The Waltonian

For the past many years, the world has watched war and conflict engulf the Middle East. More recently, the Hamas attacks and consequential destruction of Gaza have been a constant headline. As these conflicts continue to spread and affect surrounding regions, we are reminded of the world’s brokenness. It is easy to forget the gravity of war and death when we are not the people who cannot escape it. In an attempt to bring our minds to our brothers and sisters overseas, I spoke with Charlie Costa, a leader of an international ministry organization (Baptist Missionary Association of America Global), serving refugees and local families in the Middle East.

As a Christian institution, it seems important that we honor our call to pray for one another faithfully. But, it is hard to pray for people you do not know, or for needs you do not understand . Hopefully some of these reflections from my conversation with Charlie Costa will help us reflect on how we can be praying for the Church in the midst of war.

“I’m based in Lebanon but my ministry is all over the Middle East…we focus on church planting…in the years I’ve been there we’ve planted 36 churches and in the process of planting nine more,” Costa said. It was really encouraging to us both to reflect on how the Lord has sustained his church in Lebanon and across the Middle East, even during this untable conflict. “War is bad. I don’t think two people can disagree about that…We realize that though war is bad, war is an opportunity also for us in the ministry,” Costa said. “As soon as the fighting got bad in Lebanon and people started leaving their homes and their villages, we immediately shifted into relief mode. When you shift into relief mode you start filling up boxes with food stuff and you start visiting refugee centers…we start doing things that help the refugees but also express the love of Christ, and obviously we share the gospel with them. There are things we do that we’re very stubborn about, for example, assistance and relief are not tied in any way; we do not tie them or connect them to whether the individual will sit and heat the gospel or not. We help them regardless of how they react or respond,” Costa, in order to clarify the real mission of BMA, which is serving vulnerable men and women, said.

I then asked how we can be praying for his ministry. “Let me sum it up for you in three words. I call them the three P’s of prayer. Number one, we want people to pray for perseverance. It is very hard to work under such circumstances…we’re tempted a lot of times to give up; we’re tempted to evacuate because of the danger; we’re tempted just to stay home and try to be safe. But what we need is perseverance, the constant desire that makes us go on despite all the challenges and dangers,” Costa, said. “Number two is protection…We believe that the angel of the Lord encompasses his children to protect them and to offer them encouragement when they are ready to give up,” Costa said. “The third P is provision. To work in these circumstances, funds are needed and some people will ask for funds- we do. We also want people to pray that God is his mercy, provision, and in his mercy, would provide for these needs,” Costa said.

If you are interested in giving to Charlie Costa’s ministry you can go to BMAglobal.com and follow links to ‘give’. Under this section there is a dropbox where you can give personally by putting in the name Charlie Costa, and including Middle East Relief in the notes. But, more than any material gift, Costa asks for prayers as his team works hard to meet the needs of displaced people across the Middle East.

Even as men, women and children of Gaza and Lebanon are displaced and engulfed in loss, Costa offers some profound reflections on God’s work in the midst of tragedy. “I always tell people look at the text of Acts chapter 8, I think it’s verse one where he tells about how those people because of persecution, and in our case because of war, have been dispsered. And those who have been dispersed went about preaching the gospel. Ever since the book of Acts that has been a reality and it gets repeated again and again. Nothing is lost in God’s providence, even when it looks bad for us because we get dispersed. God has a plan even for that, to use that for his glory,” Costa said.

As we enter the holiday season we are reminded of Christ’s love for us in sending his only son for our redemption. At the same time, we must faithfully remember the gravity of our call to love one another as we have been loved. We may not be able to fully alleviate the suffering of a broken world, but we know and believe that our God hears our prayers, and so we faithfully lift them up on behalf of the suffering church.

As we exit another election season, the American people are coming down from a constant state of political panic, myself included. It feels almost impossible to ignore the gravity of voting this year: what it means to have the right, and how to use it well. At the same time, perhaps I speak for a lot of us when I say that this is also a discouraging time. Our world is facing a number of crises. As a result, an evident disengagement and hopelessness appear prominent. Every time I turn on my TV, I am bombarded with images of Palestinian children lying in heaps of rubble, of Ukrainian women carrying their orphaned children, and of Lebanese towns blown to nothing. At home, my peers and I can barely afford gas or groceries, and issues on abortion, education, and immigration, continue to foster hateful division.

