Fall 2018
Vol. 14
Issue 1
THE POINT
STAFF
Editor-in-Chief: Rebecca Mitchell
Managing Editor: Joseph Lyons
Visual Director: Eliana Park
Photo Editor: Victoria Orozco
Design Editor: Cassidy Eldridge
Copy Editor: Amanda Frese
Web Editor: Jana Eller
Business Manager: Jenna Robertson
Social Media Manager: Katie Bean
Faculty Adviser: Tamara Welter
Story Editors:
Kendall Jarboe
Megan Josep
Jehn Kubiak
Writers:
Jasmyne Bell
Emily Bontrager
Hannah Dixon
Rachel Gaugler
Thecla Li
Lily Journey
Monica Kochan
Photographers:
Emily Inaba
Thecla Li
Maddi Seyfarth
Designers:
Amy Bucher
Macie Cummings
Lindsey Hayden
Nichole Landon
Rose Nickols
Fall 2018 Vol. 14 Issue 1
We are a student publication of Biola University. Contact us at pointmag@biola.edu.
https://thepointmagazine.org
Instagram.com/PointMagazine
Facebook.com/ThePointMagazine
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, 2018
Associated Collegiate Press: Design Of The Year 2017
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Dear beloved individual,
We jumped from playground piece to burning wood chips. The lava oozed everywhere. The
crushed leaves were to be our favorite meal. Littlest Pet Shops fell into stories of human lives. Welcome
to my childhood imagination.
My mind as a child was also filled with the dream of traveling into space, of seeing the planets and
stars, of becoming an astronaut. This was my envisioned identity. I had this massive book, dark as
the night sky, that told me everything I ever wanted to know and more than I could ever possibly
understand.
While I am not a physics major on the path to becoming an astronaut, my love for stars has remained.
I find it simply amazing that God calls each one out by name, as in Isaiah 40:26. The Creator
of the heavens and the earth gave them their identity. And he gave us ours too.
As Christians we know the foundation of our identity, but what about other elements of our
identities? In “Coming Together in the 21st Century,” author Curtiss Paul DeYoung says identities
are formed as a “social process,” including traits considered biological like ethnicity or gender. We
interact with others and begin to define ourselves personally and emotionally. We find our identity
in what we are and what we are not.
While I cannot promise that you will find your identity, I hope you find a quote, a photo, a person
who reminds you of your beautiful existence. We explore the idea of identity and the complexities
attached with any one identity. Each story introduces a perspective, one out of the thousands there
are just on this campus. Within these pages, I encourage you to let your idea of identity be challenged.
Rebecca Mitchell
What does identity mean to you? What aspects make up your identity?
Tag @pointmagazine with your responses!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pleasing to the Eye
Beyond Black and White
“I’m OK, I’m OK”
“I survived”
Out of Step
The View From Where I Stand
4
2
In our lives, a question like, “Where
do you come from?” is not something
we can answer in one word. In
our country, the world behind the doors
of our houses is completely different
from the world outside. In my house, we
bow when greeting, we only set the table
with two sticks next to our bowls, we
prefer rice over bread. We are cross-cultural
offspring, we are missionary kids,
we are military children, we are global
students, we are third culture kids, and
this is our story.
How do I
get back
home?
Writer: Thecla Li
Story Editor: Kendall Jarboe
Photographer: Thecla Li
Designer: Nichole Landon
Culture is a strong part of everyone’s
lives. Culture influences our views, values
and loyalties, as well as our worries
and fears. Exploring culture shows that
there is beauty, not only in learning how
much we have in common, but also in
seeing how we are different. Culture is
more than just the color of our skin, and
race extends far beyond a single country,
it is the ties and ethics embedded within
us. With culture so deeply wired in my
DNA, worldview and identity, I found
it especially hard to embrace it when a
Starbucks barista wrote “Ching Chong”
in place of my name on the cup of my
afternoon brew. It was hard to believe
that there were years of culture mixed
into my being when those two simple
words reduced me to “just another
Asian.”
I am the child of a Cantonese father and
a mother who is one-fourth Taiwanese
and three-fourths Singaporean. After
marrying my mother, my father moved
to Singapore with his family, and we
visited Hong Kong once a year. Both
of my parents hold master degrees and
speak proficient English. My parents are
the type of people who enjoy eating at
humid open-air food markets as well as
people who appreciate British humor
and watch Lord Peter Wimsey in their
free time. Considering these facts, I am
very blessed. I am blessed because I can
pronounce anonymity without biting
my tongue. I am blessed because I have
eaten white truffles and stir-fried spiders.
I am blessed because I know that
5
My identity
was especially hard to embrace
when a Starbucks barista wrote
“Ching Chong” in place of my name
on the cup of my afternoon brew.
6
4
Romania is not in Rome. I am blessed.
My friend Jane Kim, a sophomore business
major was born in Korea but moved to China
when she was four years old due to her
dad’s job. For most of her life, she lived in
China and visited Korea for three months
every year. Despite holding a Korean passport,
she felt she never really knew where
she came from because wherever she went,
she was a foreigner.
“In China, people don’t see me as one
of their own but when I return to Korea,
people don’t count me as a Korean person
either,” Kim said. “Now I live [in] America,
and I’m definitely not American.”
While not having a place to call home may
resonate with some people, not having a
country to call home is something many of
us cannot even fathom.
Associate Professor of Sociology at Biola
University, Stephanie Chan, was born to
a couple from Hong Kong but was raised
in the States. Chan recalled how, although
her parents conversed in Chinese, she never
fully committed to picking up the language,
not realizing its significance at the time.
