The Point: Spring 2018

The Point
Spring 2018|Vol 13|Issue 2

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Monica Kochan
MANAGING EDITOR
Jubilee Pham
PHOTO EDITOR
Eliana Park
DESIGN EDITOR
Allie Orth
WEB STORY EDITOR
Rebecca Mitchell
WEB VISUAL EDITOR
Avery Robitaille
FACULTY ADVISER
Tamara Welter
BUSINESS MANAGER
Dianna Hernandez
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Anna Craig
STORY EDITORS
McKenna Boen
Brittni Coffeen
Marijane Fasana
Jessica Goddard
Sarah Pineda
WRITERS
Ashley Brimmage
Fiona Gandy
Kendall Jarboe
John Kay
Judy Lee
Santa-Victoria Perez
Sarah Pineda
Madisyn Steiner
Hailey Zendejas
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Austin Bland
Amelia Mowry
Victoria Orozco
Caleb Raney
Ana Waltschew
DESIGNERS
Christy Hwang
Megan Josep
Lexi Parker
Katherine Sherlock
Spring 2018 | Vol. 13 | Issue 2
We are a student publication of Biola University.
Contact us at pointmag@biola.edu
https://thepointmagazine.org/
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California College Media Association: 1st Place General Excellence 2008, 2010
California College Media Association: 1st Place Best Magazine Photo
California College Media Association: 3rd Place Best Inside Page/Spread Design 2018
Columbia Scholastic Press Association: Gold Medalist 2009
Associated Collegiate Press: Magazine Pacemaker 2008
Associated Collegiate Press: Magazine Pacemaker Finalist 2013, 2017
Associated Collegiate Press: Design Of The Year 2017

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
I have this personal philosophy that each creature in this world deserves to be treated with respect. Growing up,
whenever we found a lost or injured animal, we would pick it up and take it to a wildlife center so that it could have the
chance to live out its life. That desire to protect and preserve, extend kindness and equity is why I feel so strongly about
justice and mercy, which are the themes of this spring issue.
Justice is hard to define because, as Pascal explains in his “Pensées,” human justice is shaped by custom. In society,
customs often dictate what is just or unjust. Though what goes into formulating justice for society may stem from an
intrinsic or instructed morality, human attempts to create just systems are flawed. Sometimes the systems do well; other
times they do not. Sometimes, man makes something thinking it is satisfactory, and then later realizes he has missed
something entirely—something vital to justice and mercy.
That is why justice is hard to maintain because so often it is based in a human understanding of it, which may be driven
by personal ambitions, perspectives and beliefs, some on course and some off course with the truth. Established systems
help, but again, they are imperfect.
Yet shining through are certain undeniable things about justice, which are often spotlighted by its converse: injustice.
When we observe something wrong, often we know that it is so. Injustices show us that what we are looking for is
justice, or for something to be made right. Justice, what is fair, may be hard to pinpoint in the flawed state in which we
exist, but it is there and worth our time in pursuing.
Mercy is perhaps a little easier to explain, yet also rare. Mercy is extending kindness to someone when you could instead
harm them. It occurs when you have the power to hurt, and you instead choose to love and forgive. These are the moments
that really count in life: deciding to live in compassion when it is hard to do so, when it costs you something, is
no easy task—but it is a worthy one, a dignifying one. The world would likely be the better for deeds such as these.
And that is why this particular issue focuses on these two particular words and concepts because they matter. In a world
full of injustices and cruelties, these virtues are the beauties with which to answer them.
“Cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.” -Isaiah 1:16-7, ESV
Justice clearly has a important place in living a right life. And mercy seems closely connected here, as well. Acting in
justice and obedience is what a true fast looks like to God (Isaiah 58). And that is what a proper life looks like, too:
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.” -Micah 6:8, NIV
Monica Kochan

CAPE TOWN
CURRENTLY
HUMANE
US TOO
“
WE ALL SAW YOU DEBATE
ON FACEBOOK,
KAREN. CALM
DOWN.”
A LOOK INTO THE
LA JUSTICE
SYSTEM
DISABILITY
NOT INABILITY
ART FROM
SUFFERING
PORTRAIT OF A
PASTOR’S KID
FOSTERING CARE

CAPE TOWN CURRENTLY
By Sarah Pineda
An everyday morning routine for the
average American might involve using
the restroom, flushing the toilet, turning on
the faucet, then starting the shower where
they might then spend around 15 minutes
or so singing that song stuck in their
head. Afterwards, they might make some
breakfast with a morning coffee or tea and
fill up their Hydro Flask before they go to
school. It has not even hit noon yet, and the
average person has probably already used
about 30 gallons of water out of the daily
100 gallon intake. According to the United
States Geological Survey, residents of Cape
Town, South Africa are currently restricted
to 13 gallons a day—less than one-sixth
of what the average American uses.
An article by The Guardian titled, “Four
billion people face severe water scarcity,
new research finds,” presents a study
conducted by the scientific journal, Science
Advances, which states that “two-thirds of
the global population (4.0 billion people)
live under conditions of severe water
scarcity at least 1 month of the year.”
residents. The Climate System Analysis
Group at the University of Cape Town
published rainfall data on its website,
which shows that the city’s average
rainfall has been decreasing by less
than 15 inches annually since 2015. As
the water in Cape Town’s six reservoirs
disappears more and more, it is on track
to becoming one of the world’s first major
cities to run dry—a shocking contrast to
the city in its wettest year in 2013, when
the dams were overflowing. According
to GroundUp, a nonprofit news agency
based in Cape Town, Capetonians believe
several factors may have worsened this
record drought, such as population
growth, mismanagement of its water
supply system and climate change.
Based on data collected in October
2017, Piotr Wolski, a water scientist at
the University of Cape Town, wrote
an analysis published by GroundUp.
Wolski reported that 2017 was Cape
Town’s lowest rainfall year since 1933.
One of the biggest causes of this
water scarcity is droughts.
The World Resources Institute reported
that in the past decade, major countries
and cities have experienced a poor
rainfall season. Even in local southern
California, many have endured some
of the struggles brought by a drought,
with a water shortage that has lasted
for years. Cape Town is the most recent
city to experience an absence of water.
Cape Town is located on the peninsula
of South Africa and is home to 4 million
6

DAY
ZE
7

8

“The important thing is that this trend may
be an expression of human-caused climate
change, and may be affecting the magnitude
of droughts,” Wolski said in his findings.
“Simply, if that trend was not there, the
2017 drought would likely be less severe.”
While many might assume commodities,
such as water, are unlimited, the
situation in Cape Town shows that this
presumption may be untrue and has led
to overconsumption. During her February
2018 State of the Province Address to
the Western Cape Provincial Parliament,
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille shared
that Cape Town’s population has grown
by 1 million residents since the late 1990s,
which has created a large water demand.
David Olivier, a research fellow at the
Global Change Institute at the University
of the Witwatersrand, tells National
Geographic about Capetonians’ water
usage in an article by environmental writer
Craig Welch entitled, “Why Cape Town Is
Running Out of Water, and Who’s Next.”
"The fundamental problem is the kind
of lifestyle we're living. There's almost a
sense of entitlement that we have a right to
consume as much as we want,” Olivier said
in his interview with National Geographic.
“ … It's ‘we pay our taxes’ and therefore
we should be as comfortable as possible.”
According to Cape Town’s official
government website, if Capetonians
refuse to consume less water and disobey
the governmental mandates on water
use, living conditions will worsen, as it
will result in Day Zero. This day will be
initiated by the government once the
city’s dams reach 13.5 percent of water,
and taps to homes and businesses will
be shut off in a “phased approach.” The
date for Day Zero has been pushed back
multiple times throughout the year, but is
now set to occur in 2019. On Day Zero,
Capetonians will need to travel to one
of 200 water stations where they will be
allowed to gather a maximum of 6.6 gallons
of water a day. The sites will be monitored
by police to maintain order. Residents will
also have the option to purchase water.
The locals are not the only ones being
affected by the drought, but the tourists
as well. Statistics South Africa, a national
statistical service, reported that in 2016,
tourism directly accounted for 3 percent of
South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product,
which was more than agriculture.
Katrina Greene, Associate Professor of
Anthropology and Intercultural Studies,
has been conducting ongoing research
since the summer of 1997 on the economic
empowerment among black township
women in South Africa. Greene mainly
focuses on how these women have
become entrepreneurs, opening their
own bed-and-breakfasts and turning
their homes into guesthouses. Greene
warns that these women’s businesses
are in danger due to the drought.
“I think it can just be a deterrent to
people wanting to come,” said Greene
regarding incoming tourists.
In order to conserve water, Capetonians
have gathered together to ensure everyone
does their part. Many organizations
have been created for the sole purpose
of saving water to delay Day Zero
through informative and creative ways.
Water 4 Cape Town, a nonprofit
organization, educates Cape Town’s
citizens through its Water Wise Education
initiative, teaching about the latest watersaving
restrictions. Started in September
2017 by a group of concerned citizens,
Water 4 Cape Town believes it is important
for everyone in the community to learn
how to conserve during the water crisis.
“We must change behavior now and
forever. Cape Town is in a drought zone
and climate changes are real, and water
shortages will happen again. We can just
hope that we get better at preserving
our resources,” said Shelley Humphreys,
director of Water 4 Cape Town.
Spreading the word on water-saving tips
is costly. Water 4 Cape Town accepts
donations to provide products for storing
and collecting water and to offset expenses,
such as transportation, in order to help
continue its educational initiatives.
Droughts occur all over the world,
including many African countries, such
as Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and now
South Africa. Humphreys believes
these water problems are not solved
overnight. Therefore she wants to keep
reminding others to be proactive in
continuing the conversation of water
conservation in their countries and cities.
“Our world as we knew it, regarding
water, will never be the same, and
shortages will occur all over the world.
Therefore, our work is not only for South
Africans, but knowledge we need all
over the world,” Humphreys said.
Editor: Marijane Fasana
Photographer: Ana Waltschew
Designer: Christy Hwang
9

