Hispanic Heritage Month

On Mexican Independence Day, which kicked off National Hispanic Heritage Month last week, the HIU student association offered free shaved ice and elote in front of the library! 

Bryan Pomboza, Library Services Assistant,
and Amanda Careres, Student Assistant,
enjoy a treat just outside the library!

Did you know that about 22.6% of the enrolled student body of Hope International University is Hispanic-Latino? And that fully half of the library's student workers are Latino?

Did you know that the Darling Library has a good number of books written in Spanish? Almost exactly 10 years ago today we received a special donation of Biblical Studies and Ministry books written in Spanish. See the full story here. And we have Spanish eBooks, too!? (To find them, just limit your search by language along with your search terms.)

And, did you know that HIU has a close association with Crossmont Biblical Institute (CBI) which prepares leaders for Christian ministry in Latino-Hispanic churches across Southern California? Did you know that these students have full access to the Darling Library?

The Darling Library supports biblical studies and ministry among the Hispanic community throughout the year!

Honoring our Graduating Student Library Assistants

Bryan Pomboza, Megan Anderson, Amanda Caceres, Giovanna Lopez

It has been the Darling Library's tradition to honor our graduating student workers by adding a book to the library. They choose a book (that we don't already have) in a subject area of their interest - in their major or something on their heart related to the curriculum. 

We include a note in the cataloging record that it was donated in honor of the student by name. You can actually search "donated in honor of" and add the student's name to find it. We also stick a bookplate to the inside cover of the book with the same note. They enjoy having an influence on our book collection and leaving their imprint on the library in a tangible way. 

At an end of the year party we present the book to the graduates and have them tell us why they chose the book.

This year we have six graduates! Here are the books to be added to the library in their honor:

Bryan Pomboza (Biblical Studies). Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Although Bryan is a Biblical Studies major, he is also a history buff and recommended this WWII historical fiction. Bryan will pursue the MFT degree at HIU and continue working as our Library Services Assistant after graduation.

Megan Anderson (Childrens and Youth Ministry major and Biblical Studies and Psychology minor). The Sin of Certainty by Peter Enns struck a cord with Megan who also worked as a tutor in Biblical Studies. The subtitle, Why God Desires our Trust more than our 'Correct' Beliefs says it all for her. Megan plans to work with children either in church ministry or some area of mental health upon graduation.

Amanda Caseres (Psychology). The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a semi-autobiographical short story first published in 1892. Amanda was moved by the story during a class presentation by another one of our student workers, English major, Isabella Alcaraz. According to Wikipedia, "It is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature for its illustration of the attitudes towards mental and physical health of women in the 19th century." The book purchased by the library includes other short stories on the theme. Amanda also plans to pursue the MFT at HIU and continue working at the Darling Library while in graduate school.

Giovanna Lopez (Psychology) chose The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest. The library does not generally purchase "self-help" books, but Giovanna felt strongly that this topic speaks to many students who struggle with mental health issues - particularly in the wake of the pandemic. Giovanna will go home to Nebraska briefly before starting her masters degree in Psychology at Colorado Christian University.

Ysabelle Halemano (Kinesiology). Ysabelle (a.k.a., "YZ") chose another story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman called Herland which is a utopian novel about an all-women society. YZ was unable to attend the party but she says it's just a fun book and it was interesting to think about not only an all-woman country, but what an all-male country might be like as well. Like Amanda and Bryan, YZ also will continue at Hope in the Marriage and Family Therapy program. She plans on becoming a Sports Psychologist. 

Jon Tobin (Business). Jon, who has been a runner for HIU, suggested Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games. It is the autobiographical story of Lopez Lomong, a Sudanese-American track and field runner who was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. "[It] is not a story about Africa or track and field athletics. It is about outrunning the devil and achieving the impossible faith, diligence, and the desire to give back. It is the American dream come true and a stark reminder that saving one can help to save thousands more." (Amazon.com).

These books will be added to the Darling Library collection in honor of these student workers who have served the library well. 

