2024 Summer Archives | ��ר��

David Brubaker ’90 Selected as Fulbright U.S. Scholar

Michael Blankenship — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:21:42 +0000

By Michael Blankenship ’10

��ר�� campus physician, Dr. David Brubaker ’90, has been chosen as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the 2024-25 academic year. The Fulbright Scholar Program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, will allow Brubaker to teach at Bwindi Community Hospital in southwestern Uganda. Brubaker, an assistant professor of biology and the director of Health Services at ��ר��, was drawn to this opportunity to contribute to Bwindi Hospital’s Christ-centered ministry focused on improving the health and dignity of the Batwa people, who were displaced when their forest home was designated as a protected habitat for mountain gorillas in 1991. The invitation to teach at Bwindi came from Dr. Scott Kellermann, co-founder of the Bwindi Community Hospital, during a visit to ��ר�� in early 2023. “His description of how they are strategically training health care workers to meet medical needs and increase access to care in an underserved area of Uganda was compelling,” said Brubaker. “I was excited by his suggestion that, given my 15 years of teaching Anatomy and Physiology and medical background, I could be involved in that work.”

Brubaker will support the Uganda Nursing School-Bwindi and Uganda College of Health Sciences-Bwindi training programs by teaching Anatomy and Physiology in collaboration with Ugandan faculty. This situation was made possible through the Fulbright award.

“Dr. Brubaker’s selection as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar is a tremendous honor and a testament to his excellence as a scholar and educator,” said David Davies ’01, provost at ��ר��. “He is a blessing to the ��ר�� community, and I am confident God will use him to bless the people of Uganda in the coming academic year”

Brubaker expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with Ugandan colleagues, broadening his understanding of tropical medicine and public health, and learning more about the Batwa story. His dedication to education and commitment to addressing healthcare inequities make him an ideal candidate for this prestigious fellowship. “Any time I have the privilege of engaging in a cross-cultural context, it opens my eyes to the needs and lives of others, broadening my perspective and opening unexpected doors. It makes my world larger and deepens my understanding of others, and in doing so enriches my life, often in ways not easily articulated or even specifically recognized in the moment,” continued Brubaker. “Mostly, I feel grateful–for the honor of being selected, for the chance to share this experience with my family, for supportive and encouraging colleagues both here and in Uganda, for the privilege of collaborating with brothers and sisters in the Lord who are dedicated to seeing and advocating for a people group which has been marginalized over the years, and for the way I can see the Lord’s hand at work in my life through what has been an unconventional career path to prepare me for this particular work.”

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Service with Excellence

Michael Blankenship — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:21:12 +0000

By David Lewis

“Excellence for the Glory of God” is more than a motto for ’02 ��ר�� graduate, Dr. Lynne (Learned) Orozco, MD. She embodies the ideals of Christ-honoring service. With a double major in Biology (Pre-Med) and Bible, Lynne actively served in the Wesleyan Medical Fellowship. She combined classroom and practical experience with medical missions in the African nations of Gabon, Sudan, and the Republic of Congo. Demonstrating excellence on the soccer field, Lynne also served as Team Captain, leading ��ר�� to three NAIA National Tournaments and establishing a composite four-year record of 73-10-3. The All-Region selection was twice named an NAIA All-American Scholar Athlete. Upon graduation, Lynne continued her studies at the Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (University of Buffalo) where she received the President’s Award for academics and service. During her time in Buffalo, she was a contributing author of two articles published in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. Then she moved onto a family medicine residency at the University of Mississippi, where she earned the Hardy Woodbridge Award for achieving the highest academic score.

Currently, Dr. Orozco spends the majority of her time as a staff physician at the Hope Clinic of Garland, Texas. The Clinic’s mission reads:

“We exist to share the love of Jesus Christ by partnering with our community to provide primary health care and resources for healthy living to the underserved population.” (“Values- Hope Clinic,” n.d., para. 1)

Dr. Orozco is also a part-time Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at UT Southwestern where she precepts patients at Parkland Memorial Hospital. These patients have become her niche in medicine – uninsured, low-income, Spanish speaking, often undocumented, with Diabetes.

