Before we can discuss the nature of Lent, we must first discuss why it is important that Lent is a season. To say that something is a season is to say that it is part of an ever-changing cycle—e.g., winter, spring, summer, fall and so forth. The […]
Opinions
Moonlight and Eastern Solidarity
One of the most memorable scenes in “Moonlight” features a black man teaching a black boy how to swim. I think the power of the imagery is that it is at once tender and fierce: tender as an expression of trust, love and nurture; fierce because this […]
Fixing the Warner Library Door
It’s an atrocity on our campus. Students scream in terror before it. Small children run in fear from it. Professors are generally miffed by it. I am, of course, talking about the library’s broken door!…Wait, what?…They fixed it… It’s a miracle on our campus. […]
Communities As Webs of trust
James K.A. Smith, a professor at Calvin College and esteemed author, recently wrote an editorial piece for his online journal “Comment,” entitled, “Teach Us (How) to Trust: Suspicion and Cynicism Play Right Into the Hands of Authoritarian Demagogues. Let’s Consider Another Way Forward.” In the piece, he […]
Faith Focus: The Race of Grace
After many days and long hours of training, today you finally make it to race day. This is the moment you have been waiting for, to put your skills to the ultimate test. You’re full of excitement, all the adrenaline rising up as you take your place […]
Eastern Hosts ISI Conference
On Feb. 17, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) hosted guests from University of Pennsylvania, Haverford College, John Jay Institute, Alliance Defending Freedom and various other organizations. It was a time to discuss and ponder ideas of liberty and religion and their intersection. The weekend started with a […]
What Is the Future of Conservatism?
What does the future of American politics look like? That’s a question a lot of people are asking these days. We’re almost two months into the new presidency, and already so much has happened. The rollout of the travel ban sent shockwaves throughout the country. Thousands protested […]
Why I Protest
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In light of recent events that have taken place in our nation, I believe this concept is especially evident. Over the last month or so, I have had the opportunity to participate in […]
Creating a Common Memory- A reflection on Black History Month
Why does America need a Black History Month? Why do both Caucasian and African Americans need to acknowledge this month? We need to acknowledge this month because we do not all have a common memory. Canadian political scholar George Erasmus once stated, “Where common memory is lacking, where […]
Language and Victimhood
This February, Dr. Jonathan Zimmerman, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, delivered a lecture at Eastern on the current state of social and political discourse on college campuses. Zimmerman’s thesis was that the psychological language (of trauma, injury and safety, for example) that characterizes much of the dialogue […]