 

Congratulations on your graduation!

The New Model Library

Something called the New Model Library comes out of a study conducted by OCLC during the early months of the pandemic in which 29 library leaders describe concepts and practices employed in an emergency situation that can be carried into the post-pandemic world. The study revealed that four general concepts: agility, collaboration, virtualization, and engagement needed to be applied in a new context. Each library must recognize what this will mean in practice for its own organization in terms of staff work, library collections, and community engagement going forward.

I didn’t really think of this study as being ground-breaking. Libraries have been agile and collaborative in order to engage (serve) patrons for many years. In this study, virtualization may be the most innovative concept for some – but academic libraries that serve a high population of online students (like at Hope International University) had already been focused on virtual services and online resources to engage remote students long before COVID-19 shut campuses down.

From 2000, HIU students have been able to search the catalog and access electronic databases (including eBooks) remotely. For well over ten years our librarians have been publishing personalized video tutorials on our YouTube channel and have made LibAnswers an easy way for remote (and local) students to connect with a librarian. Of course, email, phone and even the occasional video appointments with librarians have been available long before the pandemic.

Certainly, Zoom (and other video conferencing applications) became much more common during the shutdown. Then when the university began providing hybrid options for attending class it was fairly easy to arrange flexible library instruction sessions to include in-person and remote students simultaneously. 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

A New Model Library is one that has gained confidence from using technologies and strategies that worked during an actual emergency -- like  finally using the tactics calmly practiced many times in drills.

Perhaps the best take-away for me has been to find more effective ways to increase awareness of the library resources and services that are available to our patrons. 

Speaking of which, here's a link to make an appointment with a librarian.

Researching Taubman

George P. Taubman

George P. Taubman (1869-1947) had a significant influence on the beginnings of Hope International University. His life of ministry and leadership in the local church, his community, and the Restoration Movement personify the mission, goals, objectives and enduring core values of the University. 

Under his leadership, the First Christian Church of Long Beach housed early classes for what was then Pacific Bible Seminary (1930-33). He served as the first academic dean from 1931, was listed as professor of practical ministries, and declined an offer to become the institution’s second president 

In March of 1915 the Taubman family moved to Long Beach, California, where George began a nearly 25-year ministry. Here he had the opportunity to provide pastoral leadership through some of the most interesting and turbulent times in American history. Taubman had a particular passion for reaching men. When he arrived in Long Beach, he immediately started a men’s Bible class, and within a few short years, he had taken the group from 25 to 3000+ men every Sunday morning for nearly two decades. At the time it was known as the world’s largest men’s Bible class. 

This is what has brought Wilson Hutchinson to the Darling Library to read for hours in the past couple of months. Mr. Hutchinson was born, grew up, lives, and works in Long Beach. He says, "Long Beach is my city!" Hutchinson believes George Taubman is part of the early DNA of the city. In many ways, Taubman shaped the city’s beginnings through those he served and led. Although you might not read about him much or see the impact, it's there.

Wilson Hutchinson
Researcher

Taubman came to Hutchinson's attention from a small house church leader who gathered a group of young college graduates with a vision of seeing the city reached for Jesus through prayer and worship. They had a real heart to see revival in Long Beach. The church leader had heard of Taubman and communicated the impact that he had had. This sparked Hutchinson's curiosity. 

He started doing some research. He found a thesis at Pepperdine written about Taubman by Kevin Kragenbrink and went to to read it. He dropped the subject for a few years and recently rekindled his interest. He feels like the Lord is leading him to study Taubman. He's not sure exactly why, yet. But he is learning a lot from the primary sources that have been kept at Hope International University. 

One of the most time-consuming parts of Hutchinson's research is going through Taubman's sermons. Hundreds of hand-written or typewritten sermon notes have been saved in acid free, archival folders, organized by date. Many of these sermon notes predate Taubman’s time in Long Beach. 

