Columns

Written by Namon Pope. We’re used to seeing and hearing that Harding is a community of mission — in chapel, on banners, in the cafeteria — some of us probably…

The school year is winding down. There are two weeks that stand between myself and graduation — between my present life and the daunting unknowns of life after graduation. As…

What if we lived in a world where COVID-19 hadn’t happened? What if all those plans we had hadn’t been altered? What if we didn’t have masks on our faces…

I don’t know if the summer of 2021 is going to look anything like the summer of 2020. Perhaps massive demonstrations of social unrest will sweep across the nation again…

I read 41 books last year during the pandemic. Granted, everything else was closed, but still. I’ve been keeping reading lists for the past 15 years, and I was surprised…

For Christmas, my mom gave me a book of prayerful poems from Commoners Communion. This small book has an array of thoughtful yet raw prayers and poems that mimic the…

Last week, “Just the Clax” received a dare. We get so little mail these days that we can’t ignore any of it. Previously in this space, we were challenged to…

In his 1963 song, “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Bob Dylan pleads, “How many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died?” While they were likely…

To me, she was the sage in the back corner.  To everyone else, she was the head wizard at one of the more magical places in town. For 40 years,…

This may be my shortest column ever. Why? Because I’m reliving something I’d rather forget.  I’ve sometimes heard students reflect on their emotions when they learned during last year’s spring…

Communication is the irreplaceable heartbeat of humanity. Its multifaceted nature enables us to all connect with one another on a variety of levels. We communicate through words, voice inflections, body…

There are a lot of things I am not very good at, like waking up with instant energy and enthusiasm, making my bed, or cooking a well-balanced meal for myself.…

The idea of the American dream is undeniably a foundational component of our national ethos. As residents in the land of opportunity, we are reminded constantly that, in America, the…

I’ve been in and out of doctors’ offices several times over the past month, and the experience reminds me of one of the great fiascos of my childhood. I wish…

I recently read the book “All Adults Here” by Emma Straub, which recounts the intertwining stories of family members throughout the years. The eldest family member, Astrid Strick, serves as…

In this week’s edition of The Bison, there is an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” and before that excerpt you will see a brief…

One of the cool things about history is that it’s always the 100th anniversary of something. The year 2021 marks a century since Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize in…

I listened to a podcast the other day about prayer. In this podcast, it discussed the integral role that prayer played in Jesus’s life and how that should serve as…

Did I ever tell you about my theatrical debut at age 10? Well, pull up your chair and get a program. Please, no flash photography during the anecdote.  The scene…

There is a Confederate statue in downtown Searcy, right outside the White County Courthouse. It is there to commemorate “the memory of the Confederate soldiers of White County.”  According to…

Sometimes I can trick myself into thinking I missed my true calling.  I don’t know if this is an everyone thing or something that is specific to my social media…

I would say that last year was a particularly turbulent and transformative year for us as a country. On the heels of such a year, and in the early dawn…

When I was in elementary school, my class took a field trip to a dairy farm. Mathis Dairy in Atlanta had been in business for over half a century, and…

If you perused this column a couple weeks ago, then you are aware that I am an avid reader and admirer of Mary Oliver’s poetry. Her words have a way…

Another sad page of American history was written on Jan. 6. There have been many dark episodes within just the last year that will surely make the history books, but…

Over Christmas break I found myself in a small, local bookstore located in Park City, Utah, called “Dolly’s Bookstore.” The windows brimmed with books beckoned me to join them inside.…

In my communication research class last week, the professor asked us, “What is some knowledge you have gained that was painful when it came to your awareness?” Throughout the past…

 In the 15 years that I’ve written for “The Bison,” I don’t think I’ve ever told you about Buddy. Most families have that person whom everyone refers to as a…

As we wrap up our on-the-ground semester and I reflect on the past few months, I am reminded of both how far and how little I have come. As I…

We made it through the semester. Now we are going home in a time when going home may not be merry and bright for everyone. In this time of continued…

We hear a lot about how divisive and polarized our political climate is. It seems political leadership in Washington would often rather shut down the government than cross the aisle…

When I was an undergraduate, I can only remember meeting my college president once. He led the small, private university I attended in Atlanta, and I’m sure he was a…

I’m sure you’ve heard someone say before that America is a Christian nation. Maybe you don’t think twice when you hear that statement, but oftentimes, my ears perk up. I…

I think we have grown accustomed to doing really hard things on a daily basis. I know it’s a never-ending topic of conversation, but when I stop and try to…