“Culture is a big part of people’s identity
and how they are able to connect with one
another, it shapes our minds and the norms
that we live by and act on,” Chan said.
Chan is an example of someone who grew
up with two cultures yet associated with one
more strongly than the other.
“I feel a sense of loss not having the chance
to embrace my Chinese culture. More so
than myself, I feel that loss towards my
children because I am not able to pass on to
them what my parents were able to pass on
to me,” Chan said.
Growing up, it is not hard for English as a
Second Language kids or American Born
Chinese kids like me to carry shame. We
turn red in the face whenever someone says,
“You speak English so well!” or, “Don’t
worry I’ll speak slower for you, Is. That.
Better?” Whenever we go to Walmart or
Target, we rehearse conversation with our
mothers before we pay for our groceries.
In spite of diligent practice, it is never easy
to undo the stitches of broken English.
As children, we watched in horror while
our mothers struggle to converse with the
cashiers. In order to save our pride, we did
not hesitate to correct them. We took our
heritage for granted.
We should be proud of where we came
from. We should be proud that we have
parents who built from scratch to be where
they are now. Proud that we had the
opportunity to struggle, which gave us the
words we have today. Proud that we can
teach our parents the difference between
recipe and receipt so that the white ladies
at the supermarket cashier counter will not
laugh at them. Since our pride was torn
apart, we could sew ourselves back together
with threads of strength that are worthy of
praise.
Using the new English we have learned, we
stand against ignorance and become a voice
for the immigrants, the refugees and the belittled.
We can repel the ridicule spewed at
the Asian families who own the dry-cleaning
store down the street by dispelling stereotypes.
We can encourage the grade schoolers
behind the cash register at their parents’
Chinese food store.
We have pride when we describe where we
came from. We may look funny, maybe kind
of strange, weird even, but this is who we
are. This is our home. We will continue to
improve this new English we have learned
with our eyes fixed on the vision of a future
where the door to our homes is just a door
and not a barrier separating two realities
from each other.
7
“
Identity is the collection of beliefs
and facts which informs how we relate
to and function within God’s
reality. ... Identity influences how
we make decisions, how we interact
with others, how we utilize our
resources, and how able we are to
trust, to be generous and to forgive.
”
Beth Braley
8
Trauma on the Mission Field
Writer: Emily Bontrager
Story Editor: Jehn Kubiak
Photographer: Eliana Park
Designer: Macie Cummings
Monique Duson had been back
in the United States for three
days, and still the images and
fears from the attack echoed through her
mind. It was preventing her from getting
anything close to a full night’s rest.
Duson was a friend of my mom’s who
was visiting my family from South Africa,
where she served as a missionary for four
and a half years. Although it had only
been three days, it was becoming apparent
she was suffering from overwhelming
anxiety. Sleeping was a chore for her, and
everyday functions were hard.
In learning more about Duson’s situation,
my mom explained how she could
not return to South Africa due to the
hostile environment, safety reasons and
the well-being of her mental health. She
did not necessarily want to move back to
the U.S., but she needed to in order to
salvage any possibility of continuing to
serve in South Africa. Over time, Duson
was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic
stress disorder. The American
Psychological Association defines PTSD
as “an anxiety problem that develops in
some people after extremely traumatic
events,” which in Duson’s case was
constantly living in fear in the dangerous
environment of South Africa.
As my family and I embarked on this
journey of caring for Duson, we learned
a great deal about the problems trau-
9
“Every time I left, even if it was
just to go to the courtyard of
our apartment building, there
was always that tension of,
‘What am I going to face?’”
“Would my faith stand up to that? And
if it didn’t, would people back here think
less of me? God, you’ve shown me beauma
and PTSD can pose for returning
missionaries, despite assumptions made
about their experiences. Through different
methods of trauma treatment, I
witnessed firsthand the power of listening
and simply being present with someone
who is struggling.
Duson is not alone in experiencing
trauma on the mission field. Natalie
Cook served in Calcutta, India for six
months, working to prevent women
from being forced into sex trafficking.
She lived on the border of the red light
district, where there were anywhere from
10,000 to about 15,000 sex workers. The
main mission was to provide alternative
employment opportunities for women by
teaching them skills to support themselves
without going into the sex trade.
“There were the really cool moments of
being able to see God work, restore and
redeem lives, but there was the opposite
side of that where Indian culture doesn’t
value women. So even as a foreign woman,
we were seen as possessions — almost
as less than human,” Cook said.
Cook and her co-workers were not
exempt from the demeaning treatment
of women in Calcutta. In order to get
to work every day, they had to take the
metro which was packed tight with other
people.
“That’s where we were touched and
grabbed. That was the hard part. When
you’re stuck in that train car, you can’t
get out. We were constantly on edge, and
that provided a lot of mentally traumatic
experiences,” Cook said.
This continued day after day.
“We were fighting just to get to work in
the morning, fighting just to get home,
and most days fighting to get out of
bed,” Cook said.
They lived in constant fear. She described
how at any point something
could go horribly wrong, and that her
and her co-workers could find themselves
being followed, attacked, kidnapped or
any other equally as frightening danger.
Cook began to experience the often seen
toll on the brain that such occurrences
tend to cause.
“Every time I left, even if it was just to
go to the courtyard of our apartment
building, there was always that tension
of, ‘What am I going to face?’ I always
picked one day during the weekend to
not go outside because that’s what I had
to do for my mental health,” Cook said.
