Stillpoint Spring 2002

SPRING 2002 THE MAGAZINE OF

GORDON COLLEGE

UNDERSTANDING OUR COMPLEX WORLD LEARNING TO LIVE WITH TERRORISM UNLOCKING MYSTERIES OF THE MIND OUTDOOR ATHLETIC COMPLEX: DOING ATHLETICS RIGHT

UP FRONT

Sharpening Our

Focus

T

he development of Christian leaders was important before this new era of terrorism. Now the task is crucial to the future of our world. More than ever we need men and women who demonstrate commitment to character—people capable of carrying on hard leadership tasks and dedicated to using both heart and mind to search for peace in a world torn by evil.

College students today often respond from their hearts. Christian College students are no different. In fact, because they are influenced by their churches and homes, they often demonstrate more compassion for the poor in Haiti, a heart for the Afghan war refugee and greater sympathy for families torn by terrorism.

These responses are important outcomes of the mission of Gordon College as well—but our mission doesn’t end there. Gordon must prepare students not only in heart but also in mind and spirit for the new conditions they will face upon graduation. To ensure this happens, our new strategic plan calls for selected expansion of off-campus learning programs all over the world.

It is possible for tomorrow’s alumni to interact with even greater sophistication and comprehension of other cultures throughout the world, but only if we provide new opportunities for learning in these diverse settings.

Last fall Executive Director of East-West Institute Thomas Askew and I journeyed to Hong Kong to spend several days in consultation with leaders of our off-campus program there, East-West Institute Hong Kong. Rev. Raymond Lee, founding director of East-West Institute at Gordon, and Janet Brice, executive assistant to Ray Lee, operate that program. During our visit we participated in a Trinity Forum under the leadership of Dr. Os Guinness, being hosted by EWIHK and Rev. Lee for Chinese and expatriate leaders in Hong Kong.

I came away from those discussions convinced more than ever that Gordon College has a strategic role to play in the more focused educational mission resulting from September 11. Leaders want to be prepared for the new realities. They seek to understand how basic assumptions about life shape worldviews. They are committed to understanding how cultures might interact peacefully and avoid future conflicts.

In this issue of Stillpoint are stories about and by alumni, students and faculty being used by God in various venues worldwide. Gordon alumni have a strong foundation upon which to build, but we cannot rest on past achievements. If we are to prepare alumni for the new realities of a post-September 11 world, Gordon must sharpen its focus, effectively blending its strong traditions with stimulating innovations to equip our students with even greater knowledge and understanding of international settings and our complex world. 

President Photos by Janet Brice. Circled at front of photo above, Priscilla Lee, former Gordon trustee; in center, L to R, Ray Lee, director of EWIHK and current trustee; Tom Askew, director of EWI; Jud Carlberg; Os Guinness, senior fellow at Trinity Forum.

At bottom of page, skyline of Hong Kong.

T.S. Eliot, in his poem Four Quartets, refers to God as the “still point of the turning world.”

Editor Patricia C. McKay ’65 Public Relations Specialist Chris Underation Publication Design Lora E. Maggiacomo ’92 Printer Universal Westwood, Massachusetts Stillpoint, the magazine for alumni and friends of the united college of Gordon and Barrington, is published three times a year and has a circulation of 22,000.

Changes of address should be sent to the Development Office.

Send other correspondence to: Editor, Stillpoint Gordon College 255 Grapevine Road Wenham, Massachusetts 01984 mckay@hope.gordon.edu Visit our website at: www.gordon.edu Reproduction of Stillpoint in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

Gordon College is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, or national or ethnic origin.

Volume 17, Number 2 Spring 2002

Sharpening Our Focus IFC

UP FRONT BY PRESIDENT JUD CARLBERG Sharpening Our Focus at Gordon

2

ON & OFF CAMPUS BY CHRIS UNDERATION

4

New Outdoor Athletic Complex BY PAT MCKAY ’65 Initial gift brings reality closer: George Bennett on “Active Bodies . . . Inquiring Minds.”

6

Doing Athletics Right BY STEPHEN LEONARD ’94 Athletic Director Joe Hakes’ vision for Gordon athletics, and alumna Becky Craig’s defining moments.

8

ALUMS AT LARGE An Incredible Jewel BY PAT MCKAY ’65 Rick Colpitts ’82 receives 2001 National Distinguished Principal award.

10

PROFS & PROGRAMS Exploring New Frontiers: Unlocking Mysteries of the Mind BY BRYAN AUDAY Professor Auday’s studies result in neuroscience minor at Gordon.

12

My Peace I Give You BY GLENN BUCCI ’87 Glenn shares his narrow escape on September 11—and how to prepare for the unknown.

14

To Do Justice . . . To Love Mercy BY JUDITH DEAN ’78 International economist talks about the hidden consequences of September 11 and implications for developing countries.

16

Learning to Live with Risks BY SCOTT HARRISON ’81 A partner at KPMG LLP, Scott tells how terrorism has affected the insurance industry and the average citizen.

18

All God’s Children Gonna Sing BY JACOB JOSEPH A Gordon student from India studies music here so he can provide indigenous music training in his homeland.

20

A Liturgy of Words and Images BY JAMES ZINGARELLI AND TANJA BUTLER Two visual arts professors share their work and their inspiration.

22

POINT OF VIEW Relational Turmoil: How Does God Figure In? Professor Paul Borgman finds some answers in Genesis.

23

GIFTS & GIVING A New but Familiar Face New director of special and planned gifts, Rick Klein ’93.

24

RAVES & REBUFFS

BC

2

10

20

EVENTS CALENDAR Musical production, The Mikado BC

COVER PHOTO BY JUDITH DEAN ’78, TAKEN IN A VILLAGE IN HARYANA, INDIA. THESE GIRLS BENEFITTED FROM A SCHOOL JOINTLY BUILT BY THEIR FAMILIES AND WORLD VISION. POTS STORED UNDER A SHADED WALL OUTSIDE THE HOME ARE A SIMPLE METHOD OF REFRIGERATION.

A HEALTHY PREMED PROGRAM Gordon has received news that places the quality of our premedical program in very elite company. In the last two years, under the direction of Don Munro, 93 percent of Gordon’s premed seminar students have been accepted into medical schools. If that isn’t impressive enough, Gordon students rated in the top 180 colleges in the nation (out of 1,311) on the verbal reasoning and physical science portions of the MCAT, the test that largely determines a student’s fitness for medical school. Other MCAT results show our students rank in the top 25 schools nationally in verbal reasoning; in the top 50 in the physical sciences; and 57th nationally in the biological sciences.

A FOND FAREWELL

DAVID OXTON

To the surprise—and sadness—of many, Dr. J. Anthony Lloyd announced his resignation from Gordon over Christmas break. J. Anthony joined the Center for Student Development in 1982 as the hall director of Wilson Hall and the interethnic director.

He quickly distinguished himself as a creative leader, impacting the lives of countless students through his pastoral touch over 20 years. His leadership in new student orientation, leadership development, the A. J. Gordon J. Anthony Lloyd Scholars program, urban education, health services and diversity initiatives leave a lasting legacy for students, staff and faculty. He has been associate dean of students since 1995.

Gordon’s loss will be gain for Greater Framingham Community Church, where for many years Dr. Lloyd has served as pastor. With the growth under his ministry, he is now needed there full-time.

Emotional farewells were held for the students as well as for faculty and staff prior to his departure January 18. Dean of Students Barry Loy said, “J. Anthony will be greatly missed, but his decision is the right one for him.

His first calling is to pastoral ministry.”

urban issues, taking an interdisciplinary curriculum along with a program of internships.

The Urban Studies Semester is open to students from other colleges as well as Gordon.

TESTED—AND FOUND EXCELLENT Gordon has once again proved to be one of the best teacher education schools in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Recently published results show that 95 percent of our students who took the test passed the reading and writing exams and 86 percent passed their subject area test, which measures a student’s competency in their major area. Although Massachusetts has stopped providing comparative data with other schools, Gordon has consistently ranked near the top of the list.

One year ago the National Education Association contacted us to find out what made us so successful in turning out quality teaching candidates. That’s another story for another time.

A SPORTING CHANCE There is a reason we’re only now talking about our fall sports teams—in a very successful season they played well past the deadline for the last Stillpoint. The Fighting Scots had one of the best fall seasons in school history, combining for a 96-243 record. Included in this record are three Commonwealth Coast Conference titles (field hockey, women’s tennis and volleyball), two trips to the NCAA tournament (volleyball and field hockey), one trip to the ECAC tourney (men’s soccer) and one undefeated season with no postseason play (women’s tennis). The Scots have now won 10 conference championship titles in just over three years.

BACK IN THE CITY The new year has brought Gordon a little closer to its roots as a city school.

Craig McMullen, formerly the executive pastor of Dorchester Temple Baptist Church, has been named director of the new Urban Studies Semester in Boston.

Craig joined Gordon in January and is in the process of putting together curriculum and facilities for this off-campus program. The Urban Studies Semester is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2002.

The idea is to provide opportunity for students to immerse themselves in 2

FRANCIS VIGEANT ’04

ON & OFF CAMPUS

BY CHRIS UNDERATION

Women’s field hockey team at Homecoming, fall 2001—Commonwealth Coast Conference champions and NCAA tournament qualifiers.

BACKGROUND AERIAL PHOTO BY JAMES ABTS

BEYOND the

ectern

A sampling of accomplishments and activities outside the classroom

In February MIA CHUNG, associate professor of music and artist-in-residence, performed with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Slatkin in the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. ROY BRUNNER, professor of music, received word from Warner Brothers Publications that they will publish his Wedding Music Suite for Organ in 2002.

Biblical studies professor ROGER GREEN signed a contract with Abingdon Press to complete a biography of Salvation Army cofounder William Booth by the end of 2004. His previous work on Salvation Army cofounder Catherine Booth was recently translated into Spanish.

BOB WHITTET ’78, assistant professor of youth ministries, wrote an article titled “Empowering Teenagers to Lead” for Group Magazine. It was one of two lead pieces in the magazine.

Music professor STAN PELKEY was the featured guest at a lecturerecital at Asbury College in Kentucky. The program was titled “The Music of the Wesley Family and British Musical Culture, 1760–1860.” Stan performed on the organ and spoke.

KEVIN BELMONTE ’90, Wilberforce Project director, is currently nearing the final stages of completion on a biography

of British reformer William Wilberforce to be published by NavPress in October 2002. This will be the first original work on Wilberforce in nearly a quarter century.

Economics professor STEPHEN SMITH, along with Michael Anderson and Raymond Robertson, published Measuring Skill Intensity: Production Worker vs. Education Data in the NAFTA Countries. This is a working paper for the U.S. International Trade Commission Office of Economics. The paper argues that the best way to measure the influence of international trade on worker’s wages is to use occupational-based categories rather than educational-based ones.

DAVID SHULL, assistant professor of biology, gave two presentations about the aquatic sciences during a conference held in Bermuda. The program was attended by 44 Ph.D.s from North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

STEVE ALTER, assistant professor of history, presented a paper titled “Darwin’s View of Unconscious Development in Mind and Language” during a meeting of the History of Science Society in Denver, Colorado.

MALCOLM PATTERSON, dean of the graduate program in education, was elected to the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Women’s soccer coach RICK BURNS published an article titled “Post-Loss Honesty Comes with Silver Lining” in the NCAA News. The article calls for greater candor on the part of coaches in assessing their teams’ wins and losses.

DAMON DIMAURO, associate professor of French, has written an essay titled “Le Credo de Sedecie dans Les Juifves de Garnier,” which will appear in Renaissance, Humanisme, Reforme.

The essay examines the blending of sources in French writer Garnier’s biblical tragedy about Nebuchadnezzar.

PHOTO BY JOE POLIMENI/COKE

HISTORIC FIGURE DECEASED

Scott Williamson ’86 of Coca-Cola enjoyed his turn as an Olympic torchbearer in St. Augustine, Florida, on December 7. The torch made its journey to Salt Lake City, traveling more than 13,500 miles across the United States in 65 days and carried by about 11,500 torchbearers.

