Students who will one day walk the halls of Congress should be educated in a building of similar excellence. PSYCHOLOGY: BRINGING THE SCALPEL OF BIBLICAL PRECISION AND THE HEART OF CHRISTIAN COMPASSION Every one of our faculty members personally affirms the authority, inerrancy, and sufficiency of Scripture. That alone makes Cedarville a unique place. When it comes to psychology, many Christian schools have either compromised or completely abandoned the discipline altogether. Cedarville has chosen to take a scalpel of biblical precision to the discipline of psychology and with prayer and humility teach our students what must be rejected, affirmed, and redeemed. We need more people in the field of psychology committed to the authority of Scripture, and I fear that we have defaulted to abandoning the area rather than seeking to redeem it. For example, Christians agree that all people have sin issues, but rather than take that understanding from influential authors in the field of psychology, we redeem the principle and place it in the proper context of Genesis 3. Rejecting the notion of self-esteem, we instruct our students to find value and worth from being created in the image of God. The imago dei creates equality among the one human race and every ethnos or tongue. We know we are loved and valued because God sent His only Son to die in our place and for our sakes. God showed His love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Repentance of sin and faith in Christ results in justification, redemption, adoption, and new life in Christ. This world with its tribulation is not our final home. We are citizens of heaven and ambassadors of Christ to this world, awaiting our heavenly home and taking joy in the fact that Christ has ultimately overcome the world. We all experience problems in this life, but a biblical worldview communicates genuine worth, that we are truly loved, and that we have a future hope. Genuine, lasting mental health flows from a biblical understanding of the world. We graduate students prepared to stand and share the light of the Gospel into the darkness of our hearts and souls. ENGLISH, LITERATURE, AND MODERN LANGUAGES (ELML): SHARING THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD Words matter. We communicate the greatest truth ever told through words — whether spoken or written. An English degree helps students understand the power of the written word. It equips them to write fiction, poetry, and perhaps even sermons that use the power of words and stories to point people to Christ. In our modern world, a place that affirms universal truth, rejects postmodernism, and seeks authorial intent is rare. Cedarville is that place. Think about the implications beyond English, literature, or composition classes. We have foreign language professors training students to speak other languages with excellence, equipping them to build relationships and share the Gospel internationally. At Cedarville, we desire for every student to take a Global Outreach (GO) missions trip before graduation. For those learning Spanish, French, or another language, they can put those skills into practice immediately by sharing the Gospel on these trips. And what about those who have never heard the Gospel or don’t have the Bible in their heart language? Cedarville teaches linguistics. In fact, one of our French and linguistic professors served as a missionary overseas for 25 years and translated the Bible into one of those languages. ELML has the opportunity to make a huge impact on the Kingdom of God and to help finish the task of global evangelization in our lifetime. EDUCATION: TRAINING TEACHERS TO LOVE GOD AND OTHERS Speaking of missions, there may be no greater mission field than the public school system. At Cedarville, we train teachers to love God and love others. We cast a vision for our teacher candidates to pour their lives out for others, whether that comes through homeschooling, private schooling, or public schooling. Imagine the impact if God called a generation of Christian teachers to serve in public schools among the least churched populations in America. Even in Ohio, we have cities where the vast majority do not believe in Christ or attend church on a regular basis. What if teachers considered their occupation a God-called vocation, using their platform as a place to love their students well and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ whenever possible? Their ministry would reach into places where local church pastors may never go and reach people who may never visit a Sunday service. These teachers serve as missionaries at Kingdom outposts for the advancement of the Gospel message. What if their excellence, diligence, compassion, and faithfulness provided a living witness to their commitment of doing everything as unto the Lord? What if their excellent education provided opportunities for students to read the Bible for themselves or to advance their influence through additional educational opportunities? Whether serving in inner-city schools, private Christian schools, or homeschool, our teachers can reach people for Jesus. SOCIAL WORK: MINISTRY TO HURTING CHILDREN AND VICTIMS Our country desperately needs more social workers. There may be no greater area of ministry in society. Social workers go into horrible situations where unspeakable acts have occurred. They advocate for and minister to children and victims. They bring love and hope into situations often devoid of both. Social workers have a calling that requires them to give and give without having their own cups replenished. Reliance upon a deeper well of spiritual 4
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