While in Calcutta, Cook continually
heard and saw much pain, but also
witnessed the faith of women who had
suffered greatly and remained true to
God. After hearing these experiences,
Cook began to seriously question what
she would do in a similar situation.
10
ty, but where are you in all these other
things?’” she said.
She lived with dual fears. On one side,
the constant fear of remaining safe and
just getting through the day. On the
other side, the fear that if something did
happen, could her faith in God withstand
what it was supposed to?
Cook knew something had to change.
She had planned to be in India for a
year, and she still had four more
months to go.
“It took me about three weeks to actually
tell my supervisor what had happened,”
Cook said.
Making the decision about coming home
early was not an easy one. Over the
course of three weeks, many different
thoughts ran through her mind about
what she should do.
“Once you sit with the trauma for three
weeks, with only those voices in your
head, you feel like you can’t tell anyone
because then I’m a failure and I don’t
trust God. Or how can I think that God
is still good in this when it feels like he
can’t protect me?” she said. “I had to decide
to come home early with only those
thoughts, feelings and emotions helping
to dictate my decision.”
In the end, Cook decided to return to
the U.S. with the intention of saving her
mental health.
5 11
“I needed to come home so that I could
get healthy so [if] I wanted to, and could,
go back in the future. I think if I had
stayed longer, I never ever would have
wanted to go back,” she said.
Americans tend to idealize missionaries
who serve in other countries. Mass
conversions and captivating stories, from
figures like the Apostle Paul to Mother
Teresa, are typically what come to mind
when thinking about the experiences of
missionaries. However, this noble calling
sometimes holds an unseen and personal
cost. Both Cook and Duson grappled
with navigating this standard narrative
when their own mission experiences
were so different, leaving them feeling as
though they had failed. When the two
narratives failed to line up, a great deal
of their faith and identity in God was put
on the line.
“God said, ‘I want you to go to India,’
and I wrestled God for six to eight
months before I actually said yes and I
actually went. So to me the expectation
was, ‘OK, God I’m going, you’re going
to keep me healthy, keep me happy, and
you’re going to provide.’ And that wasn’t
what I experienced,” Cook said.
It already was such a big leap of faith to
go to India or to go to South Africa, that
to have the effects of trauma instead of a
“normal” missions experience left them
feeling like there was something wrong
with their faith.
Back in the States, Cook found herself
trying to forget about her experiences in
India.
“I think I was in denial for a long time. I
tried to reach out to a few people, and it
was almost like they had written it off, or
didn’t really take it seriously,” she said.
Neither Cook nor Duson sought help
from their church and pastors because
they did not think anyone would sincerely
listen or care for them.
“I was less likely because of the persona
that missionaries are ‘amazing,’ nearly
superhuman at times. We’re the hands
and feet of Jesus: leaving all, sacrificing
all, becoming all for the least of these.
It’s hard to have a pastor recite all those
accolades about your work and then turn
around and be like, ‘You know, today this
all really feels like [bs],’” Duson said.
To Cook and Duson, it did not feel like
12
the church adequately provided for their
needs in dealing with trauma from the
mission field.
In an article for the Journal of Psychology
and Theology, Jeanne Jensma said,
“It is important for churches and mission
boards to understand the nature and the
reasons for the aftershocks of trauma and
to have an adequate and comprehensive
plan in place to provide member care in
the area of ministering to missionaries
when they encounter critical incidents.”
Eventually, Cook sought trauma therapy
in order to begin processing some of
what happened. The treatment she
received is called eye movement desensitization
and reprocessing therapy, which
helps process traumatic memories.
“In EMDR, however, the person is
awake throughout the processing and
consciously chooses to focus on the
memory, despite the horror, choosing to
stay with the EMDR process … until the
memory has been adequately processed
and detoxified. … It utilizes eye movements,
sounds alternating close to the
right and left ears, respectively, or gentle
tappings alternating between the right
and left sides of the body,” Jesma said in
her article.
For Cook, EMDR was extremely successful.
In addition to EMDR, the best way
Cook and Duson found to process what
they had experienced was by talking
about it and sharing what had happened
with others in some form of community.
For my mom’s friend, that was through
talk therapy and having people, like my
mom, to come alongside her and simply
listen. For Cook, that was through telling
her story with others who had similar
experiences on mission trips.
“Just being able to share those kinds of
experiences helped affirm that I’m not
crazy, and it wasn’t my fault,” Cook said.
Cook felt there was a lack of an available
“Just being able to share those kinds
of experiences helped affirm that
I’m not crazy, and it wasn’t my fault.”
community for missionaries who have
suffered trauma, which results in having
a difficult transition back into the U.S.
Due to this absence of community, Cook
emphasized the importance of finding
people who will let missionaries talk
about their experiences without fear of
the church, fear of the sending agency or
fear of supporters feeling like they failed
or wasted their money.
Listening to people who are hurting can
go a long ways towards healing. Missionaries
who experience trauma are often
too fearful of what people in the church
will think if they did not have a
fulfilling experience.
“People who have never gone through
it will expect you to come back and talk
about all of the awesome things, and you
feel that pressure to say, ‘I’m OK, I’m
OK.’ And it’s OK to not be OK, and sit
in that tension of I’m not OK, and this
is how I feel today. Make sure you have
people around you who won’t try to fix
you,” Cook said.
Broken and struggling people are not
projects who need putting back together.
Healing from any kind of trauma
is a process that is sometimes never
fully completed. For Cook, she needed
someone to listen and a way to process
through what had happened in India.