HUMANE
By Fiona Gandy
According to the American Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,
ASPCA, “94% of Americans agree that
animals raised for food deserve to live free
from abuse and cruelty. Yet the majority of
the nearly 10 billion farm animals raised
each year in the U.S. suffer in conditions
that consumers would not accept if they
could see them.” The ASPCA further
writes on conditions many animals face.
“At just two to three weeks old, piglets
are removed from their mothers
and placed in large, windowless
sheds without fresh air, sunlight or
outdoor access,” the ASPCA said.
The organization explains that cattle
are usually branded, castrated and may
have their horns removed without the
use of painkillers. Most cattle are sent
to live their last few months in crowded
feedlots. Without pasture or even shelter,
the cattle must stand in mud, ice and
their own waste. Turkeys are put in sheds
where they are restricted from fresh air,
sunshine and pasture. They are forced
to breathe dangerously high levels of
ammonia that come from their own waste.
Other instances of animals having poor
living conditions or being abused have
occurred across the world. The reality is
that animal cruelty continues to this day.
Imagine a tiny farm located 68 miles
away from Biola, filled with a feeling of
home. Farm Sanctuary operates three
shelters in New York, Southern California
and Northern California. The humble
26-acre Southern California sanctuary is
home to roughly 100–120 farm animals.
Its general mission is to protect farm
animals from cruelty through rescue and
legal advocacy. The sanctuary intends to
inspire change in the way that society
views and treats farm animals, as well as
to promote compassionate vegan living.
What sets this animal sanctuary apart
from others? At the farm, people get to
meet the animals that the group rescues.
The rescues are farm animals that have
come out of situations of abuse or neglect.
Having the chance to interact with these
farm animals may be especially unique
given its proximity to the city of Los
Angeles, in which wherever one turns, one
stumbles upon buildings and vehicles.
10

“We have many who have been rescued
from cases of abuse and neglect where
they’ve been pulled out of places from
humane officers, police officers. In this
area, a decent amount of our animals
come from backyard butchers and
live markets,” said Breezy Rondilone,
program coordinator at the Southern
California location of Farm Sanctuary.
Rondilone recalls with sadness how people
have called the sanctuary to report animals
roaming around the streets of LA or that
have been in cruel or neglectful situations.
“We have a bunch of chickens who
fell off of a transport truck on the 605
freeway. We have cattle who fell off of
the trucks on the freeways. We have
cattle who were pulled out of stockyards
and calf ranches,” Rondilone said.
However, not every animal gets to
come live at Farm Sanctuary. They
have limited space in all of their
locations, so they are particular
about the animals they take in. Farm
Sanctuary has a placement coordinator
who receives phone calls from myriad
concerned citizens regarding animals
who are being abused or neglected.
“The animals come in really bad shape
a lot of the time. Some of them have to
even spend time at the vet before coming
to Farm Sanctuary,” Rondilone said.
Rondilone mentions a story of neglect
about Willow the sheep. Her whole
family was attacked by a mountain
lion, and she had huge open wounds
all over her body, yet no one took her
to the veterinarian office. Another case
involves a sheep named Regina who
was a part of an agriculture program at
a school. Her back leg was broken in
multiple spots, and the school did not
think that it was necessary to get her
care. They finally decided to euthanize
her because she could not walk anymore.
A student’s parent contacted Farm
Sanctuary, and Regina now lives a
happy life, with support from the staff.
These stories are some of the examples
of pain animals have experienced. The
question is, can one make a difference?
“I think that’s why places like this are
so important because most people don’t
think about what’s happening to the
animals before they eat their dinner,”
said Rondilone, who encourages a
vegan lifestyle. “I think a lot of people
worry that ‘I’m just one person, I can’t
make a difference,’ but every single
person who is making that decision
to avoid animal products is making a
statement to the animal agriculture
industry, and every single person adds
up to a much larger group of people.
So even if somebody thinks that
they’re just one person and they can’t
make a difference, they really do.”
Perhaps veganism may not be an option
for everyone. One can pursue other
methods of helping. Extending beyond
diet, Rondilone mentions other ways to
help this cause. She mentions avoiding
companies that produce leather, fur or
other animal products. Rondilone also
suggests participating in activism through
gathering signatures for petitions,
being a part of an animal rights club on
campus or hosting movie screenings of
documentaries regarding animal abuse or
veganism. Aside from that, when someone
is the only vegan at the table, Rondilone
mentions that people will ask questions.
“That creates a dialogue and a conversation
with people as well,” Rondilone said. “That
can plant seeds and make a big difference.”
Editor: Jessica Goddard
Photographer: Rebecca Mitchell
Designer: Allie Orth
The sanctuary intends
to inspire change
in the way that
society views
and treats
farm
animals.
11

12
US TOO

By Santa-Victoria Perez
In late 2017, social media platforms
were flooded with stories of sexual
assault, violence and abuse after actress
Alyssa Milano sent out a tweet stating,
“If you’ve been sexually harassed or
assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this
tweet.” The tweets came pouring in by
the thousands as women and men alike
spoke out and declared “Me Too.” Social
media posts sent out by people sharing
their stories reached 12 million as of
October 2017, according to a CBS report.
Since then, countless articles begging
women to stop with the #MeToo stories,
asking women to be “reasonable” and
arguing that the Me Too movement
has gone too far have circulated global
publications. Le Monde, a French news
source, quoted French actress Catherine
Deneuve who said, “Realization of the
sexual violence women experience ...
was necessary. But now this liberation of
speech has been turned on its head.”
Created ten years ago by Tarana
Burke, founder of Just Be Inc., which
concentrates on the wellness of young
women of color, Me Too has given people
an outlet to share their experiences and
the opportunity to stand in solidarity. The
current #MeToo movement has brought
forth mirror-like awareness. It has offered
just a surface level view of the damage
and injustice people have endured.
While Me Too is effective in the
United States and various “progressive”
countries wherein gender equality is
a value, Me Too may be ineffective
for women in countries where gender
equality is not highly regarded.
UN Women, a United Nations organization
dedicated to the empowerment of women,
estimates that 120 million women have
experienced forced intercourse or other
sexual acts at some point, and an estimated
35 percent of women worldwide have been
a victim of physical or sexual violence.
LaDawn Johnson, Associate Professor
of Sociology, discusses how laws aid
the battle for equality in the U.S. and
restrict women in certain countries.
“One thing we have here in the United
States with the Me Too movement is that
we have the law, and we’re able to use the
law in a different way to help define justice
and to help women have a voice.” Johnson
said. “We’ve fought very hard here …
the Me Too movement is only successful
because we have a Constitution that allows
for us to have freedom of speech and allows
for us to analyze laws and the intent of law.”
Constitutional rights of freedom of speech
and the right to protest peacefully may be
taken for granted, yet these laws are what
have cultivated necessary change. Johnson
discusses the countries in which laws
significantly differ from those of the U.S.
“We’re seeing a lot of women facing
these types of issues, but we don’t see
this [Me Too movement] type of process
at all,” Johnson said. “And that’s where
there are these issues because there is no
place for these women to have a voice,
no place for them to gain a voice within
the legal system they are inside of.”
While local laws may silence and even
endorse the abuse of women in countries
like Iran, China, Brazil and the Democratic
Republic of Congo, hope exists that
the Me Too movement may ignite
inspiration in countries where women
have access to media, to varying degrees.
In countries where gender equality is
not as further along and where media
is unrestricted, people who have access
to the internet can tweet out or join in,
since Me Too is a hashtag, according to
Dr. Nancy Yuen. Yuen is an Associate
Professor and Chair of the Department
of Sociology and the author of “Reel
Inequality: Hollywood Actors and
Racism,” which investigates the difficulties
minority actors face in the film industry.
While the Me Too movement has been
effective at calling out those who have abused
power, from Yuen’s perspective, many of the
accused have not been held responsible.
“Our president has been accused,
and there is very little [government
response] to address that.” Yuen said.
Though the media has given significant
coverage to this case, nothing visible
or apparent seems to be happening.
In countries
where protest is
strictly prohibited,
the Me Too movement
may only
serve as a source
to inspire hope.
“When Anita Hill accused Clarence
Thomas, it was the first public national
conversation about sexual harassment,
and yet nothing happened. He is still
the Supreme Court justice,” Yuen said.
In the matter of Justice Clarence Thomas,
the case was seen to its end, and a decision
was reached. The process did occur,
though the decision may have been and
may still be unsatisfactory to many.
Yuen also believes that people in the
U.S. should not look at the U.S. as
better off than other countries.
13

