The Pilgrim's Protest

There’s been a lot of talk about when our next issue will be released. In fact, there’s even rumor that there won’t be another release this semester! I’m here right now to settle your souls, and assure you that we’ll be bringing you a fresh, crisp, and thick issue before Christmas break! (Some pagans call it “Winter Break”) We’ve had dozens of articles and responses pouring in, so there’ll be a hefty amount of printed and online content for you to read!

Remember, it’s never too early to start thinking about an article for one of issues next semester. If you think you’d like to something of yours published in the Protest, then get on it and do us proud!

The Pilgrim’s Protest wishes  to share a letter that was written by one of our former staff members with our readers. The letter asks several questions regarding the direction that our paper has taken over the last few semesters, as well as about where we appear to be heading. How do you feel about this letter? Is it accurate? How do you think the protest should handle itself? Should we become more direct and aggressive in our approach, as we used to be? Do you prefer for us to stay where we have been? Do you like where we appear to be taking the paper?

We’d greatly appreciate your feedback regarding these topics, so please head over to our comments section!

Dear Pilgrim’s Protest Staff,

Congratulations on launching your new website, and thank you for your last well-formatted and streamlined October issue. I am a (relatively) recent CIU graduate who was once involved with the publication of the Pilgrim’s Protest. As constructively as possible, I wanted to remind you as a staff of the Protest’s erstwhile and important role in the CIU community and to suggest some ways in which I think it has slowly departed from this. Inasmuch as this past purpose was good and helpful, I would encourage you to reinstate it.

Click here to read the rest of this article.

From one of the old guard,

Anonymous

Welcome to No Shave November! This month, the ladies of CIU will have the privilege of watching their men be manly! That’s absolutly right; the majority of on-campus males will refrain from shaving, and partially revert back to their natural state. Be sure to keep checking back; at the end of this glorious and historic month, we just may have some photos for your enjoyment!

(Also, it’s worth noting that the ladies are celebrating “Natural November” (no makeup, etc.), but we already know we won’t be getting any of those photos.)

Dear Protest followers:

A few days ago, we received a hastened response to the modesty articles, and are thrilled to finally be presenting it to you! This two-page letter was written by one of our brothers here on campus, and offers some deep insight into the issue of modesty. You can read it immediately below.

I applaud the staff of The Pilgrim’s Protest for their recent article on modesty. It is an issue that needed to happen. Modesty is a problem. At the onset, let me clarify what I mean by modesty. The modesty of which I speak is much more than just the amount of skin and/or undergarment shown by an individual. That sense of modesty comes as an outworking of the real issue in question. What I am speaking of is a bit deeper, and is tied closely with the recognition of who we are as image-bearers of God, love, and humility. Allow me to elaborate for a moment on each of these three facets of our problem…

Click here to read the rest of this article.

Firstly we must consider who we are as being in the image of God. This issue was covered well by The Pilgrim’s Protest, so I will not go into much detail, but we have to be aware that as individuals bought with a price we are not our own. Our desire to look good, to attract others, to be hip, to be up to date with fashion must all meet their end at the foot of the cross. These things are not bad, but each and every one of us need to search out hearts, beg for God to search our hearts, and turn away from any type of idolatry in the form of appearance that we may have.

Secondly we must consider love. Not love on some grand level, but more practically. What do we love? This ties in closely with the first part and also third part of our problem. We must determine what it is that we love. We have to determine the priority of the things we love. Our love for material things should never outweigh our love for our brothers and sisters. So whether you agree with Baron O’Neal and the nameless professor, you cannot ignore the fact that the issue raised is enough of a problem for at least two of your brothers and sisters in Christ to merit the treatment it received. If only for these two individuals, we need to open a dialogue on the issue.

Sisters, if only one of your brothers in Christ is affected by your dress why would you not strive to do everything in your power to help him? Brothers, if you know of sisters who stumble because of your appearance then why would you not try and rectify the situation? This is not the place the blame of your sinful thoughts on others, but rather to show that you do not live in a vacuum. Your clothes, you appearance, is seen and experienced by everyone around you. Because of the love that we have for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, can we please at least be aware of this?

Lastly, let us consider humility. There is the obvious form of humility of being humble in our dress. But the issue of humility is much deeper than that, and extends well past the issue of modesty in dress. Humility is all but gone in America today. Evens acts that are praised as humble are feeble attempts at it. The lack of humility is quenching the community of CIU. We have become a campus of hundreds of individuals, and lost the idea of being one unified campus for Christ. Pride has caused the idea about confronting individuals about an issue to completely vanish. We would rather allow sin, or some other action that makes us feel uncomfortable, go unchecked than swallow our pride and talk to someone about it.

Allowing a brother in Christ to dress in a way that may offend you is far easier than talking to him about it. We certainly don’t want to look weak, and heaven forbid we burst his ego bubble. This has to stop. Because we are a unified body made of parts, all of which made in the image of God that love each other with the love of God, we must humbly communicate about such issues. Not for our sake, but so that we can better spread the Gospel.

The truth is that yes, these articles are somewhat offensive. That is because they tear open doors that we don’t want to open, but in reality, these conversations should be commonplace among the Body. We have to get over ourselves and talk. If you feel modesty is a problem then you should not be afraid to lovingly seek dialogue. I pray that we can allow this conversation and hopefully the many more subsequent ones to bring us together, not drive us apart. Let us see our differing opinions as an opportunity to grow, not as an opportunity to flex our intellectual/moral/spiritual muscles in attempt to “one up” each other.

-An anonymous brother in Christ

Are you interested in submitting one of your article to The Pilgrim’s Protest? If so, please be sure to check our our Article Submission Form!

Our latest issue has just been released! This October issue covers a multitude of topics, such as:

• Modesty
• Layers of Israel
• Islam Around the World
• CIU’s Prison Ministry
• CIU’s Campus Security
• An Interview with Kim Abbott

All of these stories and much more will be appearing in the October issue, which you can pick up at lunch today in the cafeteria. If you wish to discus any of the topics found in The Pilgrim’s Protest, you can do so right here by clicking on the comments section! (Please note that your first comment will have to be approved before it will appear in public.)

Click here to view the issue online.

Looking for the modesty survey? Click here to visit the page on TheRebelution.com.

We at The Pilgrim’s Protest strive to bring you stories from many sources, but we need your help to accomplish that goal! Many of you have been granted the ability to write, and everyone has an opinion on something! If you have something that you would like to see printed in the Protest, we kindly ask that you submit it via this submission form. Just fill out whatever information you’re willing to give, and send us your article, review, response or story!

Hello, everyone! Just a quick news post to inform you that this site has just been launched! Over the next few days, the site will continue construction and development. Be sure to frequently check back for news and updates.