CONNIE HARRELL FERNALD, granddaughter of A. J. Gordon, passed away in California October 18, 2001. She was 95. President Jud Carlberg says of her, “She was a great servant of her Lord and a fine musician who studied at Gordon and the New England Conservatory. Jan and I visited her last in March of 2001, when she and her husband, John, graciously served dinner to us in their home. She was a faithful supporter of Gordon who established the Harrell Scholarship and gave to improve our music program during the SALT and LIGHT capital campaign.

Connie is the last family member who actually remembered A. J. Gordon’s wife, Maria, who cared for her when she was a little girl visiting Boston.”

SPRING 2002

3

New Outdoor Athletic Complex With a generous initial gift, Gordon anticipates a new outdoor athletic complex.

A

MORIECE & GARY

long-time friend and supporter of Gordon College, George Bennett has made it possible for the campus to add a much-needed outdoor athletic complex.

The complex will be built on land that became easily accessible only 18 months ago. The property lies beyond the president’s residence, Wilson House, and behind a house recently acquired on Hull Street.

Craig Hammon, executive vice president of the College, says, “We are extremely grateful for Mr. Bennett’s commitment, leadership and support in this project. The total cost will be $4 million; he has made an outright gift of $750,000 and another $750,000 in the form of a challenge match. When that challenge is fulfilled, over 50 percent of needed funds will be raised. Our goal is to see alumni—especially athletes in all sports—rally behind this effort and give generously to make the complex a reality.”

The centerpiece of the new complex will be playing fields to replace those lost when the Bennett Center was built, complete with astroturf and lights to permit year-round and evening play. The fields will be used for field hockey and lacrosse as well as soccer practice, and extra fields will be provided for intramurals and recreational play. The complex will also include an

4

BY

PAT MCKAY ’65

eight-lane track as well as six regulation tennis courts, which will allow tennis tournaments to be held at Gordon. A field house building will house locker rooms, team rooms, offices and storage space.

The addition of the outdoor complex is important for Gordon to remain strong in athletics in New England. Among prospective students, track is the most often requested sport not currently offered; SAT averages and retention rates tend to be higher among track athletes than among the general student population nationally. Track is highly popular among both women and men.

Provost Mark Sargent—himself a middle-distance runner in college—says, “Our cross-country course continues to win rave reviews from runners and coaches; the addition of the track will complete the picture, enabling us to attract quality athletes and host significant competitions.”

Currently snow and rain dictate spring schedules for men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball and tennis matches. Poor field conditions often postpone competitions, forcing teams to play multiple times in a few short weeks.

Both tennis and track will be attractive to prospective students for recreational purposes as well. Synthetic field surfaces will attract better lacrosse and field hockey players because of the longer season for play; they will also position Gordon as a prime site for postseason play. Lacrosse has caught on fire with students, and lacrosse alumni— both men and women—are passionate about the sport and our program.

The new comARCHITECTURAL plex will also provide a venue DRAWING OF for out-of-season OUTDOOR sports training and recreation as well as ATHLETIC COMPLEX for intramurals and general recreation.

The quadrangle, an enduring centerpiece of the College, will be better preserved with less wear and tear. Large amounts have been invested in maintaining the quad around sports activities over the years. The new outdoor athletics site will provide greater overall safety and security for athletes.

Other benefits include expected revenue generated from in-season rentals and expanded use by summer sports camps,

as well as enhanced community relations by offering the fields for use by public or private schools.

The goal is to complete the complex by fall of 2003.

The Bennett Athletic and Recreation Center, opened in 1996, was named for Mr. and Mrs. Bennett with a significant gift from their sons in their honor. 

ctive odies . . . nquiring inds 

cated his elbow. Improper treatment of the eorge Bennett is convinced a good injury prevented further Olympic trainathletic program attracts active ing. George Bennett says, “The Apostle bodies with inquiring minds and that Paul tells us that while only one person competition teaches students many leswins, all the runners do their best to get sons. He has watched the tremendous the prize. In athletics the objective is contribution the Bennett Athletic and always to win, but it’s just as important Recreation Center has made to Gordon’s to learn to lose well.” campus and the athletic program since Being a good steward of the body it opened. Now he is once again the and staying healthy go with being a catalyst for expanded growth because good competitor, Mr. Bennett says. Now he believes in the power of athletics to 90 years old, every year on his birthday build character and faith, and because he still swims across Quisset Harbor and he’s impressed with Gordon’s mission back to his summer home at the harbor to develop students physically, socially, on Cape Cod. emotionally and spiritually.

George Bennett has run his best in Mr. Bennett has observed several many areas of life. He finished college family members go through the educain the midst of the Depression and took tional process at Gordon, but his confiwhatever work he could find—at one dence in the College also stems from knowpoint making boots for the Hood Rubber ing well President Jud Carlberg and Executive Company in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Vice President Craig Hammon, and, of course, Though it took a year for him to get into the the chairman of the Board—his own son, Peter investment business and banking, he eventually Bennett. He concurs with their belief that Gordon needs an outdoor athletic complex to complete its 1933—George Bennett, landed in investment management at State Street Research & Management in Boston and later facilities and round out the athletic program. He football star at Harvard became chairman and president of the firm. He believes New England needs a Christian college on retired in 1988 but continues as chairman emeritus. He has a par with the very best liberal arts colleges in the country, and also served as director of a number of major U.S. companies that includes athletics. such as John Hancock, Hewlett-Packard and Ford Motor Eminently successful as a businessman, Mr. Bennett is also Company among others. a leader in Christian organizations worldwide and a strong Mr. Bennett has served for many years as treasurer and a direcproponent of higher education, serving in many capacities. tor of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and is a generous He was treasurer and deputy treasurer of Harvard University benefactor of several Christian for 25 years and is still a member of the University Resources causes. He encourages Gordon Committee; continues as a member emeritus of the Board of alumni to “help Gordon attract Trustees of Wheaton College (Illinois); and is past chairman and active bodies with strong current member of the Board of Trustees of Gordon-Conwell minds by contributing to the Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. outdoor athletic complex; to At Harvard, where he was on the Dean’s List and earned a ‘do your giving while you’re degree in economics, money and banking in 1933, he was a star living; then you’re knowing athlete in track (with particular emphasis on pole-vault, shot-put, where it’s going’”—a quote broad jump and 100-yard dash) and football. One of his fondest he likes from George Rideout, memories is of beating Yale, their fiercest opponent.

Gordon trustee and chairman of An Olympic decathlon hopeful in 1932, his dreams were Mr. and Mrs. George Bennett the Board for several years.  shattered when at a college meet his junior year he disloSPRING 2002

5

Doing Athletics Right Athletic Director Joe Hakes talks about his vision for Gordon College athletics.

J

oe Hakes is in his second year as Gordon College athletic director. He’s already seen a lot of Joe Hakes change and growth in the program.

• He has 16 varsity teams in motion throughout the year, and a staff of over 20.

• Five coaches have moved on since the 2000–2001 school year, and one will turn in his keys after the winter season.

• Seven coaches—nine if you include assistants who took over vacated head coach positions—have been on campus for four years or more.

• Gordon alumni occupy five head coaching spots.

• During the fall 2001 season alone, the Fighting Scots surpassed the two Commonwealth Coast Conference championships they won in the whole 2000–2001 season.

• Two fall 2001 teams made NCAA tournament appearances—one more than in all of last year. (See “A Sporting Chance” in On & Off, page 2.)

On paper Joe Hakes could argue of great success or of great frustration in this numbers game. Either way, his vision for the department does not involve business as usual.

“Gordon College has the opportunity to do college athletics right,” says Hakes. “We want to have standards of excellence on and off the field that reflect the mission of the College and live up to those standards set by other areas of the College.

I have long felt student-athletes can compete and be highly successful at several levels. We want to teach them they can do that without cutting corners. In a more tangible sense, I also hope we can be successful in winning at the national level in NCAA Division III.” Hakes’ goal has been to get the Athletic Department beyond the rhetoric of doing athletics right, and that involves changing traditional ways of thinking within the department and integrating more fully with the core of the College’s liberal arts mission. The questions he constantly asks himself include: How can the Athletic Department serve the College off the playing field and courts? How can we attract and retain staff?

What steps can we take to stay abreast of and better utilize new developments in athletics?

According to Hakes, “The Strategic Plan of the College mentions a couple different areas for athletics; one is to strengthen and stabilize the coaching staff. We need to provide our student-athletes with the strongest coaching staff we can. That strength should come in a number of areas: the coaching staff should have the opportunity for professional development and growth; as vacancies occur, we need to attract the strongest candidates possible; that means we have to put together job descriptions that challenge and support our

BY

STEPHEN LEONARD ’94

coaches at the same time. We need to create an environment of building upon each other’s strengths in our department.”

Hakes and College administrators agree athletic facilities need to be upgraded. Limited field space has been an increasingly difficult issue to manage over the last five years, particularly in a problematic weather region such as New England. Assistance is on the way with a new outdoor athletic complex.

The new facility should help with recruiting, preparation and play in field hockey, lacrosse, tennis and softball. It will also support the club track and field program in its transition to varsity status. Existing facilities will benefit from the shift in practice and game locations: moving field hockey and lacrosse off the quad will provide the soccer teams better game and practice facilities; new locker and storage space will take some of the burden off the Bennett Center. The goal will be to constantly ensure our facilities are providing us with what we need to be successful long-range.

Hakes feels this all ties to department identity: “Having a strong philosophical base from which to work is key to having the department work together as a whole.

It also channels our efforts toward a strong focus for our athletes. We need to develop the marketing of the program to the several communities we serve; the campus community should have a good feeling about what we’re doing, the local community should be informed and involved, and the extended Gordon community around the country should have the information they need to be part of the program.”

One way Gordon intends to build this Elizabeth “Bess” Watson ’03

Matt Bagley ’03

6

bridge to the extended Gordon Community is through a newly formed Athletic Advisory Committee. Hakes has set building a relationship with alumni as a key part of improving athletic programs. As unofficial agents of the College, alumni can make connections and provide grass-roots information about the school in a powerful way. “The AAC will be a good scoreboard for us to gauge how effectively we’re doing our job. We’ve put together a diverse group that can give us feedback from several angles. We need to know whether or not we’re getting the message out there.

There are a lot of success stories among our athletes here; how well do we communicate that?”

Hakes is passionate about the role athletics plays in the lives of many Gordon students, having seen the effects on students in the last two years and hearing stories from former student-athletes. “We can provide great learning laboratories for the completion of several aspects of the mission statement of the College. I tell the coaches it’s a wonderful privilege to work in this type of environment; we have the opportunity to positively influence young men and women at a very critical time of their lives. The relationship between a coach and player can be quite intense, and within that relationship great things can happen.

We must be intentional about the fact that the athletic program is an integral part of the total educational experience of the participant, and recognize how important that experience is to each individual.”

Joe Hakes doesn’t shy away from change. He knows growth and progress aren’t always easy, but he believes intentional athletics is the right way to go. The future will speak to whether his leadership made a difference in doing athletics right at Gordon; for now, the numbers speak for themselves. 

Stephen Leonard ’94 was an English and political studies double-major who ran cross-country four years, qualifying for the NAIA National Championship in 1988. He began coaching crosscountry and track and field at Gordon in 1998 and has been sports information director since 1999.

Leonard is currently working on a novel and a collection of short stories.

Defining Moments: Becky Craig ’95

B

ecky Craig was the NCAA Division III transfer who turned Gordon women’s soccer into a juggernaut. After three years of soccer, soccer, soccer, Craig’s drive for excellence left an impressive wake: Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Year, Gordon College Female Athlete of the Year, NCAA Division III AllNew England First Team, All-American Third Team, and Fighting Scots career points leader.