For women who are
privileged enough to
have constitutional
rights, thinking about
women who are
second-class
citizens in other
nations may be
difficult.
“It is only now that there is actually
finally a response. To expect the rest of
the world to kind of catch up quickly,
even though there are statistics that
show there are other countries that
seem to have less gender equality, but
they have female presidents and female
politicians, is unrealistic,” Yuen said.
Yuen further considers how people in the
U.S. make the mistake of believing they are
much further along than other countries.
“In actuality there are things [other
countries] have that we’re not even
there yet, in terms of female presidents.
India has had a female president,
and yet we consider India so far
behind,” Yuen said. “Not that having
a female president is a guarantee of
gender equality, but that is one sign of
acceptance of women in leadership.”
The Me Too movement is said to be for
everyone, yet Yuen believes it only became
a national conversation after famous
white actors became the face of it.
“Half of Bill Cosby’s accusers were women
of color, and none of these created a
movement.” Yuen said. “Me Too took
off because of the famous actresses
people identify the movement with. Of
course they’re white; the Hollywood
elite are predominately white.”
While the white Hollywood elite brought
forth the Me Too movement in full
force, the place of women of color may
remain ambiguous, such as in the cases
of actresses Lupita Nyong’o and Salma
Hayek’s experiences of sexual assault
by film producer, Harvey Weinstein.
“When Lupita Nyong’o and Salma Hayek
accused Harvey Weinstein, he did not
respond to any of the white women that
accused him, but he discounted Lupita
Nyong’o and Salma Hayek’s stories. He
publicly discounted their stories, but didn’t
discount any of the white women.” Yuen said.
“Even in the U.S., women of color occupy
a lower status in terms of believability and
legitimacy. If it’s happening with Lupita
Nyong’o, who is an Oscar winner, how can we
expect that women of color in other countries
[will] be even thought of or cared for?”
Azarin Sadegh, an Iranian writer, left Iran
with the hope of going somewhere where
she would be seen as an equal. Though
she feels more freedom in the U.S., she is
surprised to see women here still endure
similar battles to those of Iranian women.
“As an Iranian, [reporting harassment]
is something you never think about it
because you’re used to it. As a woman
you’re used to being harrassed and living
like a second degree citizen, and you
never think about it,” Sadegh said. “Even
here, you realize that even women in the
U.S., they have the same kind of issues.”
Sadegh explains that in Iran, it feels as
though all laws are against and restricting
women, and though U.S. women still
face inequality, U.S. laws still seem
to say women are equal to men.
“Right now there is this kind of movement in
Iran where women take off their hijab and go
and stand in the street, and they carry their scarf
like a flag. They say they are trying to hang or
kill their scarves,” Sadegh said. “It is a movement
against forced hijab, and these women are
being arrested; they are being attacked.”
In countries where protest is strictly
prohibited, the Me Too movement may
only serve as a source to inspire hope
for the future. Sadegh discusses the
ineffectivenes of a Western person bringing
in Western thought into a country like Iran.
“I don’t think that the Me Too movement
does anything in a country like Iran. In that
14

kind of environment this type of protest is
useless; just saying Me Too is ridiculous. It
does nothing,” Sadegh said. “This type of
movement works only here, in a free country
where people’s voices are actually heard, and
the government cares about their image.”
While women in the U.S. put together
marches, rally votes, come together and
expect change, Iranian women protest
in a different way: they dress up and
show off their resistance. Sadegh shares
that even the way an Iranian woman
is dressed can indicate whether she is
against the government. Since the Iranian
Revolution of 1979, when hijab was
forced, women have responded in different
ways. Women who are supportive of the
government will wear a black chador or
dark color, but those who do not will
protest through the way they dress.
“Even though women are wearing a
hijab, their scarf is really fashionable,
colorful or placed in a strange way. They
wear something like a tight overcoat or
wear heavy makeup,” Sadegh said.
Me Too may not be as effective everywhere,
but women in other countries may get
inspired by this kind of movement,
according to Johnson, Yuen and
Sadegh. With social media connecting
people across the globe, U.S. women
can also learn from the movements of
women in other countries. For women
who are privileged enough to have
constitutional rights, thinking about
women who are second-class citizens in
other nations may be difficult. Change
being inclusive of women of color and
women in less-developed nations is vital
to universal change for womankind.
As Sadegh said, “Women won’t be
stopped. They will fight back.”
Editor: Jessica Goddard
Photographer: Victoria Orozco
Designer: Katherine Sherlock
15

16

“WE ALL SAW YOU
DEBATE ON FACEBOOK,
KAREN. CALM DOWN.”
By Ashley Brimmage
17

Trends shift in a minute. What is
popular or breaking news today seems
to lose its impact the next. In a world so
fast-spinning, those seeking to maintain
the role of “advocate” for topics and peoples
they care about, face a dilemma—how does
one continue to work and strive for effective
advocacy when most online platforms and
discussions seem to end in arguments? How
does one find authenticity in movements
in a world in which hashtags seem to be
where activism stops, and bandwagoning
seems to negate a cause’s significance?
Rebekah Covington is a recent film
graduate of Chapman University. As
an NBC employee, Covington has
seen the positive and negative impact
social media has on movements. Being
a Christian in a secular environment,
she also has the opportunity to gain
insight into the way mainstream media,
bandwagoning and hashtag culture has
affected the entertainment industry.
She explains that participating with
a lack of knowledge or without a
pure motive could be hazardous.
“I think if you’re informed, that’s good,
but doing it to be with it or to be on the
right side of history; that’s when it can be
problematic,” Covington said. “It’s about
proper motivation, not just to make your
social media seem like you’re totally with
it, and you’re super liberal—whatever the
flavor of the day is, in that regard.”
To know a movement, its history, its
deep motivations—and then to use
social media as a tool—renders results.
“I think if those hashtags are used
appropriately, and given the platform
that the Me Too movement got,
I think they can be beneficial,”
Covington said. “I think when
they are then turned and used as a
weapon, they are not as effective.”
To Covington, the idea of
keeping up with culture and
staying relevant has blurred
the lines of activism.
“I think that [a desire to be a part of
a cause] can happen, especially within
millennial culture of wanting to appear
‘woke,’” Covington said. “There’s a
certain amount of ‘I have to say this’
or ‘I have to agree with this because
it’s what the woke thing to do is.’”
In her interview, Covington expresses
the importance of determining one’s
beliefs for themselves and forming
their opinions accordingly.
“I think it is important that you …
figure out what you believe, not just
let Twitter tell you what to think
on something,” Covington said.
Understanding personal motivation
is essential, especially when what one
advocates for is an unpopular opinion.
“If you are going against the unpopular opinion,
you have to know why. You have to know
why it is you feel that way,” Covington said.
Within every social media movement,
lies a goal: to reach the masses, to
gain their support and to ultimately
make a change. In the TED Talk,
“Online social change: easy to organize,
hard to win,” techno-sociologist
Zeynep Tufekci discusses the online
medium of social activism and how
social media affects protests.
“After more than a decade of studying
and participating in multiple social
movements, I’ve come to realize that
the way technology empowers social
movements can also paradoxically help
to weaken them,” Tufekci said. “This
is not inevitable, but overcoming it
18

equires a diving deep into what makes
success possible over the long term.”
Tufekci proposes the idea of “diving
deep” and seeking to truly join and
aid in the progression of a movement.
Tufekci also asserts that social
media can either serve to spur on a
movement or stunt a cause’s growth.
Bandwagoning on social media—
when large numbers of people,
often possessing shallow levels of
knowledge of the movement, jump
on board—may be an example of how
technology has accelerated movements
gaining support, to various effects.
Within the larger discussion about
social media conversation, the way
Christians sometimes interact with
one another and those outside of
the faith who hold differing ideals,
seems to be the opposite of the
commandment they have received
to love others. Covington gives an
example of when Christians have acted
incompatibly with the charge of Christ.
“Be kind to one another, first and
foremost. I’ve seen it [Christians
attacking other Christians] so much
with adults, and it just blows my mind—
how outwardly rude people are to one
another,” Covington said. “Then [they]
go to church on Sunday and act like
everything is fine. We all saw you debate
on Facebook, Karen. Calm down.”
Conversations on social media platforms
may grow increasingly toxic, as the
desire to be heard tramples the need
to listen. Dr. Joy Qualls, Chair and
19

