Written by Jennifer Wenzel Grammy for “Best Gospel Album.” Mixtape downloaded over 100,000 times in 48 hours. A breakthrough into secular music. $3 million net worth. Newest album debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with nearly 89,000 copies sold in the first week. And a relationship with Jesus Christ. Lecrae has garnered the attention of both secular and Christian audiences with his music. But Christians have accused him of being “of the world” due to his success. They believe he should not engage in such a temporal culture. His response? In a broadcast interview on Ed Stetzer’s Christianity Today blog “The Exchange” in May 2013, Lecrae gave his…
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Expansive: Why Christian Artists Can Be Bold
Written by Candace Guereque Exhibiting Boldness Nery Gabriel Lemus, whose exhibit I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Mewas displayed in Biola’s Earl and Virginia Green Art Gallery this fall, is a local artist from the Los Angeles area. Choosing no preferred medium, he lets art take him where it leads him. Lemus’ exhibit consisted of art made in a handful of ways—photographs from his childhood; words oil-painted on colorful backdrops; a reunion captured on video; and even halves of the American and Guatemalan flags stitched together. Grateful for the many privileges he’s had in his upbringing and education, Lemus draws predominately from his childhood and the many racial tensions…
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Wired: We Have The Technology
Written by James O’Hearn Surely the warmest spots “Down Below” are being saved for the plague of transhumanism, recently landed upon the as-of-yet unsuspecting Christian community. What is transhumanism, you ask incredulously, perhaps wondering to yourself why you’re talking to a magazine. It sounds dangerous! It sounds new-fangled, and not old-fangled at all! Probably, you narrate, the devil’s work. Transhumanism is defined by that fount of knowledge we call Wikipedia as something rather complex having quite a lot to do with technology and the future. What, you ask in utter confusion, does that actually mean? In simpler terms, it’s the idea that what we think of as the traditional human…
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Weightless: Starving Our Words of Meaning
Written by Torie Hamilton “And yet what a subtle magic there was in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?” This quote comes from the classic, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Beautiful and intentional words such as Wilde’s have the unique ability of communicating with the human soul and inspiring others to use words with purpose in mind. However, more often than not, such immediate inspiration has become a rare reaction to words in modern…
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Hemmed In
Written by Melissa Wills The Biola Student “_I feel pressured to be the perfect Christian_.” “_I struggle to find community because I feel like I have to put myself out there to be a part of a group_.” “_I feel like I am constantly putting on this façade because if I were to open up about my real struggles people will judge me_.” Walking from a dorm room to the Caf, one will pass a diverse community of students, often laughing, saying hi to every person on every corner, surrounded by groups of friends. Never once would it seem that any one of those students was struggling to find himself…
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The Northern Wild
Written by Stephen Day In my Mind I sat outside by the fire for a long time, staring into the warm tongues of flame as they wrapped themselves around the dry pine logs, wondering why I couldn’t write. Every time I picked up a pen or opened my laptop to place words where they should be, my mind would drift away, leaving nothing but a frustrating inability to produce any work and another long evening staring at blank pages. Placing a fresh log onto the waning fire, I finally accepted that my heart wasn’t here. I didn’t want to write about nature and camping. I didn’t want to write about…
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Retrospective
Written by Mystiana Victorino The Point Magazine emerged in 2006 when Tamara Welter, a journalism professor, had a dream to create a student-produced campus publication. Public relations professor Carolyn Kim, then sophomore Carolyn Wallace, served as the first editor in chief. “The vision was to provide a magazine that could do justice to sensitive issues, pop the Biola bubble and give a human face to its subjects,” said Kim, who still recalls pitching the idea to the school provost. The Point has enjoyed eight years of publication, yielding 18 issues that have tackled controversies and unearthed some bizarre nuggets of information. These 11 stories from our archives provide an apt…
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Fighting Fiercely: A Response to the Ebola Crisis
Written by Alissa Sandoval I returned to my desk unable to focus. My mind was still lingering in the chaos that I had just left. Busy yourself, my head said. So I tried. There was physical straining on my heart – it was distracting. Everyone speaking to me sounded distant even though they were only sitting two or three feet away from me. The exhaustion from unfulfilling sleep all caught up with me at once. Push it down, my mind ordered. You’re at work; you need to pull yourself together. There was an inner battle of heart vs. head ensuing – my heart was winning. My heart was breaking and…
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Seven Biola Throwbacks
Written by Kristina Nishi With a legacy of 106 years, Biola University has undergone many changes that have become a part of its history. These include its move from Sixth and Hope in Downtown Los Angeles to the quiet suburb of La Mirada in 1959, the influence of eight different university presidents, and the commissioning of the iconic “Jesus Saves” sign in 1935. Throughout the years, many Biola traditions have come and gone. Curious about some of the events you missed out on? Let’s throw it back to Biola’s black-and-white photo days. 1. Donkey basketball: An Associated Students event in which the senior administration, student government officers, and athletes competed.…
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The Misuse of “Love”
Written by Keegan Cheleden “Single-serving sugar, single-serving cream, single pat of butter. The microwave Cordon Bleu hobby kit. Shampoo-conditioner combos, sample-packaged mouthwash, tiny bars of soap,” comments the nameless protagonist in “Fight Club.” In this scene from the 1999 film, the character, played by Edward Norton, is illustrating the idea of a “single-serving” culture. These items listed are meant for a one-time use. Understandably so, once the user has experienced some degree of satisfaction, or lack thereof, the remnants are to be discarded. After all, there is nothing permanent or long-lasting in the affection delegated to these products. However, the narrator expands this depiction to the consumption of people. “The…
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Living In[tension]ally
Written by Thomas Harlander Rest easy, dear reader. You are not a racist. So why will the topic of racism not go away? Perhaps there has been a huge misunderstanding. After all, many students, especially those in the racial majority, do not see a problem. Racism is their grandparents’ vice, and they readily affirm that we are all one in Christ. For minority students, though, the disconnect is often real. Racial ostracism may be dwindling, but they still feel unwelcome. Racism must be a real force, or it would not keep coming up in chapels, conferences and Biola student magazines. It remains a contentious topic due to a lack of…
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Serving After Service
Written by Kathryn Toombs It is Sunday morning. You are sitting in church, and the sermon has just ended. The pastor is closing in prayer, and even as you try to focus, your thoughts wander. You have already started to think about what you are going to do for lunch, what you have to do that day and what your schedule holds for the next week. Before you know it, the prayer has ended and you are gathering your things to leave, even though you mentally walked out the door 10 minutes ago. As you exit the building, your eye catches the pamphlets and fliers tacked on bulletin boards announcing…
