Emblem Issue II Spring 2017 by The King's College

THE KING'S COLLEGE MAGAZINE

FA I T H A N D WOR K Jerron Herman (MC A, 2013), Dancer at Heidi Latsky Dance

Contents

13 20

Faculty Q&A: Chris Cragin-Day Neither Work Nor Leisure Provide “Our Daily Bread” Dru Johnson, Ph.D.

THE ARTS

BUSINESS & FINANCE

37 40

Vocation is More Than Occupation Bethany Jenkins

Reconciling the World to God Andy G. Mills

E D U C AT I O N

L A W , G O V E R N M E N T, & CIVIL SOCIETY

8 14 26 32

The Inexhaustible Mr. Herman

On a Mission for Business

Stoking the Fires of Learning

Freedom to Serve

Jerron Herman

Ted & Brekly Pantone

Danielle Perkins

Josh & Caroline Craddock

10 / Mallory McCurry 11/ Meaghan Ritchey Amy Leigh Wicks Aaron Craig

16 / Adam Kail 15 / Peter Flemming Katie Lay

28 / Tanisha Fanney 27 / Burk Ohbayashi Luke Trouwborst

33 / Rachelle Peterson 34 / Jacqueline Smith Sarah Keenan

EMBLEM MAGAZINE

Credits THE MISSION OF THE KING'S COLLEGE Through its commitment to the truths of Christianity and a biblical worldview, The Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College seeks to transform society by preparing students for careers in which they help to shape and eventually lead strategic public and private institutions, and by supporting faculty members as they directly engage culture through writing and speaking publicly on critical issues.

MEDIA & PUBLISHING

NONPROFIT & MINISTRY

38 48

LEADERSHIP Gregory A. Thornbury, Ph.D. President Tim Gibson Executive Vice President Kimberly C. Thornbury, Ph.D. Vice President for Strategic Planning WRITERS Emily Schatz (PPE, 2011) Madison Peace (PPE, 2012) Jane Scharl (PPE, 2012) EDITORS Rebecca Au (MCA, 2015) Eric Corpus Director of Digital Media & Advertising FEATURED ARTICLES Dru Johnson, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies Chris Cragin-Day Assistant Professor of English and Theater Andy G. Mills Senior Fellow Bethany Jenkins Director of Vocational and Career Development DESIGN Natalie Nakamura (MCA, 2013) Director of Design & Marketing PHOTOGRAPHY Cameron Strittmatter Media Lab Coordinator

Seeing, Loving, and Telling the Truth

To Do Justly and Love Mercy

Hope Seck

Sam Tran

44 / Derek Reed 39 / Meagan Clark 45 / Jon Seidl

51 / Matt Kaal 49 / Moses & Marilette Sanchez 50 / Gabby Hanners

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CONTRIBUTORS Alissa Wilkinson Associate Professor of English and Humanities Sara Horn ALUMNI CONTACT alumni@tkc.edu COMMENTS communications@tkc.edu

Letter from the President Dear friends, Although the service only lasted a little more than a year, the Pony Express remains one of the most cherished bits of American historical lore. While the telegraph thankfully replaced horseback travel as a means of communication, to this day there is something romantic about the thought of handing a precious letter to a gallant rider named Lafayette Bolwinkle or Irish Tom and watching him dash off on a 2,000-mile journey to Sacramento with your message in hand. But have you ever wondered how the Pony Express earned its mystique in the public mind? Few people remember that it was the integrity and values of the people who owned the Express that made the company so trustworthy. Consider “The Rider’s Oath,” penned by founder Alexander Majors: “I…do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while an employee of Russell, Majors and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God.” In this day and age, such an oath might seem time-bound, even quaint. Yet which of us does not recognize that seeing one’s work as a holy responsibility and pledging oneself to work with and not against one’s colleagues is badly needed once again in our society? The values of the Pony Express deserve to live on in our time. In this issue of Emblem, you will see how the educational mission of The King’s College is

motivating young alumni in the King’s community to live out those values in their careers—where they are engaging and creating culture and transforming their workplaces, communities, and societies. You’ll see how in just the few years since King’s reopened in Manhattan, our alumni, faculty, and staff are working and respected at the highest levels of their professions. Here in this issue are stories of faculty members like Chris Cragin-Day, who is making her faith known in the New York theatre community. You’ll hear from recent graduates like Jerron Herman, who is being recognized for his contributions to dance; Danielle Perkins, who shares Christ’s love with her students and colleagues as a teacher; and Josh and Caroline Craddock, who live out their convictions through their marriage and their advocacy work. You’ll read insights from New York City founders of The King’s College like Andy Mills, who is bringing his wisdom about the theology of work into the field of capital markets. You’ll benefit from the wisdom of staff and faculty members like Bethany Jenkins and Dru Johnson, who are dedicating their lives to helping this generation of students connect the dots between their faith and work. I pray that as you read, you will gain fresh appreciation for the mission of The King’s College to cultivate a company of faithful messengers right here in the greatest city in the world. All joy and courage,

Gregory Alan Thornbury, Ph.D. President

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THE ARTS

6 6

{ F E AT U R E }

The Inexhaustible Mr. Herman Story: Story:Madison Emily Schatz Peace Photo: Cameron Strittmatter

N A TYPICAL DAY, JERRON HERMAN

(MCA, 2013) spends the morning teaching dance to elementary and middle-school students at a public school on the Upper West Side, the early afternoon writing grant proposals, and the rest of the day in rehearsals. Herman is a professional dancer and grant writer at the New York-based modern dance company Heidi Latsky Dance. He has performed in esteemed spaces such as Lincoln Center and the Whitney Museum and has been dubbed “the inexhaustible Mr. Herman” by The New York Times. But before the summer of 2011, Herman had never danced. At three months old, Herman was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which affects one side of his body. He has long loved the arts and been

passionate about telling the stories of those at the margins, but writing has been his craft. (Before transferring to The King’s College in 2010, he studied dramatic writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.) During the summer of 2011, Herman was doing a summer apprenticeship at the New Victory Theater when a choreographer recommended that he audition for Heidi Latsky, whose company is dedicated to physically integrated dance, which employs and celebrates dancers with disabilities. Herman did, and interesting opportunities have been coming his way ever since. This summer, his company will be performing a show set to rap music by a group composed of two rappers in wheelchairs because of gun violence; he’ll be performing in the New York Department of Transportation’s Summer

“In a way, it’s as if I’m always moving through my faith. I’m always projecting it. I’m always putting it on display.”

Streets initiative; and he will likely also travel to Indonesia and Greece to put on “On Display Global,” a Heidi Latsky dance installation that critiques our society’s obsession with body image. Herman loves what he does, but says, “I can’t emphasize enough how much this is a job. It is work.” Although King’s did not practically help him develop his craft, he says that “the liberal arts emphasis on philosophy, criticism, and history—the tenets I took away, at least—help me throughout my varied days as a dancer, writer, worker of men.” He continues: King’s prepared me to seek a foundation and not rely on what’s popular. As an artist, that’s so important because I’m not constantly stressed out about innovation, but rather I’m concerned with how clearly I intersect with truth. Although working in the arts industry can be a challenging as a Christian, Herman sees his work as an opportunity to share his faith—subtly and strategically. “Part of being with people for a long time is that you get to know them and they get to know you,” Herman says. “The company knows that I’m a Christian, that I love God, and that I serve God, but it hasn’t been overt.” He tells the story of how one time Latsky stopped a rehearsal and said, “Jerron, I really appreciate your gratefulness. That kind of spirit is unique.” He continues, “In a way, it’s as if I’m always moving through my faith. I’m always projecting it. I’m always putting it on display.”

Amy Leigh (Cutler) Wicks PPE, 2009

C U R R E N T C I T Y:

Kaikoura, New Zealand

O C C U PAT I O N :

Ph.D. Candidate in Poetry at Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters; Professor of Environmental Literature for Creation Care Study Program.

Q: How has pursuing a Ph.D. in creative writing deepened your faith? “Leaving New York City for faraway New Zealand was a huge leap of faith for me; I had job prospects and opportunities that were very appealing. Turning opportunities down before I knew if I would be accepted as a Ph.D. candidate was terrifying, but also very freeing. “A Ph.D. is this long solitary journey with an examination at the end to determine if I have contributed something meaningful to the world of literature. Years ago, I often skipped spending time with God because I thought I didn’t have time and that my work was more important. Now, surrounded by mountains of books and more work than I’ve ever undertaken before, I start my day reading my Bible. I need wisdom and discernment to navigate the ideas I am surrounded by, so I ask for it in prayer, daily. With Daniel and his friends in the Old Testament, ‘God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.’ I need what God did for His people long ago to be available to me today, and this Ph.D. gives me an opportunity to depend on Him.”

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PPE, 2008

CURRENT C I T Y:

Long Island City, New York

Meaghan Ritchey O C C U PAT I O N:

Director of Residence Life and Program Coordinator for Baylor in New York, Baylor University’s film and digital media studies intensive; staff member for Redeemer W83’s Agora Project, a public programming initiative; and non-profit and arts consultant Q: How do you see your work at the intersection of faith and art contributing to the kingdom of God? “Taking the risk of going to King’s as early as I did, when questions about the school’s longevity were pervasive, taught me to surrender an unknown future to my Maker and Provider. I had to trust that my unusual degree from an unheard-of institution wouldn’t leave me without. And I still have to trust that good work will come my way if I remain diligent, determined, and committed to the wellbeing of others. “When people ask me why I do what I do, I answer, ‘I take whatever opportunities are granted to me to help artists stay artists, to find resources and experiences to help them flourish in their creative work, and to build infrastructure so that the pressures of a traditional bottom line are somewhat alleviated.’ My work takes many forms, because there’s much work to be done with very limited resources in these sorts of alternative markets. I know that my work has brought many artists and arts supporters moments of sincere joy and peace.”

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Aaron Craig PPE , 2 010

C U R R E N T C I T Y:

Brooklyn, New York

O C C U PAT I O N : Filmmaker and co-founder of We Are Films

As a Christian in a cutthroat industry, filmmaker Aaron Craig produces high-quality video work for clients without sacrificing kindness toward the people involved. Q: What difference does Christianity make in the way you envision and execute your work as a filmmaker? “God has given me the ability to do what I do. It’s a joyful process of doing what I believe my purpose is. It’s not about doing my work or being a Christian. They’re one and the same. “We’re always striving for excellence, but in a way that’s different: no shortcuts, no excuses, and no taking advantage of people. The film industry has a reputation for being cutthroat, backstabbing, and grueling. It’s true—especially in NYC—but it doesn’t have to be that way. We create videos while treating others with kindness. We work very, very hard, we treat others with respect, and we focus on creating an excellent product. That all flows naturally from God’s gift and, in the end, impacts people in our industry more than anything I’ve seen.”