For Duson, she needed a caring family.
Neither of them have reached the perfect
goal of complete healing, but they are
still on this journey. How can we
be present?
13
14
A Look Into Punk
Photographer: Emily Inaba
Designer: Amy Bucher
Punk enthusiast moshes to Pro-
Youth at Programme Skate &
Sound in Fullerton, Calif.
15
Front Image: Amongst a punk
community, Initiate vocalist Crystal Pak
performs at a hardcore record release
party in Fullerton, Calif.
Top Image: Punk and Biola alumnus
Josh Rosen heads over to a friend’s
to play music.
16
After a late-night band practice, Richard Haro (left) and
senior business major Tony Rangel III (right) relax by sitting on
their car in Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
Both Rosen and his friend
Linus Landucci personalized
their guitars by
hand-painting them.
17
18
As friends, punk community members and
musicians Victor Velasquez (left) and Rosen enjoy
playing music together.
Top: Wise band members share their
sound to an audiene ready to mosh.
Bottom: As an opener for Winds of
Promise, Pro-Youth energizes a ready
audience.
19
Above: As Rosen plays the guitar, musician Linus Landucci chills.
Below: The crowd listens as guitarist for hardcore band Wise shreds.
20
Lead singer of Wise brings
further energy to the crowd by
getting up close and personal.
21
22
A Retrospective on Life Despite Conflict
Writer: Monica Kochan & Jubilee
Pham
Story Editor: Rebecca Mitchell
Photographer: Austin Bland
Designer: Rose Nickols
& Cassidy Eldridge
“
I
feel like I have done something. I survived,”
said Massar Alzeyarah.
Massar Alzeyarah was born in Iraq and
lived in its capital, Baghdad, until he was
2 or 3 years old, at which point he and
his family left for Syria due to the 2003
United States invasion.
The Iraq War, also known as the Second
Persian Gulf War, included two phases, as
detailed in the Encyclopedia Britannica’s
entry on the subject. The first consisted of
U.S. and British forces invading Iraq, resulting
in a war from March to April 2003.
The second phase started when the U.S.
began to occupy Iraq and continued with
opposition, which resulted in an almost
8-year war.
“After violence began to decline in 2007,
the United States gradually reduced its
military presence in Iraq, formally completing
its withdrawal in December 2011,”
the entry said.
Alzeyarah considers himself Iraqi and his
home to be Iraq, but also recalls his time
in Syria fondly. This is the place where he
spent 10 or 11 years of his life; this time is
one that he recalls with happiness as well
as a sadness brought on by the Syrian Civil
War’s invasion of life as he once knew it.
“I had a really fun time there, except at
the end, when the war started,” Alzeyarah
said. “I made a lot of friends, and I was
really close to them, and I consider them
family. We used to hang out every day, all
day, play soccer together, eat together …
like we did all the things together. That’s
why we’re family; we still talk until this
day.”
23
Alzeyarah paints Syria through his eyes,
illustrating what was personal to him and
presenting some of its subtler beauties.
“They [the Syrians] have their own accent;
they don’t speak the way that Iraqis
speak, and I really love it; I feel like it’s
better and easier to talk,” Alzeyarah said.
“And then, I love the mountains … ‘cause
I lived in Damascus … so … there’s a lot
of mountains, a lot of nature; you always
see green stuff, like trees. This is what I
loved about Damascus, and I loved the
old cities ‘cause they don’t really develop
them, so the old cities of Damascus [are]
still old, even the tiles are old; everything
is old; there’s some places that even cars
can’t get into.”
Alzeyarah remembers when he had free
access to the mountains, climbing up to
the top with friends, drinking tea and having
fun. That is, until the war began, and
the Free Syrian Army seized the mountains
to use them as a shooting position
and a means to gain more control.
When that started, Alzeyarah recounts
they could no longer climb the mountains
as they once had.
“It made us all feel bad; we all were
speechless. We thought it was gonna
end in a month. On Fridays, that’s when
people go out and protest. So on every
single Friday, we say, ‘OK, this is the
Friday that the war’s going to end’ … but
it never ended,” Alzeyarah said. “We all
lost people, family members, and we felt
really bad. I don’t know; I can’t really
explain. I always felt I was gonna be next,
but fortunately, nope. I’m alive.”
A year after the Syrian Civil War began
in 2011, when Alzeyarah was 13, he and
his family moved to Turkey. His father
assured him that the move would only be
temporary, but that was not to be. Later,
while in Turkey, Alzeyarah again inquired
about returning to Syria.
“I was telling my dad, ‘Are we really going
back?’ And he was like, ‘Nope, we’re
not,’” Alzeyarah said. “[That] was my
saddest moment.”
Alzeyarah did his best to adjust to living
in Turkey, but struggled there—describing
that time of life as miserable.
“I did not speak that much Turkish,
though, so [it] was a struggle to me. I had
a really hard time. I failed almost all my
classes, except for soccer and mathematics
… and I think computer science too,”
Alzeyarah said.
After living in Turkey for two years, he
and his family left for the U.S. under refugee
status. He came to America with his
parents and two of his brothers, Mohammed
and Samer, but has not seen his other
brother Murad since the day he left Iraq
and hopes to meet him again soon.
“I’m really close to them,” Alzeyarah said.
“We don’t hang out that much, but when
we are at my house [in the U.S.], we are
really connected.”
