Convocation Speech Spring 2016
Unless otherwise noted, these speeches and open letters were written for the Dean of Students of Biola University between 2011-2016.
President Corey, standing before you today are the men and women of the Spring 2016 incoming class…
which today officially adds xxx to our Undergraduate community. And xxx to our Graduate Community.
And these are brave souls — to make such a major transition mid-year takes no small amount of courage. These are students who could have waited until next Fall, but felt the call of God on their lives to be so strong… that they are willing to step midstream into the strong current of an academic year.
These students have come to Biola because they desire to live out their faith with integrity and transparency.
And yet to be transparent is not enough; they are here to be transformed by The Truth.
In our world, truth seems to be in short supply. Power, persuasion, prevarication, pandering, provocation…but not truth. Some would say there is no such thing as truth.
Fear, though… there’s no shortage of fear. Our candidates, our media—and our infernal enemy—they would all tell us that we should be fearful and anxious. But as one wise fellow once said, long ago and far, far away, “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
But that is not the way of the Cross, and it is not the way we will teach these students. We will teach them to speak the truth in love…not in hate, not in threat, and not in fear. If I could offer our new students one word, it would be the word God offers them over 300 times in Scripture:
“Don’t be afraid.”
I present these new students to you, President Corey, as they begin their university journey in courage born of truth and grace.
