dominant in Zimbabwe, Mavunga said he was saved when he was a young child, while his mother was afflicted by a severe illness, and began preaching at age 11. “We went to this church and I came to know Jesus at the same time as my dad and mom and sister,” said Mavunga, who has five siblings. “A lady preached salvation … I can still sense me receiving Him. It wasn’t dramatic, but my mom being sick, it got my attention and I knew there had to be something greater. My mom got better and my whole family is saved now. I know if they passed
STUDENT LIFE away it would break my heart, but when introduced to Falwell, who he says is the trumpet sounds I will see them in his hero. “He [the Rev. Jerry Falwell] heaven.” punched me in the stomach and he told Mavunga’s twin brother, Allen, left me he had been to Zimbabwe — then Africa to attend Salem International called Rhodesia, but then left the country University in West Virginia and Albert because the war was about to start up. He soon followed. Although Albert’s first kind of understood where I was coming choice was to attend LU (he found out from,” Mavunga said. about it on the Internet), tuition costs led During their meeting last fall, Falwell him to Salem International University. told Mavunga to set up an appointment Mavunga’s father borrowed money about financial aid. Donning his best from friends for Albert’s plane brown suit, Mavunga was ticket to the United States, directed to talk to someone but he arrived with nearly who told him that 10,000 other empty pockets. After attending students were looking for aid Salem International for three and that there was no help months, Mavunga was forced available. to leave school because of “That crushed me,” his inability to pay. With only Mavunga said. “I went to $8 in his bank account, he church and I cried. I said ‘Does became homeless and was it stop now or what?’” -Mavunga shuffled between different Mavunga then contacted hosts and shelters. a friend in Cameroon, Africa, Mavunga said God then directed who was able to lend him $1,000 toward his path from West Virginia to Central tuition, but it was not enough. Virginia, where he spent his first night in He then heard about an opportunity a homeless shelter. While there he met for a full scholarship through LU Praise’s a West Virginia pastor and LU alumnus International Choir. Although he had not who offered Mavunga a place to stay in a sung in a group for many years, Mavunga trailer in Campbell County. signed up for auditions. “There was no TV, no Internet. I just Mavunga sang “Lead Me Lord,” for had my radio, my Bible and a few other LU Praise Director and artist in residence books,” Mavunga said. “God isolated me, Alicia Williamson Garcia, who told him to and that’s where I really found direction practice a little and try out later. for my life.” “After the tryout I went home and One afternoon, Mavunga went to told my friends about it. I was praying the Daily Bread in downtown Lynchburg and I told my mom that this could be it,” where he saw Thomas Road Baptist Mavunga said. Church Youth Minister Tim Grandstaff Two callbacks later, Mavunga washing dishes in the kitchen. He told found his name on the top of the list Grandstaff his story and was asked to for the choir. With his tuition dilemma speak to TRBC’s high school youth group, solved, Mavunga asked God for a place Living Proof, about his journey of faith. to live near campus with access to The church held a love offering for transportation. Mavunga, giving him $700 and a book His prayer was answered when he by the Rev. Jerry Falwell. After that day, went to Daily Bread to make a donation Mavunga said he knew God was telling and was connected with Rod Anderson him to become a pastor. who directs a ministry in downtown “It was a divine appointment Lynchburg. Anderson owned a house when I met him [Grandstaff] at the used for ministry, which Mavunga offered soup kitchen,” Mavunga said. “That to help with in exchange for a place to live was a turning point for my life and the rent-free. beginning of a legacy in Christ.” Mavunga moved into the house and After speaking to the teenagers, was later joined by his brother Allen, who Mavunga began working and traveling is a junior at Liberty studying accounting. with the group and had his sights set on Although Mavunga has had a attending Liberty. relatively easy assimilation into American One Sunday night Mavunga was culture, he has noticed some differences.
“I want to travel the world and preach the Gospel.”
Mavunga said one cultural difference is the way affection is displayed. In Africa, Mavunga said, family members rarely show expressions of love, except when someone is in trouble. “When everything’s OK it’s rare for someone to just show appreciation. It’s almost like exposing yourself, like a sign of weakness. When I called my dad and said ‘I love you,’ I had to close my eyes and take a deep breath. We’re not used to it and that is something I want to bring back home; showing your love. When I hear my mom say that, it’s still weird, but it keeps me going. It’s important to hear it,” Mavunga said. Mavunga had the opportunity to travel home to Zimbabwe this past summer thanks to Thomas Road Baptist Church. While preaching there, he said he saw 229 people accept Christ. He hopes to travel back to Africa this summer with LU’s Bridging The Gap Urban Ministry’s step team. As for his future goals, Mavunga says he wants to be a pastor who happens to be president of Zimbabwe. “I want to travel the world and preach the Gospel. I want to go to every high school in Africa and tell [students] to be positive, to value themselves and know Christ died for all — black, yellow, red. I want to tell them there’s hope.”
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23
STUDENT LIFE
Ask Pastor Johnnie Johnnie Moore
Les Schofer
“Pastor Johnnie, things are really hard for me right now. Life is just getting tougher and tougher and I just need help. Can you help me?”
J
~Jenn
Jenn, I can sense the desperation in your sentence, and I wish I could give you a simple suggestion to provide relief for your pain. Unfortunately, pain is sometimes the only pathway to deeper and better things. Whenever I have felt life’s noose tightening around my neck and the pressure getting unbearable, there are a few things I do. First, I share my pain with those I’m closest to in my community. Christianity is meant to be lived in healthy community, and closeness to others is a healing balm to one’s weary soul. Secondly, I saturate my mind with the Psalms. Even when I don’t feel like it, I make myself dwell upon the goodness of God. Hundreds of times I’ve prayed the promise of Lamentations 3:22, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.’” Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Finally, even in the deepest gloom, it is desperately important that you pick yourself up off of the floor and press on. Soon the storm will cease, the winds will ease, and you’ll be steadied, but you may have to wait just a little
26
LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
longer for the Lord to rescue you. Whatever you do, Jenn, don’t run away from Jesus during this time. God is not your enemy, you must run to Him. … And rest in the words of the great 19th century preacher, Charles Spurgeon: “The peculiar troubles of today, which are exercising you, dear child of God, your Heavenly Father was cognizant of 10,000 years ago; and nothing about them comes upon him by surprise.”
“Can you give me a tip to better enjoy my Bible reading?”
~Samuel
Yes, use your imagination! We are a visually rich and linguistically poor generation and a good imagination is a prerequisite for an exhilarating relationship with the Word of God. Words sort of meaninglessly bounce off of each other in our frenzied thinking. Rarely do we pause and dissect them in our minds, or place ourselves deeply into their meaning. As a preacher, words are to me what tools are to a construction worker or software is to a computer technician. I must linger on the meaning of each phrase, and force my mind to imagine the emotion of the stories. The Bible is a book about life and real people. Don’t consider it a textbook. Rather it is to your spiritual life what blood is to your body. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The Rev. Johnnie Moore is campus pastor at Liberty University. Send e-mail to campuschurch@liberty.edu.
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STUDENT LIFE
Renovation, growth changes the face of campus cuisine
LU Dining enters new phase
Les Schofer
Reber-Thomas Dining Hall has recently undergone extensive renovations and remodeling of its interior. An addition was built in the fall to provide more seating for students. Along with the upgrades to the building has come a change in the food served and the way it is prepared. Check out LU’s new head chef on page 31.