 I have been hurt before, and I am positive that you have, too. I am friends with people who have hurt me, and I am sure that this is another…

 If England’s King Richard III had been alive during the 2020 pandemic, two things are certain. He would have tweeted “A plague on both your houses” to Shakespeare and his…

Reflect on a moment when you felt like everyone but you was in on a special secret; the whispering ensued, and you couldn’t help but rotate your head until you…

When I say “American history,” what do you think of? What people or events come to mind? If you had to choose one word to describe your impression of our…

In case you’re joining us without having read last week’s column, or in case last week’s column has suffered the fate of last week’s emails and is buried under a…

I have found that I have a bad habit of assuming permanence for temporary situations. For instance, when a day is boring, I trick myself into thinking every subsequent day…

Deep down you may still be that same great kid you used to be. But it’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.” Whew, Rachel’s…

As the general election inches closer, so does the tension within our country and within our communities. It seems as if the worst in humanity can be on display during…

We are in a global pandemic. I really want to remember that and tell myself daily that this is not normal, as I have emphasized before. This is not normal,…

Today’s column takes care of some unfinished pandemic business. Last March, as I drove home to Georgia for Spring Break, I composed part of this article in my head. Since…

“I don’t care what kind of a person you are; you can’t be a Christian and vote for a Democrat.” That sentence, or some variant of it, is one that…

When I was in high school, my friend Brynn and I would get coffee every Friday after school. I don’t know what originally encouraged the idea, but we decided we…

Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” There is no return…

Humanity is composed of vast amounts of goodness, compassion and diversity. The slight smile shared between strangers, a child picking flowers or a meal shared between close friends are scenes…

 I had traveled to Columbus, Georgia, to see the Lunch Box Museum, where 2,000 examples are on display. Mr. Woodall explained that although his real passions are antique cars and…

It is no secret that the American police have been under heightened scrutiny lately. I’m guessing that there were probably protests either in your city or somewhere close by this…

I met him on his 86th birthday. Allen Woodall sat behind a desk, surrounded by his rambling antique store. The gray-haired man in a plaid shirt smiled when he learned…

A little over a year ago while I was studying abroad in Italy, we visited La Verna Monastery, known for its association with Saint Francis. There, I was familiarized with…

What does “normal” even mean or look like these days? Since March, it seems, every day we have woken up to a new plot twist we could not have seen…

It was a Monday morning. I was in unusually high spirits as I sat on my couch and sipped my coffee. A new week: a chance to start over and…

The people who are closest to me know of my deep-seated, nearly embarrassing obsession with a bookstore in my hometown called Commonplace Books. I have visited this bookshop too many…

When I imagined my senior year of college, I had visions of spending bittersweet time with friends, an impending sense of both fear and excitement, and a growing sentimentality for…

To our professors, teachers and instructors: First of all, thank you. Thank you for trying your best during this strange time. As we, the students, grapple with our emotions regarding…

There are hundreds — perhaps thousands — of great movies and shows to fill your free time while we isolate and stay home during the days of COVID-19. From reality…

I have a friend who has thick white hair and a moustache and goatee to match. Several years ago, he and his wife took a vacation to London. During the…

There are two types of people when it comes to inboxes: those with no unread emails, and those with thousands of months-old messages. There is no in-between. I happen to…

Lately, I feel that I have been glued to my phone — completely sucked in, and it seems to be affecting my behaviors, attitude and sleep. These last few weeks…

Community is a miracle. We do not always see it as such because of the hurt, pain and anger it stirs in us. But still, community is nothing short of…

If you went to chapel yesterday, you caught the latest installment of Favorite Song Stories. In 2012, Dr. Bruce McLarty had an inspired idea. He reached out to the Harding…

My name has been a struggle for the majority of my life. People misspell it constantly, and I cannot count the number of times people have mispronounced it or called…

If you’re like me, you love a good movie. Well made films can captivate our attention and imagination, show us different perspectives and even inspire us to be better people.…

Alexander Pope was not sentimental about children. The famous British poet lived during an era that saw kids primarily as miniature adults and seldom gave much thought to childhood. Like…

Stepping into a new role, position or job always comes with a learning curve; it’s inevitable. Transitioning into the editor’s position this year was no exception. Every week — every…

After finishing last week’s column, I realized that I have more to say about cake. Particularly, I want to tell you about the first time I baked one. When I…

You read the headline correctly: I like “Twilight.” The over-dramatized gazes, the love triangle, even the soundtrack — I can’t help but appreciate it all. At the risk of eternal…