When people talk about the election, I find it’s usually because of this frustration about domestic and global affairs. We all want a solution, and we look expectantly to our new president. But, of course, these politicians cannot heal what is broken in our nation, and the world. The truth is, we are misguided in believing what either of them says about caring for the American people. In reality, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump do not care about you.

While this is a sad thought (though it shouldn’t be surprising), we still have some agency in how we respond. Perhaps the solution exists in us, and not in power-hungry authorities. We are a country of many broken systems (as most countries are), but we are also a broken people. Yes, our politicians are often immoral, but we, as a people, do not succeed in compensating.

Even in my own life, I have noticed this discrepancy. In my political rants to friends, there is a certain inconsistency in the politics I preach. I want a president who cares about the lives of immigrants, who cares for women when they have an unplanned pregnancy, and who cares about the people of our cities who cannot afford food. While I should want to have a president who adheres to these values, it is very likely that they won’t– what then? Do I give up until the next election comes around?

When it comes down to it, I see in myself a failure to do good. I don’t even make meals for my friends, let alone the hungry in Philadelphia. I don’t volunteer or support any women who are struggling with decisions about an unplanned pregnancy, even though I live in an area where this is not uncommon. I say that I care about my friends living in Ukraine, but I don’t even pray for them as often as I should, let alone support them in more material, tangible ways. I don’t do these things, but if I care so much about these issues at the ballot box, then maybe I should.

It is much easier to care about politics than it is to care about people. Perhaps this problem, inherent in who we are as a people, has to change before we look to a new administration. We as a people can still help the poor, or the hungry, if we care a little more about human kindness and less about political schisms and party lines. How would our country change, if we all saw that it is our responsibility to love our neighbor, and not some far removed task allotted to politicians who only care about winning elections? At the end of another election, do we actually care about loving our neighbor, or do we also only care about winning?

The point I want to make is that loving others is a responsibility we all have, no matter who our president is. In fact, the outcome of this election does not change the lack of compassion and love that seems to be prominent in our country. And though Harris and Trump are hateful towards one another at every opportunity, they reflect a populace that behaves the same way towards opposing neighbors and friends.

I am not advocating that we settle for anarchy- voting is a privilege, and participation in political life is not something we should take for granted. And when you vote next, think about your neighbor. However, a central part of our brokenness is our apathy, and that does not come from any politician, or political idea, no matter how controversial. All this sadness, and all this loss in our world, and yet we respond with so much more hate than when we began. I wonder how things might change if we decided that each of us, in whatever ways we are able, are just as responsible as the president to do the good we preach.

As students at a Christian institution, we often talk about the Bible in some capacity. That being said, we do so in a more generalized capacity. I wanted to hear from students about how they personally find comfort in God’s word, especially in times of suffering. “For me, it’s Hebrews 2:18. Because Christ himself suffered, he can help those who are suffering which is really comforting to think because there’s a lot of pain a lot of the time in the world. But, we can remember that Christ came into the world to participate in our pain so that he can help us when we are going through it,” Daniel Finegan, a junior Engineering major, said. “I love the entire book of Ecclesiastes because it makes absolutely no sense. So, you can read it a million different times and find new interpretations and new comforts about how life is a breath, and that suffering is not forever. Ecclesiastes is a book of poetry that’s very beautiful and very confusing and just a puzzle that’s waiting to be figured out, and I love that,” another student, Hannah Gerber, said.

“My favorite Bible verse is John 16:33,” sophomore Zoe Batzel said. In this passage we read an enduring message of comfort to the suffering Christian, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart. I have overcome the world.” Batzel then reflects on the passage’s influence on her own life. “I just think it’s a very good reminder that everything has already been figured out. I don’t need to figure it out. Bad things are going to happen but I am going to be ok,” Batzel, said. As we experience pain and trials of various kinds, it is comforting to be reminded of God’s enduring goodness.