Alzeyarah is Muslim. He and his family
observe Ramadan—a 30-day time of fasting
and penitence ending in Eid al-Fitr—
by fasting for 16 hours each day.
Alzeyarah continues to talk to his friends
in Syria—whom he considers family—but
they do not discuss the war for safety reasons
and to avoid unhappy memories; he
and his friends just want to talk like they
always have, to have fun and to laugh.
When Alzeyarah considers his life being
preserved, he expresses gratitude.
“I feel grateful, but I feel pretty bad. I feel
grateful and thankful to God that he did
not decide my moment to die, well at least
not that moment, not in Syria, and I got
to live my life,” Alzeyarah said. “This is
a good thing because we can only live it
once, and some people lost the chance to
live it, but I didn’t, not yet.”
24
Transition to Life
in America
Alzeyarah and his family moved to the
U.S. primarily for “a better future, education
and safety.” Although a representative
from a migration organization promised
that another agency would welcome
him and his family and provide transportation
for them, no one was waiting
there. The representative also promised a
month-long apartment rental and some
free food, but they did not receive these
either. His father contacted his friend
who reached out to a Voice of the Refugees
employee, Fadi, and the two of them
picked up him and his family. According
to their website, Voice of the Refugees is
a “faith-based, 501(c)3 non-profit serving
the local refugee communities in Orange
County.”
Ryan Clark, volunteer coordinator and
programs administrator for Voice of the
Refugees, explains the groups of people
they serve within the context of their
community.
“With the demographics this year [2017],
you need to know that there are official
refugees through the United Nations,
which defines them as a refugee. They
are pre-approved. The other’s an asylum
seeker who’ve come here seeking asylum,
and they go through the immigration
hearing. The third is the immigrant,”
Clark said. “This is Little Arabia, where
we’re at. We’re next to a brand new Arabic
sweets shop, and there’s a Palestinian
barber, and then there’s a Lebanese
restaurant here. This is a huge cultural
area … so we serve those three groups.
What we’re doing to serve them in terms
of services is going to be … education
type, job-related or economic type service[s]
and social and donation-based.”
For Alzeyarah, the process of adjusting
to the U.S. has been relatively smooth
except for the first few months of living
here and the early stages of improving
his English.
“I spent a lonely three months before
school started … and then, I was a sophomore,
so I did not really have friends,
and my dad was busy doing papers, like
Social Security, ID and stuff, so we did
not really go out, so I had to go play soccer
at Cyprus,” Alzeyarah said. “I went
there, play[ed] soccer, and then I [would]
go back home, I swim, and I did that for
like three months in a row by myself.”
Clark also identifies this reality as one encountered
by refugees and walks through
VOR’s efforts to address it.
“Isolation is the refugee’s biggest need
that’s not practical. What I mean is, it’s
crippling to be isolated. If we all went to
Iraq tomorrow and lived in separate corners
and didn’t know each other, plunged
into there, no language, no orientation
of culture, you’d feel totally lost. You lose
your social network, so you no longer feel
like you have any valuable community. So
isolation is crippling and can almost start
to wither away inside them,” Clark said.
“So we provide … a community where
they feel valued and loved and inside, feel
alive.”
Although Alzeyarah has experienced
some difficulties since arriving, he has
transitioned well to life here, receiving
help from teachers at school and volunteers
at VOR. He and his family plan to
apply for citizenship at the beginning of
next year.
25
Perspective on
World Events
In considering the state of the refugee crises
in 2017, Alzeyarah shares his thoughts on
the world’s responses.
“I like how Europe is responding to it
because they’re letting refugees in, not into
camps, but into houses, and they give them
jobs. They have the right to go to school
… and they do that in America, if you get
a visa. But what I don’t like in the Middle
East is how they created camps for them,
and [have been] saying that, ‘There are
too many refugees, and our countries are
too small; we can’t really let them in,’”
Alzeyarah said.
Alzeyarah remembers how Syria welcomed
in the refugees of Lebanon, Iraq and other
countries when they were at war.
“Syria let them in,” Alzeyarah said. “I
don’t like how Middle Eastern countries are
responding to it because I mean we should
be connected ‘cause we are Middle Eastern,
but we [are] not, not how Europe, Germany,
Sweden and these other countries [who
have] treated refugees a lot better than we
treated them.”
The reason for this rejection of refugees is
politics, Alzeyarah asserts.
“We just hate each other, politically, so
if I see a Yemeni or like [hypothetically]
Iraqi, Syrian, I don’t really hate them
[personally], but politically, yeah we do,”
Alzeyarah said.
Despite tension between the Kurds and
Iraqis—resulting from the Kurds’ past
and current efforts to reclaim their independence
as a nation—Alzeyarah, and
his friend, Basel, who is Kurdish, have a
close bond akin to brotherhood.
“We really [talk], but we never get in
fights. I mean when we get to the point
that we [are] gonna fight, we stop it,”
Alzeyarah said.
For context, according to an in-depth
feature by Foreign Policy and articles by
The New York Times and The Washington
Post, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan
area Masoud Barzani proceeded with
the referendum, and it did pass. The
vote, which was expanded to disputed
territories, was 93 percent “yes.” Though
the vote passed in theory, it did not do so
in reality, simultaneously not producing
an independent state for Iraqi Kurds
and triggering a response from Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi’s Baghdad government.
Likely with Iran’s involvement,
Abadi forged a deal with the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan and reclaimed authority
in the Kirkuk oil fields and other
disputed territories.
Personal
Philosophy
War touching Alzeyarah’s childhood in
such an abrupt and violent manner produced
a feeling foreign to that innocent
space.