Hutchinson says that Taubman's bulleted notes communicate his message very well. He very much stuck with the Bible and gospel message. His sermon titles summarized the messages very well and he was very clever in his way with words. He can see why he was very popular with men at that time. He was straightforward and didn't mince words.

Taubman was also a man of action. The class slogan was: “The value of the Sunday morning session must be seen in the character of service rendered through the week.” One word was boldly displayed every week in six-foot high letters at the front of the auditorium where they gathered: OTHERS. Service to those in need throughout the city was a unifying and galvanizing force for the men of Taubman’s class. 

Although he was not raised in Restoration Movement churches, Hutchinson appreciates the Restoration Movement emphasis on church unity (particularly across denominational lines) that Taubman strongly communicated through his sermons and lifestyle. 

As the librarian who personally organized, preserved, and curated the Taubman collection, I am particularly encouraged by the interest that a researcher is taking in this one-of-a-kind collection. Libraries throughout the world are moving away from expanding their spaces in order to shelve more and more print books to accommodating more digital and unique resources -- like special collections. "Special collections are often related, even deeply attached, to the mission and academic focus of a college. And special collections often house the archives and history of the institution itself." (The Library of the Future, 2022). This also connects the library (and university) with its larger community.

In Honor of Annabel's Graduation

 

At the end of the fall semester, 2021, Annabel Mejia graduates and leaves the library. It is a library tradition to add a book to the collection in honor of graduating seniors. The student chooses a book that is special to them. Annabel, a Psychology major, chose a book published this year by one of her professors, Dr. Peace Amadi titled, Why Do I Feel Like This? (See our featured author post for more information about this book.)

At our Christmas party, we honored Annabel for her exemplary work in the library and asked her to explain why she chose this book for the library. She thinks everyone should read it!

Congratulations, Annabel!

Featured Author: Dr. Peace Amadi

Dr. Peace Amadi is Associate Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Hope International University.

Amadi, P. (2021). Why do I feel like this? Understand your difficult emotions and find grace to move through. InterVarsity Press. 

 "It's easy to get overwhelmed by all sorts of conflicting, difficult emotions. But psychology professor and personal development coach Dr. Peace Amadi can help you navigate the complexity of your emotions and live through them in healthy ways. With insights from both psychology and Scripture, this book offers you a clear plan to get your peace back and find your joy again" -- Provided by publisher. 

Available for sale on Amazon.

Available for checkout in the Darling Library soon!

Featured Author: Carl Toney

Dr. Carl Toney is Professor of Biblical Studies and Chair of the Graduate Ministry Program at Hope International University.

His latest book is available just in time for ruining Christmas! 

Toney, Carl N. 2021. Ruining Christmas, Rediscovering Jesus. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books.

Do you have questions about the Christmas story? Did you know that the Christmas story almost wasn’t told? But Matthew and Luke saved Christmas. Have you wondered if Christmas is really a pagan holiday? Did marketers invent Santa Claus? And what does a Christmas tree have to do with anti-slavery? Learn which traditions come from the Bible and where other traditions derive. 

Have you ever considered who Jesus was named after? Or why Jesus’s genealogy is traced to Joseph if he’s not Jesus’s biological father? This book answers questions like these surrounding Jesus’s legacy. 

Maybe you’ve asked what was the Bethlehem star? Or have you heard that there wasn’t an inn or innkeeper? With these kinds of inquiries, Dr. Toney looks at the circumstances surrounding Jesus’s birth. 

Do we know if the magi were kings, astrologers, or magicians? Or could you name the oldest person that met baby Jesus? By interacting with these people who met Jesus on that first Christmas, join the cast of characters around the manger. 

Dr. Toney invites readers to explore the stories and traditions of Christmas. In the process, "we’ll ruin some past misconceptions but, I promise that we’ll rediscover Jesus."

(source: Amazon.com)

In Honor of our Graduating Seniors

During the 2020-2021 school year we have had a small crew of six student library assistants (SLAs) providing library services during the pandemic – three of which are graduating in May. 