2,592 hamburgers served daily 3,240 servings of French fries eaten per day 1,730 lbs of eggs make their way onto student’s plates every day 5,600 slices of pizza are consumed daily 60,000 meals served per week 28
LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
by TARA MAXWELL Liberty Journal
Reber-Thomas undergoes major overhaul
For Liberty Dining Services, it’s all about balancing quantity with quality. In an ongoing effort to better serve the Liberty University community, Liberty Dining Services is in the midst of a $5 million renovation. The dining renovation, or more aptly titled “revolution,” is dramatically changing the look of the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall, expanding the choices at the Founder’s Food Court and providing the university’s first full-service restaurant.
Students spoke loud and clear about Reber-Thomas and Liberty Dining Services answered. “For years students have been complaining about the atmosphere, the food – just everything about it. It was more of a mess hall or a cafeteria versus a student restaurant,” said Elizabeth VanWingerden of Liberty Dining Services, a partnership of Sodexho Dining Services and Liberty University. “The plan behind [the renovation]
es
STUDENT LIFE was presented with a $5 million contribution from Sodexho, LU’s food service provider. According to VanWingerden, fresh made-daily, hand-rolled sushi from Tsunami Sushi has been a big hit among students. Brisk sushi sales have prompted dining services to make the sushi available at other dining locations. Cyclone Salads, Classics, Grill 155 and the campus’ second Jazzman’s and SubConnection round out Founder’s food and beverage options.
Jordan Crossingham
was to give it more of an intimate feel. You can get together with a group of friends or sit with just your best friend. You can find a nook or cranny to study and relax.” Reber-Thomas was essentially gutted and rebuilt with an all-new, more-colorful, student-friendly interior including Wi-Fi, fresh paint, new flooring, a more inventive lighting scheme and an additional entrance. The most recent change to the facility is the expansion of seating. A new addition was built in the fall, providing room for roughly 200 more students. Along with the upgrades to the building has come a change in the food served and the way it is served, with stations hosting certain food staples. “We brought in a new executive chef in April who has really kind of overhauled what we do food wise,” VanWingerden said. Students have responded to the changes with positive feedback and have taken to spending more time at ReberThomas, even after the meal is over.
East Campus makes room for Doc’s Diner Hand-rolled sushi from Founder’s Food Court has been a big hit with students.
Campus North Food Court expands Seven restaurants have been added to the Founder’s Food Court, the most recent being a Chick-fil-A Express, which opened in September. During the eatery’s grand opening, the university
Ground has already been broken at East Campus where a new restaurant, Doc’s Diner, will be located. Doc’s will be a full-service, upscale diner with seating for between 150 and 200 with a private dining room for business meetings or parties. The diner, named in honor of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, will be open to the public during designated hours. The diner is projected to be open by spring semester.
www.liberty.edu
29
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
STUDENT LIFE
Head chef has heart for service Les Schofer
by TARA MAXWELL Liberty Journal
L
iberty University’s newest executive chef, Paul Fallon, plays with his food — and gets paid for it. From working at his father’s inn in Lake Winnipesaukee, N.H., as a child and chefing at Caesars in Atlantic City, to working in Sodexho’s health services sector, Fallon has always had a passion for cuisine and serving people. “We’re in a food business serving people, but we’re also in a people business serving food. It’s important to understand that everybody that I deal with every day is my customer. If I’m happy and having fun, but also getting my work done, focused on putting out a betterquality product, [employees] will follow. It’s all about being passionate about what you do. Not just in serving food, but in serving people.” Although Fallon says chefing is a way of life for him, rather than just a paycheck, family takes top priority. Originally from New England, Fallon has been married to his wife, Cathleen, for eight years and has two children. Fallon, who has been Liberty’s executive chef since April, said he chose to move to Lynchburg from Indiana to be on the East Coast and because of the students. “One of the things that really attracted me to coming here is the culture of Liberty. I love that I have kids come up to me at 7 at night after 14 hours of work and I’m dead tired, and they come up to me and say ‘Wow, dinner was great. Thanks so much. Thanks for all you do.’ That really puts into perspective for me what I really do. That makes that 14 or 15 hour day so much more bearable.” Coming from a health care background, Fallon said he was very particular about the quality of food and the culinary technique that went into creating the product. In transitioning to Liberty; he had to start the process over in training and educating the dining services staff. “If you think about what I do every day, I help [students] to learn. I provide a
Liberty’s new executive chef, Paul Fallon (left) and chef manager, Joseph Unrue, prepare dinner at the newly-remodeled Reber-Thomas Dining Hall in November.
VISIT LU DINING’S NEW WEB SITE: www.libertydining.net product for them that is nutritionally sound. If they are eating the right foods, if they are eating a balanced diet, they are going to do better in school,” Fallon said. Fallon views the biggest challenge facing Liberty Dining Services as a good problem to have. “Growth is our biggest opportunity and the speed of the growth,” Fallon said. “Reber is pretty much at capacity from a storage standpoint and that’s pretty challenging. ... The growth allows for exciting changes.” One of those changes was to bring most of the production that was done in the back at Reber-Thomas to the front. “We have a gorgeous, state-of-theart pizza oven. We can cook a pizza in four-and-a half to five minutes. We have a pasta station where we do sautéed vegetables and pasta dishes, a southwest station where we do quesadillas every day where the students can build their own.” There is also a station that provides Asian-themed foods, a vegetarian selection, an extensive salad and soup bar and a station serving comfort foods including
carved meats. Because students demand and deserve a high-quality product, Fallon said changes have been made in food preparation, including tackling the dreaded problem of overcooking and proper handling of dishes with multiple components and various cooking requirements. “We’re doing flame-broiled burgers instead of on a griddle, frying them in their own grease. That’s made a huge impact from a flavor-profile standpoint.” Chef Fallon himself has made a huge impact on students’ plates and beyond.
www.liberty.edu
31
Gary Smalley 10 a.m. Liberty Convocation
28
Slippery Rock
George Mason
High Point
Women’s BB 7 p.m.
29
University of Maryland
LU Hockey 7:30 p.m.
22
IUP
LU Hockey 7:30 p.m.
Women’s BB 7 p.m.
15
Men’s Basketball 7 p.m. vs. Kentucky Christian LU Hockey 7:30 p.m.
8
University Intersession Last day of Winterfest
1
TUESDAY
FEBRUARY
Gary Smalley 6 p.m. TRBC
27
Spiritual Emphasis Week David Nasser
Coastal Carolina
Men’s Basketball 7 p.m.
21
20
Dennis Swanberg Concert 6 p.m. TRBC
14
13
Residence Halls open
7
MONDAY
Slippery Rock
IUP
30
University of Maryland
LU Hockey 7:30 p.m.
23
LU Hockey 7:30 p.m.
16
New Students Check-In 8 a.m. LU Hockey 7:30 p.m.
9
2
WEDNESDAY
d
6
SUNDAY
31
24
17
New Students Check-In 8 a.m. Graduate Open House
10
3
THURSDAY
Robert Morris College
Friendly Friday 8 a.m. Track and Field 3 p.m. LU Hockey 7:30 p.m.
25
18
Graduate Open House
11
4
FRIDAY
Robert Morris College
Track and Field 8:30 a.m. Wrestling 10 a.m. Women’s BB 2.m. Men’s BB 7 p.m. LU Hockey 7:30 p.m.