Gordon College probably should thank Becky’s older brother, B.J., for her success on the field. His transfer from the University Coach Becky Craig of Massachusetts at Lowell to Gordon was the first defining moment she experienced associated with the College. Mr. and Mrs. Craig dropped their son at the campus and drove away with the rearview mirror reflecting three Fighting Scot soccer players walking him into the dorm with their arms around his shoulders. Becky recalls the phone call from B.J. that followed: “I finally know what it’s like to have brothers.”

After deciding to transfer from the University of New Hampshire midway through her freshman year, Becky remembered what Gordon had given her brother. Picking a Christian school was the top priority, with soccer taking a back seat during her search. Despite the fact that Gordon was just beginning to sow the seeds of a club program for women, Craig felt a strong call to Wenham.

For Becky, two of the most important aspects of Gordon were relationships and opportunities. “Gordon was the first place where I was encouraged to make my faith part of why I played soccer,” says Craig. “My friends, professors and teammates reinforced this.”

Following college, Craig’s coaching experiences with Acton-Boxborough High School, Messiah College, Charlotte (NC) Lady Eagles and now Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, have given her valuable insight about her years at Gordon. It has become clear how precious her time on the Wenham campus really was. “The most valuable thing a student can gain is relationships—with friends, teammates and faculty. You’ll likely never be in a place again where close Christian relationships are in the majority.” Craig recognizes the strength of her Gordon relationships has empowered her to face life after Gordon.

But the Becky Craig in her final semester at Gordon couldn’t yet see these things.

That Becky Craig took her faith for granted in the cozy confines of a Christian college campus. Nothing prepared her for the sweeping power a revival out of Texas would have over her life. “I got in front of a prayer group and revealed that soccer had become a god to me. Dean Stratton asked me to give my testimonial to the student body in chapel.” This set the ball in motion for an awakening in her. Craig saw who she was behind the soccer star and learned to appreciate the wonderful blessing her athletic skills were.

Taking the pass the revival gave her, Craig dribbled toward the sidelines and began serving other young women through coaching. She has taken her mission to both secular and sacred athletic environments, each with its own challenges.

She knows God has a reason for her being at a secular college right now, and she continually asks herself, “How can I be a light wherever God places me?”  —Stephen Leonard ’94 SPRING 2002

7

Jewel

An Incredible Richard Colpitts ’82 was one of 64 named as 2001 National Distinguished Principals, selected from a field of 28,500 elementary and middle school principals in the U.S. and overseas.

BY

PAT MCKAY ’65

n October 19, the day anthrax hit the Capitol, Rick Colpitts and his 63 counterparts were being honored with the National Distinguished Principals award at the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. While the nation was gripped with yet another surge of fear, it was reassuring, Rick says, to be reminded that education is one of the primary tools that can help lift us out of our present woes and teach moral character to future generations.

Initiated in 1984, this award recognizes public and private school principals who make outstanding contributions to their schools and communities. Selection is based on nomination by peers; demonstrated excellence; support by students, colleagues, parents and the community; high standards and expectations for students and staff; and service as a principal for at least five years.

Rick says, “It was humbling to hear of gifts and achievements of the other 63 principals and know I represent the State of Maine. I’m no more deserving than other principals who daily deal with the same issues and do their jobs well.”

In the spring of 2001 Rick received the Maine Principals’ Association National Distinguished Principal Award, presented to one Maine elementary principal each year and precursor to the national award. The superintendent of schools in Rick’s school district, William Shuttleworth, notes that Rick “has created this incredible jewel in rural western Maine through his ability to communicate a message; for example, ‘We will go any distance to create a positive learning environment for all students, and we do it with joy, integrity and total commitment.’”

Rick’s unlikely move to western Maine in 1994 followed 12 years of teaching in Massachusetts, both as a head teacher in the upscale Tenacre Country Day School in Wellesley and as a teacher/team leader in the Wayland public schools—both near Weston, where Rick grew up. In contrast, the HartfordSumner Elementary School in rural Maine serves three communities—Hartford, Sumner and Buckfield, comprised of 3,000 residents total. Some of his 370 students ride an hour and a half to school on the bus, boarding at 6:15 a.m.

It’s an impoverished area; 70 percent of the kids receive reduced meals, and healthcare is lacking, with the nearest large town 45 minutes away. Many families live in trailers, sometimes with kids managing households.

8

Rick reading to children at Hartford-Sumner.

Nevertheless, Rick says, when he got to know the people, he realized they are in many ways more contented than the wealthy he previously served. “There’s not a lot of difference between the needs of urban and rural kids,” he says. “Children of the privileged are often cared for by nannies and au pairs and rarely see their parents. The children I now serve may be poor, but they’re clean and well-loved. Ninety-eight percent of my parents want what’s best for their kids and will sacrifice to get it. The school is the center of life in this community; they take great pride in a beautifully kept building, and the education budget is very adequate.”

Rick’s first few years at Hartford-Sumner were not easy, especially since historically no principal stayed longer than two or three years. Frequent turnover in administration meant the loudest and most manipulative staff ran the show, Rick says candidly. Without continuity in leadership, groups of teachers who were like-minded banded together to establish three distinct educational organizations within the walls of one building, operating with a variety of styles, curricula and disciplinary codes.

It took three years to transform the school. Rick did it by first gaining the trust of all involved and insisting that whatever they did be for the good of the kids. “You should listen twice as often as you speak,” Rick says. “You need to hear why people do things the way they do before you change anything. When you have a good handle on that, you determine the best way to achieve desired goals; you get people to work as a team, then lead them.”

Rick meets with students and teachers every Monday to listen to concerns, and parents are kept informed through a monthly newsletter, a homework hot line and a community bulletin board. Students are assisted with academics through reading recovery, math and writing programs. Their personal needs are also addressed—for instance, through a breakfast program and an anti-bullying program. Rick has established a disciplinary program with clear consequences for infractions

We will go any distance to create a positive learning environment for all students, and we do it with joy, integrity and total commitment.

—Rick

Colpitts ’82

Rick and Marilee (Gammon) ’82 have seven children, ages 4 to 16—including a set of twins and two surviving triplets. They live on 20 acres and grow 6,500 pumpkins to sell each year. “I’m a frustrated farmer,” Rick says. They drive 40 minutes to a thriving, contemporary church, where Rick is on the Board of Elders and Marilee is involved with missions and education.

For info on Heritage School, go to www.heritageschool.net.

Rick in D.C. to receive the award.

SPRING 2002

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LARGE AT

ALUMS

throughout the school. “It’s a wonderful school—I absolutely love it,” Rick says. “It’s because of the great staff that we’ve been able to make improvements.”

Fifth-grade teacher Midge Shaw (wife of Norman Shaw ’76) says, “Rick exemplifies the finest Christian qualities: integrity, honesty, fairness, diligence and perseverance. He brings out the best in those who work with him; his positive attitude is infectious.” Rick’s secretary, Brenda Kimball, says she has the highest regard for Rick as a boss; he keeps matters professional while making work enjoyable. They both emphasize Rick has united his staff with a common focus and is well-respected by students, staff, administration and the community.

“My passion is education. It’s where the Lord has me,” Rick says. But being an elementary school principal is only one of the three education hats Rick wears; he’s also chairman of the Board of Education for public schools in Peru, where the Colpittses live, as well as founder and former chair of the Heritage School, a one-room schoolhouse opened in the fall of 2001.

“I’m a strong supporter of public education, but not every child is well-served there,” Rick says. It’s for that reason Rick and his wife, Marilee (Gammon) ’82, cofounded, built and operate Heritage School. Two of Rick and Marilee’s seven children attend the school along with their four-year-old daughter. Marilee is the chief administrator, teacher, janitor—everything.

She has five students, K–8. “She’s the best teacher I know,” Rick says of her.

With more than 10 percent of families homeschooling their children in their town, Rick and Marilee believe there should be an alternative for those children who don’t do well in public school or for families who feel poorly equipped to homeschool. The schoolhouse was designed and built by a board of devoted folks over a year’s time. The wood was donated, and an office/school supply store has adopted the school as a project.

“The Lord has opened every door,” Rick says.

Rick believes Christian educators have to find creative ways to walk the walk without stepping over the line in the schools where they work. “I’m fortunate to work in a situation where a number of Christians get together to share concerns and pray,” he says.

“My biggest concern in education is that despite the national fervor for religious renewal, the values of our society are following the example of Rome too closely, and schools can play a pivotal role in the steady degradation if we don’t keep careful watch over those values.

“The Education Department at Gordon prepared me well for what I do, both educationally and spiritually. We gained good, practical field experience early on, so there were few surprises by the time I got my own classroom. Drs. Winifred Currie, John Burgess and Tony Pitkin were great models for me. I was sad to leave at graduation—I loved being at Gordon.”

Rick transferred into Gordon as a sophomore after becoming a Christian at a secular school and feeling vulnerable in that environment. “Gordon was a wonderful place for me to grow in the faith,” he says. “I saw Christ in so many at Gordon. When God’s light is strong in a person, that light is reflected.”

Dr. Alton Bynum directed the College Choir and the Chamber Singers while Rick was a member. “Dr. Bynum was a great part of my college life—a very stabilizing factor. We had student Bible study every Tuesday night at the Bynums’ home. They’re still among my best friends,” Rick says.

Several members of Marilee’s family are Barrington grads: her father and mother, Glen ’52 and Marjorie (Durost) ’50 Gammon; brother and sister-in-law, Steven ’77 and Helen (Richter) ’76 Gammon; sister and brother-in-law, Marcia (Gammon) ’81 and Phil ’80 Eyster; and grandfather, Morley Durost ’18. 

PROFS & PROGRAMS

A neurologist might conclude that God is a cartographer.

He must have an inordinate fondness for maps, for everywhere you look in the brain maps abound.

—V. S. Ramachandran

EXPLORING NEW FRONTIERS: BY

BRYAN C. AUDAY

Like all explorers of unknown territory, Professor Bryan Auday’s study of unexplored areas of the brain has led to exciting finds—and a new minor in neuroscience for Gordon.

F

or the past decade I have carefully nursed a passion for brain science. Just about everything I read concerning the interworkings of the brain arouses in me a sense of fascination and awe along with an abundance of humility toward God. One reason for this is the extreme complexity of this wondrous 1.3 kilogram mass of electricity and chemistry we call the brain. I find it difficult to fathom how our personality, decades of memories, emotions and decision-making capacities all arise from this delicate organ as it sways in a hammock of fluid, encased in a fortress made of bone. This is my short story about how I discovered my love for studying the brain.

Long before I ever made the decision to become a psychologist, I wanted to be an explorer. As a child I read accounts of mountaineers climbing routes up mountains that had never been attempted—Everest, K2, the Eiger—or trekking across unknown territory such as Antarctica, all with the goal of exploring previously uncharted areas of the planet. The quote above by Dr. Ramachandran, professor and director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California in San Diego, may explain in part how my childhood fascination with exploration has come together with my contemporary research interests on the brain.

As a closet explorer and one who adores maps, I now have the opportunity and privilege to study unknown regions of the 22 square inches of hills and valleys known as gyri and sulci of the gray matter we call the cerebral cortex.

10

Although neuroanatomists have named all of the territory, we only understand a fraction of what there is to learn about the function of this complex continent called the brain.

During the past 20 years, interest in studying the brain has been growing at an exponential rate. This rapidly developing discipline, referred to as neuroscience, is an interdisciplinary field drawing on the work of scientists in psychology, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics and other fields. Scientists—with interests ranging from the microscopic structure of the neuron and its biochemical processes to the macroscopic organization of the brain and its relation to cognitions, emotions, and behavior—work together toward a common goal: to provide answers to our most pressing personal and societal problems. Neuroscience is predicated on the belief that science is changing from an individualistic enterprise to one that necessitates coalitions of professionals from different disciplines to work together on complex problems.

