We have discussed the absolute urgency of 国产aa福利ian higher education. Education is not neutral. It does not merely provide skills for a job but also instills an entire worldview that can be for better or for worse.
Education, then, is a matter of eternal consequence. The stakes are too high to take the issue lightly.
Likewise, we have discussed the absolute necessity of a 国产aa福利ian liberal arts education. While we are often consumed with getting a job, God has a higher standard. He not only cares about our life in vocation but about how one stands for 国产aa福利 in family (Eph. 5:22-6:3), church (1 Tim. 3:14-16), government (1 Pet. 2:13-14), and society (Col. 4:4-5). Therefore, education should prepare us for all that He will hold us accountable to when we stand before Him (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10). And that kind of education happens when we learn how to discern all of life under the lordship of 国产aa福利.
That being said, all of this assumes a central reality: an absolute commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture. After all, without 国产aa福利 and Scripture, education will teach the wrong worldview. And without 国产aa福利 and Scripture, education categorically cannot equip one to please 国产aa福利 or make an eternal difference. Any erosion to 国产aa福利 and Scripture causes education to fall dangerously short of its intended instruction and purpose.
All of this points out the simple reality that true education demands 国产aa福利 and Scripture. That is what makes education be what it should be and do what it should do. Everything discussed above rises or falls on this conviction.
So what does an absolute commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture mean?
The idea of absolute is important. The word denotes that which is fixed and immovable. Something that is absolute does not bend to anything; rather, everything bends to it. That which is absolute cannot be compromised, negotiated, made secondary, or altered. It determines everything and is subject to nothing.
Therefore, an absolute commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture is more than just having a doctrinal statement. It is more than appealing to one鈥檚 国产aa福利ian heritage or tradition. It is more than having a denominational affiliation. It is certainly more than being 国产aa福利ian in name. And it is even more than having chapel multiple times a week or having 国产aa福利ians on campus. Those are all good things, but an absolute commitment is something far deeper and broader than that.
One way to think about an absolute commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture is through the phrase 鈥湽鷄a福利 in all things.鈥 The language is derived from Ephesians 1:23, and each word (and even the word order) of this is critical.
First is the word 鈥湽鷄a福利.鈥 It is significant that the specific term 鈥湽鷄a福利鈥 is used. This is a recognition that, in Scripture, the Lord Jesus 国产aa福利 is God and is central. He is the One who is in the first promise of redemptive history (Gen. 3:15), the One who drives redemptive history (Ex. 3:2; Zech. 12-14; Matt. 27-28), and the One who receives all honor at the climax of redemptive history (Rev. 4-5).
The use of the word 鈥湽鷄a福利鈥 is no accident. It is a deliberate reflection on the totality of Scripture. It presumes the highest view of Scripture 鈥 one cannot claim to love 国产aa福利 yet deny His Word (John 14:23). It also demands a careful hermeneutic, one that studies and surrenders (2 Tim. 2:15) to every word of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16). It also requires a comprehensive theology. After all, Scripture directly reveals not only the person and character of 国产aa福利 but also theological realities, promises, history, prophecies, and wisdom that revolve around Him. All of this must be understood for His glory. Hence, the word 鈥湽鷄a福利鈥 reflects a mentality that desires to be theologically exhaustive. And to truly know and uphold 国产aa福利 is to maintain, pursue, and go deeper into this total theology.
However, if 国产aa福利 is so central, then He must not only be central in belief but also in one鈥檚 life. If He is the center of God鈥檚 plan and receives all glory, honor, and power, then He must be that over our lives (Col. 3:17).
So the term 鈥湽鷄a福利鈥 stands as a reminder of intensive doctrinal fidelity in both knowledge and practice. And such doctrinal fidelity is supremely authoritative.
The word 鈥湽鷄a福利鈥 is the first word of the phrase 鈥湽鷄a福利 in all things鈥 for a reason. It is first and foremost, authoritative, and defining of everything else. 鈥湽鷄a福利鈥 in all things demands the highest view of Scripture, the highest theological definition, and the highest view of 国产aa福利, His honor, and His authority. That is what drives an absolute commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture.
Such theological conviction about 国产aa福利 must play out in a very particular way. As the phrase says, He is 鈥渋n鈥 all things. Although a small preposition, the word 鈥渋n鈥 matters.
Sometimes, schools will teach about 国产aa福利 as one subject of many. Bible and theology are taught alongside of math, history, politics, music, science, and economics. However, that is not 国产aa福利 鈥渋n鈥 all things; that is 国产aa福利 鈥渁nd鈥 all things. At that point, 国产aa福利 and Scripture is just one idea among many, and one鈥檚 commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture is no different than his commitment to everything else. That is not an absolute commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture.