26
Charleston Southern
Men’s Basketball 7 p.m.
19
Wrestling 7 p.m. N.C. State
Richmond
Women’s BB 7 p.m.
Nyack College
Men’s BB 2 p.m.
12
5
SATURDAY
JANUARY
MONDAY WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
Wellington Boone 6 p.m. TRBC
24
Spring Missions Conference Feb. 17 - 22 Missions Emphasis Week TRBC
17
Jack Graham 6 p.m. TRBC
10
3
Lee Stroebel 10 a.m. Liberty Convocation
25
Charleston Southern
Women’s BB 7 p.m.
18
Jack Graham 10 a.m. Liberty Convocation
11
Wellington Boone 10 a.m. Liberty Convocation
4 Wrestling 6 p.m.
Winthrop
VMI
Men’s Basketball 7 p.m.
26
19
Men’s Basketball 7 p.m.
12
Tri Match with George Mason and UNC Greensboro
5
27
20
13
6
28
21
College For A Weekend (CFAW) Begins
14
7
Rider
Baseball 3 p.m.
Friendly Friday 8 a.m.
29
22
CFAW continues
15
Track and Field 4 p.m
8
1
FRIDAY
Winthrop
23
CFAW continues
Coastal Carolina
Women’s BB 7 p.m.
16
UNC Asheville
Men’s Basketball 7 p.m.
UNC Asheville
Women’s BB 4 p.m.
Love4Life Conference 12 noon TRBC
9
Big South Conference Quiz Bowl Tournament 8 a.m. Women’s BB 7 p.m.
2
SATURDAY
d
TUESDAY
For more information on featured events and a list of events at Liberty University, visit www.liberty.edu. For events at Thomas Road Baptist Church, visit www.trbc.org. For a full sports schedule and more details, visit www.libertyflames.com.
SUNDAY
FEBRUARY
GENERAL NEWS
CONFERENCE HOST Jonathan Falwell, Senior Pastor Thomas Road Baptist Church Lynchburg, VA
Tom Mullins, Senior Pastor Christ Fellowship Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Ed Stetzer, Director Lifeway Research Nashville, TN
Jim Cymbala, Pastor Brooklyn Tabernacle Brooklyn, NY
Charles Billingsley, Worship Pastor Dan Henderson, Pastor for Renewal Thomas Road Baptist Church Thomas Road Baptist Church Lynchburg, VA Lynchburg, VA
* Watch next month for additional speakers
PLUS Each registrant will receive a FREE copy of Jonathan Falwell’s new book, innovatechurch
REGISTRATION DETAILS: $99 $129 Earlybird Registration April 1, 2008
Late Registration After April 1, 2008
$79
Groups of 5 or more April 1, 2008
36ATTENTION LIBERTYVENDORS: JOURNAL Jan./Feb. Booth 2008 spaces are available for $400 each. For more information, please call 800-424-9592
US
www.liberty.edu
37
Simply Spec
THE CHURCH
T
his year’s production of The Virginia Christmas Spectacular at Thomas Road Baptist Church is the biggest show since the church started its Living Christmas Tree in 1971. More than 40,000 people saw the show this year. The cast of more than 500 (including 250 in the choir, the orchestra and performers) wowed audiences in 10 shows open to the public, one show for Liberty students, and one invitation-only show for family and friends. They also did two nights of television taping. The show will air on WSET at 11 p.m. Dec. 24 and at multiple times on The Liberty Channel (check www.libertychannel.com). Photos by Jordan Crossingham/Design by Mitzi Bible
TIMELINE Leading up to THE 2007 SHOWS ...
38
JANUARY Choreographer Loretta Wittman and TRBC choir director Scott Bullman meet to evaluate last year’s show.
LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
FEBRUARY-MAY
JUNE
JULY & AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
Wittman and Bullman meet several times throughout the spring to discuss the general shape of the show.
Bullman gives Wittman music to listen to and she lets him know which numbers are possibilities for the production.
A skeleton outline of the show is complete and work begins with other designers. Musical numbers and concepts for those numbers are firm.
Auditions are held Sept. 10, 11, 12 and a cast list is posted the following week.
O Rehe at the Most put in per w time. tion o begin
pectacular
TEMBER
tions eld 10, 11, nd a cast posted ollowing k.
OCTOBER Rehearsals start at the old church. Most performers put in 3-5 hours per week at this time. Construction on the trees begins.
NOVEMBER Rehearsals ramp up. By the middle of this month performers are working on the stage and designers incorporate large props and some set pieces. Lights are wired on the trees and technical work begins. On Nov. 25, there are two rehearsals, including a dress rehearsal. Opening night is Nov. 30.
DECEMBER Performances are held Dec. 1 & 2 and Dec. 7-9 for the general public. Teardown begins immediately after the last show, with the cast, workers from the cabinet shop, and field operations crew and other volunteers working to try and get the church back in order for the next Sunday. Trees and stage sets are stored and the choir loft is set back into place.
www.liberty.edu
39
THE CHURCH
Lighting the Way
Cindy Daggett, a senior at LU, helps her dad, Jon Daggett, test the lights for this year’s Virginia Christmas Spectacular. Jon, technical director at TRBC, says Cindy is his ‘number two’ person during the show. At right, Daggett stands in the control booth at TRBC. Photos by Les Schofer
40
LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
I
by MITZI BIBLE Liberty Journal
t’s the same tangled mess every year. That twisted ball of Christmas tree lights we pull out of storage is enough to take the “Merry” out of our “Merry Christmas,” if we let it. But talk to Jon Daggett and our struggles begin to pale in comparison. “Try and keep the lights working on your Christmas tree at home … ,” he said, “Well I’ve got 260,000 I’ve got to get working.” That’s because Daggett is the lighting man for Thomas Road Baptist Church’s Virginia Christmas Spectacular (formerly known as the Living Christmas Tree).
But for Daggett, working with all those lights is not a job he dreads; it’s one he enjoys for two months out of every year. He uses a complex, computer-based lighting system called MidiLite, which he designed himself and markets to other churches around the country for similar Living Christmas Tree shows. With a mind for computers, a background in television [he was the director of operations at Liberty Broadcasting Network for 12 years and currently works for Billy Graham’s organization], and a love for music [he once played piano for Gaithers concert singer Lynda Tait Randall], he is able to create a light show like none other. Daggett, technical director for TRBC, said although there are
THE CHURCH
a couple of hundred Living Christmas Treelike performances at churches across the country, TRBC’s show is tops. “I would tend to say we are probably the leading production in the country when it comes to tree lighting,” he said. What makes it so unique is “the programming of the lights is done musically — so rather than a more traditional lighting approach to it, think of the tree as a big instrument,” he said. “I jokingly sometimes call it a light synthesizer because that’s kinda really what it is.” Programming the lights to “dance” with the music is something Daggett has dabbled in since 1991, when he put up a display at his home in Lynchburg. Many people in Central Virginia can probably remember piling the kids into the family car to join the line of traffic leading to Daggett’s home near Campbell Avenue, with all its windows and bushes lighting up with the music blaring from outdoor speakers. “The ABC affiliate was out in front of our house doing the weather cut-ins live,” he said. ◆ LIGHTS continued on page 42 www.liberty.edu
41
THE CHURCH
Did you know? The show includes two, 11tiered trees that can hold 125 people each. The trees hold more than 260,000 lights; if stretched out they would span 23 miles. It takes 9 workers to construct the trees, putting in about 320 hours total. The choir will sing 22 songs for the show; they stand in the tree for 2 hours.