Having just left the 1990s Decade of the Brain, we are beginning to see some of the fruits of this field. From the Human Genome project, which is unlocking the genetic code of our species, to advances in cloning for the production of stem cells, to advances in recovery from brain and spinal injuries, this discipline is making its mark on issues that will impact every one of us.

In the last few years many significant advances have come to light concerning the brain and neurological problems such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, stroke, epilepsy, and mental GRAPHIC ABOVE: GODSLIDE; COURTESY OF INTELLIGENT DESIGN NETWORK INC.

BRYAN AUDAY

illness. However, as an academician interested in educating people about brain science, I’m constantly confronted with the reality that what most of the general public—including our incoming freshmen—know about basic brain processes is brief at best and usually intertwined with myth. (It has been my experience that students know far more about dinosaurs and rocks than they do about their own central nervous system.)

Myths about the brain abound. One such myth is that we only use 10 percent of our brain. Wrong. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

All of our brain gets used, albeit not all at once. Healthy brain tissue that once controlled the movement of an amputated limb is quickly recruited to take over new functions it was genetically never prepared to do. Neurons need to work. They need to be involved in information processing; otherwise they expire.

Another common myth is that by age 5 the brain is fully developed; from then on we progressively lose more and more neurons as each year goes by. Wrong again. The evidence shows that while the neurons’ cell bodies decline steadily from adolescence on, the axons—the long projections that send the electrical messages—continue to mature and grow until the late 40s. Neuroscientists are baffled as to how these myths get promulgated. However, we know the remedy is education.

My own research on the brain involves the exploration of brain waves and what they can tell us about how we process information. I have had the good

Meghan Gray ‘03, a psychology and early childhood double major, has her brain waves recorded as she views images that elicit different kinds of emotional responses. This research helps Professor Auday collect data on how the brain processes information.

Unlocking Mysteries of the Mind fortune of spending my previous two sabbaticals working in a brain imaging laboratory affiliated with Harvard Medical School. It was in this setting I was able to acquire cutting-edge techniques in electrophysiology.

I want to better understand some of the cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in memory. Human memory is best understood as a process rather than a place. My approach will involve measuring the electroencephalogram—the electricity that the outer layers of the brain produce—from a montage of 32 locations on the scalp while a subject is engaged in a specific mental operation; for example, conscious recollection. By time-locking what the brain is doing—in terms of brain waves—during a memory task, I can study the characteristics of the brain wave for components that will help me model what the mind is doing when a memory is recalled. One overriding goal of this research is to help us better understand the mysterious link between mind and behavior.

A major obstacle in conducting this kind of research is getting access to the sophisticated equipment required. I have been dependent on the charity of a brain imaging lab in Brockton, Massachusetts. However, the access was limited and the commute brutal. This has all changed. Last summer the President’s Cabinet decided to support neuroscience at Gordon and to purchase and build a brain imaging laboratory. By the time you read this the lab will be operational.

Now our ability to explore the covert processes of the brain such as memory, language, attention, sleep and dreaming will be available to faculty and students on an unprecedented scale. We will be limited only by our imagination in unlocking some of the brain’s mysteries.

In addition, the Academic Programs Committee approved a new program of study in neuroscience. This minor in neuroscience is codirected by Professor Russell Camp from our Biology Department and myself. It involves pulling together upper-division courses from the Departments of Psychology, Biology, Movement Science, Chemistry and Mathematics. The program will better prepare our students for graduate studies in the neurosciences as well as for work in a variety of science-related occupations. Gordon College is serious about delivering the highest level of scientific instruction. This integrated program in neuroscience is just another example of our attempt to keep to the forefront of a rapidly changing scientific milieu. 

Dr. Auday has been teaching at Gordon since 1986 and is chair of the Department of Psychology. He is past president of the New England Psychological Association. Auday received his doctorate in experimental psychology from Colorado State University.

SPRING 2002

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My Peace I Give Gordon grad Glenn Bucci narrowly escaped the inferno of September 11.

He talks about the underlying peace God gave him and how we can all prepare for the unknown.

BY

GLENN BUCCI ’87

O

On the morning of September 11, by 8:30 I was at my office at the World Trade Center on the 36th floor in Tower 2. One of 200 employees who work for an insurance broker called Frenkel & Co., I’m a senior advisor in the Commercial Claims Department, dealing with accounts such as Mercedes Benz and Tiffany’s. As I did every day, I enjoyed the beautiful view of the Chrysler Building.

Around 8:45 my coworkers and I heard an explosion at the other tower and were horrified to see building and airplane debris raining down. We first thought maybe a small plane had hit the building, but when we saw the huge hole, the flames and thick dark smoke, we knew it was more than that. I felt a heaviness in my stomach; I feared the United States had just been attacked.

my eyes only part of their flight downward; I chose not to have in my mind for the rest of my life the image of bodies hitting the ground. I figured it was over 1,000 degrees and filled with smoke up where they were. I didn’t know what I’d do if I were in their place—burn or jump. I imagined I would call my wife from my cell phone, and when time was running short, I’d give quite a speech on salvation to those around me.

I was still standing across the street when the second plane went through my building. Though the impact wasn’t visible from where I stood, the force of it caused a huge fireball to come right at me with tons of debris. By then I felt sure New York was under attack, and I had no idea what building was going to explode next. At that point I ran as fast as I could down the street. Though I saw terror all around me, I continued to have a foundation of peace in my heart.

I managed to get to a subway several blocks away. The disaster was too recent for the city to have stopped the trains yet, so I was able to get to Penn Station and catch a train heading home to Long Island before the city was shut down. On the train I learned the Pentagon had been hit too. I knew for the first time in my life what war felt like; Americans who experienced December 7, 1941, must have felt the same way we did. As I looked back at New York City from my seat on the train, only one Tower was standing. I reached my wife on my cell phone—she hadn’t learned of the disaster at that point. I assured her I was all right and on my way home, and told her to turn on the TV. I later learned of friends who didn’t make it out of the building, and I attended a memorial service for a friend named Kevin. About the same age as I am, he had a similar job with a different company; we rode on the same train every morning.

His wife had cancer, and he had two young children. At his service no one could maintain composure. I could imagine the service being for me instead of for him. I knew there are some things we’ll never fully understand until we see Jesus.

Until then, we just have to trust when we don’t understand.

If we spend time with the Lord, reading His Word and praying daily, our situations will not dictate our actions.

Then an announcement was made that our building was okay. If I had listened to that announcement and stayed in my building just 10 minutes longer, I may not have come out alive. I realize now just how little control we have over our lives and how carefully we must make decisions daily.

All of us in my office feared for our lives and rushed to the staircase, already packed with people trying to get out. We were anxious as we moved very slowly down the 36 flights of stairs.

I thought about my wife and children. Did they know what happened? Would I be able to get home? Fortunately no one panicked on the staircase, and we moved in an orderly fashion even though we felt somewhat trapped in the building.

Nevertheless, from the time my building was hit, I had an inner peace. I didn’t know what would happen to me, but I heard the song “How Great Thou Art” in my mind—the choir in my church had sung it the week before. I felt God’s presence with me, and I put my trust in Him in a situation that was totally out of my control.

Once I escaped the building, I went across the street and stared at the scene as many others did. It looked liked bombedout Beirut. There was gray debris covering the entire area, like a blanket of death over the cars, streets and people. I watched with anguish as people jumped to their deaths, following with 12

As I reflect on the experience of going through the disaster itself, I realize my body went on autopilot, reacting to circumstances without thinking much about what I was feeling or about people around me. I felt more emotions when I got home and while watching the images again and again on TV. That’s when it really began to sink in. Processing the whole ordeal made my marriage a bit difficult for a couple weeks; I

You

John 14:27

retreated into my own cave and tried to sort things out, but at the same time I wanted my wife close to me for comfort.

For a week after the disaster I didn’t know if I still had a job or what was going to happen to my company, but I wasn’t worried.

At my church the Sunday following September 11, all who had been at the World Trade Center on that fateful day were asked to stand; I was the only one involved out of 2,500 people. As I walked to the front of the church for prayer, I hoped my best friend, who is a deacon, would come with me.

He did. When he hugged me, I started crying and felt a release of all the feelings I had had from the time the first plane hit.

As I released all my hurts, God replaced them with feelings of peace.

When I talk to people who were at the World Trade Center that day, I still can get emotional inside. And I continue to find it difficult to watch replays of the buildings being hit or coming down. It reminds me of the fireball coming straight at me; I feel the many losses, including the loss of my whole way of life at the World Trade Center.

While processing such trauma takes time and happens in various ways, one of the things that has helped me is a foundational understanding of God and how he relates to us personally. Much of this I learned from courses I took at Gordon, among them Dr. Marvin Wilson’s Modern Jewish Culture and Dr. Roger Green’s numerous courses on church history and books of the Bible.

Field trips to different synagogues taught me about the holiness of Scripture; when the rabbi picked up the Torah, everyone stood up, put their hands on their lips and went to touch the Torah. The Hebrew word for holy is kadosh, meaning to set aside something for a special purpose directed toward God. The Bible is not just another inspirational book; it’s one of the ways God communicates directly with us, teaching us how to deal with every situation and reminding us of His love for us.

These courses reinforced to me the importance not only of reading Scripture regularly, but of learning to trust God by

getting to know him on an everyday basis. Like Tevia in Fiddler on the Roof, we can talk to God all through the day—that’s one way we can pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17)—telling Him how we feel, what we’re afraid of, and thanking Him for being with us. It’s why in the midst of fleeing from the World Trade Center I felt an underlying peace.

In studying the history of Christianity at Gordon, I grew to admire people like Martin Luther, Charles and John Wesley, and others who faced serious confrontations in their lives.

While they never knew what the outcome would be, they were willing to rely on God to direct, support and strengthen them as they went through their trials. Just as they did, if we spend time with the Lord, reading His Word and praying daily, our situations will not dictate our actions. We need not live in fear, because we have the knowledge that God will be our protector and our provider.

That doesn’t mean we won’t have difficult times, but He assures us He’ll always be there to carry us through them.

In our own strength and by our own willpower, we will fail.

If we allow Him to be in control, He will make our paths straight.

Psalm 27 has taken on new meaning for me since September 11: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. . . . Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! 

Following Gordon, Glenn became a claims adjuster, assisting people whose homes and businesses had been destroyed by fire, water and other disasters. He was a youth leader for many years, taught Bible studies, led worship at retreats and occasionally preached. His young family is his primary ministry right now, though he still plays bass guitar at their church and records music in his basement.

His experience at the WTC has impressed upon Glenn the importance of relationships. He says a special hello to Eric Convey ’88, Chris Larson ’90 and his sister, Andrea (Larson) Bergstrom ’89.

Glenn’s new e-mail address (updated since the new directory) is buccigm@yahoo.com.

In photo, Glenn with his family: Jonathan (4), Daniel (11/2), Miyuki and Glenn.

SPRING 2002

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To Do If we were starving and unprotected, any one of us

To Love

BY JUDITH

“Y

might take food and shelter—along with indoctrination—from those who turn out to be terrorists. Gordon grad and international economist Judith Dean discusses a hidden economic consequence of 9-11: the drop in giving to relief and development work, increasing the vulnerability of the poor to economic shocks, corruption and terrorism in developing countries.

M. DEAN ’78

Mozambique and India exemplify this problem of severe poverty despite significant progress.

