Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

It’s five o’ clock a.m. I think I’ve been awake since two o’ clock. No, I know I’ve been awake. I’ve relived every minute of the past three hours too many times.

Picture these two scenarios.

You are on an airplane, and over the loudspeaker a flight attendant says, “If there are any doctors or nurses on board, could they please identify themselves as a passenger is experiencing severe chest pains and needs medical attention.” A doctor and two nurses respond immediately, and the passenger with the chest pains is given appropriate help.

In the other scenario, you are in a coffee shop. A customer sitting at the table next to you begins to shake, then gets up and starts stammering uncontrollably. The manager goes over to the shaking customer and says, “I’m sorry, we’re going to have to ask you to leave, as you are disturbing the other customers,” and leads the stammering customer out the door.

Q. What does TWU’s large commuter population say about our university?
A. Because a lot of students live off campus, it means the few students that do live on campus form a really great, close community.
– Pia Antturi, fourth-year resident

Q. There are 38 per cent less Americans at TWU than there were three years ago. What does this say about our university?
A. I think there’s still enough Americans around and they’re vocal enough, so there’s still a strong American presence on campus. [With fewer US Students], this gives us a slightly stronger Canadian identity. It also cuts down on jokes like, “You’re Canadian, eh?” It also doesn’t encourage Canadian students to think of Americans as international, and appreciate the small cultural differences.
– Ben Brook, fourth-year Albertan

Daniel Radosh probably knows more about Evangelical pop culture than you do. He’s been to Holy land theme parks, Christian wrestling shows, seen Bibleman – the evangelical superhero – live, and taken a tour through a hell house. But here’s the catch: he’s not a Christian. He’s a professing Jew living in Brooklyn. Prompted by his experiences at a Christian music festival with his young sister-in-law, where music was judged on how much the bands prayed rather than how talented they were, Radosh, a freelance writer and editor at The Week, uses his outside perspective to explore the crazy and sometimes surprising world of Christian subculture. His book Rapture Ready: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture (available in the TWU library), retells his findings with honesty and humour, often challenging the stereotypes of the culture while giving thoughtful critique. Though not necessarily written for Christians, Radosh’s insights are undoubtedly valuable for evangelicals serious about the implications of their pop culture’s presence in North America. I spoke with Radosh about what motivated his journey, the people he met, and which parts of the “parallel universe” are worthwhile.

Just Say Anything

Have you heard about Juicy Campus? Or for that matter, have you heard who’s on Juicy Campus? If not, you should. Or should you?

Apathy in education

Jolene Hildebrand

Almost every adult in my family is employed in the education system, so I’ve overheard many conversations about students and school. This conversation typically revolves around parents interfering with teachers or administrators for their child’s sake – asking teachers to give higher marks because their child deserved it or refusing to believe their child was guilty of any misconduct. Increasingly, however, the issue of parental interference has expanded beyond grade school and extended to higher education, resulting in students’ apathetic attitude towards their education.

Partying is an extremely divisive issue at Trinity Western University. For some, the term “partying” is too vague - it expresses a negative connotation that shouldn’t accompany the term. Others feel that there is an unhealthy stigma associated with partying due to the atmosphere of secrecy often shrouding it. For this issue of Mars’ Hill, we want to pry open some of the different perspectives that people have towards partying, and promote dialogue regarding the realities of what happens on campus as well as off.

Jillian Snyder explores two different perspectives on Christian missions in today’s world.

Amalia Nickel

The missionary kid: Amalia Nickel is a young woman entrenched in the tradition of the Western missionary movement. The daughter and granddaughter of missionaries, Nickel’s family has lived throughout Asia for the past century. Her family relocated to the country of Pakistan in the late 1980s. Living in Karachi, the nation’s largest city, Nickel’s family worked with the Baloch people group in southern Pakistan.