Dr. Orozco continues an ongoing relationship with Missionary Air Group where she serves at their remote site in Rus Rus, Honduras. She is researching ways to lower adolescent sexual abuse and teen pregnancy amongst the Miskito, an Indigenous group. This extensive study is not only an investigation of sexual violence and teen pregnancy but it also has the objective of developing a comprehensive human rights and sexual education curriculum.

Lynne humbly serves marginalized members of society who need to see the Hands and Feet of Jesus through the life of a physician who loves and follows Him. This mother of three says, “I’m just a busy working Mom who sometimes still gets to play soccer.”

Service with excellence for the Glory of God – well done, Dr. Orozco!

David Lewis, D. Min., served at ��ר�� (then College) as the women’s soccer coach for 28 years, including coaching Lynne during her four years as a student-athlete. Coach Lewis led twelve different ��ר�� teams to NAIA Championships, held the national record for career coaching wins in NAIA women’s soccer history from 2005 – 2014, and is among the Top 10 women’s soccer coaches in career winning percentage. He has been recognized as Coach of the Year multiple times. Since 2019, Coach Lewis has served as the Head Women’s Soccer Coach for the Huntington University Foresters in Huntington, Indiana.

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Prepared for Success

Michael Blankenship — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:21:04 +0000

By Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano

When ��ר�� Student Body President Cody Johnson ’24 began his U.S. State Department internship in the summer of 2023, he worried about how he would keep up with his peers from major universities, including Ivy League institutions. As a first-generation college student from a small, rural institution, Cody had no idea if he was prepared for the challenges ahead. As it turns out, there was no need for him to worry.

“I have so much appreciation for the ways ��ר�� prepared me,” Cody shares. “The soft skills I developed prepared me to do my internship work. I accomplished more than my peers because of the things I’ve learned at ��ר��.”

Cody participated in a Foreign Service internship with the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. He spent much time researching foreign policy in Latin America and the Caribbean. As a political science major with a minor in German studies, Cody went into his internship with almost no knowledge of the topic at hand. He wasn’t handicapped in his work, however, because Cody had spent three years at ��ר�� developing his skills as a critical thinker, writer, and researcher.

I accomplished more than my peers because of the things I’ve learned at ��ר��.

Cody speaks highly of his time studying with ��ר�� Professor Peter Meilaender. As Cody has worked with Professor Meilaender on his senior honors project, focusing on nationalism in the U.S. National Security strategies of the post-Cold War Era, he’s been stretched and challenged. Cody remarks. “Professor Meilaender constantly reminds me I can always improve,” Cody remarks. “I can always use better logic, I can always find better support for my positions, I can always improve my writing. It isn’t enough to just do a ‘good’ job.”

Cody also speaks highly of his liberal arts opportunities at ��ר��. “I came to ��ר�� to major in human resources. However, Professor Meilaender encouraged me to be more flexible, to take classes I was interested in, and to build a major. I’ve learned that God has made me do many more things than the one track I’d put myself on. I’m made to be a full person, and I don’t have to be only one thing.”

This flexible approach served Cody well. The combination of spending a semester in London with ��ר��’s first-year Honors program and the willingness to broaden his horizons through a varied course selection has refined Cody’s sense of calling into diplomacy. Cody reflects on three courses in particular.

“I took a class called Just War? with Professor Ben Lipscomb. Professor Lipscomb is Mennonite, but he knows that war is a reality in our world. That class was an opportunity for me to think deeply about how my Christian ethic applies to the ways the world works. I’ve discovered that my faith doesn’t limit me to one specific way of thinking. This has been an invaluable lesson as I look to apply practical and ethical thinking to matters of foreign policy. Above all, I want my decisions to be consistent with my ethics.”

Another influential course for Cody was Building Shalom: Justice, Love, and the Christian Life with Professor Kristina LaCelle Peterson ’82. “While Just War? made me think about my faith differently, Building Shalom made me think about the world differently. I began to realize all the ways Christians can make a difference in our world through the discovery of a Christian ethic of love in justice issues. These two classes worked together to help me think more critically about the world where I’ll work as a Christian.”

I am discovering a dialectical relationship between my core discipline and other disciplines.