◆
LIGHTS from page 41
After a couple of years of doing this, Daggett recalled, David Randlett, who was producing TRBC’s Living Christmas Tree at the time, “came over and said, ‘You know, your house almost does a better show than our big production does.’” In 1994 the two talked seriously about using Daggett’s talent with lighting and computers for the church’s performance. “I spent about a year and a half of my life designing and working with an engineering company to develop this thing [MidiLite],” Daggett said. “It debuted in 1995 and of course just blew everybody away.” Now, 34 churches from Arizona to Wisconsin, Texas and all up and down the East Coast, have purchased his system. The business keeps him busy year-round. Daggett has a new home and no longer does his personal light display. There’s really no time, he said. For the past two months, he has been dedicated
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DATES: June 22 - July 4, 2008
**Mention ad LJ0108 on your application and receive a free copy of Understanding the Times at your conference
42
LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
719.685.9103 WWW.SUMMIT.ORG
to the TRBC show. In addition to the lights on the two 11-tiered trees, Daggett is also in charge of the robotics parts of the sets (the ones that “roll in,” like a jukebox and iPod, for example, which have to be wireless and battery powered). He doesn’t mind the long hours so much, he said, because his family — like so many other TRBC families — has made the show a family affair. “It almost kind of needs to be because it’s weird hours,” he said. “To some extent you don’t see each other unless you’re here helping.” His wife and two daughters (both Liberty University students) take part in the show. But by the time audiences saw the show this year, the first part of Daggett’s work was already done. For him, once the program has started, he is “sitting up there behind a computer and really just babysitting,” he said. The system is fully automated. “If nothing goes wrong, theoretically the whole two-hour show I don’t do a thing.” And if something does go wrong? “We switch over to backup and nobody ever knows there was a problem,” he said. But it isn’t long before his work starts up again. He is responsible for seeing that the trees get taken down and stored away in a warehouse for the next year. And all this with just one week to spare before Christmas can be stressful. “I’ll admit it’s hard,” he said. “… and then you’ve got to have Christmas.” But it’s all worth it, he said, when this form of outreach is successful. From “hearing the comments afterwards, seeing the reports of people who may have made [salvation] decisions as a result of coming and the follow-up after the fact — for somebody, this may have been their first time in,” he said, “and it’s like, ‘Hey maybe I’ll come back when it’s not Christmas and just see what they do there.’”
MEMORIES FROM LIBERTY MOUNTAIN
Remember When ... ?
touchedus he
M by MITZI BIBLE Liberty Journal
Doug Oldham sings for the ‘Old Time Gospel Hour’ in this historic photo. Oldham is well-known for gospel hits such as ‘The King is Coming’ and ‘He Touched Me.’
any can remember the days when Doug Oldham would take the stage at Thomas Road Baptist Church and, with his strong voice, belt out “The King is Coming” on “The Old Time Gospel Hour.” It was the 1970s and the name Doug Oldham was synonymous with gospel music. “People don’t realize that back in the day he was filling up auditoriums all over the country,” says Charles Billingsley, TRBC’s current worship leader. ◆ OLDHAM continued on page 44
Got a high-quality print you think would make a good Remember When ...? Please e-mail lj@liberty.edu
www.liberty.edu
43
MEMORIES FROM LIBERTY MOUNTAIN
OLDHAM from page 43
The fact is Oldham was internationally known, too, with fans from Canada to Holland (where he was No. 1 in gospel music for a while) to all across England (where he sang for the queen). He was on the road quite a bit, having first traveled with evangelist Benny Hinn and with the Billy Graham Crusades. He even traveled by bus with the Rev. Jerry Falwell to church and school auditoriums as they raised money for the new Lynchburg Baptist College in the summer of 1971; Doug provided the music while Falwell Sr. preached. Now, 30-plus years later, Oldham, 76, is not the traveler he used to be. He is in a wheelchair due to a broken back two years ago. His wife, Laura Lee, jokes that “he still rides, just now he gets pushed,” to which Oldham laughs and says, “See? Everything goes full circle.” But just a year after his injury, Oldham was able to make the trip of a lifetime. In November 2006, with his nurse accompanying him, he flew to Nashville to be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. “I’m in there with Elvis and all them ‘big shots,’” Oldham jokes in an exaggerated southern twang. Oldham received the honors after an introduction by his close friend, gospel music icon Bill Gaither. His family was there to see him receive the award (all but one daughter who could not make the trip). “Not all awards are historic, but I think that particular one was because of the major contribution he made,” Gaither said in a telephone interview. “It was a very deserving moment.” Gaither, who started out as an accompanist for Oldham, calls his friend a “unique communicator, with a great heart.” He said he is inspired by his faithfulness to Christian music, a popular genre that Oldham “had a special role” in developing. “People liked him because he sang with such feeling,” Gaither said. “His spirit in spite of his bad health is amazing to me. The optimism I hear in his voice in spite of the fact I know he has endured a lot of pain with his back is
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
Doug Oldham reacts to the announcement that a recital hall has been named in his honor in the Fine Arts Building. The Oldham Recital Hall was a complete surprise to Oldham. ‘I was so surprised because that came from the university and the university is very legitimate in their music,’ he said.
amazing.” Oldham said being confined to a wheelchair made the trip to Nashville “kind of wild,” but it’s actually been kind of wild for Oldham this past year in terms of awards. In August, Oldham received the first-ever Lifetime Champion Award from Thomas Road Baptist Church for his years of Christian service. In October, a remodeled room in the Fine Arts building at Liberty University was named Oldham Recital Hall; he was honored at a faculty festival and ceremony there when the work was complete. The same anonymous donor who made the renovation possible also donated money to start the Doug Oldham Music Scholarship program at LU. “I am excited because it’s (the honors) all coming at a time when I have a broken back,” Oldham says. “It’s kind of fun that the Lord is using this time to have all these crazy things come in —
totally unexpected.” Although the Hall of Fame gained Oldham national recognition, he says he treasures the honors he received right here at home. Billingsley, who presented the TRBC award along with the Rev. Jonathan Falwell, says he still has a phone message saved from the day after he presented the award and Oldham called to tell him, through tears and weeping, how blessed he was to be recognized in that way. “It was a no-brainer he would be our first [recipient],” Billingsley said. “He represents true Christ-likeness in that he is broken and humble and a true worshipper — I find great inspiration in him because of that.” Dr. John Hugo, chairman of LU’s Department of Music and Humanities, says the choice to name the updated hall after Oldham, who sang for five presidents, recorded more than 64 albums and earned two Dove awards,
Alex Towers
◆
MEMORIES FROM LIBERTY MOUNTAIN
Aaron Crisler, Gospel Music Association
Doug Oldham has two best friends, Bill Gaither and Dr. Jerry Falwell shown at right in this early 1970s photo). Gaither, at left, is pictured with his wife Gloria Gaither and Oldham and his wife, Laura Lee, at the Gospel Music Hall of Fame Awards in Nashville in November 2006. Gaither introduced Oldham at the ceremony.
was a natural decision. “It seemed to me that he had done so much for the ministry and he needed to be recognized. … He brought prestige and visibility to the music at Thomas Road Baptist Church and here at Liberty.” When asked what he considers his top accomplishments in life, Oldham says, “I just reckon people who have found the Lord … because you don’t sing for the awards, you sing for the Lord. People always ask what my favorite song is and my favorite song is whatever reaches out to the people to challenge them to serve the Lord.” Oldham’s wife says she has received “hundreds and hundreds” of letters (and they still flow in to this day) telling Doug what one of his songs meant to someone at a particular time in their lives. “It’s always very personal,” she says. “I think that is probably one of his unique qualities — he touches people so at a personal level, rather than as a concert singer. He touches their heart.” Through the years, Oldham has seen many changes at Thomas Road Baptist Church, including the loss of Falwell Sr. this year. His death hurt him deeply. “Outside of my family, he was the best friend I ever had,” he says. “I didn’t see how the church could begin to continue — he was so great, so good. “And then,” Oldham says, “Jonathan just walked in and picked it up. … I look back now and remember what Jerry used to say: ‘God knows when we have fulfilled what He gave us to do.’ And I’ve come to believe that the Lord was saying Jonathan will take us into a whole new era, a new generation.”