{ PROFILE }

Story: Madison Peace

Mallory McCurry (MCA, 2013) stands out in the fashion industry by demonstrating humility and the love of Christ.

D U R I N G H E R F I N A L S E M E S T E R A T K I N G ’ S , Mallory McCurry got

an internship, through a connection of one of her professors, at Belgian-American designer Diane von Furstenberg’s flagship store in the Meatpacking District. That internship led to a job and to Mallory’s start in the fashion industry. Now, she manages leather goods for runway at Marc Jacobs. “Every day is different,” Mallory says, describing her work. She is part of a three-person team that regularly presents design ideas to Jacobs and, after receiving his direction and approval, goes to Italy to source leather and materials. “I spend about half of my time traveling to Italy,” she says. In Italy, the team works with factories to produce prototypes of the designs. After her team sees, adjusts, and approves the prototypes, Mallory says, “we travel back and present to Marc.” Mallory says that working at Marc Jacobs is truly her dream job: “It’s the kind of job I moved to New York for. I get to do what I love, the people are very nice, and I get to travel around the world to do it.” Although she is young, Mallory has had plenty of practice with working hard and putting in her time, and her current success is a clear testimony to that diligence. She says that when she entered the workforce four years ago, she wished she had better understood that “life is a journey.” “At King’s,” she says, “I felt very driven toward success. I expected to have my dream job right when I graduated or to be a disappointment. But it’s the hard work in the little jobs and internships that got me to where I am.” Mallory says that fashion can be a difficult industry for her

as a Christian, as it “can be a very dark and catty place” where people are “constantly trying to throw you under the bus to get ahead.” But this environment also presents her with an opportunity to be a light. “I stand out by being gracious and kind to the people I work with,” she says. “Before I respond to situations, I try to take a step back. I have to remember that I am called to act differently as a Christian. It’s very important for me to remember this, because my co-workers know that I am a Christian. For many, I am one of the few Christians they regularly interact with.” In a previous job where the environment was toxic, Mallory had a God-given opportunity to exhibit her faith to a colleague. This particular colleague would regularly yell at people on Mallory’s team, and Mallory was one of the few who would not yell back. “The more I acted kindly towards her, the better it got,” she says. “We ended up being friends, and I was able to share with her a lot about my faith.” Mallory says that she is grateful for her King’s experience because it helped her develop “great communication skills” that she uses regularly in her work and because she was able to study under Professor Karelyn Siegler. “It is because [Siegler] helped me get my first internship that I am here today,” Mallory says. “She also took the time to help me improve my sketching and build a professional portfolio. When I moved to New York, I wasn’t sure I could actually make it in the fashion industry. But she always believed in me and helped me to get where I am today.”

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{ Q&A }

A CONVERSATION WITH

Chris Cragin-Day

Tell us about your work as a playwright. What do you do? I write plays and musicals that tell stories of flawed but courageous women. My goal is to tell the truth about the human experience to the best of my understanding. For me, a big part of the human experience is wrestling with the divine, or at least the possibility of it, so that often plays into my work as well. How does that work fit with your vocation as a professor? Good playwriting requires a person to confront her greatest fears. Most great plays reveal the writer’s greatest fears in some way. Theater requires this of actors as well. An actor who isn’t willing to confront her deepest fears in her work generally isn’t worth her salt. This part of the work doesn’t get any easier with experience. It’s always a sacrifice for the greater good of humanity. But it’s a healing sacrifice. The ritualistic participation in this kind of self-sacrifice makes life more meaningful. Liberal arts professors don’t just want students to be successful in the job market; we want them to live meaningful lives. When I help a student engage in theater, I help them develop empathy towards others that are not like them, and I help them develop a sharper imagination. Also, I truly believe that teaching makes me a better playwright, because a writer’s life can accidentally become very egocentric, and egocentrism doesn’t often make for good storytelling. Where have you seen God’s hand in your work? I once heard Suzan Lori-Parks say that she writes with one hand on her laptop

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and one hand reaching up to God. Sometimes I feel that way—that God is directly inspiring what I write. Other times I don’t. At those times the writing process is more skills-based. But I do depend on God for the truth-telling. When an audience member identifies with a moment in a play and says, “I know that feeling,” that’s when I know I’ve captured some truth about the human experience. I agree with Suzan that that kind of work feels like it requires divine participation. What does it mean to be a Christian working in theater? A Christian working in the theater is just like anyone else working in the theater. You have to know the art form inside and out. You have to believe in it—in theater, that it can change the world. You also have to love the other people who do theater—genuinely want to work with them because you love the artistic community. And then, just like any Christian, you have to stay rooted in the church, and you have to actively choose faith even when others don’t understand it. This is the life of a Christian in any profession who engages with the world in a meaningful way. Are there any ways in which facing fear in your art has made you more able to face your fears in other areas of your life? Years ago, I had a conversation with

an actor I know in which I flippantly self-identified as a non-confrontational person. The actor looked shocked and said, “I think you’re very confrontational.” Growing up in my family, I played the role of the peacemaker. When conflict erupted around me, I retreated into my room, into my art. I think I subconsciously decided that it was safer to face my fears in art than in day-to-day living. Art was the place where I allowed myself to be emotionally vulnerable. Maybe the people I work with in the theater see the more courageous side of me. My community of artists is fearless, so I’m constantly being challenged to embark on those scary voyages. Have I become a more courageous person? I don’t know. I know I want to be.

BUSINESS

{ F E AT U R E }

On a Mission for Business Story: Jane Scharl Photos: Courtesy of the Pantones

Ted Pantone (BUS, 2007) and Brekly (Ellard) Pantone (BUS, 2008) are a rare combination: both of them are successful businesspeople and missionaries. Recently back in the United States after several years in Uganda, they share a passion for building and running businesses that succeed in both an earthly sense, by making money, and a spiritual sense, by serving people.

R E K LY G R E W U P I N A T L A N T A watching

her father, a corporate businessman, model the principle that business is a type of mission field. That upbringing helped her overcome one of the more common barriers Christian students encounter as they strive to succeed in business while living out their faith: the perceived “unspirituality” of making money through successful businesses. She saw faith and work integration as a core commitment of the business department at King’s, which was a big part of her decision to attend the College. “I loved that these professors were willing to think of business as missions, that they wanted Christian leaders in successful businesses, and that they were willing to equip us for it.” Ted, a native of San Diego, started college at Arizona State University but transferred to King’s in his sophomore year. “It was a life-changing experience

being in a community that cared deeply about people, ” he says. During college, Ted and Brekly were friends and served in student government together, but it would be a few years before they started dating. Ted graduated in December 2007 and remembers his time at King’s gratefully. “King’s is such a fundamental part of who I am that it would be hard to disentangle my motivation or execution of life from the experience that I had there,” he says. After graduation, he started working as a Product Manager at RW Beckett Corporation, a company run by a King’s board member. Ted was drawn to the company because of the attitude of grace and excellence he perceived; he wanted to learn how to run a business based on those principles. “They loved their people well, which was probably the biggest, most obvious way I could see their faith lived out.” His time there made a deep impression. “Beckett’s core values are integrity, excellence, and profound respect for the individual,” he says. “Seven years out, those are still burned into my mind.” Brekly graduated in 2008 and had a job lined up with Cargill, a large commodities company. She says that from her professors at King’s, she learned to think of business in terms of caring for others. “I knew I liked business, but for a while I couldn’t justify being in it because I thought, well, it’s just money.” At King’s she learned to think about business as a vocation where she could live out the Gospel. She had an opportunity to spend two months in Ethiopia between graduating and starting with Cargill. During those months, she began to see that the world challenges the boxes we often think in. “Yes, there’s poverty there,” she says, “but people were still living their lives fully and vibrantly in a completely different setting and level of comfort than I was used to.” After her stay in Africa, Brekly returned to the United States and worked at Cargill

for five years. For the last two of these, she was the corporate liaison with Wegmans—a grocery store consistently rated as a top company, well-known for its commitment to treat employees like family. Brekly points to her time at the Wegmans corporate offices as deeply formative, for she watched the company do something that didn’t seem possible: succeed financially while offering unbelievable benefits and taking a gracious, accommodating attitude towards employees. “It was the first time I realized that you can be extravagant with your employees. I didn’t think anybody could do this and be successful,” she says. Meanwhile, Ted took a trip to Uganda with Andy Mills, then Chairman of the King’s Board of Trustees. “I’d always had an interest in international missions,” he says, but hadn’t found a missions trip or situation that fit with his skills and passions. Going to Africa with Mills was transformative. Ted watched Mills use his talents and expertise for Christ, doing business mentorship, entrepreneurship, and coaching to highlight biblical principles like the dignity of all people, the gift of fulfilling work, and the role of humanity as a steward of creation. While he was there, Ted fell in love with East Africa.

In 2009 Ted moved to Kenya to work on a water sanitation project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. When that concluded, Mills mentioned an opportunity in Uganda, working to start an investment fund. Ted moved to Kampala, Uganda, and starting serving as Managing Director for the start-up Mango Fund. For four years, he worked to develop the organization, eventually handing it off to local management. This has become a theme for him: working on the ground floor of a business to build it up until it’s time to step aside and let others carry the project forward. His next project was launching the Pizza Hut franchise in the region, of which he says, “You would not imagine how difficult it is to get a ton of pepperoni to Africa.” He handed that project over to local management in the summer of 2016. In 2012, Ted and Brekly reconnected at the wedding of another King’s alumna and soon started dating. They married in 2013. Brekly was excited at the opportunity to return to Africa and quickly found a job there in her field. She says working in Uganda changed the way she views business. “In Uganda you can’t just walk in and get down to business,” she says. The expectation is that everyone takes time to greet each other, relating in even the briefest interactions. “At first it was frustrating, but it’s made me a lot more people-focused,” she says. “You have to stop and really care.” The Pantones’ time in Uganda underscored for them both the importance of

treating people well through business, and the often-overlooked reality that trying to run a successful business—one that makes money—can be key to caring for people. As Ted puts it, he and Brekly both “have a lot of scars from this season of operating companies in the wild west of East Africa.” However, they remain convinced that it’s possible to run successful businesses that are loving to people, their families, and the community as a whole. Today the Pantones are back in the United States, where Brekly dedicates her talents and energy to raising their three children, aged two and under, and Ted recently began working as the Director of Operations for MicroEnsure Labs, a financial technology business incubator based in Atlanta. He describes it as a perfect fit for his skills and passions, as he will drive operations for scalable start-ups serving developing-world consumers. “I’m a firm believer that God opens doors for people,” he says. He and Brekly both encourage other young Christian businesspeople to have a missionary mindset. Ted says, “If you are a follower of Christ, you are a missionary. You don’t have to go to Africa to do that. We did end up in Africa for a season, but the calling of being a missional business family is just as strong here as it was there.” Brekly agrees that missions is something every person can live out every day, no matter where they are. “It’s being faithful,” she says, “in the places you’re given.”