The third class is Music and Global Cultures in Christian Perspective with Professor David Clem ’05, MMus ’07. “I’m discovering a dialectical relationship between my core discipline and other disciplines, and I’m exploring how my studies in political theory overlap with other topics.” Cody is developing an appreciation and understanding of other cultures, which will be invaluable as he serves people from around the world. In addition to his academic successes, Cody is a gifted musician, routinely performing with the ��ר�� Lyric Theatre, Men’s Choir, and Chamber Choir and working in the Greatbatch School of Music as a collaborative pianist.

This kind of intentional and systematic processing of the world around him – which, incidentally, is Cody’s definition of critical thinking – has set Cody’s career on an exciting trajectory. After graduation this year, Cody will continue his educational journey as a Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellow. This two-year program provides scholarship funds and a stipend to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, an internship with the U.S. Congress, an internship with the U.S. State Department, and an appointment as a Foreign Service Officer after graduation. The program is sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

I’ve learned God had made me to do many more things than the one track I’d put myself on. I’m made to be a full person, I don’t have to be only one thing.

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The Essence of a Christian Education

Michael Blankenship — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:20:56 +0000

Embracing the enduring question of humanity.

By Joshua Carpenter ’24

Questions. Some people ask more than others, but everyone, at some point in their life, has asked themself what the meaning of life is, and if to die is to die at all. What if there is an afterlife? Is there a God and does He love me? These questions are profoundly human, and since the dawn of creation, humanity has been wrestling with itself to arrive at the truth.

“Perhaps the most important thing Christians can learn from studying the humanities is a humility sadly needed in our loud, proud, arrogant culture,” says Professor Emerita of English, Dr. Linda Mills-Woolsey ’74.

When Mills-Woolsey entered ��ר�� as a student in the fall of 1970, the college had a set of core requirements focused on humanities, arts, and sciences that included two semesters of history, or “Western Civilization,” two semesters of writing, a two-semester survey of English and American literature, Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, and a course in ethics along with requirements in math, science, and social studies.

“It was basically a Christian version of the core curriculum pioneered by Harvard and other Ivy League Universities,” says Mills-Woolsey.

The origins of ��ר��’s humanities program date back to the earliest days of ��ר�� Seminary but developed into prominence in the early 20th century. It emerged as part of the university’s broader commitment to a liberal arts education that fostered a well-rounded understanding of the world and effectively prepared the Seminary for college accreditation in the 1920s. The program was initially conceived as a means of providing students with a strong grounding in the essential areas of literature, philosophy, history, and the arts.

In 2017, ��ר�� switched to a new general education sequence, which was strongly influenced by the success of the London Honors Program.

“We [the faculty] all thought the [London Honors Program] was pretty good and did good things for students,” says Dr. Peter Meilaender, ��ר��’s Dean of Religion, Humanities, and Global Studies and Professor of Political Science. “So, when the occasion came up to revise the [general education] curriculum, we deliberately decided to build something that was patterned after the London model and offer a version of it to students on the main campus.”

The current humanities core program is a three-course sequence combining the areas of literature, philosophy, history, the arts, and presenting them in chronological order throughout three eras of history. HUM (humanities) 101: Enduring Questions: Ancient & Medieval World, the first course, focuses on the period from ancient Greece up to about 1450 before the Renaissance Reformation; HUM 102: Enduring Questions: Early Modern World, explores roughly 1450 to 1800, the Renaissance Reformation up to the French Revolution; and then HUM 201: Enduring Questions: The Modern World, focuses on the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Faculty from history, philosophy, and English take turns teaching different sections of the sequence. Syllabi are developed collaboratively across course sections and the overall sequence.

Each course in the humanities sequence is accountable for three credit hours and is one part of the general education program. Other general education requirements include three Biblical and Theology courses (ex: BIBL 101: Biblical Literature), one Abstract and Quantitative Reasoning course (ex: STEM 140: Reason & Abstraction), two Natural Science courses (ex: STEM 141: Science as a Human Endeavor), two Writing courses (ex: WRIT 101: Writing in the Liberal Arts), a Transitions course (ex: INTS 102: Transitions: Succeeding at ��ר��, an Art and Music course (ex: ART 115: Foundations of Digital Communication), a Wellness course (ex: SRWM 105: Wellness for Life), two courses in Global Competence (ex: HEBR 101: Beginning Hebrew Level 1), and two courses in Social Sciences (ex: POLS 205: In Search of Justice). At least 124 credit hours are required for students to graduate, and general education requirements account for approximately one-third of those credit hours.

