“Scripture has never, in any major part of the Christian church, been simply a book to be referred to when certain questions are to be discussed. From the very beginning it has been given a key place in the church’s worshipping life, indicating that it has been understood not only as part of the church’s thinking but also as part of the church’s prayer and praise.” -N.T. Wright, Scripture and the Authority of God

The Biblical Studies department strives to create a culture in which the reading of God’s Word is built upon both scholarly research and spiritual discipline. We seek to teach students how to study the geographical, historical, literary, and cultural context of Scripture, but we find lacking any reading of God’s Word that merely stops at this point. Instead, we also strive to teach students to intentionally place their lives under the authority of Scripture. We aim to produce students who read the text exegetically and are able to identify and refute eisegesis whenever present. We aim to produce students who meditate and reflect on the Word of God with reverence, realizing its proper place of authority over all aspects of our lives.

“One must first learn to know himself before knowing anything else.  Not until a man has inwardly understood himself and then sees the course he is to take does life gain peace and meaning.” – Søren Kierkegaard, Journals and Papers

The Biblical Studies department strives to create a culture in which students are allowed the space and freedom to discover their identity, calling, gifts, and purpose. The Biblical Studies department teaches from the conviction that any attempt to discover the self must be made in relation to God and His Word. The process through which one learns to know oneself is essentially meditative and reflective, and the Biblical Studies department relies heavily on the use of questions to help guide students in this process. We seek to produce students who consistently remain immersed in God’s Word to inform the way that they think about themselves. 

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” – C.S. Lewis

The Biblical Studies department seeks to create a culture in which virtues are identified and practiced. We seek to come alongside the students in order to help them identify the virtues that the Bible teaches, not merely the virtues which the student values or the behaviors that come most naturally to them. In addition to the identification of virtue, the Biblical Studies department is committed to creating opportunities and experiences in which students may practice virtue. These opportunities and experiences are only valuable if they are then reflected upon in light of what the Bible says about virtue. The Biblical Studies department teaches from the conviction that holding students accountable as they fail to practice virtue is one of our highest responsibilities as Christian educators and perhaps the realm in which we have the greatest opportunity to equip and train students to impact the world for Christ.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Biblical Studies department seeks to create a culture in which students learn to be compassionately uncompromising with the truth. We hope to develop students who are willing to die to themselves in order to follow the gospel. We hope to develop students who care about those that society marginalizes, excludes, and neglects. We hope to develop students who do not merely consume or critique culture but rather students who create culture. In pursuing these goals, we aim to create students who are trained and equipped to impact the world for Christ.

“As we strive to follow our Lord, we will often agree on what faithfulness looks like. But when disagreements and controversies arise, as they inevitably will, we hope that we will have learned to approach them as an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the truth and to grow in love for our Creator and for one another.” – Kevin Taylor, Controversy as Opportunity

The Biblical Studies department seeks to create a culture in which the biblical text is not merely informational but rather transformational. We teach from the conviction that our role is not merely to transfer information but rather to create opportunities for the spiritual formation of each student. No other pedagogy lends itself to this goal to the same extent as does dialogue. Dialogue can be the medium through which the student reflects, the arena in which the student practices virtue, and the mirror in which the student learns of the self. We hope to develop students who dialogue about the biblical text with nuanced understanding. We hope to develop students who will adamantly test and prove every claim they hear against the claims of Scripture. We hope to develop students who are more interested in pursuing truth than they are in being right. We hope to develop students who engage in dialogue with the confidence necessary to speak for themselves, the fortitude required to listen with resilience, and the refusal to remain ignorant.