Masland Library Blog

As some of you may know, April was National Poetry Month. As I was searching for an interesting poem to write about, I happened to stumble upon one that was written in honor of...You guessed it! A library. What could be more fitting for the Masland Library Blog?! The longer I've been at PBU, the more I have come to appreciate the library. Not only is it one of the only quiet places around campus where I can get work done, but it has the resources I need to conquer all of my research papers that I so enjoy writing. I also find the library workers to be extremely charming and helpful, brightening my dreary load of homework with their cheerful smiles and eagerness to share databases, call numbers, and other delightful tidbits of library information. So without further ado, I present this poem in honor of National Poetry Month and libraries everywhere. Enjoy : )

My Library

by Varda One

It's only a room with shelves and books,
but it's far more magical than it looks

It's a jet on which I soar
to lands that exist no more.

Or a key with which I find
answers to questions crowding my mind.

Building my habit of learning and growing,
asking and researching till I reach knowing.

Here, I've been a mermaid and an elf
I've even learned to be more myself.

I think that I shall never see
a place that's been more useful to me.

With encouraging kind friends with wit
Who tell me to dream big and never quit.

It's only a room with shelves and books,
but it's far more magical than it looks.

VW

Whether be it today, a month from today, or in ten years, I can assure you of one thing, we will at one point ask God, “ Why?!?” Why me? Why now? And we may even proudly scoff, “I could do better than this! You have NO idea what this is doing to my life.”

As if he didn’t already know what was happening and as if he forgot to wear his glasses today and was too far off to see you crying fountains in your bedroom. Well let me assure you of this: 5 The Lord watches over you- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.( Psalm 121: 5-6) He sees everything your going through, and He knows exactly what’s happening…even when it seems otherwise.

Dr. James Dobson makes it clear that he cannot answer the enduring “Why?” But he says this: “God always makes sense even when he doesn't make sense” Often when we are in the midst of trials we feel as if we’ve been abandoned by God. As if he really couldn’t care less about what’s happening with us, and we too quickly lose our faith and write God off as an uncaring and blind God. Our emotions and feelings….honestly, they are not the most reliable. If you’ve ever “followed your heart”, as you know the saying goes, you’ve probably often found yourself wondering why you ever did that. (Jeremiah 17: 9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ) “Establish your foundation not on ephemeral emotions but on the authority of the written Word. He promised never to leave us (Matthew 28:20).” (When God Doesn’t Make Sense- James Dobson)

So even when God doesn’t seem to make sense to us, He still makes sense… because He is God and we are not, and when we “feel” like He is doing a bad job, we need to stand upon the firm foundation of God’s promise. (Yes, I acknowledge, it is much more easily said than done. But with God’s empowerment….it is possible.)

God told Job…

Job 38: 4-8 ⁴"Where were you ^(E)when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
⁵Who set its ^(F)measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
⁶"On what ^(G)were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
⁷When the morning stars sang together
And all the ^(H)sons of God shouted for joy?
⁸"Or who ^(I)enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;

And just like Job, our response should be :

¹Then Job answered the LORD and said,
²"I know that ^(A)You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
³'Who is this that ^(B)hides counsel without knowledge?'
"Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things ^(C)too wonderful for me, which I did not know."
⁴'Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ^(D)ask You, and You instruct me.'
⁵"I have ^(E)heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my ^(F)eye sees You;
⁶Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes."

Lord, help us to trust your Sovereignty even when we foolishly think we can be more sovereign. Forgive us for our faithlessness and for our relying on ourselves.

~Grace Sulaiman

The book can be found in the PBU Library here: BT732.7 .D628 1993

Yesterday, April 6, 2011 the Masland Library had the pleasure of meeting the internationally renowned historian, Dr. Jonathan Steinberg. He is responsible for the generous donation of roughly thirteen hundred books to the PBU library, contributing to the University’s efforts of adding a History major to the curriculum.