“The Humanities,” says President Emerita Shirley Mullen ’76, “particularly when they are done in a Christian context, remind us of the shared humanness that grounds our experience as children of God, and ultimately, are going to bring us all together at the throne in heaven.”

The Humanities, particularly when they are done in a Christian context, remind us of the shared humanness that grounds our experience as children of God, and ultimately, are going to bring us together at the throne of heaven.

“These enduring questions [such as why bad things happen to babies] are ones that we wrestle with regardless of our faith,” says Professor of Psychology, Dr. Paul Young ’76, “and I’ve particularly benefited from seeing similarities in the ways that people of faith and people without faith try to wrestle with the same questions as well as the differences.”

One of the differences that stands out to Young is that people of faith who address these questions tend to see the limits in how human beings can answer them. This realization then inspires a dependence on trusting a sovereign God to work things out or trusting a loving God to ensure that even if someone may answer incorrectly, that God’s love is not contingent on them being a good student.

��ר�� is committed to helping students learn to ask the right questions, ones that not only unite us as men and women of humanity, but also as brothers and sisters in our Holy Father. In each humanities classroom lies endless opportunities for students to challenge themselves in the search for truth, shaping not only their intellectual, moral, and ethical development but the very way we come to understand the Creator as He presents himself in life’s enduring questions.

Joshua Carpenter ’24 is a Writing and Communication double-major completing his internship requirements with ��ר�� Magazine. He is a native of Linwood, PA, and is pursuing a career as a fiction novelist. While writing this article, Josh learned that some questions are not meant to be answered, at least not in this lifetime. While this may be frustrating for some, it reminds us that it was never our purpose to become as gods and know everything in the first place, but to acknowledge our imperfection and put our trust in the One who looked at us and called us good.

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Creative and Discerning, Wise and Spontaneous

Michael Blankenship — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:20:49 +0000

By Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano

As Kaylee (Haller ’19) Fisher moves through her week, she encounters a stunning cross-section of society. Serving as Global Operations Director for IRF Roundtable, a program of the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Secretariat, Kaylee may spend her Monday hearing from the Yazidi people who have survived the horrors of genocide. On Tuesday, Kaylee might meet with officials from the US State Department, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), or the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Wednesday could bring opportunities to work with Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar or Egyptian Coptic Christians. By Thursday, Kaylee could be on Capitol Hill meeting with government officials to encourage them to be accountable for how the United States relates to countries that violate human rights. On Friday, Kaylee might even hop on a plane to the Czech Republic or Berlin, Germany, to organize an event drawing together non-profits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government agencies from around the region to inspire them toward partnerships that can address issues of religious persecution.

So how did an aspiring missionary from a small town in Maryland end up in Washington, D.C., crossing paths in influential ways with both the most powerful and the most vulnerable people in our society?

“My life started at ��ר��,” Kaylee shares. “��ר�� gave me two of my greatest gifts. My husband, Zach Fisher ’18, and a faith that God has big things in store for me–big things in the sense that they’re important to the Kingdom, even when I don’t understand how.”

When Kaylee started down the path of obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies she sat in Professor Marcus Dean’s class, Missions and the Global Church. “I’d never heard the term ‘ethnocentric’ before,” Kaylee recalls. “That class was the first time I understood that my reality is not at all close to the reality of most of the world. I was wearing rose-colored glasses and needed to take them off to see God through the eyes of others. That class called me out of my self-centered views to discover who God is to the suffering.”

Kaylee’s time in former ��ר�� professor, Rev. Sarah Derck’s Bible class on the historical books reinforced this lesson. “There is so much tragedy in the Old Testament and we have such a lack of understanding of how God could let it happen. But Professor Derck didn’t sugar-coat things for us, she allowed us to sit with the tragedy and grieve it. Out of that grew a deep trust in God even when I don’t understand how He works or what He’s doing.”

These experiences, and other classes like Women in the Bible with Professor Kristina LaCelle-Peterson ’82 and Religious Movements with Professor Jon Case, helped Kaylee discover a passion for justice, a longing to care for the oppressed, and a desire to live out the Gospel in a nontraditional way. Through the challenge of confronting tragedy, God prepared Kaylee to walk alongside the victims of religious persecution. She’s able to trust in and speak about God’s goodness and faithfulness in the midst of life’s most significant challenges.

