Spoken Word is Important for God’s People: Quina Aragon

Photo by Eden Anyabwile

Quina Aragon is a spoken word artist based out of Tampa, Florida, and on November 7-8 she came to share her art and her work with Covenant’s community. Aragon lives in Tampa with her husband and three-year-old daughter, and has recently published a children’s book entitled “Love Made,” as well as contributed to the devotional “His Testimonies, My Heritage,” edited by Kristie Anyabwile. 

Aragon performed three of her poems in chapel on Thursday night, and then afterward sat down on the chapel stage and answered questions about her practice, her experience as a Christian woman of color who is also a performance artist, and the inspiration behind her poems. 

Aragon began writing poetry when she was in high school, and when she first did a poetry project for her English class, she did not do well and never thought that it would later become such a huge part of her life. However, she continued to write, especially after she became a believer, saying that, as an internal processor, poetry was the best way for her to process all of the things she was learning. Eventually, one of her teachers found out about her closet poetry writing and encouraged her to attend a poetry slam event and share some of her poems. Aragon described this as a formative experience for her, as before then, she had not publicly shared her faith through her art. 

Photo by Marie Bowen

When asked about how her work is important for the church, Aragon responded that poetry is a beautiful way to share with others what God has been doing in the poet’s life. She went on to say that it is not selfish to share work, but rather it is a way for God to articulate for others what He has been doing in them in ways they might not be able to, building and encouraging community in a sweet and unique way. 

Harmonee Keitt ’20, English major and spoken word artist who performed as E.M.O. in Mountain Affair this year, commented on this idea of spoken word as ministry, saying, “I think it’s one thing for someone to verbalize ‘Oh, this is the gospel,’ and maybe provide some examples, but there are some people that need a visual, or need metaphor and that sort of thing in order to understand, and I think spoken word provides that.” 

As performance art, spoken word not only provides visual pictures, but is an actual embodiment of words, mirroring Christ in the way “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.” (John 1:14) 

When asked about the embodiment aspect of spoken word, Keitt said, “I think that poetry in general is meant to be spoken. Even with the pieces that I’ve written, I was like, ‘Yeah, this could easily be published and I could sell it as a book, but it doesn’t necessarily mean anything if no one’s at least heard me speak before.’ If they’ve heard me speak, then they know how I would possibly put inflections on words, versus if they’ve never heard me speak, they’re just kind of guessing their way through it.” She went on the describe how the interactive aspect of spoken word is particularly important to the message, and the audience is able to understand and respond in unique ways because of that. 

Aragon’s performances on Thursday night and Friday morning provided a new way of thinking about how art can function in the church, bringing theology to the people of God in a new and unique way, and encouraging those who have these gifts to share them. Keitt summed it up by saying, “I would encourage those people that are closet poets to come out, because your work needs to be heard.”

Tartuffe: Comedy and Cunning

Deception, hypocrisy, and false piety all play a central role in Covenant College’s upcoming theatre production of “Tartuffe.” Its author, the classic French playwright Molière, was known to push the limits of what was an acceptable topic of a play during the 1600s. The play was banned for its “heretical” focus on false piety and religious charlatans in 1669, three years after its first release. 

This was just one of Molière’s plays that was banned by the French court⁠—his next play “Don Juan” disappeared mysteriously from production. However, while Molière was working on getting “Tartuffe” re-released under a different name, the ban was removed. After this, the show came to be a rousing success. The comedy of this show has managed to surpass time and culture to continue to be uproariously funny and accessible to its modern audiences. 

In Covenant’s modern take on the French classic, the con artist Tartuffe has managed to weasel his way into the home of the rich Orgon and establish himself as Orgon’s main confidant and religious advisor, to the horror of Orgon’s family. Tartuffe has so entrenched himself in Orgon’s life that Orgon turns a deaf ear to his family’s concerns and even promises Tartuffe his daughter’s hand in marriage. Determined to get rid of him, Orgon’s wife, brother-in-law, and maid band together to expose Tartuffe’s charlatan ways to the oblivious Orgon. Unbeknownst to these schemers, however, Tartuffe has his own plan to foil them all.

This show is not just here for kicks and giggles though. It brings to the surface important topics about piety, especially for a Christian audience. How do we tell the difference between true and false religious zeal, and how do we handle false teachers? In an era where some might say there is too much knowledge at our fingertips, sometimes it is even more difficult to differentiate between the false and the real. It is at times like this that the advice of friends and family can be the most important and trustworthy.  

“Tartuffe” plays on November 15, 16, and 22 at 8 pm and on November 23 at 2:30 pm. After the last show, there will be a discussion panel with Dr. Bill Tate, Dr. Jiewon Baek, and Professor Camille Hallstrom. 

Tickets are $7 for students, seniors, and staff, and $10 for everyone else, though there is a group rate of $5 per person with groups of five or more. Tickets can be purchased right before the show at the door or in the Great Hall during lunch and dinner. Tickets can also be reserved by contacting the box office by phone at 706-419-1051 or by email at boxoffice@covenant.edu. 