This caught my attention. It was the opening line Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world. in a recent fundraising letter from World Relief, After its long civil war ended in 1994, this country drew a well-known evangelical relief and development agency. As international attention with its efforts toward development. a board member of World Relief, I had spent the previous Yet even in 1999 gross national income per capita was about few months marvelling at the financial response of individual $220 as compared to the U.S. figure of about $32,000. Recent Christians and Christian organizations to the tragedy in New World Bank estimates show 26 percent of children under York and Washington. World Relief helped channel funds to the age of 5 as malnourished. For every 1,000 live births, those providing aid for victims’ families. The Salvation Army 131 die in infancy, and an additional 203 die before the age and many others worked directly with those who were hurt of 5. That’s compared to rates of or grieving. God has His marvelous seven per 1,000 and eight per 1,000 agents everywhere. respectively in the U.S. More than Yet, during those same few half of Mozambique’s population months I had watched donations over 15 years old is illiterate. to relief and development work in India is about twice as wealthy poor countries dwindle as people in as Mozambique. In the early 1990s, the U.S. turned their attention to this country made remarkable the grievous need at home. Newschanges to its domestic and foreign papers reported the economic coneconomic policies, with significant sequences of 9-11—losses in income effects on growth and development. and employment in the airline, hotel Yet recent World Bank estimates and other tourist-related industries. show more than one-third of the But here was a hidden economic Indian population still living in consequence. As an economist poverty. Infant mortality is 71 specializing in international trade per 1,000 live births, with another and economic development, I was 90 out of 1,000 dying before age 5. worried. To shift support away from Forty-five percent of children under 5 the poor in developing countries is Isabelle, recipient of a loan for small business are malnourished. Forty-four percent to risk far more serious consequences from the MED Program of World Relief. of the population is illiterate. than we have experienced here. The The causes of global poverty are multiple and complex. needs of poor people are still desperate after September. By However, a few factors have been found to be at the root of the increasing people’s vulnerability, poverty can actually contribproblem.

The poor lack income and assets.

They own few physical ute to the growth of terrorism. Despite appearances, even our assets such as land and few human assets such as skills, education small contributions can make a difference in the lives of the or good health.

The return on what they do have is low and often poor. volatile. Access to financial assets such as savings and credit are Need often nonexistent. The poor also lack protection from corruption.

Over the last 30 years there has been tremendous progress in The consequences of the absence of rule of law, or corruption in raising the standard of living in Asia, Africa and Latin America. law enforcement, fall most heavily on the poor. They are often Yet the extent and severity of poverty is still enormous. The victims of usury, bribery and indentured servitude despite laws World Bank’s World Development Report 2000 reports more which prohibit these practices. Finally, the poor are vulnerable than one billion people still living below an international to shocks. Having few assets and low returns, they have little to poverty line of $1 per day as of 1998. More than 85 percent sustain them through adversity. Floods, crop failures, job loss and of these people live in Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia. sickness can easily push them into dire poverty.

JUDITH DEAN ’78

ou can stop terrorism before it starts. . . .”

14

Vulnerability

These efforts address two of the root causes of poverty: lack Sadly, poverty may also leave people vulnerable to manipulaof assets and vulnerability to shocks. tion by terrorist leaders. In an official document recording the There are several hundred schoolchildren in southern India meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Novemwho would also reply that relief and development organizations ber 16, 2001, speakers “stressed that terrorism could only be make a difference. Their parents had incurred debts in the eliminated if conditions creating a fertile breeding ground for range of $50, often due to medical emergencies. Unable to earn terrorism, such as poverty and marginalization, were removed.” such a large sum, these parents borrowed from moneylenders A January 30, 2002, article in The Finanand sent their children to work for them to cial Times quotes Philippines Presihelp pay off the debt. But with low dent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: earnings and high interest, these In an official document “We know that the cause of children became indentured recording the meeting of the terrorism is evil . . . but the servants—despite the fact United Nations General Assembly evil of terrorism can spread that indentured servitude on November 16, 2001, speakers “stressed so widely because the breedis illegal in India. Internathat terrorism could only be eliminated if ing ground for recruitment tional Justice Mission, an conditions creating a fertile breeding is poverty.” evangelical legal advocacy In “Inside Jihad U.: organization, took up these ground for terrorism, such as The Education of a Holy cases. For very little cost they poverty and marginalization, Warrior” (New York Times worked with Indian law enforcewere removed.”

Magazine, June 25, 2000), Jeffrey ment to free several hundred Goldberg wrote of his experiences vischildren and have the moneylenders iting a Muslim religious seminary (also called a madrasa) arrested and brought to justice. This Christian agency was in Pakistan—one that happens to have produced a large attacking another of the root causes of poverty: lack of protecnumber of Taliban leaders. He offered this insight into the tion from corruption. school’s recruiting process: The two 11-year-olds were refugees. . . . Their mothers spend their days gathering firewood. They are as poor as poor can be. . . . Compared to a refugee camp, the madrasa is a palace, and they’re blessed to be here, where they eat food every single day.

No one else—certainly not the government of Pakistan—would provide them with an education, room and board.

Dr. Jessica Stern, a lecturer in public policy at the JFK School of Government, echoed this view. In a panel discussion on terrorism reported in the January issue of Harvard Magazine, Stern noted that this kind of terrorism: . . . enables cynical leaders to attract youth who feel humiliated, culturally or personally. I see this happening in the religious schools, the madrassahs [sic] in Pakistan, where they are feeding, housing, and clothing desperately poor young men, and then feeding them this very distorted version of jihad.

Mercy

We in the U.S. are rightly preoccupied with bringing to justice the perpetrators of the September 11 terrorist acts. We are also rightly preoccupied with aiding the victims. What does the Lord require of us? The answer, I think, is found in Micah 6:8: …to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. What an extraordinary opportunity we have to love mercy by remembering the desperate needs of the poor abroad even when we ourselves are hurting. Let us not allow further severe economic hardship to fall on the poor nor increase their vulnerability to terrorist manipulation. Christians are doing good work with the poor, and our donations can help. Let us take up the opportunity so that others may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. 

Hope

As Christians we know the Lord has called us to care for the poor. Can our donations to well-run relief and development organizations make a difference? There is a grandmother in Mozambique—Isabelle—who would say yes, emphatically. I had the privilege of giving her a $25 loan through the microenterprise development program (MED) of World Relief.

Women like Isabelle have small businesses but inadequate collateral to secure a loan from a bank. MED seeks to fill this gap in financial markets by establishing small community banks with groups of women. With my small loan Isabelle was able to double her inventories and her sales. The increase in profit enabled one more grandchild to attend school that year. This has far-reaching implications. It is well established that an additional year of primary education—particularly for girls—has a significant beneficial effect on future income and population growth in developing countries. Many Christian organizations such as Enterprise Development, World Vision and Opportunity International are involved in MED work.

Above, Judith Dean with family in Mozambique. Dr. Dean is currently an international economist in the Research Division of the Office of Economics, U.S. International Trade Commission. She formerly taught economics at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Dean has been a consultant to the World Bank and the Office of Technology Assessment of the Congress, among others. Her specialties are international trade, economic development and econometrics, and she holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University. Dean served as president of the Association of Christian Economists 1997–1999.

SPRING 2002

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L EARNING Gordon alum Scott Harrison talks about the changes September 11 brought to our lives, and, in particular, how the insurance industry has been affected.

BY

SCOTT R. HARRISON ’81

I

t is now something of a national cliché to say the events of September 11 have left an indelible mark on our country and on us as individuals. This article will briefly consider the fundamental nature of the change that has been forced upon us, and in particular, the impact these events have had on the insurance industry.

I have often told the story of my first night in Israel while on European Seminar during the summer of 1980. After a late arrival at our hostel located in Old Jerusalem, I had to run an errand that took me out of the walled portion of the city. I was not alone as I walked toward my destination on that pleasant summer night. The streets and restaurants were full of people—many about my age at that time, dressed casually in shorts and T-shirts, obviously enjoying the beautiful evening and the company of their friends. Except for the fact that Hebrew was being spoken instead of English, I felt as if I could have been in any city or town in the United States.

It took me a few minutes, but then I noticed something was very different from home. Everyone who looked over the age of 16, it seemed, male and female alike, had with them a large automatic weapon. I was jarred at first, but I reminded myself that I was in Jerusalem after all. Preconceived notions about problems in the Middle East quickly moved from the purely academic to the personally relevant.

As I thought about it further that night, I found myself asking how one lives like that—in a constant state of war with people who have sworn to kill you and your family, where the threat of violence is fulfilled on a regular basis.

I admired the Israeli people, as I still do, for their patience and forbearance in the face of tremendous pressure and evil. On more than one occasion since that night I have wondered what our reaction would be if we Americans were forced to live that way.

I also admired the Israelis for their ability to manage their personal risk, for they had clearly learned to adapt. They went to school, managed businesses, raised their families, went to worship, shopped, etc. They lived their lives as if those threats did not exist, while at the same time they remained prepared to respond when the time came and threats were realized. The image I saw that night of teenagers eating pizza with Uzis slung across their backs remains for me a stark example of how the 16

Israelis both understand and have come to terms with their dangerous world.

Life Forever Changed I expect it will take some time for us to understand how and to what extent the September 11 attacks have changed us as a country. Conceited thoughts like those I had that night in Jerusalem long ago—that terrorism was something that only happened to other people in other countries—have been purged forever from our national consciousness. That it has happened here, and is likely to happen again in the future, forces us to face the reality of our vulnerability. As the Israelis have done, it is important that we honestly assess our vulnerabilities and, where necessary, adapt our various government and commercial structures to address them.

The attacks revealed significant weaknesses in our national infrastructure in addition to the obvious ones in airport security. Our economy, for one, has proved to be shockingly fragile. We have seen how the commercial interdependence that drives our nation’s economy—and to a large extent the international economy—can, when a few key businesses are crippled or severely damaged, bring the entire economy to its knees. Commercial interdependence is essential to our nation’s continued economic growth. This interdependence needs to be reconsidered, however, in light of the current risk environment, and where possible we need to develop strategies that tend to mitigate the impact of future acts of terror. Individual companies and industries that are critical to our economy must also adapt.

Staggering Effects on the Insurance Industry The insurance industry provides an excellent example of a commercial enterprise that not only has been significantly affected by the events of September 11, but is also adapting. The total amount of insured losses resulting from the attacks on September 11 is still being calculated. Recent estimates, however, value insured losses at $30–60 billion. Total losses may eventually exceed $100 billion. The vast majority of insured losses are related to property damage and business losses, such as business interruption and workers compensation. Life insurance claims are expected to be in the $6 billion range.

TO

L IVE

WITH

These are staggering sums. To put the magnitude of this event into some perspective, the largest insured loss in the United States from a single event in history prior to September 11 was caused by Hurricane Andrew, which slammed into South Florida in 1992. Insured losses from Andrew, adjusted for inflation, approached $20 billion. Most of the Andrew claims, moreover, were concentrated in the homeowners market. The September 11 attacks will represent the single largest loss from a single event for a number of coverages, including property, business contents, business interruption, workers compensation and life insurance, among others.

Fortunately the insurance companies with the greatest loss exposure have sufficient capacity to pay all claims currently anticipated.

These claims will be paid, however, in spite of the fact that most insurance companies did not collect a single dollar in premium for potential losses due to an act of terror. There are a number of explanations for this, but essentially the insurance industry did not consider the potential risk of significant loss due to an act of terror on U.S. soil should be a factor in their premium calculations. The insurance industry is paying a heavy price for its failure to understand the risk environment for the various properties, businesses and lives that it insured.

Adapting Insurance to the Risks Going forward, the attacks have forced the insurance industry to reconsider how they evaluate particular commercial risks.

Put bluntly, a number of office buildings, other commercial structures and businesses must now be evaluated on the basis of their being a target for acts of terror in addition to the other, more traditional risk factors. Further, even some of the traditional tools used for evaluating risk need to be reconsidered.

For example, it is a generally accepted underwriting principle in some lines of insurance to avoid over-concentration of similar risks within a confined geographic area. Writers of homeowners insurance, for instance, are careful not to insure too many homes in a single neighborhood or zip code. In this way they avoid overexposure to risks such as fire and natural catastrophe. One of the problems discovered after Andrew was that a number of companies had over-concentrations of insured homes in neighborhoods and other localized areas that were most severely hit by the storm.

Prior to September 11, however, geographic concentration was not as much a concern in a number of commercial coverages such as workers compensation, or group life and disability.

