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The Olivetian
Summer 2005
What’s on the
Inside...
From graduation ceremonies to the Holocaust A Testimony From Dr. Michael Benson, Chaplain
JASON JONES PHOTOGRAPHY
4 The Agenda for Excellence
Within a six day span I have witnessed the very high and the very low. During the first weekend of May, on a beautiful, sunny day, the 2005 class of nearly 1,500 students graduated from Olivet Nazarene University. The joy of that moment and the promise of the next year is a wonderful thing to behold. It is an event as bright and as optimistic as one is ever privileged to witness. Less than a week later I was in Washington, D.C., standing among hundreds in the silence as we viewed the horrors of the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. This surely must be the record of one of the darkest moments of mankind, the systematic genocide of so many persons. The devastation of sin and depravity on every aspect of human life and history is clearly seen in the photographs and images on display in that museum. This is what happens when we are left to ourselves and to the pursuit of our own egocentric ways. The doctrinal convictions of historic ChristiAny hope anity, to which Olivet Nazarene University subscribes, clearly promote the hope that a different way of living is possible. This “different way” is the we have central truth behind the power of the Gospel. that we Humanity — born with a fallen nature and hopelessly lost — can be will not repeat redeemed and regenerated through the atoning work of Jesus, the only begotten of the Father. A new birth — the gift of God’s grace to us — saving the horrors us from our sins. More than what grace hides, his grace has the capacity of the Holocaust to save us from the dominion of sin and transform us into new creatures and any hope full of promise and hope. Any hope we have that we will not repeat the horrors of the Holocaust that springs forth and any hope that springs forth at moments like graduation rests solely in at moments the person and work of Jesus. like graduation Our work at Olivet is built on the redemptive work of God in Jesus … the incarnate one. God has a Son. He came in the flesh. You do not get to the rests solely incarnation through evolution. Eugene Peterson writes: in the person “Jesus is the personal name of a person who lived at a datand work able time in an actual land that has mountains we can still climb, wildflowers that can be photographed, cities in which we can still of Jesus. buy dates and pomegranates, and water which we can drink and in which we can be baptized. “Jesus is the central and defining figure in the spiritual life. His life is, precisely, revelation. He brings out into the open what we could never have figured out for ourselves, never guessed in a million years. He is God among us: God speaking, acting, healing, helping.”1 The Christian premise that “the chief end of man” is to bring glory to God implies not only the existence of God but that God cares about what we do. This is why the promise seen in a redeemed life is so hopeful. Real, substantive changes are possible. “The old is gone and the new has come.” The fallen condition is redeemable through Jesus. Graduation at Olivet is the end result of a good, sound, biblical worldview at work. Worldview studies are concerned with three major areas of thought: Creation (Where did we come from and who are we?), Fall (What has gone wrong with the world?) and Redemption (What can we do to fix it?). These three areas are not symbolic, but are based in fact. Creation is not merely a term of dependency upon God but something God actually did. “The Fall” is not only a symbol of moral corruption, but a historical event. “Redemption” has to do with the fact of an empty tomb on Easter Sunday. In the redeeming work of God we may expect more out of a life than persecution and torment and bigotry. We have the expectation that God is doing something new and creative, something that reflects His glory. Thank God for His Son.
In 1992, Dr. John C. Bowling ’71/’72 M.A. introduced the agenda for excellence, focusing the University’s priorities on quality, vitality and unity. On the doorstep of the centennial, we take a look at the success thus far, and the Promises to Keep campaign, still ahead.
JASON ELLIS ’03
9 Highlights from the 26th annual General Assembly
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Every four years, the Church of the Nazarene gathers a delegation for its General Assembly. The 2005 assembly included several historymaking moments, and Olivet Nazarene University was there.
JASON ELLIS ’03
Special pullout Homecoming 2005 October 27–30, alumni from around the world will gather for Homecoming 2005 on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University. This special pullout section has all you need to make your arrangements to “come home to Olivet!”
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18 Football Freedom Thanks to a number of former and current players, the Olivet Nazarene University football team now gets together to study more than just the coach’s playbook.
19 10 Questions with Sarah Brown ’08 Many of us recall hearing the question, “Have you ever heard of Olivet Nazarene University?” Sarah Brown heard it early one morning in Sri Lanka.
Rev. Michael Benson writes “Chaplain’s Notebook” which is published weekly online at www.olivet.edu. Rev. Benson and his wife, Gwen, have three children: Emily ’07, Andrew and Katie ’05. 1
Eugene H. Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2005), p. 31.
DEPARTMENTS 2 3 4 8 15 18 19
Testimony Perspectives Cover Story ONUAlumni ONUNews ONUSports Spotlight
THE OLIVETIAN (USPS 407-880) (ISSN 0891-9712) Dr. John C. Bowling ’71/ ’72 M.A., President
Caleb Benoit ’06, Assistant to the Editor
Dr. Brian Allen ’82/ ’05 Litt.D., Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Editor
On the Cover
George Wolff ’93, Art Director
Photo by Jason Jones Photography.
Christine (Mazzella) Howell ’05, Julie (Habegger) Zehr ’99, Class Notes Editors Gary Griffin ’81, Dan Ferris ’69, Brian Parker ’93, Contributing Editors
Donnie Johnson, David Moore ’06, Matthew Moore ’96, Monique (Cartier) Perry ’03, Designers
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Rev. Gordon C. Wickersham ’47, Copy Editor Caleb Benoit ’06, Dr. Michael Benson, Dr. John C. Bowling ’71/ ’72 M.A., Gary Griffin ’81, Marc Shaner ’00/’02 M.A.T. Susan (Hendley) Wolff ’94, Contributing Writers Image Group Photography, Photographs, or as credited
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Editor, The Olivetian, Olivet Nazarene University, One University Ave., Bourbonnais, IL 60914-2345.
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The Olivetian is published quarterly by Olivet Nazarene University, One University Avenue, Bourbonnais, IL 60914-2345. Periodicals Postage Paid at Bourbonnais, IL, 60914, and additional mailing offices. This official publication of Olivet Nazarene University has been published continuously since 1926 under the name “The Olivet Collegian.” The name was changed to “The Olivetian” in 1987. The publication is sent without charge to inform alumni, parents, friends and prospective students.