One to Ten

On a scale of one to ten, how sad are you?

you almost say seven but the answer floats in your lungs like rising mud. you shift your shoulders. some part of you is already forming an excuse. that it’s not that bad sometimes. one, two, three on a day that the clouds are out. you’re just complaining about stuff. yesterday you laughed past a brick of a four, does that make the brick come down to a two-point-five.  the solid seven panic attack of last tuesday feels somehow like a little thorn, just a regular day full of a gentle three-point-nine earthquake rocking after yesterday’s close-to-an-eight. see but if tomorrow you have a real bad day, it will make today look simple.

and what if. what if tomorrow it’s a big old red eight-point-nine. like one of those days where sirens are going off in every part of you but you’re stuck behind a glass window watching it all burn down. like one of those days that your skin against the air feels foreign. like too much of everything. like sitting-in-the-shower, like can’t-eat, like the tide isn’t just coming in, it came while you were sleeping and now you’ve gotta learn how to swim. like bounce me against a bullet hole kind of day.

you keep numbers like nine and ten way out of reach. those are for the people who really are suffering. you’ve got no excuse. nine and ten are funeral numbers, for real problems, not yours, no. and sometimes you’re fine. and you’re kind of used to it. and it’s not sad, it’s just numb like a television caught on static. numb like i can’t remember if i care about this. numb like nothing works but i can’t be bothered to fix it. that’s not sad that’s everyday stuff. everybody feels like this, right? feels like they’ve been shut off. right.  

maybe five. right in the middle. like not gonna shoot myself but i’m not wasting your time. a nonanswer. like could be worse could be better. like i need help but i don’t want you to worry even though i need someone to worry about me because i can’t worry about myself. maybe five. but what if five is too small. what if five is too big. what if -

“on a scale of one to ten,” he repeats into your silence, and then pauses. “and please be honest about this.”

John Hamm Performing Arts Series: Andy Harnsberger, The Percussionist

On October 17 the Covenant community had the opportunity to see and hear Andy Harnsberger and his three assistants, Dr. Seabury, Dr. Jones, and Dr. Herring, play some amazing percussion pieces for us. 

Andy Harnsberger is currently an Associate Professor of Music and Percussion Coordinator at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Dr. Bailey Seabury is currently the Adjunct Instructor of Percussion/Drumline at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Caitlin Jones is an active performer with the Aiken Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Scott Herring is currently the Professor of Percussion at the University of South Carolina. At University of South Carolina, Dr. Herring directs the Percussion ensemble and the Palmetto Pans Steel Band. 

Andy Harnsberger and his trio played “The Traveller” by Gareth Farr, “Dead Reckoning” by Adam Silverman, and “Saragordia Sound” by Benjamin Finley. They also performed other sets such as “Words Unspoken,” “Unbreakable,” and “Vertigo” composed by Andy Harnsberger himself. 

They brought a five-octave marimba to Covenant. Covenant only has a three-octave marimba. They also brought two vibraphones, bongos, a gong, and many other instruments. The marimba was being played with 4 mallets—meaning 2 mallets in each hand. 

In Finley’s song  “Saragordia Sound,” the vibraphone was played with 2 bows that are normally used to play a stringed instrument like a violin or cello. Harnsberger’s written piece “Words Unspoken” was a solo marimba piece. One interesting thing he did as he played was switch out his mallets. It was amazing to watch him do that because it takes so much skill to switch out the type of mallet that you are currently playing with while also playing with two mallets in one hand. In the last song, “Vertigo,” closer to the end of the piece, watching Harnsberger play the marimba was attention grabbing. He played the marimba excellently, but what was so cool is that he was having to reach complete opposite ends of the marimba within seconds, which meant that he was jumping back and forth on stage between those octaves due to how big the marimba was. 

Finally, Dr. Seabury, Dr. Herring, Dr. Jones, and Andy Harnsberger gave an excellent performance for the community as well as showing us that percussion can be played as a solo. Anyone watching surely would have been amazed that four people can come together from different areas of the country and be able to play these songs with little practice time together. 

Hong Kong and Cartoons: Art and Its Influence in the Pro-Democracy Protests

Hong Kong and Cartoons: Art and Its Influence in the Pro-Democracy Protests

For anyone who has been living under a rock (or on top of a rock I guess), the protests in Hong Kong have now reached their fifth month of continuation. First initiated by opposition to an extradition bill passed in March, these protests have begun to draw international support such as the American Congress’ passing of bills in support of the defense of human rights and liberties in Hong Kong. On June 15, after 13 weeks of protests, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam announced that the government would suspend the bill. 

The protests did not end, however. Many believed that the government had not done enough and a broader democractic regime change movement ensued. As of October 29, these protests show no sign of stopping anytime soon. But how has this movement been able to continue with increasing support?