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www.liberty.edu
45
Bible Conference
April 22-24, 2008 Dauphin Way Baptist Church Mobile, AL
For more information, visit: www.randalhelms.org/conference.asp
SPEAKERS
Dr. Johnny Hunt Woodstock, GA
Dr. Jerry Vines Woodstock, GA
Dr. Fred Wolfe Fair Hope, AL
Dr. Phil Hoskins Kingsport, TN
Dr. Ted Traylor Pensacola, FL
Rev. Clint Pressley Mobile, AL
Dr. Barry Crocker Conway, SC
Dr. Randal Helms Woodstock, GA
Rev. Braxton Hunter Jacksonville, FL
Dr. Walter Davis Winter Haven, FL
SPECIAL EVENTS ON WEDNESDAY: Women’s Session Evening Music Explosion Ivy Helms
Sponsored and hosted by Randal Helms Ministries of Woodstock, GA.
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Liberty University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097:Telephone number 404-679-4501) to award associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees. Liberty University does not discriminate in the admission of students oradministration of programs on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender, age or disability.
ACADEMIC LIFE
New Visual Communication Arts program
paints picture by MITZI BIBLE Liberty Journal
W
istock.com
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
hen Todd Smith works on an art project, time stands still. Like the night his wife came home from her job on third shift and it surprised him; he had been hard at work on a sculpture all night and didn’t even know it was the morning. Or the night he stayed up with his young sons, way past their bedtime, working on a piece of art he would demonstrate in his class the following day. Now Smith’s dedication to art has led him — and Liberty University — to the new Visual Communication Arts (VCAR) Degree in the School of Communication. Smith is the program’s director. The VCAR degree was made available in the fall of 2006. It started with 150 students and in one year has doubled, with about 300 declared majors. The program had its foundation in the existing Communication Studies program. Students can choose concentrations in Graphic Design or Studio Art, with 45 credit hours required. Minors are also offered. Classes range from the cutting-edge subjects of desktop publishing, digital imaging and 2D/3D animation, to the traditional arts of painting, drawing and sculpture. Smith said the program is an answer to prayer. “When we first started getting word out about this degree, parents (who knew their children were artistic) would call me and say, ‘We have prayed for years that God would bring an art degree to Liberty.’ It amazed me. Parents were praying that because they wanted their child to go to
of growth
an art school that was within a Christian framework.” Professor Stacy Vance, who teaches courses in graphic design, said the VCAR program is “an amazing void that Liberty is able to fill.” “Having an art program in a Christian school is probably something that is long overdue,” she said. “The fact that we are able to train Christian artists is an amazing ministry opportunity. Of course we want to be able to grow and send those people out.” Vance said the skill level of students is impressive: “The raw talent we get in some of the earlier classes is amazing.” Smith said feedback from students was a factor in getting the program up and running. Some input, he said, came from former Communication Studies students who had already ventured out into those fields. “We would get input from them: ‘You need to teach more art, or you need to have more design classes,’” he said. Though just one year old, the program has already seen its first graduate. Olivia Fryer graduated in the spring (she had enough electives in the old Communication/ graphics degree — and did some online work — to complete the VCAR degree). Now she works on graphic design for a Cincinnati, Ohio, marketing firm. She said the VCAR degree “definitely qualified me for the job I have now,” and it was just what she had been looking for at Liberty. “I was really excited because [the lack of an art degree] was one thing when I had
ACADEMIC LIFE
Les Schofer
Students concentrate on drawing and shading techniques during an art class that is part of the new Visual Communication Arts (VCAR) Degree in the School of Communication. The VCAR degree was made available in the fall of 2006. It started with 150 students and in one year has doubled, with about 300 declared majors.
decided to come to Liberty I was kind of disappointed about. It was kind of neat that I found out they even had graphic design in the Communication Department.” The VCAR program has seven full-time and two adjunct faculty members. Smith said he feels “fortunate to have the caliber teachers that we have.” He said the professors are all “active” artists, continuing their craft outside the classroom. “They all have years of industry experience, which makes a huge difference,” Smith said. “If you know the field, you come to teach students, and you stay abreast of the field, the students are going to benefit.” VCAR students also get a chance to stay active outside of the classroom — even before they graduate. Students are required to participate in internships at area art venues and businesses that do work in graphic design. “What we’re trying to do is to get
students who come through this degree to go into every facet of the art world,” Smith said. “Just like Dr. Falwell used to say, ‘You need to be salt and light.’ For a long time, Christians have not been salt and light in the field of art.” Students also have extracurricular groups they can join on campus, including the Studio Art Community (a guild for artistic expression), Kappa Pi International Art Honor Society and a campus chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. And, in the spring, they can enter their work in a juried student art show sponsored by the VCAR program. A faculty art show is also being planned. Smith said making the VCAR degree a reality took hard work by a team of people, including the administration in the School of Communication. “They have been so supportive, for example, giving us new equipment, remodeled facilities and curriculum support,” Smith
said. And there’s more work to do because the vision doesn’t stop with offering a degree, Smith said. He hopes someday to add an education certification. Associate professor Eva Palmer, who teaches drawing and painting, said her classes are cramped now, but she is excited about the program’s growth. “I believe that as more and more people across the country find out about our program, we are just going to explode around here in the arts … we will be inundated with students so we are going to have to have space.” Palmer has specialized in ceramics and would like to teach pottery. The program has three pottery wheels and a small-size kiln, but they are sitting in storage until there is studio space available. “At the rate we’re growing,” she said, “it would be wonderful to have a fine arts building.” www.liberty.edu
49
FACULTY FOCUS
Todd Smith, director of the new Visual Communication Arts Program in the School of Communication, demonstrates a 3D desktop scanner to senior Daniel Smith. The scanner will allow students to merge traditional art with new media. Smith teaches 2D/3D animation and the traditional art of sculpture. The bust in the background is one of his pieces.
www.liberty.edu
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ACADEMIC LIFE
Liberty
News and Notes
Liberty Flight Team takes top spot at competition The Liberty University Flight Team won their third consecutive National
Intercollegiate Flying Association Region X flight competition on Oct. 21. In May the team will compete at the National Flight competition hosted by Middle Tennessee State University. For further information on the
Liberty Flight Team and the Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics, contact the Aviation Department Chairman, Ernie Rogers, at (434) 582-2183 or erogers@ liberty.edu.