As an NBC
employee,
Covington has seen
the positive and
negative impact
social media has
on movements.
Associate Professor of the Department
of Communication Studies, offers insight
regarding the faults in online conversations
and proposes solutions for a more effective
and healthy generation of communicators.
“The rules of communication have not
changed, and the ways in which effective
communication is engaged in has not
changed. Yet here we are, banging that
drum,” Qualls said. “It is a lot easier to
yell and talk past one another than it is
to figure out how to make it better.”
Throughout years of internet use, social
media platforms have risen and fallen in
significance. However, one common thread
runs throughout—people can be venomous
on the internet in anonymity. Qualls
comments on the lack of self-censorship
and “shout to the wind” mentality that
many online platforms contain.
“Online communication is not different
than other forms of communication,”
Qualls said. “We communicate to respond,
not to listen. We don’t communicate
to share information; we don’t
communicate to build relationship.”
Christians are not exempt from this
online conversation trend. Qualls
goes on to speak about the original
intent behind communication.
“Communication was intended from
the moment God spoke the world
into existence and created man in his
own image. It was not because God
was lonely and needed something to
do,” Qualls said. “It is that he desired
that relationship. And he spoke it.
He spoke it over the creation and
over humanity, and he breathed his
breath into it. That hasn’t changed.”
Qualls explains that conversation seems
to no longer be about relationship.
20

“We are already formulating our responses
thinking through our talking points and
not actually paying any attention to what
the person on the other side of the table,
the screen [is] saying,” Qualls said.
Christians are expected to respond to
sensitive situations based on a higher
standard, yet some have demonstrated
a similar discourse to some leaders
outside of the church. Qualls shares a
story about three church officials.
“I had somebody send me an email
highlighting three religious leaders’
response to the Parkland shooting, and
they were attacking the students who
had been involved in the shooting for
the way they had been responding to
the shooting. And it had a tone and an
approach like we see from some of our
other leaders who are not necessarily
religious affiliated,” Qualls said. “I
laughed … but I wanted to weep.”
Christians today are not exempt from
current public discourse. Qualls explains
that what were once safe houses are
at risk of being compromised.
“We have reached a point where our
religious leaders are not a place of
safety for the wounded. The wounded
respond out of pain and whatever that
response is, the other[s] don’t have an
excuse … Shame on us,” Qualls said.
When conversing, one can only be
responsible for one’s self. However,
one should also care that the church
is represented in this manner. As
Qualls and Covington suggest, this
representation should be a concern.
“We have elevated discourse to this place
of a battle that has to be won, instead of
a conversation that is meant to be shared,
and that is problematic,” Qualls said.
Qualls fasts from social media periodically
to separate herself from the “noise.”
She practices this habit, not because
social media is inherently bad. Instead,
she recognizes social media as a “tool”
that can be improperly used and should
therefore be regulated. Qualls goes on
to state the benefits of social media.
“There is the benefit to social media. All the
great revolutions of the last decade, have had
social media components to [them],” Qualls
said. “[They] happen quickly; information
can be disseminated quickly … [Yet] we
all believe that it can be done better.”
Social media acts as soil for the growth
of movements, and a foundation for the
advocate. The world, as people know it,
is constantly changing. In the millenial’s
lifetime alone, media has taken activism
to different depths and lengths, yet one
thing has stayed the same: Conversation is
key, and compassion the guide. Christians
recognize both the importance of
communication in healthy relationships
and the influence the individual can have
on the world. Therefore, as followers
of Christ, Christians ought to speak
empathetically into the most prominent
discussions today—improving and
healing past mistakes, forging ahead
to advocate a truer image of Christ.
Biola encourages this engagement with
controversy, hurt and misunderstanding
through conversations, as seen in events
like the Student Congress on Racial
Reconciliation Conference, SCORR.
However, one must learn that to proceed
and engage in conversational advocacy is
to become a steward of it: one can choose
to slander and sin by others, or to use
language well and advocate instead.
Editor: Brittni Coffeen
Photographer: Eliana Park
Designer: Lexi Parker
21

A LOOK INTO THE LA JUSTICE SYSTEM
By John Kay
The Los Angeles justice system
continues to grapple with its
overpopulated jail system, as an increased
number of people with mental illness in the
county jail has created the largest mental
health facility in the nation. In an attempt
to effectively combat this issue and improve
police-community relationships, the Los
Angeles Police Department has addressed
these issues by formulating programs and
changing policy. Perhaps the current issues
will bring to light answers to LA’s current
and historical justice system issues.
According to an article published by The
Economist titled, “The failing jails of
Los Angeles County,” LA has the largest
jail system in America, and the influx of
prisoners continues to add to an already
overcrowded system. The LA County jail
system currently houses 38 percent more
prisoners than it is designed to hold.
Relations Between Police and
Community Crucial
Lt. Emada Tingirides, a watch commander
who oversees 40 officers assigned to
morning watch detail, believes a barrier
stands between law enforcement and
urban communities that has been
demonstrated throughout history.
In 1965, the Watts neighborhood in LA,
largely segregated by race, was greatly
affected by racial tensions between the
LAPD and black residents. Eventually,
an incident ignited riots and protests
within the community that lasted five
days, according to a collection of articles
published by the Los Angeles Times on
the 50th anniversary of the Watts Riots.
“The biggest barrier is the lack of trust
and understanding that goes both ways.
The reason why the Watts Riot started is
that people were fed up with the system,
and fed up with the lack of respect, and
fed up with the lack of resources, and
fed up with the lack of socioeconomic
development,” Tingirides said. “And
that strained relationship between law
enforcement and police … and the
response was anger, and so I think that
we’ve come a long ways since then.”
For Tingirides, combating issues
facing inner-city communities are
often multilayered and convoluted.
“It is always difficult when you’re
working in social service and dealing
with people who are victimized. And
having the resources in a community to
help heal families, so that these crimes
and these types of horrific incidents
that occur in the community don’t
continue to occur,” Tingirides said.
“We’re able to have a holistic approach
to reducing crime and fear and building
relationships with law enforcement.”
The LAPD is making an effort to diversify
its hiring process by representing LA
in an effective way. Being an African-
American female officer, Tingirides
knows the importance of engaging the
community in a way that represents
LA’s diverse and ethnic county.
“We now reflect the communities that
we serve. We are so diverse with Latinos,
with African-Americans on the job;
we’re so diverse with genders on the
job,” Tingirides said. “And I think the
community can look at this department
now, can look at LAPD, and say LAPD
mirrors and reflects me. They look like
me. I can feel them; I can reach out to
them, [and] I can relate with them.”
Changing Demographics
of Prisons and Police
In February of 2018, a nonpartisan
research organization, the Public Policy
The LAPD
continues to
formulate and
reshape its
mentality to
address 21st
century issues.
Institute of California, published an article
titled, “California’s Changing Prison
Population.” Authors Justin Goss and
Joseph Hayes detail the challenges that
still faces California’s diverse population.
“At the end of 2016, 29% of the male
prisoners in state prisons were African
American, while only 6% of the state’s
male residents are African American. The
incarceration rate for African American
men is 4,180 per 100,000,” the study
found. “White men are imprisoned at a
rate of 420 per 100,000, and imprisonment
rates for Latino men and men of other
races are 1,028 and 335, respectively.”
James Render first joined the LAPD
in 1985 as a patrol officer. He has
since experienced many aspects of law
enforcement work within the department.
Render later joined the narcotics division
as an undercover officer; he then worked
as a sergeant and was promoted to
detective within the department. Render
recently retired from the LAPD and
now works as a workers’ compensation
investigator for LA County.
“When I first joined the police department,
I was under total different leadership,”
22