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Katie Lay

BUS, 2012

C U R R E N T C I T Y:

Washington, D.C.

Peter Flemming

B U S , 2 014

C U R R E N T C I T Y:

New York, New York

O C C U PAT I O N : Assistant Vice President, Consulting Group at Morgan Stanley

Q: What experiences have you had so far that have shaped what it means to be a Christian in your line of work? “Working on Wall Street is not what the average person expects it to be—an intense, cutthroat environment where greed consumes and moral convictions are challenged constantly. The daily pace can be enjoyable with colleagues who are generally level-headed, sharp, and cooperative. There are, therefore, not many moments where my faith is necessarily put to the test. Being a ‘good’ or ‘nice’ person is never enough to stand out as a Christian. “Colleagues (especially senior management) notice a positive attitude and reliability. I believe God has blessed me and placed me in this job, and He calls me to be excellent in everything I do, from small tasks to big projects. People observe and respect this, despite not always knowing the source of my motivation. We all develop a reputation in any workplace, and our individual reputations are our most powerful tools to share the true joys and purpose of our lives.”

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O C C U PAT I O N :

Business Analyst at Boeing

Now in her f ifth year at the world ’s largest aerospace company, with eight different assignments in three cities under her belt, Katie Lay watches for significance in the daily choices she makes at work. Q: What has your biggest challenge been as a Christian in business? “Senior year at King’s, one of our business professors advised a group of nervous soon-to-be grads that it was not the big choices in her career that really shaped her course—like what job to take or where to apply—but how she chose to show up in those jobs. At the time, this advice did not console me much, but I have found wisdom in it over the years. I think the challenge for me has been continuous attention to how I am showing up in the workplace, and how my attitude and actions affect my team and organization.”

{ PROFILE }

SURPRISED BY ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Story: Jane Scharl

Adam Kail (PPE, 2008) didn’t originally set out to own his own business, but he and his wife, Beth, now own two in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Business partners and life partners, they’re investing in their employees and their community and view their success as an opportunity to point people to Christ.

IKE THAT OF MANY ENTREPRENEURS,

Adam Kail ’s path has taken twists and turns. Unlike many entrepreneurs, ow ning his own business was not always his dream. He has now started two successful companies and is thriving in his family, church, and community, but it’s been a long road to get there. After Adam graduated, he worked in admissions at Colorado State University in Denver on a team that was setting up an online campus. The work environment was like a startup’s; nobody looked further than a year ahead, and as the team grew rapidly, Adam found himself enjoying the startup life. After CSU, Adam went to work for Jones International University, where he soon led a team of managers overseeing 275

people. Not only did he gain experience in a large organization, but he reported directly to Richard Cox, the president, for two years. Cox was formerly in highlevel positions at Orbitz and Auto Trader, and Adam describes the mentoring he received from him as “the biggest break of my career.” Adam was moving up at his company but questioning whether he enjoyed working in higher education when his life was derailed by the unwelcome personal crisis of divorce. It was a good time to hit the reset button. Seeking a new setting, he moved from Colorado to Michigan and entered his uncle’s profession of executive recruiting. Adam did well in his first year, and then launched his own search company, Harrison Gray Search and Consulting. During this time—living in a new

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place and clearing the hurdles his new company faced—Adam was shopping for a leather work bag. The ones he liked cost over $1,000, and he casually decided to use the money for this purchase to start Brothers Leather Supply Company instead, selling high-quality bags for less than half the price of his competitors. This venture became a runaway success. Along the way, Adam reconnected with a girlfriend from high school. He and Beth are now married and have a son together in addition to her two daughters. Their marriage is a total partnership: as of 2016, Beth is the new President of Brothers Leather, while Adam returns his focus to Harrison Gray. In 2015 Adam was recognized as one of 40 under 40 local business leaders by the Grand Rapids Business Journal. After he was nominated, he says he fixated

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on winning the award. He did, and with it came outstanding new business and awards to his company, but Adam says, “It felt empty. This is the greatest lesson I’ve learned so far, that awards and public recognition don’t matter when you are pursuing them for the wrong reasons. When I was named as one of the 40 under 40 local business leaders, I was focused on how others perceived me.” What does matter to Adam is something he learned at King’s: that the way a person operates in the world and treats others is a direct reflection of his worldview. When he worked for Jones, his boss once called him into his office after a meeting in which Adam had been unnecessarily blunt with a colleague. Cox informed Adam he was displaying “the emotional intelligence of a peanut.” Adam’s attitude towards work today shows that

he took those words to heart. He has clearly learned the value of investing in his people; he is both open about his faith and hospitable to his employees’ priorities, shared or not; and his companies give a percentage of their proceeds to charity, which Adam is careful to do for its own sake and not for his bottom line. As for the attention success has brought him, Adam uses those opportunities to be open about his faith, experiences, and priorities in an organic way. “If someone had told me five years ago I would be in the position I’m in now in life, I would have said they were crazy,” he says. “But I don’t believe that if I do this or that, God will give me this other set of blessings over here. I believe God is faithful, and the most important thing is to live in a way that points people to Him.”

NEITHER WORK NOR LEISURE PROVIDES “OUR DAILY BREAD” BY DR. DRU JOHNSON

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hen I was in the military, my commander would often stir us up before difficult missions by citing our squadron’s informal motto: “Work hard, play hard!” I eventually figured out that this meant we were expected to have an exceptional work ethic, and we did. However, we worked hard in order to find pleasures in drinking and rowdiness in lands foreign and domestic. I call this “the leisurist’s lie”: Work is the opposite of pleasure, and hard work aims at gaining more time to play. As the life of ancient Israel reveals, the truth is that God designed both work and rest to be meaningful and to build up our trust in Him. Many ancient Near Eastern folks thought work was a punishment from the gods. But in the Bible’s creation story, work is good. In Eden, God and man both work to cultivate a garden before anything goes awry. God ultimately curses work and its produce, changing the relationship between humanity and the verdant earth to a thing of toil. Work is still good, but corrupted. What the biblical authors meant by “work” and how

we think of work today probably differs significantly. For most of history, work has been physical and most free time had to be used for physical rest. We have little archeological evidence of the pursuit of leisure among ancient Israelites. The physical structure of an ancient Israelite house was almost entirely dedicated to producing the basic subsistence products of daily life. By contrast, the average American home is almost entirely dedicated to different types of leisure. Even those so-called workspaces in our homes, such as the kitchen and garage, are largely used for our pleasures. Try to imagine what our ancient predecessors would think of the vast cornucopia of foods we prepare in our modern in-home kitchens, just for the sake of variety and without arduous labor. For much of the Western world, the toilsome nature of work has been reduced in both time and effort. What can we learn from the past, despite its stark difference from our own experience? In the first place, we can observe that work is unmistakably central to life. For Israelites, there was little time

Ultimately, is so ingrain used to desc “I am t

for leisure and no space in the house dedicated to it. Work fully belonged to the spaces and rhythms of the household, which typically supported twelve to eighteen family members. The Bible is largely silent on leisure activities in ancient Israel. The biblical storyline repeatedly teaches that God’s provision requires human cooperation. The wheat, which God watered and caused to grow, still has to be harvested. Consider Jesus’ phrase from His prayer, “our daily bread,” and the amount of work that went into producing bread for each day at that time. The goal of bread-making was to produce enough consumable calories to sustain the body for the coming days, weeks, and years. Every grain of wheat represented a massive effort sustained by the whole family to harvest, stack, beat, thresh, and store the grain. There was no Tupperware, no aluminum foil in those days. Mold, rot, rodents, and insects could incite malnutrition as easily as lack of rain. Setting aside the labor involved in harvesting and storing grain, scholars estimate that four to six hours a day were dedicated to grinding grain between stones in order to produce flour to make bread. Grinding out flour was so enmeshed in the daily labors of ancient Near Eastern cultures that figurines bowing at the grinding stone are found in every society from Egypt to Mesopotamia. After the grain was pulverized, it took another hour to make the dough, build the fire, and eventually bake the bread. Ultimately, the symbolic power of daily

bread is so ingrained in Israelite culture that it can be used to describe the necessity of Jesus Himself: “I am the bread of life” ( John 6:35). Considering all the work that went into these meager amounts of daily bread gives us a better perspective about what might appear to us as “light sentencing” in Genesis 3. The curse of the man in Eden still scourged across the daily lives of all Israelites who read or heard this text: “By the sweat of your brow, you shall eat bread” (Gen. 3:19). When Jesus includes the provision of daily bread in His model of prayer, He teaches us to ask for both food and the work it takes to produce it. The leisurist’s lie is that we work to gain more free time. But Scripture teaches that work is good, even if toilsome. Work connects us to creation. It grounds our airy ideologies. It forges community. It exhausts us and sweetens our rest. Work fosters innovation. It produces the food that provides calories to keep us from starving. Even though the nature of work has shifted away from manual labor and subsistence farming, our work still produces things and God still requires us to trust Him to provide our daily bread. If we work only to produce disposable income and hours of leisure each day, how can God use our work to teach us about His kingdom? Proverbs relies upon our direct contact with earnest work in order to become wise and understand its teachings. Work is considered the prerequisite to understanding (Prov. 24:12). Wisdom regards

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, the symbolic power of daily bread ned in Israelite culture that it can be cribe the necessity of Jesus Himself: the bread of life” (John 6:35).