The methodology for evaluating these risks did not consider the complete and sudden destruction of multiple businesses located in a single office building or on a city block, and the

R ISKS

death or serious injury to large numbers of the employees in these businesses. Many businesses in the World Trade Center, for example, shared the same insurance companies for their various business coverages. In the aftermath of the attacks, commercial insurers will need to revise their underwriting criteria to consider the impact of the total destruction of office buildings and other large commercial structures. The additional costs associated with insuring these risks will be passed on to buyers of insurance.

Finally, the events of September 11 have altered previous notions of the significance of the commercial and life insurance industry to the country. The commercial insurance market is an essential component of our nation’s economy.

Every business in the nation requires access to a healthy insurance market capable of accepting both their ordinary and extraordinary business risks. This new awareness may result in rethinking the manner in which the commercial insurance industry is operated and even regulated. Life insurers have once again proven themselves to be indispensable in ensuring the continued financial viability of families following the death of a loved one and significant provider. The industry as a whole has performed admirably in the aftermath of September 11. However, the real challenges are just beginning as insurance companies struggle to adapt to our new world. 

Scott graduated from Suffolk University Law School in 1986.

He is a partner at KPMG LLP, an international accounting and advisory services firm and leads the firm’s national insurance regulatory practice.

He previously served as deputy superintendent of insurance for the State of New York and as deputy commissioner of insurance for the State of Delaware.

While he was at Gordon, Scott was president of the student government association 1980–81 and participated in a number of intramural sports. He is married to Karen (Barlow) Harrison, also a 1981 Gordon graduate. Karen, a former teacher, stays at home with their three children, Nathaniel (14), Caitlyn (11) and Elizabeth (9).

SPRING 2002

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Sing

All God’s Children Gonna In a world that has been changed forever, American Christians are trying to more fully understand other cultures and other religions. Student Jacob Joseph talks about his homeland, India, and his desire to open a Christian music training center there.

BY JACOB JOSEPH

Jacob at the piano in the Tennents’ home.

M

y name is Jacob Joseph, and God has brought me from India to study music at Gordon College.

My wife’s name is Bitha, and our son, Aaron, is a toddler. It is my prayer I will be able to bring them back with me when I go to India after spring semester.

India has over a billion people. I was really blessed to be born into a Christian family, since the number of Christians in India is still only about 2.4 percent. While I was in the 10th grade I accepted Jesus as my Savior, and while I was doing my undergraduate studies I dedicated myself for ministry.

God gave me a chance to go to New Theological College in Dehradun, a city in northern India, situated at the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains. After five months of study there, I went back to my home state to study in a seminary. But during my time in northern India I acquired a good understanding of my country.

The Land of India

India is a country known for its wide diversity: 4,635 ethnic or people groups speaking 1,652 languages, 15 of which are considered official languages. The culture, lifestyle, geographical and religious differences also make India complex. Hinduism is the dominant religion with its 333 million gods and 18

goddesses, teaching that “just as all rivers lead to the ocean, all religions lead to God.” This helped Hinduism absorb several other religions that came against it. I believe Jesus is the only way to God, but Hinduism cannot accept a religion that claims to be unique.

Most Christians live in southern India, where there is more freedom of religion. The days I spent in Dehradun, and especially the messages of Mr. George Chavanikamannil—the founder of that school—gave me a great desire to work in northern India.

The situation of churches in north Indian villages is much different from the rest of the country, but the Spirit of God is working powerfully. Even in the midst of persecution from their own families as well as from society, hundreds of people are coming to the Lord. Many students at NTC accepted Jesus from Hindu backgrounds and were thrown from their homes; but all of them are so passionate for the gospel and worship.

Church in India is much different from church in the United States; many worshipers gather at the corner of a small hut or under a tree. While Americans talk about millions of dollars to build a church, in India they need only $1,500–$2000 to build a church. Such a small amount is still too much for these poor people, who struggle to have food at least one or two times a day.

The Laborers Are Few

One of the major reasons for the lack of Christians in north India is the lack of Christian workers; most Christian organizations concentrate on southern India. The words of Jesus in Matthew 9:37 describe the condition of India: “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.” God honored my desire to work in this needy part of my country; after the completion of my seminary studies in the south, God led me back to NTC in Dehradun to be a teacher of New Testament.

Good News for India [www.goodnewsforindia.org], the parent organization of NTC, is preparing laborers for northern India. Foreign missionaries are no longer allowed to go to India with the gospel, so we are committed to training Indian national missionaries and sending them where the gospel has never been taken—hundreds of villages. Our church-planting ministry is known as The Christian Evangelistic Assemblies.

There are numerous people groups who have never heard about Jesus, and many languages are spoken by large numbers of people who do not have the Scriptures translated into their languages.

Though Christianity reached India 2,000 years ago, it is still considered a Western religion. Often the musical forms of worship are still very Western in nature, so the impression is that Christianity is not truly for the Indian culture. As indigenous workers are sent out to spread the gospel, the forms of worship and music should also be indigenous, but it is difficult for this to happen without musical training for the workers.

Training people in music is one of the major needs in the Indian church. But because Indian music is much related to the Hindu religion, to be trained in Indian music one must sing worship songs to different idols for which all those songs were composed. So it is impossible for Christians to go to Indian schools for music. In addition, it is too difficult for an ordinary village Christian to afford musical training.

Beyond Imagination

God gave me opportunities to teach music while I was teaching New Testament at NTC even though I had limited knowledge and availability of musical instruments. I never thought God would make music my major ministry; it was beyond my imagination. But then, God’s plan for my whole life is totally beyond my imagination. In a miraculous way God opened a door for me to come to Gordon College.

[Read about Jacob’s journey to Gordon in the sidebar.]

My desire is to complete my studies, go back to my country and start India’s first Christian music training center for Christians. My desire is to see people from different languages and people groups composing and singing joyful songs to our Lord. I believe my days at Gordon will equip me to do my part well in that great plan of our God. 

Jacob’s family, Bitha and Aaron

Jacob’s Journey to Gordon

J

acob’s journey to Gordon is filled with caring people. Dr. Timothy Tennent, associate professor of missions at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and his wife, Julie, an accomplished musician and music teacher, are the key players.

Tim has been teaching six-week missions courses at NTC in northern India since its inception in 1988. During Jacob’s third year teaching at NTC, Julie accompanied Tim to the school (June of 2000). Julie learned of Jacob’s interest in music when he asked her to help with a CD he was making of students singing worship songs. Julie began to encourage Jacob to pursue a music ministry. Once back home, she sent Jacob music books—almost nonexistent in India—and encouraged him to continue practicing and preparing for a music education in America. Jacob had the privilege of taking music lessons on piano and organ as a child, but because of discouragement he had been thinking of giving up on music.

Julie prayed for financial supporters for Jacob’s first year at Gordon and wrote letters to Jacob almost every week for a whole year. Jacob and his wife, Bitha, had been praying for God’s plan for their lives to be made clear, and three different people confirmed that Jacob’s ministry would go beyond his New Testament teaching at NTC. Julie says, “I have been impressed with Jacob’s desire to study music to enhance worship in the churches of India. He understands the power of music to touch the soul and express the deepest emotions of the heart; and he realizes that unless the music is truly Indian in form, the gospel will have difficulty taking root as an indigenous faith. His goal to study music so he can train others is what sustains Jacob while he is so far from his home and family.”

But getting here took a bit of a miracle. Attaining a visa is not an easy thing in India; the government fears those who leave the country won’t return. Twice Jacob applied, paying each time the equivalent of one month’s salary—even selling his TV to get the money—with no assurance the visa would be granted.

During his second attempt, of the group of people seeking visas only two were interviewed.

Jacob was wearily making his way to the taxi carrying his denial when suddenly a man came running after him, calling his name. He was interviewed by a woman who knew music; she questioned Jacob closely to be sure he was legitimate, then granted him the visa.

In the meantime, Julie was talking to the Music Department at Gordon and shepherding Jacob’s application while praying over all the details of his incredible journey.

Bitha and Aaron are currently living with Bitha’s family in India while Jacob studies in the U.S. It’s very hard for Jacob to be so far away, and they realize that because they own no property the government might be less likely to believe they’ll return, and deny visas for Bitha and Aaron this summer. While Jacob and Bitha are hoping for another miracle, they believe God is in control, and they’re prepared to accept whatever He allows. Jacob is on academic leave from New Theological College; he plans to study at Gordon for two years and then pursue a master’s degree before returning to India to start a music training center at NTC. Jacob doesn’t know how he’ll pay for another year at Gordon, but his faith is in God and His provision just as it has been for all that has come to pass thus far on his journey.

“I thought it would be very difficult to adjust to so many changes,” Jacob says, “but the teachers in the Music Department have all been so gracious to me. It is my joy that they have embraced me with understanding of what my mission here is. One night I prayed for a guitar to play, but told no one. The next day one of the music faculty gave me a guitar.”

Peter Bell ’93, music instructor at Gordon, says of Jacob, “Though he has come with very little training in Western music, he’s applied himself to acquire the skills he feels led to take back to his country. It’s clear his motivation is to build the Kingdom of God.” Professor of music Stanley Pelkey adds, “Jacob has been studying the basic tools of music scholarship, including music theory and history needed for graduate training in music. Like most students with a clear purpose, Jacob is very hard-working. He has also been a resource for other students interested in transcultural musical ministry. It broadens our students’ musical horizons to come into contact with a musician from another part of the world.”

Jacob sums up his appreciation for the Tennents this way: “They have taken me in as a family member. I know they are sacrificing space and privacy in their home, and I’m so grateful to them. I am surrounded with Julie’s wonderful gifts in music—I receive so much help from her.”

Tim’s passion for India led him to raise money to purchase 15 computers, which he and his son, Jonathan, installed at NTC last fall, creating the first computer lab there.

—Pat McKay ’65 SPRING 2002

19

A Liturgy of

My House

G. LLOYD CARR ’64

WORDS AND IMAGES

My clothes are a white splatter from the roller’s backwash and my hands curl late at night with memory of saw and plane.

Walls, the clean plane space, newly fashioned, the mantle, smooth, black, has taken out my back and taken me to task for it is not perfect, and banishes me to dreams where I must make and remake it.

Like a washerwoman on hands and knees the rubber-gloved Penelope scraped every drop of paint, scrubbed from the hardwood the odors of cats to make a kingdom for the kid muses now wrapped in regal robes whose trains dust the palace floors.

On some lintel a geometrician’s lost theorem remains, some figuring equation left unresolved.

What stone chips and paper scrolls will be my legacy within this box?

What glyph left inscribed, clues to puzzle over for the casual speculator or looters trading for some rusty tool?

A box to serve a welcome need and offer bread and vessel, a place complete with odd ’n end hung and set to study, eye, or handle, We’ll take the moment to flip through the pages weighty on lower shelves.

I will make the coffee, the queen will serve her best bread, and the kid comics come to restore your natural color.

—From Taken to Task, a collection of poems by James Zingarelli, Stone’s Throw Press, 2001.

To order, contact Gordon College Bookstore, ext. 4282, or e-mail jzingarelli@faith.gordon.edu.

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A Human Presence: Poems and Sculpture

BY JAMES

ZINGARELLI

I work and rework my sculpture and poetry in a manner which is almost agrarian, like seed planted for a later harvest. It is a journey by stages even as Abraham moved across the Negeb. Every work, every poem is a prayer of thanks, an assertion of the present, a shortwave means for speaking with both the past and the future, and a hope to be relevant in one’s own age.

Every work too is a first edition informed by ancestral stories, metanarratives that still resonate with comedy and tragedy, romance and loss, tears and humor. I’m aiming for an honesty in the manner which Simon Shava speaks of Rembrandt: “the greatest [artist] about telling you what it’s like to be a human being.”