Render said. “ … During that period the
police-community relationship was not a
very pleasant thing. The community felt
the police were out to get them and the
police, of course, felt that they had no trust
in their community. So it was us vs. them.”
The LAPD continues to formulate
and reshape its mentality in order
to address 21st century issues. From
pursuing community-centered work to
focusing on rebuilding relationships,
the department hopes to combat some
of the complicated issues within LA.
Administrative changes have seen better
relationships and greater focus on the
community, according to Render.
“And I would have to say that today the
police department is more communityoriented,
and they use the community as a
partnership, and they use the community
to eliminate some of the issues that exist
within the community,” Render said.
LA Justice System Combats
Mental Health
LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell
explains that the LA County Jail has
become the largest mental health
facility in the nation on account of the
increased population of the mentally
ill in the jail—per ABC7’s story titled,
“How LA law enforcement deals with
mental health population despite lack of
resources,” by David Ono. The last five
years have seen a 49 percent increase of
the mentally ill in the LA County Jail.
The jail is known as the Twin Towers
due to its “two tower” design, as noted
in an NPR article, “Inside The Nation’s
Largest Mental Institution.” Lack of
funds given to facilities aiding the
mentally ill may be contributing to this
increase, as lack of treatment centers and
beds in centers mean more people are
on the streets and then could possibly
land in jail, instead of in proper places
of treatment, as reported by ABC7.
Handling mental illness has become a
difficult part of the LAPD’s work, both
in the jail and on the streets of LA.
Monica Albarran, an LA resident, is
familiar with the jail and its attached
mental illness institution. She draws
attention to the inadequate conditions and
underfunded state of LA’s justice system.
Since 2003, Albarran has encountered
law enforcement multiple times, but in
2015 she was arrested. Albarran explains
how the Los Angeles County Jail
struggles with myriad of issues that are
standing in the way of true progress.
“They are understaffed. You see
guards there working like doctors;
they work 48-hour shifts. So they are
understaffed, number one. Number
two, I don’t think they should have
the huge responsibility of treating so
many inmates that have mental illness
23

ecause they should outsource these
[issues],” Albarran said. “My attorney
did [arrange] a court order for me to see
the doctor; this was how bad it was.”
Albarran explains that others have a
more difficult time with the process.
“I had the resources to actually ask my
attorney because I had a paid attorney,
but most of the people who go there
have public defenders. They just have
to go through their system with the
backlog and everything,” Albarran said.
Mental illness is a problem that has
quickly increased in size and has caused
difficulties for the department. The
lack of proper funding and medical
attention has created a complex issue
within the LA jail system. The oversized
and underfunded jail system and
mental health institution has made
LAPD officers job harder to execute.
Ono touches on the increased pressure
added to police officers due to mental
illness being an issue in the jail.
“Most law enforcement experts said
policing criminals is hard enough,
but adding mental illness to their
responsibilities can make the job
exponentially more difficult,” Ono
said. “Without the proper funding
for medical help as well as drug
addiction escalating, it’s a problem that
is going to get worse no matter how
hard officers train to deal with it.”
In a report titled, “Mental Health
by the Numbers,” the National
Alliance on Mental Illness, an
advocacy group that represents individuals
and families affected by mental illness,
compiled a list of numbers specifying
the amount of Americans with mental
illnesses that have received treatment.
“Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with a
mental health condition received mental
health services in the past year. Among
adults with a serious mental illness,
62.9% received mental health services
in the past year,” the report said.
LAPD Seeks to Find Solutions
for Mental Illness
For Tingirides, mental illness is
a complicated issue that remains
difficult for law officers to combat
on the streets as well as in the jail
system and the community.
“The mental illness has been an extremely
complex issue for law enforcement across
the country, not just for Los Angeles,”
Tingirides said. “Along with the homeless
population, and a lot of the homelessness
population that we do have in Los
Angeles are mentally ill persons, and to
tackle what it takes … it’s a public health
issue, and it’s also a law enforcement
issue, but it’s a community issue.”
Tingirides speaks of the efforts of police
to address the mental health issues
present in the homeless population.
“And so we’ve dedicated a whole unit
to address that, and in reality when
you think about it, we’re not putting
more people into the criminal justice
system by just arresting everybody and
arresting our way out of that problem,”
Tingirides said. She also explains
that the police force is trying to find
resources to prevent recidivism.
According to Tingirides, the LAPD
has created the Homeless Outreach
and Proactive Engagement program,
HOPE, to combat homelessness in
LA. Officers within the program offer
resources by working with the city
attorney’s office. The program strives to
take a different approach to homelessness
by finding solutions for them to
eventually be housed and hold a job, or
to finally have the capacity to receive
the psychiatric attention they need.
The issues in LA’s justice system reach
multiple parts of society and continue
to prompt questions about funding,
policy and policing effectiveness
and community and police relations.
Nevertheless, the LAPD has shifted
its mentality towards rehabilitation
and community relations, something
the department has recognized as not
being kept in focus in past years. The
difficulties are multilayered and complex,
and they continue to hold importance
to its community and city today.
Editor: Sarah Pineda
Photographer: Austin Bland
Designer: Megan Josep
24

“I think the
community
can look at this
department now
... and say
LAPD mirrors and
reflects me.”
25

DISABILITY NOT INABILITY
By Hailey Zendejas
When Hillarie Hight gave birth to
her second son, Lincoln, he was not
breathing. She was then immediately
sedated. Upon gaining consciousness,
Hight was told that her son might
have Down sydrome.
“I hadn’t even seen him yet, I hadn’t
even touched him or anything. And so
I was really scared, I didn’t know what
was going on. I was really upset,” Hight
said. “You don’t imagine your baby is
going to have special needs, especially
since Lincoln was my second kid.”
Hight’s shock soon turned into a hopeful
expectancy for Lincoln’s future. As a
result, she continued to learn and adapt to
Lincoln’s specific needs, while recognizing
that he needed to be raised just like his
older brother. Hight talks about her view
of the word “disability” in the context
of how she has raised her two sons.
“It [the term ‘disability’] just irks me. I
don’t even like the word ‘special needs’; it’s
just something that’s different,” Hight said.
“We all have different strengths; we all have
different weaknesses … I treat Lincoln
exactly the way that I treat Colt [older son].
I pay attention to what their different needs
are, and I adapt to both of them. I do not
like the word ‘disability’ or ‘special needs.’”
Moving forward in the reality that her
child’s future looked different than
what she had originally planned, Hight
explains what it meant for Lincoln and
her as they lived their lives together.
“I think that I’m more optimistic about
the future and what his life holds, and
what our life holds together,” Hight said,
“I’m not mad at God anymore because I
realized that he’s not the one that did that.”
Another mother shares a similar experience.
Tricia Zendejas, mother of seventeenyear-old
Jacob, realized that her son
was struggling to speak his first words
more than the average child when he
was only four years old. Zendejas was
soon faced with the reality that her son
had some sort of speech disability.
“I felt alone. I didn’t quite understand why.
I questioned what I did wrong during the
pregnancy. I was devastated,” Zendejas said.
When Jacob was a little boy, he ran around
the house in his Buzz Lightyear pajamas.
He created different worlds inside of his
imagination and was Thomas the Train’s
26

iggest fan. Allowing this sweet and
imaginative boy to enter into a world that
can be cruel gave his mother worries.
Zendejas quickly learned how to
adapt to and meet Jacob’s needs,
and she savored each memory while
she watched her son grow up.
“I’ve seen him grow into a strong
young man. I see the last few years
of his high school, and watching him
do so much independently … I have
hope,” Zendejas said. “I know that he
has potential. Even going to prom and
formal, I would have never thought
that he would want to do that.”
However, some families have had a
different experience. In response to the
concerns and disadvantages that some
families with children with disabilities
face within a church setting, Access
Ministries was born, as explained by Alicia
McCormick, Access Ministries volunteer
and Biola Administrative Coordinator
of the Department of Communication
Sciences and Disorders. She explains
that Access Ministries exists as a support
system designed to make church accessible
to all people. McCormick talks about
her experience in her vocations.
“I think it is easy in this line of work to
shift the ‘us vs. them’ mentality of ablebodied
vs. disabled to one of includers vs.
non-includers, but really God’s work is all
about breaking down barriers, not shifting
them around,” McCormick said. “I used to
see Access Ministries as an uphill battle that
would fight to make the church accessible
to all people, but I have found, instead, it
has been about the sweet moments when
I am willing to stop and listen to people
that God does the greatest things.”
Alongside the sweet moments
come difficult ones.
“It is hard to have parents come to me
frustrated to the point of tears because they
got yet another phone call informing them
that they would have to leave their children
at home the next time they came to a
church event because the child care that was
provided just ‘wasn’t equipped to handle
their kids,’” McCormick said. “ … The
social exclusion that happens to families
with special needs—an exclusion that
happens so often it becomes isolation—is
one of the hardest things I have seen.”
While some families experience social
exclusion, a Biola professor and father
shares a differing experience.
Professor and Chair of the Biblical and
Theological Studies Department, Dr.
Erik Thoennes, adopted each of his four
children. Among these four children
is Isaac, a joyful eleven-year-old with
Amniotic Band Syndrome, or ABS,
who has a passion for life and sports.
“He’s the toughest person I know. I bet
he falls down twenty times a day, but just
keeps charging. Kids are great, but they’re
not really sensitive sometimes. They’ll say
‘Oh! What happened to your foot?’ And
he just goes, ‘It’s always been like that,’”
Thoennes said. “Only twice I’ve seen him
get frustrated, with kids especially, but
given all the stuff he’s got, he may be the
least self-conscious person I know. He’s
not trying to impress you or look cool.”
Many mothers and fathers face the reality
that their child may stand out in this world.
With this actuality may come numerous
anxieties and questions regarding how their
child will be treated and what the future
holds for them. Society and the potential
of unfamiliar public environments may
play a part in this anxiety. However, some
parents, like Thoennes, have a different
mindset on their kids’ experiences in social
situations. Thoennes, who homeschools
his children and has a safe place in his
church, has less concerns regarding
Isaac’s participation in public settings. He
discusses his and his wife’s mindsets.
“I’m not an anxious person. I’m not
a fearful person. My wife is a very
hopeful person,” Thoennes said. “We
went into it knowing that this would be
really hard. I don’t expect it to be easy.
I don’t expect my kids to be perfect.”
Furthermore, Thoennes desires to see
the universal church acting out of a
place of acceptance and inclusivity
of people with disabilities.
“What are we doing as the church when we
gather? What are we doing? Are we trying
to put on this perfect little performance
where the realities and difficulties of life
aren’t on display?” Thoennes said. “You
think there weren’t people with disabilities
at Jesus’ sermons when he preached them?
Our church so beautifully gets difficulties
of life, whatever that looks like.”
These parents and volunteer represent
a larger population of people who have
or aid children with a disability. Their
individual experiences unify in their
unique view of the world, shaped by
the kids for whom they care. The stories
presented show the potential needs of and
challenges to children with disabilities,
yet simultaneously demonstrate the
kids’ strength and place in society.
“He’s [Lincoln] just a person like
you,” Hight said. “Just like me.”
Editor: McKenna Boen
Photographer: Amelia Mowry
Designer: Lexi Parker
*Tricia Zendejas is the mother of
the writer, Hailey Zendejas.
27