It is the long-standing tradition of the Darling Library to add a book to the library in honor of our graduating SLAs. Early in their final semester we solicit a book suggestion from each of them to add to the collection in their honor. These books will soon be found in the Darling Library with a bookplate on the inside cover saying it was added in their honor. You can find them by searching the Discovery Service by author, title, ISBN, and even by the student's name!

As restrictions on gathering together start to relax, we had a party to celebrate, say thank you, and good-bye.*

Daphne Salomon

Daphne, graduating with a BA in Business (emphasis Accounting), recommended The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. The book was recommended for reading by her father, who is a small business owner. She says that the book really made an impact on her and wants to share it with those who come after her. Thank you for two years of exemplary service, Daphne!

Alyssa Hendrickson

Alyssa is completing a BA in English with plans to get a secondary teaching credential. Alyssa discovered Rachel Held Evans after her untimely death and has been influenced by her theology and candor. She recommends all of her books, but we are adding Inspired in her honor.

Andrew Valle

Andrew is graduating with a BA in Business (emphasis Sports Management). An ardent Lakers fan, Andrew was particularly affected by the death of Kobe Bryant. As a cross country runner, he found Bryant's book, Mama Mentality: How I Play, be inspirational in terms of how to live his own life. 

Fun fact: Andrew started working at the library on his 19th birthday. Thank you for three years of library service!

---

*A coronavirus note. Other than when posing for these photos, we were careful to stay six feet apart and keep masks on when not eating. Unfortunately, it appears that I had difficulty keeping my new poorly fitting mask in place during the presentations. I have been fully vaccinated.

An Ode to SCELC

The Hugh and Hazel Darling Library serves Hope International University which has always been tuition driven. That means that our institution depends on thoughtful stewardship of its scarce resources.

If the library's value to the institution was based entirely on return on investment, the library’s value would not be clear. Of course, it supports the mission and values and is closely aligned with the HIU curriculum. It seeks to provide relevant resources, instruction, and services to facilitate the university's learning outcomes. But how does it contribute to the financial strength of HIU?  

A Little Background 

HIU saw distance education to be a worthy investment long before the Internet came into being. Therefor, since the mid to late nineties, the library has sought to support students in those courses on a par with traditional on-ground programs. Soon, we began to see that electronic resources provide the biggest bang for our buck - good for traditional on-ground as well as online students. 

However, at that time, pricing models for electronic resources were still under development and no one really knew how much subscription databases (such as ProQuest) were worth. Our librarians did not have a full understanding of the developing landscape nor adequate negotiating skills to make good stewardship choices. 

Thankfully, we were invited to become a member of SCELC early in its development. 

Membership in the Consortium

Membership in the Southern California Electronic Library Consortium gave us a seat at the table – a voice to be heard by vendors who were looking to establish sustainable products for libraries. Without the help of SCELC, small independent non-profit institutions like ours would be left behind larger better resourced educational systems. We may not have been able to survive. 

Because of SCELC, we can offer similar resources to our students based on FTE and other equitable measures. 

But, beyond the benefit of license negotiations, SCELC supports small libraries in other ways. Its model of governance in which library directors can be elected to serve on the board provides library leaders opportunities to learn from each other and make meaningful contributions to our professional community. Advisory committee membership provides similar opportunities for other librarians from member libraries. 

This strengthens the consortium and builds community. Its resource sharing initiatives offer affordable ways for small libraries to take advantage of opportunities not otherwise available to us. 

SCELC also offers librarians free quality professional development programs such as the annual SCELC colloquium and generous grant to attend conferences. 

SCELC membership has been crucial to our ability to serve our students, staff, and faculty well and SCELC has been a partner in fulfilling our institutional mission.

Thank you, Rick Burke

I have been involved with SCELC for many years. I was elected to the SCELC Board of Directors (twice) and have served as the chair of its Marketing and Communications Committee. I have received grants to attend a conference and to purchase a new laptop to facilitate my working from home last summer. This is just the tip of the iceberg. 