sluggishness and sloth as fatal, and both ironically end in forced labor (Prov. 12:24; 21:25). Even Jesus’ parables often rely on an agrarian knowledge of work. Honestly, I’m not sure what the biblical authors would have thought about office jobs like mine. I imagine they would be perplexed by my insistence that professoring is “work.” Like me, they would have to think about how God regulates a profession that wouldn’t look much like work to them. If anything, the ancient Israelites were under severe temptation to work too much, compounded by the particular geography of their land. Unlike the Nile-fed land of Egypt or the empires seated between the dependably strong waters of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, ancient Israelites were particularly susceptible to drought and famine because few sources of regulated water flowed through Canaan (modern day Israel/Palestinian Territories). Israelites depended almost entirely upon the seasonal rains. That reliance on rain to feed the soil explains Israel’s temptations to worship the fertility god Ba’al, the charioteer god who was depicted riding the rain clouds that watered their crops to life. Because starvation, malnutrition, and death persistently loomed over Israel, the temptation to work the soil and tend the flocks seven days a week looms in the background of most Biblical storylines. Indeed, people in agrarian subsistence societies today, such as Kenya, Romania, and Peru, still work every day of the week. But

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Israel’s God brought His people into this precarious land, commanded them to shun the local fertility gods like Ba’al, and promised to make the land fruitful enough to survive year in and year out (i.e., a land flowing with milk and honey). Then came the most radical part of all. God demanded that an entire day—every week!—be set aside and unworked. Sabbath, also called “Shabbat,” required a farmer subsisting entirely off of a fragile land and seasonal rains to trust the God of Israel. He had to trust God enough to allow his flocks and fields to lie untended for an entire day each week. As if that were not risky enough, God commands Israel to leave her fields fallow for one entire year out of a seven-year cycle (Lev. 25). What rational person would ever do such things? Without viable reasons, reasonable folks would not. Fortunately, God did not demand blind trust of Israel, but rather, He gave them actual reasons to trust that He—not Ba’al— would provide for them. The plan of God from the beginning involves humans working six days a week to co-produce with creation. We who sit in the county seat of opulence must ensure that our work demands rest and produces sustenance. If we are working ten hours a day or less, we have considerable leisure time. Some of us devote much of that time to raising children. My family devotes some leisure to hosting students from the college. We also join with our church to spend time with children in Newark, New Jersey,

once a week. Some folks volunteer to help out in their communities. Some are taking care of aging parents. There is much work outside our jobs that can fulfill God’s mandate to work. The life of ancient Israel also teaches us the importance of legitimate rest. God’s plan entails rest one day per week. As Americans, we often view ourselves as captains of our own destinies. Sabbath rest requires trusting God to take care of us despite leaving our lives unworked one day a week. As Jesus cryptically announced, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). It’s for us, neither a punishment nor merely leisure time, but to teach us to trust God. Trust was the great lesson of the Israelites’ forty years of wandering. When manna rained from the heavens

every day in the wilderness, God did not just provide food. He relieved the Israelites from work while they wandered, nomad-like, without fields to cultivate. In exchange, He gave them the harder work of trusting Him to guide them and their daily movements. By the time Israel crossed over the Jordan with Joshua, Israel was formed and shaped by His instruction to bear witness in the land of promise to the radical claim that Yahweh was the only God; and the daily bread from heaven gave way to the fruit of the land they were now obliged to cultivate. This lesson of trusting God is for all people in all times and places. Although my children will not go without meals because the crops failed, they do have to learn to trust God’s wisdom to direct their lives. Can we orchestrate our lives of work and Sabbath observance so that we

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begin to see God’s provision and His plans through that one un-worked day? Our work cannot ultimately be aimed at producing extravagances of “free time” devoted to our pleasures. From Genesis 2 to Psalm 1 to Proverbs 31 to the primary illustrations of the Gospel (sowing, harvesting, watering, etc.), work contains its own reward. We work to provide for our necessities and to bring out the capabilities God wove into creation and society; we rest to remember that God is the One who ultimately provides for our needs, orders the world, and orchestrates its movements. What play is is a topic for another time; what play is not is an antidote to work or an independent source of meaning and joy. Meaning and joy are found only in right relation to God and His creation—a

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relation that is realized only in deliberate, trusting rest from our work, and work that yields the true pleasures of honest tiredness and fruitful increase—both in and beyond our jobs. In a world where even our working lives look more like the lives of ancient royalty, we must pursue proper pleasures in our work and wisdom in our leisure. If our work allows our ideas to detach from reality, from creation, from toil that enjoys rest, from trusting God to provide, then we must question the kind of work to which we commit ourselves. If our work presses us to forego Sabbath rest and retreat, if it creates divisive communities, or if it replaces the community of the church, then we must ask of it, “To what end am I working?” And if our rest is not an act of relief from work and trust in God, we are not really resting—or rejoicing—at all.

EDUCATION

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Stoking the Fires of Learning Story: Madison Peace Photo: Cameron Strittmatter Danielle Perkins (PPE, 2011) seeks to impart her love of learning to students in a Brooklyn charter school while showing her colleagues what it means to follow Christ joyfully.

A N I E L L E P E R K I N S H A S K N O W N since

second grade that she wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a teacher. “My mom has been the biggest inspiration in my life,” she says. “Her commitment to her students is unmatched, and her love for writing is unparalleled.” After graduating from King’s in 2011, Danielle moved to Kansas City, Missouri, with the Teach for America program. When she finished her two-year commitment, Danielle was “encouraged by multiple people to go where I wanted to put down roots.” It did not take her long to figure out where that might be. “I decided to return to the city that has always captured my heart,” she says, “and applied for a job in New York.” Danielle applied for a position at a charter school network in Brooklyn and was hired two weeks later. “Based on how quickly the doors opened for me to return to the city,

I have no doubt that this was the next step God had in mind,” she says. Since returning to New York in the fall of 2013, Perkins has taught eighth grade writing at the same school in Brooklyn. “I love it,” she says. “Consistently, every day, I am grateful that I get to work with these staff, students, and families at my school. As long as I am teaching middle school, I anticipate staying at my current school.” Each day, Perkins says she spends time “lesson planning, grading, teaching, meeting with other teachers on my grade team, going to coaching with our academic dean, or meeting with students and parents—both informally and formally.” She teaches three writing classes, an independent reading block, and a soccer elective and is also the lead writing planner for the eighth grade, which means she crafts all the writing lessons for the grade. “I am certainly never bored,” she says. On top of that, she has also completed two master’s degrees in education.

Perkins says that “one of the reasons I came to King’s was the school’s promise to teach me how to think, not what to think.” She continues: King’s…inculcated a deep and unrelenting love of learning in the inmost parts of who I am as an individual. My colleagues have often teased me for how I will literally get misty-eyed when I see the beautiful connections between Aristotle’s theory of the tripartite soul and William Golding’s masterful representation of those theories in The Lord of the Flies… This love, this unceasing fire, is what I strive to give my students. On the topic of The Lord of the Flies, Golding’s novel afforded Perkins an opportunity last year to incorporate her faith into her work when the unit plan required her team to “explore how [the book] is also a biblical allegory,” she says. “Since I was so familiar with the [scriptural] passages that revealed how the novel was an allegory,” she says, “Not only was I able to add depth to our lessons, but

I was able to facilitate discussions with our students about Golding’s message in his novel (one that is actually quite contrary to the Bible’s message) and hear my students’ thoughts on whether they agreed with him.” Many of her students come from religious households, both Muslim and Christian, and Perkins says that it was “incredible” to hear them “explore their own faith” through the prism of the book. It also opened up a conversation about “how each of us has specific beliefs that come out in everything we do,” she says. From day to day, however, Perkins says that her “faith most often seeps out” in her interactions with others. “At my school, I have a reputation for being calm, joyful, and selfless,” she says. “This is not a reputation I can take credit for, though, because it is a reflection of God’s work in my life. So much of incorporating my faith is about the way I show love in small actions rather than having theological conversations with my colleagues…Many of my co-workers are not open to talking about faith, which is why I have tried to show them what it means to follow Christ rather than simply talking about it.”

“Many of my co-workers are not open to talking about faith, which is why I have tried to show them what it means to follow Christ rather than simply talking about it.”

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Burk Ohbayashi PPE, 2012

C U R R E N T C I T Y:

Phoenix, Arizona

O C C U PAT I O N :

Lead History and Language Arts Teacher for the Fourth Grade at Archway Classical Academy Trivium East

Now in his fourth year of teaching, Burk Ohbayashi is doing his part to “cultivate the hearts and minds of students in the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.” Q: How did King’s prepare you for your current work? “King’s gave me the fundamental premises which I bring to my work. Every child is a human being, made in the image of God. I may not be able to be explicitly religious in my teaching [as Great Hearts is a secular charter school network], but the aim of even a secular education should align this much with religion: to form moral and virtuous humans to do great and good things in our society.”

Luke Trouwborst P P E , 2 014 C U R R E N T C I T Y:

Stony Brook, New York

O C C U PAT I O N :

High School Economics and History Teacher and Dorm Parent

Whether teaching AP Microeconomics and U.S. History or fellowshipping with students under his care in the dorms at The Stony Brook School, a 7-12th grade boarding and day school, Luke Trouwborst instills in his students Stony Brook’s motto, “Character before Career.” Q: How do you see teaching economics and history to high schoolers as contributing to the kingdom of God? “The short answer is that I would like my students to be wise about the world God has put them in. If I am doing my job right, students leave my class with a clearer picture of the modern economy and their place in it as producers, consumers, and stewards. And it has been a treat to study U.S. history and think critically about the past with students from all around the world. We are forced to ask questions about seeking peace in a sinful world.”

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{ PROFILE } Story: Madison Peace

CALLED TO THE CLASSROOM

Tanisha Fanney (MC A 2013) was inspired to teach by one of The King’s College’s most beloved professors.