28
HOSPITALITY

FROM
By Judy Lee
The emphatic beat of percussion drums vibrates under the hands of an
African-American man sitting in the middle of Congo Square. It is the
late 1800s, marking the beginnings of the early foundation of jazz. Sweat and
dry spells of hot Louisiana wind trickle through the air. Only the rhythm
keeps the onlooking crowd occupied from the blazing summer heat.
A couple buys a ticket at the box office of their local movie theater in the late
1930s with the precious few dimes they have managed to scrape together. Eager
to rest after a long day of work, they immerse themselves in the plush velvet
seats, the buttery smell of fresh popcorn, the drawing back of the curtains that
reveals a larger than life Scarlett O’Hara and Clark Gable on the big screen.
In the year 2017, a woman sits on a wooden pew in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the
Angels, mesmerized by the majestic space of the sanctuary. She cannot help staring
at the unique ceiling panels, the triangular, candelabra-like lamps, the sweeping
architectural design that places the congregation left, right and in front of the altar.
Each of these fictional moments, formed from research by Ted Gioia, Ron Kobayashi
and John Farr, are a glimpse into the ever flowing timeline of art, revealing past
eras in their various forms. Throughout history, art has altered in different ways to
comfort and ally with the suffering or victimized members of society. Art cleaves
to the ideas and longings of those who are unable to voice themselves through any
other medium. When people face oppression or hardship, art can provide refuge.
29

Jazz, according to “The Prehistory of Jazz,
The Africanization of American Music” by
Ted Gioia of the Oxford University Press,
was born in late 19th century New Orleans,
a rich hub of various African and European
musical influences. The unlikely fusion of
these traditions and sounds is rooted in
the minority groups settled in Louisiana
that sought comfort and familiarity in their
new homes, while they explored the critical
immigrant question of American identity.
Traditional African ritual music,
according to Gioia, was played on drums
with chanting or singing of hymns. It
was the answer to a long day of brutal
labor. Accompanied by dancing, it was a
complete musical ensemble that expressed
the native roots of African-Americans
through body and soul. Fortunately, the
beat of the drum lived on and continued
to echo across the decades into what
is known as modern-day jazz.
Professional jazz pianist and teacher Ron
Kobayashi cited the fusion of European
instruments with traditional African music
as the very foundation of jazz. What was
born out of tragedy lead to the creation
of one of the most socially significant
genres of music in American history.
Kobayashi considers African-Americans’
usage of jazz music to be a creative
medium through which they voiced their
suffering. “Jazz is born out of the absolute
criminality of slavery,” Kobayashi said.
The early 20th century introduced the era
of the motion picture. The boom of the
film industry was a welcome distraction
from the severities of the Great Depression.
“How Movies Got us Through the Great
Depression” by film blogger and critic John
Farr of Best Movies by Farr, describes
how Hollywood provided shelter and
distraction from the economic hardship
that struck America in the 1930s. Lethargy
and helplessness was replaced, if only
for a short time, by magic on a screen.
Elijah Chandler, Biola alumnus of
the Cinema and Media Arts program,
views bringing light and hope into the
lives of ordinary people as the purpose
of film. In the midst of standing in
breadlines and barely affording rent,
people still bought movie tickets.
They were willing to ease their pains
with the warmth of a theater and
stories that could help them forget
the harshness of their current reality.
The types of films that follow the
Depression era reflect the impact
of wartime and poverty on culture.
One example of this influence is the
movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
“People actually didn’t like that movie
when it was first released,” Chandler
said. “It was a little too close to reality.”
Yet this authentic reflection of the everyday
person’s struggle is what eventually drew
30

in audiences and ultimately created a
classic. Its portrayal of what reality could
be reminds people today of the hope
they can have in their community.
“If you just adjust your perspective, life
is good. We don’t have to just look at the
suffering or look at the pain. There is still
something beautiful,” Chandler said.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
is an example of a modern-day reformation
of art. Traditionally, the floor plan of a
Catholic cathedral is designed to resemble
the cross, leaving the space behind the altar
as a sacred area designated for its priests.
The modernized architecture of the LA
Cathedral, however, provides congregational
seating on three different sides of the altar,
surrounding it as the centerpiece of worship.
Dr. Matt Jenson, Associate Professor of the
Torrey Honors Institute, theologian and
regular visitor at the cathedral, believes that
this interior portrays cultural and religious
justice through the social significance of its
urban reformation. Its radical design allows
laypersons, not just priests and clergymen,
to gather near the altar for worship.
“It’s a combination of justice and liturgy,”
Jenson said of the cathedral, describing
its interior as at once “deeply traditional”
and “very innovative.” While Jenson does
not think the traditional architecture
of a Catholic cathedral necessarily
impedes justice, he does say that this
design “puts a priority on the access of
laypeople to the altar.” Instead of entering
at the cross-shaped back of a standard
cathedral, people enter from both sides
of the arched sanctuary. The altar sits
at eye level, and the choir stands off to
the side, allowing more room for the
congregation to surround the altar.
Another unique artistic element of the
cathedral is its tapestries. Lining the wall
along the pews is the “Communion of
the Saints,” designed by artist John Nava,
which depicts saints throughout history.
According to the cathedral’s website,
Nava’s purpose was to display a diversity
of figures that people today can identify
with. Nava’s hope is that people see these
tapestries and think that “a saint could look
like me.” Some of the figures wear modern
clothing, representing the continuation
of saints from the past to today.
Art is a chain reaction; its movements, a
response to that of the previous generation.
With each era, art molds into a tool people
can use to vocalize their sufferings and find
refuge within hardship. While its format
may diversify, one of the functions of art
then and now remains the same: offering
an oasis from the harshness of reality.
Editor: Brittni Coffeen
Photographer: Caleb Raney
Designer: Christy Hwang
31