But my "Ode to SCELC" today is inspired by its long-term founding Executive Director, Rick Burke, who announced his retirement effective July 1st. After twenty-two years he leaves the organization which is in his DNA and was built largely on his personal values. His commitment to libraries like ours and his humble yet strong advocacy for us has served as a role model that I hope many will follow.

Where did the reference books go?

When we learned that twenty-five percent of the library space was needed to make room for new classrooms and staff offices in January of 2020, major changes had to be made. The back issues of periodicals (magazines and journals) as well as the reference books all had to find new homes on the already full first floor.

As I wrote in my last blog post, these two collections have been whittled away little by little over the years. And like the back issues of periodicals, the slow methodical dwindling down the reference collection was put on high speed at the beginning of 2020. This year the print reference collection was reduced by two-thirds.

More and more reference works are available in preferred online formats. As content is replaced with online equivalents, we have opted to end subscriptions to ongoing series such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Others such as the Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1954) have simply become obsolete with the advent of Internet search engines and Wikipedia.

In fact, many of our patrons may find it surprising that we have spent more on digital resources than print for many years. (See our growing list of eBooks (https://libguides.hiu.edu/ebooks) and research databases (https://libguides.hiu.edu/az.php)

And even though some books are still not widely available in digital formats such as many Biblical commentaries (which are not technically reference works), we have been slowly moving them to the Main circulating collection to allow students to check them out anyway. They are not gone but are more available.

This kind of challenge is not unique to HIU. Many libraries are finding it practical to repurpose their spaces. It is a time that we all knew would come.

Back issues of old periodicals to be digitized by Internet Archive

In January of 2020 we learned that the Anaheim campus was relocating to the Fullerton campus. To make room for two new classrooms and three staff offices in the library space some major changes had to be made. The back issues of periodicals (magazines and journals) as well as the reference books all had to find new homes in the already full first floor shelving.

For many years these two collections have been whittled away little by little. 

In the case of print periodicals, many are available as online versions and others are available either in total or part within subscription databases such as ProQuest and EBSCOhost. But not all of them. 

Further, the cost of periodicals has continued to rise well beyond the library's ability to keep up world-wide, requiring us to make decisions to not renew costly subscriptions every year.

Limited space has also required us to discard older issues every summer to keep from expanding beyond our shelving capacity.

So, we have been methodical in our maintenance and reduction of print periodicals and we began a more aggressive focus to reduce the footprint from 40 sections of shelving to 6. We reviewed our retention policies and started to pull some older issues off of the shelves ahead of our normal annual schedule. 

But then COVID-19 hit in mid-March sending the library staff and student work force home. With the library closed, it seemed like a good time to start on the construction. This left the job of emptying the shelves to the construction crew so they could accomplish their task.

When the library staff was able to return to campus in July, there were hundreds of boxes stacked in the middle of the library. As we began to unpack, it became increasingly clear that we had much more weeding to do in order to fit them in the new shelving location on the first floor.
Then what were we going to do with the issues we were not going to keep? We ended up with 191 boxes of unwanted back issues of periodicals! 

Thankfully, a colleague who had recent experience downsizing a library put us in touch with the Internet Archive. They offered to take our back issues, digitize them, and make them available on a Controlled Digital Lending basis. And they could pick them up in a short period of time at no cost to the university. 

The need to free up space faces the majority of libraries world-wide. The preference of users for online resources is unquestioned. The copyright concerns are arguably resolved by the Controlled Digital Lending policy of the Internet Archive.   

See the Internet Archive blog post about it here.

Featured Author: Wm. Curtis Holtzen

Image from Amazon

Congratulations to our own Dr. William Curtis Holtzen, Professor of Philosophy and Theology, on his newest book, The God Who Trusts, being released today, December 10, 2019.

       Holtzen, William Curtis. The God Who Trusts: A Relational Theology of Divine Faith, Hope, and Love. Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 2019.