Very early in the movement’s lifespan, cartoonists quickly began satirizing the extradition bill that Lam’s government had passed. Popular cartoonists such as Badicuao and Zuni released images depicting all sorts of rhetoric in favor of the protestors. 

Outside of Hong Kong cartoonists, a popular image has taken root within the Hong Kong movement: Pepe the Frog. While the Anti-Defamation League has deemed Pepe as an alt-right image depicting racism and anti-Semitism, he has taken on a new role for the protestors in Hong Kong. In an interview with the New York Times, resident of Hong Kong Emily Yue said, “different countries have very different cultures… symbols and colors that mean something in one culture can mean something completely different in another culture.”

It has also led to the creation of “sticker packs” for use on apps like WhatsApp and Telegram depicting Pepe wearing the garb of protesters.

Cartoons are a large part of the peaceful protests of Hong Kong. “Shrines” to Lam have been established all throughout the city satirizing her government and the people’s oppression. 

Before the ban on mask usage by Lam and the Hong Kong government, protesters even began to wear masks of Winnie the Pooh and other childhood favorites to further show how they are the innocent group being oppressed by the Communist government. 

While there is no evidence to show that cartoons have encouraged the growth of the protest movement, they are without question a result of state oppression and show the large pro-democratic sentiment within the city. These cartoons have undoubtedly  proved to serve as a free press of sorts filled with anti-government and pro-democratic ideas that are much harder to restrict since they are not mainstream news outlets. 

For more information, see the Associated Press and the Hong Kong Free Press. 

Mountain Affair Enters a New Era

Earlier this month, college authorities released eager students into the chapel in groups of ten to scramble for seats to the most glamorously-decorated Mountain Affair stage ever.

Covenant College’s 17th annual Mountain Affair on October 11 flaunted 8 songs, 1 dance, and 1 spoken word performance. This year, students themselves were given the opportunity to vote for the winner and runner-up.

Photos by Eden Anyabwile

The grand prize of $1,000 was presented to Hannah Wade ’22 (Kaleidoscopic Kiwi). $750 went to Armon Butler ’21 (Barcari), the runner-up. The Director’s Choice Award went to Diamonds of Dust (Hope Merrill ’21, Mary Streets ’22, Marie Bowen ’20, Lucy Green ’20, and Leslie Hill ’21), and Judges’ Choice to Dook Walt Jr. (Jacob Brown ’21, Luke Bolton ’22, Cooper Twit ’22, John Hooker ’21, and Jono Kaufmann ’21).

“We believe that it will be the best Mountain Affair in the history of the whole world,” said Kathryn Wieldraayer in an email leading up to the event.

Upgrades included food trucks, Mountain Affair t-shirts, and a production team from Nashville called CMC (Contemporary Music Center), which arrived with two truckloads of equipment.

Also for the first time, judges Nesha Evans, Matt Brown, and Ben Vanderhart offered comments immediately following each performance. Both Vanderhart (Rock Creek worship leader) and Brown are Covenant graduates and previous Mountain Affair winners.

Fiona Glaser ‘20 and Caleb Keitt ‘20 had the honor of being this year’s hosts.

Glaser said she knew she’d be a great fit, having dreamt about hosting since freshman year. She appreciates how Mountain Affair takes talents of students “down in Catacombs strumming their guitars in the dark,” and provides them with production teams, equipment, and an eager audience, while describing the four nights of practice as “super intense.” 

“I am so excited about so many acts,” she said beforehand.

“Every single act put in so much work,” said Keitt, whose love of people and entertainment motivated him to host. Keitt grew up inspired by Nick Cannon of America’s Got Talent, and thanks his audience for the opportunity to serve.

Nesha Evans was honored to be judging. Having competed in Miss America preliminary pageants for six years, Miss Land of Lincoln 2003 also has experience judging pageants. Evans grew up inspired by the performances of her mother. As soon as she was old enough, Evans took dance, acted in plays, and sang in choirs. This Friday, however, was her first Mountain Affair. 

“I’m super duper excited… It’s an opportunity for students to showcase the talent that God has given them, and to do it excellently, and hopefully for His glory. So, how could you not be excited about that?”

Clearly, students were energized. Thursday night, roughly a dozen brave representatives of their halls slept under the stars as placeholders in front of the Chapel doors, not only getting caught in the sprinklers at 7 am, but enduring three separate attacks from various halls of Carter and Founders around 11:30 pm, including thrown fruit, tin cans, and glitter.

Earlier in the day, Golden Joe & The Suggins Gang singer Sloane Hopkins ’23 admitted she didn’t know how serious of a commitment she had made. “As a freshman, to be welcomed into this long-standing tradition, I feel very honored … I thought it was just like really chill. And it’s not chill. It’s amazing.” 

She loved seeing the whole campus participating, and was honored about all the excitement, expressing thanks to all those “jazzed” about Mountain Affair.