Upon hearing of Dr. Steinberg’s accomplishments, I immediately wanted to draw from his wisdom. During the near thirty minutes it took me to formulate a question, I reflected on my life. I thought to myself, “what can I ask this highly respected historian about, that will be relevant to me?” I did not want to merely gain knowledge about facts; I wanted to walk away with a new perspective. After finally racking up some courage, I approached him. My question to him was, “In your opinion, what would you consider important qualities for a leader to possess?”

Throughout my life I have been given various leadership positions; whether it be in church, work, or a simple group project, it is always an honor to lead people. So I was eager to hear what Dr. Steinberg had to say. To my pleasant surprise, he gave me more than I even expected. He explained that depending on what you are leading, these necessary qualities may shift. In reaction, I asked him about his experience as the chairman in the history department at the University of Pennsylvania. He mentioned that a leader that is in charge of a board should be able to seamlessly lead a team by simultaneously allowing each member to do what they want to do and being an example of how you desire them to be. It is as almost as if the team can hardly tell that they have a boss. This is due to the fact that their leader actually respectfully works with them, instead of being an overbearing dictator. Dr. Steinberg emphasized the ability to lead by example other than explanation. It was at this point in the conversation that I was enlightened. His statements probed my ideas and thoughts. Dr. Steinberg confirmed my belief that the people I lead should be able to perceive my values and passions by simply examining how I conduct my life.

What is interesting enough, is the direct correlation his view on leadership has with my belief on Christianity; not just in leadership, but in my faith as a whole. In John 13:34-35, Jesus commands believers to love one another. He says, “by this (loving one another) everyone will know that you are my disciples.” In this verse the reader can see that the type of love Jesus is talking about is an active verb. We must literally live to love and by how we live; men should be drawn to us. Think about the people you have authority over in your life; if you never said a word to them, would they still be able to follow your lead? In the broader perspective, think of the unbelievers you come in contact with. Are you a living example of what you want to see in others? As a Christian, we want to see souls be changed by the power of Christ. But are we living as though He has changed us?

Talking with Dr. Steinberg was such an amazing experience. He is the most interesting person to talk to because he does not use his vast background of knowledge to stomp on the intelligence of others. By interacting with him I could clearly sense his genuine interest. It is so refreshing to meet different individuals that are passionate about life and learning. I hope PBU has the privilege to host Dr. Steinberg again.

~Kim Pessoa

For more information on Dr. Jonathan Steinberg: http://www.history.upenn.edu/faculty/steinberg.shtml

For more information on the Steinberg collection at Philadelphia Biblical University.

START: You are a PBU student and it is a tiresome Wednesday. You think wistfully about the upcoming weekend but are then crushed by the thought of your project due tomorrow. For the most part you like your classes, except for this one. It is all lecture and you don’t understand the subject matter. It is a beautifully sunny day outside. What will you do?

· You stare out the window at the swirling leaves. (Move on to Number 2)

· You watch the professor diligently and listen to him talk about the Patripassionistic implications of Kierkegaard. (Move on the Number 3)

2. You completely ignore your surroundings and look out the window. You will never completely understand what the professor was talking about but your nerves are significantly more intact. Sadly, you do not catch the announcement about the quiz on chapter eleven next Friday.

· You think about existence itself. I mean what really IS it anyway? (Drift to Number 4)

· You contemplate your day and the conversations you had this morning. (Move to Number 5)

3. You do not learn anything about Patripassionism and become frustrated. It seems like everyone else understands what Dr. Wontlborro is lecturing about. You glance over the other students and you see their riveted faces, you are missing something. The class has ended and you find out about the quiz next Friday. What will you do next?

· You are a little hungry so you decide to go to lunch with your friends. What the professor said probably wasn’t that important anyway. (Continue to Number 6)

· You are too frustrated by the subject matter to remember that you are hungry. You walk back to your dorm carrying a terribly attitude. (Move to Number 7)

4. END: You look out the window and wonder about the finer details of existence. The invisible swirling wind forces you to consider the social schemas that govern every living creature. Both are invisible yet they affect us so drastically. You decide to write this down in your notebook and study it more. After class you rush to the library and pour yourself into research about philosophy. You change your major to liberal arts and spend all your free time writing a comprehensive book on the similarities between society and wind. The book is called Blustery Society: Better Grab a Jacket! It sells millions and you become famous. It is a good thing you went to the PBU library.