32
PORTRAIT OF A
PASTOR’S KID

By Madisyn Steiner
While many willingly heed the call of
church ministry, there is a group of
individuals that does not necessarily make
the choice to take on that call: pastor’s kids.
Being a pastor’s kid involves countless
hours of volunteering at church to perform
time-consuming tasks, like folding
bulletins and rearranging chairs in the
sanctuary. It involves preparing oneself
to receive probing, personal questions
during the upcoming Sunday morning
from strangers. It involves aiming for
perfection, even though P.K.s are just as
human as their pastoral parents. Growing
up as a P.K. means feeling pressures
that may not be vocally acknowledged
by congregational members, but are
deeply felt by the kids who face their
subtly overwhelming presence.
When I was ten years old, my dad was hired
as the administrative pastor at our church.
At that point, it had been the only church
I had known in my hometown, and the
fact that my dad was going to work there
was an exciting reality. I loved knowing
that he would be working for a worthy
cause: serving the Lord and the church
members. It made me feel special, being
able to tell my peers what my dad did.
This viewpoint shifted as I grew older.
The leadership’s riveting sermons to love
each other and to seek justice for the “lesser
than” were hard to live by when they treated
my parents poorly. Another difficulty was
viewing God’s children as saints when
they griped about trivial matters, such as
the drums being too loud during worship
or the pastor’s attire being too casual. My
parents handled the pressures so well. I,
on the other hand, struggled with them.
Nonverbal requirements of being a pastor’s
kid were also a part of the title. As a
15-year-old, I felt pressure to appear holy
and put together, while simultaneously
struggling with hurt and depression. I
attributed these struggles to spiritual
weakness on my part, a result of my
interpretation of sermons in youth group.
I needed to reach perfection by means
of reading my Bible at length in the
darkest hours of the morning. I needed
to pray fervently, on my knees with my
head in my hands, while humble tears of
reverence streamed down my face. Then,
just maybe, I would not be probed with,
“Oh, are you a rebellious pastor’s kid?”
Regardless of the negative parts and
expectations, other aspects of growing
up in a church ministry environment
revealed the beauty of humanity. I knew
people who were marvelous examples
of humble servitude and Christ-like
love, individuals who worked on the
church staff in background roles, as
receptionists, building managers and
worship leaders. Their contributions
did not go unseen by my young eyes.
Growing up as a
P.K. means feeling
pressures that may
not be vocally
acknowledged by
congregational
members, but
are deeply felt
by the kids who
face their subtly
overwhelming
presence.
Experiences similar to mine are common
among pastor’s kids of varying backgrounds.
The negative can outweigh the positive, or
vice versa. The result of these experiences
appear later in adulthood. Certain
individuals find their calling through their
P.K. upbringing and avidly pursue church
ministry, while others may refrain from
even going into a church again. Some
harbor bitterness and pain and cannot
shake the stereotypes and pressures that
were placed upon them, while others
discover who they are in the process.
The Barna Group, a faith-based research
organization in California, studied the issue
of stereotypes and pressures placed upon
P.K.s. Of the pastors they surveyed in 2013,
28 percent stated that the expectations
placed upon their kids contributed to issues
of faith. David Kinnaman, a former P.K.
who directed the research, expresses concern
when considering the results of expectations
placed upon P.K.s in their youth.
“The children of pastors are not destined
to become prodigals, but more than
one out of 14 seem to have left their
faith behind,” Kinnaman said. “Their
[pastors’] children are living in a moral
and spiritual fishbowl; their actions are
evaluated by all sides in the church.”
The feeling of living in a fishbowl, as
Kinnaman mentions, is not foreign
to Baillie Myers. Myers grew up as
a pastor’s kid alongside her brother
in a West Virginia church of 30
people before her parents moved their
family to Puebla, Mexico and became
missionaries. During her upbringing
in West Virginia, Myers struggled
with the pressures of perfection.
“That was rough growing up with that
… people having a thought about me
before they even met me,” Myers said.
“There were times where you think
33

you have to fit into the idea that you
have to be perfect and beat yourself up
a lot. It had me asking who I was.”
Myers especially felt this pressure through
the seemingly innocent comments of
congregational members, such as “I
hope my kids turn out like you.”
Regardless, her parents continually
communicated to her that she did not
need to fit any mold of perfection.
While Myers struggled with the
preconceived notions of the congregation,
her parents were an example of living like
Christ, revealing the importance of not
judging others like she had been judged.
“I saw my parents. [They] were saying
how to be Christian, but actually acting
it out,” Myers said. “We are all made in
the image of God. I’m beautiful for what’s
inside … I’m focusing on my inward self,
so I can be more helpful on the outside.”
While Myers focuses on her parents’
example, another P.K. shares her experience
with her church. Assistant Professor
of Public Relations, Dr. Carolyn Kim,
grew up as a pastor’s kid in a border
town between Arizona and Mexico.
She appreciates the community that
surrounded her and the love it cultivated.
“Honestly, I feel I was so lucky in
many regards. Being a P.K. gave me the
opportunity to have a lot of deep and
rich relationships with people of multiple
generations throughout the church,”
Kim said. “I was able to see firsthand
what kind of service is needed to really
keep a church going. I also felt like so
many people supported and loved our
family. I think this is a really healthy
thing for kids to see in church life.”
While seeing the loving support
of the congregation, Kim also
experienced the issue of unrealistic
expectations and stereotyping.
“There is a lot of pressure to be perfect and
to be able to always have the right answer,
do the right thing and definitely never
struggle, at least not publicly,” Kim said.
Similarly, junior biological sciences major
Hazel Cea’s father was a youth pastor
before becoming a full-time minister
after she became an adult. The pressures
of perfection caused her to struggle with
self-esteem and her personal faith.
“I learned to overcriticize myself. With a
lot of the personal conflicts that happened
during my time in church with my parents,
I do have a lot [of ] self-esteem issues
and anxiety when it comes to meeting
new people,” Cea said. “Along with that,
I think that my personal relationship
with God struggled because I felt the
burnout my parents went through
before I could experience my own. After
watching my parents struggle with their
ministry, I think, for a long time, I felt like
ministry would always be a struggle.”
34

“P.K.s are kids ...
Love them well,
and be able to
see them for
who they are.”
While many P.K.s remain Christians,
the stereotype of the “prodigal son”
exists. Essentially, a child grows up
in the church as a P.K. and then
abandons his or her faith due to
not fitting a certain mold. Of the
pastors surveyed by Barna Group, 33
percent stated that their children are
no longer involved in the church.
Rebecca Barnett, a cleaning technician
in Poulsbo, Washington, is no longer
involved in church and does not identify
as a Christian. Barnett’s grandfather
founded a nondenominational church in
Idaho where her parents did youth and
music ministry, and her uncle worked
as head pastor. She, too, dealt with
unrealistic pressures in her childhood.
“Lots of people expected more from me,”
Barnett said. “[They] didn’t respect my own
feelings and emotions as an individual.”
Barnett’s experience also shaped her
perspective of church leaders.
“I don’t respond well to authority figures
who don’t respect my opinions or listen
to and honestly consider my input in
situations,” Barnett said. “Also, I tend
to think ministry leaders are generally
arrogant and not worthy of my time.”
While Barnett no longer attends church, she
still sees positive aspects of her experience.
“I learned to genuinely care for people
and to not allow myself to believe that
anything is set in stone. I’m very openminded
to anyone willing to discuss their
beliefs and opinions who is also willing
to listen to mine,” Barnett said. “I learned
to appreciate open-minded people.”
When asked what they wished congregational
members would understand about pastors’
kids, the interviewees all gave the same
answer: let them be human and let them
be kids. Extending mercy and grace to
those who spend their most formative
years behind the scenes in ministry
would lessen pressure on them and allow
for room to breathe and grow freely.
“P.K.s are kids. It’s not that they made
an adult decision to feel called into a
role. They will grow, struggle, mess up,
shine, have joy, be sad, etc. They are just
like every other kid, but with a little
more publicity around them,” Kim said.
“Just as we would with other kids in our
communities—love them well, and be
able to see them for who they are.”
Editor: McKenna Boen
Photographer: Eliana Park
Designer: Megan Josep
35

