by David Ball | Nov 4, 2011 | News Slider
For American Christians, it can be all too easy to forget how God has blessed us so much with our country. Despite all the problems and issues our nation is undergoing, we still have the freedom to be Christians. We do not face life or death persecution for our faith on a daily basis. However, there are many people, Christians, who are faced with certain death if they are found out to be Christians. Many of us here at Lipscomb have no idea what it’s really like to face such harsh persecution because of our faith. There are some students on campus, however, who do know first hand. Here is one of Lipscomb’s own and her story on what that kind of Christian life is like. Shaman Alavi grew up and lived in Iran until four years ago when her family, in her own words, miraculously moved out of Iran and settled in the Nashville area. Shaman’s childhood for the most part was not all that different from a typical young American. She grew up with her mom and dad and younger brother, and as a young girl, she spent her time going to school and moving from town to town depending on her father’s work. Her father was a doctor and frequently moved from city to city to help provide care for those in low income areas. Iran, however, for the past 30 years, has been subject to an Islamic Republic. In this type of government citizens are to follow Islamic Law, and over the years, this government has stripped away freedoms Iranians previously enjoyed before the Islamic take-over in 1979. “There is no...
by Hunter Patterson | Oct 31, 2011 | News Slider
Senior law, justice and society major Brett Flener was arrested on Friday night along with 26 other protesters on Legislative Plaza as part of the Occupy Nashville movement. The arrest was captured on video by Nashville Scene reporter Jonathan Meador. The video is currently making its rounds on YouTube. At the :06 mark you hear Meador introduce himself as a reporter with the Nashville Scene to the protestors At the :13 mark Brett Flener, the Lipscomb student, introduces himself At :22, an office, over a bullhorn, tells the protestors that their “time is up” (the new Plaza curfew is at 10:00 p.m. with 10 minutes given to demonstrators to leave the area) At :26, you hear a protestor say, “they are approaching!” At :35, the trooper, pictured above, approaches Meador At :38, Meador, tells the trooper that he is “getting off” several times At :40, Meador is told that he is under arrest, and at the same time, Meador exclaims that he is a member of the media At :45, the trooper tells Meador that he “had his time” At :46 The troopers tells Meador that he is “resisting arrest” At :54, the initial trooper tells a fellow officer to “tell him when you get him up there, charge him with resisting arrest” At 1:10 you hear a very distinct sound of handcuffs clasping around Meador’s wrists At 1:38, the officer tells Meador, or “Hoss” at this point apparently, that the camera is going in his pocket The group was released later that evening by night court magistrate Tom Nelson. Earlier this month, senior Clay Smith gave us a video...
by Hunter Patterson | Oct 17, 2011 | News Slider
What do you see when you look at the Mona Lisa? Do you see a mediocre looking woman, or a wonderful, timeless piece of art? What about Jackson Pollock’s Nov. 5, 1948? Do you see the most expensive piece in art’s history or do you feel like the painting could have been done by one of us here at Lipscomb? Leo Tolstoy once wrote, “In order correctly to define art, it is necessary, first of all, to cease to consider it as a means to pleasure and to consider it as one of the conditions of human life. Viewing it in this way we cannot fail to observe that art is one of the means of intercourse between man and man.” Peep the video below to see what some of Lipscomb’s students thought art really was. Please upgrade your browser video by Brynn...
by Hunter Patterson | Sep 9, 2011 | News Slider
On the morning the Twin Towers fell 10 years ago, our futures became a little less certain, a little more stifled. The anxiety of those first weeks – when it felt like we were living on the brink – has eased, or at least, become so routine that we don’t recognize it for what it is anymore. After all, you can only mourn the loss of life-as-we-know-it for so long before deciding to embrace what is and finding a way to move forward. To understand this is to understand – at least in part – the story of the way students and teachers have adapted to change. The change that was and still is life after 9/11. I know that I don’t speak for myself when I say that the attack felt personal. It was in our faces, in our homes, on our TVs. And most importantly, inside of our own country – on our soil. That was the case for two of Lipscomb’s own – David Hughes, former Special Forces and now Director of the Yellow Ribbon program; and Jon Corley, a student that is a part of the program, set to graduate in May. The attacks on the country hit them so hard – like it did many others – that it was one of the defining reasons they joined the fight against America’s enemies. Jon was 16 when the attacks happened. He says his experience was very different from what most of us went through when the first plane hit the tower. Jon was home alone that day. He was in bed, sick, and was woken...
by Hunter Patterson | Aug 22, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
Hello faculty, friends and fellow students of Lipscomb University. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hunter Patterson, Lumination’s editor in chief. My staff and I are looking forward to a great year. Being at such a fine institution, we journalists have a lot of exciting stories to tell and events to chronicle. Whether it’s about one of our NCAA sports teams, professors publishing books or writing about one of our countless students who are impacting the world, we consider ourselves grateful. Like many of you, I am excited that school has started back. Also, I am excited that my peers have accepted me as editor of this news site that is truly for students and by students. It is our goal to make Lumination the place to visit when you want to know something about campus. Soon, we will have a calendar of events that you will be able to reference to know the dates of anything and everything that is happening on campus. We have also partnered with Lipscomb In Motion and the athletics department to keep you, the students, in the know. You know, informing you about the important stuff; chapel credits, t-shirts and most importantly, free food. I’d also like to thank you for visiting the site. I know that I speak for not only myself, but for the rest of my staff as well, when I say we all really appreciate it. I’d like you to invite you to follow us on Twitter, too: @luminationnet Here’s to a good year! You’ll be hearing from us quite often. ...