Runner-up Butler lost his best friend Elijah about a month ago, and described his writing process for the single, “Black on Black.” “I found out the news that night, and I just stayed up and I wrote it for him, and after the show, I just broke down, man, because it was so inspirational for me, and just seeing people react to the song, all glory to God, man. I couldn’t ask for a better experience.”

Diamonds of Dust lead singer Merrill expressed her love of Mountain Affair before the performance, explaining that “A Work in Progress” had in fact been an ongoing project since freshman year.

After expressing plans to raise her score by five points, Merrill’s high school archery coach laughed at her, remarking later at a sports banquet, “Hope sets her goals a little too high, and you can ask her if she reached those goals or not.” The painful influence of those words caused Merrill to doubt her musical ability when she arrived at Covenant.

She says of the song, “It’s about pushing back against all of the doubts and all of the people who have told me, ‘you’re not gonna do this.’”

After the win, vocalist Bowen expressed her gratitude. “This was kind of a dream come true, to get to sing this song, on that stage, with those musicians.” Bowen was excited to be a part of Merrill’s process, and thanked the Lord first and foremost. “It was such a gift to get to glorify God through the gifts He’s given us.”

Jacob Brown, Dook Walt Jr. lead singerand Judges Choice Award winner, was glad everything came together. He said the band had decided on a weird intro, and incorporating a Bach piece is what led to their vintage white blouses, ultimately giving them the idea to display nature-heavy video game landscapes. “It was just kind of a way to spice it up, be weird, be dumb, and I think it worked out really fun.” The main goal of the band is to not be predictable at all, Brown said. Dook Walt Jr. hopes to release a single on November 1st, and will be playing at Freezefest on November 2nd in Nashville.

The Joke’s on Us: A Review of Joker

“Joker” is the latest comic book movie to hit theaters. Some people may feel burnt out or “superhero fatigue” from the vast amount of superhero movies being released every year, and understandably so. But “Joker” manages to stand out amongst both its DC and Marvel counterparts by offering up a character study of one of the most iconic villains in all of comic history, played by Joaquin Phoenix. 

Unlike most superhero movies today, “Joker” stands alone, without an overt connection to the DC universe or existing Batman movies. It tells a story in its own world. In a lot of Batman iterations, the Joker is usually someone who becomes a deranged maniac through his own personal philosophy, his experiences, and twisted views of the world. While this movie clearly paints the Joker as the villain, as opposed to an anti-hero in movies like “Venom” or “Suicide Squad,” it dares to ask the question: What if society bore some of the responsibility for the creation of a psychopath, and what if it was possible to prevent the creation of the Joker to begin with?

The movie tells the story of Arthur Fleck, a man with mental health issues who has difficulty being a productive member of society and is forced to take care of his sickly mother. It is not until social services has its budget slashed and he loses access to his various medications that he starts down his dark path. After a fateful event late at night on a subway train, Arthur’s actions unintentionally spark a movement, pitting Gotham City’s lower class against the elites of Gotham City who have turned a blind eye to the former’s problems for too long. Taken aback by the consequences of his actions, Arthur believes himself to be at the point of no return.

“Joker” was met with massive controversy before it was even seen by the general public, being classified by some as a rallying cry for disassociated males, which might inspire imitations of the acts of violence it portrays. 

However, I think the movie should be seen as a cautionary tale, holding up a mirror to our society. We have definitely made strides in terms of mental health awareness from when the film is set in 1981, but what would have happened if mental health services had been kept and Arthur still had access to his medication? What would have happened if people like Thomas Wayne, running for mayor in the film, actually sought to help the disenfranchised citizens instead of writing them off as degenerates and widening the divide between classes? What if his failings as a comedian were not broadcast on a late night talk show for another comedian to mock? These statements ask us difficult questions about how we care for “the least of these” that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 25. 

The fallout from the Joker's actions make it hard to deny that we as a society have a part to play in ignoring the disenfranchised. By the time the credits were rolling, I felt vastly unsettled, as the movie did a marvelous job of portraying how something like this could realistically spin out of control. Maybe at the end of the day, the joke is on us for creating this super-villain.

Bring the Funky Food

I recently read Jonathan Gold’s “Bring the Funk: Izayoi Moves to the Rhythm of the Izakaya,” a

fantastic review of an authentic, hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant. Gold’s description of the

various food items appeals to all of the senses, vicariously exposing the reader to the setting of

the restaurant.

The various scents, flavors, sights, sounds, and textures of the food, the tables, the chefs--it all

comes together to seat the reader at Gold’s side, tasting the dishes with him and experiencing the

wonder of discovery.

The endless courses of appetizer-style food, sake flowing like water, the laughter and discussions

that occur around a narrow table that fills the confines of the tiny restaurant, all blend together to

make the izakaya, a traditional Japanese restaurant-bar that combines cheap, quality appetizer-

style foods and alcoholic drinks with an extremely tightly-packed, intimate setting.