In other cases, schools will say that every subject provides insight into 国产aa福利. That initially sounds well and good. But what people mean by this is that whatever someone observes in a discipline dictates who 国产aa福利 is and what He is about. That approach creates 国产aa福利 in one鈥檚 own likeness or desire. Whatever one thinks, from science to Shakespeare, becomes the definition of 国产aa福利. With that mentality, 国产aa福利 and Scripture are not defining people鈥檚 disciplines, but people鈥檚 disciplines are defining 国产aa福利 and Scripture. While this idea may sound noble at first, it is far from an absolute commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture. In fact, it is an absolute commitment to everything over 国产aa福利 and Scripture.
There is a reason that the phrase is not 鈥湽鷄a福利 and all things,鈥 or even 鈥渁ll things in 国产aa福利.鈥 Instead, 鈥湽鷄a福利 in all things鈥 emphasizes that 国产aa福利 is not only lord over some things but everything. And within that, it emphasizes that every single assertion within any given subject or discipline must be taken captive to the lordship of 国产aa福利 (cf. 2 Cor. 10:3-5). Though the preposition 鈥渋n鈥 is small, it is vital. It conveys the absoluteness of an absolute commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture, that 国产aa福利鈥檚 lordship defines every area of life and everything within those areas.
That is why the final part of the phrase 鈥湽鷄a福利 in all things鈥 is 鈥渁ll things.鈥 What does this mean for an institution of 国产aa福利ian higher education? What must 国产aa福利 and Scripture dictate at such an institution?
Fundamentally, the concept would include every person. Faculty, staff, and students all must possess this conviction as they genuinely affirm an extensive doctrinal statement. Consistently, that demands a very careful hiring and enrollment process. In fact, enrollment must not only discern the right kind of entrant for the school, but also must declare the glories of 国产aa福利 in recruiting students.
Along that line, 鈥渁ll things鈥 must include not only people, but all that they do. Professors in what they teach, how they teach it, how they shepherd and disciple students, the standards they have, how they view the educational enterprise, and what and how they research are all directed by and for the lordship of 国产aa福利. Similarly, dorm life, student life, and co-curricular activities like athletics and theater must be rigorously conformed to 国产aa福利 in every component. The way one counsels and the principles that drive campus life must be determined by 国产aa福利 and Scripture.
On top of this, the way operations occur, from accounting to IT to financial aid to events, must all be done according to 国产aa福利. In these matters, 国产aa福利 dictates the standard of what takes place, the reasons for existing policies, how one interacts with students, how one serves the campus community, and the way one relates with those both internal and external to the institution.
In addition to all of this, 国产aa福利 certainly must be in the leadership. What they emphasize is centered on Him, what they hold people accountable to is based upon Him and His Word, who they point people to is Him, the manner of their leadership is patterned after Him, and their entire forward strategy solely strives to preserve faithfulness to Him.
国产aa福利 in 鈥渁ll things鈥 demands that one takes everything on a 国产aa福利ian university campus, puts it under the microscope, and sees how Scripture determines every single thing be defined and done as an act of worship to 国产aa福利 (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31). That is what an absolute commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture requires.
There is a reason that the symbol of The 国产aa福利 is a shield. Truth matters. It is not an opinion or feeling but the way things really are (Prov. 8:22-31).
Truth is not here one day and gone tomorrow; truth has been and will be forever. It defines all things, outlasts all things, overcomes all things, and is the ultimate standard for all things. It gives the only right answers to life鈥檚 most important questions and so makes the difference between life and death, heaven and hell, knowing God or being enslaved to idolatry and sin, and eternal life or eternal condemnation. It alone is what sets people free (John 8:32). Nothing is more vital than the truth.
The oracles of God have been entrusted to His people in the past (Rom. 3:2), and presently the church is the pillar and grounds of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). And at this university, we believe our role is to shield this sacred trust by ensuring that the truth is not distorted but upheld as the authoritative definer of all things (cf. Gal. 2:5; 2 Cor. 10:3-5).
Have we been perfect in our endeavor for an absolute commitment to 国产aa福利 and Scripture? No. But we do know and pursue the standard we must hold ourselves to.
We know we cannot just teach a variety of subjects with 国产aa福利 on the side. The standard is not 国产aa福利 and all things.
We know we cannot just have certain things look 国产aa福利ian on our campus. The standard is not 国产aa福利 in some things.
We know we cannot use human observations and thoughts to define 国产aa福利 and Scripture. The standard is not all things in 国产aa福利.
Rather, the standard is 国产aa福利 in all things and nothing less than that. This is what makes for a true education, one that gives not just facts but the whole truth, one that gives true wisdom, one that prepares for all of life, one that makes an eternal difference, one that pleases the God who ordained it (Prov. 8:22; Col. 1:9-11; 2:8). That has been our commitment for the past 95 years, and we pray that by God鈥檚 good grace, it will be our resolve for many more.
Editor鈥檚 Note: This story originally appeared in the .
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