by Tim Ghianni | Jun 15, 2010 | News Slider
With red-hot Lady Antebellum as the closers, the Grand Ole Opry’s second visit to Allen Arena tonight promises to be memorable. Allen Arena became one of the flood-relief homes of the Grand Ole Opry on June 5, when the world’s longest continuously running radio show arrived at Lipscomb University. And tonight the music fills the arena again. The Opry House was damaged severely in the May 1-May 2 floods that devastated parts of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. The Opry House will be repaired and is scheduled to reopen in the autumn, and the show can return to its home. But for now the Opry wanders around Nashville and demonstrates that the music – not the structure — is the heart of the iconic broadcast. While waiting for the repairs to be completed at the Grand Ole Opry House, the broadcast is setting up shop in such sites as Two Rivers Baptist Church, War Memorial Auditorium, the Ryman Auditorium (which regularly houses the show during the winter months), TPAC’s Jackson Hall, Municipal Auditorium and the Allen Arena. Prior to the first visit by the Opry to Lipscomb, Pete Fisher, Grand Ole Opry vice president and general manager, expressed excitement at adding Allen Arena to the list of places that can call the venerable show “home.” “The Grand Ole Opry is looking forward to presenting ‘The Show That Made Country Music Famous’ at Allen Arena,” he said before the June 5 show. ”We are grateful for the hospitality that Lipscomb University has extended to us. In its 85-year history, the Opry has only a handful of homes and we are excited...
by Jackson Sprayberry | Jun 15, 2010 | News Slider
From how the powers and principalities of the world influence the Christians’ role in the play of the world, to finding a story in the world, to how Christians should act in this play put on by the world, attendees of the conference were enlightened on the importance of a relationship between Christianity and the arts. Perhaps one of the most thought-provoking and penetrating insights was delivered by Dana Gioia, a former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. He set out to show the decrease of the Christian’s influence in writing today as compared to the mid-century. “If speaking of [mid-century] literature, you couldn’t do it without mentioning devout Christians,” he said. The names he referenced were those of Flannery O’Conner, Tennessee Williams, Thomas Merton, J.R. Tolken, C.S. Lewis, and Robert Fitzgerald. “All of these individuals identified with Christianity, even though Christianity wasn’t the most prominent idea of their time,” he said. He asserted that while Christians once actively participated, and more importantly influenced, literary review. In the eyes of Gioia, this is no longer true. He sees a group of writers who are Christians but won’t claim their identity in a positive light because they stand to gain nothing. “Society has little to no use for Christianity,” he said. He declared that we as Christians have “ceded the arts to secular culture,” which was a “radical departure from the Christian tradition,” and has left society, “without a transcendent vision.” And because of this departure, Gioia sees a spiritually impoverished society. Gioia adamantly asserted that he wasn’t suggesting all art should have a Christian influence, but rather,...
by Jackson Sprayberry | Jun 14, 2010 | News Slider
Lipscomb University’s EU and You program is a Law, Justice & Society sponsored, global learning trip to the European Union. This 10 day trip allows students to visit four EU member counties – including the cities of London, Paris, Brussels, and Geneva – and explore the differences and similarities between American and European societal issues and the approaches taken to solve or improve those issues. Watch the group’s entire journey through the capitals of...
by Allison Woods | Jun 9, 2010 | News Slider
The diversity of the plenary addresses helped the Christian Scholar’s Conference stir conversation and challenge boundaries of perception. John Elkins and John Patrick Shanley both typified their speaking experiences during the weekend gathering at Lipscomb as pleasantly surprising. Neither artist knew much about his potential audience prior to coming here, but they both said the offer to speak at Lipscomb was too intriguing to ignore. A Church of Christ audience is not often presented to these two seasoned speakers. This year’s conference focused on all areas of the fine arts. Elkins opened the entire weekend of scholarship with a look at art and religion. “Two worlds that were once inseparable but have become estranged.” said Laura Lake Smith, chair of the Art Department, describing the reason for the weekend-long examination. Elkins’ invitation was triggered by his book on religious art. He wrote a book blurring the lines on what it means to combine religion and art. His speech was based on his arguments in the book. He talked about the art critics’ immediate dismissal of anything overtly religious. However, Elkins presented criteria for the art world’s acceptance of work that has religious undertones, even claiming that some artists are subconsciously religious. One marquee name — Thomas Kinkade — has been dismissed because he includes an overt statement with his work. Other artists like him similarly are cast aside from serious consideration because of their overtly religious statements. “The difference between conservative and progressive art schools [is based on] their opinion of Kinkade,” Elkins said. Elkins claims that one reason religion and art have been separated is because the topic is not presented in any mediums. Magazines and journals, textbooks, and...
by Allison Woods | Jun 9, 2010 | News Slider
ADVANCE 2010 Updates! June 17-18 We’re looking forward to having you on campus for Advance! Please check out this information. You will receive a final schedule when you arrive on campus; you can see the tentative schedule here! To add family participants, please contact Stacey Lusk (advance@lipscomb.edu; 1-800-333-4358, ext. 5690; or 615-966-5690) as soon as possible. It is very important that we have you and your parents’ up-to-date information before you come so we can be prepared for everyone. Also, please let Mrs. Lusk know if you or your parents have dietary restrictions. * Academics: All Advance 2010 students must be approved for admission before attending Advance. Please read the Advance Handbook online and work out 2 trial schedules for fall classes. Bringing 2 trial schedules with you to Advance will help you A LOT. You will also need to have your Lipscomb user name (Admissions sent it to you when you were accepted) and your password. You can look up your username and set your password at http://passwordreset.lipscomb.edu. (Click on Forgot Username and enter requested information.) – Information Technology Proficiency Requirement: All new students who have fewer than 95 earned credit hours are required to take a test examining knowledge of basic computer concepts and proficiency in the elementary use of computer application software. The ITP can be taken while you are here for Advance, during QuestWeek or during fall semester (plan on two hours to complete the test). To reserve a spot to take the test at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 18, please email your full name and L# to Mrs. Becky Tallon at becky.tallon@lipscomb.edu. You will also need to register for the ITP when you register...
by Brittney Kerbo | Jun 9, 2010 | News Slider
“One country, two systems” became real when we arrived in Hong Kong. Practically everything from our surroundings to the spoken languages to the standard of living had drastically changed. DAY FIVE – Sunday, May 23 We left our hotel in Beijing and headed to the airport at 4:30am. We met our new guide, David, at the airport and loaded the bus to head straight for our hotel. We immediately noticed that we were boarding the bus on the “wrong” side. Since Hong Kong was under British control until 1997, European influences can be seen, namely driving on the left side of the road. In addition, the landscape wasn’t what many of us expected. We were surrounded by water and lush, green mountains. Our first stop after dropping our things at the hotel was Victoria’s Peak. Since we were staying on Kowloon Island, we took our first of many 5-minute ferry rides to officially reach Hong Kong. The ride up the mountain was steep and curvy, and the view from the top showed us the skyline in which we’d be spending the next four days (including The Dark Knight building). That night we gathered at the shore to watch the Symphony of Lights across the water. The show occurs every night across the Hong Kong Island skyline and includes synchronized music, lights, and lasers. It’s definitely a spectacle in itself, and all the colors reflecting off the water only make it more spectacular. DAY SIX – Monday, May 24 We began our string of company visits with Prudential Asia. “Pru” is a 160 year-old international retail financial services group headquartered...