Gold gives a brief history of the chef, Junichi Shiode, a Japanese chef who originally ran the

restaurant Sushi Ryo in Los Angeles. Shiode left Los Angeles to start a small restaurant right just

outside of Tokyo. The culture and menu of an izakaya is entirely different from those of most

Western restaurants.

“Izakaya menus are typically long and hard to follow,” said Gold in LA Weekly, “with a host of

different sections unfamiliar to anyone not versed in the style, and a list of daily specials often as

long as the menu proper that seem randomly thrown onto the page. Here is the secret: Order lots

of stuff.”

Gold’s descriptions of the food allow the reader to almost taste the food as he puts it into his

mouth, despite the interesting origins of some of the flavors and ingredients. While most Western

food, especially that of America, does not involve much “exotic” seafood, Japan’s island culture

is intensely focused on fish, squid, shellfish, and other Pacific seafood.

Gold shows you the flavors and emotions that come with every bite, then reveals that the “squid”

that he just ate was, in fact, squid liver; he shares the shock of the realization that squids do have

livers and that they are in the relative size, shape, and flavor of a raw calf’s liver.

The cream cheese flavored with bonito and topped with little salty curls; the bonito flavor was

actually bonito intestines and the little salty curls were dried and grilled skate fins. While I would

never dream of eating bonito intestines, Gold shows the flavors in such a way that now I’d like to

take a bite.

Gold uses highly sensory descriptions to draw the reader into the culture and atmosphere of a

Japanese izakaya. He appeals to the senses, bringing the reader to sit with him, eating traditional

Japanese food, drinking sake, and enjoying the intimate conversations that only come from a

tiny, hole-in-the-wall restaurant-bar just outside of Tokyo.

“Bring the Funk: Izayoi Moves to the Rhythm of the Izakaya” can be accessed through the

Pulitzer Prize website at Pulitzer.org, or through the LA Weekly at www.laweekly.com/bring-the-

funk/.

"This Page Intentionally Left Blank" By Tim Goldsmith

Photos by Eden Anyabwile

“I first met Tim at New City, and he was singing along with a handheld puppet,” said Professor Jeffrey Morton of Tim Goldsmith, the artist behind the show “This Page Intentionally Left Blank.” 

Goldsmith was born and raised in Chattanooga, TN, and graduated from Covenant College in 2012 with a degree in art. For the past few years, he has been obtaining his Master of Fine Arts in Socially Engaged Studio Art at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, PA, and recently moved back to Chattanooga after graduating. He grew up in the PCA, and sees his art as integral to his faith. “My art is in dialogue with the church. I’m trying to figure out what the role of visual art and faith and life in the church is and what that intersection is,” he said. 

This exhibit, entitled “This Page Intentionally Left Blank,” was Goldsmith’s thesis project at Moore. The title comes from the formal practice, specifically for legal and military documents, of leaving certain pages blank to ensure that the beginning of each new section is printed on the right side of the page. 

In this work, Goldsmith took The Book of Church Order, the book of the PCA and its structure, and laser cut out every single letter of the Constitution section, about half the book. He then went through and annotated it with invisible ink, writing down his own thoughts and questions and engagements with the theology of the PCA. Viewers are invited to take a blacklight flashlight in the semi-dark gallery and shine it on the pages that hang on the wall in order to read Goldsmith’s thoughts. 

Dr. Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt facilitated the discussion during the opening, and asked Goldsmith about the actual process of creating this work, particularly why he used the materials he did, and how he ended up with what is now hanging in Kresge’s art gallery. 

Goldsmith said, “The laser cutter allowed the words of the text to be what they were. I didn’t edit them, I didn’t change them, I didn’t write The Book of Church Order. It was really important to me that it stayed what it was. The invisible ink is a childlike thing… that makes you curious.” 

He sees it as an invitation for the viewer to interact with something they might not otherwise interact with. That being said, Goldsmith also wants the viewer to experience a little of the discomfort that he experienced when working through The Book of Church Order and having conversations with leadership in the PCA. 

“You are working. And I don’t mind asking my viewer to work to look at things. Sometimes I think that art doesn't ask that enough of its viewer,” Goldsmith said when Weichbrodt remarked that people were in each other’s space trying to find the secret messages with their blacklights. “And as the viewer you have the choice to engage or not. I’m not forcing you to do that, but I think it’s okay to ask that.”

Goldsmith then went on to say that his goal, and a large part of his practice as an artist, is to start conversations and to help facilitate them between his viewers. “One of the tenets of socially engaged art is that you speak to your own community first before you have any business speaking to any other community,” he said. The PCA is Tim Goldsmith’s community, and this is his way of speaking to them. 

“This Page Intentionally Left Blank” will be in the Kresge Memorial Library art gallery until November 15th.

Nicholas Barker Prize 2020 Announcement

Covenant Instagram

“Some say he came down in a pillar of smoke and fire like some great column sent down from God’s own chamber. Ghostlike he drifted over the mesas and left nothing behind. There’s all sorts of  names for such a thing, but the Native Americans call them wind-walkers—beings that travel the air as the crow flies, zephyr-like.” 