U R I N G T H E S E C O N D S E M E S T E R of

her senior year at King’s, Tanisha Fanney became aware of her desire to teach. She was sitting in Dr. Robert Jackson’s History and Philosophy of Education II class and says she had a “distinct moment of clarity” about how teaching might combine her “convictions, experiences, and skill sets” and lead to a fulfilling career. She shared her hopes with Dr. Jackson, and he encouraged her to interview with Great Hearts Academies, a network of nonprofit classical charter schools in Phoenix, Arizona, where a number of other King’s graduates have migrated and where Jackson now serves as chief academic officer. Tanisha interviewed with a Great Hearts recruiter, went out to visit Phoenix during her spring break, and then moved to the Grand Canyon State during the summer of 2013. Now in her fourth year of teaching, Tanisha has transitioned from the Great Hearts network to become a lead teacher at a new Title I charter school in the Phoenix area, Aim Higher College Preparatory Academy. Her new school combines her two passions: it uses the classical education model and serves students from economically marginalized communities. Each day, she teaches five classes of seventh and eighth grade students and works closely with her students to “develop their leadership skills and confidence through student organizations and fundraisers.” Tanisha says she sees her work as

contributing to the kingdom of God through the investments she is making in her students. “I shape the characters and mores of an upcoming generation,” she says. “In striving to do my job with love and excellence, I offer my students an example of Christian leadership…By empowering my students to make better decisions I hope to position them better to attain their full potential and thereby make their own contributions to the kingdom of God.” Tanisha says she often leans on her faith in teaching, making prayer, worship, Bible study, and confession part of her “daily approach” to her job. “If my commitment to education were not borne out of my faith,” she says, “I would be ill-equipped to bear the emotional burdens of my job.” Her faith has also led her to start a nonprofit organization, Accelerated Educational Services, with other teachers who care deeply about meeting the needs of underserved students. The mission of Accelerated Educational Services is to provide better opportunities for enrichment and outreach programming for students in Title I schools. Tanisha says that her experience at King’s prepared her well for the rigors of teaching, cultivating in her a “firm reverence for educational excellence.” In the classroom, she aspires to live up to “the example of excellence, sincerity, and humble dedication” Dr. Jackson provided her. “I hope always to affect my students as deeply as Dr. Jackson affected me through his commitment to scholarship,” she says.

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Harvesting Olives BY JANE (CLARK) SCHARL (PPE, 2012)

I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y A V E R Y ( B R I G G S ) R E E D ( M C A , 2 0 1 2 )

Today we went out to harvest the olives, and in the unexpected clarity of the air— as if a sea breeze were breathing on our desert— I heard for one moment gulls crying beside the Aegean above the briny voices of Greek grandpapas in mid-story; and when I saw the olive fruits hanging like shy grapes behind their veils of white yeast I felt briefly the dismay of flocks of children who, in the savage squander of youth, scaled the branches to grasp fistfuls of wine-dark olives and eat, only to find them wells of bitterness, more bitter than the salt sea beneath, more bitter than the tears that bubble up and slip unbidden into the corner of a mouth – while far below the grandpapas laugh, remembering their first stolen taste of olive, and the grandmamas shake their kerchiefed heads and do not look up from their slow work of crushing each fruit gently with the flat of a knife to break it and ooze the milk of bitterness out.

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L AW, GOVERNMENT, & CIVIL SOCIET Y

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Freedom to Serve Story: Jane Scharl Photo: Cameron Strittmatter At first glance, Josh (PPE, 2013) and Caroline (Schuemann) Craddock (PPE, 2014) might not seem like your typical power couple, but it would be a mistake to underestimate this pair. From spurring conversations about religious liberty at Harvard Law School, to advocating at the United Nations for persecuted Christians, the Craddocks are serious about weaving their faith into their work.

O T H N A T I V E S O F C O L O R A D O , the Craddocks are

high school sweethearts who bucked the societal narrative of success early by getting married just after Josh graduated from college, and having their first child, Winston, while Caroline was still in school. Now, Josh is in his second year at Harvard Law School, where he serves as the Debate Chair for the Federalist Society and the Editor-in-Chief for the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Caroline works as the English Language Campaign Director for CitizenGO, a non-profit that advocates for life, family, and freedom at institutes of global governance like the United Nations. Contrary to the widespread belief that marriage and family hold people back from reaching their full potential, Josh and Caroline have found that their counter-cultural decision to get married young and have kids early has only fueled their passion—and enhanced their ability—to influence society for Christ in big ways. Their lived-out commitment to life and family motivates them to work to lead others to see the beauty in those values. Josh has found that not only did his studies in PPE give him a foundation in the classical Western tradition, but the three core subjects all contribute in practical ways to

his chosen career. For example, he says, “Philosophy trains students to make fine-grained distinctions, and economic training is surprisingly useful when thinking about efficient outcomes in contracts.” He has been able to apply those skills to more than just his studies; besides serving as Debate Chair for the Federalist Society and Editor-in-Chief, in the summer of 2016 Josh was able to intern at Bancroft PLLC, a boutique D.C. litigation firm that’s on the top ten list for being granted cert on cases they appeal to the Supreme Court. Caroline agrees that her King’s education prepared her well for her career at CitizenGO, a global online advocacy platform that coordinates the efforts of over 6 million members in 190 countries to defend the values of life, family, and freedom. Caroline’s role involves communicating to several different audiences about the importance of these values; she networks with other non-profit organizations, manages a team of campaigners in Europe, the US, and Australia, and publishes petitions and coordinates advocacy at the United Nations (UN), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the European Union (EU). She also organizes an annual event at the UN to raise awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians around the world. She points specifically to how King’s prepared her to communicate effectively, an essential skill in her current position

JOSH AND CAROLINE S H A R I N G A B O U T D I G I TA L ACTIVISM IN DEFENSE OF THE F A M I LY A N D T H E D I G N I T Y O F L I F E AT T H E W O R L D C O N G R E S S O F F A M I L I E S REGIONAL SUMMIT IN BARBADOS. as she reaches out to numerous audiences on a regular basis. At King’s, Caroline says, “I was taught to write both as an academic and as an advocate.” Besides these technical skills, Caroline found that at King’s she was immersed in a community—both in and out of the classroom—that taught her how to think critically about human rights and why values like life, family, and freedom are worth standing up to defend. Both Josh and Caroline have impressive resumes, to be sure, but to simply list off their accomplishments without writing about their marriage and family is to risk missing the beautiful vision of life that motivates them. In 2015, Josh encapsulated that vision in an article for Stream.org about their counter-cultural choice to get married

and start their family in their early twenties: “If I could tell my generation one thing about marriage, it would be that marriage is not just a platform for self-realization or romantic love. It’s a life-long commitment to the good of another. It’s also your project for the world: your greatest possible contribution to the future is likely your family, not your occupation.” The Craddocks’ vision of marriage is grounded in a recognition that life is a gift from God, a gift that’s meant to be given away freely for the good of others—an awareness that underscores the impressive work they are doing in

the public square as well. When Caroline talks about her advocacy efforts at the UN, she is clear about where she believes success will come from: God, and only God. Josh is committed to carrying this same spirit of servanthood to his work in the legal field. He says, “I want my work in the legal profession to reflect God’s righteousness, justice, and mercy. Because of human nature there will always be legal disputes and conflicts, so being a peacemaker is one of the most important roles a lawyer can play.” Not just as lawyer and advocate, but as spouses, parents, and Christians, the Craddocks are hard at work reflecting God’s love and righteousness in every sphere of their lives.

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{ PROFILE }

A VOICE FOR REFORM

Story: Jane Scharl

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LTHOUGH RACHELLE (DEJONG)

Peterson (PPE, 2013) graduated from King’s only a few years ago, she is well on her way to becoming a known voice in some of the most heated discussions taking place today about higher education. Rachelle works as the Director of Research at the National Association of Scholars (NAS), a non-profit membership organization of professors and students working to reform higher education. She has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, and The Federalist, and in 2015 she was interviewed on WSJLive about the illiberal nature of college fossil-fuel divestment movements. Rachelle was also a 2016 Publius Fellow at the Claremont Institute in California. Rachelle has always been one to use her voice—whether written or spoken— to stand up for her views. During college, she was a member of the King’s Debate Society, where she met her husband, Josiah Peterson (now the debate coach and an adjunct instructor at King’s). She also interned with the Manhattan Institute’s Minding the Campus division in college, publishing frequently on policy and higher education. When her internship came to an end, Rachelle’s supervisor, Jody Wood, recommended her to Peter Wood, the president of NAS (and Jody’s husband). Rachelle joined NAS as an intern in 2013 and soon after became a full-time employee.

Rachelle sees her role—directing research projects, writing, and speaking at conferences and campuses—as advocating for true education. “Writing a research report is all about being faithful in little things,” she says. “There are a lot of mundane tasks. Knowing that I am called to do it all for the glory of God, and not for my own enjoyment or glory, keeps me focused and humble.” While she’s focusing on the little things, Rachelle has a strong sense of a big mission in her work. “Education is soul formation,” she says. “At its best, it develops the habits that form character, opens the mind to the best that’s been thought and said, and points to truth and beauty—and with them, I believe, to God.” Unfortunately, many college students find their universities attacking and tearing down notions of truth and beauty, rather than teaching them to recognize truth when they encounter it. “Higher education should give students the opportunity to seek the truth, study hard, appreciate beauty, and develop character,” Rachelle says. She advocates for truly liberal education by calling out institutions that are suffocating freedom of speech and by speaking up for students whose beliefs may differ from prevailing views on campus. She says, “My vision is to see American higher education forming virtuous citizens who seek what is right and act with integrity.” Through her work at NAS, she is able to use her voice and talents every day to make that vision a reality.

Sarah (Ferrara) Keenan PPE, 2012 C U R R E N T C I T Y:

Washington, D.C.

O C C U PAT I O N: Coalitions Manager at the State Policy Network

Q: How does your faith connect with the State Policy Network’s vision of an America where personal freedom, opportunity, and a more peaceful society flourish? “Through servant leadership. SPN’s vision is for people everywhere to experience freedom, and they see state think tanks in the front lines of that battle. Our business model depends on the goodwill we garner from serving these think tanks, which are completely independent. Real gains for freedom are taking place in the states, and I am thrilled to help the state organizations grow; they deal with big policy ideas in real time on the ground.”

Jacqueline Smith PPE , 2 010 C U R R E N T C I T Y:

Boston, Massachusetts

O C C U PAT I O N :

Corporate Attorney at Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Q: What opportunities do you have to exhibit your faith as a corporate associate at a law firm? “As a corporate attorney specializing in the private equity field, I represent financial sponsors and private companies in a variety of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and divestitures. God calls us to be wise stewards of our resources, and I enjoy the opportunity to counsel clients in being responsible fiduciaries of their business resources and in maximizing value through their transactions. Additionally, I think it’s important to bring truth and grace to every aspect of our culture, including the business and legal fields.”

