tablet
the
Debbie Collins shares her story
By Ben Wright
Staff Writer
“When I finish, what I
want to do is nothing. I
don’t want anyone to talk
to me about a due date
for six months,” said
third year Debbie Collins
about her post-gradua-
tion plans, words that hit
home during this time in
the semester.
She added that she has
interests in writing and in
inside
grief-related work. Col-
lins, now blind, gradually
this issue
began losing her eyesight
in the fall of 2003. “Los-
ing a function is as much
a grief process as losing a
person,” said Collins.
2 “Ba-Humbug” Debbie’s coming to
Alum Steven Fuller shares Wake Div is one filled
Christmas message with what she recalls as
“miraculous” circum-
stances. Growing up a
preacher’s kid, Debbie
Obama on Santa’s Lap moved around as a child
before arriving in Shel-
by, N.C. She received
her Bachelor’s in English
3 The Div School at Gardner-Webb where
her father was a faculty
[Re] Incarnation Celebration
member. There she met
Neal Walls who began her
WFUSD journey.
Following graduation
4 Top Ten Bad Choices she had a number of jobs
for the Next Dean including being a librar-
ian and working with an
advocacy agency for peo-
ple with disabilities. In
the summer of 2003, Dr.
A branch of the WFU School of Divinity
December 9, 2009
Walls informed her about
a grant for people with
disabilities. The sugges-
tion was for her husband
who is legally blind. Da-
vid was not interested in
more schooling. Losing
her sight several months
later, Debbie remembered
the grant and began ex-
ploring the Wake Div op-
tion.
In 2003, she pursued
her divinity school desire.
“It’s one of those things
where once we put that
ball in motion, I’m kind of
amazed at what fell into
place,” said Collins.
Debbie and her hus-
band sold their house in
a matter of hours. David
was able to transfer to the
Winston-Salem branch of
the Red Cross after dis-
covering the opportunity
following a mysterious
phone call. She audited
Kitty Amos’s “Introduc-
tion to Spiritual Life” in
January ’06, and became
a full-time student the
following year.
Debbie channels Dick-
ens in response to her
time at Wake Div. “It was
the best of times, it was
the worst of times,” said
Collins.
In addition to the im-
mense amount of praise
she shared about various
courses, she also men-
Keeping you informed
Volume 5, Issue 7
tioned some of the strug-
gles. “I knew I was going
to grapple with theology,
but I didn’t anticipate that
I was going to have the
kind of trouble I am hav-
ing with it,” said Collins.
Overall, she is extreme-
ly grateful. “Everybody
brings such passion and
presence and so many
varied gifts. People have
been so incredibly good
to us the whole time, but
especially this year,” said
Collins, who has not been
physically present this
semester due to illness.
Outside of class Deb-
bie enjoys writing and
spending time with peo-
ple. One of her favorite
things is to sit down for
a meal and exchange sto-
ries with others.
Collins said that she
continually values what
school means during an
era when everything has
to be so “lock and step.”
“We are a bastion of in-
dividuality and yet cohe-
sion,” said Collins about
Wake Div.
While she is ready for
the workload to ease, she
is not ready to give up
WFUSD. “I want to gradu-
ate, but I don’t want to
leave,” said Collins.
Debbie hopes to return
to the halls of Wingate
soon.
 Page 2

