After a full semester of Chapel in the fall, first-year and sophomore students have become accustomed to the routine Core Chapel sessions on Wednesday mornings in Firestone Fieldhouse. However, the community was shocked and confused when, during the first Core Chapel of spring semester Jan. 10, Jake Olson took to the stage to speak what he called “the truth.”After a … [Read more...] about Passionate Student Takes Over Core Chapel
Zac Luben
Pepperdine University Names Zachary Luben as Director of Convocation
Zachary Luben is the new Director of Convocation at Pepperdine University, Seaver Dean Michael Feltner wrote in an April 25 email to the Seaver College community. Luben has worked at the University since 2016, and is a two-time graduate of Seaver College (B.A, 2005; M. Div., 2014). Luben, the former director of Graduate Student Ministries in the Hub for Spiritual Life began his … [Read more...] about Pepperdine University Names Zachary Luben as Director of Convocation
Burning out Behind the Pulpit: the Struggles of Fatigue in Ministry
The pulpit stands empty at the front of Stauffer Chapel at Pepperdine University. Photo by Lucian HimesChristianity has been declining in the United States since the late 1970s, according to the Pew Research Center, and amid a shrinking flock, the ministers who shepherd it are experiencing record levels of fatigue.The Barna Group did a study in March 2022 revealing that 42% of … [Read more...] about Burning out Behind the Pulpit: the Struggles of Fatigue in Ministry
Christianity: A Worthy Faith for BIPOC or a Continued Instance of Forced Assimilation
Listen Via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud Welcome two Pepperdine professors to the Melanated Muckracker: Christina Littlefield and Zachary Luben. Littlefield serves a dual appointment in Religion and Journalism, focusing mainly on the history of Christianity while also serving as the adviser of Currents Magazine. Luben is an adjunct professor and a youth and family … [Read more...] about Christianity: A Worthy Faith for BIPOC or a Continued Instance of Forced Assimilation
‘Worth the Struggle’: The Conversation Around Queerness and Christianity
Art by Samantha Miller When St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church’s rector, the Rev. Joyce Stickney, was a teenager, she served and worked at an orphanage and a refugee camp for Cambodians, Laotians and Vietnamese people in the Philippines. This experience led to her wrestling with the understanding of Christianity that she was taught growing up. “As a teen, I had all these great … [Read more...] about ‘Worth the Struggle’: The Conversation Around Queerness and Christianity