“It made me feel like I’m older than my
age ‘cause I went through things that
people at my age do not go through, like
leaving the country at a young age ‘cause
of war, seeing people being killed like
when I was 11, 12 years old, which a kid’s
not supposed to see, seeing people … protesting
and [shot] by soldiers,” Alzeyarah
said. “People in our age … are supposed
to be thinking about toys and stuff, but
we were thinking about guns, appointing
a new president that is good and about
stuff … people in our age should not think
about, that’s what made us feel older than
our age.”
Alzeyarah’s note to the world is one of
acceptance, nonviolence and unity.
“I just want people to know that we are
normal people, not terrorists, not people
[who] are coming here to create problems.
We just want to be treated … like humans,
and that’s all I want,” Alezayarah said
.
26
He also gives a definition of love, that
of remaining loyal and being present for
anyone who needs it.
“Love is life … Without love, like, what
happened in Syria is because there’s no
love. People don’t love each other …
[Some] Shia hate Sunnis. Sunnis hate
Kurdish. Kurdish hate Shia. That’s why
they’re always getting in wars and fights
… ‘cause they don’t love each other,” Alzeyarah
said. “So apparently if you don’t
love, if there’s no love, then there’s crisis.”
Alzeyarah recognizes the reality that
violence occurs on multiple sides and has
a desire for the world to have an increased
awareness of war.
“I just want people to pay attention more
to Iraq, Syria and all these countries …
[to] people that are being killed … ‘cause
some countries are supporting ISIS; some
others are supporting the Free Army;
some of them are supporting the Syrian
Army, so they all are like, ‘We are in the
fight,’” Alzeyarah said. “That’s not going
to stop the fighting. So I just want all the
world to pay attention to that more, and
be mature about it, and if they are really
willing to stop the war, then they should
… [stop] supporting these armies by giving
them more things … I don’t support
people who kill. I support humans.”
Alzeyarah’s wish is one for everyone.
“I just want to be successful and live
happily, not me, all people. Not only me,
I mean all people,” Alzeyarah said. “I just
want to live happily and peacefully, with
no wars and killings and shootings and
bombings.”
Alzeyarah’s dream is to one day return
to Iraq and help rebuild it as its president
and architect. He holds a vision for
harmony between people of different
backgrounds.
“I just don’t want racism,” Alezayarah
said. “And I don’t want people to be divided
‘cause we are all the same … love.”
24 27
28
What Happens When We Take from the Tree
Writer: Jasmyne Bell
Story Editor: Kendall Jarboe
Photographer: Maddi Seyfarth
Designer: Lindsey Hayden
In America, life is lived in a sex-crazed
culture. Seventy-two percent of
men and 28 percent of women are
addicted to pornography. The average age
of exposure for boys is 8 years old and 11
years old for girls, according to the Daily
Mail. Before their brains have reached full
development, children are being set up
for a sexual downfall. The Daily Mail also
informs readers that the next generation is
growing up in a world where pornography
is more accessible than in any other time
in history. Children are on their smartphones
every night before bed scrolling
through Instagram and checking Snapchat.
Feeding a premature mind obscene
content has consequences in the long run
and extends further than the individual
themselves.
The media tells the public that porn consumption
is a healthy way to get to know
their sexuality better, and will leave them
more satisfied in the end. Others would
argue that pornography is not really an
issue and that people have the power to
control their intake. However, in an article
from Wired, porn addiction has been
likened to that of crack cocaine. Because
of the 24/7 access to the internet, porn
addiction is harder to get rid of than
narcotic drugs. An individual can clear
their system of drugs, but mental images
are harder to erase. A study conducted by
Mary Anne Layden, Director of Education
at the University of Pennsylvania’s
Center for Cognitive Therapy, concluded
that porn is the, “most concerning thing
to psychological health that we know of
existing today.”
On the surface, watching explicit media
seems less harmful because the consumer
believes they are in control. What is seen
on a screen is detached from the real
world, and consumers forget to consider
the emotional and mental toll it takes on
their minds. Due to this phenomenon of
detachment from reality, Tech Addiction
reports severe clinical depression is twice
as frequent among internet pornography
viewers compared to non-viewers. Many
use pornography as a form of escapism,
according to the Cabin Hong Kong.
Using porn to numb one’s perception of
reality is not uncommon.
When someone is depressed, they have a
chemical imbalance in their brain. Covenant
Eyes wrote an article breaking down
the brain chemicals that are released when
viewing porn, and why these chemicals
cause addiction. When a consumer views
porn, it releases dopamine, which leads to
people feeling a temporary high. When
this chemical is released into a region of
the brain responsible for emotions and
learning, it gives the consumer a feeling
of attachment. The brain then craves the
source of the dopamine release. Because
porn gives viewers a sense of fleeting
pleasure, it is easy to get hooked. During
the beginning stages of porn addiction,
the brain also experiences a rush of norepinephrine,
leading the brain to be alert
and focused as well as prepared for the
rush of dopamine. After going through
the routine multiple times, the brain and
body get familiar with the rush, which
kick-starts a bad habit that is hard to
break.
Pornography has effects on individual
after individual. While there is a difference
between the way men and women
express their sexuality, both are able to
fall into addiction. In addition, Biola
alumnus Jacob Keeth reflects on the lack
of differences between men and women
who struggle with porn addiction.
