In the age of TikTok and memes, the 2008 phenomenon, “Twilight,” has somehow made a cultural renaissance. This resurgence may have something to do with “Twilight” writer and conceptualizer, Stephanie Meyer’s recent release of a companion story to the saga—Midnight Sun. Though the series just celebrated its 12th anniversary, “Twilight” seems to be making a comeback in the Gen Z media cycle—perhaps similar even to the age of “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob” Hot Topic t-shirts circa 2008.
Read MoreOne of the prominent ideological groups within the culture wars is Christian evangelicals. Debates about how to win the culture wars have raged within evangelical circles for years—I don’t want to rehash them here. I am more concerned with the fact that Christians have unquestioningly joined the same culture wars as every other group, picked up the same weapons, and fought with the same zeal. If Christians really want to fulfill the Great Commission, it’s time that we abandon the culture wars and their weapons.
Read More“Okay, I have a stupid favor to ask,” I texted my boyfriend this past Friday night. After receiving his permission to “fire away,” I asked if he would meet me at the train stop since I was wearing a low-cut top and didn’t want to walk from the No. 5 train to his Brooklyn apartment alone. I’m sure he rolled his eyes.
But it wasn’t the walk that I should have been concerned about.
Read MoreI met my friend, Anthony in the 7th grade. He was as vibrant as all of my daydreams combined. We made each other laugh, and our friendship burgeoned. When high school started, he grew destructive and faced threats of expulsion. Until Fiona Apple, I was desperate to remain valuable to him. Listening to Apple’s music taught me to value myself more.
Read MoreAre some among us overanalyzing the moral relevance and philosophical weight of masks? Yes. I think so. For that reason, I’d like to wrap up my part of the discussion with a few larger points.
Read MoreProfessor Glader is entitled to his opinions and his feelings – it is left to us to judge their substance. I find the abundance of non sequiturs and strawmen in his op-ed truly alarming, but I console myself with the thought that this is rushed opinion rather than reasoned argument. Apparently, he has a few axes to grind about President Trump, sex scandals, cover-ups, shouting racial slurs, and even my alma mater - all find their way into the piece. What those have to do with me or the issue at hand is rather hard to see.
Read MoreDear King’s students and alumni, we need to talk.
We need to talk about our community because of the elephant in the room: many of us struggle to live faithfully in exercising wisdom, courage, and respect when it comes to gossip and social media. This is not a new problem, but it recently resurfaced around my choice to lecture without a facemask or face shield last week. We can have a conversation about the merits or demerits of my choice, but that is not the problem I am addressing here.
Read MoreIt has been too long. I miss you all, and I cannot wait to see you shortly. If you had told me in early March that we would all have been unceremoniously sent away for the remainder of the semester, I would not have believed you. I know this because I remember standing in Greg’s the week before talking with a friend about how the hype around COVID-19 was overblown. I also remember when the rumors of quarantine started, how a group of friends discussed spending the quarantine together in my apartment because we expected it to last two weeks. All this naïveté seems quaint now but, throughout the summer, I have been repeatedly reminded how much this virus has laid bare much of the foolhardiness of our contemporary life. We have built walls of scientific hubris that often felt like they offered the flimsy protection of wet cardboard as opinion and consensus changed at what seemed like a weekly pace. It became obvious early on that we knew very little and were constantly behind the curve of learning.
Read MoreMy silence on social media regarding racial injustice over the last two months has been intentional. That silence is not indicative of a denial of racial injustice’s existence or the necessity of addressing it—if it has been perceived that way and caused you pain, I am deeply sorry.
Read MoreObviously, coming back to school this fall is by no means the same as coming home as shell-shocked soldiers from World War II, but this year has stripped many of us of the things we cling tightly to for security and comfort. Some of us have been richly blessed by our time in quarantine, while others have been miserable. For most of us, I suspect it’s some messy combination of the two and more. But as we move forward into this semester, let’s not forget God’s presence in all this chaos and just how much we need each other. Let’s use this year to learn how to truly walk with each other as we find our new normal. May the legacy of 2020 be one that made us realize our deep dependence on God and on each other, and though difficult, just how good that dependence is.
Read MoreIn the past year or so, I have pondered heavily upon what it means to be an activist, the true weight of one's words, and how easy it is to throw statements around on social media. After 19 years in white, Christian spaces, something new is happening to me: white people I know are publicly stating that Black lives matter (BLM). This feels particularly odd because four to six years ago those words were demonized, and those around me associated those words with radicalism and violence. I was afraid to say publicly that my life mattered.
Read MoreWith losses and missteps, Gilmore Girls’ seventh season represents the bleakness of quarantine.
Read MoreThis letter is to you, the Exiles. Whether you stayed or went, you have been separated from the King’s community that was. The virus struck like a lightning bolt, and before anyone had time to blink, our home was gone. That shock has now passed; our rocky transitions complete, we have (more or less) become accustomed to our new realities. We now face another obstacle, the ever-imposing question: “Now what?”
Read MoreAs we begin to resume “normal life” again, it is important to take some time to consider the things we should keep and the things we should leave behind. How do we preserve what was good about the old life while reckoning with our extreme failures and systematic problems?
Read MoreYes, I understand that a new process has been created by the NRC in which current and incoming students within a house may opt to change houses. Regardless, the college administration’s choice to not remove Reagan as a House Namesake is at best, a wasted opportunity, and at worst, a cowardly decision.
Read MoreI’ve heard each of these phrases from my own family and friends. And as a college student diagnosed with clinical depression, my interpretation of their words came subconsciously, regardless of their intent.
Read MoreAn ode to what could have been… for The King’s College Class of 2020.
Read MoreRacial tensions are part of America’s history and experience as a melting pot. This time, they are exacerbated by the Coronavirus that is sweeping through the U.S. and the world. The Coronavirus emerged originally from Wuhan, China, according to early news and government reports. As a result, Asians are suffering in the court of perceptions and public relations.
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