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aBIBLE MINOR?
Since Cedarville University is committed to do things
“For theWord of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ,”
the Bible minor just makes sense. Cedarville’s Bible
minor provides the means for all students to develop
biblical and theological competence. These courses
give Cedarville graduates the building blocks to engage
their academic disciplines and professional fields with
a theological framework that distinguishes them from
their co-workers in integrity and ingenuity.
Cedarville’s Bible minor consists of five core courses:
Spiritual Formation, Old Testament Literature, New
Testament Literature, Theology 1, and Theology 2.
Spiritual Formation, the first course in the Bible minor,
deals with three big questions that every Christian
student faces: “How is the Gospel good news (still)?,”
“What is my calling?,” and “What role does the Bible play
in my life?”
Having clarity on the Gospel can help settle a
student’s questions about whether he or she is in Christ
and what relevance that has for daily life. “Calling” is
often misunderstood in Christian communities, but
it is necessary for every Christian to recognize the call
of God to glorify Him in all things, at all times, forever,
including in our occupations. The Bible serves as the
Christian’s guide for life. To access the wisdom of the
biblical texts, students learn helpful tools for interpreting
the biblical authors’ theological purposes in order to
develop spiritual maturity.
One important tool learned in Spiritual Formation
is the discipline of meditating on God’s Word through a
consistent habit of Bible reading, memorizing Scripture,
and searching for the textual meaning of the Bible.
This Bible-centeredness guides the Christian disciple’s
interactions with others as a friend, family member,
church member, colleague, or citizen. The result of being
grounded in the Word is a desire to serve others by
sharing biblical truth with those in the church and with
those who have yet to believe.
The trajectories from Spiritual Formation are then
developed in the remaining four courses. Old Testament
Literature and New Testament Literature focus on the
biblical texts themselves and their intended meaning.
These survey courses demonstrate how the biblical
canon establishes the “big picture” message about Christ
through various textual features, including historical
narratives such as 1 and 2 Samuel and Matthew and
poetic wisdom like that of Genesis 49 or Psalm 8.
Through descriptive texts and prescriptive
commands, prophecies, and letters, the Bible speaks to
today’s disciples with clarity and authority. Cedarville’s
approach is that studying the biblical texts (Old
Testament and New Testament) should deepen our love
for God, stoke a passion for His purposes, and grow our
certain and true knowledge of our Creator as believers
who are in Christ (Col. 3:10–11).
Knowing and loving God through our study of the
Scripture is central to the Bible’s theological purpose.
The last two courses in the Bible minor are guided by
the Bible’s theological core. To complement the biblical
canon’s own presentation of theology, attempts have been
made throughout church history to gather the biblical
data under doctrinal headings (i.e., theology proper,
Christology, ecclesiology). At Cedarville, the core
matters of our Christian faith are addressed inTheology 1
and Theology 2. These courses feature the rich tradition
of the church’s teaching on essential doctrines like the
triune nature of God (as Father, Son, Spirit), the person
and work of Christ, and the exclusive nature of salvation
for sinful humanity found in the union with Christ.
Additionally, these courses demonstrate the
significant value of a specific confessional tradition
that is identified by its high view of Scripture and
its understanding of biblical teachings on church
government, the ordinances (communion and baptism),
and the end times. In each of these courses, professors
expose students to a broader Christian tradition, but
also delineate the strengths of Cedarville’s theological
positions expressed in our doctrinal statement.
The goal of the Bible minor at Cedarville University
is to equip every student, regardless of his or her major,
Christian higher education is most relevant to life when it is biblically and theologically grounded. Cedarville University
has set the high goal of developing an atmosphere and programs that are, as stated in Cedarville’s mission statement,
“grounded in biblical truth.” Our daily chapels, our Student Life and Christian Ministry programs, and our emphasis on
biblical integration in every course demonstrate the rule of Christ over every area of life, including our personal character,
behavior patterns, life choices, and areas of knowledge.
by Jason K. Lee
Why
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Cedarville Magazine