Letter from the Editor
Justice and Renewal
Dear reader,
It might be hard to tell from this polished final product, but
it’s been a long, bumpy road to getting this magazine into
your hands. I fumbled a lot through this first semester as the
new Editor-in-Chief, and yet, somehow, by the grace of God,
we’re here. It seems like a miracle.
It’s been an exhilarating journey, but at times it’s also been
exhausting. Balancing these new responsibilities with classes,
an on-campus job, and other extracurriculars has been a trial.
But this struggle isn’t just mine: many of us are all too familiar
with feeling burnt out. As college students, we are constantly
mired in readings, essays, labs, and club meetings. And as
if that weren’t enough, we also find ourselves navigating
friendships, failures, and the fast-approaching future.
We all want rest. We all need rest. And Christ promises us the
rest we crave, the renewal we need. He calls to Himself all
who are weary and all who are burdened. 1 In Him, the great
King who is gentle and humble, we can let out the breath we
didn’t know we were holding. He gives us the life he promised
us—life to the full. 2
Resurrection is not something we await only for the future
but something being offered to us right here, right now. Christ
calls us to die to our old selves and to come alive again as
new people entirely, not just better people. Yet we would be
mistaken to focus solely on this personal, individual renewal,
for God promises the renewal of all things and the righting of
all wrongs. And so it is that our theme for this issue is “Justice
and Renewal.”
we must not stop there. God does not call us to wait passively
for justice, for the resurrection, but rather to participate in
bringing about justice here and now. Let us strive to be ever
more like Christ, who actively reached out to the poor and
the sick, to the outcasts labeled unclean and unwanted by
the religious elite and the self-righteous. Let us, out of the
overflow of the abundant life given to us by God, water the
world around us with streams of justice.
In these pages, we present pieces that show us God’s promise
and present work of making things new and making things
right. An interview with Associate Chaplain Jermaine Pearson
provides some advice on incorporating justice into college
life. The poem “tsebel” demonstrates the sanctification of all
things and invites us to take part in sowing holiness through
the world. “He Does Not Leave Us as Orphans” bears
powerful witness to the liberating, life-giving truth of the
Gospel, reminding us that resurrection and transformation
are at work in our lives now. “What the Bible Doesn’t Say
About Human Origins” renews our wonder at the world and
at what we can learn from scientific inquiry and Scripture
when we welcome both.
And now, dear reader, I welcome you to dive into our newest
issue. You have the easy part: all you have to do is turn the
page. We hope this issue leaves you with a glimpse of the
living water 3 and of justice rolling down like a river. 4
Yours truly,
Christians cannot separate resurrection from justice, for with
one comes the other. Yet Christians are so often guilty of
injustices: our brokenness shows in conquest and colonization,
slavery and sexual abuse scandals. We must humbly ask
forgiveness for our failings both personal and collective, but
1
2
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
John 10:10
6 Fall 2019
Naomi Kim is a sophomore concentrating in English.
3
4
John 4:10
Amos 5:24