“We need to do away with the false
dichotomy that ‘men are visual and
women are feelers, they just want human
connection, men want physicality.’ That
is a gross oversimplification of gender
and biological difference between men
and women,” Keeth said. “Physiologically,
psychologically speaking men and
women are different. The Bible, too, affirms
gender difference. However, when
it comes to pornography, men and women
are far more similar, I believe, than
what we’re often willing to consider.”
29
Physical needs have little to do with the
matter of porn addiction. The needs are
deeply rooted in emotional triggers. The
physical urgency for affection, love or
possibly control are what ultimately drives
the viewer. In an article from Psychology
Today, people who have developed an
addiction to porn are stunted in emotional
maturity because of their tendency
in attempting to fill a mental void. The
emotional isolation that comes with consistently
viewing explicit content lessens
the possibility of being able to register
the reality of intimacy when it comes to
sexual encounters outside of a computer
screen.
Culturally, men are more susceptible to
watching porn, and for this reason there
are more resources for men to seek help.
The normalization of “locker room talk”
and misogynistic language amongst men
has enabled the behavior of hypersexuality.
The violence in porn is known to tweak
the wiring in men’s brains, according to
Fight the New Drug. Eventually, the brain
gets used to the stimulation and will crave
something else. Usually, this equates to
something even more violent, such as
“Christians cannot
lift one another up
if they allow shame to
overshadow forgiveness.”
sexual assault and rape culture, as found
in a study done by Fight the New Drug.
When women are objectified and abused
in media, it prompts men to treat women
with less respect.
While the issue of pornography addiction
is mostly seen as a man’s problem, there
have been a growing number of women
sharing about their own struggles. Junior
elementary education major Meagan
Chung weighs in on this assumption.
“I think over the years it has been seen
as a ‘man’s sin.’ But it truly is a problem
and sin for both men and women. Also,
I think society paints women as innocent
and pure which adds to the shame that a
woman may feel when they are faced with
an addiction to porn. It makes it harder
to reach out for help or even confess that
they have a problem,” Chung said.
The societal influence Chung discusses extends
to women not being seen as sexual
beings unless they are being objectified,
confessing an addiction to pornography
as a woman can be agonizing. Society
assumes men to unapologetically express
their sexuality, which creates an imbalance
between the expectations placed on men
and women. This toxic expectation also
affects the message preached in church
youth groups. Growing up, children are
taught a polarized contrast between the
male and female expression of sexuality.
Boys are taught that it is bad to watch
porn, but they will be forgiven. Girls
are taught not let boys touch them, and
they will lose their purity if it happens.
These messages mean well, but they taint
children’s view of sexuality and push them
into a shameful corner when someone
mentions the word, “porn.”
The deafening silence around the subject
of porn in the church has done much
more harm than help. Lisa Igram, Dean
of Student Wellness, shared some valuable
advice to those combating addiction.
“No habit can stop cold turkey. By the
grace and power of God, maybe it can.
But that’s generally not how our brains
and bodies work. Let’s say last month,
you gave in five or six times. This month,
you can shoot for fewer times. That’s not
giving yourself permission to do it three
or four times instead but just go through
each day,” Igram said. “I think so much
of the shame comes from falling short
and then starting the cycle over again. Just
because you fell that one time after two
weeks of refraining doesn’t mean you’re
done for. It means you have the opportunity
to start over again the next day
because the Lord’s mercies are new every
morning.”
Men and women of all ages need to be
equipped with ways to flee temptation and
not be expected to figure it out on their
own. Silence on a topic does not mean it
will disappear, it probably means it will
get worse. To put people to shame when
they are struggling creates an atmosphere
of distrust. As the body of Christ, we are
called to edify each other. We cannot lift
one another up if we are allowing shame
to overshadow forgiveness. When God
called for Adam and Eve in the garden,
they immediately hid. Bound in fig leaves
and shame, they did not understand the
concept of grace. Do not let yourself be
covered in guilt, but allow grace to meet
you where you are at.
30
31
Writer: Rachel Gaugler
Story Editor: Megan Josep
Photographer: Eliana Park &
Victoria Orozco
Designer: Nichole Landon
Cultural appropriation, whitewashing,
stereotyping, ethnocentrism.
When discussing
the representation of different cultures
in media, these terms are prevalent
throughout interviews, statistics, real-life
stories, and the mindsets of producers,
writers, and directors in the industry.
From Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming”
to Netflix’s “To All the Boys
I’ve Loved Before,” the film industry
aims to entertain the audience by
telling stories of “relatable” characters
and plots. But, how relatable can they
be when they represent one aspect of
society?
A study on “Racial and Gender Differences
in the Relationship Between Children’s
Television Use and Self-Esteem,”
revealed that for every hour of television
consumed by children, the self-esteem of
black children and white girls significantly
lowered while the self-esteem of
white boys increased. There becomes no
question as to why when superheroes are
mostly white men.
Abel Vang, Assistant Professor in the
Biola Cinema and Media Arts Department,
recounted his own childhood
experience.
“When you’re a kid you don’t see color.
I love Spiderman, I love Batman, I love
Superman, but as I grew up, I thought,
‘Wait, Superman doesn’t look like me.
Superman looks like that other kid
over there.’ You feel like your value
isn’t worth as much as some other guys
because they’re the heroes on the screen
and the cool people on TV,” Vang said.
Why is it that Hollywood is fixed on the
notion that whites make up the majority
when demographically
To Be Seen on the
Big Screen
32
33
34
America is changing?