Pi Sigma claims two-year award Pi Sigma, at Liberty University, has been named a winner in the Achieving Chapter Excellence (ACE) program from Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. Pi Sigma received the award on Nov. 1 during the opening session of the organization’s 46th Biennial Convocation in Louisville. Pi Sigma chapter competed for the rigorous two-year award which recognizes Kappa Delta Pi chapters that exhibit outstanding programming in support of the Society’s mission and ideals. The Pi Sigma chapter was named one of the top 22 Kappa Delta Pi chapters out of 567 across the world.
LU team on the ball at tournament A team representing Liberty University placed ninth among 200 teams in a Chick-Fil-A-sponsored dodgeball tournament in Richmond in October. The team, comprised of four current resident assistants, one former resident assistant and two resident directors competed under the name “Jerry Jr.’s Boys.” The team included Danny Lamonte, Tom Hinkley, Ben Baxley, Charley Peele, Kyle Mullett, Glenn Housden, and Josh Geisler. The Over 18 division of the tournament, one of the 10 largest in the United States, played on 23 separate courts. Proceeds from the tournament will support relief efforts in Niger, Africa.
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51
Les Schofer
OPINION/EDITORIAL by MARK SMITH Liberty Journal
Examining the Roots of
CREATION Liberty University professor of biology and director of Liberty’s Center for Creation Studies, Dr. David DeWitt, speaks on the characteristics of primate and human skulls.
T
here is ongoing confusion on the issue of creationism, Liberty University professor Dr. David DeWitt says, even occasionally within the church. While Christians believe that God created the heavens and the earth, they are often incapable of clarifying their convictions or unsure of the true precepts of the Genesis account. National polls indicate that Americans, in general, largely believe God created the universe, even though some leave open the possibility that evolution is somehow linked to the process. In June, a USA Today/Gallup Poll found 39 percent of respondents saying that creationism (“the idea that God
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years,” as worded in the poll) is “definitely true.” Further, 27 percent said that statement is “probably true.” That’s a resounding 66 percent of the population that believes God designed the universe, according to the poll. These Americans’ beliefs, however, are generally impugned by the mainstream, including the national media, academia and popular culture. Subsequently, Christians who adhere to biblical foundations of creation are routinely met with a barrage of secularist dogma that is designed to refute their core convictions. From National Geographic specials to Finding Nemo, evolutionary credos are present. DeWitt, a professor of biology, wants to help Christians understand the nature of creationism and teach them how to effectively counter mainstream arguments. His new book, “Unraveling the Origins Controversy,” is a crash course in biblical creationism and examines assumptions on both sides of the origins debate with clear biblical teachings. DeWitt, who is director of Liberty’s Center for Creation Studies, says he imagined conversations with teenagers while writing the book, in hopes of preventing his writings from becoming too academic. “Many books on the subject are either too technical or too simple,” said Dr. DeWitt, who recently received a large National Institutes of Health grant to support his Alzheimer’s disease research.
“I saw a need for a book that would convey information on creationism so that average people could follow the evidence.” And evidence is the key to the creationism argument, says Dr. DeWitt. Noting that there are perpetual new scientific findings in terms of the earth’s foundations, he says Christians need to have a framework for understanding these alleged evolutionary breakthroughs. “We live in the same world and use the same facts as evolutionists,” DeWitt said recently in an interview with Liberty Journal. “We simply use different assumptions and reach creation conclusions.” Included in DeWitt’s scientific refutation of evolutionary theory, he incorporates Scripture throughout his tome, using it to support the creation science. He believes the value of his book is that it is written by a scientist who integrates up-to-the-minute science with a biblical worldview. Asked if there is any argument an evolutionist can make that a creationist cannot effectively answer, DeWitt smiled wryly and offered a simple, “No.” “We have nothing to worry about in defending our beliefs,” he confidently stated.
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OPINION/EDITORIAL
TRBC Growth Continues Elmer Towns
A
recent survey in Outreach Magazine named Thomas Road Baptist Church as the eighth largest church in America, citing an average weekly attendance of 17,445. The ranking is nothing new for Thomas Road, which has been in the top 10 listings going back to the 1960s when Christian Life Magazine first compiled a list of the 100 largest churches in America; ranking Thomas Road as ninth largest. It’s noteworthy that Thomas Road runs among the giants located in Houston, Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas, even though it is located in the smallest comparative population center. The per capita attendance when compared with the area population indicates Thomas Road Baptist Church has the largest attendance in comparison to its population. This fact means the church has the most
influence over its surrounding population, compared to the other churches in Outreach Magazine’s survey. Some pessimists probably thought Thomas Road would begin to decline in attendance and vitality after the death of Dr. Jerry Falwell on May 15, doubting that anyone “could take Jerry’s place.” But they were wrong. Thomas Road Baptist Church has not only held its own; attendance has exploded, proving that the church was not built on a man. The church was built on God. There have been more than 1,200 new members added in the six months after Jerry’s home going. More than 1,600 have prayed to receive Christ and 512 were added to the church by baptism. Just a few weeks after becoming pastor, the Rev. Jonathan Falwell was in the baptismal tank to perform 53 baptisms in one evening. A couple of weeks later, he baptized 47. Eighteen months ago, attendance increased when Jerry Sr. led Thomas Road Baptist Church to leave its original site at 701 Thomas Road and move to the Liberty University campus. Sunday school attendance jumped from 4,000 to 8,000 and morning worship attendance jumped from 5,000 to 11,000. The old location had 1,027 parking spaces, whereas the new church has over 5,000. The old location only had three existing two-lane streets, whereas the new location is near the intersection of two major expressways. But there’s another reason for the growth. When Thomas Road first moved to the new location, 40 new adult classes were formed. Where are all those people coming from? Married couples that were reached years ago as children in the bus ministry or Treasure Island camp are now coming back to Thomas Road and bringing their children. The seed planted by Dr. Falwell years ago is bearing fruit. Dr. Elmer Towns is co-founder of Liberty University.
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Opinion/Editorial Christians and Culture
Youth and Faith: Good News, Bad News Karen Swallow Prior
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
Jordan Crossingham
R
ecently MTV and The Associated Press released the findings of a joint, in-depth survey on happiness among Americans aged 13 to 24. The pollsters happily reported strong links between religion and happiness. Headlines across the nation proclaimed the news, “Religion leads to more happiness for young people.” And indeed, this is good news. Apparently to the pollsters’ surprise, religious belief is the single-most significant factor in young people’s happiness. The majority of those surveyed, 65 percent, say that religion is at least somewhat important in their lives. Furthermore, while only 60 percent of those for whom religion is unimportant consider themselves happy, 80 percent of those for whom “religion or spirituality” is “the most important thing in their lives” report being happy. The bad news is that more young people (two thirds) say that technology — such as cell phones and the Internet — makes people happier than the number who say that religion is “very important” in their lives (44 percent). Only about 10 percent identify religion as “the single most important thing in their lives.” Another widely-publicized finding of the survey is that 68 percent of young people agree with the statement,
A student reads the Bible at Thomas Road Baptist Church’s Main Street. According to a recent poll of Americans aged 13 to 24, 65 percent say religion is at least somewhat important in their lives.