On Sunday Sept. 16 2024, another assasination attempt on former president Donald Trump was reported. This time, the attempt took place while the presidential candidate was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach Florida. This comes as the second such attempt on the candidate’s life since he began his campaign for presidency earlier this year. At 1:30 p.m. EST shots were reported approximately 300-500 feet away from where the former president was golfing. The United States Secret Service responded quickly to the incident, managing to get the president off the scene, and successfully apprehending the suspect on I-95 headed toward Martin County. Authorities have since identified the shooter as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh. Routh has been active on various social media platforms, including X, before having his account suspended for politically charged content. Routh spent most of his time in North Carolina where he was convicted of numerous crimes including the possession of a weapon of mass destruction in 2002. Despite the attempt on his life, the president is alive and well according to local police enforcement. Donald Trump has since commented on the incident. “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL”, the former president in a statement, said. President Biden has also commented on the incident. “As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety” Biden, said. The attempt comes at a tumultuous political moment as both candidates prepare for the upcoming November election. While it is unclear whether or not this act of political violence will be the last, it sets a precarious presedent as the former president continues his campaign.

Incredibly, we live in a world so vast and beautiful; a world brimming with wondrous things. It sounds cliche to talk about the world as if it isn’t also a difficult and broken place. Yet, beauty surprises me, especially when the darkness of the world tries to obscure it. Whales embody the surprising ways in which Beauty seeps into our lives as a gift of grace. I have never seen a whale in person, but learning about them has shown me God’s goodness as if they themselves were the teachers of a beautiful theology.

For one, I find it hard to listen to a whale’s song or watch footage of it swimming and not believe that there is a God. This is coming from a person who was not always a believing Christian. A Blue Whale, the largest animal on the planet, can fit 100 people in its mouth, yet it can only swallow something the size of a grapefruit, or a medium-sized beach ball. I could never conceive of such a thing. No power, or imagination of mine, could create such a complex creature. Whales confront me with the magnificence of God in the face of my own limitations.

Needless to say, if I encountered a whale while swimming in the ocean I would be terrified. Blue Whales can grow to be almost 100 feet long, and I am barely 5 feet 5 inches tall myself. I imagine the experience of meeting God face to face to be a somewhat similar experience. You cannot help but stand in awe of something so powerful and magnificent. Of course, whales are not God, but their design reveals their creator. Whales do not just affirm the existence of God, but also His goodness and His creativity.

The fun facts about whales are endless. The Bowhead Whale can live to be over 200 years old. That would make many of its kind older than the United States. Whale songs can be heard from over 100 km away underwater, making their songs the loudest calls in the ocean. A lion’s roar pales in comparison.

That being said, whales, like all beautiful things, exist in a world that is broken. But, beauty shines like a beacon into our darkness. This image is found throughout scripture. To connect this idea to our subject we can first examine the nature of water, the whales’ home, in the biblical narrative The image of water is used to convey chaos and disruption. We can see this encapsulated in the story of Noah and the ark. Before God established the cosmic order in Genesis 1:2, we are also told that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (ESV). It seems that the Biblical authors are intending to make a contrast between the image of water, and the order of the creation to come. We see also in the New Testament, that storms at sea are a formidable thing brought about by the unpredictability of water. And yet, in the midst of this chaos, there is this order and intentional design in the form of a whale.

In fact, their design is so complex we can only scratch the surface of their biology. In the midst of suffering and disruption, God offers us glimpses of hope and reassurance. The natural world is broken, yet it is also mingled with magnificent beauty as we wait for the fulfillment of our hope. I see whales as an image of the divine imprinted on the world. This image seeps into how we view the rest of God’s good creation. If whales are so incredible, how much more beautiful must we be, as bearers of our creator’s image?

You may say that it is not that deep and that whales are just animals that live on the same planet as us. But, let them surprise you; let beauty surprise you. I find that whales, and the beauty of creation, point to Christ in a way that no devotional ever could.

Growing up in Athens Greece, a primarily Orthodox country, the sound of Byzantine chants mingled with the smell of incense in the city air was not uncommon. But, despite my country’s religious affinity, my church was far from liturgical. Now, years later, I find myself ignorant of these traditions, but I don’t feel that I have to fully understand them to see their beauty. So, if you grew up in a denomination where these musical traditions meant something to you on a much deeper level than what I can grasp, know that I am well aware of my ignorance and mean no offense in what will certainly be an oversimplified understanding of this Christian tradition.

