Eastern Mennonite University Podcast

In this week’s “Inside Athletics” podcast, Dave and James look at the interesting dynamics of this time of year.  They talk about the basketball teams dealing with less practice time during exam week, but still playing games this weekend.  Dave also digs into some unique teaching moments with the student-athletes that become available. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

Students from the New Zealand cross-cultural seminar share experiences and reflections from their recent adventure.

Students from the South Africa and Lesotho cross-cultural seminar share experiences and reflections from their recent adventure.

Reverend Richard Cizik explores the connection between environmentalism and our faith. Cizik is the President of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, and has been an outspoken advocate for environmental action. Cizik has worked closely with both scientists and evangelical leaders to bridge the gap between these typically estranged groups, and raise awareness about the very real dangers of climate change. This chapel is sponsored by Earthkeepers.

In this week’s “Inside Athletics” podcast, Sports Information Director James De Boer brings on women’s basketball coach Kevin Griffin.  They talk about expectations after finishing 22-4 last season, the reasoning and results of a tough stretch to start this season, and the balance of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

Faculty and Staff in several departments recognize important achievements of students during the fall semester.  Laurie Miller also recognizes and celebrates 10 years of Common Grounds coffeehouse on campus!

Suter Science Seminar – Richard Beck, PhD “Practice hospitality.” So commands Paul in Romans 12. And yet, a host of social and psychological dynamics often conspire to make faith communities insular, inward-looking and unwilling to engage with the “tax collectors and sinners” of our world. The presentation will focus on the features of purity psychology and how these undermine, at the psychological level, Jesus’s call for us to be a missional people characterized by welcome, mercy, and hospitality. How are faith communities to overcome these dynamics? The presentation will conclude with an analysis of Miroslav Volf’s “will to embrace,” arguing that the change we seek is largely affectional in nature, with the root of the problem being found in our emotional stance toward strangers and out-group members. Dr. Richard Beck is Professor and Chair of Psychology at Abilene Christian University and is the author of Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality and The Authenticity of Faith: The Varieties and Illusions of Religious Experience. As an experimental psychologist Richard has also published extensively in the empirical literature examining the intersection of Christianity and psychology. Richard also writes regularly about the interface of theology and psychology at his popular and award-winning blog Experimental Theology. Richard is married to Jana, who is a high-school theater teacher; they have two sons—Brenden and Aidan.

One of the most radical and controversial aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry was how he constantly crossed social, political, religious and moral boundaries to embrace the “tax collectors and sinners” of his day. And yet, modern Christians struggle with how to follow that example. What is getting in our way? And what dangers must be negotiated if we are to follow Jesus’ radical openness to others? Dr. Richard Beck is Professor and Chair of Psychology at Abilene Christian University and is the author of Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality and The Authenticity of Faith: The Varieties and Illusions of Religious Experience. As an experimental psychologist Richard has also published extensively in the empirical literature examining the intersection of Christianity and psychology. Richard also writes regularly about the interface of theology and psychology at his popular and award-winning blog Experimental Theology. Richard is married to Jana, who is a high-school theater teacher; they have two sons—Brenden and Aidan.

In this week’s “Inside Athetics” podcast, Sports Information Director James De Boer rides solo.  He opens talking about the excitement building for the track & field season, which opens this weekend.  With both basketball teams opening their ODAC seasons this week, James also talks about some trends we might see this year and some of the differences between the importance of regular season games between the men and the women. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

EMS Worship Liturgy Class students Marlene Chandler, Karen Kiel, Rob Nash, Mary Norville, Ryan Schaeffer; lead this Chapel Gathering service in the Seminary. The entire campus community is invited to every chapel worship service on campus. Eastern Mennonite Seminary hosts chapel gatherings in Martin Chapel every Tuesday and Thursday; EMU Campus Ministries hosts chapel gatherings every Wednesday and Friday in Lehman Auditorium. Specifics and occasional changes are noted in individual chapel listings.

Howard Zehr, professor of restorative justice,  and Mark Metzler-Sawin, professor of history, offer a presentation on “Pickups: A love story.”

Dr. Ken J. Nafziger leads this  chapel marking the beginning of the  journey of Advent through communal singing of selected hymns.

In today’s podcast, Dave is joined by Sue Kolb, the Assistant Athletic Director for Student Athlete Well-being.  They review the work that Sue did last year in tracking attendance and academic progress as a means of improving retention rates.  Sue outlines the program that was implemented, the follow-up work that was done and the results for the first year.  Together, they examine indicators of retention and academic success and talk about what we are doing this year as well as how the university is working together in a broader way to improve retention which helps the overall enrollment. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

Seminary Dean Dr. Michael King reflects on how the story of Nicodemus helps us understand the difference between “I get it” and “being gotten.” “I get it” is a way of staying in control; it’s hard for us to imagine living differently. Our whole culture takes us in the direction of emphasizing the value of “I get it.” In contrast, “being gotten” is a way of allowing ourselves to be seized by something larger than us. A key context for all of this is working toward highlighting EMS as a Discernment Training Center. King defines discernment as “involving the community of believers gathered in Jesus’ name around Scripture in the presence of the Holy Spirit to let God show us the way through the urgent, complicated, and sometimes divisive issues of a given time and place.”

Ride the DC metro through chapel in Lehman Auditorium with the Washington Community Scholars’ Center as they explore what it means to study, work, get lost, make friends and build peace in the big city.