Buies Creek, N.C.-Dr. Glenn Jonas delivered the baccalaureate address to students and their parents who gathered in the newly completed John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center on Sunday, May 2. The service followed the presentation of Senior Awards held earlier that evening at the Pope Center.
Jonas, chair of Campbell’s Department of Religion and Philosophy and associate professor of religion, is an Old Testament scholar who used the scriptures to impart his message. Quoting from the Book of Micah, chapter 6, verse 8, Jonas explained the university’s expectations of every Campbell graduate.
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God,” Jonas quoted.
As simple as it sounds, however, this edict can become a real challenge, he explained.
“What is justice?” Jonas asked. “If you walk down the street of a major city and see a homeless person, charity motivates you to give that person a meal. Justice, on the other hand, motivates you to correct the system that made that person homeless in the first place.”
Similarly, true kindness and humility aren’t always easy to exhibit. Jonas told the story of a young theological student who preached a sermon before his preaching class at seminary.
“When it was finished, the preaching professor began his critique by saying, ‘You can’t convince the congregation that God is great and that you are great in the same sermon,'” Jonas said. “This critique is not just for ministers, but for pharmacists, physicians, teachers, attorneys and people in all careers. You must choose the greatness of God over the greatness of yourself.”
A total of 596 undergraduate degrees, 153 master’s degrees and 265 professional degrees are expected to be conferred during Campbell commencement and hooding services. The undergraduate commencement service and the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business and School of Education hooding services will be held on Saturday, May 15; the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the Divinity School hooding services will be held Friday, May 14; and the hooding service for the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law will be held on Friday, May 21.
Photo Copy: Dr. Glenn Jonas, chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy delivers Campbell’s baccalaureate address. (Photo by Bennett Scarborough)