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VOCATION IS MORE THAN OCCUPATION By Bethany Jenkins

ost college career centers measure their success by their job placement rates. By that metric, The King’s College excels. Our class of 2015 fared almost 10% better than the national average.[1] But our job placement rate isn’t our only metric. At The King’s College, we want our graduates to have vocations, not just jobs. This is why, when I came on board in October 2014, I changed the name of our office from “The Office of Career Development” to “The Office of Vocational and Career Development” (OVCD). It’s more of a mouthful to say, but I’m convinced it has richer meaning—a meaning more closely aligned with the College’s mission and vision. A Definition of Vocation Most people in our culture define “vocation” as a strong feeling of suitability for a particular career. They focus mainly on its implications on employment and occupation. As Christians, though, we have a broader view of vocation. The word itself derives from the Latin word vox, which means “voice” or “vocal,” and this gives us a better idea of what it means. Vocation is about living one’s entire life in response to God’s voice. It’s more about who we are (identity) and whose we are (belonging) than what we do.

Author Steve Garber recently wrote about what he learned about vocation from his grandfather, who was a cowboy and cattle buyer. He reflected, While my grandfather spent years asking me questions, mostly about life and the world, wanting me to take both seriously, he never gave me a lecture on vocation. It is likely that he never used the word; I don’t know. What he did was live a life, a coherent life in which what he believed about God and the world was worked out in the way he lived in the world. Begun on his knees, he stepped into his work day by day over sixty years of cattle-buying, contributing to his community with a far-ranging influence, offering an unusual blend of competence and character to the watching world. He was good at what he did, and he was also a good man. [2] We want our graduates to be like Steve’s grandfather, living coherent lives of meaning, service, and purpose. We want them to be good at work but also good at life. We pray that they’re good neighbors, citizens, spouses, parents, friends, and practitioners—in whatever field they work. An Integrated Approach Because we want to equip our students to live holistic lives, we work closely

with the faculty and other administrators. We know that such a task takes an entire campus, not just a single office. It’s also why we introduce students to practitioners in the field who we think are doing this well. When we visit marketplaces, like Google or Christie’s or CNN, we introduce them to Christians who are working at the cutting edge of culture and who are following Christ in every sphere of their lives—from public to private. It’s also why we bring in guest speakers for off-the-record roundtable conversations, where students can ask about anything they wish. No topic is off the table. We encourage candid discussions about moral questions, tough choices, and balancing life and family. Vocation is More than Occupation All of us have read about people who are caught living two separate lives. In most cases, we discover that, although these people are professionally successful, they’re personally a mess. Their lives are full of dishonesty, infidelity, and deceit. Who they are in public isn’t who they are in private. Our office believes that we’re successful if two things happen—if our graduates are employed and if our graduates are living wholehearted, coherent lives driven by their love for God and neighbor. We believe vocation is more than occupation. It looks at an entire life and measures its success by honor, truth, and integrity.

[1] NACE. “The NACE First Destination Survey: Class of 2015.” The percentage of the class of 2015 that was either employed or in graduate school within the first 6 months of graduation was 82% (national) and 91% (The King’s College). [2] Steve Garber. “Learning About Vocation.” The Washington Institute. August 27, 2016.

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MEDIA & PUBLISHING

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Seeing, Loving, and Telling the Truth Story: Emily Schatz Photos: Courtesy of Hope Seck As a military journalist, Hope (Hodge) Seck (PPE, 2009) draws from her King’s education to ask powerful questions in the pursuit of truth.

H E N H O P E ( H O D G E ) S E C K came

to The King’s College in 2005, she wasn’t planning to become a writer. She pictured herself going into politics. But after a few political internships, she found herself disillusioned. “I realized that politics would probably change me before I changed anything in politics,” she says. During a class on public policy at King’s, Hope was struck by the importance of having truth-tellers in the public sphere and began considering how to focus her career on that. During her sophomore year, her rhetoric professor, Dr. Peter Wood, told Hope that she “had the instincts and the inner ear of a writer,” and it all started to click. But he had a warning for her too: “To become a writer you need to love the truth well enough to devote yourself to telling it.” Hope says that insight continues to shape her life and work today.

In 2007, Hope got a summer journalism internship through a King’s connection with the Daily News in Jacksonville, North Carolina—right next to the Marine Corps’ Camp Lejeune. Military life and culture intrigued her, and when a reporter at The New York Sun advised her to find a journalistic specialty, “I decided to make the military my niche.” After graduation, Hope returned to Jacksonville and got a job covering Camp Lejeune. Her first years as a reporter were all about the hard skills of journalism: reporting on the ground, covering a crime scene, knocking on doors for interviews, finding information in county records, and so on. Hope moved to Jacksonville in 2009, the year of President Obama’s troop surge into Afghanistan. Soon her friends and neighbors were shipping out, or shipping their husbands out. Hope found herself in personal friendships with military widows

in their 20s, who were often far from home in a town they barely knew. She saw up close the real-life effects of policy decisions—not just domestically. “My work has taken me to Afghanistan to cover deployed Marines and given me the chance to cover America’s longest wars and their aftermath through the eyes of the troops who fought them,” she says. As Dr. Wood told her, seeing the truth is only the first step. She had to care enough to tell it. “I focus on telling stories that are hard to tell,” Hope says, a focus that pushed her towards investigative reporting. She’s found that telling the truth is hard. “The truth isn’t always politically expedient,” she says.” Everyone you talk to has a narrative they want you to go along with. But ultimately it is such a huge service to the community, and it’s one that honors God at the same time.” After a few years in Jacksonville, Hope moved to Washington D.C., where she worked as the military reporter for Human Events before joining the Marine Corps Times, which shares an owner with USA Today. She married her husband Ben

in 2013, and after their daughter Laura was born, Hope joined Military.com as a staff writer. Hope’s work has won multiple journalism awards, including the Fourth Estate Award of the American Legion for her article “Inside the Gender Experiment,” an in-depth look at the changing understanding of gender and combat in the Marines. Hope’s convictions about faith and work cut straight to the heart of some profound questions: the nature of truth, the ethics of making it known, and the role it serves in society. She is blessed in her current position with almost complete discretion in what she writes about. “When you’re reporting in a big town like D.C.,” she says, “there is a lot of pressure to follow the crowd from story to story. It takes quite a different sense of grounding and a real commitment to the truth to depart from that and to choose to cover something else.” With that discretion comes obligation. Hope uses her faith—a rare find in her field—as an opportunity to seek out perspectives that are underrepresented in journalism. While she shares the popular

concern that editorial boards are giving up on covering all sides of important issues, she believes in her profession’s ability to deliver a valuable public service. “The media get a bad rap for being too biased, too ignorant, or too petty. Some of the criticism is valid… Nonetheless, the role of journalism as a tool to hold the powerful accountable, shed a light in dark places, and give a voice to the unheard is as necessary as ever,” she says. Hope has a few words of wisdom of her own to pass on to aspiring writers. “Being able to ask a good question is a life skill that is hard to develop,” she says. “I’m frequently in the room with generals and other important figures who will give the party line [about an issue], and it’s my job, respectfully, to test the foundations on which their answers stand.” But developing a platform from which to speak truth and challenge assumptions starts with small things, Hope says—showing up on time, keeping bosses updated, and treating other people’s time as at least as valuable as one’s own. As Hope’s awards have proven, being “faithful in a few things” opens the door for weightier opportunities to speak truth to power.

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Meagan Clark PPE, 2013 C U R R E N T C I T Y:

New Delhi, India

O C C U PAT I O N:

Communications Manager, Counsel to Secure Justice

Meagan Clark has a heart for human rights issues in the developing world. After reporting on business news for a year in New York City, she moved to India to intern for International Justice Mission, traveling to villages far and wide to interview, photograph, and film survivors of slavery. When her internship came to an end, she was not ready to leave, so she took another opportunity to continue to tell stories that advocate for and explore justice in India.

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Q: How do you see your work in India contributing to the kingdom of God? “I develop and manage communications for a small nonprofit that provides free legal services and counseling for children who have survived sexual abuse. We work with local child welfare agencies, police, and courts to advocate for a more compassionate and effective justice system for children and the poor. Sexual abuse is a very hidden crime, particularly in India where talking about sex is taboo. Still, an Indian government study found that 21 percent of children in India have experienced severe sexual abuse. “I hope my work brings more awareness to the prevalence and severity of child rape in India, brings hope to clients and families awaiting convictions, and helps those in power adjust their responses to serve the poor more effectively. I believe God cares about justice for the poor, and we are his method to stand up for the oppressed and vulnerable. “In interviewing our clients and their families, I hear many dark stories. But I am encouraged by how we are bringing light into the darkness by exposing what is evil and broken and walking with clients toward justice and healing.”

Reconciling the World to God FINDING MEANING IN WORK AS A CHRISTIAN

BY ANDY G. MILLS On February 19, 2016, Andy Mills, co-chair and president of the Theology of Work Project and three-time former acting president of The King’s College, spoke to business students at the Believers in Business MB A Conference at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. This article is adapted from his address.

SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING

to men in their fifties and sixties who are wondering how they got where they are. They aren’t sure their work is what they wanted; they haven’t especially enjoyed their jobs or done remarkably well, and it all happened without much thought. A recent Gallup survey showed that 70 percent of people are unengaged at work. Seventy percent! I don’t believe it’s any different for Christians. When it comes to work fulfillment, we’re the same as everybody else. As I’ve talked to people about their motivation for work, they answer on a continuum. On one end is a utilitarian view of work, which could be stated like this: “I go to work, I make money, and I use that money to do the things I really want to do with my life.” In this view, work is a means to an end, but not something to invest oneself in. On the other end of the spectrum is an idolatrous view of work, whereby work defines your identity and self-worth. Howie Hendricks, a beloved professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, once had a senior executive in his office for a counseling

session who was having all kinds of issues and difficulties. The man said, “I’ve spent all my life climbing the ladder of success, only to get to the top and find the ladder was against the wrong wall.” If you don’t know why you work, it doesn’t really matter what you do. There’s an old, true saying that if you don’t know where you’re going, any road works. God is calling us to think and do something differently tomorrow. We all ask why sooner or later. The sooner you understand why you work, the greater your impact on the world can be.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES FAITH MAKE? As Christians, we have a compelling framework for thinking about why we do what we do. We can engage it early and set our lives on course, or we can engage it 20 or 30 years down the road. I was fortunate, because God intervened in my life. I was not a Christian until I was in my mid-thirties; I was already the CEO of a corporation when God just burst into my life. I had built a company and spent all my time on it, almost losing my marriage because of it; then I sold it, and I was shocked that the success I’d lived for was suddenly nothing but an illusion. I sat

there wondering, “Is this what all life is about?” It moved me into deep thought about the meaning of life and why I was in it—the kinds of questions that I hadn’t thought about since I was fifteen. And so I became a Christian. And God asked me this incredible question: What difference does it make, being a CEO as a Christian? What difference does Christianity make in your work? I went on a journey to find out. I talked to business people who were Christians. I started reading books. The answers were, frankly, unsatisfactory. They boiled down to this: work with integrity, and if people would like to talk about Jesus, you should. That didn’t seem like enough. We spend all of our days working, whether in a job, at home, or volunteering. Is that all there is—do a good job, don’t cheat, and talk about Jesus if you can? I wasn’t satisfied. So, I started a journey through Scripture—where else could I go?—to find what God had to say. What I found in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is that God speaks all the time about work.