5. END: You narcissistically consider your own life and do not do anything that does not fulfill your selfish needs. After class you return to your room at take hundreds of pictures of yourself to post on Facebook. Your mother notices this obsession and confronts you about your obsession. You are incapable of seeing her side so you shut her down by insulting her fashion. She, in turn, stops paying for college because of your rude behavior. You must now get a job in order to support yourself. Maybe you should have spent more time in the library rather than the mirror.

6. Your friends rally your spirits by discussing their favorite celebrity look alike. Eventually the conversation bends toward today’s lesson. It is all over you head. What do you want to do next?

· Admit that you don’t understand the topic and get help but confess that you are not as smart as they are. This may hurt your pride. (Continue to Number 10)

· You are bored by the subject and you overhear someone talking about driving to the beach. They are some of your best friends and the next thing you know you are riding with the windows down to the Jersey coast. You promise yourself that you will read a little at the beach. (Continue to Number 11)

7. As you enter your dorm you see your roommate. They smile and you scowl at the floor then resign yourself to sitting on your bed dejectedly. What should you do next?

· Read the Wikipedia page for Patripassionism then start your project.(Move to Number 8)

· Talk to your roommate about all of your school woes. (Move to Number 9)

8. End: Your relationship with your roommate is scarred forever. There was no way you could have known that they were having a terrible day and that a simple smile could have lifted them out of an everlasting spiral of depression. You barely understand the topic but you start anyway, handing in something is better than doing nothing. Right? You misspell the word “Godhead” every single time and barely pass the class. But you do pass after all. Thank you, Wikipedia. Maybe you should have gone to the library for a more reputable source.

9. End: Your roommate sympathizes with your pain and you become better friends because of it. They treat you to Chick-Fil-A which completely changes your mood and wipes the project from your mind. You stay up till three drinking hot-cocoa and talking about your lost childhood. It was pretty fantastic. At about four in the morning you bolt upright in bed and remember your project. The library is closed by now so you can’t get any books. Luckily your roommate has a few books that kind of relate to the subject. You write half of the paper but are unable to finish it on time. Your professor is not amused, at least you have friends. Try picking up your books from the library ahead of time.

10. End: Your friends joke about your ignorance then realize that you are serious. They backtrack furiously but you can tell that they are mentally reassessing your intelligence. One friend slowly explains the concepts to you and even shares what book really helped them. You walk to the library and check out the book. Your pride is hurt but you are a better person for it. Good job!

11. You go to the beach and spend the whole day doing nothing but building sandcastles. You sleep on the beach that night (which is significantly colder than you expected) and watch the sun rise. When you walk back to your car you realize that it was towed during the night, the New Jersey police would have preferred if you had fed the parking meter. You spend the day searching for your car and getting it from the impound. You do not hand in the project and you end up failing the class (better luck next year!). The beach is not a good place to study, might I suggest the library?

~Rosalyn Forbes

1. People are nice here. Seriously, we are. We like books, so as long as you aren’t bringing open cups into the main library or sneaking cookies from the MAC, we’ll continue to be nice to you. (Yes, we DO see you eating your Cheez-Its back there. Don’t even think that you can hide in one of the workstations, because the Library Police WILL catch you.)

2. We possess the secrets to limitless knowledge, better grades, and unstable amounts of pure awesomeness. It’s a fact, and you would know about it if you bothered to come and research the Periodic Table in the library.

3. Come on, people. It’s FREE! Books cost money. If you do your research for that big paper here instead of buying lots of books you’ll only look at once, you’ll have more money to spend on food. Which you’ll have to leave at the desk. Don’t eat in the library.

4. The library transcends these four walls. Because of this library, you have access to hundreds of databases and e-texts filled with all that scholarly information that your professors love. Give them what they want, and do your brain a favor. You don’t even have to get out of your pajamas, though I suggest leaving that Diet Coke a good distance away from your Macbook.

