THE DIVINE CONNECTION
At the culmination of the quest lies the acme of our enlightenment, the unending end of an odyssey begun long ago. Here, in a vast new frontier of reason and truth, is our modern Christian academy, no longer shackled to prescriptive notions about the mere transfer of knowledge and instead wholly focused on the transformation of the individual. Here, we embrace the unspoken unity—indeed, the divine connection—between faith and scholarship, declaring once and for all the intrinsic, even symbiotic relationship that each has with one another as we respond to God's highest invitation to explore and discover.
In the open expanse of the third way, we find our unique calling as both Christians and scholars. We embrace the noble study of the arts and sciences, and we are inspirited by our charge to view these virtuous phenomena in profoundly different ways. In this venerable space—one where we refuse to choose, where we are no longer pulled to the edges or extremes, where tension is replaced with thoughtful discourse—the Christian scholar prepares to serve the world, incorporating knowledge acquired through investigation and analysis with the values that enable our most innate desires to learn and discern.
When we are successful in this journey, we will have fulfilled our highest calling as agents and witnesses to God's shalom of human flourishing, offering peace, harmony, wholeness, and justice to not only one another, but to ourselves, to God, and to nature. And in this moment, we will discover what we have known all along: that God is in the midst of us—his fingerprints a part of us—as we seek to bring healing and hope to an often anguished world.
Merely gathering knowledge may become the most useless work a man can do. What can you do to help and heal the world? That is the educational test.
Students of the Seaver College Fine Arts Division performed the Euripides tragedy Medea based on a version of the play developed by British playwright and dramaturge Ben Power, which premiered in 2014 at the Royal National Theatre in London.
"It's one thing to read a Greek tragedy in a classroom setting. It's another thing entirely to experience that same story on stage," said director Bradley Griffin, Seaver College associate professor of theatre. "In an era when some new atrocity scrolls across our news feeds every day, the students in this production have committed themselves to telling this harrowing story as a way of bearing witness to the pain, while also exposing our desperate need for a more just, equitable world."
The Associated Women for Pepperdine (AWP) executive board announced a name change to Pepperdine Legacy Partners (PLP), a new designation that reflects the ongoing collective efforts of both women and men partnering together to continue George Pepperdine's legacy of equipping students to live purposeful Christian lives as servant-minded leaders throughout the world.
"The board sees this name change as one that reflects the heroes of our story: the students at Pepperdine; the deep legacies of George Pepperdine and Helen Young; and the partnership that we have with students, parents, donors, and members who make Pepperdine Legacy Partners the leading scholarship fundraising organization for Churches of Christ students at Pepperdine University," said Lydia Folkerts, president of PLP.
The University's FY18 endowment funds
(Unaudited)
The 75th annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures marked the unveiling of the longstanding University tradition's new name, Harbor.
The name seeks to help new generations better connect with the goals and purpose of the four-day event, with a focus on educational faith-based and scholarly community programming pertaining to a diverse array of age groups, personal interests, family dynamics, and spiritual backgrounds.
Health economist Anna Choi joined the School of Public Policy as the James Q. Wilson Visiting Professor of Public Policy this spring. Choi's research focuses primarily on health and behavioral economics and understanding how policy changes can alter individual outcomes and behaviors. Her latest published works explore health disparities across education and the role of differential reporting error and how legalization of medical marijuana can affect individuals' cigarette consumption after policy changes.
"[Dr. Choi] brings a terrific background in healthcare and education policy with international experience that will be very helpful for our students considering careers in these fields," said Pete Peterson, dean of the School of Public Policy. "On a more personal note, she really understands what makes us unique as a graduate policy program and will be an essential part of our growth into a more nationally recognized school."