"The Bible resounds with affirmations of the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God. But might God also exhibit faith and trust? Standing in the tradition of theologians such as John Sanders, who argued that God is one who risks, Wm. Curtis Holtzen contends that God is not merely trustworthy or faithful, but that God is also one who trusts and has faith. According to Holtzen, because God is a being of relational love and exists in relationship with humans, who can freely choose to follow God, then God is a God who trusts. Such an argument might challenge our notion of who God is, yet Holtzen argues that understanding the relationship between divine trust and human faith can give us a fuller, truer picture of who God is and who we are." (Amazon) 

It is on order and will be available for check out from the Darling Library soon.

Dr. Wm. Curtis Holtzen,
Professor of Philosophy and Theology

To see a complete bibliography of books, chapters, and articles by Dr. Holtzen, please view his page in the Hope International University directory.

Faculty Authors: The Amadi Sisters

Two of our HIU Professors, Dr. Peace Amadi, Associate Professor of Psychology and Counseling, and Ndidi Amadi, J.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor of Social Sciences, co-wrote a children's book about cultural identity out of their rich cultural heritage as Nigerian-American sisters.

Image from Amazon

Amadi, Peace and Ndidi Amadi. Chichi and Didi Love Their Names. (Independently published: October 15, 2019).

The Darling Library will have a copy for circulation and another reserved with our faculty author collection  in the Archives.

Learn more about this book on Amazon.

The real Chichi and Didi

Dr. Peace Amadi

Ndidi Amadi, J.D.

Featured Author: Gene Appel

Gene Appel is speaking in chapel on October 3, 2019.

He is senior Pastor of Eastside Christian Church, multi-site church in Anaheim, and Park Rapid MN and began his ministry as a 20-year-old intern at Eastside. After moving on to pastor of the two largest churches in the nation – Central Christian Church, Las Vegas, NV and Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, IL – he returned to lead Eastside into its next dynamic chapter. Since that time, Eastside has experienced rapid growth. In 2013 and 2014, Eastside was named among the 100 fastest growing churches in America.

Following in the footsteps of his late father, a pastor and Christian leader, Gene sensed God’s call on his life to ministry at an early age. He received a B.A. degree in Preaching Ministry from Lincoln Christian University in Lincoln, Illinois and has done additional graduate work at Lincoln Christian Seminary and Hope International University, who has conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Divinity. Recognized by many as a gifted leader with a passion for following Christ and a sensitivity for hurting people, Gene has coached church leaders from around the world on how to lead churches through healthy change.

He is coauthor of the book, How to Change Your Church without Killing It, and authored Dream Intruders and Healing Hidden Hurts. Additionally, he was an award winning television commentator on CBS2 in Chicago. Gene and his wife Barbara are the parents of 3 children, Jeremy, Alayna, Jenna and grandparents to George Brian. Gene’s hobbies include boating, fishing, and water skiing.

Nelson, Alan E, and Gene Appel. How to Change Your Church Without Killing It. Nashville, TN: Word Pub, 2000. (Check it out from the Darling Library: https://hiu.on.worldcat.org/oclc/44414066)

Featured Author: Eric Seibert

Dr. Eric A. Seibert, Professor of Old Testament at Messiah College, will be the Kent Anderson Fellow Lecturer speaking along with our own Dr. Blair Wilgus, Professor of Biblical Studies, on Wednesday, April 17th, 6:00 to 8:00 PM in room 205.

The topic will be: "I Samuel 15 and the Violence of God".

Additional opportunities to hear Dr. Seibert locally:

Sunday, April 14 (9:30 - 10:30 AM)
Palm Sunday Service
Placentia United Methodist Church
2050 Valencia Ave., Placentia

Monday, April 15 (6:30 - 8:30 PM)
"Living Non-Violently in a Violent World: A Discussion on Living in Peace with our Families, Coworkers, and Communities"
First Christian Church
115 E. Wilshire Ave. Fullerton
(www.theampersand.cc/events)

All events are free and open to the public.

