A ONCE-ANONYMOUS STUDENT BLOG
PoliTik Ohio
Writing for PoliTik Ohio, although not my most refined or academic work, was still an important milestone in my writing journey because it helped me re-discover how much I enjoy writing, and it was also the first time my writing (even though it was anonymous) was published anywhere.
Unfortunately, PoliTik Ohio was only born because the president of our university, Dr. White, was embroiled in a scandal after investigative journalist Julie Roys discovered Dr. White hired a known sexual abuser (a friend of his) and concealed that past history of abuse from Cedarville faculty and students. You can read more here (Roys Report) and here (Christianity Today).
Writing these pieces for the blog felt urgent and necessary as an outlet to share our thoughts and concerns. We wrote anonymously because we were worried about repercussions from Cedarville's administration at the time. We were only college students, after all.
Today, about four years later and as a graduate of Cedarville, I no longer fear Cedarville's administration, but I do look back at my alma mater and wince. While my years at Cedarville were filled with friendship and wonderful people, these events hang over my college experience like a noxious gas.
I am including these pieces not because they're amazing pieces of literature---they're not, by any stretch of the imagination. But these pieces represent a crucial part of both my writing journey and my journey as a person struggling with good faith questions about what to do in the aftermath when 'Christian' institutions fail fantastically.
OPINION
The Problem of Backward Thinking
This piece is less about the Dr. White/Dr. Moore scandal and more about viewpoint intolerance, generally. I wrote this during 2020, when every environment seemed fractured---both the political environment generally, and the environment in Cedarville.
DR. WHITE SCANDAL
Next Steps for Cedarville and Dr. White
DR. WHITE SCANDAL
I originally wrote this piece to process my own thoughts about the school board's decision to reinstate Dr. White (a then-controversial topic on campus).
Looking back, writing this helped me think through issues, and form a conviction I still hold today: Grace and mercy should not be cheapened to excuses for dishonesty and actions that are fundamentally unloving.
OPINION
This is the first piece I wrote for PoliTik Ohio! My views are more egalitarian than they were in 2020, but I still have a soft spot for this piece.
Writing this also sparked my interest in and passion for women's freedom and leadership in the Christian community, something I hope to continue learning about.