A study called, “Beyond Black and White:
Metropolitan residential segregation in
multi-ethnic America,” found that the
number of Hispanics, African-Americans,
Pacific Islanders, and American Indians
have grown more rapidly than the white
population in the last few decades. This is
mainly due to the increase in children of
color and the decrease of white children in
the United States.
The lack of total representation in film consequently
makes individuals feel invisible.
When the big screen is a reflection of how
individuals view society, it is vital that it is
wholly inclusive and accurate, as Associate
Professor of Cinema and Media Arts Lisa
Swain believes.
As author of “Reel Inequality: Hollywood
Actors and Racism,” Sociology Department
chair and Associate Professor of Sociology
Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen shared on representation
in media. In a Huffington Post
article, she stated how the recent representation
of Asian-Americans in film is a
huge step forward for minorities. Growing
up Asian-American, Yuen found it difficult
to relate to her favorite movies because the
main lead never looked like her. She was
pleasantly surprised this past August when
the main character of a Netflix romantic
comedy featured an Asian-American female
lead.
“It makes a real difference when the protagonist
looks like you. When I saw ‘To All the
Boys I’ve Loved Before,’ I felt seen for the
first time in a rom-com,” Yuen said in her
article.
However, there is still a great disparity
between the representation of white people
and people of color in film. In a study
called, “Inequality in 900 Popular Films,”
statistics revealed that, in terms of invisibility,
a total of 25 of the top 100 films of 2016
did not feature a single African-American
or black speaking character on screen. A
total of 54 films were completely absent of
Latino speaking characters. Forty-four films
were missing any Asian or Asian-American
speaking characters. These findings also
highlight that many of said roles portrayed
by people of color are minor roles and
afflicted with stereotypes that minorities
cannot escape.
Films continue to be plagued with stereotypes
attached to people of color and
women. No matter the genre, minorities
quickly and frequently become criminals,
terrorists, sexual objects or sidekicks to white
heroes and whitewashed characters. When
films influence societal perceptions, these
stereotypes can become dangerous and
detrimental to one’s identity.
“Media is so influential in what we believe
in society. Culture plays a huge role in our
stories. It is important to represent these
stories that are untold,” said Michelle La,
actress in the feature film “Searching.”
The lack of total
representation in
film consequently
makes individuals
feel invisible.
A problem arises when these stories are not
only untold but told wrong. Each story is
unique to one’s culture and deserves to be
heard correctly. However, the harsh cycle
continues. How can one’s story be heard
correctly when they are not even given the
chance to be told?
Among Biola film professors, including
Vang, Swain and Associate Professor Dean
Yamada, there is a consensus that change
will come only when Hollywood stops
limiting actors of color to one-dimensional
characters. In order to fight these stereotypes,
Hollywood needs to produce more
films that feature people of color.
“You’re going to need a whole body of films
in order to represent any one community.
Because we are not given the chance to
showcase people of color, there are not
enough films. Even if one comes out, it
only represents the community through one
lens,” Vang said.
There are so many different kinds of films
starring white people that the Caucasian
community is seen through myriad lenses.
Consequently, stereotypes cannot harm
white culture since there are ample opportunities
given to represent other aspects of
it. People of color are not given the same
chance.
“If you’re a minority, you’re always fighting
stereotypes,” La said.
It is necessary to create more three-dimensional
characters of color in a larger body
of films. Ultimately, the question of whether
or not these stories are told falls into the
hands of producers, directors and writers.
But, when the ladder to the top is scarcely
extended to people of color, the responsibility
falls on to those who are already in these
positions to speak up for their community.
“As an Asian-American filmmaker, I think
that our representation ultimately falls into
our hands. If I want that story, I have to get
out there and do it,” Vang said.
Individuals in power need to initiate change.
Only then will viewers start to see themselves
on the big screen.
“Not only did we see movies such as ‘Crazy
Rich Asians,’ ‘Searching’ and ‘To All the
Boys I’ve Loved Before,’ but we saw them
do well. Money talks in the industry. When
these films make money, Hollywood listens
and will continue to make them,” Yamada
said.
We need to be open to seeing how others
who are different from us live life from a
completely different cultural lens. We must
strive to be inclusive, encouraging and supportive.
We, as a community, need to break
down cultural barriers, fight stereotypes and
take a risk by representing everyone in film.
Television is no longer in black and white. It
is time we recognize the beauty of its color.
It is time we see the Lara Jeans in films
instead of focusing on the Peter Kavinskys.
35
World-changer.
Life-impacter.
Culture-bridger.
MAKE AN IMPACT ON YOUR
GENERATION — BOTH LOCALLY
AND GLOBALLY.
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS:
B.A. in Anthropology
B.A. in Intercultural Studies
Minor in Archaeology
Minor in Intercultural Studies
Minor in TESOL
Certificate in TESOL
To learn more about majors and programs at Biola
University’s Cook School of Intercultural Studies, visit
biola.edu/cook.
therapist
professor
visionary
Dr. David Van Dyke
Chair, IL MFT Licensure & Disciplinary Board
Commissioner, COAMFTE
Dr. Van Dyke sees human suffering and
healing through the lens of relationships.
Our faculty develop the whole person
to foster new possibilities for personal,
professional, and relational growth. Train
with visionaries in the field to pursue one
of the fastest growing careers through the
M.A. In Marriage & Family Therapy.
The Marriage and Family Therapy program at
Wheaton College is accredited by the Commission
on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy
Education (COAMFTE), 112 South Alfred Street,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 703.838.9808, coa@
aamft.org
wheaton.edu/MFT
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