Dr. Seibert has published three books on the topic of violence and theology that are available in the Darling Library.

Disarming the Church : Why Christians Must Forsake Violence to Follow Jesus and Change the World. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2018. (261.8 S457d 2018)










Disturbing Divine Behavior : Troubling Old Testament Images of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 2009. (231.7 S457d 2009)

The Violence of Scripture : Overcoming the Old Testament's Troubling Legacy. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2012. (221.8 S457v 2012)

Featured Author: K.C. Richardson

Dr. K.C. Richardson

Dr. K.C. Richardson, Associate Professor of History at Hope International University, teaches Hebrew History and Literature, Early Christian History and Literature, History of Christianity, History of American Religion, Theology of Ministry, and World History to 1500.

His latest book, based on his Ph.D. doctoral dissertation, has recently been published by Cascade Books (2018).

Cite it:
Richardson, Kristopher Carl. 2018. Early Christian Care for the Poor : An Alternative Subsistence Strategy Under Roman Imperial Rule. (Matrix--The Bible in Mediterranean Context, 11.) Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.

Check it out: MAIN 261.8325 R523e 2018

Buy it on Amazon

"Beginning with Jesus’s ministry in the villages of Galilee and continuing over the course of the first three centuries as the movement expanded geographically and numerically throughout the Roman world, the Christians organized their house churches, at least in part, to provide subsistence insurance for their needy members. While the Pax Romana created conditions of relative peace and growing prosperity, the problem of poverty persisted in Rome’s fundamentally agrarian economy. Modeling their economic values and practices on the traditional patterns of the rural village, the Christians created an alternative subsistence strategy in the cities of the Roman empire by emphasizing need, rather than virtue, as the main criterion for determining the recipients of their generous giving." (Amazon)

SBL HIU Faculty Scholarship

Each year the faculty of the Pacific Christian College of Ministry and Biblical Studies join thousands of professors and students, authors and publishers, religious leaders and other colleagues at the Society of Biblical Literature and American Academy of Religion joint meetings held the weekend prior to Thanksgiving.

This year they participated not only by going to academic sessions and networking but also contributing. Professor Kelly Dagley presented a paper on, "Ruth, Immigrant Women, and the Danger of Sexual Violence". And several of our professors had recently published books on display in "one of the world's largest exhibits of books and digital resources for biblical studies".

Books authored by HIU faculty on display at the SBL conference this year included:

Lines, Kevin. 2018. Who Do the Ngimurok Say That They Are? : A Phenomenological Study of Turkana Traditional Religious Specialists in Turkana, Kenya. Pickwick Publications. (not held by the Darling Library)

Martin, Ralph P, and Carl N Toney. 2018. New Testament Foundations : An Introduction for Students. Revised and expanded. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, an imprint of Wipf and Stock. (https://hiu.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1027116103)

Richardson, Kristopher Carl. 2018. Early Christian Care for the Poor : An Alternative Subsistence Strategy Under Roman Imperial Rule. Matrix--The Bible in Mediterranean Context, 11. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books. (https://hiu.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1022776856)

Sirvent, Roberto, and Silas Michael Morgan, eds. 2018. Kierkegaard and Political Theology. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications. (https://hiu.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1018459224)

Ward, Keith, William Curtis Holtzen, and Roberto Sirvent. 2012. By Faith and Reason : The Essential Keith Ward. London, England: Darton, Longman and Todd.

Featured Author: Carl N. Toney

Image from Amazon.com

Congratulations to Dr. Carl Toney, Chair, Graduate Ministry Program; Associate Professor of Biblical Studies of the Pacific Christian College of Ministry and Biblical Studies of Hope International University!

His New Testament Foundations: An Introduction for Students is finally available! The Darling Library has acquired two copies. One will be stored in the Archives and the other will be available for check out from the Circulation Desk. You can order a copy for yourself through Amazon.

This work was originally published by the late Ralph P. Martin, well known British New Testament scholar, in the mid-1970s.

