by Jake Morgan | Jul 29, 2010 | News Slider, Opinion
There are currently over 27 million people enslaved around the world. This might seem like an outrageous statistic, but it is shockingly true. Earlier this afternoon I had conversation with a coworker who’s coordinating a mission trip to work with female victims of sex trafficking. It was at this moment I extemporaneously spurted out a statement which I believe stands true to injustice. With all the pain and suffering slavery throws into our world, there’s a triumphant opening for ministry and reconciliation. That’s where heroic bodies like International Justice Mission (IJM), World Vision, and The Polaris Project come in for a landing. As former President of Lipscomb University’s IJM Campus Chapter, I’m the most familiar with International Justice Mission’s work against the darkness of slavery and human trafficking, which brings me to an noble, innovative project known as “5 Weeks For Freedom.” This summer, IJM is sponsoring a cycling team of dedicated justice seekers as they peddle their way along the trail of the Underground Railroad. The team departed a historic slave port in Mobile, AL several weeks ago and they’ve been riding through triple digit temperatures and high humidity ever since, recruiting people to cause of combatting slavery at every stop. This weekend the justice cyclers made their stop in Music City to continue the campaign. The riders arrived on Friday, July 9th to find a welcoming group of excited supporters. The following night, IJM hosted Freedom Night at Belmont Church so the riders could share testimonies and experiences from the road. Along with a great Q & A session, the folks at IJM scored musical artists Christa...
by Chris Shappley | Jun 22, 2010 | Opinion
For more than a decade Disney and Pixar have enchanted the world with some of the best animation in the history of cinema. After teaming up for 11 films to date, they have only misfired once — that being the incredibly generic Cars. But for the most part, Pixar has had the ability to deliver classic after classic on an annual basis. This has never been more clear than with their most recent film Toy Story 3. Unlike Toy Story 2, the third one doesn’t pick up where the previous one left off. We are immediately thrust into a world very different from the previous films. Andy is getting ready for college and Woody, Buzz and the other toys are dealing with a reality where they aren’t played with anymore. And after a couple of instances of bad luck they find themselves donated to Sunnyside Day Care. At first, this new location seems as though it will be a new start for the toys. They will have kids wanting to play with them all day every day. But when they are relocated to a room with kids much too young to be playing with them, their new home becomes one of terror. Thus sets the plot of trying to escape Sunnyside and make it back to Andy’s house before Andy leaves for college. Pixar succeeds where many other animation studios fail. Toy Story 3 introduces several new characters with their individual quirks and personalities. These characters have a certain depth that may be lost on some of the younger viewers, but makes the experience worthwhile for the older kids like myself who...
by Chris Shappley | Jun 7, 2010 | Opinion
Tennessee has always had a reputation as a place to hear great music. I know this well: I grew up in Memphis. In Memphis, it was common to see Elvis impersonators around the city. In fact, Presley’s home, Graceland, is the second-most visited house in the country behind The White House. And if you are looking for he real flavor of the city, stroll down Beale Street and listen to classic blues music no matter what time of day. Going to school at Lipscomb in Nashville has provided me with yet another type of music experience. And it’s not just the difference between Memphis blues and Nashville’s country music scene. While Memphis is a city known for its musical heritage, Nashville is known for its musical present, a place where where people from all over the world come to break into the music business. And it’s not just country music; it’s also rock, pop and more. However, in the last nine years Tennessee has garnered a reputation for another kind of musical experience: the music festival. Oh sure, there’s the big CMA festival here in Nashville, but that is an outgrowth of the long-time Fan Fair country music festival. The type of music festival I’m talking about here is one word that has come to describe an experience: “Bonnaroo.” That modern — rock, hip-hop, country and more — music festival takes place only 50 minutes away in Manchester, Tenn. What began as sort of a jam-band celebration in 2002 has evolved. In its ninth year has become one of the biggest and most diverse music festivals in the world....
by Chris Shappley | Jun 7, 2010 | Opinion
Lipscomb had a unique opportunity last week to host the Christian Scholars Conference, during which scholars from all over the country descended upon the campus to hear panel discussions and speeches on theology, art, racism and many other topics. But what may have been the highlight of the conference was not a panel or speech, but a play. John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt has been performed on stages all over the country, and has even been turned into a major motion picture starring such masters as Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. But last week, it was Lipscomb’s Mike Fernandez, chair of the Theater Department, who took the director’s role. Directing such a renowned play is probably trying, but when you add the fact that Shanley himself was in attendance for the opener, it’s obvious that it was a taxing — if rewarding — time for Fernandez. I’m happy to report that Doubt was performed without a hitch. And while the play was well directed and acted, the best part of the evening came after the curtain closed that first night. That’s when the talk-back began. Shanley and the cast and designers, including Fernandez, talked openly to audience about what the experience of putting on Doubt meant to them. The audience was able to ask questions, and most of them were directed towards Shanley. It was great to hear from Shanley how he took experiences from his childhood to help him write the play. In a moment of bluntness, Shanley tried to describe what it was like seeing his play being performed at Lipscomb. He said, in so many words,...
by Priya Pappu | May 13, 2010 | Opinion
Automatic paper towel dispensers are everywhere, but have you ever given them any thought? Watch as Lipscomb students and faculty tell what they think about them. Click to expand the video...