A CHRISTIAN FRAMEWORK FOR WORK

Three themes about work emerged. The

first is that God wants us to live as wholelife disciples. What does that mean? In the Bible, there are three great mandates. Two of them you can probably name readily: the Great Commandment, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself; and the Great Commission, to go out into all the nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The third great mandate, which comes first, is the cultural mandate in Genesis 1:28 and Genesis 2, in Psalm 8, and throughout the Scriptures, whereby God gives mankind dominion over the earth. Words like dominion and power have to be used carefully today, but the Bible does tell us that God has given them to us. Taken together, these mandates work like three legs of a stool: take one away, and the furniture falls over. O ur lives are to reflect each of these commands. Leaders of organizations who prioritize integrity and talking about Jesus, understand the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. But I find that they often don’t understand the Cultural Mandate, because it’s rarely talked about in churches. The church focuses on the Great Commandment and Great Commission. For us workers sitting in the pews every week, the unanswered question has often been, “When are they going to talk about what I do all week?” O ur lives become incoherent, compartmentalized into our Sunday morning religious life, and our Monday through Friday whatever-life-that-is. It was never meant to be that way.

Compartmentalization is not God’s plan for us. He wants us to live with the Great Commandment, the Great Commission, and the Cultural Mandate integrated into our lives. That is whole-life discipleship.

s THE SECOND THEME I FOUND IS THAT GOD has a vision and purpose for our work. The narrative arc of Scripture begins with Adam and Eve in perfect community and perfect relationship with God, in the perfect garden. I think Scripture has 1189 chapters, only 4.5 of which are without

sin. The end of Revelation is the next section without sin. What is the sinless environment in Revelation 21-22 where God rejoins us? The perfect city. Redemption doesn’t take us back to the garden; in the story God is writing, it takes us to the perfect city. Creation came complete with all the tools we need to build flourishing societies—the buildings and products of physical societies, yes, but also natural principles and moral laws about the way we govern ourselves and live together in community for security, safety, freedom, justice, prosperity, culture, and so on. So we know that God is writing this narrative from the garden to the city; but in God’s design, we are an integral part

of making it happen. God could have designed the world any way He wanted. And He designed us not to be a sideshow in this creation, but as the central actor in taking the raw material of the world and developing it towards the heavenly city. Without us…nothing happens. God has gifted every one of us in different ways that line up with what He wants us to do. God does not ask us to do things we can’t. Most of us have this sense of what we’re better at than other people. It’s not something to be boastful about, it’s something to be thankful for. We are to look at God and say, “ Thank you, God, for what you’ve given me. How can I use it to the benefit of mankind and the glor y of God?” Combine the Cultural Mandate and its call to wholelife discipleship, God’s redemption narrative from the garden to the city with man as integral actors, and the gifts and skills He’s given us—and that’s our calling. Work is a high calling. Work is a spiritual calling. It was given before the Fall and before any other commandment. It’s the calling that God gives all of us— to work—just as, by the way, He works. Colossians tells you that Jesus holds all things together, even today. Our work and nature reflect God’s work and nature. That’s an incredible calling.

s T H E T H I R D T H E M E I D I S C O V E R E D is simply

this: God wants work to build intimacy between Him and us. There’s a word I really enjoyed studying in the New Testament: oikonomos. You may recognize it as the origin of economics or economy. It comes from two words: oikos, meaning

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home, and nomos, meaning law. So it refers to the law of the home. The oikonomos is the master of the house. I think many people view this master or steward role as a fixed obligation where God just wants us to make sure things go ok. I see in this word oikonomos that God is calling His people to be the entrusted ones. God has given us something very precious: a church, His Son, His mysteries. God is saying be the steward, the entrusted one, who looks after these things. And I think we also need to apply this calling to Creation. God is not just asking us to manage something or keep the trains running on time. He’s saying to each of us, in the situation that we’re in, “You are my entrusted one. This is the piece of my creation that I have given to you, along with your gifts, your talents, and your place.” So if you are the oikonomos, God’s entrusted one, of your work environment, how do you think about that environment differently? I submit that it completely changes the picture. One of the first things that changes is the center of your attention. You can no longer be self-centered. You must become others-centered. The big problem with the workplace, and the big problem with sin generally, is our self-centered nature—selfish ambition, as the Bible calls it. If God is saying “Please be my representative, do all the things that I would do,” our first response is not, “This is great! I can grab more of this stuff now that God’s given it to me.” Thanks to the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, our response is to ask, “How do I nurture and build the things given to me? How do I help other people achieve goals? How can I address issues? How do I address conflict? How do I bring to bear the creativity that God has given us?” Humankind is the only animal on this earth that has imagination, that can envision a different future. We can experience a special intimacy with God in this, at whatever level of work we do. People tell me all the time that they think it must be easier at the CEO level to “do the Christian stuff.” In reality, it’s

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very hard as the CEO to do the Christian stuff; it’s a lot easier in many ways when you’re in small work groups and you can work closely with people, to nurture and build a place in the way God would build it. You can do it in the very first place you go to work. We need to stop asking the self-centered questions of “How do I get to the next level?” or “How do I achieve?” and start asking, “What is God doing here?” I’m not talking about subverting the needs of your work to Christian niceness and indecision. I’m talking about doing the most excellent work, leading industries, changing people’s lives, and doing so in a way that’s full of grace, mercy, and righteousness. To be able to do that, you have to understand the nature of God. If you’re His representative, you have to understand who He is.

TRUSTING GOD WITH YOUR CAREER Psalm 89 is a wonderful Psalm, and verse 14 gives us an interesting hint as to who God is. It says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne, and steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” If we want to represent Jesus in our workplace, what has to be the foundation of our position? Justice and righteousness. Doing what’s right. Doing what’s fair. This is not brain science, but we have to be committed to these things, because often they will require sacrifice, they will mean being overlooked, or they will mean giving other people credit, which they then go and take and you don’t get the promotion that you may need. I’m not saying righteousness and justice are the way to the bottom—indeed, we’ve got God overseeing our lives and careers. But at some point the question we have to ask is, “Am I trusting God for my career and my life, or am I trusting me?” That’s a tough question when we really ask it. Nine times out of ten, we trust us, because we think we can hold on and manage. We need to be faithful to the process and let God deal with the outcome. These are challenging ideas. If there

was one change for which I would pray for Christians in business, it is that they would shift their focus from charging along this invisible escalator of life, and stop long enough to focus on the key questions: “Why am I doing this? What is it that God wants me to do? How could I be working differently, for His glory and for the honor of humankind?”

s I N C L O S I N G , T H I S T H E O L O G Y O F W O R K is

not some new 21st-century apologetic. This is what Christians for centuries have believed about work. It starts with Luther and keeps going. If you go to Victoria Falls on the Zambezi river, you'll see a statue of David Livingstone, one of the great missionaries. For a missionary, it’s interesting that the three words on the plinth of that statue are “Christ, commerce, civilization.” David Livingstone knew that if you took the Gospel but left people without the means to provide for themselves (commerce) or a way to organize themselves in safety (civilization) you would not have given them the whole Christian life. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, most of the major social movements in art, music, science, businesses, and politics were led by Christians. Today, we don’t see that. In the early 19th century, we left the cities, we left business, we left a lot of these things for the safety of the suburbs, and we’ve been happy in our little places there. It’s time to re-engage. We have got to become effective for Christ, because He’s given us this creation and all of creation is groaning. We can be a little piece of the reconciliation of the world to God. That is a bigger picture of work. I spend a lot of time with people who say, “I really want to do my own thing and hope that God blesses it.” That’s what most people want. That’s what I used to want. But God’s question is, “Will you do what I want you to do?” When we let go of the reigns and follow Him, God takes us to the place He’s designed us for: joy and contentment unspeakable. Are you prepared to let God work through you in the workplace?

{ PROFILE }

GRACE AND THE WRITTEN WORD

Story: Madison Peace

EREK REED (MCA, 2012) IS AN AVID READER.

Novels, biographies, histories, classics—he loves them all. As an editor at Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, Derek gets to spend his days reading and shaping what others are picking up at Barnes & Noble and putting in their Amazon carts. During his senior year at King’s, Derek secured an internship at Crown through someone connected to the former Director of Career Services at King’s. He worked there during his fall and spring semesters, and right before he graduated in May of 2012, an editorial assistant position opened up. Derek was offered the job and has been at Crown ever since, working on business and economics, politics, general non-fiction, and now Christian non-fiction book lists. “My job involves finding authors who have an urgent story, a big idea, or a unique take on an important issue,” says Derek, “and helping them write and publish a book that attracts media attention and ultimately finds an audience.” His job as an editor is part editing and part “shepherding the author through the other parts of the publication process,” such as “the book deal, the shaping of the idea, and making sure the design, marketing, publicity, and sales teams understand the book when it comes time for them to do their work on it.” On a given day, Derek’s responsibilities might include “making line edits on a political columnist’s manuscript about America’s standing in the world, evaluating a proposal for a celebrity memoir, and then sitting in on a marketing call for a theologian’s book about the relationship between humans and dogs.” Derek says the “kind of thinking” he learned at King’s—“studying a wide range of topics and learning to write and speak about them

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Jon Seidl PPE, 2009

C U R R E N T C I T Y:

Dallas, Texas

intelligently”—prepared him for his job, as he never knows what the topic of his next project might be. “Publishing careers aren’t easy,” says Derek, as the industry is difficult to break into and is not particularly lucrative. “At the risk of sounding sappy, those who work in publishing do so because they love books, because they happened to read the right books at the right time that connected with them on a deep level.” “That was my experience growing up,” he continues, “and it’s still the case today. Whether it’s a book about faith or something that simply engages my curiosity, overturns my assumptions about an important topic, or makes me care about a topic in the first place, I’ve always received that experience as a kind of grace. I find it meaningful to work in a job in which my responsibility is to find books that provoke the same response in other people.”

