Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2019

in the seat of scoffers. Psalm 1 paints the picture of a person who delights in the Scripture (the law of the Lord) and meditates on God’s Word day and night. This person is like a tree planted by water, receiving all the nutrients needed to produce fruit in its season. We focus on learning and living out spiritual disciplines because unless students learn to nourish themselves through reading, meditating on, and memorizing the Word of God, they will soon dry up once leaving the greenhouse of Cedarville. These spiritual disciplines will allow them to continuously receive the proper spiritual nourishment for the rest of their lives. We want to prepare students to live a life filled with the Spirit, demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit, to be producers and not consumers in solid biblical churches, and to surround themselves with genuine, authentic Christian community to support, challenge, rebuke, or correct when necessary. IN OUR MISSION STATEMENT We take discipleship so seriously that we added it to our mission statement. “Cedarville University transforms lives through excellent education and intentional discipleship in submission to biblical authority.” Don’t miss this! Intentional discipleship in every area of the campus makes all the difference. We require a profession of faith for acceptance to Cedarville. Many Christian universities readily accept nonbelievers. Those universities, by necessity, have a different mission and atmosphere on campus. They rightly focus on evangelism and sharing the Gospel with their students. It changes the way chapel functions because you have a mixed audience, some are lost, some are skeptical, some disinterested, and others engaged. At Cedarville, we have chapel five days a week with congregational singing and text- driven preaching. We focus on discipleship, growing believers, and rooting them deeply in Christ. We want a text preached, which means a text explained, illustrated, and applied so that the listener understands the Word with a call for life change. Think about the difference in Bible minor classes when a university accepts lost students. The teacher must present the material in an apologetic manner because some number in the class do not believe the Gospel. The first Bible minor class of five at Cedarville is called “The Bible and the Gospel,” which restates our vision “for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ.” This class first clarifies the Gospel for those students who may have a false profession of faith. Secondly, it teaches believers how to share their faith, and third, introduces a basic hermeneutic so that students understand how to read and apply the Bible for themselves. Thus, we first address the Gospel, but then quickly move to our goal of creating Psalm 1 students. Our classes in Old Testament, New Testament, and Theology 1 and 2 make up the remainder of our Bible minor. These classes work from a biblical foundation to a historical consideration of the faith, resulting in proper theological formulation for practical application. Beyond chapel and the Bible minor, every element of campus changes when the focus of a university centers on discipleship rather than evangelism. Residence hall life with the Resident Director and Resident Assistants becomes life- on-life discipleship. Meetings with faculty advisors transition into time for mentorship and prayer. Athletic teams focus more on making strong followers of Christ than wins or losses. Students are encouraged to sign up for Discipleship Groups and Global Outreach missions trips as part of what we do and not just something for a small segment of the campus. From the warm smiles all over campus, to spontaneous times of prayer, to skateboards and bike racks with no locks, the community changes when a Christian university chooses to focus on discipleship rather than evangelism. This begins with the students you recruit and accept. It continues through bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs, with each progression adding further theological depth and a nuanced understanding of how that applies to each discipline, resulting in students fully prepared for His purpose in any given vocation. FROM THE TOP DOWN Trustees at Cedarville University all profess faith in Christ and personally affirm the doctrinal statement yearly. More than 50% of our Board must also be involved in vocational ministry. Those who set the trajectory understand the importance of discipleship. The President of a Christian university must be “Theologian-in-Chief,” making sure that all areas of the We desire to be a campus of 2 Timothy 2:2 men and women. 4 | Cedarville Magazine