Cedarville Magazine Fall 2015

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the center of their attention. We bring in some of the best preachers
from all over the world, such as David Jeremiah, David Platt,
J.D. Greear, Al Mohler, Russell Moore, and many others. These
world-class Bible teachers train our students and challenge them to
grow in their walk with Christ.
From chapel, students go into the classroom, where each of their
degree programs is built on our Bible minor. As one might expect,
the focus of the Bible minor is just what the name advertises — the
Bible. Through courses focused on the spiritual discipline of Bible-
reading tethered to prayer, studies on the Old and New Testaments,
as well as a survey of theology structured around our doctrinal
commitments, the Cedarville student leaves equipped with a
passion for God and His Word, and a drive to be a producer and not
merely another consumer within the local church.
With this biblical foundation, our students work through the
classes of their chosen degree fields, whether it be engineering,
pharmacy, history, sports management, or any of our other
excellent programs. Regardless of the degree program, each class
is taught from a biblical worldview, as our professors shepherd our
students in understanding how biblical principles impact their own
vocational callings.
Moreover, along with this biblical worldview comes our liberal
arts emphasis. At Cedarville, we believe the liberal arts are essential
in equipping students to think and write in a clear and compelling
manner. Such an approach leaves the budding history teacher and
the aspiring engineer not only competent in their given field, but
prepared to lead wherever the Lord might send them. The nature of
this academic task is precisely why highly trained professors, rather
than teaching assistants, fill our classrooms. Indeed, Cedarville is
blessed to have men and women who consider the classroom not
only a high privilege, but also their God-given mission to train
students in a deliberate fashion for academic excellence with a
Gospel purpose.
Intentionality is also brought to our student-athletes. Our Yellow
Jackets are not just concerned about winning, although I don’t mind
saying we have been quite successful in that category. What is far
more important is infusing our athletic teams with God-honoring
sportsmanship. For instance, our volleyball team plays by the time-
honored tradition of the “honor call.” The honor call happens when
the opposing team attacks the ball, it goes out of bounds, but —
unseen to the official — grazes the finger of a Yellow Jacket player.
In this example, the official would call the point for the Jackets.
Instead of taking the point and proceeding with the game (which
has become the practice of nearly all other volleyball programs),
Yellow Jacket players have been coached to approach the official, let
him know of the touch, and the score is reversed to the other team.
Some of our teams write notes to their opponents letting them
know they are praying for them. Our teams often travel together on
missions trips and study together in Bible study groups. Throughout
our entire Athletics Division, our coaches seek to put teams on the
court, field, course, or diamond that play first and foremost with
a Christlike attitude and know how to win and lose well as they
practice and play hard in Christ’s name.
Undergirding our students’ entire experience at Cedarville is
the Student Life and Christian Ministry Division. At the center of
our Student Life stand our four core values that we intentionally
try to instill in every student: 1) Love for God, 2) Love for Others,
3) Integrity in Conduct, and 4) Excellence in Effort. A life lived
with these values will never be a life full of regret. With core values
built on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission
arise such programs as CU LEAD, which aims to equip leaders
around the principles of stewardship, influence, and service, or our
discipleship small groups where students can lead and participate
in book discussions centered on God’s Word. Through our Global
Outreach (GO) office, we actively encourage all students to go on a
missions trip before they graduate, with the hope that they might
put their arms around the world and wed their vocational calling
to God’s heart for the nations. Whether it be from programs such
as these to the life-on-life discipleship opportunities our Resident
Directors and residence hall life affords, every facet of student life is
deliberately shaped to maintain our students on a Gospel trajectory.
Inside the pages of this magazine, you will read more about this
intentionality. You will hear Jason Lee, the Dean of our School of
Biblical and Theological Studies, explain the purpose and makeup
of our Bible minor. You will read of the legacy of Don Callan, our
former Athletic Director, who taught his athletes to use their athletic
gifts as an avenue to take the Gospel to the nations. You will also
hear from some of our former students, who recount how even years
after graduating fromCedarville, they are still benefiting from their
deliberately shaped education.
In every way, we want to be intentional. Every meeting with a
professor, every meal in the dining hall, every hallway conversation,
every chapel, every event, every class, and in every degree, we
intentionally design our efforts to develop students for what God
has called them to do. We then pray that our graduates will use their
God-given talents to get involved in God’s great plan and to be on
mission for Jesus wherever God places them.
You see, we have to be intentional and clear with these efforts
because we only get 1,000 days. So we desire to use every one of
those days wisely and intentionally to develop our students for God’s
purposes. In 1,000 days, we want to equip our students to stand for
the remainder of their lives 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 Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the
author and editor of numerous publications and is a contributor to Baptist
Foundations: Church Government for an Anti-Institutional Age, released
June 15, 2015.
Follow him:
@DrThomasWhite
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