by Cavin Jacobson | Aug 1, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
The Shinn Center for Entertainment & the Arts is nearly finished with construction, while the parking garage promised at convocation last fall has yet to start breaking ground. Originally slated for completion in the fall of 2018, the construction on the Shinn center was delayed for two months due to a necessary rerouting of storm drains underneath the foundation. Since fall of 2018, construction of the building has moved at a steady and consistent pace, despite some surprises popping up for faculty and staff in the design. The building’s outside brick is now complete as well as roof and exterior design. Interior design seems to be progressing steadily as well. The building will officially open late August or early September, provided no other incidences lead to delays, according to Kim Chaudoin, university spokesperson. There is still some confusion among staff and faculty, however, about whether a large door is going to be placed where the radio station currently is. Until the building is fully completed, those plans have not been discussed. Another surprise to the staff and faculty of the Ezell building was the inclusion of a connection between the Shinn center and Ezell in rooms 102 and 202 as an accessway for maintenance. The inclusion of these connecting doorways led to confusion with the faculty as to what needed to be done to the rooms that were formerly offices for adjunct Communications professors and the office of Ken Durham, a bible professor. Both rooms were ultimately cleared out while construction installed the doors. The Shinn Center will formally house the College of Entertainment and the Arts as well...
by Madeline Smith | Jan 16, 2015 | News Slider
Senior Lauren King caused an uproar in the Churches of Christ and Lipscomb community when a video of her preaching went viral. For some, the image of a female preaching on stage is nothing notable. For Churches of Christ members, the idea of a woman in the pulpit is an uncomfortable break from tradition. “For a lot of folks in the conservative side of our fellowship, this was shocking,” said Dr. Ken Durham, a Lipscomb Bible professor. “It is shocking that a Church of Christ had done it, and shocking that Lipscomb had anything to do with it. So one of the questions we’ve been answering, or trying to answer to the best of our ability, is ‘what role does Lipscomb play?’” King was preaching as part of an optional internship for the College of Bible and Ministry at Fourth Avenue Church of Christ in Franklin, Tennessee. A video was made of her sermon and put out by Wineskins, a Christian ministry. The video, which had over 55,000 views on YouTube, drew in many comments, some very critical of King. “This video and this congregation represent a lack of respect for the authority of God,” Audie Cherry said in a comment on Vimeo. “Let us look to Scripture to guide us, not our own feelings and emotions. They’re just that, feelings and emotions. The Spirit doesn’t guide us.” Despite the critical comments, King remained confident in her calling. “I am confident with where the Lord has called me, and I have no need to apologize for that, but I am sorry for the way that all of this has happened,” King said. “I...
by Emily Snell | Mar 8, 2012 | News Slider
Soulforce, a group that promotes equality for LGBTQ people, will visit Lipscomb on Monday, March 12. The Soulforce visit was announced briefly at the end of The Gathering on Feb. 28. A March 1 email from SGA President Daniel Wakefield further clarified the event. The email stated that students were invited to attend one of three morning discussion sessions in Ezell chapel, involving panel discussions with representatives from Soulforce and university professors. The email reminded students that seating would be limited. “[Soulforce’s] mission is to bring attention to what they believe are unfair attitudes and policies within religious organizations,” Wakefield’s email said. “As a gracious and loving Christian community, Lipscomb seeks to be open to conversation about issues that may be difficult or sensitive,” the email contintued. “In this spirit, we look forward to meaningful dialogue with the Soulforce visitors and hope they feel that they have been graciously, thoughtfully, and faithfully received.” In a two-part panel discussion led by Dr. Steve Joiner, Lipscomb’s director for the Institute for Conflict Management, Soulforce will explore the justice and ethical issues surrounding the subject of homosexual orientation and homosexual practice. On Monday, the university will have panel discussions at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. for the limited number of students who were able to sign up in the SGA office. The justice issues that the panel will likely discuss include bullying and equal and fair treatment under the law. Lipscomb panelists include Dr. Ken Durham, Dr. Randy Spivey and Dr. Norma Burgess. A second panel will include Dr. Lee Camp, Dr. John Mark Hicks and Dr. Charla Long. Soulforce will supply...
by Emily Snell | Apr 12, 2011 | News Slider
Despite severe weather, students and community members filled Willard Collins Alumni Auditorium on Monday night to learn more about the Dead Sea Scrolls. Dr. Weston W. Fields, one of the world’s leading Dead Sea Scrolls scholars, was the featured speaker at the Prentice Meador Distinguished Lectures, an annual series designed to honor quality communication in the area of faith and spirituality. “It was as though someone at the time of Jesus had the ability to take a picture of the Bible as it was at that time, and then had hidden it away, and someone 2,000 years later could open it up and see exactly what the text of the Bible was like in that day,” Fields said of the scrolls. Fields said that people often wonder how closely the current English Bible resembles the Bible of that time. He said the scrolls assure people that the Bible has been passed down carefully and reliably. “The text has been transmitted amazingly well and faithfully,” Fields said. “Much more faithfully than any other ancient text.” Dr. Ken Durham, the Batsell Barrett Baxter Chair of Preaching and emcee for the evening, agreed. “This gives us even more confidence in the Biblical text,” Durham said. According to Fields, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered nearly 65 years ago, mostly in caves in Qumran, the northern area of the Dead Sea. He said the scrolls were hand copied and preserved by a “separatist” group, possibly called the Essenes. Fields said the group who copied the scrolls probably had no “direct connection” with Jesus, but he said Jesus would have likely spent time near...
