Ronni Kurtz pours his life's work into teaching his students Teaching theology for the church By Chris Karenbauer Dr. Ronni Kurtz is one of Cedarville University's newest Bible professors. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Kurtz, his wife Kristen and their daughter Finley live in Cedarville. Ohio. where Kurtz teaches theology. 'There are many things that attracted me to Cedarville University," Kurtz said, "but one of the most important was simply the strength of the curriculum and the strength of the students here at CU. I love higher education and want to give my life towards helping institutions - and the students that make them up - thrive." Kurtz has been teaching at Cedarville since the spring semester of 2022. In these two semesters, Kurtz has impacted his students. Junior Political Science major Joshua Heath. who was in Kurtz's Theology II class last semester. admires Kurtz for his ability to keep Christ at the center of his lectures. "He presented on the doctrine of Christ. his role as priest. prophet and king," Heath said. "He made sure that he was Christocentric through all of it He taught that Christ is central to salvation; Christ is central to eschatology and his return. Everything about how he presented in that class was Christocentric." Senior English major Grace Kohler, who was in Kurtz·s Theology I class last spring and is currently in his Theology II class, speaks about how one of their Christology lectures encouraged her to remember the depth of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. "He actually made me cry a little bit because he was talking about the glorification of God," Kohler said, "and it was just so beautiful to see the glorification of Christ. It was so beautiful to see the actual depth of those words and how Christ's perfect sinless life and his humanity and the absolute injustice of his death was for our good and for our benefit." Kurtz wants to teach college students, whether they are Bible majors or not, that every Christian is a theologian, and they need to know how to apply theology in their lives. Theology is a joy and an adventure to remember God and what he does for his children. And Kurtz is a prime example of that to his students. "Not only did he teach us academic concepts of theology, but he always 24 CED.RS Portrait by Mariana Bastos, In-class photo by Logan Howard grounds it in how that's applicable in our Christian life." Kohler said. "He talks about how theology should be done in the church, for the church." Along with his love for his students, Kurtz also loves the local church. When Kurtz and his family moved to Cedarville about a year ago, they searched for a church that would line up with their theological beliefs and that would help them grow in their walk with Christ. Kurtz attends a church plant in Dayton called Trinity Church where they are growing alongside the church. "At Trinity, we have found deep community and dear friends," Kurtz said. "The church is faithful in the exposition of Scripture, the administration of the ordinances and liturgy. and in the proclamation of the gospel. We are very blessed to have found a covenant family like Trinity Church" Because of his love for the local church, Kurtz deeply respects the local church pastors. "While the academy is a wonderful tool for the kingdom. ultimately, Jesus is coming back for his bride. not the academy," Kurtz said. ·1 love what I do Fall 2022
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