Photo by Julianne Baker
Instructor of communication Noah Darnell is creating a big splash with his launch of a large-scale ark construction project. With plans to begin the week after graduation, Darnell says he will be building an ark in anticipation of a massive flood he expects to hit Central Arkansas this upcoming summer.
This all began last week, when Darnell claimed he received a revelation from God. In the revelation, Darnell said he was told that the Harding community had fallen out of favor with the Lord, and a divine wrath had been determined to strike Harding in the form of a summer flood. The revelation foretold that a heavy rainfall would cause the Heber dam to break, which would create a flood that would find its way to Harding’s Searcy campus in a matter of hours.
Darnell was not left without reason for the impending flood. Apparently, Harding’s decision to allow students to wear shorts in classes and chapel was not received favorably in the heavens. The exposure of bare student kneecaps has created a wave of sinful temptation, according to the revelation, and it has been decided that the only way to get Harding to reverse its policy was through a divine sign. To make the point even clearer, Darnell was told to expect the Heber dam to break on July 19, 2022, which happens to be the three-year anniversary of former president Dr. McLarty’s email to students announcing the dress code policy change.
At the beginning of the month, Darnell went to Dean of Students Zach Neal and President David Burks with this information. Since then, both have issued statements seeking to raise Harding’s awareness and adherence to the dress code. Time will tell whether these last-ditch efforts will have an effect on the upcoming judgment.
Upon first receiving this revelation, Darnell’s first question was a simple and understandable one: Why me?
“Why was I chosen to receive this vision?” Darnell said. “I mean, there’s actual Bible professors here who probably have Genesis memorized. I’m just an instructor of communication.”
Darnell went to a close friend with these questions, who quickly reminded Darnell of his first name.
An avid-recycler, Darnell has stated that the ark will be made entirely from the leftover wood from the plexiglass covers that Harding installed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