36
FOSTERING
CARE

By Kendall Jarboe
Siblings John and Monica hid behind
their older brother Paul whenever adults
entered a room. The children rarely spoke,
but when they did their words littered the
air with profanities. At just four years old,
John and his siblings left their parents’
abuse, moved in with their grandmother
and enrolled in the foster care system.
John Garcia lived in Los Angeles with his
two siblings and parents who often drank,
cursed and abused them and each other. In
1994, his parents’ violent habits escalated,
which provoked the kids to seek refuge at
a neighbor’s house. After receiving a phone
call from Paul, their grandmother drove
to the house and deemed the parents unfit
to raise their children. Garcia’s parents
did not argue. His grandmother then
contacted Child Protective Services.
A social worker came to her house once
a month to check the living conditions
and help the kids learn how to mentally
and emotionally transition into their
new home. Although young when he left
his parents, Garcia knew that his living
situation differed from the ordinary.
Garcia’s friends had parents; he only
saw his once every few years. He had
to cope with not being wanted, but the
love of his grandmother morphed the
initial uneasiness into normality.
Garcia remained in the foster care
system until the age of 18 and lived
with his grandmother until he was 21.
His grandmother opted to not adopt
the Garcia children in hopes that their
parents would transform their lives
and regain custody. During their time
in foster care, the Garcia kids had
around 20 different social workers.
One social worker in particular left a
major impact on Garcia. 12-year-old
Garcia wanted to attend a conference
for kids in foster care but did not have
the means to get there on his own.
“Every day, for four days straight, he
drove all the way out to where I was
and picked me up, and he would buy
me breakfast, and we would just kind
of talk,” Garcia said. “I didn’t really talk
much, being introverted, but just that he
was there and just him asking questions,
and just being willing to pick me up;
I think that was really impactful.”
As of July 1, 2017, 53,086 children
were “in care” in the state of California.
18,637 of these children resided in Los
Angeles County, as recorded by the
California Child Welfare Indicators
Project in partnership with the California
Department of Social Services.
At a pediatric hospital in Orange,
California, clinical social worker Dennis
Ho says that people in his profession often
face having to do things that cannot be
done and fixing things that cannot be fixed.
Nevertheless, Ho enjoys his job because he
has the opportunity to support families.
“I get to learn a lot about families in a
very short amount of time. Hospitals
are one of the most stressful places
that families enter into … I get to hear
about the most intimate and personal
parts of their families because my
role is to support them,” Ho said.
The majority of foster children the
pediatric hospital admits are victims of
physical abuse. Ho receives between one
and six foster care children every day.
Part of Ho’s job as a clinical social worker
includes determining if he should file a
Child Abuse Report, which notifies the
county of potential mistreatment of a
child. Ho witnesses the sorrow of parents
losing their kids to the county system;
this process is a dichotomy between
children escaping an unsafe situation and
losing the homes they have known.
“I think the event of a child having to
enter the foster care system is one of the
most, sometimes relieving moments, but
sometimes also the most heartbreaking,” Ho
said. “I’ve had to sit with families as their
children are, they call it, ‘detained to the
county,’ when the parents’ ability to make
decisions for their children are taken away
and placed in the charge of the county.”
The somber matter of separating children
from their parents is only comforting to
Ho when the child is removed from an
abusive home. When Child Protective
Services suspect child abuse, they come
to the home, interview the parents and
remove the child if they believe the home
to be an unsuitable living situation. Until
37

the foster care system finds a foster family
to place the child with, the children live
in group homes, which consist of 20–60
children. They remain in the system until
someone wants to adopt them. The reality
is that some foster parents abuse children
or take advantage of the system. Garcia
recognizes that he had a unique experience
with foster care when compared to others.
“I have friends who, there were five
foster kids who lived with the same
foster mom, and she just did it because
it was a good source of money, and it
was just for her, and they were surviving
on their own,” Garcia said. “Once they
turn 18, she just kicks them out because
she doesn’t need them anymore.”
Unless foster children get adopted, they
remain in the system until the age of 18.
According to Garcia, sometimes only
two options exist for children in foster
care: wait to age out of the system or face
potential involvement with drugs or gangs,
sometimes leading to premature deaths.
“Some don’t even get adopted, so they’re
in foster homes until they’re age 18, and
then the system isn’t funded to keep them.
So at 18 they’re all out of the system,
and they’re all out of the foster homes,
and they’re on their own, which is very
sad,”Garcia said. “It’s a lot of being able to
figure it out on their own because nobody
else is going to be there for them.”
Kindergarten teacher Hannah Levey
and her family recognized a need in their
hometown of Mesa, Arizona and decided to
be a resource for children who have had to
care for themselves. At the age of 17, Levey’s
parents decided to start fostering children.
When the phone rings, someone informs
the Leveys of the child’s age, gender and if
he or she has any disabilities. The Leveys are
then asked if they want to take the child in.
Over the past six years, they have fostered
ten children between the ages of 6 weeks
and seven years old. The majority of these
kids have come from homes affected by
substance abuse and domestic violence.
“These kids are so sweet and so innocent,
but because of their parents’ choices they
are just kind of thrown to the side, but
they’re still so impressionable.” Levey said.
“Even though some of them have been
in so many homes, they still want to love
you and want to be loved so desperately.”
38

Levey shares a story about a little boy
her family fostered. The two-year-old
did not speak, not because of shyness,
but because he could not formulate
words. His biological mother repeatedly
left him alone in his crib and did not
speak to him. This story attests to
the extensive impact that one’s early
childhood has on their growth. Levey
also talks about a current story.
The Leveys are presently fostering two
sisters, ages 6 and 7. The 7-year-old
acts like the mother they did not have
for her 6-year-old sister. She reminds
her little sister to brush her teeth,
wash her hands and be safe. On the
contrary, the 7-year-old also likes to
wear diapers and cries like a toddler.
Levey believes she acts this way because
she missed the nurturing necessary for
the developmental stage of childhood.
While Garcia considers himself blessed
to have had the constant care of his
grandmother, even his story holds its
hardships. Garcia and his parents did
not reconcile their relationship before
his parents’ passing, and he faced the
difficulties of being a kid in foster care.
“When you become a foster kid, you
automatically become a percentage of kids
who aren’t going to be successful, of kids
who aren’t going to make it, or they’re
just going to get pulled off to drugs or to
gangs,” Garcia said. “As a foster care child,
I think it’s good to understand that, and
fight against those statistics, and make it a
point to make a difference with your life.”
Garcia is now 27 years old. When he is
not busy directing after-school programs,
he serves as a youth pastor at his church.
Despite the initial pain from his childhood,
Garcia now speaks to kids in the foster
care system in his youth group.
“ … I love how God works things out
to being able to use past hurt to impact
those who are currently going through
it … I’m the youth pastor at church, and
we’ll have kids who go through or are in
the foster care program, or are in foster
care,” Garcia said, “And what’s cool is
whenever we have kids who comes through
that I bring it up, and I let them know
39

40

that I was in it too … it’s crazy … the
impact that has for them, because they see
someone who is older and who has been
through it, or who was in foster care.”
Garcia talks about his desire to
show kids in foster care that they
can pursue another path in life.
“I want to be successful, and I want to
not be a percentage for all the kids that
are eventually going to be in foster care,
to show them that there is another way.
They don’t need to get into gangs. They
don’t need to get into drugs and that
kind of lifestyle,” Garcia said. “There
is an outlet, and there is a way out.”
Ho believes that children in foster
care simply need someone to believe
in them, someone who will provide
them with help and support.
“I think one of the most important
things is to help people believe in the
kids that are in foster care,” Ho said.
“I often see that kids who are involved
are already perceived as probably going
to fail life at some point, but it has
been unbelievable to see the type of
resilience and strength that most of
these kids have, having gone through
such difficult times and difficult
circumstances. They often rise up to the
occasion to be very successful people.”
Despite all of the brokenness, Levey’s
favorite part about foster care is
getting to see the redemption.
“I think seeing how there’s so much
redemption because these kids are so
broken, but they are so capable of loving
with so much of their hearts. Even though
they’ve been hurt so many times, they have
so much love to give, and it’s just fun,”
Levey said. “Kids are just so joyful … they
love life, and even when they come from
such broken homes, they still have that zeal
to just enjoy things and explore and learn.”
While Levey always wanted to be a
teacher, working with foster children
illuminated a previously unknown need
in her community, that of dedicated and
sacrificial teachers in low-income schools.
“Foster care helped me to want to teach in
a low-income school, and in a school where
there are those needs that a lot of people say
‘it’s too hard’ or ‘someone else will do it,’”
Levey said. “I just feel like those are the kids
that I want to love here. Those are the ones
that have those great needs that are so often
ignored, or thought [of ] as like no one can
help that situation because it’s too far gone.”
As Garcia articulates about his experience,
children in foster care need someone to
show them a different way out of the
system, someone to be an example for
them. For children who are admitted
into the hospital, those who could be
suffering from domestic abuse, Ho is
that person. For kindergarten children in
low-income schools, that person is Levey.
For Garcia, that person was his brother.
“I know my sister and I looked up to
my older brother because he kind of
helped raise us quite a bit, especially
in the transition of even coming to the
home,” Garcia said. “He was the one who
helped call our grandma … whenever our
parents would fight or abuse us, and so
he was kind of the rock there. We really
looked up to him to keep us safe.”
Editor: Marijane Fasana
Photographer: Eliana Park
Designer: Christy Hwang
41

esearcher
psychologist
disaster
expert
Dr. Jamie Aten
2016 FEMA Award Winner
Founder of Humanitarian Disaster Institute
Author of Disaster Ministry Handbook
As a survivor of personal and natural disasters,
Dr. Jamie Aten lends his expertise to
organizations serving in the midst of tragedy.
Work alongside Dr. Aten and study how to lead
communities to restoration through the M.A.
in Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership.
wheaton.edu/HDL

Reverend
professor
time
traveler
Dr. Jennifer McNutt
American Society of Church History Awardee
Royal Historical Society Fellow
Author of Calvin Meets Voltaire
Understanding Christian history is vital
to our faith. As a historian, Dr. Jennifer
McNutt brings the past to the present,
guiding students to understand and apply
Christian history and theology to their
work today. Prepare for doctoral studies
or ministry through Wheaton’s biblical
and theological studies degrees.
wheaton.edu/BITH