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THE SPOKEN WORD
Distinguished Student Glorifies God with Graduation Speech
Posted August 16, 2010
By Everett Aaron Benjamin, Penn '11, for The Ivy League Christian Observer

And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?

–Esther 4:14b

The words of Mordecai plainly signify the evidence of a consecrated life, where an individual acknowledges God’s position and timeliness while submitting to His will.

Joshua Bennett, Penn ’10, recalls the day he acknowledged the presence of God in his life. He was around the age of nine or ten and attending the Baptist Worship Center in North Philadelphia. Although they lived in Yonkers, New York, he traveled with his mother, Carrie Juanita Ballard, every couple of weeks to attend this particular church.

By his teenage years, Bennett found his voice through the efforts of Urban Word NYC, an organization that uses the spoken word and theater arts to assist inner-city youth in untraditional fashions. Using his poetic abilities, Bennett made constant strides, winning the title of HBO’s ‘Brave New Voices’ poetry slam-champion and even performing for President Obama and the First Lady at the White House’s Evening of Poetry, Music and Spoken Word. He has often been hailed as an “exceptional individual.”  Click Here for Full Story 

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN; BUT COURT WILL DECIDE
Proposition 8 Lawsuits Seek to Redefine Traditional Marriage
Posted August 16, 2010
By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer for The Ivy League Christian Observer

Ivy League alumni are on both sides of the California Proposition 8 lawsuit regarding same-sex marriage, and not surprisingly, the rights of people who believe in the morality of traditional marriage have gotten caught in the crosshairs.

Although the people of California voted in favor of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment restricting marriage to heterosexual couples, two same-sex couples have filed a lawsuit contending the amendment is unconstitutional because it was based upon animus toward “homosexuals.” If overturned, the decision could have national implications for other states that voted to protect the sanctity of marriage.

Beyond the implications for the definition of marriage in the U.S., the case also raises the issue of the rights of Christians, and non-Christians, to vote based upon their beliefs.

“Although our opponents are trying to cast this as a battle between the religious right and everyone else, there are many secular reasons to oppose same-sex marriage,” said defense attorney David Thompson, Harvard ’91 and Harvard Law ’94.

For example, the institution of marriage has survived from the dawn of recorded history. “To make such a radical redefinition is something many secular people believe should be done slowly or not at all,” he said.  Click Here for Full Story