Kaylee didn’t limit herself to global studies at ��ר��. She completed a minor in biblical studies and dove into ��ר��’s liberal arts offerings. “I almost had enough credits for an art minor, too,” she laughs. “I took weird classes. ��ר�� allowed me to explore other interests in ways I didn’t imagine possible. Curiosity is a huge opportunity for growth.”

Kaylee’s curiosity prepared her to interact in many social spheres and take on work in unique sectors. “I discovered I don’t have to be one thing. I was encouraged to be creative and discerning, wise and spontaneous. It gave me comfort to be okay with changing careers.”
Kaylee spent a semester abroad studying at Vesalius College in Brussels, Belgium, while interning with the European Disability Forum. After graduation, she worked with a local church, World Relief, the Institute for Global Engagement, and The Orchestra of the Americas. “God is very purposeful. He’s been putting together my giftings and strengths to lead me to where I am today.”

When Kaylee joined her experiences with her solid Christian convictions and a Gospel-informed worldview, she became an ideal fit for her work in an interfaith context. As she works alongside and befriends people who practice faiths other than her own, Kaylee’s faith isn’t threatened. “I know what I know to be true. I know Jesus is the only way,” she remarks. “But, I’m also humble enough to recognize that I don’t know what I don’t know. There’s so much about what others believe that I don’t yet know and there’s nothing wrong with learning about other religions. It makes me seriously contemplate what I believe and ultimately strengthens my own faith.”

��ר�� allowed me to explore other interests in ways I didn’t imagine possible. Curiosity is a huge opportunity for growth.

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Grounded in the Whole Truth

Michael Blankenship — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:20:41 +0000

By David Davies ’01

We’ve all heard the jokes, “How do you get a liberal arts graduate off your porch?  Pay him for the pizza!”  or “I don’t know why people say that no employer will be interested in your liberal arts degree; I would love to hire someone who has clearly shown they don’t care how much money they make!” Or perhaps you’ve heard comments like, “I’m going to get my ‘Gen Eds’ out of the way so I can focus on my major, which is what I’m really here to study anyway.”

Jokes and comments like these are nothing new in higher education. On the one hand, I understand this perspective. Students looking to become graphic designers may feel that their natural science courses are distracting. Similarly, students looking to major in Criminal Justice may feel that their time could be better spent on something other than a course on Art History or Writing in the Liberal Arts. However, I believe this perspective reveals two fundamental misunderstandings, the first concerning the essential benefits of receiving an education and the second concerning the fundamentally Biblical character of the liberal arts.

I respectfully submit that we’ve gotten the question somewhat backward when we say, “What will I do with it?”

So, what are the liberal arts anyway? The term “liberal arts” is typically used to describe traditional general education requirements associated with undergraduate degrees, with “Liberal” derived from the Latin word liberalis, meaning “freedom,” and “arts” from the Latin ars, which can be translated as “art” or “skill.” Thus, a liberal arts education is one in which students are equipped with the diverse skills necessary to thrive as free and productive citizens. The term dates back to antiquity when an ideal education was believed to consist of the seven liberal arts: rhetoric, grammar, and logic forming the trivium, and astronomy, arithmetic, geometry, and music forming the quadrivium.

While the specifics of what comprises a liberal education have changed through the intervening centuries, the essential underlying concept has remained remarkably consistent. On the shelf in my office, I have a 1918 catalog from ��ר�� Seminary, which lists required courses in Bible, rhetoric, mathematics, foreign language, literature, science, history, and psychology. Those required courses combined to comprise a third of a ��ר�� student’s studies, with the remaining two-thirds labeled simply “elective studies” (“majors” were not typical at liberal arts colleges in those days). Today, ��ר��’s general education curriculum still comprises a third of our students’ coursework. It includes many of the same broad categories as it did in 1918, with the addition of courses in art/music and wellness. Unlike in 1918, however, the remaining two-thirds of today’s students’ coursework is divided between elective studies and their chosen major. The introduction of a “major” into liberal arts institutions was a significant development in 20th-century American higher education and reflects the comprehensive nature of contemporary liberal arts institutions, offering an education committed to both breadth and depth.  ��ר�� has excelled at this blend of focused, pre-professional training within the context of a rich liberal arts curriculum throughout its 140-year history, awarding its first Bachelor of Arts degree in 1925 and the first Bachelor of Science in 1931. Its first Bachelor of Music degree was awarded in 1946. In the 21st century, ��ר�� added to more degrees: graduate degrees in music were first awarded in 2005, and the first Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2013.