Ba-Humbug...and waiting: A “Christ-less” Christmas

I mean, Easter has love, is not that people is the “real” meaning of
much more christologi- will hang out with their Christmas, but it means
cal, historical, ecclesio- families once a year, nothing to the majority.
logical, and theological give away a favorite toy It makes sense. Be-
significance, but it isn’t or have a friendly dinner yond all the preaching,
nearly as popular be- with a bully. Our Gospel proselytizing, char-
cause it has no babies. demands the world to be ity, and potluck din-
Funerals are significant changed. That’s a whole ners, have we, the Body
(the resurrection much lot of families, toys, and of Christ, the fulfillment
more so), but people bullies. of the life begun by that
don’t throw funeral The faith, hope, and baby we celebrate, done
showers. People throw love that we preach deny anything more than at-
baby showers. that a nice, Christmas tach some warm feelings
We love the very idea dinner will bring about to a cold season? While I
of babies and celebrate a happy ending. It de- can be quite a Scrooge, I
the protruding abdo- mands that the Spirit am quieted by the plank
By Steven Fuller men. And then, despite that conceived a child, in my eye once again and
Contributing Writer the crying, ugly, and drove that child through will wait…I will actively
defecating reality that temptation, trial, perse- wait in this season of Ad-
I’m only twenty-five
emerges some 40 weeks cution, execution, and vent for the Savior I be-
years old, and I am al-
after conception, we on to resurrection. That lieve in.
ready a Scrooge. In fact,
celebrate that event ev-
my scroogery began sev-
ery year for the rest of
eral years ago when I let
that baby’s life. Easter’s
my heart fill with spite
bloody and disoriented
directed toward a crappy
body belongs to an adult
children’s movie that de-
male, which is much
clared “the real meaning
more difficult to mer-
of Christmas.”
chandise, although Mel
I get so tired of the
Gibson succeeded to a
blasphemy. I may sound
certain extent.
like a fundamentalist
This takes me back to
preacher here, but there
the spited movie. I don’t
is so much stuff out there
want to name it because
that “takes the Christ out
it simply lies in a pile of
of Christmas,” and I’m
holiday refuse, but the
tired of it. I recognize
real thing, the substan-
that Christmas is about
tial thing that cut me
97.5% civic family holi-
was that they named the
day in our culture, and I
“real” meaning of Christ-
don’t mind all of it.
mas without mentioning
In general, I have
Jesus, God, Sin, Salva-
made peace with the fact
tion, or anything close
that people largely enjoy
to “Christ”-ological. Like
and celebrate “Christ-
the pantheon of Christ-
mas” because they’re
mas propaganda, the
off work, out of school,
movie equated the “real”
and have time to con-
meaning of Christmas
nect warm feelings with
with “family,” “giving,”
happy melodies, fatty
“friends,” etc. While
cooking, and sentimen-
these things are nice,
tal moments (despite the
and I think Jesus likes
familial dysfunction that
them for the most part,
arises).
these are not the “real
It makes sense. Even
meaning of Christmas.”
beyond the warm and
They can be associat-
cuddly things attached
ed with the real mean-
to Christmas stands the
ing of Christmas, but
biological reality that
our stories, our Gospel,
people love babies.
our hope, our faith, our
Page 3

Incarnation Celebration

The Tablet thanks Jenn Fredette for the community

photos. Check out Jenn’s Facebook for play-by-play
action from the December 4 Incarnation Celebration.
Each photo has a corresponding song title or lyric to
narrate the action. Thanks, Jenn!

Also on Facebook, Tablet Design Editor Christa Chap-

pelle printed a recantation: “Opps! Correction to my
last status. I meant Incarnation Celebration not Rein-
carnation Celebration. I hope this didn’t throw anyone
into a theological/christological crisis. =) ”
 Page 4

the
tablet a branch of the WFU School of Divinity
keeping you informed

Melissa Guthrie-Johnson
Top Ten
top 10
Editor-in-Chief

Christa Chappelle
Design Editor

Top Ten Bad Ideas for the Next Dean

Charles Smith
(with contributions from Dr. Atwood)
Copy Editor

10. Pope Benedict

Adam Huffman 9. Richard Dawkins

Artwork & Photography Editor

8. Miley Cyrus

Barrett Wooten 7. A mug of domestic bug

Staff Writer

6. Sarah Palin

Ben Wright 5. Pat Robinson

Staff Writer

4. Aerosmith
Brian Layman
Staff Writer 3. Brad Braxton - because we can’t
afford him.

Pete Zimmerman
2. A white male Baptist
Staff Writer (we’ve already got one)

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