5. Printing. You can use your student ID's here for a fixed amount of free prints every semester so that you can save money on ink when you have to print out that thesis four times. Take advantage of the computers and the printing. Besides, you’ll make some lonely computer lab worker’s day just by showing up.

6. We have an entire room filled with childrens books! Spending half an hour with a stack of old favorites from your childhood can be a great way to take the edge off being an adult with responsibilities.

7. It’s quiet in here. Our study areas are wonderfully non-distracting, and it’s really easy to get work done when you don’t have to listen to your roommate’s Toby Mac CD blasting at full volume in the background.

That being said, I would really like to encourage you to take advantage of the resources made available to you through the library. You just might be surprised at what you can find.

See you soon!

-Gabrielle Cerberville

Last night Philadelphia Biblical University hosted a chat with Dinesh D'Souza which was highly entertaining and challenging. Mr. D'Souza is an apologetist who has written a number of books including "What is so great about Christianity", a biography on Reagan and one on Obama. He also is known to be outspoken on his views and therefore is frequently on the debate circuit defending Christianity to "New Atheists". New Atheists differ from the intellectual atheists of the eighteenth century in that they no longer ignore the issue of faith but are forcibly against it. According to CNN, "What the New Atheists share is a belief that religion should not simply be tolerated but should be countered, criticized and exposed by rational argument wherever its influence arises." Due to this harsh and critical stance it is necessary for Apologists to stand up and create meaningful and accurate responses. Therefore Mr. D'Souza's lecture covered 3 main questions.

1. What has Christianity/Christendom done for the world?
2. Does Science disprove Christianity?
3. Is Religion or a Belief in God responsible for the majority of the world's murders/genocides?
   

The first question was an interesting one. Atheists, especially the New Atheists frequently stand up for charity, human dignity, compassion and a plethora of moralistic values. Their argument lies in the fact that Classical Western thought and ideas created these intrinsic human values, however if you study Greek and Roman philosophy you will note that Socrates and the Romans didn't subscribe to these ideals at all. Compassion for ones enemies was seen as a weakness, the Spartans left their weak and in-firmed lying in the open so that they could die of the elements or from being eaten by wild animals.

Slavery was also a common practice in ancient antiquity, the only group that protested slavery was Christendom (and slaves). Christendom was the first protesters who talked about human dignity or the rights of men to own other men. Democracy was built on the idea that no man can be master over the other without having his permission.

The next question was regarding whether or not Science disproves Religion. Mr. D'Souza's position is that not only does it not disprove religion, but due to most of the scientific discoveries during the twentieth century, religion and most especially a belief in a creator is proved by the discoveries. How? There are certain rates that must stay constant, sound, light, mass, gravity, otherwise the universe as we know it would literally not exist. Stephen Hawkings admitted as much, and most people agree with him that our universe is built like it is to maintain human life and the universes' dimensions.

The final topic we covered was whether or not Religion is/was responsible for the majority of warfare and genocides in the world. Mr. D'Souza's argument is that no, religion is only a valid main talking point in Islam, not Christianity/Christendom. In the 1100's the Crusades were violent and about Christianity, but in more recent history the Inquisition had about 2000 people killed during 350 years, and the Salem witch trials had less than 20. And while that was still wrong, the numbers or the concept has been blown out of the water. Israel/Palestine, Turkey/Pakistan are all about land, not religion.

Instead the crimes of Atheist rulers/leaders and their numbers is what is truly horrendous. Stalin, Hitler, China's Communist history have been responsible for more deaths than any other all in the name of no god, but man.

What Christians really need to do is to be informed and to stand up for their beliefs, wish-washy relativism is useless in the face of these learned men. They will not back down from their hostility of God, so we cannot back down from our faith in God. Become informed, and learn to critically think through an argument on faith and reason. Work in the media/publishing centers of the world if you want to make a difference in the world, otherwise we will only continue to give up ground. If Christendom were to stand together and stop fighting each other we might have a chance to truly counter the remarks of the enemy and change the "public" opinion and laws.

~LAS

Hooper, Simon. "The rise of the New Atheists". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/11/08/atheism.feature/index.html. Retrieved 2010-03-16.