Simone Weil writes that “A Gregorian melody is as powerful a witness as the death of a martyr.” Whenever I take the time to listen to Gregorian or Byzantine chants I can’t help but feel more attentive toward God’s grace. This isn’t because I feel that God is more present in my reality when these melodies are playing in my headphones, but because I feel more attentive to the reality of God. I am a person who is easily distracted. When I pray, my mind tends to wander to all the things that I am worried about, and all the work I feel I should be doing. But, in those moments when I’m listening to these musical pieces, I cannot help but contemplate the divine.

The unity of the voices, and the uniqueness of the melody, imply a certain reverence or holiness. There is something set apart about this style of music, and I feel when I listen, that I am participating in something both outside and inside myself. Whether or not you know what a chant is, I believe that there is beauty to be seen in it, and that like all beauty in this world, points towards the harmony of a perfect God–-a beautiful creator.

By: Lenora Kirkland

On March 12 of this year, Americans reset their clocks as daylight savings time begins once again. The change has sparked significant controversy across the United States, most notably amongst scientists and politicians who can’t quite seem to agree about the long term implications of the time change.

In 2022, a bill known as the Sunshine Protection Act was passed in the United States, marking a bi partisan shift in how daylight savings time is addressed by the American government. This act would make daylight savings time permanent, a move that has received significant amounts of support from both Democrats and Republicans.

On March 15, 2022, the bill was unanimously passed in the Senate, though the same progress has yet to be made in the House of Representatives. Almost a year after the bill was first passed, its future remains uncertain as scientific and economic divisions threaten to prevent its progress.

Those in the scientific community have argued that standard time should be made permanent instead of daylight savings. Case studies and research into the long term effects of losing an hour of sleep each night have been referenced as counter arguments to the proposed change. The issue has been studied extensively, proving that a continual lack of sleep can have many negative consequences including higher risk of heart disease, a leading cause of death amongst Americans. However, permanently resorting to standard time does pose some problems that warrant significant consideration.

Many have argued that the extra hour is essential to the continual maintenance and growth of the American economy. Having an extra hour of daylight in the evening encourages more spending on recreational activities best enjoyed during daylight hours. It also has the potential to limit the number of car accidents since the hours of drivers visibility are extended.

Overall the future of daylight savings remains uncertain. For now, all we can do is take an extra nap or two as we recover from our one hour loss of sleep.

Sources: CNN, Time

By: Lenora Kirkland

On Feb. 1, just before a critical diplomatic meeting between U.S. representative Antony J. Blinken and Chinese president Xi Jinping, a Chinese spy balloon was spotted hovering over American airspace.

The balloon was first identified flying over Montana, moving east to where it was eventually shot down off the coast of South Carolina. The balloon flew over the United States for a full seven days before it was eventually shot down by the U.S. military.

Many Republican Congress members continue to criticize the Biden administration for its delayed response to the threat; however, reasons have been given for this inaction. Due to the size and composition of the balloon, the U.S. government was fearful that should the balloon be destroyed, debris from the explosion would harm civilians below. As a result, the military chose to shoot it down only after it had reached the Atlantic Ocean.

In light of this Chinese breach of American airspace, the talks that were set to occur between these two nations, have been postponed. It remains unclear whether or not the meeting will be rescheduled, or simply canceled altogether. This poses a severe blow to Chinese-American relations, which have been consistently complex, especially since China’s decision to support Russia in the Ukrainian war.

Congress is also divided over its understanding of the balloon’s set intent. Although the Chinese government has claimed that the balloon was being used for weather research, few are convinced that this is true.

That being said, the contents left over from the balloon are currently being analyzed to determine its exact purpose. “If you look at the path, and you put X’s where all our sensitive missile defense and nuclear weapons facilities are, I believe that they were trying to gain information on how to defeat the command and control of our nuclear weapons systems and our missile defense systems. That’s a crisis,” Mike Turner, Ohio representative and Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee said.

The affair has most certainly placed U.S. and Chinese relations in a place of uncertainty, as citizens of both countries, and of the world, begin to wonder how this issue will be resolved.

Sources: NPR, Time

By: Lenora Kirkland

As the war in Ukraine persists, international support continues to rise as citizens of the world join the Ukrainian people in mourning the devastating effects of this year-long conflict. Despite daunting circumstances Ukrainians continue to fight against Russian advancements, exhibiting resilience that has been globally recognized and commended.

Recently, there has been an uptake in international aid for the Ukrainian war effort, notably from the United States in the form of military training. On Jan. 10 Biden announced that the country will be hosting trainings in Fort Sill, Oklahoma for Ukrainian soldiers. In terms of financial aid, the United States government has now contributed over 54 billion dollars to the Ukrainian war effort.