This begins Aline Sluis ‘20’s  “Staggersville,” the winner of last year’s inaugural Nicholas Barker Short Fiction Prize, a prize created by Dr. Robert Erle Barham and Dr. Hans Madueme. Named in honor of a beloved English professor from Covenant who taught from 1966 to 2006, this annual competition is open to all Covenant students and requires them to craft a fictional story that is 2,000 to 8,000 words in length. These stories can draw from any genre of fiction, including historical fiction, contemporary realism, magical realism, fantasy, detective fiction, and science fiction. Stories are required to be unpublished and to insightfully and creatively open up fresh and new insights into the Christian scriptures. This is the second year that this prize is being offered, and excitement abounds around campus about who will take the cash prize this year.

Regarding their vision for the contest, Drs. Madueme and Barham aim to create “a more unapologetically Christian fiction, one that offers fictional words harmonious with a biblical, supernatural picture of reality rather than accommodating a naturalist, materialist perspective.” 

They argue that the genre of  Christian fiction often carries a negative reputation and that secular features are prevalent in contemporary fiction. If robust Christian perspectives are included at all, they are set in the past, mitigating the worldview. What if Covenant students could change that? 

Their upcoming academic article “Stories that Gleam like Lightning: The Outrageous Idea of Christian Fiction” expounds on these concepts. 

In addition, Covenant Professor Paul Luikart, a working writer himself who teaches Creative Writing: Fiction, plans on encouraging his students to enter.

Sluis encourages everyone who is interested, whether an English major or not, to enter the contest, saying, “It's actually really cool to see your peers apply themselves to this kind of pursuit outside of class.” 

To tackle the challenge of writing Christianity into modern-day fiction without appearing heavy-handed, she combined Western fiction, which easily incorporates the supernatural, with elements from the Old Testament, pulling from Genesis, Exodus, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. The result was “Staggersville,” which follows Jericho Fife, a wanderer who drifts into the small mining town of Staggersville in hopes of freeing the townspeople from the hands of a lawless gunfighter named Stagger Bell. 

This story, as well as runner-up Katherine Scott ’19’s “Travis” and all other previous entries for the contest, are available as a bound volume in the reserve section of Kresge Library.

Interested in creating your own Christian fiction? Full rules are posted outside the offices of preliminary judges Drs. Madueme and Barham in Sanderson Hall. Contest submissions are being accepted from October 21, 2019 through March 2, 2020. All stories must be submitted as a PDF to nick.barker@covenant.edu.

Joe Keery of Stranger Things Releases New Album

If you are a Stranger Things fan, then you know Steve “the Hair” Harrington. What you may not know is that Joe Keery, who plays Steve, is not only an actor but a singer as well, under the alias “Djo.” His album is only forty-four minutes long, which may explain the title: “Twenty Twenty.” 

“Twenty Twenty” is an indie alternative album that begins with an intro featuring the repetition of the word “Showtime” in a distorted, deep voice. The next song, “Personal Lies” jumps the listener right into a quick and elevated beat, complete with lyrics about a woman who appears to be addicted to lying to herself. The song finishes with a long guitar solo, which is most likely Keery’s own talents being displayed, as he is the former guitarist of the band Post Animal. 

“Tentpole Shangrila,” the next song, begins with psychedelic beats and a chiming sound. Guitar riffing breaks the song in half, and more psychedelic beats ensue, accompanied by more striking sounds from the guitar.  

“Chateau (Feel Alright),” “Roddy,” and “Mortal Projections” share the status of being released as singles before the entire album was released. “Chateau (Feel Alright)” starts off slow and mellow, with a gradual increase in volume of guitar. The lyrics exemplify a sense of longing for past times, when “I’m at the chateau and I feel alright,” as Djo puts it. “Roddy” contrasts with exciting, hopeful, and happy tones, featuring lyrics about self-revelation and motivation to move on and do better. “Mortal Projections” begins with intense chiming sounds and slows down and smooths out to allow piercing lyrics about heartbreak. 

“Total Control” features only Keery’s distorted, deep voice, chanting phrases like “relax, lay back.” “Flash Mountain” provides a refreshing switch up with intense rocker vibes.

The final song, “Mutual Future (Repeat)” begins with a synthetic guitar sound that sounds slightly similar to the main theme from Disney’s “Up.” The song is a surprising ending to the album, with its sensitive lyrics about wishing to be back with a past lover. 

Joe Keery’s talent shines in his first album. Although he is fairly new to the music industry, “Twenty Twenty” features many different layers and levels of musical skill. Fans of “The Hair,” beware, for you may end up loving Steve Harrington even more after experiencing his talent as a singer and guitarist. 