“That’s all well and good,” you may be saying, “but how is any of that going to help a graduate earn a solid income to support their family and repay their student loans?”  Though the conversation around the debt-to-earnings ratio has become much more prominent in recent years, the question “What am I ever going to do with this?” is certainly not new for students (and their professors) at liberal arts institutions. While I believe that an education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences is the best pathway toward fulfillment and success in various professions throughout a lifetime, I respectfully submit that we’ve gotten the question somewhat backward when we say, “What will I do with it?” Arthur Holmes puts it perfectly in his classic book, The Idea of a Christian College, when he writes, “The right question is rather ‘What can it do to me?’” To unpack that a bit – the usefulness of a liberal arts education rests less on the information or skills it imparts and more on the creativity, flexibility, curiosity, deep thinking, and discipline it engenders. These “marketable” skills are as necessary and valuable today as ever, and I’ll explore their implications in just a bit.

Before addressing the relevance of the liberal arts in our contemporary world, though, I’d like to consider the Biblical foundations of a liberal arts education. Christopher Watkin provides an excellent framework for this as he explores the Bible’s wisdom literature, specifically the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, in his monumental book Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture. When read individually, the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes seem to present competing views on life. Proverbs gives us the impression that wise decisions lead to happiness and success. Ecclesiastes suggests that our decisions don’t ultimately matter because the wicked will prosper, the wise will suffer, and we’re all getting old and will die soon. What makes the Bible unique is its assertion that both of these perspectives are equally true and that they inform and enrich each other. In this, the Bible isn’t teaching that there are multiple realities but rather that reality is complex and requires viewing through multiple lenses. Watkins describes this framework as transperspectival, meaning “the way in which the same reality is experienced across and through different perspectives.” Theologian and philosopher Vern Poythress (father of ��ר�� biology professor Ransom Poythress) describes a similar phenomenon by calling the Bible’s interlocking and multifaceted themes “symphonic theology,” which I’ll admit is especially appealing to me as a musician.

Looking beyond the wisdom literature, one finds this transperspectival or symphonic approach throughout God’s word. From the parallels and variations found in the four gospels, as well as the historical accounts found in 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles, to the uniquely diverse collection of languages and genre woven together in the Bible to form a multifaceted presentation of irreducible truth. This Biblical approach to knowing God and His world is mirrored in the liberal arts. For Christians, a liberal arts education isn’t just a good idea; it’s an education that reflects how God designed us, how He works, and how He invites us to understand and engage with His world.

So, the liberal arts are grounded in history, useful for life, and consistent with a Biblical approach to truth – but what of their relevance for addressing the emerging challenges of our particular moment in history?  In a recent national survey by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, over 80% of employers preferred candidates educated in the liberal arts.  These employers cited these graduates’ creativity, flexibility, communication, and teamwork skills as essential for success in our rapidly changing marketplace. Interestingly, this percentage went up following the economic disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Another marketplace disruptor is the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence. In a recent statement on the value of a ��ר�� education in the age of AI, President Wayne Lewis makes a compelling point when he writes, “��ר��’s time-tested approach to spiritual and educational formation helps to anchor students in their Christian faith and prepare them to respond to a dynamic workforce and economy in the age of AI.” Our commitment to a rigorous liberal arts education grounded in God’s word offers our graduates the intellectual and moral skills necessary for meeting today’s challenges.

Finally, I believe the transperspectival approach of Christian liberal arts is instrumental in engaging with an increasingly polarized society. Grounded in the whole truth of God’s word, our graduates can see through the false dichotomies and demonization of “the other” that have become so prevalent in recent years and affirm with St. Augustine that “truth belongs to the Lord, wherever it is found.”

Grounded in the whole truth of God’s word, our graduates can see through the false dichotomies and demonization of “the other” that have become so prevalent in recent years and affirm with St. Augustine that “truth belongs to the Lord, wherever it is found.”