“I follow my own religious and spiritual beliefs, but I think that other religious beliefs could be true as well,” and only 31 percent agree with the statement, “I strongly believe that my religious beliefs are true and universal, and that other beliefs are not right.” Although one might quibble with the wording of these leading survey questions, it is sobering that more than two-thirds of youth describe their religious beliefs as something they “follow,” while less than one-third describe their beliefs as “true.” The media has widely touted this finding as a victory for “tolerance,” but the church should find it troubling. For what one “follows” might be everchanging, while what is “true” does not change. Of course, none of this is “news,” nor is it surprising. Diminishing belief in absolute truth (i.e., something is either true or it is not, as opposed to its being “true for me, but not for you”) has characterized our culture for some
time. And, sadly, the church has not been immune to this cultural influence. In fact, young people are merely following the example set by their elders. A Barna survey conducted shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks revealed “radically altered” views of truth among Americans: most disturbing is the finding that those who identified themselves as born-again Christians were among those least likely to believe in absolute truth — just 32 percent. Thus, it appears we have a nation of believers who profess faith in Christ but at the same time reject His proclamation that “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Yet, just as surely as there are many causes for this cultural shift (some of which will be topics in future columns), there is one answer: the Word of God. Dr. Karen Swallow Prior is Associate Professor of English at Liberty University.
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Homecoming
VICTORY
Photos by: Wesley Falwell, Les Schofer & Alex Towers
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
That Was
AWESOME! -Danny Rocco
L
iberty University’s Homecoming, held the last
weekend in October, was a time of excitement and fun for students, alumni, family and friends of the Liberty community. More than 15,000 fans turned Williams Stadium red for the Flames victory over Presbyterian (48-14). The traditional parade included floats and the familiar faces of the Falwell family. Among the floats was a salute to Campus Pastor Dwayne Carson for his 20 years of service, as well as one poking fun at the evacuation woes of Dorm 7. Homecoming was a time of fun and remembrance for all and the pervading spirit of the late Dr. Falwell’s love for athletics was felt in the stands. This was yet another home victory for the Flames Football team, led by Coach Danny Rocco who continued the Team’s theme for the season...
GOOD
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
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ALUMNI
Alumni Snapshot Why did you choose to attend Liberty University? Athletics was the initial primary draw, as a scholarship wrestler under Coach Bob Bonhiem. Like my teammates, I was excited to help build a strong program at a Christian college as a platform to share our faith. I grew up in California and at the time Liberty was recruiting a lot of athletes from the West Coast and I thought it would be great to see another part of the country.
What is your fondest memory of Liberty? My first trip to the Peaks of Otter stands out in my memory. I was overwhelmed at how beautiful Virginia is in the fall! I never saw those colors in California. Craig Landfair is pictured with his son, James, at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham. James places first at the Virginia State Debate Championships as a sophomore and earned a 4.64 GPA.
Name: Craig Landfair Graduating class date: 1984 Where you live: Little Rock, Arkansas Family: Married to Martha Honey Landfair (25 yrs) with 5 children: Patrick (23), Margaret (21), Emily (19), James (16), Julia (7) Occupation: President/CEO, Paradigm Health & Wellness Previous Positions: President/ CEO York Barbell, President/ CEO Hampton Fitness, Exec. V. P. U-S China Trading Corporation Hobbies: Golf, Tennis, Sprint Triathlons, completed this years (2007) Los Angeles Marathon. Education: Liberty BS 1984, Graduate Studies: Southwest Theological Seminary (Counseling/Psych) Non-Degree, University California Santa Barbara (Marketing) NonDegree
Also, Thanksgiving week my sophomore year, I was stuck at school with a couple of friends from California and we must have been looking kind of pitiful, because after the Wednesday night service Jerry came up to us and gave me a $100.00 bill and told us to go out and get a good steak dinner. He said he didn’t want us to go to some fastfood place, but get a real nice meal! We agreed! After we left the church we decided we could eat several meals and shouldn’t blow it all on one meal — so we went to Burger King! While I was standing in line — a voice behind me whispered “Be sure your sins will find you out!” It was Jerry! Apparently, he didn’t have any money left after he gave us the $100 and had to go to Burger King! We were so impressed with his generosity and genuine love for the students at Liberty!
How did attending Liberty prepare you for your life after graduation? I was fortunate to have great professors that challenged me to pursue excellence. My undergraduate degree at Liberty was actually in Theology (the Queen of the Sciences) and ultimately ended up realizing that I was called to be businessman. Learning to apply kingdom values, I learned at Liberty, in the work place has been fulfilling adventure! I realize now that business is a legitimate and necessary calling to influence our culture and advance God’s kingdom.
What would people be surprised to know about you? I was roommates with Coach Jesse Castro. All of his former teammates were so excited to see him come back to help re-establish the wrestling program at Liberty! We couldn’t have found a better man for the job! www.liberty.edu
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GENERAL NEWS SPORTS
by ERIC BROWN Special to the Liberty Journal
Three of a kin
M
ost people who encounter twins or triplets look at them as being alike in every way. In the case of Megan, Molly, and Moriah Frazee, they have become accustomed to being treated as a group rather than individuals. It is an easy mistake to make when taking into account that all three play women’s basketball for Liberty University and are nearly identical in stature. When given the chance to meet the Frazee sisters, students and faculty will find there is much more to this trifecta than basketball. “Those are three separate identities,” says women’s basketball coach Carey Green. “Within their own individual capabilities, they are three unique young ladies.” Yes, the Frazees are the only triplets in Division I basketball, but that is not the only characteristic that makes them unique. While most triplets, including the Frazees, are similar physically, these young ladies have learned to adjust to their similarities. Each one of them possesses skills on the court that make their games different. “Megan is a scorer. She does have exceptional ball handling skills for a player her size,” said Green. “Molly is extremely good at attacking the basket and shooting the three. Moriah is the strongest of the three. She’s got a power game and she attacks the basket really, really well.” When going to a Lady Flames basketball game, do not be surprised if the triplets are showing off their individual skills on the court simultaneously. In the 2006-2007 season, the Frazees started a number of games together, each playing their own role. Megan led the team in scoring, Molly in three-point field goal percentage and Moriah finished number one in blocked shots. “Sometimes the media will just clump us all together,” said Moriah. “We are all
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
individuals. We all have different personalities.” Upon graduating high school in 2005, these three different individuals chose to make the same decision. As the task of choosing a university to attend drew closer, the Frazees had to decide whether or not they would remain together. After deciding to attend the same university, the sisters then had to choose a school that fit them the best. “I knew it was going to be a big leap of faith to come to Liberty,” said Molly. “I felt that’s where I could just grow, not only
when playing on the basketball court, but also spiritually. I’m really glad I chose to come here.” The three sisters were not the only Frazees to take the leap of faith to come to Liberty. The triplets’ parents, Jim and Tammy Frazee, decided to move to Lynchburg in order to be closer to their three daughters and son Zeb, who is a senior at the university. “It’s nice that there is always a home we can go to on the weekends if we want to get away from campus a little bit,” said Megan. “Some of our teammates will come
over an Wh facets o Just ask baffled trio diffi “(T fused o Green. was abl The oth confuse portuni that co
SPORTS
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Frazee triplets excel as a team and shine as individuals on and off the court
Les Schofer
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Megan, Molly and Moriah Frazee are the only triplets in Division I basketball, and they all bring their own skills to the court.
over and hang out.” While the sisters all excel in different facets of the game, looks are still deceiving. Just ask the University of Virginia, who was baffled by the Frazees in 2006, finding the trio difficult to guard. “(The) opponents were really confused on who was guarding who,” said Green. “Megan, with her scoring ability, was able to capitalize on the confusion. The other two continued to keep them confused because they had scoring opportunities as well. We all benefited from that confusion.”