I am not trying to be a contemporary priest of the culture; simply trying to make the work speak. And speak to what, or to whom? To speak through materials—words, stones—that reflect ourselves: the stuff of the earth, straining to reach upward while simultaneously accepting our own mass and weight. Nicholas Wolterstorff wrote, “If you and I carve wood, apply paint to canvas, pile stone on stone or inscribe marks on paper, we are dealing with things which bear to us the most intimate of relations.”

In this is the conscious nodding toward the lengthy tradition one is working in, not a denial of it. It is a recognition, a humble admission that hands like these have preceded our own, and it is for us to take up the task with our own unique authentic marks. To be truly human is to assent to a dynamic which one does not force onto the paper, stone, or canvas, but must cooperate with and step back from. 

Stone Table Suite from the cover of Taken to Task; photographed by G. Lloyd Carr ’64

Professor Zingarelli has been teaching visual arts at Gordon since 1996. He holds a B.F.A. from Pratt Institute, an M.A. from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, and studied stone sculpture at the Nicoli Botteghe Artistici di Scultura in Carrara, Italy. He has exhibited his sculpture widely and has twice taught in Orvieto Semester, Gordon’s off-campus program in Italy.

POEM AND IMAGE USED BY PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2001, JAMES ZINGARELLI. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

G. LLOYD CARR ’64

Two of Gordon’s visual arts professors share their work and their inspiration.

Icon: Visual Images for Every Sunday BY

TANJA BUTLER

The bishop and local clergy were assembled at a dedication ceremony for young men discerning their call to the priesthood. My stepson was one of the group, and I was examining the program before the ceremony. A small graphic of a censer with curling puffs of smoke caught my attention. In its simple, dynamic lines it seemed to express the excitement and drama of worship and the beauty of the act of consecration.

I took the program home with me, tucked it into my journal and prayed daily that God would give me an opportunity to create similar work.

Six months later my prayers were answered with a commission from Augsburg Fortress, publishers for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I was to create a collection of graphics for use within a liturgical setting. Icon: Visual Images for Every Sunday is a collection of 600 images based on the church year and ecumenical lectionary gospel readings for use in congregational bulletins, newsletters and other self-published materials.

Each image was handcut from a single sheet of silhouette paper, a folk art technique that creates images with easily read, incisive lines and bold contrasts. This style is also reminiscent of woodcut illustrations for Bibles printed in the 16th century. Symbols and subjects were drawn from a variety of sources, including early Christian catacomb paintings, Byzantine icons and medieval manuscripts, and interpreted in a fresh, contemporary style.

Since childhood I have dreamed of illustrating a Bible. For 25 years my oil paintings have dealt with biblical narrative themes, and I have been privileged to see these paintings hung in a worship setting and integrated into the liturgy. It’s particularly exciting to think of my work in Icon being used to illustrate the weekly gospel readings within the Sunday morning worship service. It is my prayer the graphics will enhance the hearing and reception of the Word they image. 

Tanja Butler has been teaching visual arts at Gordon since 2000. Her work has been exhibited nationally and featured in various publications including Christianity Today.

She holds a B.A. and an M.A. from the University at Albany, State University of New York.

For information about ordering Icon contact Augsburg Fortress at www.worshipsourceonline.com IMAGES FROM UPPER LEFT TO LOWER RIGHT: TREE OF LIFE ; ADVENT TREE. IN TABLE OF CONTENTS: HEAVENLY FEAST. USED BY PERMISSION. ICON COPYRIGHT © 2000, AUGSBURG FORTRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

SPRING 2002

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OF VIEW

POINT

Relational Turmoil: BY

PAUL BORGMAN

How Does God Figure In?

Professor Paul Borgman sees some answers in Genesis.

G

enesis is one complete and glorious story. It ends with the challenge to Abraham fulfilled in Joseph’s life: that Abraham be a blessing to all nations. And Joseph himself is an improvement on Abraham, Jacob and Judah in being a partner with God toward blessing all peoples.

Within families and all around us there is often no peace, no blessing. The chaos starts between God and Adam and Eve, and is reflected from that point forward in Scripture.

The story of Jacob and Esau, for example, follows that pattern.

Everything we need to know about relational turmoil and its resolve—and how God figures in—is dramatized brilliantly in this story.

You may remember the story of Jacob’s robbing his twin brother, Esau, of both birthright and blessing, and the murderous revenge sworn by Esau. Jacob escapes, only to be swindled often by his Uncle Laban during 20 years of exile and estrangement from his brother. The cheating Jacob learns what it’s like to be cheated.

When he finally decides to return home with his recently reconciled wives, sisters Rachel and Leah, he’s very frightened; he’ll be running into Esau. Jacob is cautious as well as clever, sending ahead of him three rounds of significant gifts “from your servant Jacob to his lord Esau.”

The night before this momentous meeting with Esau, Jacob first does business with God, Whom he has kept at arm’s length throughout the story by refusing to name God as his own. There is a mysterious wrestling match during the night, and in the morning Jacob says, “I have seen the face of God.” God renames Jacob Israel, meaning “one who has striven with God and with humans and has prevailed.”

This strange name attests to tenacity in relationships both divine and human.

Having seen God face-to-face, Jacob can now face his brother: “If I have found favor in your eyes, take this tribute from my hand, for have I not seen your face as one might see God’s face, and you received me in kindness?” So the brothers face each other after long years of the most acute alienation. And they embrace, weeping.

Having wrestled through issues with God, Jacob is made ready to face his brother, who, wondrously and with grace, accepts warmly his brother’s embrace and tears. But Jacob has to press Esau to take the gifts. Why? “What do you mean by all this camp?” Esau asks. He’s referring, apparently, to the three waves of gifts. Take it all back, Esau says; I have plenty.

What could have been merely another of Jacob’s tricks to 22

get himself out of a jam, or into a good position, turns out to be crucial to the completion of a radical change in his heart.

Such a transformation doesn’t mean Jacob no longer looks out for himself—which clearly he does; it’s in his best interest to appease Esau so he doesn’t get himself killed. The question here, as throughout Genesis, is this: How can one engage in proper care for oneself and one’s own interests without the selfpromotion that harms others? How can one properly provide for oneself while simultaneously providing for others?

Jacob understands the need to reverse wrong, and even to reverse roles as the world normally defines them. He insists on being servant to his lord Esau. “If I have found favor in your eyes,” insists Jacob, “take this tribute from my hand. . . .

Pray, take my blessing that has been brought you, for God has favored me and I have everything.” (Italics mine.) The blessing! Is Jacob returning the stolen blessing?

God has favored Jacob, and the normal favor of the firstborn will remain Jacob’s, though second-born. But God’s purpose seems spelled out here: Jacob gets in order to give.

The talented and tenacious Jacob is willing finally to redirect his energies, to bow down, to make possible face-to-face restitution—with tangible goods.

This is the fundamental challenge God gave to Abraham that remains ours today: Be a blessing to all peoples of the earth (12:3). To be such a blessing-bearer means—for Jacob and all saints—the suffering of self-scrutiny, then changing one’s attitudes and behavior, and moving out and toward the enemy in repentance and reconciliation. This is possible only with determination and the will to do it, and serious encounters with God. This is the Genesis story in microcosm—a story of relationships forged between an adaptable God and humans who are willing to change toward blessing and reconciliation for all peoples. 

Paul Borgman has taught English at Gordon since 1981. He holds a doctorate from the University of Chicago. Borgman published TV: Friend or Foe in 1973 and Genesis: The Story We Haven’t Heard (InterVarsity Press) in 2001.

For more information on Genesis, go to www.gordon.edu/genesis.

GIFTS & GIVING

ANewbutFamiliarFace The Development Department introduces Gordon’s new director of special and planned gifts—Rick Klein ’93.

hile a Gordon student, Rick Klein worked as a teacher’s assistant for several of his professors—his friends often kidded that he was a permanent fixture in the large study room in Jenks. And Rick hopes to become a fixture at Gordon once again—this time in the Development Office as director of special and planned gifts.

Rick graduated from Gordon with a double major in accounting and business administration and a minor in economics. “I loved the classes in my majors and minor,” he says. “It was important to me to learn as much as I possibly could, and working as a teacher’s assistant was a great way to retain the knowledge. Many of my professors are still here at Gordon and have welcomed me back by name. That personal touch is one of the special things about Gordon.

And I intend to offer that same personal touch to my clients in Planned Giving.”

His parents were the first to teach Rick the importance of personal involvement; they Rick with his parents and two sisters at Commencement. modeled the stewardship they taught him and his two older sisters. “My parents are very generous people who have faithfully supported Christian groups for as long as I can remember. It was important to them that we understood the principle of tithing. I remember as a boy giving money to my dad for the first time to include with his gift to a Bible distribution ministry. It was a great lesson in faith for me. I was sure I’d miss the money—that I’d never be able to collect all the baseball cards I thought I needed. But I found I didn’t miss the money, and my baseball card collection didn’t suffer either.”

Rick moved on to far more extensive experience in the financial world. Following graduation from Gordon he lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for almost four years, serving as the financial administrator of Woodmen Valley Chapel, a large and growing church. When the opportunity arose to serve at Park Street Church in Boston, Rick moved back to New England. “It was difficult to leave Colorado,” Rick says.

“My sisters had moved there, and my parents had joined us.

But God orchestrated a very smooth transition.

“At Park Street I became reconnected to Gordon. There’s a very rich history between the College and that church, which was deepened when Dr. Harold Ockenga was president of Gordon 1969–76, and which continues to this day. Several past and present Gordon board members, faculty and staff are Park Street Church members.”

Later, as the director of nonprofit development with AssetStream—an Internet company dedicated to assisting nonprofits and donors to utilize tax efficient stock donations—Rick transitioned from accounting to nonprofit business develop-

ment. One of the nonprofits he assisted was Gordon College.

This business relationship eventually led to Rick’s return to campus in a professional capacity.

“This past spring and summer I spent a good deal of time with Bob Grinnell and several members of the Development staff. I liked what I saw. At some point Bob and I started talking about career opportunities at Gordon. He was looking for someone with my accounting and business development background—someone who also had a love for the College. It was an opportunity for me to use my education, gifts and passion at Gordon to help further the Kingdom of God. “Over the years I’ve seen firsthand the importance of planned giving to Christian institutions. Large bequests and legacies were given to the churches for which I worked. It was humbling to realize that many of these gifts were given by people of modest means, people with faithful hearts.

“My parents have made provision in their will to help their favorite Christian institutions continue the work of the Kingdom. Recently they purchased a charitable gift annuity from a Christian nonprofit. This ensures a gift to the organization and provides a stream of income to them for life. My wife and I have included Gordon College in our will. We’re only doing what comes naturally to us, following in the footsteps of my parents.

“I look forward to helping our alums learn about planned giving strategies and financial vehicles. What’s great about planned giving arrangements is that they actually enable individuals to give more to their heirs and charities and less to Uncle Sam. More importantly, donors can enjoy many of these financial benefits today.”

Contact Rick Klein to check out your options for financial benefits, good stewardship and planned giving at 978.927.2306, ext.

4228. Or call just to say “Hi.” Rick would love to hear from you. 

Rick and Sherrie Klein at their wedding in July. They currently live in Manchester, Connecticut, but plan to move to the North Shore. Sherrie is a middle school science teacher.

SPRING 2002

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RAVES & REBUFFS

In this column our readers can respond to articles in STILLPOINT or voice thoughts about Gordon in general.

Reserving the right to edit for space, we will attempt to publish a balance of positive and negative comments. We hope to hear from you. Write to Editor, STILLPOINT, Gordon College, 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA 01984, or e-mail: mckay@hope.gordon.edu. Anonymous letters will not be published.

IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO HAVE EXCERPTS OF YOUR RESPONSE PUBLISHED, PLEASE NOTE THAT. Letters written to individuals other than the editor are forwarded to those persons whenever possible.