Clark Beckham Comes to Covenant

On September 30th, a guest musician will be playing for us in the chapel. You may have some questions about who this person is. These will hopefully be answered in this article. Clark Beckham is an American singer-songwriter who was born in Nashville, Tennessee on May 15, 1992, but grew up in White House, Tennessee. Beckham is the son of Virgil Beckham, who is also a singer and an actor. 

Beckham graduated from Lee University and got most of his musical experience from playing his guitar and singing in church and on street corners. During his college years, Beckham was a member of Campus Choir, performed in the theatre production “Big River,” and wrote and performed original music for the school’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing.” He also composed the score for two short films and wrote an original song called “Love’s Not Fair.” 

After graduating from Lee, Beckham hit the streets of Nashville in hopes of honing his craft. Beckham had planned to work on a graduate degree and with the Campus Choir but those plans were changed in 2015 when he auditioned for American Idol, becoming the fourth Lee student to do so. Beckham made it all the way to the finale of season 14 and placed second, losing to Nick Fradiani by a very small margin. 

Subsequently, there was a three year gap where Beckham didn’t release anything and fans were left wondering where he was and what he was doing. In October of 2017, he was signed on by Quincy Jones Productions and recorded a new EP called “Year One” with Steven Jordan, John Mayer’s drummer and producer. 

Following the release of “Year One” in 2017,  Beckham’s record company granted him a tour. This tour is featured on his new album “Year One.” Beckham enjoyed vibing with the crowd while he sang his new album straight through. Beckham was really excited about the tour, and he wanted the tour to be more than just good, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

He enjoys writing his own music, and his music is a blend between classic and modern R&B. Beckham wants to make the best music he can without being trendy like every other artist that is around today.

In an interview by Rodney Ho, Beckham got honest and open about his life. He’s been dating the same girl for three years now, and he is really happy with the way his life is today.  Because he is an independent artist, he keeps costs down to a minimum. Quincy Jones, his management, is a great mentor for Beckham and he gives Beckham the exposure that he needs to allow his music to be heard. He performed in Jones’ bar in Dubai for five nights a week, which ended in 2018. 

Beckham has a deep rooted belief in the Gospel and has had a life-changing experience with the Holy Spirit. He sings and writes Christian music but doesn’t want to only sing these songs. The reason for this is that Beckham believes that God doesn’t want Christians to be isolated to one genre. 

He believes that God doesn’t have a problem with him being a secular artist who helps to show people the light of God. He also believes that God doesn’t want there to be a distinct wall between Church and secular. Beckham wants to write songs about this world, about people, and about this life that God has created through redeemed eyes, according to an article from The Christan Post. 

Either way, Beckham has a beautiful voice and is successful. His performance is sure to make people happy. Beckham will be coming to Covenant College on September 30th at 8 pm in the chapel. You should all come out and see his performance. It could be life changing. 

The Greater and Lesser Doxology

On August 30, Covenant College had the first chapel of the 2019-2020 school year. Chapel commenced as normal with an opening time of worship, a message from Chaplain Lowe, and a closing benediction. While for many years chapel would end in a singing of the Doxology, this year the announcement was made that instead of singing the Doxology, we would be singing the Gloria Patri. 

Photos by Eden Anyabwile

There was much confusion that spread across the Covenant community. Many students were unfamiliar with this new hymn and questioned if they would ever learn to appreciate the Gloria Patri as much as the beloved Doxology.

But what’s the big difference between the two hymns? At first glance, both hymns simply speak of giving praise and glory to the Trinity. But when you take a closer look, the Doxology speaks of all forms of creation giving praise to the Trinity, while the Gloria Patri strictly focuses on how all glory should be bestowed to the Trinity from now until eternity.

During the time of the early church, there were not many creeds that embodied the beliefs of the church. However, in response, the local churches composed creeds according to their faith and understandings. Similar to the Doxology, the Gloria Patri was used as a “cut-off” for psalms or hymns, as a sign that the liturgy was complete. While not as known as the Doxology, the Gloria Patri is also known as the “Lesser Doxology,” in order to distinguish it from the Gloria in excelsis, the “Greater Doxology.”

A modern telling of the origin of the Doxology is that it was written by the Anglican Bishop Thomas Ken. He wrote a series of hymns during his time at the Winchester College for the purpose of edifying the lives of the students. In 1695, Ken wrote a series of three hymns that the students could sing at different parts of the day. He urged the students to “be sure to sing the Morning and Evening Hymn in your chamber devoutly.” The closing of the three hymns ended in the same stanza that we are familiar with singing today. Despite a minor change made in 1709, the lyrics have remained consistent since the hymns were originally published.

In contrast, the Gloria Patri origin story is blurrier. However, there have been scholars that contribute it to Paul’s writing and his invocation of the Trinity: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Corinthians 13:13). 

The mystery of the Trinity has existed since the dawn of creation. Nicholas Ayo wrote a book entitled “Gloria Patri: The History and Theology of the Lesser Doxology.” Ayo goes into extensive detail about the history of the hymn, but in short the statement, “Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, [world without end]. Amen. Amen;” has Trinitarian baptismal formula influences, as well as Arian influences from disputes surrounding the divinity of Jesus.