One thing that is not confusing about the Frazees is their faith. “As much as we are known as the triplets that play basketball, there is more to life than basketball,” said Megan. “Ultimately the Lord gives us the ability, and so we need to be honoring Him in all we do.” The Frazees will continue to confuse people with their identities on and off the court until they graduate in 2009. In the meantime, if being seen as a single group is inescapable, Megan, Molly and Moriah would like to be viewed as one that plays for the Lord. www.liberty.edu
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SPORTS
Congratulations Flames! by TODD WETMORE Liberty Journal
I
n the 36-year history of Liberty University, the athletics department has achieved numerous successes. The Flames have won nearly 80 conference titles since joining the Big South Conference in 1991 and Liberty has shocked perennial powerhouses with numerous Top 25 upsets. However, generations from now, when the Flames faithful recall the journey to national prominence, they will forever reflect on the weekend just prior to Thanksgiving 2007. In and around Thanksgiving, the Big South Conference crowns champions in football, volleyball and men’s soccer.
A Weekend of Triumphs
E
Athletics Director Jeff Barber recognizes athletic achievements at a November convocation.
ntering the weekend, Liberty was already having a banner year. The football program was rewriting attendance records and putting up record offensive numbers every time it took the field. On the volleyball court, LU women were in the process of halting Winthrop’s dominance in league play. The Lady Flames beat Winthrop in the regular season and rattled off 14-straight wins. And the men’s soccer team racked up eight regularseason shutouts to crack the Top 25 nationally in win-loss percentage. But the best was yet to come and LU athletes were determined not to allow regular season conquest to become postseason failures. All three LU teams programs entered the waning days of their schedules with a drive and determination to claim a championship prize.
How the battles were won: Nov. 17: Nov. 17: Nov. 18: Nov. 19: 64
FOOTBALL Liberty 31 Gardner-Webb 0 VOLLEYBALL Liberty beats Winthrop 3-0 (30-17, 30-23, 32-30) MEN’S SOCCER Liberty 2 Radford 1 CROSS COUNTRY Josh McDougal’s time: 10 kilometers in 29 minutes, 22 seconds
LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
SPORTS
Spiking the Competition
T
he volleyball team had the shortest distance to travel to reach the postseason. LU hosted the Big South Volleyball Championship in the Vines Center. Six other Big South teams entered the 8,500-seat arena with the hopes of stopping the red hot LU team. But not even Winthrop, winners of fivestraight conference titles, could stop the wave of success Liberty was riding, as the Lady Flames swept the competition to claim its first title since 2001 and fourth in program history. Almost simultaneously the football team culminated its championship run in Boiling Springs, N.C., with a resounding 31-0 victory over Gardner-Webb. LU’s first Big South crown was the defining moment for the football program, which is under second year head coach Danny Rocco.
Leaders of the Pack
J
Kirby Lee/Image of Sport
ust one day after the football championship, the men’s soccer team erased years of championship game frustration down in Rock Hill, S.C. Liberty, runners up in its previous four title contest appearances, finally vindicated itself with a 2-1 win over archrival Radford. One would think that three league titles over a two-day span, giving the Flames five total in the fall season following the cross country program’s sweep to close out October, would be enough. But it wasn’t — not when you are having a season unlike any previous campaign. The only thing which could top a weekend of conference successes would be notoriety on the national scene, and Liberty had prime opportunity in Terre Haute, Ind., to do so at the NCAA Cross Country National Championship. The only thing missing from Josh McDougal’s starstudded resume was the ultimate prize. Following three near misses during his previous trio of appearances at the national race, the senior outlegged Oregon’s Galen Rupp to claim the national title in record fashion, becoming Liberty’s second-ever NCAA national champion. Only time will tell what the future holds for the Flames during this season of champions, but one thing is for sure, Liberty’s athletics department had much to be thankful for during this holiday season. Todd Wetmore is Liberty University’s Assistant AD for Athletic Media Relations.
www.liberty.edu
65
SPORTS
The puck stops here Flames sport northern flavor by WILL LUPER Special to Liberty Journal
L
Liberty men’s hockey player Mike Binnie (above) stands guard in front of the Flame’s goal as his teammates help defend the net during a game in October. A skirmish (below) later breaks out at the game. The team celebrated a 5-4 win against Penn State in late November.
was a fight, but it was cool to see that they appreciated the game so much. … “I love telling people about the game,” he added, “and helping them to understand it better.” Head Coach Kirk Handy is enjoying the fans understanding the game. “We’ve been really excited about the community support we’ve gotten, both inside and outside the university,”
Photos by Les Schofer
ooking at the Liberty Flames men’s hockey team’s record, it’s no surprise that they’ve started off going 12-4-1, being nationally ranked eighth in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) standings. They bring a strong team mentality and a will to win. Two thirds of the team having grown up in a land where hockey reigns supreme doesn’t hurt either. Of the 26 players on the Flames roster, 17 hail from Canada. Team captain, sophomore Zac Bauman, said growing up with hockey “impacts the passion you have for the game because it becomes a part of who you are rather than just something you do.” That has translated onto the ice as well, with nine of the top 10 Flames scorers being Canadian. “I personally started skating when I was 3, and started playing hockey when I was 5,” continued Bauman. “I imagine most of the guys were in the game no later than 8.” So what is it like, being Canadian and playing hockey in Virginia? “It’s definitely different,” Bauman said. “The funniest thing was when I came back to the dorm after a home game last year. There had been a couple scrums in front of the net, nothing serious, but people were telling you how awesome the fights were. I was shocked that they would think a little pushing
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LIBERTY JOURNAL Jan./Feb. 2008
he said, referring to the increasing student attendance at games. The largest group that has come to see the Flames play showed up during College For A Weekend, a LU-sponsored recruiting event in which high school students briefly live on campus. Handy is also quick to stress that
this is a team game, regardless of where a member grew up. “It’s based on finding the best 25 guys for our hockey program. A lot of our best recruiters are our current players and their parents, who just happen to be from Canada.” Elaborating, Handy said “Since the program’s inception, we’ve always had a majority of Canadians on the team, but our coaching staff looks for the best players available, no matter where they come from.” Freshman Jonathan Chung is new to the team this year. With four goals and nine assists, he is fitting into the team nicely already. When asked about the majority of the team being Canadian, he said, “It gives me a little extra confidence when I play, knowing that there are guys on the team that know where I come from.” In Canada, kids grow up dreaming of one day lifting the Stanley Cup over their head and being crowned National Hockey League champions. This year, those same kids have their sights set on the ACHA Championship, and they believe that with just the right mix of players, that dream can become reality.
SPORTS
JOIN US FOR THE 22nd Pastors’ Conference where you will hear some of the finest preachers in all of the world. It will be a time to renew, refresh, and rejuvenate you physically, but most especially spiritually. This year there will be premium sessions offered as well as women’s sessions with Donna Gaines and Dorothy Patterson.
Conference Speakers David Allen
Erwin W. Lutzer
Voddie Baucham
Al Mohler
Mac Brunson
Tommy Nelson
Ergun Caner
Paige Patterson
Jonathan Falwell
Charles C. Ryrie
Junior Hill
Jimmy Scroggins
Johnny Hunt
Jay Strack
David Jeremiah
Jerry Vines
Patrick Lencioni
Don Wilton
CALL
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