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Volume IX, Number 4
57 December 7, 2007
Crossroads: Crossing the Boundaries of Faith and Culture
Johnny McDowell
Montreat College experienced
a successful Crossroads program
this month. Under the control and
supervision of Student Activities
Director Daniel Bennett, students
were given a rare treat: the chance to
get to watch some great live music,
but also to get up close and personal
with the stars. Daniel had many in
tendons when approaching this kind
of event. He wanted to show that
as Christians we need to “develop a
strong biblical discernment of pop
culture,” which does not mean be
ing distant and separated from it. In
the gospel of John, Jesus speaks of
being within the world but “not of
the world,” and Daniel points to that
idea in deciphering his objectives for
the concerts and conversations.
The project spanned Thurs
day and Friday, November 15-16,
beginning with chapel on Thursday
led by Ken Heffner, who is the head
of student activities at Calvin Col
lege in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
It seems that this chapel was very
popular, as one student said it was
the best she had ever attended, and
led to more discussions outside of
Gaither. The convocation dealt with
being a Christian in today’s society
and the involvement of the arts, es
peciaUy music. Daniel was pleased
that people had been listening an4
got so much from this chapel.
There were two conversations
with artists that were both success
ful and are mentioned below. On
Thursday night, Randall Goodgame
and Andy Osenga performed in
front of a crowd of over 60 stu
dents. These men have co written
many songs, including numerous
tracks on the new Caedmon’s Call
album. The concert was very en
joyable thanks to the performers’
song writing talents and musical
abilities. While on stage, the men
enjoyed some playful banter that ac
centuated their laid back style. The
highlight for me was Randall singing
and playing the piano, as it was very
close and personal with the audi
ence. Overall, the concert was relax
the bass player.” The concert had
a good attendance, with over 100
people from both the college and
the surrounding community. Daniel
praised this, saying that “art does not
need to be an evangelistic tool. As a
community it can be used to reach
to others and also look within our
selves.” Others commented on the
opening by Zach Blew and his band.
Andy Osenga and Randall Goodgame KeUin Watson
ing and enjoyed by aU.
The pinnacle of the entire
Crossroads event was the KeUin
Watson concert. She has been de
scribed by many on campus as “hav
ing a beautiful voice” (Phillip Marsa
Iona) and being “very talented” with
a “good stage presence” (Daniel
Bennett). She was accompanied
by a talented band; Mike Shannon
said, “I couldn’t take my eyes off
lil
“I call to remembrance my song in the night;
I meditate within my heart, and my spirit
makes diligent search. ”
Psalm 77:6
noting their professionalism. Daniel
pointed to KeUin’s and Zach’s spon
taneous duet as his favorite moment
of the night, and Phillip enjoyed the
acoustic and a cappella songs that
KeUin performed, as it “showcased
her voice.”
The whole project was a
success, especially considering
that this was the first event like
this ever to be held at Montreat.
Daniel was very pleased with the
outcome, and although he would
have preferred a better turnout at
certain events, he said it gave him
something to work on for next
year. Daniel Bennett has worked
extremely hard to make activi
'ties “student friendly,” and events
Uke this demonstrate how hard he
works. Daniel is planning a similar
event in the spring, and is looking
forward to pushing the boundaries
even farther.
Artists in the Spotlight
Some of the most rewarding
and interesting aspects of Cross
roads were the artist conversations;
indeed, Daniel Bennett referred to
these conversations as “the high
Ught of the event.” Although the
attendance was not as large as the
•concerts, Daniel beUeved that the
“content was exceUent.”
There were two
artist conversations:
The rst was with
RandaU Goodgame
and' Andy Osenga,
the second with Kel
Un Watson. Both
gave the students the
opportunity to learn
about the artists, their
inspirations, and—
most of aU—^what
drives them in this
cutthroat industry.
After the rst
concert by RandaU
and Andy, I conduct
ed a short interview
in order to give aU
those students who
could not attend the
convo a chance to
learn a Uttle bit about
these talented musicians.
Question: Obviously you
guys are fond of a variety of dif
ferent genres and artists. Who do
you feel is your most prominent
in uence?
RandaU: It would have to be
Jimmy Buffet. Yeah, that’s a good
answer!
Andy: U2, Dire Straits, The
Cardigans. I Uke my European
bands.
Q: Okay—this is a hard one,
but what is your favorite aspect
of Montreat?
R: The leaves; they’re unbeUev
able. I also reaUy Uke aU the people
I met
A: It’s just aU so beautiful. It re
minds the of Galadriel’s kingdom in
Lord of the Rings.
Q: You guys are obviously
very spiritual. On a spiritual note,
what is your favorite Bible verse?
R: Luke 12:35-37.
A: Oh, that’s hard... Okay, it’s 1
John 4:12,
Q: If there was one biblical
character you feel that you relate
to the most, whom would it be and
why?
R; That would be Balaam’s ass
from Numbers. He is so humble and
so ridiculous. Also, it shows that when
you feel Uke no one should Usten to
you, God can use you.
A: King David. MairJy because
he messed up, Uke with Bathsheba.
Also all the Psalms he wrote, Uke po
etry.
Q: Finally, as you ate aware.
Montreat is a very talented liberal
arts college. Do you have any ad
vice for aspiring artists?
R- SoU, fertiUxer, water, and Mir
acle Gro. Also, just keep doing it; if
you don’t stop, you won’t stop getting
better. That’s good enough, isn’t it?
A: Play as much as possible and
pay attention to other musicians. Oh,
and Usten to advice Uke this!