These guideposts have shaped ��ר��’s approach to education for over 140 years, and they remain more than adequate for meeting today’s challenges as we continue equipping our students to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world.

Meet the Provost

Name: David Horace Davies

Degrees Awarded:

Bachelor of Music, Piano Performance, ��ר�� (2001)
Masters of Music, Composition, University of Miami, (2004)
Doctor of Musical Arts, Composition, University of Miami, (2007)

Favorite Course to Teach: I love teaching post-tonal music theory. It’s fun to give students the tools to grow their appreciation for music they didn’t know they could understand, or even (gasp!) enjoy.

Top Book Recommendation: This tough, at I enjoy reading many different genres. A little over a year ago I re-read Frank Herbert’s Dune, and was struck once again by its depth of setting complex characters. I also recently read Dane Ortlund’s Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers and found it deeply impactful.

Most Influential Composer: I would not have become a composer if it weren’t for influence of John Williams’ music on me as a young man, and he remains a favorite. In later years I became very influenced by the music of John Adams, the American post-minimalist composer.

Favorite ��ר�� Class (as an undergraduate student): I loved studying composition as an undergrad; I was a performance major and that was when I realized my real passion was for writing music, not playing it. I also discovered my love for history while at ��ר��, and especially enjoyed taking “Recent American History: 1920-Present” as an elective.

Best ��ר�� Memory: All my best memories involve meeting and falling in love with my wife, Carrie (Hoffman ’01) Davies. One in particular involves me trying to impress Carrie in the dining hall, but instead falling out of my chair in front of her and most of our friends. Not my best moment!

Why ��ר��?: When I visited ��ר��, I found a place with a unique blend of intense academics, stellar music making, sincere faith, and almost no pretension. After only a few hours on campus I knew this was where God wanted me to be.

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From the President—Summer 2024

Michael Blankenship — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:20:33 +0000

Dear Friends,

The demise of the Christian liberal arts institution has been tremendously overstated. ��ר�� remains strong and exceptionally well-positioned to prepare students for fruitful living today and for generations to come. This is good news for ��ר�� students and their families, and for the communities, ministries, organizations, and corporations where ��ר�� graduates will serve. The need for graduates of Christian liberal arts and sciences universities has never been greater.

Like ��ר�� alumni, I continue to personally experience the benefits of an undergraduate experience grounded in the liberal arts. I began my undergraduate experience as a jazz studies-saxophone major, with dreams of traveling and performing on stages all over the world—the next Kirk Whalum or Branford Marsalis. That dream was not to be. In my sophomore year, I changed my major for the first time. I would change it once or twice more before earning my degree. Throughout my undergraduate experience, I never imagined I would ultimately find my vocational calling in education—first in K-12 schools and eventually in higher education.

While none of my undergraduate majors align with where and how God would eventually call me to serve, my undergraduate liberal arts curriculum provided the broad-based, interdisciplinary foundation I would draw from throughout my career as a thinker, a learner, a leader, and a problem solver, in areas as diverse as curriculum, finance, statistics, writing, management, and politics. Central to my passionate advocacy for ��ר��’s Christ-centeredliberal arts and sciences core is that it not only prepares graduates for a particular job or career—but even more importantly—it equips them for living life to the fullest, as faithful, God-honoring scholar-servants.

For some ��ר�� graduates, their undergraduate degrees will align perfectly with their vocational callings. Some graduates will have career trajectories that look more like mine, with an undergraduate degree in a field seemingly unrelated to their vocation. Most ��ר�� graduates will experience enormous change throughout the course of their careers. Thankfully, they will have had the gift of a Christian liberal arts and sciences education—where regardless of their major—they were educated through a decidedly Christian worldview to think and work across disciplines, to serve selflessly, and to lead fearlessly. Challenges and opportunities will await them, but they will be well-prepared.

This issue of ��ר�� Magazine is a celebration of ��ר��’s longstanding commitment to the Christian liberal arts. With this issue, we reflect on ��ר��’s rich history of equipping faithful scholar servants through the Christian liberal arts and celebrate the ways God is using this vine of God’s own planting to prepare a new generation of scholar-servants.

Yours in Jesus Christ our Lord,

Wayne D. Lewis, Jr.

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