Impact Journal 2016

I M PAC T E XCE L LEN CE I N FACU LT Y SCH O L A RS H I P VO LU M E I , 20 1 6

Q’s about q fever

D R . J O E L FU N K PU RSU ES R ES E A RC H G R A NTS , SC I ENTI FI C D ISCOV ERY I N M ED I C A L FI E LD

RETURN FROM E XILE

ALL WHO ARE TH IRST Y

D IGG ING UP TH E PA ST

Professor Bobby Martin curates, participates in contemporary southeastern art exhibit

Students, faculty bring clean water to rural Guatemalan villages

Dr. David Vila’s Abila Archaeological Project impacts, stretches students JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 1

2 | IMPACT

RE TU RN FROM E XI LE

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I M PERIA L M I N DSE TS

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WORSH I P BY TH E BOOK

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Q’s A BOUT Q FE V ER

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FA STI NG FOR LI FE

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Professor Bobby Martin curates, participates in contemporary southeastern art exhibit

Dr. Preston Jones continues academic exploration of national ambitions in Alaska

Dr. Robbie Castleman encourages others to offer God what He designed for His people

Dr. Joel Funk pursues research grants, scientific discovery in medical field

Dr. Francis Umesiri’s newly published book on the merging of science and faith SCHOL ARSHIP & TEACHING IMPACT

ENTREPREN EU RSH I P Successful entrepreneurs rely on an ecosystem, professor Eva Fast’s teaching follows suit

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SCHOL ARSHIP & FAITH IMPACT

WORDS: TH E CR A D LE OF FA ITH Writer-in-residence revisits her genesis as a creative writer, shares excerpt from book

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SCHOL ARSHIP & COMMUNIT Y IMPACT

A LL WHO A RE TH I RST Y Students, faculty bring clean water to rural Guatemalan villages

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RESEARCH & STUDENT IMPACT

DIGG I NG U P TH E PA ST Dr. David Vila’s Abila Archaeological Project impacts, stretches students

“It’s All Good” 2015 Dave Andrus, Department Head, Visual Arts Professor of Visual Arts

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CH RISTIA N H Y M NS A S TH EO LOG IC A L M EDIATOR

CONTENTS

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Q & A with Dr. Aminta Arrington on the Lisu of Southwest China and their music JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 3

4 | IMPACT

I M PAC T A Publication Highlighting Excellence in John Brown University Faculty Scholarship

A D M I N I S T R AT I O N

D r. C h a r le s P o ll a r d

President D r. E d E r i c s o n

Vice President for Academic Affairs Lu c a s R o e bu c k ’ 97

Chief Communications Officer PUBLISHER

D r. C a r l a S w e a r i n g e n

Dean of Faculty Development E D I TO R

D r. Jac o b Str atm a n

Chair of Humanities C R E AT I V E D I R E C TO R

A r i e l Lyo n ’1 6 E d it o r i a l S u pp o r t Julie Gumm ’95 Shelby Lawson ’17 Tarah Thomas ’16 C o ntr i but o r s Jessica Mains, Anna Andrus, Bobby Martin, Samuel Cross-Meredith, Lindy Martin, Nichole Genheimer, Jamie Odom, Joel Funk, Joe Walenciak, Dave Andrus, Joel Armstrong, Justin Mertes

celebrating faculty scholarship

G

reetings from the newly formed Office of Teaching and Learning.

In my new role as director of the office and dean of faculty development, my goal is to support faculty both as teachers and scholars and to recognize the good work of professors at John

Brown University. To that end, I am excited to present the first issue of Impact, a publication that highlights faculty scholarship.

While definitions of scholarship vary, one that has stood the test of time is the Boyer’s model that divides scholarship into four areas: discovery, application, teaching and integration. What I appreciate about this model is the holistic approach to the work of the professoriate, as well as the mirroring of our institutional conviction that education takes place through the head, heart and hand. Excellence in all Boyer’s areas are featured in Impact.

In these pages, you will experience firsthand what I know to be true—JBU is blessed with talented faculty who excel in their disciplines. The significant impact

Impact, a publication highlighting

of these professors ranges from scholarly and creative works in fields as varied as

excellence in JBU faculty scholarship,

fasting and Native American art, research in medicine and entrepreneurship, and

is published once a year by John

global projects in Jordan and Guatemala. With such breadth and diversity, what

Brown University jointly by University

binds us together as a community is the desire to serve Christ with the talents

Communications and the Office of

He has given us and to prepare our students for a lifetime of doing the same. We

Faculty Development. Correspondence

are thankful for God’s provision, and I hope you enjoy reading about what He is

and feedback can be mailed to Dr. Jacob

accomplishing through our faculty at JBU.

TO TH AT EN D, I A M E XC ITED TO PR ES ENT TH E FI RST IS SU E O F I M PAC T, A PU B LI C ATI O N TH AT E X ISTS TO H I G H LI G HT FACU LT Y SC H O L A RS H I P.

Stratman, John Brown University, 2000 W. University, Siloam Springs, AR 72761. This

Blessings,

publication can be found online at jbu.edu/impact-magazine.

www.jbu.edu

Carla Swearingen Dean of Faculty Development JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 5

RETURN FROM

EXILE PRO FESSO R BO B BY M A RTI N CU R ATES , PA RTI C I PATES I N CO NTEM P O R A RY SOUTH E A STER N A RT E X H I B IT

BY J ESSIC A MAI NS ’ 19

“Mapping the Connection #1” Linda Lomahaftewa, Monotype, 18”x24” 6 | IMPACT

Bobby Martin is a printmaker/ painter/educator/curator who works out of his 7 Springs Studio near Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

He currently serves as an associate professor of visual arts and teaches printmaking, screenprinting and art foundation courses.

FOR SOM E PE OPLE , the thought of heritage causes little more than a fleeting curiosity. It is a window into the past worth little more than a passing glance. Maybe there is no time to examine the path that led to who we are. Maybe it does not matter much to begin with.

Maybe heritage never crosses our mind at all. This is not the case for Bobby C. Martin, associate professor of visual arts. Martin, whose grandmother was a full blood Muscogee (Creek) Indian, has built up his career around delving into the history of his family. To him, heritage is much more than just a list of names and dates. It is a rich story of human life, growth and courage.

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M

artin joined JBU in the fall of 2008 after serving as an associate professor at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He currently teaches art foundations, printmaking and screenprinting classes.

Recently, he has received a feature profile in the fall 2015 issue of “First American Art Magazine” and had four images published as cover art for separate installments of “American Indian Quarterly” throughout

their 2015 publication year. He also led a six week summer series workshop on “Do-It-Yourself Screenprinting” at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas and participated in a panel discussion for an exhibition of Native printmaking called “Enter the Matrix” at the Fred Jones Museum of Art in Norman, Oklahoma.

TH E PRO C E S S He considers himself an artist before an educator, maintaining his creative work from his 7 Springs Studio near West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma. Much of his work is based around old family photographs, especially from his grandmother, a fullblood Muscogee (Creek) Indian. “These images of close kinfolk and distant relatives have become icons for me,” Martin said.

“Symbols of a Native American identity that is not seen as ‘traditional,’ but is just as valid and vital to me… The images provide a connection with my past, a way to remember and honor the generations that have come before—a way to commemorate our unique family heritage.” Martin also uses text in his artwork, especially passages from the Dawes Commission Index, Scripture and Muscogee hymns. The text is layered over prints or paintings, drawing the viewer to look more closely into the image.

Martin uses this type of artwork to spark conversations about family and identity—do the names and numbers on the Dawes list define a person, or is there more to the old men who stand by their car? How did the lines of Scripture affect the young woman on her motorcycle?

Martin particularly enjoys the use of layers, both in digital and physical art. When he discovered the uses of scanners and Photoshop in the 1990s, his art began to transition into almost entirely digital collages. When he began to make physical art again, he did not abandon his newfound use of layers and digital imaging. Today, Martin continues to use computers for preproduction, but he develops the actual piece in layers of paint, printing and encaustic wax; it is a long and arduous process.

After creating the digital sketch and a reference outline, he puts down the first layer, which is often screen-printed text. That layer is coated in the first application of the encaustic medium, a beeswax and resin mixture. The same wax mixture, this time with pigment, is applied subsequently to add color and age to the text. After each application, the wax is fused with a heat gun and smoothed by scraping the surface with a razor blade. Text and wax are added repeatedly until the background is complete.

The foreground is added through thin glazes of oil paint to create depth and detail. These acts of layering provide a sense of frozen time for both Martin and his viewers. The sepia-toned text is reminiscent of aged photographs, while his subjects stand 8 | IMPACT

M A RTI N ’ S A RT CH A LLENG ES TR A DITION A L STEREOT Y PES OF N ATI V E A M ERIC A NS BY PRESENTI NG TH EM A S TH E PEOPLE TH E Y W ERE, BY HONORING THE RICH HISTORY OF HIS FAMILY. “Uncle David (Killed in Action, 1944)” by Bobby C. Martin Encaustic, oil, collage and screenprint on panel 72”x48”

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TH IS E X H I B IT H A S B EEN A N D W I L L CO NTI N U E TO B E A POW ERFU L E X PRESSIO N O F H O PE.

as beacons of their eras and cultures. “My art aims to return the viewer to a specific moment in time,” Martin explained. “Not a monumental or historic moment, just a simple, personal moment in one man’s family history. While it may be possible to peel back or peer around the layers in these works to reveal deeper intent, it may be just as possible to look at these works and think about a favorite aunt or Granny’s old Ford truck.”

TH E PU R P OS E While Martin hopes for his art to evoke personal memories and an

appreciation for individual heritage, it also serves another purpose. Many viewers, particularly in the South and Southeastern United States, have little to no understanding of Native American culture. Many images invoked by the thought of Native Americans involve teepees, buffalo hunts, feather headdresses and mystic rituals. Martin’s artwork, on the other hand, depicts his relatives as the people they were—humans enjoying a passionate kiss, grinning as they stood by a service station, or enjoying the company of friends and family at a fish fry. Martin’s art challenges traditional stereotypes of Native Americans by presenting them as the people they truly were and by honoring the rich history of his family.

TH E E X H I B IT This is likewise the purpose of a large exhibit curated over the past two years by Martin and his colleagues Jace Weaver and Tony Tiger. The exhibit is called Return From Exile: Contemporary Southeastern Indian Art and includes the work of 32 top Native American artists associated with Southeastern Tribes. The exhibit is anchored around nine featured artists: Roy Boney, Jr., Joseph Erb, Shan Goshorn, Starr Hardridge, Troy 10 | IMPACT

Jackson, Bobby C. Martin, America Meredith, Erin Shaw and Tony Tiger. The exhibit features work from the Muscogee (Creek), Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee and Seminole tribes, also called the “Five Civilized Tribes.” Each of these groups was forcibly removed from their lands in the southeastern U.S. by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Themed around removal, return and resilience, the exhibition includes 46 works of art including paintings, printmaking, drawings, wall-hung constructions, sculptures, ceramics, basketry and jewelry. Other related events include panel discussions, seminars, storytelling, workshops, a major exhibition catalogue with scholarly essays and opportunities to interact online with artists and curators via www.returnfromexile.org and tinyurl.com/jdjn6yz.

This is the first exhibit of its kind. Surrounding events are meant to educate the general public about the history, ongoing traditions and current issues among Southeastern native peoples. The show explores how Southeastern native peoples see themselves today, how they connect with their homeland and continue to be affected by their displacement. Return From Exile is a traveling exhibition, running from August 2015 into 2017.

Scheduled venues include the Collier County Museum in Naples, Florida; the Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of Arkansas Little Rock; the Hardesty Arts Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Additional venues are still being added and can be viewed along with exhibition dates at tinyurl.com/hmxbwrm. The exhibit is scheduled to appear at John Brown University from Sept. 1 to 23, 2016. Both the beginning and ending venues were chosen for their connection to the “Trail of Tears,” but the artists hope that the show will reach people nationwide and spark conversation about displacement, oppression, resilience and hope among Native Americans and oppressed peoples.

This exhibit has been and will continue to be a powerful expression of hope. It is a window into an often misunderstood world that captures and communicates a message of resilience and restoration. It invites the audience to consider issues past and present in a new light. It provides a personal space in which the artists are able to connect deeply with their own past. “I think there is a palpable, undeniable power to this exhibition,” Martin explained, “which I believe occurs in large part because the artists invested so much of themselves into the themes of the show. Their spiritual and emotional investment is plain to see, and it makes for a moving experience, even for viewers uninitiated into the histories involved. Powerful stories are being told for those who take the time to listen.”

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FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

“Thoughts of Home” by J. Dylan Cavin Acrylic on canvas 48”x36” “Weaving the Bayou” by Sarah Sense Arches watercolor paper, archival ink 22”x30” “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” by Faren Sanders Crews Triptych, graphite and charcoal on canvas 40”x30” per panel “Saturday Night at the Casino” (left) and “Walosi/Crapaud” (right) From the Casino Era series Copper Gorgets, coins, dice; 3.5”x3.5” each JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 11

IMPE RIAL MINDS ETS a professor’s exploration of national ambitions

BY SAMU EL CROSS- M EREDITH ’ 18

Photo contributed by Lindy Martin, ‘17

A

Preston Jones is a professor of history, political philosophy and language courses. He is a published author and has received several awards for his scholarship, including a fellowship with the Pew Program and a Fulbright Scholarship for study in Canada.

fter writing and publishing three books on Alaska

“The purchase of Alaska in 1867 had implications for these

three empires,” Jones said. “Russia possessed Alaska but wasn’t able to

asked in July 2015 by the Cook Inlet Historical Society

manage it, so Russia wanted to cut its losses. Selling Alaska to Britain

to deliver a keynote lecture on the centennial of

would make the most sense, since Canada, being part of the British

Anchorage, Alaska, the state’s largest city. Delivered at the Anchorage

Empire, is next door. But Russia and Britain had fought a war thirteen

Museum, the lecture was attended by about 100 locals and city officials.

years before, and Russia didn’t want to enhance an adversary’s empire.

The lecture was televised multiple times on CSPAN and can be found at

So Alaska went to the U.S. and, with the Aleutian island chain, the

http://tinyurl.com/jgtmcwy.

U.S. instantly became a power in the western Pacific. The U.S. would

“When people ask me what I write about,” Jones says, “I tell

them that I study Alaska in the context of the American empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The question about which national powers will dominate in the Pacific has been in play since the mid-1800s. The U.S.’s purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 is part of this story. I’m interested in how broad themes play out in particular places.”

When asked why he chose Alaska as a field for study, Jones

said that since he is able to do research only during summers, and since his wife’s family lives in Alaska and his own family usually goes to Alaska in the summer, then it made sense to work in the archives there.

“Not many people know much about Alaska because it’s so far away,” Jones said. “I kind of have a research field to myself.” His research explores Alaska within the context of the American, Russian and British empires.

12 | IMPACT

history, Dr. Preston Jones, professor of history, was

acquire Midway Island later the same year, and Hawaii, Guam and Samoa would come under the American flag thirty years later. The popular idea that there was a lot of resistance to the purchase of Alaska isn’t true. Most people paid little attention. But most of those who did pay attention could see that the possession of Alaska added greatly to the projection of American power. This is still true today.”

Jones’ most recent book is “The Fires of Patriotism: Alaskans in the Days of the First World War”. His earlier books are “City for Empire: An Anchorage History” and “Empire’s Edge: American Society in Nome, Alaska”. All were published by the University of Alaska Press. His current project focuses on U.S.-British relations in the far northwest in the years 1867-1917. In May of this year he was invited to give a lecture on that topic in Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory (Canada). In September he will give a lecture in Juneau, Alaska’s capital.

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worship

BY TH E BOOK

D R . RO B B I E C A S T LEM A N EN CO U R AG ES OTH ERS TO O FFER G O D W H AT H E D ES I G N ED F O R H I S PEO P LE

BY N ICHO LE G EN H EI M ER ’ 15

Thirty years ago Robbie Castleman noticed a trickle of students funneling toward liturgically shaped worship services. Today, that trickle has grown to a steady stream of young people who continue to show up at the church doors of age-old denominations, restless for an understanding of the purpose behind worship. These men and women’s spiritual journeys triggered the inspiration for Castleman’s book, “Story Shaped Worship”.

Very few Christians know the meaning of worship, Castleman said of the past several generations. Church worship services have turned into times of personal affirmation in which congregations look to fill their “spiritual tanks” by singing about how much God loves them.

The focus in these services centers on what the congregants glean from the experience rather than on God himself.

Castleman’s book “Story Shaped Worship” sets out to identify the meaning of worship by outlining its biblical story, depicting worship as a gift to God designed for him—not the worshipper. Castleman points out that, historically, the act of worship was dedicated to honoring

Castleman said. “These were worship arts and theology majors, and they knew nothing about worship. I realized, ‘wow, this really is necessary.’”

Students provided weekly feedback on the readings, highlighting

God in response to his faithfulness. Her book argues that today’s

what they understood and what they found confusing. Castleman

worship services should follow that same pattern.

sought, through her writing, to fill the gaps in their knowledge.

The writing process began in 2009 when University faculty asked

Castleman spent months studying Old and New Testament

Castleman, a professor of biblical studies, to develop a class for

theology, examining Christian traditions outside the evangelical

worship arts majors centered on the theology of worship. Castleman

vein such as Roman Catholic and Orthodox liturgy. Her goal was

designed the course to tell the history of biblical worship from Genesis

to understand every side of an issue before explaining the topic to

to modern times. Unable to find a textbook compatible with this

her readers.

vision, she began writing weekly handouts for students to read in preparation for class, titling the handouts the “Professor’s Reader.”

These handouts were gradually honed to become sectioned chapters of her book.

Castleman’s desire to introduce a biblical philosophy of worship to her students motivated her to sit down for the 10-20 hours spent writing each of the 10 chapters.

“I don’t write unless it’s burning in my gut,” Castleman observed.

“I’m energized by teaching, not writing. The only reason I write is to extend my teaching.”

Teaching Theology of Worship alerted Castleman to how little her students understood basic concepts of worship.

“The learning curve was steeper and longer than I had anticipated,”

Robbie Castleman is a published author and was a professor of biblical studies at the University for 15 years. She sponsored the program “The Dead Theologians Society” and often served as faculty for the German Studies Program during the summers.

“Sometimes I had to read three books for only one paragraph,” Castleman recalled.

After four years of crafting and perfecting, Castleman eventually published the book in 2013. “Story Shaped Worship” is now used as a textbook at institutions such as Whitworth University, GordonConwell Theological Seminary, Calvin College Worship Institute, and more. It also continues to be used as the primary textbook for JBU’s Theology of Worship class.

Castleman said she hopes “Story Shaped Worship” will push Christians into deeper relationships with Christ that will ultimately further his kingdom.

“We will be better witnesses when we’re better worshippers,” Castleman said.

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JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 13

Q’s about q fever D R . JO E L FU N K PU RSU ES R ES E A RC H G R A NTS , SC I ENTI FI C D ISCOV ERY I N M ED I C A L FI E LD

BY JAM I E O DO M ’ 14

Cells that become infected with Coxiella burnetii (shown in red) are induced by the bacteria to form vacuoles (shown in green) that harbor the bacteria. These bacteria-induced vacuoles are often located next to the cell nucleus (shown in blue).

14 | IMPACT

Joel Funk is an associate professor of biology and teaches ecology, plant biology and microbiology courses. His research revolves around how lung cells respond to infection by a coronavirus.

student research & scientific discovery are what drive Dr. Joel Funk, biology professor at JBU. Coming from the world of biomedical research at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado to John Brown University in 2009, Funk had in mind to apply for grant funding and work hard to usher undergraduate students into the world of scientific research.

JBU had already been introduced to the Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Grant through Dr. Brian Greuel, the chair of natural sciences, before Funk joined the JBU community. The grant itself is special in that its design is to provide funding and opportunity for research at the undergraduate level. A key component to Funk accepting his offer to teach at JBU was his discovery during the interview process that there was a possibility for student-research funding, since Dr. Greuel had received an INBRE grant previously. Funk believes that while “learning in the classroom is the main focus of an undergraduate education, the best way for biology and other science majors to really learn and understand the scientific process is to experience it in the lab.”

INBRE caters to 23 different states that receive lower levels of federal funding for scientific research. It allows for smaller universities to partner with larger, state-funded universities, who act as mentors to the smaller university’s research projects.

Each round of research funding per state is five years long and, in

2012, when Funk felt settled enough in his new role to begin student research, INBRE had already allotted their funds. Serendipitously, though, one of the participating researchers at another university moved out of state, leaving a door open for a replacement researcher.

Dr. Funk was able to apply and receive nearly $265,000 in funding for his research, beginning in January 2013. The grant funding covers not only new project materials such as a microscope camera, but it also provides funding for a semester student research team, a summer student research team and for some course releases for Funk, allowing him to teach a lighter course load so he can measure his time more efficiently between teaching and research.

While researching for his grant application, Funk came across Dr. Daniel Voth at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. Voth was already working with lung bacteria, using many of the same techniques with which Funk already had a level of familiarity from his own previous research with respiratory viruses (influenza and coronavirus) that infect alveolar macrophages (macrophages in the lung), so they decided to collaborate.

The “problem” Voth, Funk and the team of student researchers are working with is a bacteria called Coxiella burnetii, which causes Q fever. Q fever is a disease that affects humans and animals alike (specifically animals such as sheep, goats, cows, etc.). It is a zoonotic disease, most often transmitted through animals. Since in-utero abortion is the main problem with the animal form, transmission of the disease is most commonly made while farmers work with livestock during the birthing process.

JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 15

Many people experience the disease asymptomatically, but for most people affected, it is an acute disease, showing itself through a fever of a week or two and flu-like symptoms. Were it not for the prolonged fever, it would be extremely difficult to distinguish from the flu. Caught early, it can be cured through antibiotics. However, if left to fester, it can become atypical pneumonia and systemic, sometimes causing endocarditis

TH E “PROB LE M” VOTH , FUN K AN D TH E TE AM OF STUDE NT RE S E ARCH E RS ARE WORKING WITH I S A BAC TE RIA CALLE D COXIE LL A BURN ETII , WH ICH CAUS E S Q FE VE R. (destruction of the inner lining of the heart).

Currently, although there is a vaccine in Australia, there is no vaccine yet in the United States. Thus, while Funk’s research is not geared toward finding a cure, it is a hope that their team could be laying the groundwork for designing new treatments for the disease.

Q fever became a reportable disease in 1998 by the CDC. In 2010, there were 1-4 cases reported in Arkansas. And, though that might seem like a relatively small number, because it is a respiratory disease the potential for outbreak can increase fairly rapidly. For instance, in the Netherlands from 2007-2010, there was an outbreak in goat farms, infecting 4,000 people, killing 24, and resulting in the slaughter of 40,000+ infected animals.

Funk and his team want to understand how, specifically, the bacteria affects the cells in order to understand better how and why it spreads so quickly and what response can be made to prevent that spread on the cellular level.

Their research is designed to take about five years: the first half coming in a little under 2.5 years and the second part a little over the 2.5 year mark.

They are trying to learn about one aspect of the infection cycle. In a normal set of lungs, when a foreign substance enters, white blood cells called macrophages “gobble up anything we breathe that shouldn’t be there: dust particles, microbes, viruses. It’s their job to surround, inactivate and consume whatever they take in,” Funk explained in layman’s terms. Coxiella functions abnormally, though, making macrophages the most susceptible cell for infection.

Bacteria, including Coxiella, are brought into a macrophage cell (a type of white blood cell) and reside in phagosomes (an internal vacuole) where they are merged with lysosomes (the cell component that causes destruction of alien microorganisms). Lysosomes are incredibly acidic on the cellular level and normally break down the incoming bacteria.

However, Coxiella actually thrive on this level of acid, and what was designed to destroy, instead nourishes the bacteria, causing it to replicate so rapidly that it takes over the entire cell, causing it to burst and spread the infection to other cells.

Most interesting is that Coxiella does not work alone. When it enters the cell, it takes over the control of the cell. This is where Funk’s main 16 | IMPACT

JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 17

point of research interest lies. How does the bacteria change the

where MARCKS is located.� Normally, the substrate resides on the

activity of a cell?

membrane of the cell working to bind the cytoskeleton, but during

From studies they have already conducted, they have narrowed their research to the signaling process involving Protein Kinase C (PKC) and how its energy is being harnessed by the bacteria. There are nine different types of PKC, but Funk and his team have narrowed the search down to three different kinds. The first half of their research is dedicated to studying these kinases and their inhibitors.

The second half of research is dedicated to studying substrates (the proteins being modified by PKC), currently focusing on the Myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS). PKC substrates are phosphorylated by activated PKC. The team wants to understand how substrate changes impact the infection process.

Funk explained that the first step of process is “figuring out 18 | IMPACT

infection it tends to encircle the vacuole (a small cavity) where Coxiella lives (called the PV or parasitophorous vacuole). MARCKS appears to be responsible for keeping the PV at a set size and, through inhibitor tests, the team has observed how the PV expands during replication.

The remaining 2.5 or so years of the grant is dedicated to more substrate tests and observations.

The first round of Funk’s funding ended last year, but he was able to reapply and start his new research grant this past summer with his student researchers. The end point of the research itself is to make progress in understanding the biology of Coxiella, but the main objective for Funk is to train undergraduate students. He aims to give them an opportunity for research they would not have otherwise, and for articulation about their research at conferences such as the national

FU N K H O PES TH AT I F H E C A N H E LP STU DENTS U N DERSTA N D TH E PROC ESS O F R ES E A RCH , G I V E TH EM E X PER I EN C E I N TH E L A B , A N D PROV I DE TH EM W ITH A STRO N G A DD ITI O N TO TH EI R R ESU M E, TH E Y W I L L GA I N A PA SS ION FOR RE S E ARCH OR APPLYING FOR PROFE SS IONAL SCHOOLS .

INBRE conference and the National Conference for Undergraduate

understand the impact it has on other cell components. They now know

Research (NCUR). Funk aims to encourage them toward higher education

some of the things it is doing with MARCKS, but there are other proteins

in research or professional schools. He hopes that if he can help students

that have not yet been detected using the current techniques. Funk will

understand the process of research, give them experience in the laboratory

work toward identifying more substrates using a mass spectrometer.

and provide them with a strong addition to their resume, they will gain a passion for research or applying for professional schools.

In large part, the goal of INBRE funding will be used to boost capacity for a larger research infrastructure and to gain enough recognition through INBRE’s grant in order to be recognized and awarded larger grants from federal agencies. However, Funk is unsure when he will be applying for more funding. “There are still a couple more years of this project before I need to come to a decision on that,” said Funk with a smile.

Looking forward, Funk shared that there is a basic understanding

In the future, Funk hopes that his next project of research beyond this involves cell biology and how pathogens impact cells—how they change and are perturbed—in hopes to help develop information to augment the disease prevention and treatment research areas.

He feels very blessed by the support of the division and the university as he and his team have pursued this opportunity to impact students at the undergraduate level.

“It has been quite satisfying and has been a wonderful experience,” reflects Funk.

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about PKC and what it is doing, but he and his team would like to JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 19

fasting for life TH E M ERG I N G O F SCI EN C E A N D FA ITH

BY SAMU EL CROSS- M EREDITH ’ 18

O Francis Umesiri is an assistant professor of chemistry. He uses chemistry in the classroom to provide students with the opportunity to appreciate God’s creation at the molecular level.

He enjoys writing non-fiction and spiritual formation books.

n Jan. 5, 2016 a new book by Dr. Francis Umesiri was

encouragement, but it is also to give believers a platform for dialogue

published on the subject of fasting for both physical

points with non-believers—something to relate to.”

and spiritual health.

Umesiri’s new book, “Fasting for Life,” published

by Charisma House Book Group, explores the implications of fasting in

its ability to reduce the risks for chronic diseases through hormesis,

both the physical and spiritual realms. When asked about his purpose

among other physiological pathways. The second half explores the

for writing the book, Umesiri remarked, “The focus is twofold: the first

spiritual benefits of fasting and self-denial. Umesiri said that, “My

intention is to call attention to believers, and even to non-believers for

ultimate goal is to help people to pray, fast and wait on God, but maybe

that matter, that there is some benefit to fasting. My goal then, is that if

the health benefit will help encourage people to try fasting more. I want

people are less inclined to fast because of the spiritual part of it, is there

readers to come away with a need to have periodic times of extensive

some additional motivation from the health part of it?”

moments of prayer, commitment and devotion. Fasting at such times is

While Umesiri’s main goal is to bring people closer to God through fasting and prayer, “Fasting for Life” is built on 70 years of peer-

powerful.”

“Fasting for Life” can be ordered from Amazon. His other books

reviewed studies and research. He presents clinical evidence for why

include “Intuitive Listening: How to Listen to your Intuition and

fasting is beneficial.

Follow your Gut Feeling,” and “Treasures of Love: Celebration of

Umesiri started writing “Fasting for Life” not only as an encouragement to his fellow believers, but as a part of his ministry to the secular world. “I hope that my background in science and my work as a Christian professor will be an opportunity to use that as a platform in some way,” Umesiri said. “To integrate my faith in Christ is to be an 20 | IMPACT

“Fasting for Life” is divided into two parts. The first portion deals with the positive effects of fasting from a physical standpoint, including

God’s Extravagant Love,” both published by Kharis Publishing, and “The Search for Meaning: Living for a Higher Purpose,” published by BookSurge Publishing. These can all be found and purchased on his Amazon page at tinyurl.com/grwrov6.

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SCHOLARSHIP & TEACHING IMPACT

ENTR EPRE NEUR SHIP

Association, or a CEO of a cutting edge mobile research company.

This cycle of learning, participating and interacting with industry provides me with a strong repertoire of tools that are relevant to the work environment and that deeply affect my teaching strategies.

When I teach my students to use the Business Model Canvas – a tool that is expanding from its original application of designing business models to onboarding new employees and mapping organizational communication – I teach them to imagine multiple paths to market and to experiment with alternative strategies. The canvas allows us to test every assumption upon which a business model is built, such as the customer segments, revenue streams, and sales and distribution channels. As a result, my teaching is less “linear.” I use connected frameworks to provoke discussion around why a change in one block might cause a change in another block.

While our course textbook follows a specific chapter sequence, I intentionally re-organize class discussion and assignments to expose the tension between topics. Entrepreneurship is not static so I employ teaching strategies that connect entrepreneurial concepts in a feedback loop and that lean into surrounding networks.

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Eva Fast is an assistant professor of business and teaches marketing and management classes. She gained valuable marketing experience during her time at Simmons Foods and enjoys sharing that knowledge with her students.

SU CC ES S FU L ENTR EPR EN EU RS R E LY O N A N ECOSYSTEM , PRO FES SO R E VA FA ST ’ S TE AC H I N G F O L LOWS SU IT

BY E VA FAST

Entrepreneurship education is exploding. Entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, a term coined for employees who innovate inside large organizations, demand the skills to enter a rapidly evolving marketplace. Numerous books, tools and theories are emerging that signal a shift in thinking. The old paradigm of entrepreneurship taught entrepreneurs to guard their ideas from the outside world until they were ready to launch. Today, the opposite is true. The new paradigm encourages entrepreneurs to share their ideas openly and to test them rigorously with potential customers before launch. I actively research this shift in order to equip students with the knowledge, skills and resources to be successful.

Kickstarter is a crowd-funding platform that also serves as market testing and validation for new project ideas. IDEO is an organization that leverages design thinking to solve business problems. The Business Model Canvas is a tool developed to visualize the relationship between the building blocks of a business. I did not discover these resources from a textbook or instructor’s manual; I learned about them by engaging the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Northwest Arkansas. I attend a startup lecture series by Hayseed Ventures. I volunteer to advise new business ventures in the ARK Challenge accelerator program. I invite diverse experts to advise our JBU business teams, such as a member of senior leadership of Barnes and Noble, the U.S. Deputy District Director of the Small Business JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 21

SCHOLARSHIP & FAITH IMPACT

words, the cradle of faith W R ITER - I N - R ES I D EN C E R E V IS ITS H ER G EN ES IS A S A C R E ATI V E W R ITER

WRIT TEN BY PAT T Y KI RK

Although I began writing as an atheist, my writing has always been about my faith, I think. I entered the University of Arkansas’s Masters of Fine Arts program after decades of wandering, physical and spiritual. Having not found what I was looking for in Berlin, Beijing or Hong Kong, I’d written stories heavy with emptiness: an expat thrilled over a mysterious-looking package from home but so certain of disappointment she can’t open it; a girl relationally handicapped by the conviction that everything she denigrated in others would become her own fate; an aid-worker after her botched abortion demanding that the doctor “just kill it.”

Patty Kirk is a professor of English and the writer in residence. She has written several published memoirs, a self-help book and a collection of essays.

In fiction workshops, I learned to write less spiritually (i.e., less “politically,” as my professors coached) about people wrestling not with concepts but real-life adversaries. I also started writing the personal essays that eventually launched my career. My first—about the mother-son relationship of my cattle-ranching fiancé—won an Associated Writing Programs prize for nonfiction and was published in “Quarterly West,” my first real publication.

After that, personal essays beset me like demons, especially when, years into marriage, I recognized the divine hand that had been on my back all along and came to believe that God not only existed but was my true parent, that I was loved. I wrote about my hopes and struggles as a new believer, my two daughters’ baby faiths and my childhood Catholicism. Well trained that readers are bored by matters spiritual—political, that is—I consigned those essays to a computer folder entitled “Christian writings.” Meanwhile, cattle prices sank, and I started teaching at JBU, eventually taking a yearlong sabbatical to write the spiritual/political cooking memoir I’d been planning for years.

That was an amazing year, a genuine Sabbath during which I fell in love with my life: writing, cooking, raising daughters, thinking about God. Our farm became my Promised Land. I learned our local birds. At my sabbatical’s end, I sent out some essays from that “Christian writings” folder and within weeks had an agent and, soon after, my first published book, “Confessions of an Amateur Believer.”

Four books later, I’ve just completed my first novel, “The Unicorn Hoax,” an entirely secular fiction about a girl who, after her adoptive mother’s death, struggles to believe in a God who allows suffering.

For me, writing is synonymous with faith. Prayers, all of it, even fiction. I hope—pray, believe—God reads me that way too.

22 | IMPACT

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SCHOLARSHIP & FAITH IMPACT

an excerpt from patty kirk’s “a field guide to god”

P

eople go outside rarely these days, it seems to me. Back when my husband and I farmed full-time, we were out in nature daily, often all day long. Our first and last

tasks of the day were to go out and “check the heifers,” as we called it, a job that involved first locating the heifers— young cows pregnant with their first calves—in their field and then walking among them to count them and make sure they were all there and not in any kind of danger:

the farmers I was coming to know—my husband, the

the houses and the canyon below, playing on seesaws and

neighbors, the people at forage field-days and at the sale-

swing sets and Slip ’n Slides, collecting bugs, making dolls

barn where we sold our cattle—were morally superior

out of ice plant and twigs, peering into the gutter grate at

to everyone else was surely a misperception on my part.

skunks and rattlers. Our mothers stood or sat in chatty

Surely these people’s simple decency and neighborliness—

clots nearby, diapering the babies, running after one or

like what you might encounter in a George Eliot novel

the other escaped toddler, sunning, planti ng petunias

or the poems of Robert Frost—were the products of

along the driveway. Our older sisters and brothers

something other than merely being outdoors messing

appeared in the distance, walking home from school,

around with plants and animals for a good part of the

and they lingered in the sunlight with their lunchboxes

day. I have known outdoorsy types—surfers and rock

to brag or chase us or chat with their friends. Only the

climbers and cyclists—who have not impressed me this

fathers were absent—cloistered in a cubicle in a city an

way. Nevertheless, it seemed to me then, having grown

hour away, in my case—but even they were outside on

up in suburbia and had jobs that kept me inside much of

the weekend, push-mowing the strips of lawn, lugging

the time, that farming made people seem closer to God in

bags of clippings to the street, rearranging the trashcans,

their demeanor: humbler, wiser, sweeter.

barbecuing.

Nowadays, in any case, most of our neighbors have,

not having trouble calving or somehow escaped into the

like us, abandoned farming, and I never see any of them

road or putting their heads through a fence to get at the

outside. I took up running a while back, alternating

tasty Johnson grass, which grows in most of the ditches

between morning and evening runs on nearby back roads,

along the road and becomes poisonous in extreme hot or

fronted on both sides by our neighbors’ farms and houses

cold temperatures. As frisky young cows inexperienced

and landscaped yards. Even on my longest runs of eight

in calving, the heifers were prone to all of these dangers

or nine miles, I typically see no people at all. When do

and more, and checking them often led to some larger

they mow their yards? I marvel as I huff along. Or collect

outdoor task, like delivering a calf or finding and then

their mail? Where do their children play? The only signs

repairing a hole somewhere along the miles of barbed wire fences enclosing and dividing our pastures. Once we had made sure the heifers were all right, we drove the pickup through the main cow herd to check on them and their calves, and then we spent the remainder of the day, if there was any left, doing whatever was the job of that season: weaning, haying, repairing machinery, breaking ice on the ponds, fixing fence. We were outside so much that my husband, Kris, had a permanent hat-line, above

....

My point is, how can we witness and understand “God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature” clearly displayed in “what has been made” [that Paul is talking about in Romans 1:20 NIV] if we aren’t out in it? How can we sense God’s presence in the created world if we spend all of our time in an interior of our own devising—an interior, in most cases, designed to keep us ignorant of the existence of wind and rain and

IT S EEM ED TO M E TH EN TH AT FA R M I N G M A DE PEO P LE S EEM C LOS ER TO GO D I N TH EI R D EM E A N O R: HUM B LE R, WI S E R, SWE ETE R.

which his forehead was a startling white in contrast to his dark red-brown face and neck.

Our neighbors were also farmers in those days, and often we would see one or the other of them in the distance, beyond the boundaries of our land, going about

of life I notice are wild creatures in abundance—deer, snakes, frogs, and birds and bugs of all kinds—plus the occasional horse or dog and a few small herds of fancier cattle for show.

searing or sinking temperatures and thus also blinding us to everything nature has to show us about God? When we spend all our time indoors, we don’t notice what’s growing where, what animals are making what sounds,

their own seasonal tasks. Sometimes one of them would

I don’t know when this migration inside happened.

and all the other natural confirmations that God not

stop by to comment on whatever we were doing or to help

Was there some key event that caused people to suddenly

only exists but stands by, as our mothers did when we

us if we had a cow out or a piece of machinery broken

disappear from yards and farms and roadsides? Even in

were little, to watch over and enjoy us. Unless we enter

down in the field. I was brand new to the area in those

the Southern California cul-de-sac of my early youth—a

God’s creation, we miss out on considerable evidence that

days and recognized few of the neighboring farmers, but

place which I usually think of as a hermetic system of

God longs to be noticed by us and to interact directly in

their sun-darkened faces and forearms were copies of

interiors: glossy kitchens, carpeted hallways, garages,

our lives. Spending time outside affords us with many

Kris’s and they all had, it seemed to me, the same sort of

station wagons—the whole world was outside, in my

startling discoveries about God.

slow kindliness, the same wisdom and good humor. That

memory. We kids were in every yard, up on the hill above

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JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 23

SCHOLARSHIP & COMMUNITY IMPACT

A LL WHO ARE T H I R ST Y

STU D ENTS , FACU LT Y B R I N G C LE A N WATER TO RU R A L G UATEM A L A N V I L L AG ES

BY DR . L ARRY B L AN D Photos contributed by Dr. Joe Walenciak 24 | IMPACT

SCHOLARSHIP & COMMUNITY IMPACT

Champollap, Guatemala

Students help with the installation of the system water tanks

Free bottles of purified water to be distributed to community members

G UATEM A L A IS A COU NTRY W H ER E FI N D I N G BAC TER I A- L A D EN WATER IS A S E A SY A S TH ROW I N G A DA RT AT A M A P. WH E RE VE R IT L AN DS , E XPE C T TO FIN D CONTAM INATE D DRIN KING WATE R. Engineering and business students over the past decade have been

a local team to build required facilities for installation of a water

working to implement both technical and community business solutions

purification system to be followed with operations and maintenance

in communities. There are many proven water purification technologies:

of that system; and 3) identify teachers in the Compassion Center to

ceramic, slow sand, carbon fiber or other filters, ultraviolet light,

build stronger health and hygiene training classes to have both parents

concentrated sunlight, chemical or thermal treatments. The community

and students incorporate purified water usage into their lives. JBU

solution is not as easy. Culturally, trust within a community becomes

ENACTUS and engineering/construction management students take

a challenge impeded on over two decades of civil war and recent

on a role of facilitator and instructor. Initial training begins with email

revelations of government corruption. Needy communities are easily

communicatons and multiple Skype sessions that will cover most of an

found in both slum areas of larger cities and isolated areas of indigenous

academic year. The projects are completed with on-site installation, final

communities. Helping communities becomes a ministry.

training and operational start-up.

A project begins by locating a community with a vision and

The result has been a sustainable water store micro-business

passion for their people, and a biblically based desire for community

incorporated into the ministry of a local church and their Compassion

improvement takes some additional effort. Finding the right

student center. Time has shown the businesses to have grown, paid

combination has been facilitated by a partnership of JBU, Compassion

salaries and built profits for continued operations. Annual health reports

International-Guatemala, Healing Waters International and a local

from the student centers have shown marked improvement in student

church. Compassion International has played a strong role in identifying

health with respect to intestinal diseases.

locations with strong student centers, plenty of water but poor quality and a localized group with a passion to help others in the name of Christ. By visiting these communities, talking to the leadership and prayfully considering multiple opportunities, God continues to lead to new project locations.

Projects have been developed around a three-prong model: 1) train

Joe Walenciak is the dean of the Soderquist College of Business and a professor of business. He is very involved in Enactus at JBU and was inducted into the SIFE USA Hall of Fame in 2011. He has led or participated in more than 50 short-term mission and service projects in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Jordan and Northern Ireland.

Clayton Anderson is an assistant professor of business, the communications manager for the Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics and is the Sam Walton Fellow for the Enactus team.

Clayton oversees the Enactus involvement in the Guatemala water projects.

Purified water improves physical health which increases attendance for work, school and church and a purified water system allows Compassion student centers and local churches to grow. Successful business plans create the foundation for sustainability. The local teachers are empowered as they integrate the concept of water purification into their witness of Christ and His salvation. If you would like to support

the local people to develop a business plan with marketing, required

these research and ministry efforts, please contact Dr. Joe Walenciak or

government approvals and worker identification; 2) instruct and train

Dr. Larry Bland. 

â–

Larry Bland is the chair of the division of engineering and construction management and a professor of engineering. He operates and assists with the engineering and technology side of the Guatemala water projects.

JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 25

RESEARCH & STUDENT IMPACT

DIGGING UP TH E PA ST

(or: who’s that in the bucket?)

BY DR . DAVI D VI L A

A

fter hours of painstaking work, David Sczcepanik finally pulled the man’s skull out of the ground, placing it into a plastic bucket.

Poor guy. I’m sure he never imagined that some kid from Arkansas would be hauling his head away in a plastic bucket.

The Abila Archaeological Project is an excavation in northern Jordan run by

David Vila is a professor of religion and philosophy and the director of the Abila Archaeological Project in northern Jordan. He has received a Fulbright grant, he was a Fulbright Scholar at Jordan University and he is a published author. He teaches Old and New Testament Survey classes as well as four courses on Islam.

John Brown University. Every other year 20-25 students join the archaeological staff of the excavation in uncovering the ancient city of Abila. Students participate in all facets of the excavation from digging in archaeological “squares” to cleaning, measuring, weighing, cataloging and restoring artifacts. On campus in Siloam Springs, students read about life in the ancient world. They see images of Roman temples and Byzantine churches. At Abila, they uncover these things themselves and pull the artifacts right out of the ground. They uncover oil lamps from the time of Jesus and butter churns from the time of Abraham. And as they dig in the ground, the Bible and the ancient world come to life in new and exciting ways.

And as students uncover these people and places from the past, ironically, they often come to understand themselves better. They begin to realize that the names that they read about in the Bible and in historical texts were real people who ate, slept, worked and died, all in ways that are not too different from the way that we do all those things today. They come to understand and appreciate what it meant for Abraham to live in a tent or for Jesus to climb the steep ascent into Jerusalem on his way to the cross. And my hope is that in this process of discovery, that they become just a little bit more aware of who they themselves are - their humanity – of what it means to be a human being in God’s world. And also of their mortality.

Civilizations rise and fall. Cultures blossom and fade. All these buildings that we go into and out of every day at John Brown University will one day be buried underground. And maybe some day a millennium or two from now, some archaeologist of the future will be digging us up. So we should try to live content and grateful for all that God has given us, because one day they might just be hauling our head away in a plastic bucket.

Northern Jordan nightscape 26 | IMPACT

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JBU students on site with Jordanian excavation workers

RESEARCH & STUDENT IMPACT

Abila Archaeological Project Excavation site, Northern Jordan

new ground H OW D R. V I L A PAV E D TH E WAY FO R M E TO LOVE ARCHAE O LOGY A N D TH E M I D D LE E A ST

BY K ARI M I LLER ’ 15 Photos contributed by Ariel Lyon, ‘16 I did not know as a first semester freshman that my Old

as precious, unique creations of God, made in his image. Living

Testament professor would prove to be pivotal in showing me

within a small Muslim town helped me to understand the darkness

both my vocational and ministerial calling. Going to Jordan with

Muslims live in and made me realize that I want to participate in

Dr. Vila began my first adventure into archaeology and building

God’s work of bringing light.

relationships with Muslims. Though I have met many people who fear or even hate the Middle East, Dr. Vila used his depth of knowledge and insight to show me the beauty of Jordanian culture before we ever left JBU. Instead of causing me to fear the unknown, he helped me to appreciate differences and encouraged me to love the people we would encounter. On the trip, he modeled this for me firsthand by showing the people we met and worked with respect and treating them with kindness.

A rookie to archaeology, I experienced the joy and wonder of

After the trip, Dr. Vila took the time (while on sabbatical!) to teach me about researching and repairing artifacts. Being given the opportunity to study the artifacts after the dig helped me realize that I want to pursue a further degree in this field of study. I also know without a doubt that God has called me to show the same love to Muslims that I saw Dr. Vila exhibit every day, both while we were in Jordan and in every class he taught about the Islamic faith.

I am confident in saying that every single person who has gone on the Jordan Studies trip with Dr. Vila or taken one of his classes has

discovering artifacts used by the people I read about in the Bible

come away from the experience knowing more about God’s heart

and my history books. Finding a small oil lamp or all of the pieces

for Muslims and feeling a deep love for them.

to a beautifully glazed jar made the long days working in the heat and dust worth it to me. At the same time, I felt the darkness of those who live without the light and hope of Christ. I worked side by side with Muslims every day and grew to know and love them

I am thankful to be able to have Dr. Vila’s example both as an archaeologist and as someone who shows the love of Christ to all people.

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JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 27

Aminta Arrington is an assistant professor of intercultural studies, and she has spent 8 years serving with an organization that pairs Christian teachers with Chinese universities, most recently in Bejing. She loves worshipping God with Christians from the Global South and teaching her students to better understand and appreciate the world’s peoples and cultures.

christian hymns as theological mediator TH E LISU O F SOUTH W EST C H I N A A N D TH EI R M US IC

BY DR . JACO B STR ATMAN About the Lecture: The Lee Balzer Lecture was established by the JBU Faculty to honor Dr. Lee Balzer upon his retirement in June 2004 after serving JBU as President for 10 years. During his tenure, Dr. Balzer not only modeled quality scholarship, but he vigorously promoted the academic enterprise of the university. The lecture is intended to showcase quality scholarship in a liberal arts or professional discipline by a faculty member at John Brown University, as well as to stimulate others in their scholarly pursuits.

The Office of Academic Affairs and Faculty Development at John Brown University invite all full-time faculty to submit a proposal.

The presentation should address a topic that advances the field of knowledge of the speaker’s discipline, promotes the interests of that specialty within the context of the evangelical Christian university, and is accessible to a wide audience.

Below is a brief interview with Dr. Arrington, this year’s lecturer, about her work with the Lisu people of Southwest China.

28 | IMPACT

For the thousands of JBU alumni and friends who

them in their daily lives. And the hymns have given them a

were not able to attend the Balzer lecture, can you

cultural form in their own language, both written and oral. This

give us a brief synopsis of the argument you make

is very important for an ethnic minority needs strong cultural

about the Lisu people of Southwest China and their

forms if it is going to withstand assimilation by the majority

relationship to hymn singing?

culture. Finally, the hymns have provided stability during a

The Lisu are a minority ethnic group that turned to Christianity about a hundred years ago after evangelization

very tumultuous period in Chinese history. Through revolution and turmoil, the canon of hymns has remained constant.

by missionaries of the China Inland Mission. Although missionaries created a written language for them, the Lisu have remained an oral culture; most Lisu today are only familiar with two books: the Bible and the hymnbook. Literate thought processes have not had a great impact on the Lisu mind. The Lisu do not read often, nor well.

How has this project impacted your research and your faith commitment?

My life with the Lisu Christians showed me a Christian faith that encompassed all of life. Unlike western culture which has long dichotomized the body and the soul, the outer and the inner, the profane and the sacred, the Lisu view life holistically.

Yet, Christianity is a religion of the Book. Christians

Evening entertainment is line dancing to Christian pop songs.

revere the Scriptures, and consider the Bible to be the

Greeting is done by handshake, which is a symbol of Christian

Word of God, a sharp sword that still penetrates today,

fellowship. Times of sickness are met not with hospital visits,

a shield against temptation. Given this situation,

which are geographically and financially out of reach, but by

how can an oral culture such as the Lisu embrace

prayer. The Lisu have challenged me to let my faith permeate all

Christianity?

aspects of my life.

The answer is in the hymns. These translated western hymns stand in the gap between the oral mind of the Lisu and the

Why should western Christians know more

literate tradition of Christianity. The hymns serve as theological

about the Lisu people, especially in regards to their

mediator.

relationship to western hymns?

We are entering the era of world Christianity, and soon

How has Christianity and hymn singing impacted the Lisu community?

In addition to serving as theological mediator, the hymns have had a great cultural impact because they have reinforced so many aspects of Lisu culture. The Lisu love to do things together; they embrace community. The hymns, particularly singing them a capella in four-part harmony as the Lisu do, is a physical embodiment of the community unity the Lisu long for.

Singing hymns is a communal act. It involves the entire group of Christians in a participatory performance. The hymns have also given the Lisu a ready, everyday kind of theology that helps

there will be more Christians in the global south than there are in western countries. While the gospel has long gone from “the west to the rest,” western Christians are now in the position to learn from Christians of other cultures, whether Lisu or Korean or Kenyan or Brazilian or so many other cultures where Christianity is thriving. Christianity is the only world religion not tied to a sacred place, a sacred language, or a sacred culture; rather, it makes its home in all cultures. By learning about how other cultures practice their Christian faith, we have the opportunity to understand the gospel more fully.

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JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 29

NOTE WORTHY FACULT Y ACH IE VE M E NTS Published Works Books: Blume, Frank (Math) Math Manual for the Jungle School of Medicine in Burma Undergraduate Probability: A Brief Introduction Castleman, Robbie (Biblical Studies) New Testament Essentials Kirk, Patty (English) Re-release of A Field Guide to God with a new publisher as a Barnes & Noble book Stratman, Jacob (English) Lessons in Disability: Essays on Teaching Young Adult Literature; editor and contributor Umesiri, Francis (Chemistry) Fasting for Life: Medical Proof Fasting Reduces Risk of Heart Disease, Cancer, and Diabetes Chapters and Articles: Arrington, Aminta (Intercultural Studies) “Orality, Literacy, and the Lisu Linguistic Borderlands,” Missiology: An International Review “Christian Hymns as Theological Mediator: The Lisu of Southwest China and their Music, “Studies in World Christianity “Evangelicalism, Social Action, and Christianity in India,” Christianity in India: Religious Change and Economic Empowerment Bruce, Jay (Biblical Studies) “The Contexts of Individual Liberty,” Law and Liberty “How Christian Is Your Kid’s Christian College?,” The Gospel Coalition “Winners taking all,” WORLD “The cost of abuse,” WORLD “Churches respond to Ireland’s same-sex marriage vote,” WORLD “Struggling Baptist churches find new life beyond racial boundaries,” WORLD “Legal eagle feathers?,” WORLD “A ‘puzzling’ booklet,” WORLD “Pope apologizes for Church’s persecution of Italian Christian minority,” WORLD “The Episcopal Church formally embraces gay marriage,” WORLD “Cold pact,” WORLD “Churches and guns,” WORLD “Blood sacrifice,” WORLD “Mormon studio,” WORLD “Green card a la iglesia,” WORLD “Potluck bellies,” WORLD “New home missions,” WORLD “Starting over?,” WORLD “Prayer and a pass,” WORLD “CruzBuilders,” WORLD “Overseas and underfunded,” WORLD “Latter-day questions,” WORLD “Away from the big city,” WORLD “The Vatican strikes back,” WORLD “Hot Fries and the End of Work,” Acton Commentary Himes, Amanda (English) Review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, JASNA News Jones, Preston (History) “How Free Trade Makes Christmas Possible,” Institute for Faith, Work and Economics “Women and Moral Culture in Gold Rush Towns,” Marriage Institute, University of Virginia “Ebenezer Scrooge and Free Trade” to Institute for Faith, Work and Economics Essay on Thomas A. Edison for curriculum created by the Bill of Rights Institute Kirk, Patty (English) “Confessions of an Amateur Believer,” anthologized in Beginning Well: Advice for New Faculty Members Devotional essays anthologized in Daily Guideposts 2016 Devotionals for Daily Guideposts 2017 Marietta, Becky (English) “Number One, Regarding Visibility” in Ghostlight Moore, Robert (History) “Companionship,” The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Third Edition Morgan, Martha (Human Services) “Gender in family therapy education: Reflections of cis females,” Journal of Family Therapy “A family affair: Examining the impact of parental infidelity on children using a structural family therapy framework,” Contemporary Family Therapy Odell, Ellen (Nursing) “The southern states: NPs make an impact in rural and health professional shortage areas,” Journal of the

30 | IMPACT

American Academy of Nurse Practitioner Phillips, Bonnie (Graduate Counseling) “Sex Addiction as a Disease: Evidence for Assessment, Diagnosis, and Response to Critics” in Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention Raith, Chad (Biblical Studies) “Aquinas on Paul’s Use of the Old Testament: The Implications of Participation,” Logos Stratman, Jacob (English) “I Want to Be Music,” The Penwood Review “(Re)defining Disability with The Schneider Family Book and Award and Community Engagement,” Lessons in Disability: Essays on Teaching Young Adult Literature.

Umesiri, Francis (Chemistry) “5 Steps to Balance Prayer and Fasting,” Charisma Magazine Umesiri, Francis (Chemistry) and Funk, Joel (Biology) Boronic-aurone Derivatives as Anti-Tubercular Agents: Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation,” Medicinal Chemistry Anti-Tubercular Activity of EDTA and Household Chemicals Against Mycobacterium smegmatis, a Surrogate for Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis,” European Scientific Journal Varner, Gregory (Math) “Unique Measure for the Time-Periodic Navier-Stokes on the Sphere,” Applied Mathematics Wilson, Jessica (English) “Flannery O’Connor’s Unfinished Novel: The Beginning of a Modern Saint’s Life,” Renascence Journal: Essays on Values in Literature Presentations Arrington, Aminta (Intercultural Studies) 12th Annual Balzer Lecture, JBU Balzer, Cary (Biblical Studies) Oklahoma Christian University, Huntington University, Northwestern College, and Union University Blankenship, Jim (Biblical Studies) American Evangelical Christian Churches International Conference Brisben, David (Biblical Studies) Institute for Biblical Community Development Bruce, Jay (Biblical Studies) George Fox University Burch, Maxie (Biblical Studies) Faith and Teaching: Virtue, Practice and Imagination Conference Kuyers Institute Conference, Calvin College Perspectives on Global Missions Lightbearers Discipleship Organization, University of Arkansas Caldwell, Jim (Construction Management) NWACC Construction Technology Advisory Board Castleman, Robbie (Biblical Studies) Triennial Children’s Spirituality Conference Cornett, Nick (Graduate Counseling) Christian Association for Psychological Studies International Conference International Conference of the Association \ for Play Therapy World Conference of the American Association of Christian Counselors Cunningham, Curtis (Education) Christian Educators Conference, New Covenant Academy Dromi, Liesl (Music and Theatre) University of Arkansas Fast, Eva (Business) Uganda Christian University Faculty Lunch Colloquia Professionals in Progress Funk, Joel (Biology) Uganda Christian University Froman, Rick (Psychology) Uganda Christian University Himes, Amanda (English) British Women Writers Association Hyde, Brian (Graduate Education) Arkansas Dyslexia Conference Iglesias, Ivan (Language Studies) First International Colloquium of Literary Studies Jones, Preston (History) University of Alaska, Fairbanks Anchorage Museum Kirk, Patty (English) Carter Baptist Church Ladner, Ryan (Business) ACBSP International Conference Lanker, Jason, (Biblical Studies) Society for Professors of Christian Education Research Association of Youth Ministry Educators North American Professors of Christian Education Murie, Kim (Education) Association for Science Teacher Educators Conference National Association of Biology Teachers Conference Pastoor, Charles (English) Brigham Young University Posey, Jake (Library) Oklahoma Library Association Conference Posey, Trisha (History) CCCU Diversity Conference Uganda Christian University Raith, Chad (Biblical Studies) Stein Center for Social Research American Church History Society Conference

Evangelical Theological Society Refo500 Conference Romig, Chuck (Graduate Counseling) American Association of Christian Counselors World Conference American Counseling Association-Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Conference and Expo Association for Play Therapy International Conference Evangelical Philosophical Society Rothfuss, Becci (Business) Walmart Health and Wellness Regional Managers Simpson, Kevin (Psychology), Fayetteville Public Library Smith, Marquita (Communications) CCCU Diversity Conference Uganda Christian University AEJMC conference Evangelical Press Association Annual Christian Media Convention Stratman, Jake (English) Cornerstone University chapel service Faith and Teaching: Virtue, Practice and Imagination Conference Terrell, Jeff (Graduate Counseling) Christian Association for Psychological Studies International Conference Togami, Kai (Business) Global Organizational Design Community Walmart Global E Commerce Lake Geneva Youth Camp and Conference Point Center Leadership Team Realty Division of Walmart Stores US Turner, Margo (Education) Arkansas Baptist Convention’s Early Childhood Conferences Arkansas Reading Association’s Conference Faith and Teaching: Virtue, Practice and Imagination Conference Umesiri, Francis (Chemistry) American Scientific Affiliation Annual Meeting Vila, David (Biblical Studies) Ceramics of the Byzantine-Islamic Transition in the Levant Evangelical Theological Society Mingo Valley Christian School Protecting the Past Conference Tandy Lecture in Archaeology Near East Archaeological Society Workshop on Early Islamic Ceramics at Bonn University Southwest Regional Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research International Conference on the History and Archaeology of Jordan Walenciak, Joe (Business) BBB Business Summit at the Arkansas State Capitol Christian Adult Higher Education Association (CAHEA) Delta Mu Delta Inaugural Meeting Keynote Naturalization Ceremony, Federal Building, Fayetteville Siloam Springs Bible Church JBU Graduate Students Whitley, Paul (Music and Theatre) Biola University Carol Stream, Illinois

Matamoras, Pennsylvania Wilson, Jessica (English) Pepperdine University Wingfield, Barry (Graduate Counseling) Arkansas Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors Mid-Winter State Conference Central Arkansas Orphan Coalition’s HOPE Conference Wingfield, Barry (Graduate Counseling) Uganda Christian University Honors Anderson, Clayton (Business) Inducted into the Enactus Sam Walton Fellow Hall of Fame Andrus, Dave (Visual Arts) Four paintings accepted into the Rice Gallery of Fine Art Juried Plein Air Gallery Exhibition Two paintings accepted into the 2015 Illinois River Salon Art Exhibit Armstrong, Joel (Visual Arts) Invited to create “Springs,” a piece of public art for downtown Siloam Springs named one of the top 60 artists for 2016 by TheArtGuy Caldwell, Jim (Construction Management) Featured in the November/December issue of Kenya Engineer Carmack, John (Graduate Counseling) Appointment to AR Board of Examiners in Counseling Goehner, Todd (Visual Arts) Commissioned by Peter Santucci to design 4 book covers Himes, Jonathan (English) Planned C. S. Lewis & Inklings Society, John Brown University Holland, Neal (Visual Arts) Commissioned by United Way, Northwest Arkansas to produce “Your Backyard: The Impoverished Child in Arkansas” Iglesias, Ivan (Language Studies) Special recognition for commitment as member of the 2015 NWA Hispanic Heritage Festival Kirk, Patty (English) Books included in the “2015 Readers’ Map of Arkansas” Martin, Bobby (Visual Arts) Feature profile in First American Art Magazine Juror for the Southeastern Oklahoma Fine Artists Annual

Exhibition and Competition “Melvina at Haskell” on cover of Fall 2015 issue of American Indian Quarterly Two works featured in the Gilcrease Collectors’ Reserve Feature profile in Fall 2015 issue of First American Art Magazine Juror for the Southeastern Oklahoma Fine Artists Annual Exhibition and Competition Matchell, Connie (Education) Member of the Amazeum Council of Educators Moore, Robert (History) Elected to the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Humanities Council Peer, Charles (Visual Arts) “Artists to Watch” in Pastel Journal Magazine “August Light” awarded first place in Miniature Paintings in the 2015 Ozark Pastel Society’s Open Art Completion “Artists to Watch” in Pastel Journal Magazine “Reaching for the Evening Sky” received Virginia Cammack Award for Best in Drawing and Pastel at the 21st Annual Artists of Northwest Regional Art Exhibition “Serenity” awarded first place in Landscapes in the 2015 Ozark Pastel Society’s Open Art Completion “Silent Drama” selected to be part of the 2015 Pastel Society of America’s annual juried exhibit “Summer Barn” selected into the Pastel Society of the Southwest’s 2015 National Juried Exhibition three paintings accepted into the 2015 Illinois River Salon Art Exhibit Pohle, Peter (Visual Arts) Invited to participate in the Plein Air Rockies painting event Posey, Trish (History) Planned the Great Plains Honors Council 2016 Conference Raith, Chad (Biblical Studies) Received Stephens Family Fund Fidelity Grant Smith, Marquita (Communications) Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach in Ghana for the 2016-2017 academic year Snediker, Steve (Visual Arts) Judge for the Spring Creek Art Film Festival On-site producer for a day-long visual effects shoot for the film “God’s Not Dead 2” Stratman, Jacob (English)

Professor of the Year Award by JBU Athletic Department Terrell, Jeff, (Graduate Counseling) Elected Board Member, Society for the Exploration of Psychoanalytic Therapies and Theology Completed board certification as a clinical psychologist with American Board of Professional Psychology Walenciak, Joe (Business) Elected to serve term on the Christian Business Faculty Association (CBFA) National Board of Directors Selected to serve a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Better Business Bureau Foundation

Turner, Margo (Education) Varner, Gregory (Math) Vila, Dave (Biblical Studies) Wilson, Jessica (English)

Office of Academic Affairs Grants and Honors Faculty Sabbaticals: Funk, Joel (Biology) Goehner, Todd (Visual Arts) Himes, Jonathan (English) Moore, Robert (History) Romig, Chuck (Graduate Counseling) Smith, Marquita (Communications)

Faculty Development Grants

Faculty Awards:

Professional Development Grant: Lanker, Jason (Biblical Studies) Summer Professional Development Grants: Arrington, Aminta (Intercultural Studies) Gilmour, Tim (Engineering) Himes, Amanda (English) Jones, Preston (History) Lanker, Jason (Biblical Studies) Macfarlan, Kevin (Engineering) Martin, Bobby (Visual Arts) Morgan, Martha (Family and Human Services) Raith, Chad (Biblical Studies) Simpson, Kevin (Psychology) Smith, Marquita (Communications) Song, Ted (Engineering) Vila, David (Biblical Studies) Wilson, Jessica (English) Xu, Jin (Engineering) Supplemental Travel Grants: Caldwell, Jim (Construction Management) Castleman, Robbie (Biblical Studies) Cunningham, Curtis (Education) Dromi, Liesl (Music) Faust, Rick (Construction Management) Gilmour, Tim (Engineering) Hall, Melissa (Family and Human Services) Kirk, Patty (English) Ladner, Ryan (Business) Lanker, Jason (Biblical Studies) Morgan, Martha (Family and Human Services) Murie, Kim (Education) Pastoor, Charles (English) Peer, Charles (Visual Arts) Posey, Trisha (History) Raith, Chad (Biblical Studies) Smith, Marquita (Communications) Terrell, Jeff (Graduate Education)

McGee Chair: Bruce, James (Biblical Studies) Raith, Chad (Biblical Studies) Summer Scholars: Arrington, Aminta (Intercultural Studies) Bruce, James (Biblical Studies) Raith, Chad (Biblical Studies) Vila, Dave (Biblical Studies) Wakefield, Tim (Biology) Wilson, Jessica (English) Xu, Jin (Engineering) Graduate Research: Cornett, Nick (Graduate Counseling) Faculty Excellence Award: Carmack, John (Graduate Counseling) Posey, Trisha (History)

“Gaggle of Geese” 2016 Joel Armstrong, Professor of Visual Arts

JOHN BROWN UNIVERSIT Y | 31

I M PAC T 2000 W. University Street Siloam Springs, AR 72761

www.jbu.edu

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