These hymns seek to remind us of the mystery and majesty of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In them we are able to share in the same hymnal prayer sung by believers before us. So, while it may take some time to adjust to the new change, we can be encouraged that the change was made out of respect for our mutual faith in the Trinity. 

Photos by Eden Anyabwile

Chaplain Lowe said that when he was growing up, the church was not a part of his upbringing. But he remembers that once he started going to church as a young adult, he heard these hymns and felt a connection to this deeply established church history, as well to theology as a whole. He doesn’t favor one hymn over the other, but rather views both as fundamentally important to the church. His hope for the Covenant community is that we can enjoy this new shift in hymns as an extension to our faith and further understanding of the Trinity and the church as a whole.

The Best Kind of "Tryhard"

Since their 2015 Soundcloud debut, The Band CAMINO has rapidly become a staple of alt rock music and my Spotify diet. Having titled themselves “your mom’s favorite band,” their songs sport soaring guitar riffs, dark vocals, and mournful lyrics wrestling with love and personal identity. 

Following their rise to popularity, the band’s music has gradually become more produced, straying away from their old recipe of spotlighting electric guitars and melancholic melodies in favor of synthesizers and pop-music vibes. If COIN, Colony House, or The 1975 are your jam,  you’ll love them.

Their latest release is “tryhard,” their third EP (although Spotify is convinced it’s an album), which showcases their newer, more energetic sound. It’s worth noting that the band releases most of their music as singles, which creates the curious situation of four songs (well, more like three and a half) of the eight on the EP not actually being new. Likewise, they don’t tread much new ground when choosing song topics: heartbreak, poor romantic decisions, and self-doubt. The fantastic novelty and energy of “tryhard” come from more melodic bass lines, brighter vocals, faster tempos, and bouncy synth riffs.

The opening track, “What I Want,” is the half-old song I mentioned earlier. Having released the original version in 2017, the band chose to tweak the intro of the song and clean up the vocals a bit. I miss the cutting harmonies and plucky guitar riff of the 2017 edition, but the updated sound fits well with the new style. 

Next up is the first new song, “Hush Hush,” in which lead vocalist Jeffrey Jordan goes over the plan for a clandestine rendezvous with a lover, repeatedly imploring, “Hush hush / Don’t give it away.” That catchy tag, the lilting but powerful electric guitar lines, and driving drums make it hard to not nod along to the beat.

“Daphne Blue” is another previously released song, but it fits perfectly with the rest of the EP. It foreshadows the band’s transition to their new style as the vocals cut from dark and rounded in the pre-chorus to the bright, belted-out first line of the chorus: “You got me off-track, got me thinkin’ abstract.” 

Switching from lost love to current relationships, “Honest” (their most recent single) begins deceptively laid-back with twinkling synths and auto-tuned background vocal tracks, giving way to punchy bass lines, wailing guitars, and unrelenting drums.

The fifth track on the EP, “See Through,” is the last to have debuted as a single. It was also my most binged song over the summer; I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to memorize the staccato, impassioned chorus (“I’ll be outside, I been cooped up / Bloodshot eyes, need a ride, will you pick up?”) on my commute. Arrangement-wise, it’s similar to “Honest,” with an emphasis on pad loops and synth choirs in the verse and more “classic” instrumentation in the chorus.

It’s hard to pick my favorite song from this EP, but the next two may be the top contenders. “Haunted” starts with a cheerful-enough synth loop and driving two-part intro, only to drop off into a musically sparse, voice-and-drums driven verse. The vocals rise to a wail for the chorus, and the song never completely lets go of that angsty energy. 

Its competition, and the next-to-last track on the album, is “Farsighted.” The band wraps this fretful, introspective tour of self-identity in a positively bouncy bass riff, chipper synths, and a generally upbeat vibe. Incidentally, the song contains a delightful description of inner monologue: “There’s a voice inside my head that I call me / Who’s a collection of conversations and melodies.”

Following the trend of disguising pained lyrics in upbeat tunes, “Break Me” concludes the album by picking apart the narrator’s justifications for staying in a possibly abusive relationship. This soul-searching is set to biting synths, lively drums, and relentless guitar lines. “I hate the way you make me just / Wish I could make you hate me” is a brutal way to describe a relationship.

In a Facebook post regarding the EP’s release, the group shared, “Somewhere along the way people have called us ‘try-hards’ thinking we took ourselves too seriously or were trying to be something we weren’t. Of course, we are try-hards. The entire reason we’re here is to create something bigger than ourselves. A lot of times people use ‘try-hard’ in a derogatory sense, but we’d rather own the fact that we’ve given every ounce of ourselves to making this music.” 

The effort The Band CAMINO put into this record shows, and careful listening has only increased my initial, immediate enjoyment.