The breakdown of these funds shows financial support for Ukrainian refugees, and for European nations suffering from the burden of oil dependency and sanctions with Russia. Private donors in the United States also continue to be at the forefront of American support for Ukraine. These donations have been sourced from NGOs, wealthy companies and even churches, from across the country. Other nations in the EU, and surrounding areas, are also supplying weapons and tanks to the war effort. The U.K. has committed a Challenger 2 tank to Ukraine, which is set to place the country at a significant military advantage as they fight against Russian attacks.

Last month, Ukrainian prime minister Zelensky made a visit to the United States to meet with President Biden. Their talks resulted in an increase in U.S. aid, and a re-established national commitment to Ukrainian defense. Russia has responded by criticizing the talks, warning that they may cause an unwanted escalation. Peace was not a topic discussed during these meetings, which has also been heavily criticized by Moscow. According to an interview conducted by BBC with Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, “The talks in Washington have shown that neither Ukraine nor the United States is seeking peace. They are simply intent on continuing the fighting.”

European countries continue to offer up their support and condolences for the people of Ukraine, though some argue that certain nations are not doing enough for their Ukrainian neighbors. German chancellor Olaf Scholz has been hesitant to give direct military aid, a decision that has been criticized by other EU member states as the country continues to depend on Russian oil for the maintenance of their economy. NATO has also joined the EU in its criticism of Germany’s foreign policy towards Ukraine. Although Germany has remained hesitant to supply tanks to Ukraine, they have been continual supporters of the Ukrainian war effort through other worthwhile means.

Despite the support of her allies, and the courage of her people, Ukraine continues to suffer devastating military defeats and high casualties. On Jan. 16, a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro resulted in a climbing death toll of at least 40 people.Two days later a helicopter crashed into a local kindergarten in Brovary Ukraine, hospitalizing 25 people, including 11 children. The incident has resulted in numerous casualties including three Ukrainian officials, interior minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy Yevheniy Yenin and Yurii Lubkovych, Ukraine’s state secretary. The cause of the disaster remains unclear, with officials saying it’s too soon to tell.

Sources: BBC, NBC, New York Times

By: Lenora Kirkland

Laos is a small country in Southeast Asia, home to a population of just 7.4 million people. It’s also the most bombed country, per capita, in world history.

The Cold War brought about numerous conflicts abroad, as the United States and its allies rallied around fierce anti-communist policies. One of these conflicts, having originated in Vietnam, spread to Laos and the surrounding areas as early as the 1960s. Estimates show that up to two million tons of cluster bombs were dropped on Laos during the Cold War era, despite the country’s declaration of neutrality. This number is greater than all the bombs dropped during World War II combined.

The Johnson and Nixon administrations were at the forefront of these illegal missions, often bypassing congressional approval to execute their military advances. The American campaign in Laos was not revealed to the public until 1971, but by then it was already too late. The effects of American action in Laos would continue to have a monumental impact on the lives of the Laotian people for generations to come.

Fearful of an uncertain war on the ground, the United States decided to fight communist forces in Southeast Asia from above. The country’s main aim was to destroy their enemy’s supply chain through the destruction of the Ho Chi Minh trail, which stretched through areas of Laos. As a result, Laos suffered significant military attacks in what would be known as the United States ‘secret war.’

Although many years have passed, the Laotian people continue to recover from the effects of the United States’ illegal bombing campaign. This is not exclusively because of the damages the country experienced during the war, but also because of the repercussions felt in the aftermath.

Roughly one third of all the bombs dropped on Laos never exploded. Rather, they remained in the ground, posing a severe hazard to ordinary citizens today. The United States finally ended their attack on Laos in 1973. Since then it is estimated that 20,000 people have been killed or maimed by bombs that were left behind. Despite having played such a critical role in this tragedy, the United States has only recently begun making efforts to rectify these damages. During his presidency, Barack Obama pledged 90 million dollars to Laos for the purpose of rebuilding, while also becoming the first president, in 2016, to visit the country. Despite these efforts, lawmakers, and many American citizens, argue that more has yet to be done to remove the millions of leftover bombs from Laotian soil.

Sources: CNN, History, New York Times, Legacies of War