"The present work was originally printed in two volumes by Ralph P. Martin. In transforming this into a singular volume, chapters have been reordered, some added or omitted, and there has been a consideration of balancing material for the sake of a consistent flow. This volume represents the third and final collaboration between Ralph P. Martin and Carl N. Toney, a journey that began with the revision of Martin's Word Biblical Commentary on 2 Corinthians. After this current project was underway, Martin (1925-2013) passed away, leaving the bulk of the revision to Toney. As such, Toney has experienced the tension of being a redactor, wishing to convey the voice of a beloved and received tradition, while also seeking to make it relevant for a new generation of readers." (From the Preface to Revised and Expanded Edition, p. xvii)

Dr. Carl N. Toney

Martin, Ralph P., and Carl N. Toney. New Testament Foundations: An Introduction for Students. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2018. 780 pages. (ISBN: 978-1-62032-088-4)

Featured Author: Curtis Holtzen

In Spirit and in Truth : Philosophical Reflections on Liturgy and Worship is the most recent faculty publication on display in the Darling Library.

Dr. Curtis Holtzen, Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Hope International University, is co-editor of this book published by the Claremont School of Theology Press in 2016. It is volume one of a new series entitled Claremont Studies in Methodism & Wesleyanism.

The library prominently displays new faculty publications on a bookshelf behind the circulation desk to bring attention to HIU scholarship. The library's policy is to keep a copy of HIU faculty authored books in the archives and to make another copy available for check out.

To find other publications by Dr. Holtzen, go to http://library.hiu.edu/ and search for Curtis Holtzen.

Holtzen, William Curtis, and Matthew Nelson Hill. 2016. In Spirit and in Truth : Philosophical Reflections on Liturgy and Worship. Claremont Studies in Methodism & Wesleyanism, Vol. 1. Claremont, CA: Claremont School of Theology Press.

Available in the Darling Library

Available on Amazon

Dr. Wm. Curtis Holtzen

Dr. Matson wins Stone-Campbell Journal award

Dr. David L. Matson pictured here with
Dr. Alicia Crumpton of Johnson University

Congratulations to Dr. David L. Matson, Professor of Biblical Studies at Hope International University on receiving the “Most Historically Significant Stone-Campbell Movement Article” award.

Presented during the 16th Annual SCJ Conference held at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee April 7-8, 2017, the award recognizes Dr. Matson's unique contribution to the Stone-Campbell movement.

The Stone-Campbell Journal has been published semi-annually since 1998 and is the only academic journal principally connected to the “independent” Christian Churches and Churches of Christ (though it reaches out to and includes all three branches of the Stone-Campbell or “Restoration” movement, including the Disciples of Christ and the Churches of Christ).

Other outstanding articles were recognized in the area of New Testament, Old Testament, and Theology-Culture, commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the journal’s existence.

Over the twenty year history of the SCJ, Dr. Matson has contributed several articles and book reviews. The article which won him this award, "Who wrote the Lunenburg letter?: the untold story of the 'conscientious sister' of Lunenburg" was published in 2008.

Matson, David Lertis. "Who wrote the Lunenburg letter?: the untold story of the 'conscientious sister' of Lunenburg." Stone-Campbell Journal 11, no. 1 (2008 2008): 3-28. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 17, 2017).

More about the Stone-Campbell Journal...

The Stone-Campbell Journal seeks to provide "a scholarly platform for biblical interpretation, history, theology, philosophy, apologetics, and cultural criticism for those who value the perspective of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement and who endeavor to advance its distinctive principles today." Includes 5-6 articles per issue and 30-35 book reviews.

General Editor, William Baker, is a Professor of Ministry and Biblical Studies at Hope International University.

The Darling Library has a full run of the print subscription from (vol. 1, no. 1 to present) and provides full access to the online version via the ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials in EBSCOhost.

You can get a personal SCJ subscription when you join the Stone-Campbell Scholars Community.