Correction: On page 12 of the Summer 2001 issue of Stillpoint, we incorrectly edited Sam Folta ’87 to say, “. . . China—perhaps the most closed nation on earth today. . . .” Sam’s original statement read, “I work as a tentmaker . . . among the Korean minority people in northeast China just on the border with North Korea, perhaps the most closed nation on earth today. . . .” Sam intended to indicate that North Korea is perhaps the most closed nation today. We regret this error. 

[Y

our Fall 2001 issue] . . . was very interesting and informative. How Gordon has grown and changed since the Boston Fenway days! . . . That’s where I graduated in 1929, and I returned for our 65th reunion in ’94. . . . Some of my favorite instructors way back when were President [Nathan] and Mrs. [Isabel] Wood, Dr. [Edwin] Byington, May Hancock, Carrie Tarbell, and a very demanding Greek professor, Merrill Tenney. At one time Mrs. Wood scolded him for demanding too much from his students. He said he expected only what he asked of himself, to which she replied, “That’s no standard to go by!”

I am now almost 93 years old and have very happy memories of my Gordon days.

Clarice (Stilphen) Shoff ’29 

I

want to tell you how much I have enjoyed the [Fall 2001] issue . . . and in particular the article about Abbie Rabine. Her life is such an inspiration to others. . . . Gordon College was a big help to me, too. My professors were ever supportive.

Now that I am retired from rehabilitation services for the State of Maine, I serve on a couple of disability boards . . . [and] would love extra copies of this article, or the whole magazine, to share with these boards.

Marjorie (Doyen) Awalt ’59  Professor Richard Pierard stirred much interest with his “Just Cause, Last Resort” article in the Fall 2001 issue. Following are excerpts from some of the e-mails we received. wonder if the time has come to rethink the Augustinian philosophy used to promote the principles of a “just war.”

In the world today, “violence, whatever the provocation, cannot end violence or establish peace with justice. The violence of war, once unleashed, is difficult to control.”

(Pax Christi). —Leonard Campbell ’80

I I

’m very curious about what Dr. Pierard meant by “the pluralistic god of all religions,” and why you, as editor, chose to highlight this particular phrase in his article in

24

the Fall edition of Stillpoint. . . . Is it because it is timely, apropos, ambiguous, literary, tantalizing, exciting, and/or inflammatory? Although it certainly caught my attention, I don’t think it represents the main theme or flavor of the article. —Tod Rodger Excerpt from Dr. Pierard’s response: Pluralism is a word that all scholars of religion use. . . . It means that many religions may exist alongside one another in a geographic entity. . . . None of these are official or established faiths. . . . In a polity where religious pluralism exists, all religions are free to practice their faith and to seek converts. . . . The U.S. is probably the best example of a pluralistic entity in the world today. . . . In the wake of 9-11 has been an enormous resurgence of civil religion.

We Americans want to appeal to a higher power, but it has to be a vague god in order to maintain some semblance of national unity. . . . [At the prayer service held at Washington Cathedral a few days after 9-11] participants represented the major faith communities of the U.S. Some maintained their integrity, such as Billy Graham, who preached a good old-fashioned evangelistic message. But there was another person . . . who offered a prayer in the name of the god of the Christians, Jews and Muslims. I found that profoundly disturbing, and illustrative of my point about the pluralistic god of all religions. The god the Muslims worship simply is not the same God we Christians do. . . .

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was very surprised that [Dr. Pierard] stopped at the just war theory and pacifism. He left out a powerful tradition among Christians (and others) of nonviolence, which goes beyond pacifism (which refrains from participation in war and killing) to active resistance to evil and injustice. This active resistance may involve great courage, lots of creativity, suffering and even death on the part of those engaged in it; but it does not allow Christians to kill or use violence against any of God’s children, no matter what the cause. . . .

Some of us . . . do not see military violence as the way to wage war on terrorism. We go beyond pacifism . . . to address the roots of war and terrorism. . . . —Nan Johnson ’75

Excerpt from Dr. Pierard’s response: The piece I was asked to do was to be more descriptive than prescriptive—to look at the historical stances on war and focus particularly on the position that most evangelicals hold, the classic just war theory. Since Mr. Bush and . . . evangelical supporters are affirming the just war idea, I wanted to make clear just what that really involves.

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fter a discussion of the historical development of Christian thought about war, [Dr. Pierard] left us with seven principles by which we should evaluate the actions of our leaders, principles which are all based on the presupposition that war is legitimate. . . . It would be helpful to include among the principles some which address the theology of power and wealth and our responsibility to bear good news and wholeness to the poor. . . . I suggest that “in our

heightened sense of patriotism, we dare not allow God . . . to be reduced to” the One [W]ho holds our hand while we seek retribution. God is much greater than our systems of democracy and economics. —Dale Herman ’66

of teachers . . . to Europe. . . . [He] certainly influenced me to establish several international studies centers in northeast colleges . . . including my own independent center here in Winthrop [Maine]. —Don Beattie ’58

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r. Pierard’s praise for George Bush the [e]lder’s “liberation” of Kuwait in 1991 obscures the fact that Kuwait is a virtual dictatorship where women and persons of non-Kuwaiti ancestry have no right to vote. There are no political parties, and the [e]mir may suspend the Parliament at any time. Freedom of speech and the press is severely curtailed, and journalists have been sentenced to prison for criticizing the government or Islam. There is no freedom of assembly. Amnesty International has documented hundreds of human rights violations in the wake of the Iraqi occupation. It is therefore disingenuous to frame the Gulf War in terms of liberation. The war was about American oil interests, plain and simple. —Thomas Orr ’72

Editor’s note: For Dr. Richard’s Pierard’s personal views on these topics, read his article “George Bush’s Holy War,” Mennonite Life, September 1992; Civil Religion and the Presidency (coauthored with Robert D. Linder), Zondervan, 1988; “Civil Religion,” Eerdman’s Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 1, 1999.  Dr. David Franz has received many responses to his article “Teachable Moments,” Summer 2001, on 43 years of European Seminar.

Following are excerpts from some of that mail. so enjoyed reading your article. . . . I was on Charlie Team ’82. . . . The climax of our trip for me was taking communion just outside the walls of present Jerusalem, then climbing the Mount of Olives while recounting the story of our Lord’s betrayal and arrest. —Sarah (Griffin) Pemberton ’82

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t was with pleasure we read your article. . . . Jack [Daniel] had the privilege of being Nigel Kerr’s righthand man on his [1970] trip, and I [Kathy (Spaulding)] had the fabulous experience of being one of the first to do the Poland/Russia/Czechoslovakia leg. . . . [It] sparked a love of travel and of history that is undiminished. We have . . . led three groups from our church on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, with extensions to Cairo and Rome. . . . [We’d like to] explore putting together a church history or Reformation tour for our congregation. . . . Thank you so much for your role in introducing us to the larger world. —Kathy (Spaulding) and Jack Daniel, European Seminar alumni and parents of Susanna Daniel ’00

etween the people I met (both other Seminar participants and natives—and especially the leaders, Dr. Diane Blake and Dr. and Mrs. Dick Stout), and the places we visited, Seminar was definitely a defining time in my life. . . . At the American Cemetery at Colleville sur mer, looking at the graves and the wall of American soldiers missing and presumed dead on French soil during WWII, I realized viscerally that these men were real people. My father had fought in France. . . . If my father’s name had been there, I would never have been born. . . . —Lois Markiewicz ’84

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want to again thank you for influencing my life through the European Seminar of ’69. . . . The trip exposed me to such a new and different perspective, and, no doubt, was the genesis of my entire business perspective. . . . Having filled several passports over the years, I want you to know there has never been a trip during which I have not thought about my first trip “over the pond” with the Seminar. One never knows how farreaching His purposes are. Thank you for your steadfast walk. —Ron Pickett ’68

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he Israel trip in 1976 . . . did so much for me and my brother. [We] were facing terrible family problems during our college years. . . . Seminar was such a wonderful mental, physical and emotional break. . . . [In the seminar spirit we] struck out on our own after college and did the 50-state U.S. seminar! We spent three months on the road. . . . We celebrated my brother’s Ph.D. on the beaches of Hawaii—seeing our 50th state together—eight years later. . . . We were able to use the hutzpah we learned on [S]eminar to give us courage to travel and live out our dreams and not be dragged under by problems that overwhelmed us.

—Cindy (Linkins) Wilson ’77 and Robert Linkins ’79 If you’d like to share your memories of European Seminar with Dr. David Franz, e-mail dfranz@mediaone.net or send them c/o the Office of College Communications at the College.

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n 1974, in Lauterbrunen [Switzerland] . . . way up in the mountain I saw at least 200 cattle . . . with large cowbells around their necks. . . . It was not the cows that rattled my cage; it was about 50 boar hogs . . . with no bells, who came running after me and jostling me. . . . [Dr. Franz] became my history professor . . . here and abroad . . . and eventually helped me lead several groups

European Seminar in Rome, 1967.

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Annual Pops Concert; 7 P.M., Gordon Chapel College Choir Home Concert; 7 P.M., Gordon Chapel Art Exhibit—Gordon Senior Thesis Exhibits; 4/14–5/18, BCA Theatre Production, The Tragedy of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe; BCA; matinees April 20, 27 Gordon Symphony Orchestra; 3 P.M., Gordon Chapel

For info, updates and tickets, call ext. 3400 for music events and ext. 3200 for theatre productions.

Phillips Recital Hall is located in Phillips Music Center. Art exhibits and theatre productions are in the Barrington Center for the Arts (BCA).

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Choirs, Choirs, Choirs; 8 P.M., Gordon Chapel Koinonia Singers; 8 P.M., Gordon Chapel Thompson Chamber Music Series; 4 P.M., Phillips Recital Hall Jazz Ensemble; 8 P.M., Lane Student Center Baccalaureate; 5 P.M., Gordon Chapel Commencement; 10 A.M., Quad G. LLOYD CARR ’64

EVENTS CALENDAR

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pril

History Alive in 11th Season History Alive, an offshoot of Gordon College’s Communication and Theatre Arts Department, presents historical plays in Salem during the summer and October, and tours to schools throughout the year. Entering its 11th season, History Alive will be presenting Cry Innocent: the People vs. Bridget Bishop and The Scarlet Letter.

Cry Innocent, by Mark Stevick ’87, is the audience-interactive hearing of Bridget Bishop, the first person to be hanged as a witch during the famous Salem witchcraft ordeal of 1692.

Each show is 50 minutes long and is performed at Old Town Hall. There are typically three shows a day (11:30 A.M., 1:30 and 3:30 P.M.) Friday through Tuesday. The summer season opens June 16 and runs through August 25. The October season begins October 5 and runs through November 1.

The Scarlet Letter, adapted by Dr. Peter Stine and Mark Stevick, is an outdoor production of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic tale of sin and penitence. The performance takes place at Salem’s historic Pioneer Village, a re-creation of an early colonial settlement. The play is an hour long and runs every Saturday in July and August at 5:30 P.M. We hope you’ll take in a performance this summer. For information call 978.927.2306, extension 4747.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado Performed at Gordon On Friday and Saturday, January 25 and 26, The Mikado was performed at the A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel before 2,000 fans of comic operetta. As in past Gordon offerings of Gilbert and Sullivan productions, this one was jointly produced and directed by the team of C. Thomas Brooks (chair of the Music Department) and Ron Luchsinger (director of Opera North).

In addition, The Mikado incorporated the talents of Dawn Jenks ’92 of Gordon’s Theatre Department with assistance from Shana Cassidy ’02 as stage manager.

This very professional production featured students of the Gordon College Music Department as lead characters and as members of the chorus. Among students in the production were Brian Temple ’02 as Nanki-Poo; Wendy Walden ’02 as Yum-Yum; Matt Haynes ’02 as Ko-Ko; and Jonathan Conant ’04 as Pooh-Bah. Brilliant costumes and scenery delighted the audience as well. ATT Broadband videotaped and broadcast the show locally throughout the month of February.

Nonprofit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Gordon College

255 Grapevine Road Wenham, Massachusetts 01984 978.927.2300 www.gordon.edu CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED