AT A GLANCE:
AGOODINHERITANCE
byKatJohnston
WE'RENUMBER1
byDr.MichaelGose
THEROLEOFLIBERAL EDUCATIONINCIVICREVIVAL
byLoganLee
THEZOOMERZEITGEIST
byJacobPayne
ALetterfromtheEditor-in-Chief
Cher shedBeacon readers,supporters,and valuedPepperdne communitymembers,
Withtheendof the 2025-2026academicyear uponus,wehereat The PepperdineBeaconare eager toshareour thrd print edit onwthour community. Thisoneis exceptionallyspecial,as TheBeaconhasnowsurpassed5yearssince tsfoundng That?s r ght?it hasbeen5yearsof telingtruthful storiesandfoster ng impactful ournal smbothonPepperdine?scampusandbeyond
Wthover 100aumni graduated,over 250articlespubished,and over $125,000rased,thereismuchtoceebrate Somanypeople havehaddfferent exper encesresut ngfromtheir t mewithThe Beacon,experienceswhchgobeyondmerelywritingand pubishng I amexcitedfor youtohear fromsomeof thesefoks inthepagestocome I beievethat thereisnobetter waytosee wherewehavebeen,whereweare,andwherewe?regoing
Wthsuchanimportant milestonepassing,Iamremindedof Ar stotle?swr t ngs nNicomacheanEthics,?thethngsthat are nobeandgoodarebetter andmorepraseworthywhentheyare harder?It wasnot easytoreach5yearsof ThePepperdine Beacon,but thefight for truthandmeaningful ournal smneveris I beieveour successisdue nnosmal part toour talenteds aff andtheir convictionfor our msson AsMayaAngelouwroteinI KnowWhytheCagedBirdSings,
?Youdon't havetothinkabout doing theright thing. If you'refor theright thing, thenyoudoit without thinking.? ? Maya Angelou
Our foundersknewthat theexistenceof theBeacon snecessary onPepperdine?scampus,andour student staff todaycontinue that verysamelegacy Totel the ruthful storynomatter what?totalyandcompleteywithout fear
Asamedasource nformedbyPepperdneUniversitysstatement of faith,I amremindedthat thisfight for mpactfu storytell ng hasnever beeninvain. InColossans323 t iswrittenthat ?Whatever youdo,workheart ly,asfor theLordandnot for men? Thsversehasremindedmedai ythat thisworkwepursuehas awaysbeenfor amuchgreater purpose. Ifee incrediby uckyto haveworkedwthandfor suchanincredbegroupof Christ-centered ndividuasthesepast fewyears.
Asagraduat ngsenor,thisprint issuecarr esaspeca meanng, as t wl bethelast pr nt issueIcreateasThePepperdine Beacon?sEditor-in-Chief Wh eIamdeeplysaddenedbymy tenureendng,Iamfil edwithpr deover heworkI havecreated andthecommunityIhavehelpedcontinue ThePepperdine Beaconwasinit alyfoundedtobeal ght onPepperdne?s campus,aplacewherestudentscoudcometogether andhave informed,respectful conversat onsinregardto mportant ssues Over thesepast f veyears,wehavegrownintosomethngso muchlarger thananyonecouldhaveimagined?wehavebecome acommuntyof fr endsandcolleagues,acenter of mentorship andtranng,andaplaceof nformedandrespectfu debate The Beacon?sl ght shnesbrighter thanever onPepperdine?sMalibu campus,andwearefar fromceasing
AsIbeginmypreparat onfor graduationandgraduateschoo,I reflect oneverythngTheBeaconhastaught me. Myworkat The Beaconhascutivatedmywr tingandeditingskl s,taught me management strategies,andhelpedtodevelopmyinterpersonal communcationsklls,alongwthsomuchmore. TheBeaconhas challengedme,taught me,forcedmetogrow Most importantly,I becamealeaderthroughTheBeacon. AsIpreparetoleavemy undergraduateeducation,Iamnot sureif there sanythingIhave ever beenmoregratefu tohavebeenapart of.
ThePepperdineBeaconhasmuchtoshow or itsf veyear annversary Invaluable essonslearned,truthfu stor estold,and thecount ess iveswehaveimpacted Ibel eve hereisnobetter waytocommemoratethsincredibemlestonethanbycreat ng our best pr nt edit onyet
But Ialonecannot takecredit for anyof theaccompishmentsThe Beaconhasachievedunder my eadershpthesepast twoyears Noneof thscouldhavebeenpossbewthout our talentedstaff, our graciousdonors,ourincredibleadvsoryandoversight board, andevery ast oneof you,our valuedPepperdineBeaconreaders
Nowfor what youhaveal beenwait ngfor?
It smyincredibehonortopresent ThePepperdineBeacon?sthrd print edtion
PaigePotts('26) Editor-in-Chief,2024-2026
LeadershipTeam
Webelievethatasastudent publicationataChristian university,thePepperdine Beaconexiststoseek "Truth Without Fear" Wewelcomediverseviewpoints andchooseconversationover censorshipbecausewebelieve thatthetruthwillalwayswin intheend. Wewillnever stopseekingtruth? thankyou forjoiningusinthesearch.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PaigePotts
MANAGINGEDITOR Kat Johnston
PUBLISHER
JoyceLim
CREATIVEDIRECTOR
AdelleTupusheva
MEDIASPECIALIST
TOPICEDITORS Kal Auxier
AbigailNorman
TimotheCarel COPYEDITOR
BoJadenJames
AGood Inheritance
By:Kat Johnston
Manynghtsat Pepperdine,Imakethe veryordinarydecsontogotosleep
I closeout thetabsonmycomputer, decdngwhateverreadingorworkI have canwait unti themornng,andIalow myself torest Several t mes,just before I do,I?verecevedatext from my grandparents:Don?tworktoohard.Enjoy yourtimewithyourfriends It?sasmal kindness,andmost timesI don? t thnk twiceabout it Recently,I?vebegunto better understandwhat thesemessages meanandhowmuchtheycost
Mygrandfatherwasbornduringthe Japaneseoccupat onof Singaporeand grewuptherewh eit wasstil under Britishrule At thetime,opportunitywas scarceanduniverstyeducat onwas l mitedonytothetoptwopercent of students Desptethis,mygrandfather st ll recalsahappychldhoodfi ledwith goodfoodandmemor esof amother who nstil edthevaluesof hardwork andhonesty nhimat ayoungage
Inthe1960s,heleft homefor the UntedStatesandeventualyendedup at Pepperdinewithl tt emoney,no ob, andadetermnat ontostay Ear yon inhstimeat Pepperdine,mygrandfather met wthJ C Moore,theunversity controler,todiscusstuit on
?HeaskedmehowmuchmoneyIhad,? mygrandfatherrecaled ?Itoldhim I hadtendo ars?Moorethenaskedif he hada ob,andwhenhelearned theanswer wasno,hesimplyresponded: Godowntoplacement,getyourself ajob, andcomebacktoseeme.
MygrandfatherreturnedtoMoore?soff ce withtwojobs
?Hewasverypleased,?mygrandfather said,?that I hadgoneout and foundwork?Fromthat point on, mygrandfatherworkedfortyhoursaweek whileattendingPepperdine Hestudied busness?althoughstudyngforhm often ooked ikefal ingasleepoverhs assignmentsat night,wakngupat two inthemornngtof nshthem,andthen headingtowork
4 ThePepperdineBeacon
Oneof hsjobswasworkingat a veterinaryc ncnear Pepperdine?sold campus,inapart of LosAngelesthat woudsoonbecometheepicenter of theWattsr ots. Hewent toworkanyway. At thetime,thereweren? t anyother options Asaforeignstudent,hewas neligiblefor financa adorfederal oans
Mydays ookdifferent Ist l work?I beieveinworkinghardbecausehe taught meto But t?smorethansurviva forme Ihavethetimeto eadclubs, showuptomyclassesrestedand readytoparticipate,tostayuplatetalkng withfr ends Idon? t havetocalcuate whetherornot sleep ssomethng Icanafford WhenIf ndthat I?mpushing myself toofar,mygrandparentsarequck toremindmethat rest sapart of the ifetheywantedfor us
Mygrandfatherhopedhshardwork woudspeakforitself Whi eat colege, heattendedacareer farandassumed employerswoudrecognizewhat t meant toworktwo obstoput himself through school Hewastodheddn? t show eadershipexperience ?Howdoyou showleadership,?heasked,?whenyou?re workngfortyhoursaweekjust tostay n school??
Yearslater,adeanat BostonCollege toldhmthat withthat kindof work experiencetoday,hewouldhavebeenan obvioushire ?Backthen,theydidn? t pay anyattentiontoit,?mygrandfather sad Helearnedtokeepgoinganywayand waseventuallyhredbyMutua Life InsuranceCompanyof NewYork
Whenheretellsthesestories,herarely framesthemasobstaclesthat hehad toovercome. Hetalksabout what he earned?about leaving obswhere therewasnoroomtogrow,about how hscareer infinanca pannngcreated asourceof stabil tynot just for hmsef, but foreveryonewhocameafterhm
About sixyearsago,mygrandparents establ shedanendowment at Pepperdine ?Ihopeit wi l provideforpeoplethat needhep,?mygrandfathertodme ?ThesamewayIdid?Theendowment is hswayof reachngbacktotheversion of himself withtendollarsinhspocket andmakngsuresomeoneelsedoesn? t havetocarrythat weght bythemsef
Whileweattendeddfferent campuses, Pepperdineiswheremygrandfather?s past andmypresent intersect. Hssacr f cehasbecomemysecurity Pepperdineiswherehisexhaustionhas becomemyablitytorest,toparticipate, andtocreateafuturethat incudes peaceaswel asresponsibi ity He?sgiven met mefor everythngthat henever had
Mygrandfathercrossedanoceansohis chi drenandgrandchi drenwouldnot have torushthroughlife Whenmyphone lightsupwithtextsremindngmenot to worktoohard,toenoyt mewthfriends, timetorest,I?mremindedof alife spent doingtheopposte This swhat agoodinher tancelooksl ke: thegift of choicesandafuturethat hasbeenwidenedbysomeoneese?s steadfast work
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
1 Peter 1:3-5, KJV
PhotoCredit:EddieNgo
InDefenseof the Humanities:Restoring theArt of Articulation
By:Abigai Norman
humanities?andfromtherhetorica educationthat oncetaught us howtothinkandspeakwitheloquence
Dur ngtheEnglishRenaissance, educationunderwent aprofound transformationasit reignitedapassion forthehumanties Humansm,or
?Speakclearly, if youspeakat all. Carveeverywordbeforeyoulet it fall.?
? Oliver Wendell Holmes
Thedec ne n iteracyratesacrossthe country,theexcessiveuseof fil er words suchas?like?and?um,?thedaly ?branrot?weabsorbonsocal meda: thesearethesignsof thetimes Havewe lost theart of verbal communication n America?I argueyes,andIhaveatheory astowhy Amer cans?growingstruggeto articuatewthclarityanddepthisnot mereyal nguistictrend,but thesymptom of abroader cultural shift awayfromthe
thenon-religiousstudyandphlosophy of humanty,gainedprominencein ear yseventeenth-centuryEnglandand pavedthewaytowardsplacngthe humanitiesat thecoreof Engl sh education. Thecurricuumdemonstrated theart of rhetor casacrucial methodfor trainngthefuturestatesmenof England towrite,andmore mportant y,speak persuasivey
Boysattendedgrammarschools that emphaszedliteracy,ph osophy, andcultural knowedge,andtotest ther prof ciency,pupi sparticipated inrhetorica performancesinwhichGreek andLat ntextswerememor zed, interpreted,anddeiveredwithnuance Debateandpolitical discoursewere addit onal exercsesthat the Renaissancecurricuumencouraged inhopesof cutivat ngagenerat on of menreadyforcivicengagement
Ironicaly,theart of rhetor cthat once accentuatedtheimportanceof the humanties snowbengweaponized aganst them Moderncultural messaging insststhat STEMdegrees?science, technoogy,engneering, and mathematics?areinherentlymore vauablebecausetheypromsehigher salariesandclear career paths The humanties, ncontrast,aredsmissed asbengthe mpractical f eds inacadema,aluxurythat lustrates moneywasheddownthedrain
Icanattest tothisassomeonewho recentlyhadtojust fytomyparents whyIaddedanEngl shLiteraturemnor Institutiona messagnghasbeen effective,thusfar,becausethe AmericanAcademyof Artsand Sciencesfoundthat ony8 8%of bacheor?sdegreesawarded n2022 were nthehumanities,adramaticdecl ne from15% n2005 Inversely,STEM degreesrosefromapproxmatey 17%to21%between2005and2022.
Yet,theherarchythat placesSTEM at thepyramd?speakandstrat f es thehumanitiesat thebase sa soca construct nandof itself?a reflect onof what oursocietychooses tovalue,not what is ntrinscallymore vauable If institutionsareusngthe art of rhetoricto nfluencesocetal bel efs, ndividualsmust alsobe equppedwiththenecessarytoos tocombat groupthnkandlearntospeak adequateyforourselves Givingprestige backtothehumanit esisa cr t cal start ngpoint
AsAr stot ewroteinRhetoric, persuasionwasnot merelyatoo but anart central tocvicl fe n Ancient Greece Thispr ncipe cont nuestoringtrue ntwenty-f rst centuryAmerica Wthout thehumanistic dsciplinesthat teachusto isten,reason, andconsideralternat veperspectives,we aredepr vedof ndividualisticthought Theproblemrunsevendeeperwhen cvil tyisremovedfrompolit csand ourdscourse snothingmorethan echochambers
Thehopeessnessmanyfee regarding ourcurrent polit cal cl mateis,inpart, theresult of thedomnoeffect:
neglectingthehumantiesst f es dscussionwhchthenl mtsthescope of our ntellect If Americaseekstofixour polar zationcrisis,our societymust be remindedthat thosesittingontheother sideof thepol t cal asearenot adversar es,but humanbeingsshaped bydstinct experiences. Thepoitica dvidecannot besolvedwthformuac expressions,nor canthehumanspirit
bedeductedwiththescientificmethod. Weneedahoist cremedy:therevval of meaningful discusson
Oncewerecognizethat thehumanit es arerootedincassica rhetoric,it becomescear howthedecineinthe humanit eshascontr butedtothe decayof our verbal communication Whenwedevaluethehumanties,
wedevaluethemeans bywhchhumanity learns,communicates,and evolves
Ileavea quotefromoneof myfavorite films,DeadPoetsSociety(1989): Wthoutthehumanities,our ablity tobe humanismssing tscoreelement: the humanityof ital
?Wedon? t readandwritepoetry becauseit?scute. Wereadandwritepoetrybecause wearemembers of thehumanrace.Andthe humanraceisfilledwithpassion. Andmedicine, law, business, engineering, thesearenoblepursuitsand necessarytosustainlife.But poetry, beauty, romance, love, thesearewhat westayalivefor."
-Dead PoetsSociety (1989)
We?reNumber1
ByDr MichaelGose
For manyyearsnowmyobservat onhas beenthat Pepperdine,andperhaps al schoolsof hghereducation,havebeen standardizing nsteadof setting hghstandards Another of myProfessors, Stanford?sEll ot Eisner,consistently pointedout that onedidnot evauate, for example,aSpebergmoviethesame wayasaBergmanfi m;aPicassobythe samestandardasanAndyWarho paint ng TheUS NewsandWor dReport havingset cr teriafor onyfour categories of colegesandunversitieshasthe effect of forcngschoolsinto standardization But Iargueverystrongly, not towardsexcel ence What makes Stanfordexcelent differsfrom what makesPepperdneexcellent
Second,I havegreat respect for thework doneat R1schoos Ihavegreat respect for ChurchRestorat onal Pr nciples Pepperdneconductsitsef with dstinct oninbothresearchand representingRestorat ona principes Myperceptionisthat nether consideration swhat elevatesusto Number 1status Asaschoo weare hghly nvested nbothresearchand thepr nciplesof Frst CenturyChristianty, but our hstory,uniqueness,andourcam tofamemaybefoundesewhere
The ins ght
I wasreadingabographyof BenjamnFrankl nbyWater Isaacson whenI cameacrossasectionthat carif edfor mewhat hadseemed acontradiction nour Christian sensbi itiesat Pepperdine Ontheonehand,thehistoryof the Churchesof Christ comesout of theRestorat onMovement Theemphasis that I wastaught withntheChurchesof Christ sthat wearetobe?intheworld, but not of thewor d?Yet myear iest memoriesof GeorgePepperdneColege werethat theschoo wantedf rmfooting
nboththesecularandspiritual worlds. Whytheapparent contradction?
GeorgePepperdinewasnot borninto theChurchesof Christ,andwhen hejoned,hebrought arevvedspir t, assocatedwiththePur tans,which, becauseIwasreadngabout Benamin Franklin,Iwl cal thsthe?spir t of 1776,? toat least manyof theCal fornia Churchesof Chr st Isaacsonwr tesabout theChristiansof Franklin?serainways that soundverymuch ikewhat might besaidabout GeorgePepperdneas we asFrankandBancheSeaver: ?ThesePur tanswouldnot havemadean either/ordstinct onbetweenspr tual andsecuarmot ves For amongthe usefu notionsthat theybequeathedto AmericawasaProtestant ethicthat taught that rel giousfreedomand economcfreedomwerelinked, that enterprisewasavirtue,andthat financa successneednot preclude spritual salvat on?Thisdescr ption verymuchf tstheGeorgePepperdine biographyandtheBlancheSeaver Founder?sAddress Isaacsongoeson towrite:?Theypreachedthat being ndustr ouswasaheavenlyaswe as earthyimperat ve?Isaacsonquotes PerryMllertoaddthat ?theparadoxof Puritanmater aismand mmateriaitywas not paradoxcal tothePuritans?Nor, Iwi l add,wasit paradoxcal toMr. Pepperdineor Mrs Seaver ?Makng moneywasawaytoglorifyGod?Andthus thePuritanmigrationestablishedthe foundat onforsomecharacter st csof BenaminFrankin,andof Amer ca tself (andarguablyGeorgePepperdine,Frank andBlancheSeaverand PepperdineUniversty):abelief that spiritual andsecular successneednot beat odds, that ndustr ousness snext togod ness,andthat free thought andfreeenterpriseare ntegralyrelated?
Thedynamicencounter and relat onshipof George PepperdineandtheSeavers withthemembersof the
Churchesof Christ seekingtostart new collegeshasnot beenwithout notabe confl ct
Intheearly1980safacultymemberof theRel gionDvisiongaveanon-campus speechwonderingwhetherthewor dy andspiritual interestsof Pepperdine coudco-exist Fromastr ct ytradtiona Churchesof Christ perspect ve,perhaps not But fromther incept ons,George PepperdineColegeandSeaver Col ege, asnewinst tutions,incudedtheChr st an perspectiveof 1776,that beng industrious,spiritua,andAmericanwere part andparce of thesamething
FromtheGeorgePepperdinebography, ?FathisMyFortune?Mr Pepperdne writesandquotesPau fromRomans 12:11(KingJamesVersion):God ?admonishedmankindtobe?not slothfu inbusiness,?andtobe?fervent nsprit, servingtheLord?That matchingof busnessandspritualityisvery comparabewiththe1776 deathat industriousnessandgodlinesswerenot a dchotomybut nterrelated Certainy,the hstor cal Churchesof Christ point of view hasbeen?intheworld,but not of the wor d?But permit metoobservethat Mr Pepperdinewasnot rasedinthe Churchesof Christ,andwhlethe Churchesof Christ werefoundprimari yin theSouth, sit surprisingthat aChurch that mgratedtoCal forniaandLos Angeles,coudremaintruetoitsBiblical emphasis,but emphaszeascripturefrom Romansinsteadof ascriptureassocated withJohn?HavngmovedfromtheSouth toSouthernCaliforniain1958Icanattest that theCaliforniaChurchesof Christ
weresomehowdifferent. Andthat the youthgroupof whichIwasamember, manyof whomwereplannngtogoto thesti l relat veynewGeorge PepperdneColege,wasabit different fromthat of mySouthernpast Oneof myearl est memorieswasthat unlikethe expectat onwe?were nthewor d,but not of thewor d,?I foundthat myChurch friendswantedtogotoPepperdine,where theywouldexpect tohaveafoot in bothworlds
Ibelievethat BlancheSeavershared similarsentimentsabout ndustriousness andgodl nesswithGeorgePepperdine andtheChr st ansof 1776 Mr Pepperdinemadethemoneythat endowedPepperdineCol egethrough WesternAuto FrankandBlancheSeaver amassedamuchgreaterfortunepr marily throughHydr l Oi InherFounder?sDay AddressMrs Seaver said,?Mybeloved husbandwasapatr oticAmericananda profoundChristian?Shecertanysaw nodichotomybetweenFrank?sgreat wor dysuccessandhisChrist anity InthePepperdinepamphlet that has Mrs Seaver?saddress,theintroduction includesthat SeaverCol ege, an?undergraduate,liberal artscolege? s theheart of theUniversty?[andits] careful ycraftedcurricuumandemphasis onspr tual valuesprovideafoundat on for[Pepperdine?s] professiona [graduate schools]?Onedoesnot denyother strengthsof Pepperdnetoobservethat fromthe nceptionof PepperdineCol ege, andthe nceptionof SeaverCol ege,there hasbeenaclearincinationtocombine industriousnessandgodl ness, toemphasizepurpose,leadershp andservice,andthat thetangiberesuts areoftenbest found ntheprofessons
We?re Number 1
PepperdnePresdent DavidDavenport wasthefirst personIheardrespondto theUS NewsandWorldReport rankngs of Universt esbysayngthat hewas moreinterested nbeingrecognizedas thetopProtestant Unversity nthe UntedStates AccordingtoGoogleAI,
wehaverealizedthat dream.
?PepperdneUniversityisfrequently rankedasthetopProtestant inst tution intheUS (ranked84thoverall in2025-2026),recognzedforits academicrigor,NCAADvisionIathlet cs, andaff liatedwththeChurchesof Christ. Otherhighlyregarded,top-ranked Protestant andevangeica inst tutions includeWheatonCollege, BayorUnversity,AzusaPacif cUniversty, andCalvinUniversity?
Besides eadngthat l st,weareunque inanother signif cant way Of theshort ist of nationallyrecognizedcolegesand unversitiesthat werestartedby busnessmen,CarnegeMellon,Cornel, Rice,Purduewereall startedas secularschools Vanderblt wasstarted asareigiousschoo,but ended itsreationshpwiththeMethodst Epscopa Church n1914 Dukeand Pepperdineremanthetwonat onal unversitiesstartedbybusnessmenthat continuetobethought of asChristian schools
Conclus on Iamcertainlynot naïveabout thevery real mpact that theUS Newsand Wor dReport hasonrecrutingnew studentsandnewfaculty,onfundraising andadvancement,onnational reputation Mycursoryresearchdonewhenwe werefirst rankedinthetop50of National Universtiesfoundthat wewereone of onlythreepr vateschoolsinthe topf ftystartedafter 1900 Theother two, RiceandBrandes,startedwithmuch, muchgreater endowments. Wehave alwayshadtotryharder
Myownthought,whichI recognzeas aper lousone, sthat giventhechange incr teria,wewi l not,at least nthenear future,havetheresourcestovaut back intotherankingof topFiftyof National Universtiesanytimesoon However,as I?vearguedabove,wearenumber1in thecategoryof schoosthat wehavea missiontobe Frommyownperspective, basedonhavingbeeninvolvedwith
Pepperdneforalmostseventyyears, isthat weshouldexpend asmany resourcesaspossbletoberecognized bytheUS Newsand WorldReport, asarguabythe bestNat onal Universty inbothTeachingandin Internat onal Programs I beievethosetwo subcategorieswll beseenasthe twomost important consderationsfor futurestudentsandtheirparents Jesusadvocatedhumil ty,but asonot hdnga l ghtunder abasket Withal due humil tyIthink wemust boldytell our story?inmanywayswehave nherited themantleandspirit of theChristians of 1776 Thelegacyof our institut onhas beentosee ndustr ousnessand godinessasinterrelated Our undergraduatesareespecialy wel preparedtoenter theprofessons l keLaw,Medicine,Busness,and Educat on Our Professiona Schools are adept at teachngtherstudentsto ?benot slothfu inbusiness?andbe ?ferventin spirit?Andwedothsso wel , manyof our otherstudentsgoon togreat successin R1schoos
OnDavdDavenport?sl st of bestProtestant Schools,we are,arguably, Number1 Aso, n doingthisstudy, what Ifound most remarkableishow representat veour schoo isof someof thebestChristian mpusesof 1776 Further,Pepperdineis notonlyoneof two Chr stianUniverst es foundedbya businessmanthat issti aChr st an Schoo,butbyemphaszng therelationshipof industriousness and godiness, tmaybeuniqueinitssuccess at integratingtheHumanities,Christian fath,anditsspeca emphasis onthe Professions
Iamgratefulthat Ihavespenta careerat aplacewithsucha distinctlegacy,even, asisprobablytrueof most of youreading thsepistle,I amsomethngof anuneven fitgventheunqueness of Pepperdine Unversityand Seaver Colege. Nevertheess,
We?reNumber1! pepperdinebeacon com 9
PhotoCredit:Dr Mchael Gose
CanPatriotismbe
Christian?
By:JacobPayne
Thispast October,Dane Dar ing acceptedan nvitationfromPepperdne?s School of Publ cPol cytospeakon hsnewbook,InDefenseof Christian Patriotism AsDrectorof theLandCenter for Cutural Engagement at Southwest Baptist Theologica Semnary,Darl ng addresseshisbooktoChrist answho want toexpressadmrat onfor their countrybut fearthosewhodsmiss patr otismasunovngor out of touch Darl ngarguesthat Americaisfacing acrissof ingrat tudeinwhchmanyof itscitizensfixateonthenation?sworst injusticeswhletakngfor grantedthe freedomthat al owsthemtovoice their compaints
Younger Amer cansespecialyreject theideaof patr otismandpostureas if Americaisbeyondredempt on The undermningof patriot smhasconcided withthemuti-decadeeffort toremove faithfrompubicl feandrelegate ChristianbeliefstoSundaygather ngs. It isnowpopuartoclamthat any expressonof Christianity npoitics iseither regressiveandbackward,or ese thesinof doatry Aganst these deveopments,Darl ngassertsthat aheathypatriot sm saChristian obligationandessent a for nat onal renewa
Darl ngnotesthat GodcalsChr st ansto showgratitudefor thethingsthat hegives us?whichincudesour fami y,home,and communityaswel asthelocationof our brth. Smi arly,GodcommandsChr st ans tohonor andlovetheir fami ies,churches, andneighbors Christiansaretoexpress gratitudeand oveforthesethngsnot becausetheyarethebest possble versionsof themseves,but becausethey uniquelybeongtous Inthecontext of patr otism,wearetolovetheplacewhere Godhasplacedusnot becauseit san ideal home,but becauseit sthespace wehavebeengiventosteward
Chr st anpatriot sm sabout ovngthe placewhereGodhasplantedyou,andit beginswithaspirit of thankfuness.
Dar ingdoesnot dsputeAmerica?s mperfections Rather,hestatesthat a place?l keaperson?doesnot needtobe perfect tomerit one?saffectionand support Jeremiahmadethscearwhen heexhortedtheJewishexi estoshow oyaltytoBabylon Despite ving na foreignandprofaneland,Godinstructed hispeopleto?seekthewelfareof the city?Dar ingsubmtsthat youcannot simutaneouslyhateyour countryand obeyGod?sdirect vetoseekitswefare Confront ngthecorruptionand brokennessof acountryhastostart with ovingthat country;youcannot make better what youdespise
Dar inghelpfullydistinguishesbetween self-cr t csmandsef-hatred,whchhe definesasthebeief that America,wthal tsmanywrongs, snot deservingof any praseorrespect Incontrast to self-hatred,aChrist anapproachto
hstoryrecognizestimesof bothhuman dgntyandhumanfal enness. While Christianpatr otsshouldexercse self-criticismandnot turnabl ndeye to nustice,theyshouldasolookonthe past withnuance,rejectingaposonous cynicismthat onlyseeksopportunt es totear downandnevertobuild
Tothosewhoclamthat Christiansshoud professal egiancetoGodandnot to aparticular country,Darlingrespondsthat bel eversmust possessrightlyordered loves Thoughourgreatest loveand commitment istoGod,Christ ansarenot reievedof essercommtmentsand obligations ScriptureinstructsChr st ans tohonor theKingandtorender unto Caesarthethingsthat areCaesar?s Thechoicebetween ovingGodandloving nation safalseone DarlingquotesTim Keler,whoadvsedChristians?not to ove less,but toloveGodmore?LovingGod f rst helpsusput thenat on Though Christianshaveauniversal mssionand cal ing,it beginsby ovngour neighbors
Inlovingtheparticularandthefamliar, wearepreparedtoextendour ove outwards
Repyingtothechargethat thereisno pacefor Chr st anityinthepubl csquare, Dar ingpointsout that Christian convct onshelpedshapeAmerica?s foundng dealsand nstitutions Further, if Godcommandsustoloveour neghbors,thenChrist anshaveaduty toaccept post onsof powerand responsbi itythat affect thel vesof those aroundus Becausetruthandmora ty restranchaosandconfusion,Chr stians should endther vocetopubl cdebates andusewhat nfluencetheyhavefor thegoodof thecommunity
Dar ingdoespushbackaganst thesmal numberof Chr st answhohaverecent y clamoredfor amxngof churchand state Instead,Darl ngasksthat Chr stianscommit toworkingwithnthe Americansystemof rel giousfreedom anddemocracy Inarguingfor aradcal restructur ngof theAmer canpoitica
system,anti-patriotsof al poitica and theologica stripesdenouncefundamental Amer cantenets kelimitedgovernment andseparationbetweenchurchandstate Regardessof themotivat on,wholesale attacksonAmerica?sdistinctivepr nciples inevitablyamount toanungrateful and unpatrioticattempt tothrowout the goodwiththebad.
Ratherthanpayngpart sanpolitics, patr otismmeansinvokingthebest parts of theAmericanstory For thsreason, MartinLutherKing,Jr,FredrickDouglass, andtheChristianabolit onstsof the nineteenthcenturyweregreat patriots StandingupontheAmerican(and veryChr st an) belief inhumanequal ty, theybrought Americacoser toachieving itsmost bascideas
More mportant thanbenginvolvedin poitics,Christianpatriot smcalsfor ct zenswhoarewi ingtol veandspeak countercultura truths ntheir local communities Morethananyoneelse, Christiansshouldpracticecvcvirtue
andcommunitydaogue Drawngfrom hsownexperience,Darl ngrecommends that onewaytodothsisto oinan organizat onl keBraver Angels Commttedtocombat ngpoitica polar zation,Braver Angelsbrings DemocratsandRepubl cans togetherto dscusstheirdifferencesandtolearn fromeachother. Throughmeet ng wthpeoplewho arepol t cal y different fromonesef, Darlingsuggeststhat Americansmaystart torecognizethat wearealresponsible forkeepngthe countrytogether
AtPepperdineSPP,studentsare simi arly encouragedtopractice?viewpoint dversity,?which nvovesthinkngcriticaly about theperspectivesof othersin aspirit of humlityandcollaboration Ingratitude tothefreedomwehavetoshapeour home,Christianleadersandct zens shouldembracepatriot sm asapr ncipal wayto loveour neighbor,communty, andcountry
Photo Credt:Tmo heCarel
YouDon?tHaveto BeanIdeologue
By:Dr TedMcAl ister
Youcanbefree?freetoaskquestions, freetolearntruth,freetochallengethe ideoogica petiesof yourprofessors At Pepperdne,thedecsonisyours, dear student Youhavethreechoces Youcanbean deologue Youcanovertly or covert ybuttressareigo-deological culturewithout accept ngtheir beief system Or,youcanseeka iberating educat ongrounded nreaity
If youareanideologueandwant tobe anevangel st for thewokereligion, I encourageyoutoembraceasocial just cecurricuumwhere,it turnsout, thegroundnghumanquestionsare nolonger asked,wherethepoint of ths trainingistoprepareyoutogoforthand transformtheworldaccordngtoyour unexamnedassert ons Or,if youwshto befreeof mnd,youcanchoosetoask thepermanent questions,oneof which s ?what is ustice??Theformer courseis intel ectual ysafeand, nduecourse, teachesyouthat inquiryisunnecessary whileact on, nspredbybl ndbel ef,isa mora imperative Thsrel gio-ideologica goal isnot tounderstandreal tyor tofind thetruth(or eventohungerfor truth) but toact vatethewil of eachperson?that bt of one?sself that wantsrealityto conformtoherdesires The attercourse (pursungthepermanent questions) is intel ectual ydemandingandmaynot lead tocompeteor satisfynganswers Inthe processof searchingforanswersto questionsthat arepart of the humancondition,onelearnshumi ity about one?sownbeliefs,about one?sown generat on?sassertionstotruth (eachgenerationisprovincia anda foundationa goa of education sto breakfreeof thsprovnciaism),andone learnsthat thel feof inquiryis tself formativeof characterandof amnd suppleenoughtosolveprobems without resortingtoideologica certitude
TheSocial Justiceideoogyisareligion outsdeof Chr st anitythat manyuseto transformChr stianteachings nto doctrinesthat support their wll topower Themorephi osophical nquiry spossible outsdeof anyre gousdoctr nes,but it takesaspecificalyChrist anformin thefamous?faithseekngunderstanding?
AChr stianbegnswthfaith,fulyaware
bywayof ndoctrinat on. If youpaya penaltyfor your pursut of truth,it sa small pricetobefree
Anoteaboutthelate
that faithisnot knowledge Fromthis foundat onof fath,theChr st an ntellectua pilgr mseekstounderstand therealitytowhichshebelongsandso thenatureof her faithisinthe ?seeking??inthequest ngtoknowreality ratherthaninthel bdinousdesretoalter reaity
Youcanchoosesocal just ceasacosed religionoryoucanchoosefaithseeking understandingasal fe-ongquest to knowrealityandthesourceof that real ty, God. Thefirst iseasy,asisany slavishbelief systemthat l beratesyou fromthehumanob gationsof askng hardquestions Thesecondisharder becausethefreedomtopursuetruth comeswiththechal engingrealizat on that muchremansbeyondhuman knowedge, f not awarenessand understanding Thef rst requresnothing but ther ghteousindgnationof aperson whoasksnoquestionsbecauseshe hasal theanswersandthelatter requres thespiritual stamnarequredforahuman toreal zefullyher natureor purposeas God?screatureonajourneytodiscover andtoloveGodandtheReaitythat ssuesfromGod?snature
If youwant tobefree?andthsessayis wr ttenonlyfor thosewhowishtobe free?youdon? t havetoapetheopnons of professorswhoseekto mposetheir religiouscommtments If aprofessor suggeststhat youought toaff rmthe doctr neof ?diversty,equity,and ncluson,?youareunder noobigationto agreeand,if youaretobefree,youshould fee themoral pressuretodowhat free, quest ngpeopledo?askquest ons Engage ninquryabout thosebe efs Become nformedabout themgeneraly andrequreof your professor expanationsandjust f cations. Holdyour professorsaccountabletoevdence, tologic,tohstory Askthesequest ons nearnest,wthanopennesstowhere evidencemight takeyou Indeed,you might bepersuaded,but onlybecauseyou arelearnngthrough nquiryratherthan
If youhaveaprofessor who sdevotedto hsre gonof envronmentaismbut wishestousehispowertobecome immunetocertainkindof evdence, don? t dismsshisclaimbut persst on insst ngonyourright toinquiry, toquest oning,toyour r ght not tobow tohisgod It sf netobepersuadedby hsarguments,but t ismuchbetter tobe persuadedafter thevigorousexchange of evidenceandquestionng. Here,as esewhere,youfaceastudent conundrum If youhaveadevout professor of environmental smyoualsohavesomeone whohasstudied t morethanyouhave andwhohasveryreal power overyou Thswouldbetrueof manydevout professorsof wokeismandit isqute possible(thoughnot necessar ly) that you havemuchtolearnfromthem But what youlearnneedstobethroughthe intel ectual yrigorousmethodsof nquiry andtherewardof suchacassisnot smplywhether theevangel cal professor haspersuadedyoubut whetherinthe process(nomatterwhereyouendup intel ectual y) youdeveopbetter thesk ls of nquirythat areformingafree mnd-sk lsthat,inthe ongrun,wll prevent youfrombecominganideoogue inthemodof yourprofessor
Thesame essonsapplytoall mannerof doctrina postionsheldbytheevangelical professorsof wokeism Whether it is amatter of truth-tell ngabout history orabout humannatureorabout the Biblica text,youdon? t needtoshyaway fromthedevout professors,but youdo needtodeveopthecourageof aplgr m (seekng) andtheski lsof aphlosopher (relent essinquiryinpursuit of understandingrea ty). Youdon? t have towinarguments,youhaveto ntroduce questionsandyouhavetorefusetobow topower ust because t ispower It is okaytodoubt becausethenatureof faith isnot certitudebut afathful doubt ng insearchof understandng
Alongthewayyouwil want tofind professorswhosupport you nyour questing?yourpassionatedesiretoknow that exceedsyour desretobesoca y correct Thoseprofessorswil havemany dfferent bel efs Thecommon denomnatorisnot ther bel ef system but their nterest indeveloping nstudents afreemndcapabeof quest ngfor thetruth
Intheend,at Pepperdine,thosewhoseek afreemndcanpursueit,but it requires that eachonetakeprimaryresponsbi ity fortheformativeeducationnecessary torea freedom
TedMcAllisterfromBeacon Founder:CadenBenedict
?Dr.TedV.McAllister wasan institutional leader at Pepperdine whoshapedtheuniversityand studentsfor 25 yearsbeforehe passedawayin2023.Hewasmany things: author, churchleader, and familymantonamea few.At the Beacon, weknewhimtobethe brilliant two-timeHowardA. WhiteAward-winningprofessor, principledchampion, andinspiring student mentor.Without his leadership, theBeaconsurely wouldnot exist, andsoI am pleasedtoseehispenultimate publishedworkfeaturedinthis special 5thAnniversarymagazine. Histhoughtsareenduringandstill highlyapplicabletothestudent whowondershowtomakesenseof illiberal forcesinacademia today. Dr.McAllister wouldbepleased that thispieceinparticular was selectedtoberepublished."
? CadenBenedict
of theBeacon's5year annversary, aswel astohonor thelateDr Ted McAl ster
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Jacob Peralta
Professional Staff Member,Majority, US HouseForeignAffairsCommittee
Favor e Beacon memory?
A:At theverybegnning,whenwewere brainstormingwhat weenvsionedTheBeaconcoudbecome
How d d the Beacon help you prepare for post-undergraduate fe?
A:TheBeaconhepedmestrengthenmywrit ngandresearch capabi ities,bui dnetworkngski ls,anddeveoptheabil tytotell compel ingstories.
Do you have any advice for current students?
A:Never forget whereyoustartedor thepeoplewhosupportedyou aongtheway Choosecarefulywhoyousurroundyoursef wth Never takeshortcu s
Grant Richardson
Senior HRManager at Procter &Gamble
Favor te Beacon memory?
A:Startingthepaper wthmyfr endCadenand watchingsomethingthat beganasan deaturn ntoarea publication peoplewerereadngandcontribut ngto
How d d the Beacon he p you prepare or pos -undergraduate l fe?
A:TheBeacontaught mehowtotakeinitiativeandbuildsomething fromthegroundup It asoforcedmetotakecomplexideasand translate hemintocear,structuredwritingthat peoplecouldqucky understand--ski lsthat are ncredblyvaluable ntheworkpace,but oftenunderdevelopedinacademia
Mason Dees
LawStudent at UCI LawSchool
Favorite Beacon memory?
A I remember volunteer ng nmylast semester obetheBeaconcorrespondent withtheSGA,whichmeantIsat in onthemeetingsand ooknotesonwhat happened. Tobecompletelyhonest I didnt f ndtheSGAmeet ngsvery in erest ngandfe l kemynotetakingwasmostlysuperfluous But towardstheendof mysenor year,Igot at p fromoneof thestudents nsdeSGAthat thebodywasconsider ngamot ontoremovefromthestudentcodeof conduct thebanonsame-sexreat onshps I sat duringtheSGAmeetingwheretheresolutionwasarguedand passed andwebrokethes ory nthePepperdneBeaconsothealumn communitycoudlearnwhat wasgoingon Understandably,thenewscausedast ramongthealumni andPepperdinefaculty,and hemot onwasstoppedfrom goingfurther I ovethat memorybecausewhat seemed ikemundaneworkledmetomybest articeat theBeacon andledme ohelpinsomesmal wayforPepperdinetokeepitshistoricChristianroots
Howd d the Beacon he p you prepare or pos -undergraduate l fe?
Allison Williams
LouisianaTeamLeaderwith InterVarsityChristianFe owshp
Favorite Beacon memory?
A:Beingaroundfortheverybeginnngand mmedatelytakngoff wasprettyamazng! I alsolovedthesenseof communtywehad ontheteam
How did the Beacon he p you prepare for post-undergraduate life?
A:Sncegraduatingin2022,I havebeenworkingtoreplant andbui da Christiancampusministryfor fraterntyandsororitystudentsat LouisanaStateUnversty WhenI waspart of theBeacon,I sawfirsthand throughour leadershowmuchtime,effort,andconviction t tooktostart somethngnew nordertof l aneedinthecommunity FortheBeacon, that wasanewwaytobringtol ght awder varietyof Pepperdinestudent perspect ves For myworkwithInterVarsity, t istobringthehopeof the Gospel tooneof thedarkest cornersof thecolegecampus Mytimewith theBeaconencouragedmetobebolder inspeakngout about things hat matter tome,whichhasbeen nvaluable ormy ifepostgrad
Do you have any adv ce for current students?
A:Put yourself npostionstobestretchedandchal enged! If youaren? t takingr sksbybeinginthoseposit ons,thenyouaren? t givngyourself opportun estogrow It?ssoworth t everytime!
Do you have any adv ce for current students?
A:Takeinitiativeandbuildthingswhleyou?rethere--clubs,projects, pubicat ons,whatever it maybe Thoseexper enceswhereyoucreate somethingyoursef wll teachyoufarmorethansimplycompleting assignments
Evan Leshinskie
J D Candidateat theUnversityof UtahSJ QuinneyCollegeof Law
Favor te Beacon memory?
A:Seeingwr tersget their f rst pecespubl shed!
How d d the Beacon he p you prepare or pos -undergraduate l fe?
A:Workngat theBeaconhelpedmegainconfidence nmyownbel efs andthnkmorecr ticalyabout current events
Do you have any adv ce for current students?
A:TrytheSalmontacosfromPitaBubeforeyougraduate I stil dreamabout them
A Writ ngfortheBeaconhepedmyabi itytoself-edt,askl which sveryimportant for awschoo andpract ceafter thebar Workingwth editorshelpedmetopracticesimpletechniquesl kereadingmyownworkout loudorcomingbacktoanarticleafterafew daystocatchthingsI coudnt seebefore Sincelawschool nvolvesa ot of wr ting, simperativetobeabletoedt your ownwork, andpract cngthis at theBeacon helped with awschoo
Do you have any adv ce for current students?
A OnethngIwoudencouragestudentstodo stohepPepperdnekeepitsessential Christiancharacter After beingata secuarschool inUCI, it'sapparent howmuchPepperdinehastooffer bywayof aChrist ancuture,but t needstobeactivelymaintained Manyof theprofessors, donors,andfacutyaredevotedtoafu -orbedBibl cal wor dvew Idencouragestudentstotakeadvantageandadvocate for therfaithat an inst tutionthat wantstoremainChristianandhepPepperdineretain tsChr s anmooring
Milena
D?Andrea
J.D. Candidateat UCLA School of Law
Favorite Beacon memory?
A PayingChristmas unesonthepianoat aBeaconhoidayparty!
Howd d the Beacon he p you prepare or pos -undergraduate l fe?
A Bengabetowriteconciselyandgathering/syntheszing actstothen tel astoryhavebeensuper important ski ls nlawschool,andI thnkwi l transa ein o itigationmoregeneral y! ThroughtheBeacon,I aso earned attent ontodetai andaccuracythroughmyroeonthesocial eam t s st ll asuper usefu skil
Do you have any adv ce for current students?
A Seekout andtryeveryopportuntytheschool hastooffer, undergradisthetimeforexplorat on!!I majored,mnored,ddthe Strauscert f cate,studiedabroadalot,hadupto4oncampusjobsat a t meandinternedoff campus Al of thosethingsshowedmebothwha I likedandddn? t ikeand nformedwhereIwantedmycareertotakeme It alsohasgivenmeagrea amount of exper enceevenassomeonepretty newygraduated
Anna Smith
Financial Analyst at ICONIQ
Favor te Beacon memory?
A:Myfavor teBeaconmemoryisworkng aongsdePaigePot sasManagngEdtor Wespent countlesshoursbrainstorming ideas nthePaysonstudyrooms, col aboratingonstor es,andpushngeach other tomakethepubicat onbetter. It?s beensorewardingtonot onybe part of that process,but asotowatchtheBeacon growandevolve ntosomethngevenmore impactfu over t me
How did the Beacon helpyou prepare for post-undergraduate fe?
A:AsManagingEditor, earnedhowtocol aboratewithandguidea groupof wr ters,balancedifferen perspectives,andkeepeveryone aignedtowardasharedgoa whchhelpedmegrowasbo ha eader andcommunicator At thesametime,theedt ng processsharpenedmy a tentiontodetai ,teachngmetopr or t zeaccuracy,clarity, and accountabi ty neverypiecewepubished Mostimportantly theBeacon deepenedmyunderstandngof storytel ing?howtofindmeanngfu stories,shapethemthoughtful y,andconnectwth thecommunity
Do you have any advicefor current students?
A:Myadviceforcurrent studentsistolean ntothecommunty inevery wayyoucan Get nvolved,trynewthings,anddon? t beafraidtostep outsideof your comfor zone Theretruly issomethingfor everyoneat Pepperdine,andat theend of theday,your colegeexperienceisshaped most bythepeopleyousurroundyourself with
StopProtecting YourPeace
By:AverySmith
We?veal seenthephrase?protect your peace?sappedontothebackof ahoodie or tackedonadormwal Thephrase soundsnice,but what does t actual y meanfor colegestudents?More importantly,what dohealthyboundar es lookl keasafol ower of Christ?
For most of us,colegeisthef rst t me we?rel vingwithna5minuteradiusof al of our best fr ends Lifeat Pepperdine buzzeswth ate-nght conversations, beachdays,studysessions,andcub meet ngs Whileacademicsaretechncally thereasonwe?rehere,manyof uscame for theexperience:thefriendships, thememories,andthecommunity
Intoday?sculture,?protect ngyourpeace? oftengetstangedupwithadifferent script. Post-COVID,fitnessandthe gorificat onof aperfect routinehave takenover nthemediaweconsume Eght hoursof sleep,6am Plates, cottagecheesefor breakfast,10,000 stepsaday,75hard Themessage isclear:if youcanmaster your body,your habts,andyourschedue,you?l master your l fe
Andit?snot just fitness The over-gorificationof sef-carehasquiet y becomeanidol. Don? t get mewrong,Ilove askincare-tea-nght-inandexercseas muchasthenext girl,but somewhere aongtheway,we?ve ost thepoint Self-carehasbecome essabout rest andmoreabout control Whenprotecting your scheduebecomesmore mportant thanthepeoplearoundyou,yourequat on isoff We?renot imagecurators; we?reimagebearers Ourcalingisn? t topoishour ivesintoperfectionbut to reflect theperfect Godwhomadeus.
If what culturesaysabout peaceisoff, wherecanwe ook?Andasfor thoseof us whocal oursevesChrist ans,there?sa deeper question:what kindof peaceare weactual ycaledtoprotect?
Asfollowersof Chr st,wehavetheperfect exampleinJesus Heddn? t protect Hs peacebywall ngHmself off. Hewashed feet,met otherswheretheywereat, sharedmeas,andtraveledwithpeople He ived ncommuntywthothers
At thesamet me,weasoseerhythmsof rest throughout Scr pture EvenGodtook theseventhdaytopause Thecha enge forusisn? t choosngbetweenrest and relat onships,but earnnghowtohold themtogether Protect ngyour peace doesn? t meanhidingfrompeoplebehind thefacadeof self-care;it meanshodng enoughbalance nyourlifetoexperience therelationshps,adventures,andgrowth Godhas nstoreforyou.
Whenweloosenthewhte-knuckegripwe haveover our routinesandembracethe discomfort of putt ngothersfirst,weopen thedoor toamorefuf ll ngl fe Real relat onshipswi l makeusuncomfortable Truecompanionshpwon? t awaysf t neatly ntoourschedues,andhonestly, t?snot supposedto ?Carryeachother?s burdens,andinthswayyouwil fulf l the awof Chr st?? Galat ans6:2 Godcals usintosomethingbetter thanstabi ity: Hecal sus ntolove,which soften messy,demanding,andbeautifuly nconvenient.
I?veseenbothsides nmyownl fe In ref ection,Icanthinkbackontimeswhere I?vedroppedthebal ,saidnotogoingto Bblestudieswithfriendswhojust wanted someonetogowth,andwasn? t ful y present wthpeopebecauseIwas thinkngabout tomorrow?spracticeorthe otherdemandsof theday. But,I?vealso earnedwhat it meanstodo ifewell ncommunity
Oneof theclearest exampes nmyown persona l fe smysemester nArgent na.
If you?vestudiedabroad,youknowthe strugge:5am f ights,quest onabe measinthemiddleof nowhere, latenightsout nthecty Icertainly wasn? t pr oritizingmyf tnessgoasor protect ngmybedt me Yet somehow, Ifelt moreaiveandmorefulfil edthan Ieverhadbefore
That seasonof ifeshowedmethat true fulfi lment doesn? t comefromarout ne, it comesfromcommunty LifewthGod isn? t meant tobepolishedorendlessy comfortable If theut mategoal isto loveGodandothers,it?snot goingtofit intoour unreaist c,self-serving, idealizedf tnessschedules
Col egeisn? t about ookngor beng f awless;it?sabout theraregift of livng incommunity For afewshort years, ourbest fr endsarer ght next door That kndof cosenessdoesn? t last forever Prettysoon,we?ll al bescatteredacross dfferent timezones,whchisexactlywhy connectionsmattersomuchnow
Aswestepintothisyear,what if we stoppedgr ppngsot ght ytocontro and insteadleaned ntolove,community,and evendscomfort?Right now,whi ewel ve inthsbeautifu pacewithour best fr ends,whydon? t webodlystepintoit? Lfe smeant tobeexper enced?through the oy,the nconvenience,theexhaust on, andtheunexpectedgracethat comes whenwegiveourselvestoothers
Photo Cred t:Jacob
Asking andReceiving
By:Kal Auxier
TheBible sthegudefor our l ves It gives uswisdomforprayer,churches,marr age, rasingchildren,savat on,andmanyother thngs Throughthescr pture,weare ?thoroughyequippedfor everygoodwork?
(2Timothy3:17,NIV),andarebetter preparedtofindour footing ntheworld throughitsteachings However,onesubject that doesn? t receivemuchattention rom bbica teachngs,at least not drectly, isfriendshp Despiteths,theBbeisful of wisdomfor thefr endshipsinour ives, andthere?snobetter exampeof thisthan DavdandJonathan
1Samuel 18:1describesDavdand Jonathan?srelat onshpasfollows: ?Helovedhimashimsef?(NIV). Thsis reminiscent of thewaythat Jesus commandedustoact,to ?oveyour neighborasyourself?
(Mark12:31). Wehaveanexampeof the ideal reat onshipthat theSonof Godtold us ostrivefor,but what canwelearnfrom them?It sbest summedupin 1Samuel 20:4-5a
?JonathansaidtoDavd,?Whateveryou want metodo,I?l dofor you?SoDavid said??1Samuel 20:4-5aNIV
Davidwasat averylowpoin inhis ife Becausehewasjust seectedandanointed asthenext kingof Israe,Sau,thecurrent kingof srael andfather of Jonathan,was tryingtotakehis ife Davidsays, ??There sonlyonestepbetweenmeand death??(1Samue 20:3NIV). Heis distraught and ndesperateneedof help That?swhenJonathandisplayswha it ooksliketoloveDavid?ashimsef? (1Samuel 18:1NIV) Hesays ?Whateveryouwant metodo,I? l dofor you?(1Samuel 20:4NIV),andhethrows himsef right ntothemxof Davdandhis ownfather?sconfl ct HemakesDavid?s storyhsown,andat theexpenseof his ownwelbeing Jonathan s thesonof theking;heisnext in inetorule ByhepingDavd,Jonathan snot ony putt nghimsef indanger,but heisaso renouncinghscamtothethrone Inour fr endships,weneedto ove ike Jonathanandhelpourbrothersandssters evenat theexpenseof ourownl ves We needtoput ourselvesinther storiesand dowhateverit stheyneedof us
But not essimportant thanJonathan?srole inthissituat onisDavd?sroe ?SoDavdsaid??(1Samuel 20:5a) AfterJona hanofferstohep,David accepts Weshoudn? t glanceoverthis Fr endsshouldnot onyhelponeanother when nneed,but theyshoudasoaskfor helpwheninneed Afriendshpisnot compete f theservcedoesnot goboth ways Askingfor hepandadmtt ngto needis ust asimportant asprovdnghep toanother
TheBiblegivesusinsght intoal matters of ourlives,andfr endship snot exempt fromths DavidandJonathan?s reat onship sthe dea exampleof a God-centeredfr endship Theyshowus that not onyshouldweserveandhelpour fr ends,evenat ourownexpense,but we shoudalsonevershyawayfromaskngfor helpfromour fr ends
Weal needtoconsder ourfriendshpsand ref ect onhowwecanbecomemore ike Jonathan And hen,weal needto consderour friendshpsandreflect on howwecanbecomemore ikeDavid Scripturegivesusvauabeinsght into what aGod-centeredfr endshiplooks ke, andoneof thekeyaspects sthat receving help sjust asimportant asprovdngit
TheZoomer Zeitgeist
By:JacobPayne
Everygenerat onexperiencestheurge toeitherbemoanther ageastheworst in all of historyorboast that theyl vein anunprecedentedgodenage Theboomerscameof ageinapostwar era markedbyprosper tyandleadershipover thefreeworldinaddit ontofearsof nuclearannihlationandawidespread senseof racial,po tica,andcutural unrest AsGenZersbegntomaketheir ownway nmainstreamsociety,theytoo comeupaganst atensionperhapsbest expressedbyCharlesDickens:?I wasthe best of times, t wastheworst of times?In manyways,zoomersencounterchallenges that springfrom hematerial andcultura triumphsof prevousgenerations
Thepredctabeeffects nclude seepdepr vat on,attenuatedat ention spans,andadearthinactual physca reat onshps. Ourdependenceon thevrtua world?whichconsstsof music streaming podcasts,TVshows,andthe constant ntrusonsof infotanment?fragments ourmenta l vesandluresusawayfrom theresponsibil tiesandformedhabits that allowfor matur tyanden rance intofull aduthood
?Inourfriendships,weneedtolovelikeJonathan andhelpourbrothersandsisterseven attheexpenseofourownlives?
Thetechnologcal innovat onsof the twenty-first centuryhaveenabedthenow readi yavalableopt onof withdrawng intothevrtua wildernessof the smartphoneandengagingwiththerest of thewor donamediatedbasis What?smore,thesetechnoogica changes havedriventheoldbe ef that human natureisplast candmaleable tonewlevelsof popularity Consequen y, whether nthesubtleappeal of social mediaorinanexplicit phi osophy of personal l berat on,zoomerslosesght of theneedtocr ticalyappraise thestrengthsandweaknessesof ther owncu ure Yet GenZshouldthinkabout thelegacytheir generationwi eave behindandmeet headonthegreat chal engeof findnghuman our shngin anageof unprecedenteddistractionand ideologcal confusion
TheTechnological Trap
Unlikepast generat ons,GenZersgrewup wththeworldwideweb,thesmartphone, andsocial mediaapps Whi eenhancing theavai abi ityof ondemandinformat on and nstantaneouscommuncation, recent social scenceresearchdoneby JonathanHaidt andothershasrevealedthe deeteriouseffectsof thesetechnoogies whenunregua ed?andpart cuarly onchi dren Studieshaveconfirmed what manyof mypeersareadyknew:beng onl nesubstantial y ncreasesanxietyand depression Playingtoour basedesires towardssex,voence,andentertanment, internet andsocial medaagorithms captureadolescents?undivdedattent on
If Aristot eandAugustinewereright that wearewha we oveandthat our affectionsandhabtsshapeour sous, thenGenZmust beonguardaganst the incessant pul of thesePromethean technoogies Most knowintutively that scrol ingthroughsoca mediaor browsingthewebtypcal ydoesnot ead tovrtueformat onor spiritua fulfi ment Asmanyzoomerslearnedf rsthandduring theCovid-19pandemic,thevrtua is nosubst tutefor thephyscal Rea growth comesthroughtangibleinteractionsand exper ences Morethaninhibit nggrowth andmaturation,thevirtual landscape s fundamental yant -human Humanswere createdsuchthat weconstant yneedrest andconstraintsonour conduct The internet,however,knowsnoboundariesor limits It coaxesustobeievethat wetoo are mitless
Ideological Illusions
Theimpl cit promiseof he smartphone?that we,inasense, canbesuperhuman?compementsthe nowascendant convct onthat one?s innersef istheultima earbter of humanhappnessandfulf llment W hthemodernidea of authent cty comestheingrainedbeief that nward feel ngsandpreferencesshouddctate every ifestyechoce Theseemngly inf ntepossibi itiescreatedbyour technoogica devcesdovetail withthe romanticfixationonidentityand self-creat onasameanstowards personal con entment
Ther seof social mediaappslike Instagram,X,andTikTokal ows content creatorstocraft acurated mage of themsevesfor theoutsdeworld, whlepotent alyconceaingtheir very humanflawsandshortcomngs
Morepressngly, echnoogica and scientificadvanceshaveconcdedwitha contemporaryethosdevotedtothe liberationof theindvidual fromal mora,cultura,andevenbioogica restrants
AsCS Lewisprophesized n TheAbolitionof Manand ThatHideousStrength,Gen Zaregrowng upinan agewherecutural iberal zation andtechnological progress havemadethe humancondt on seemtomany ikea mld nusancewatingtobeovercome Mostof thepressingmoral issuesmy generationwi l face?transgenderism IVF,euthanasa,transhumanism?spring froman deoogica rejection of human natureandobect ve moral standards n favorof scient fichumansm And yet, forsome nmygenerat on,theinfinte l festylechocesandma erialdiversons ultima eyringhol ow,fail ngtosatisfy a deeperneedthan whatcan bemet bymerecultura aff rmation
Hungeringfor Orthodoxy
Overthepast severa generat ons trust andsupportfor nat ona institut ons haspreciptouslydeclined In addition totheunpopuar ty o thegovernment andmedia,thesmaler andmorebasc institut onsof thefamly church, and loca communt eshave alsoexper enced asignficantdecrease npart cipation ands atus Whi e pavngtheway forgreater personal freedom, thecollapse of these nstitutions hasmeant tha establ shedcodesof conduct areno onger wdelyinst lled Yet inthesheervoumeof possbe personasand ifechoicesavai ableto thetwenty-first cen uryAmer can,some zoomersdonot fee l beratedbut smply overwhelmed
Withthegradual erasureof tradtionand inheritance,moral princpesand religiousconvictioncomenot claritybut confusionanduncertainty. Ourcuture hasforgottenan understandingof the humanpersonasacreature dependentupon nstruction,format on, andcommuntyfor anysort of lastingfreedom To ivewithout limits andapart fromanyoverarching deal thatrequiressacrificeandsubmsson bodesonytragedy The ossof nstitutions thatshapeour characterandcreedswe canturntointimes of crisis presents anurgent challenge thatmy generation wl unavoidably beforced toconfront St ll, n thevacuumo stablemeaningand transcendentauthor y,perhapsmore frommygenerationwi l ointhosealready hungeringfor alifeo orthodoxyand pursut of truththat has argeybeen demeanedandder dedby manstreamsocety
Againstthe Tideof Tyranny: TheRoleof Liberal Educationin
CivicRevival
By:LoganLee
Untedbymerehope nabatterednation, Germancit zenswererest essastheTreaty of Versal es eft theeconomycrippledand leadershuml atedfol owngthefal of a once-promisngempire
Amdthedismant ingchaos, abeaconof ight emergedas theWeimar Republ cbeganexperimenting wth iberal ideas Afreshstart promoting ndivdua berties inownershp,speech,andcolect verights, sought toquenchthethirst among dry,barrengroundpost-WorldWar
TheRepubic?sfoundat onwasviewedas nothngmorethanabetrayingattempt toundermneandsatisfyforeign concessonsof powers
ThoughtheRepubicenduredonthe surfacethesystem?sintricatedesgn begantocrumbeat thehandsof despotism Theworldsoonknew Adolf Hitler byhisposonousrhetoric
andattempteddestructionof democratic deas Hitler?semptypromises resoundedasahornof tr umphamong exasperatedGermans. Exploiting publ cfrustrat on Hit erchampioneda vsonof national revva,prior tizing reorder nginstitut onswhi e
strippngdemocraticvaluesandfreedoms
Soon,thepubicreaizedtheir grave mistake,unabetorebe astheyhad wil ingysignedawayfreedomin consentingtoauthoritar anism
AstheWemarRepublicfel ,ctizenswere ult mateyremndedof thefragle natureof freedom?andthedemands for moraityandvrtueindefendng ndividua l berty
Ourl vesbelongnot onytoourseves but toothers
Protectingthe commongood s vta as ndividuals canonlythrive na flour shing community
?Nothingismore wonderfulthantheartof beingfree,butnothingis hardertolearnhowto usethanfreedom?
Educat onthat fails tocutivatevirtueandestablishmoral obectivtyismost vunerabletotyranny Whensocietysuccumbstofear, iberal educationremansapi arin distinguishingappropriateaction, moral car ty,andtheprotectionof ndividua l bert esandnatural r ghts
?Educationthatfailstocultivatevirtueandestablish moralobjectivityismostvulnerabletotyranny?
Wthout it,wearetruywithout InDemocracyinAmerica, AlexisdeTocquevlleforegrounds aneducat onthat fosterscivcvrtue Essential torejectingdespo sm, Tocquevllesuggests,?Nothngismore wonderfu thantheart of bengfree, but nothing sharder to earn howtousethanfreedom?History con endsthat democrat cprinciplesare centra topreservngtradit on Akingmaybeabetowagewarwith adversaries,bu canhewnwith no nfantry?Without theguidanceof ideals oundinherentlywthin iberal education,suchasmoralityandvirtue, mancannot flourish perpetual y
Tocquevlledefends theneedfor activeparticipat on, hghlight ngtheroe of constant viglance,sharing, ?TheAmer can Repubicwl endure until theday Congressdscoversthat it canbribethe pubicwiththepubl c?smoney?When ctizensbecomecomplacent, theybecomedissoved ntothefaceess machneryof bureaucracy Centra tothe preservationof afreepeope isthepromotionof valuesthat unite acrossexperiencesandcondtions. Transcendingcrcumstances, l bera educationconnec sindivduas aroundl vng naccordancewith purposefu fulfil ment As communal vauesareeroded, so stheveryframeworkof anation
America?sshft towardindvidualismand reat vismwthineducat onhighights adetrimenta exampleof erodng foundat ona values Intheear y 20thcentury,schooswerebui t around vauesandexperiencesof communty, inst l ngasenseof communal responsblity Fosteringasenseof belongingiskeytopreservng afreenat on. Thecit zenwhobelongs compelshimsef tothedevotion andtriumphof hisnat on,necessary for strength Menwll nglyabandonng theirlives nthewakeof war-torn crcums ances satestament tothisunity It wasno thena on?scal for protect on that nspredsacr f ceasmenstormedthe beachesof Normandyandfought inthe junglesof thePacifictheater,but the commtment toprotect thevauesthat makeAmer caunqueyfree. standards Valuesof freedom,just ce,and
indvidual libertyhadbecomewoven nto theveryidentityof Americanfamil es duetotheendeavorso American education,whchprior tizedthe community?sneedsbeforethe ndivdua
Wendel Berrywr tes nTheUnsettlingof America,?Thecr ssof communtyhas ts sourceinthecorrupt onof character?
Cohesonwithnacommuntyexperiences aviolent tear nthestitchngwhenmoraity
comfort studen sandcushonthefal whenuncertaintyarises Lbera educat on doesqutetheopposite,chal engng studen stoquestion heir certainties constantlyandhumby Lbera educationis strictlyconcernedwththeformat onof sous,no theprogressionof self-interest Forafreenat ontoflourish,al peope must bevaluedandunitedunder sharedethcal standards
?Forafreenationtoflourish, allpeoplemustbe valuedandunitedunder sharedethicalstandards?
isabandonedinpursut of reat vism
Communityisthef rst aspect of society, relyingontrust andtheformat onof charactertothr ve Lberal educat on deiversresults,renforcingthenecessity of autonomyandmora revva.
Perhapsthegreatest threat tosocety s theacceptanceof moral reat vism promoted nAmericanculture Farness andobjectiv yarenolonger sought in pursut of vrtue Instead, ndivdua gan andstatushavehi ackedthestageand encouragedustoturnour backsonthe intrinscworthfoundintruth Educationtodayseekstointel ectualy
JacquesMaritain?sEducationatthe Crossroadsaddressesspecial zation asl mtingtothecomplete development of thesou,sharing, ?Apersonpossessesabsoute digntybecausehe sindirect relationshpwiththerealmof beng, tru h,goodness,andbeauty,and withGod,andit sonlywiththese that hecanarriveat compete fulfi lment?Maritain?sbalancebetween cultura tradit onandunversal truth sthe lifeboodof l beral educat on Pursuing truthaboveal scrucial tothepreservat on of beauty Without amutua understanding of thesou?suniqueorderingtowardgood, humanslackafundamental aspect of their owndistinct exper ence
Denyingtruthwelcomesthesuscep blity of tyranny ikeamothtoaf ame
CS Lewsasserts nGodintheDock, ?Of all tyrannes,atyrannysncerely exercsedfor thegoodof itsvct ms maybethemost oppressve?
Educational nstitutionsthat assert fasityastruth nadvertentlyundermine indvidual freedom Anysystemthat pr orit zesconformtyover encouragement of persona thought wreakshavoc onthewell-beingof avirtuoussociety Equippingindvidualswith abi itiestoresist bothexterna tyrannical pressures andinterna erosonof character sthe onlyanswer
Dominatedbytechnocracy, theneedfora freesocietytoencouragethe implementationof libera educat on amongits youth smoreurgent than ever JohnStuart Mi l states,?Theonyfreedom whichdeservesthename sthat of pursuingourown goodin ourownway, solongaswedonot attemp todepr ve othersof theirs?Lbera educationalows studentsanopportunitytobegquest ons formoral carityandencourages truth tobloomwithout suppressvecoercion Afreepeope mustbe amoral peoplefor aprosperousnat on Whleperfect mustnot be theenemyof good,weneed onlybebetter thanoncebefore Just asmodthr ves inthedarkness of dampness,so toodountruthsand oppressionflourish ntheshadowsof the unnformedsociety Lbera education, however, ssunl ght thatcearsaway harmfulfalsit es andridsbacter aof oppression, lluminatingthepath totru h andfreedomfor al
20 | ThePepperd neBeacon
TheBestSchool for Veterans
By:PaigePotts
OnNovember 11,2023,thePepperdine communtygatheredat theBrockHouse tocelebrateandhonor Pepperdne?s ml tarycommunity. Theannual Veteran?sDaybanquet washos edonthe universitypresdent?s awn,witha catered unch,keynotespeaker MikeFrueh, andaperformancefromtheWest Pont cadet dri l team
Thisevent,alongwththerecent openng of thestudent affairs(PeppVet) center, demonstratesPepperdine?sdesre odo morefor tsveteransand ml tary-connectedstudents,adesire tosol difyPepperdneasthebest school for veterans
Veteranandml tary-connectedstudents faceamyr adof issues nhgher educa on, fromfinancial burdenstomenta healthstruggles,andeven ssues connec ngwithother (usual yyounger) students In ntervewswth student veteransat Seaver College, manytouchedonsuch ssues,focusing heavilyonthetransitionfrommil taryto civi ianlife
BrandonOlson,anArmyveteranand student hereat Pepperdinetodthe Beacon,?It?sadfferent world nthe ml tary It hasitsownl ngo,itsown language It?sastructuredherarchy Youhavesomebodytoanswerto, abossat a phasesof fe At certain points,theytell youwhenyoucangoout, whenyoucan? t goout,whenyouseep, andwhenyouusetherestroom?
Regardngthedfficulty nadjust ngfrom thestructureof mi itaryl fe,Olsonwent ontosay,?I thnkthat it dstances aveteranlikemysef fromacommunity suchasPepperdne You ust seeawhoe bunchof peopledongther ownthing andl vingtheir ownl fe,but then there?sme,tryingtof gureou structure, structure,structure,becausethat?swhat I hadfor threeyears,andthere?s nostructure.?
Chr stopher Tayor,asenor Mar neCorps veteranstudyngpsychoogyhereat Pepperdine,touchedonagespecficaly asan ssue ?For me,it?sa ittle challengng,becausewithmyexperiences andasowithmyage,I ust havedfferent goasthanyoungerpeope Tome, thedisconnect betweenmyself and other people scearasday?
Afewveteransspokespecificallyabout howdiff cu thetranst onbetween mi itaryandcivi ianlifecanbe, specif cal yinacolegesetting
ArmyveteranJohnFlynnsad, ?Peopledon? t real zethat thearmymay teachyouinashort timehowtoput the unformon,but t doesn? t realyteachyou howtotake t off ?
Flynnexpandedhispont concerningthe difficutyposed nswitchngfroma mi itarytoacvil ancommunity,sayng, ?Whenyou?re n[themlitary],youguysare t ght Becauseyou vewththesepeople, andyoul vewiththepeopleyouworkw h, thepeopleyougotowarwith,youall share thesamebond But overhere,you?renot gongtoget thesameconnection topeope.?
Desptethesehardshps,Pepperdine strivestoeasethestrugglesthat student veteransface. AVeteransDaybanquet sonlyasmall peceof thepuzze, and nterviewswithstudent veterans andPepperdne?sdrector of student affarsansweredwhyPepperdne sregardedasoneof thebest schoolsfor veteransandhowml ary-centered communityandalocal zedstudent veteranaf airsoff cehascontr buted tosuchstatus
Officeof Veteran Affa rs (PeppVet Center)
Located ntheThorntonAdmnstration bulding(TAC114),thePeppVet center openedinNovember2023toact asa gather ngspace,peer support center,and aplacefor veteransandmlitary-connected studentstoreceveguidance,resources, community,andmentorshp
EricLeshinsky,drector of Student VeteranAffarsandret redAir Force coone expaned,?Themission srea y simple,it?stobui dastudent,veteran,and mi itary-connectedcommuntywhere everyonefeelssupported,connected, chalenged,andpreparedfor God?span for their ife?
Theoff ceof Student VeteranAffairshas beenabetosupport veteransw hother opportunit es,andsince2021has orchestratedsendingnnestudentsto theStudent Veteransof AmericaNat ona Conference,sevenstudentstothe VeteransMBANat ona Conference,and hassupported8veteranswth Pepperdne?sstudyabroadprograms Leshinskysad,?After fundraising,I was abetostart sponsor ngin2021.?He furtherexplainedthewayshehasbeen abetohelpstudent veterans,sayng, ?I?vebeenabletohepwithstudyabroad for studentsat Seaver,thebusiness schoo,andCarusoSchool of Law,which I?mexcitedabout I?mjust proudof them,
andI?mgadwecoudhelpmakethese exper enceshappen?
Fnanc a s
Fnanca burdensareacommonstrugge for veteranandmil tary-connected students,withmanystudentsnat onwde usngwhat?scommonlyca edthe pos -9/11GIBl
TheGIBll isaprogramfromthe government that paysfor four yearsof tution f ave erandoesfour yearsof activedutyservice However theGIbi l onlycoversaround$24,000-26,000per yearfor apr vateschoo
Pepperdinehowever,part cipatesinwhat?s ca edtheyel ow-r bbonprogram? acommtment tocontribu efundsto GI-Bll-eigbestudentstocover the remainingcost of tuition
ArmyveteranOsonsad,?Theyelow ribbonprogram spart of theVAprogram TheVAcommunicateswithPepperdine andcovershalf f Pepperdinewll cover theother haf Sowhat Pepperdine graciouslydoes stheyoffset theremanngbaanceof our tuition, whichis$3ml ionayear? Hecont nued bysayng,?That?swhyPepperdineisgreat for veterans? becausetheyrealy paceour needsfirst?Someveterans evenclaimedthat oneof themanfactors inther decisiontoapplyto Pepperdinewastheir part cpation nthe Yel owRbbonprogram Armyveteran Fynnsaid,?That?sextremelygenerous, andit?snot somethingyoureal ysee anywhereese?
University support
TheYel owRbbonprogramisnot theony support that veteranscancount onfrom Pepperdine Leshnskysaid, ?Financialsaregreat,but it?sac on that our studentsarerealy ookngfor, somebodytoberesponsvetotheir needs, helpthemconnect dots,andhepthemin theirjourney?
Manyveteransspokeof theunversty president?ssupport of veteransdur ng hsspeechesat variousevents MarineCorpsve eranTaylor sad, ?I?veheardJimGashspeakat eventsfor veterans,andhe?sveryveteran-or ented,he caresalot about theveterancommunty, whichisoneof thereasonswhyIlikethat theygivesomuchmoneyfor theveterans?
Armyveteran,TygaYeomsad, ?Pepperdne?semployeesaren? t ust here, they?rehereandtheyservewthheart And whenIsawPresident JimGash,whenhe wastakingabout JesusChrist at TheWel? Iwasjust sograteful that he?sour eader?
Theunversityhostsmanyeventsinhonor of Americanservice,whchmanyveterans touchedupon ntheir nterviews Mar neCorpsveteranTayor ment oned hissupport for veteran-or entedevents hereat Pepperdinesayng,?Everyyear theyhavethewavesof flags,andIthnk it?sawesome,Iattendtheceremonyevery year AndasotheVeteransDayevent, theyawaysgoal out Theyhadthe West Point cadet dr l teamtherethisyear, whichIthought wassocool?
Community be ong ng
Pepperdine?sPeppVet cubservesasa communityspecf cal ydevotedtoveteran andmi itary-connectedstudents oncampus. ?[Leshnsky] wasreal y theonethat got t all connected Hegot all fiveschoolstogether andcreateda suppor network thePeppVet club,sothat wecoudal communicatewith eacho her if weneedednumbers, orpeopletotalkto,?explained ArmyveteranOson,whocurrently servesasthecub?spresident
?ThePeppVet center smeant tobuilda l ttlehome,a ittlecommunal space, whereveteranscancome n,relax, dohomework,get coffee,andfood, get readyfor ther next class,say ?H,howareyou?Wheredidyouserve??? continuedOlson. ?Aplacefor ustoget to knoweachother more Ithinkthsis ust anotherwaytohelpfostercommunty.?
Throughout hist meastheDirectorof VeteranAffairs,Leshinskyhasbeenableto bu dprogramsandeventsfor veterans andther lovedones,suchassurf trips, basketbal nghts,orlettingthemtake therfr endsorfamlytoRamsor Cl ppersgames
?We?regoingtodothngstogether,we?re goingtochallengeeachother Weoffer aBblereconmonthynow,sotheycan exporefathandstrengthenthemseves What better placetodothat thanhere at Pepperdine??Leshnskyremarked
?Wehavethscommuntyat PeppVet, it just feelssogreat So f anyveterans cometoPepperdine,I hghlyrecommend joiningtheclub Please ust knowthat Pepperdineis or veterans,?said ArmyveteranYeom
Fa th
Fathwasasoacommontheme nthe intervews,andmanyve eransspokeof therownexper ences,aswel asthe
support andconnectivtythey?vefound at Pepperdneand nthePeppVet club
Someveteransareevenpursuingacareer cen eredaround aith,whichwasa decdngfactor incolegedecsons ?[Iwant to] gotolawschool,andsavealot of peopeandsavesouls That?smy ut mategoal?explained ArmyveteranYeom
MarineCorpsveteranTaylor evenwent on toexpanhow aithimpactedhiscol ege decsionchoice ?I just startedputting myfaithmoreontheforefront of my decsion It wasdefinitelyoneof the decdngfactors,IknewIwantedtogo toaChristianuniversity It?simportant tome,andasoIknewIwouldhavemore opportunt estosharemyexperiencefor peoplethat wouldwant tol sten?
Servngasthecub?spresident has ed ArmyveteranOlson oexperiencehis ownfaithbywatchngothers,saying ?ThroughthePepperdinecommunity, Iget to earnabout thedfferent stor es that other veteranshavelivedthrough AndIasoget oseehowJesusworksin their ives,andsometimesI get tosee thetransformat on,whch sjust amazing?
Af nal notethat everyveteran wespoketo touchedonwasadesire toshareandgrow thecommunitythey?vebult ?Themore veteransthat we ncudeinPeppVet, themorewecan reachout tothestudents andshow thestudentswhowerealyare,? ArmyveteranFlynn said ?Getinvoved with sports,get involvedwith fa h,get nvolved wthPeppVet?
Inhsclosngremarks,Armyveteran Yeom definedwhathe beievedcaused Pepperdinetoholditsplaceamong thebest col egesfor veterans ?Evenfor veteranswhoaren? t Christian? we woud ove tohave you,just because theenvironment wehave ssogood Becauseasa Christian,onethng isour Godcommandsustolove your Godand loveyour neighbor Sowhenever peope cometoPeppVet,wehave anobl gation tolove otherpeople And we ovetodo that?ths srealyagreat unversityif you?reaChristian,and t wi l bethebest unversityif you?rea veteran?
ImageCred
WhyPepperdine?
ByReaganWexeman
Thedecsonof wheretoattendcol egewas a ongprocessinwhichwe,asstudents, weghedmanyopt onsandconsidered count essfactors,that ultimatelyledeachof ushere What brought eachof usto Pepperdne?Whlewecertanyhaveourown experiencesthat brought ustothesame place, t seemsmanyo usweredrawnhere bysimi ar thngs. Imet wthf vestudents? freshmanBel aCamargo,sophomoreNick Atoigue,junor JulisetteAcos a,andseniors Dust nMarinoandRyanLnney? todiscuss whytheychosePepperdineandwhat they beievesets heunversityapart Manyof the studentswere ookngfor schools n Cal forna,manysearchingfor warm weather,andAcostawantedtoleavethe East Coast andset off onherown Carmago, fromVentura,Caifornia,sad,?I kindof ust fel in ovewiththe deaof t,becauseit remindsmesomuchof home,andIjust love thebeach?NckAoiguealsosadMal bu remindedhimof home:?ImfromGuam? IsandLfe? sobeingr ght next othe ocean,bengabetosee t,goodweather,its ust perfect?Atoiguealsofoundbalance n Pepperdne?slocation,acknowledgingboth thepeaceandbeautyof Mal buandthe proxmtyof LosAngees
Most studentsstressedthat theywere ookngfor aChristianschool,andrel gon wasakeyfactor that drewthemto Pepperdne Atoigueobserved:?theaspect of Godisreallywthnthisschoo Ithnk theyintegrate t sowel Imean,youhaveto takethreereigioncassesmnmum,bu eveninther otherteachngs, ike,I'min phlosophy,andphlosophy ssomethingyou dont haveto ntegrateGodinto Youdont haveto ntegratereigionat al
Somehow, hey ntegrateboth deasand God?Atoiguecontinued,?You'reabletosee it frombothawor dyviewandareigous view. AndIthinkthatsonethingthat Ive alwaysdonewthmyrel gon Ichal engedit Idont iketoseeeverythngasjus set, becauseGodsadit Ithnkyouneedtof nd Godwthnit,andthat makes t just that mucheasier tofindGod?
ManyobservedhowtheChristianinf uence bui dsacultureof studentswhorealycare for oneanother Acostasaidthethngthat truysetsPepperdneapart s?the intentional tyof everyoneoncampus Everyone,for themost part,probablyhas somesort o faithbackground,and it showswthntheenvronmen Theresa joytothem,anditscontagous Evengoing toDCandmeetingaumni,youcoudst ll fee that,anditscool toknowthat peopleat Pepperdinearecontinuingthat legacyand br ngingit ntothereal wor d?Several studentsfelt thisenergyduringtheir campus visit andsad t largeyinfluencedther decisions
RyanLnneynotedthat what hevaluesmost at Pepperdinearethepeople ?I real y,realy l kethepeopeImet hereandenoyedthe connectionsIvemade? somany ifeong friends,?Lnneyshared,?Thecampusisso smal Ilovewalkingaroundandseeing peopleI know,andbeingabletochat wththem?
?Col egeisat mewhereyourelearningmore about yourself,?Acostasad, ?andyoure findngyour peope andPepperdne s definitelytheplacetodo hat,because youregonnafindgenuinepeoplethat have yourback?Thissprit extendspast the rela onshpsamongst students Dust n Marinobel eveswhat truysetsPepperdine apart is?thecarethat theadmnstrationhas for thestudent bodyandtheexper encethey seektocutivatethrough hingslike
international programs,but asothepersonal reationshipsbetweenstudentsand professors,aswel asthevast resources that theyprovidethroughthose connect ons?
Atoiguesharedhowhepersonal yhasfelt supportedby headministrat oninhist me at Pepperdne,especalyasa f rst-genera onstudent whoparticipatedin aful y-fundedSummer BridgeProgram ?It wasaful accommodation,food,housng, andticket,?Atoiguereca ed,?thething s, youmust befromthe50states,sobeng fromaterritory,thatsac uallyconsdered international,bu theyst l tookme,theypaid for most of myflight,andtheystil pad or al mytransport totheschoo fromthe arport?Theadmnstrationasoheped support himdur ngthef res,coveringhs cost tostay nahote tomakehisfl ght home,rather thanbengtrappedoncampus ?Whenevertheyget thechance,?sad Atoigue, ?theyhelptoaccommodateme. Anditsnot l keIcant affordtodothese things Theyjust takeanextrastepand helpme?
Evenasafreshman,Carmagoalready recognzedthat ?communtyissuchaheavy thingat Pepperdine,and t'sgenunelywhy peoplestay t'snot thelocation,anditsno theacademics,itsthecommunty?
Overall,three actorsstoodout:thelocation, theChristianin uence,andthecommunity ThelocationandChristianinf uenceboth drewstudentsinandhavecontributed sgnificant ytotheir exper ences However,a thirdfactor that drewthem nwasthe genuinekindnessand oyof fel owstudents, facuty,andadministrat on Ut mately,these quaitiesandthestrengthof thecommunity arewhat truymakethePepperdine exper ence
ALetterfromtheFounder
The last five years have been an extraordinary adventure, the heart of which is something far more important than setting up our humble platform to write down our thoughts for others toread. Fundamentally,thePepperdineBeaconis a movement of people seeking to answer a few big questions. Whodowe:students,faculty,andalumni want to beas apeople?Howdowewant theworldtoknowus?And how do we create ripples which positively impact our universityandworld?
To answer those questions, a small group of people came together in 2020 to start a movement. More than just a media group, this was a movement of students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors who sought a return to the traditional mission of Pepperdine: a rich education grounded in traditional understandings of Scripture with the goals of equippingstudentsfor successandpurposeintheworldaroundthem. This movement has onlygrownstrongerandweareenormouslyindebtedtothetrust of all thesestakeholders. Those questions we asked at our founding have been answered, but they are answers which require daily striving. We want to be known as a community that purses ?truthwithout fear?inall wedo,aspires to excellenceinall wedo,and seeksto honor God inall wedo. Myself andour Oversight Boardmembers,as well asour AdvisoryBoard,look forward to another five years of training up the next generation of thoughtful and courageousthinkersandleaders.
Caden Ray Rider Benedict ('23) Founder,EditorEmeritus,BoardChair
M E E T T H E B O A R D A N D S T A F F
PepperdineBeaconOversightBoard
CADENBENEDICT('23)
Founder,Editor Emeritus,BoardChar of the PepperdineBeacon
CLAUDIASANGSTER(?76)
President &Founder CSangster LLCFamilyEducation &GovernanceandEstateandTaxPlanning
DR. RONHIGHFIELD
Professorof Rel gion,ReligionandPhilosophy Divsonat Seaver Col ege
DR ANDREWYUENGERT
Professorof Economcs,Socal ScienceDivisionat SeaverCol ege
DR ABBYLINSELLERS
TERRYBENEDICT(82)
Flmmaker (HacksawRidge,ConscentiousObjector, Termnator),SeaverAumni
MARKS SCARBERRY
Professorof Law,CarusoSchoo of Law
DR JASONROSS(MPP?01)
AssociateProfessorandAssociateDeanat HelmsSchool of Government,LibertyUnversity
KATHYWALECKI
Managerof Chancel orAffairsandExecutive Assistant totheChancellor,PepperdineUnversity
PepperdineBeaconAdvisoryBoard
DR TOMASBOGARDUS
AssocateProfessor of Phlosophy,Reigion andPhlosophyDivisionat Seaver Colege
DR NICKCUMMING
Assistant Professorof Humanties,Humanitiesand Teacher EducationDivson,Seaver College
SOPHIAHAMILTON(JD?11)
Drectorof Tit eIXComp ance,LomaLindaUnversity
DR ROBERTP GEORGE
McCormickProfessorof JurisprudenceandDrector of theJamesMadisonPrograminAmericanIdeals and Inst tutionsat PrincetonUnversity
ThePepperdineBeaconStaff
STAFFWRITERS
AriaSummers
AverySmth
LiamMurphy
JuliaYepremian
JacobPayne
ReaganWexelman
SamuelColier
SophiaMendoza
Samue Gardner
JaiaPerry
GiovannaEhgator
T H A
N K Y O U TO OUR DONORS
DR BRYANGIVENS
AssociateProfessor of History,Humanities/Teacher EducationDvision,SeaverCol ege
EVENT COORDINATOR
PHOTOGRAPHERS
StephenAguayo
JosahEhigator
ILLUSTRATOR
VanessaRice
SOCIAL MEDIAMANAGER LaurynJackson
EXECUTIVEORGANIZER
LydaMeh
SPECIAL THANKSTO
OURPRINTISSUETEAM AdeleTupusheva TmotheCarel BoJadenJames
ALEXABORSTAD(?22) BeaconFoundingMember
GRANTRICHARDSON(22)
WEBSITEMANAGER
RohanMurali
Senior HRManagerat Procter &Gamble
RILEYBENEDICT('25) BAinSportsMedcne
ANNASMITH(25) Fnancial Analyst at ICONIQ
AdvisorsEmeritus
DR TEDV MCALLISTER
EdwardL GayordChair,Professor of Pub cPoicySchoolof Public Policy(1998?2023)
DR J STANLEYWARFORD(GPC 66)
Professorof Computer Scienceand Physics
DR FIONASTEWART
AssociateDeanof Internationa ProgramsandAssociateProfessor of Ital anStudies
ThePepperdineBeaconextendsitsmost sinceregratitudeandappreciationtoourdonors andsupportersfor theirgenerouscontributions. Their dedicationtoadvancingthevisionof our journalisticendeavor,asinspiredbyGeorge Pepperdineinhis1937DedicatoryAddress,has beeninstrumental inshapingtheTheBeacon, past,present,andwhat istocome.
Thefundswehavesograciouslyreceivedover thepast fiveyearshavehelpedustomake significant stridesinachievingour goals. Inthe past fiveyears,wehavehadover 100Beacon alumni graduate,anincredibletestament tothe impact of your support. Withyourcontinued generosity,wehaveexpandedour leadership teamtoeight studentsandcontinuedour increasedweeklyarticleoutput. Thesesignsof continuousgrowthdemonstratetheBeacon?s long-termcommitment tobeingavoicefor students,alumni,thePepperdinecommunity,
andbeyond Ascollegecampuses become increasinglydividedoverinternational and domesticpolitics,itis integral that theBeacon remainsaninstitutionwherediverse perspectivesandrespectful debateare welcomedandfostered. Navigating conversationsabout contemporaryissuesis challenging,makingTheBeacon?sopenspace for civil andthoughtful discourseall themore crucial inaworldthat canseemconstantly divided.
Thecombinationof your supportand ourteam?s leadershipwill continueto beaplatformfor fosteringunderstandingandunitywithinthe Pepperdinecommunity Wethankyoufor your dedicationtothepursuit of truthandfor your commitment tocreating anenvironment where rigorousdebateandimpactful journalismcan thrive WehereatTheBeaconthankyoufor your generosityandsupport.
26 | ThePepperd neBeacon
All Images Without Credit Courtesy of Stephen Aguayo
EdwardL GaylordProfessorof Publ cPol cy,School of PubicPolicy
JyaMania
