philosophy classes, or secular humanism
in the social and behavioral sciences.
At Cedarville, students will learn the
arguments of these respective belief systems
and be taught why they are bankrupt in
light of Scripture.
As students leave home for college,
they take critical steps into adulthood,
choosing their life course. Will the faith
of my parents be my faith? What is God
calling me to do vocationally?Will I marry,
and if so, then whom? No longer riding the
coattails of their parents’ faith, students
need to be able to ask the tough questions,
but they need to be able to do so in a safe
environment.They need well-read teachers
who can walk them through the answers
to life’s great questions and put them on
a trajectory to glorify God with their life.
I call the guarantee of a Christian
education in every classroom “truth in
advertising.” At Cedarville, parents can
trust that we are who we say we are. A
student will be taught from a biblical
worldview in every class. We also have our
staff sign the doctrinal statement to ensure
that every facet of campus life at Cedarville
is basedon the same foundational principles
that undergird the classroom.
Second, we have campuswide chapel
five days a week.
I find it amazing and
overwhelming as I look around at more
than 3,000 students worshipping God
each day. They passionately sing songs
of praise to God and diligently listen to
the Word of God preached, taking notes
during the sermons. The realization that
we will give account before God of the
stewardship that He has entrusted to us is
a little intimidating and yet exhilarating.
We bring in chapel speakers like David
Jeremiah, Chip Ingram, Paige Patterson, Al
Mohler, and other nationally known Bible
teachers. Our students regularly benefit
from the best communicators while also
hearing from me and having student-led
chapels once a week.
Chapel is the heartbeat for the campus.
It anchors everything we do at Cedarville
in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and steers the
future course of the institution. We praise
God together, we grow spiritually together,
and we gain a sense of family unity when
we come together.
Third, every undergraduate student
receives a Bible minor.
In addition to being
academically equipped for their chosen
field, students receive theological training
so they may articulately present a biblical
worldview in a secular culture. The minor
includes five classes: Spiritual Formation,
Old Testament Literature, New Testament
Literature, Systematic Theology I, and
SystematicTheology II. The idea is to begin
by teaching them to love the Word of God
and to allow the Spirit who lives within
them to guide their lives.
In Spiritual Formation, students learn
how to interpret the Bible and the proper
spiritual disciplines of a Christian life. In
Old and New Testament Literature, we
teach the Bible, not higher critical theories
about the Bible. We want students to
know God’s Word and apply it to their
lives through the power of the Spirit. In
theology courses, we teach the student
why we believe what we believe from a
biblical foundation. This teaching includes
a true education and not indoctrination
as we discuss the tough questions and
errors of the day, leading back to the Bible
and landing within the bounds of our
doctrinal statement.
Cedarville holds the local church high,
requiring local church membership and
encouraging service. We prepare students
to see their future occupation as a calling
fromGod to serve Himwith excellence and
a Gospel mission.
Fourth, we integrate a biblical worldview
in every classroom.
In the School of Biblical
andTheological Studies, we teach the Bible
and theology. All other courses apply that
biblical knowledge practically to the various
disciplines. Cedarville professors reveal
the Ultimate Designer in engineering, the
Great Physician in nursing and pharmacy,
the Master Storyteller in literature, and
on and on it goes. They diligently pray for
students, walking with them inside and
outside of the classroom.
Fifth, we have a voluntary discipleship
program that involves more than one-third
of our student body.
In our Student Life and
Christian Ministries Division, students
sign up for discipleship groups. As students
grow in discipleship, many find themselves
in a leadership role discipling others.These
small groups allow for transparency as
students share struggles and overcome
them as they walk through life together.
These groups also prepare our students
to be small-group leaders in their local
churches. Many of our athletes’ schedules
do not allow them to participate, so
additional small groups, Bible studies, and
other intentional means of discipleship
take place in athletics. Our team chaplains
and coaches know that life skills and
spiritual development matter more than
a win-loss record.
Sixth, we have a Student Life and
Christian Ministries Division dedicated to
emphasizing missions and evangelism on
campus.
I want every student to go overseas
on a missions trip before they graduate.
Short-term missions trips do more for
the traveler than for the destination, and
seeing the poverty and lostness across the
globe gives students a heart for the nations.
They will pray differently. They will give
differently, and ultimately, the spiritual
and educational development of a missions
trip will do more than just sending money
ever could. We are all called to be Great
Commission Christians, and our Student
Life and Christian Ministries Division
keeps evangelism and missions at the
forefront of all we do at Cedarville.
We have a bold vision to change Ohio,
theMidwest, and ultimately the world with
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I would ask that
you support us through prayer, financial
support, or sending students our way as we
try to accomplish a bold, God-sized vision
in southwest Ohio. We train students for
personal and professional excellence with
a Gospel purpose. We combine a high
academic standard with a conservative
theological position all aimed at the goal
of reaching the world with the Gospel. At
Cedarville University, we will continue
to stand “For the Word of God and the
Testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Thomas White
became Cedarville’s 10th
President in 2013. He received his B.A. from
Anderson University (South Carolina) and
both his M.Div. and Ph.D. from Southeastern
BaptistTheological Seminary. Dr. White is co-
author of
Franchising McChurch: Feeding
Our Obsession with Easy Christianity
, and
he served as editor of
First Freedom: The
Baptist Perspective on Religious Liberty
;
Restoring Integrity in Baptist Churches
;
and
Upon This Rock
. Connect with him at
and on Twitter
@DrThomasWhite.
AT CEDARVILLE
UNIVERSITY, WE WILL
CONTINUE TO STAND
“FOR THE WORD OF GOD
AND THE TESTIMONY OF
JESUS CHRIST.”
Cedarville Magazine
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