O C C U PAT I O N:

Managing Editor, publication forthcoming

Q: How do you see storytelling as contributing to the kingdom of God? "I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the best-selling book in history, the Bible, uses stories to communicate some of its most important ideas. I think stories are really the most natural way we communicate big and important ideas. “Just think about history. History is a bevy of facts, names, figures, and dates. I could say, ‘Tell me everything you know about James Ryan,’ and it might not mean much to you. But if I said, ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ you likely could instantly tell me his story, because you remember Tom Hanks’s fantastic depiction of an officer on a mission to save Ryan in the now-classic World War II movie. “Stories are powerful. If they are the best, most powerful form of communication, and if the message of Christ is the most important message there is, then I think telling stories that point to Christ is one the of the most important things I can do.”

Most recently Derek edited George W. Bush’s Portraits of Courage, a book containing original portraits of military veterans who served under his administration and whom he got to know after leaving office. “With the news cycle being so bleak, it was rewarding to see that book bring attention to stories of sacrifice, redemption, and hope,” says Derek. Derek feels blessed to be in his position. “Often, in the course of my day, I will be struck by how fortunate I am to be paid for staying plugged into current events and talking about books all day with authors and colleagues who are much more interesting than me,” he says. “It’s rewarding to believe in a book idea, shape the manuscript into the best book it can be, and then see it go out into the world and find the audience it deserves.”

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NONPROFIT & MINISTRY

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To Do Justly and Love Mercy Story: Madison Peace Photos: Cameron Strittmatter Sam Tran’s (PPE, 2014) work as a grantmaker equips nonprof its to advance human f lourishing and dignity in their communities.

H E N F O R M E R S T U D E N T B O D Y P R E S I D E N T Sam Tran

graduated from The King’s College in May of 2014, he was unsure what would come next. He had applied for a Fulbright Fellowship, but had not been selected. He was interested in working in international development but was having difficulty finding positions that did not require a master’s degree or previous work experience. In short, he felt discouraged. While home in California that summer, Sam called Andy Mills, the former Chairman of the King’s Board of Trustees, to ask him for career advice. During their conversation, Mills encouraged him to think more broadly about what he could be doing. He also suggested Sam consider working for The Grace and Mercy Foundation—a family foundation connected to Archegos Capital Management, the financial firm where Mills serves as executive chairman and president. Although Sam had “not been looking for this kind of opportunity at all,” he decided to apply. Sam has now been working at the Foundation for over two years and was recently promoted to program officer. His primary responsibility is evaluating grant proposals from a portfolio of non-profit organizations working to improve education, fight human trafficking, and promote spiritual formation. As a program officer, Sam reviews applications, dialogues

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with each nonprofit’s grant writers and leadership team, analyzes trends in the relevant sector, conducts due diligence, and then presents a recommendation to The Grace and Mercy Foundation’s board as to whether the organization should receive a grant and, if so, in what amount. “After we receive a grant proposal,” says Sam, “we ask: What is going well? What needs improvement? What are they learning? How are their outcomes? Is this the right use of what King’s professor Dawn Fotopulos calls our time, talent, and treasure?” The Foundation’s approach to grantmaking “resembles that of thoughtful investors,” says Sam. “Not only do we work with organizations that bring tangible value to their communities, but we also target overlooked or underfunded opportunities.” In addition to managing his portfolio of grants, Sam also spearheads other initiatives at the Foundation, such as Public Reading of Scripture gatherings and Just Show Up book clubs—weekly opportunities for Christian professionals to discuss Scripture and books and to fellowship at The Grace and Mercy Foundation’s offices on the 44th floor of the New York Times building. “The mission of [The Grace and Mercy Foundation] is two-fold,” says Sam: “to help the poor and to help people learn.” Sam is grateful for how his education prepared him for his current work. “At King’s, we intentionally studied the intersection of disciplines, and as a result I learned how to

ask questions that reveal the proverbial forest beyond the trees,” he says. “Now, those same questions are no longer theoretical. What does human flourishing look like in practice? How do we help move the needle on the most pressing social issues of our day? Where do the broader trends lead? These are but a few of the questions I think about every day.” Sam finds working at The Grace and Mercy Foundation rewarding. “Almost everyone I meet gives me fresh insight and perspective into the work I do,” he says. He particularly enjoys working with The Grace and Mercy Foundation’s board. “Their commitment to stewardship, their faithfulness in joyfully serving the Kingdom, and their willingness to share what they love” inspire him. “It is incredible that there are people whose job it is to think about what it means to steward wealth, use the gifts God has given them to further the Kingdom, and thoughtfully work with organizations that have similar visions and approaches,” Sam says. “That’s what I get to do. Every day, my work as a grantmaker affords me the exciting and challenging opportunity of identifying, investing, and partnering with others to bring about flourishing in the church and culture.”

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Moses and Marilette (dela Cruz) Sanchez MARILETTE

O C C U PAT I O N :

PPE w/ Media concentration, 2010

Full-time vocational ministry with Cru

MOSES

C U R R E N T C I T Y:

PPE w/ Education concentration, 2008

Q: How did you decide to go into full-time ministry? How does your work draw on the disciplines you studied at King’s—i.e. Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, and your respective focuses in education and media? M O S E S : “ After graduating from The King’s College, I decided to take a job as a middle school teacher in Queens. Although it was a great opportunity, I sensed the entire year that I needed to step out in faith and pursue ministry with Cru. Following that year, I decided to join Cru full-time. I had interned with Cru previously and gained a ton of experience mentoring high school students. Although it was a step of faith, I knew my experience growing up in New York and also attending King’s had paved the way for me to be effective in the mission of helping teenagers all over the city connect to Jesus. King’s taught me how to analyze problems and solve them, to think critically, and to communicate well. These experiences have shaped and aided me as I work with students from some of the toughest situations.”

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Queens, New York

M A R I L E T T E : “ For most of college, I volunteered

with high school or middle school ministry through Cru or my local church, but never considered fulltime ministry until Moses and I got engaged. He was already with the high school ministry of Cru, so upon our engagement, I was strongly encouraged to join him. Although I aspired to be a writer and journalist, I felt the Lord’s call to join Moses. In five short years of marriage and ministry, I have realized God’s sovereignty in calling me to ministry. I draw upon my PPE education every day. I’ve always loved helping teenagers develop spiritually, but my deepest desire is to combat false ideologies fed to them via popular media. Because of my PPE training, I can easily discern false worldviews with any teen girl I mentor and counter them with the truth of the Bible. My blog (MariletteSanchez.com) is also a big part of my ministry to young people. Here God has provided me with a platform to call out Hollywood’s false ideas about love, relationships, and fame, and to equip the next generation with a solid biblical worldview.”

Gabby Hanners PPE, 2013

C U R R E N T C I T Y:

Washington, D.C.

O C C U PAT I O N :

Executive Assistant to the VP of Aftercare, International Justice Mission

In supporting those who provide care to victims of abuse, Gabby Hanners is doing her part to advance her organization’s mission of protecting the poor around the world from violence: rescuing victims, bringing criminals to justice, restoring survivors, and strengthening justice systems. Q: How do you see your work at IJM contributing to the kingdom of God? “God calls us to love all people and seek justice for the oppressed. At King’s, I learned that God’s call to justice means seeking restoration of all things. I get to work with a global team of attorneys, investigators, social workers, and community activists to seek restoration in the poorest areas of the world plagued by violence. I believe God is using my IJM colleagues and me to bring His kingdom to earth.”

ADOPTION AS SONS Matthew Kaal (PPE, 2009) lives out his faith while advocating for at-risk children in need of a home. Story: Madison Peace Photos: Cameron Strittmatter

W H E N H E G R A D U A T E D F R O M K I N G ’ S I N 2 0 0 9 , Matthew Kaal says

he “gravitated towards jobs in nonprofit fundraising,” first working at a local school helping raise scholarship funding and then at a public policy think tank. For the past three years, Matthew has worked as the Development Manager at SpenceChapin Services to Families and Children, which he describes as a “pioneering not-for-profit child welfare and mental health services provider specializing in adoption and child permanency services” that works locally and internationally to “find homes and families for children who have special needs and who are considered at-risk.” Matthew is part of a four-person team that funds SpenceChapin’s work and says his day-to-day responsibilities entail managing Spence-Chapin’s donor records, working on annual fundraising appeals, and managing a portfolio of major donors. “My position is an essential support to the primary work of Spence-Chapin,” he says, “helping ensure that we have the resources to serve children in need of permanent, loving homes.” He continues, “As a Christian, I view my work as a special form of stewardship—building relationships and empowering others in service of the wonderful cause of creating families.” Although Matthew says it would be “inappropriate to spiritualize” his work in a secular organization, he is open about his faith with his colleagues. “I think it is important to be an

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‘out’ Christian, never compartmentalizing my faith,” he says. The fact that his colleagues know about his faith is a “wonderful form of accountability,” as they expect him to “exhibit Christian virtues.” It can also be challenging, however. Matthew continues: My organization holds some positions that are challenging because of my faith and values. It takes discernment to know how to talk about my beliefs with colleagues who are not used to hearing Christian perspectives. I spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to be salt and light in my particular work culture—and have come to believe that Christians must approach challenging social conversations from a posture of embrace, willing to acknowledge and love those who differ from us. Despite the difference in perspective he has from some of his colleagues, Matthew enjoys working at an organization where everyone is mission-driven. “I work in an office where we often shed tears of joy in staff meetings when we learn a waiting child is going home,” he says. “The knowledge that my work is helping connect children to loving families is indescribably fulfilling.”

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The fact that his colleagues know about his faith is a “wonderful form of accountability,” as they expect him to “exhibit Christian virtues.”

EMBLEM MAGAZINE

Emblem is a vehicle for the Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community to reflect on its past, present, and future. The stories and ideals of a community are gathered up in their emblem, the image they choose to represent themselves. The Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College chose for its emblem an image of a lion: a constant reminder of our charge to glorify and draw our courage from Christ, the Lion of Judah. Through this annual magazine, we see how the seeds of past faithfulness bear fruit in the present. Each issue of Emblem explores the legacy of King's through a new thematic lens.

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