Inspire, Summer 2007

22 Summer 2007 Inspire 23 Feature : bible department Feature EVERY CHRISTMAS, BELIEVERS THROUGHOUT the world celebrate the birth of Christ and reflect on the marvelous truth that God Himself broke into this world, adding humanity to Himself without detracting from His deity. God Himself walked and lived among us, and in His death He took our sins to Himself. God entered into our history in the most personal and unique way imaginable, and through His resurrection He changed the history of the human race forever. The Bible’s writers clearly articulated the importance of God’s promise to enter into human history and how He fulfilled His promise through Jesus Christ. The facts of the Christian faith are just that — historical facts and not myths, fantasies, or fairy tales. Indeed, the Christian faith as reflected in Scripture is rooted in history. The Bible department’s travel studies program began 12 years ago and was designed to help students understand biblical history by studying the Bible in the lands of the Bible. In recent years the program has been significantly refined through the leadership of Drs. Blumenstock and Hoffeditz as they have traveled tens of thousands of miles with hundreds of students over four continents. Traveling with students in Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Italy, and Greece, and visiting major museums in London, Paris, and Berlin, students have had the opportunity to see some of the major artifacts and sites that relate to the text of Scripture. The program has grown significantly, culminating in more students participating this year than in any previous year. Many times alumni and parents of students attend these trips. LaVerne Dickey, who serves as coordinator for the office of travel study, works with each professor in making the trip become a reality. “Cedarville’s longest-running program is the Bible course program offered through Jerusalem University College,” she explains. “Sometimes it takes a few years to get a course established. Current offerings are literature, geology, international business, and Bible. Future plans include several courses from [the department of] language and literature, a history course, a Students Take Life-Changing Holy Land Trips technical writing course, and a few others.” She emphasizes that “these trips are not tours. Students spend several hours each day either in the classroom or at specific lecture sites.” LaVerne shares that “students come away with a greater appreciation of the Bible and of the people who live in Israel.” This year nearly 70 Cedarville students and four Cedarville professors lived in the world of ancient, biblical history. From May 6 through June 2, these students and professors spent eight days in Jordan followed by eighteen days in Israel, walking and studying in the lands of the Bible. Drs. Greg Couser and Galen Smith accompanied Drs. Blumenstock and Hoffeditz in leading this tour. Each student received four semester credit-hours for their participation on the trip. The trip preparation entailed 40 hours of extensive map work, multiple academic preparatory sessions, five required pre-trip planning seminars, and three exams. In addition students were given the opportunity to take a biblical archaeology course prior to the trip. Dr. Galen Smith, who has taught for 26 years in the business department at Cedarville and who holds advanced theology degrees, described his experience on the trip. “I agree with Dr. Blumenstock: traveling to the Holy Land is like ‘changing the black and white into Technicolor.’ The words of Scripture came alive for us to understand more fully. Just having the opportunity to walk the same part of the earth that Jesus, the disciples, and the Old Testament patriarchs walked changed the way I appreciate Scripture. It was like moving from radio to television, or even more so to a three-dimensional image! Equally important was the joy of being with brothers and sisters in Christ.” When asked why every student should have the opportunity to experience studying the Bible in the Holy Land, Dr. Blumenstock (or “Dr. B.,” as he is affectionately known by his students) responded by encouraging student study in the Holy Land “so that their study of the Bible comes alive by taking the shape of the people and lands in which the drama of our redemption has taken place.” Dr. B. went on to say, “It was on my first trip to Israel that I learned the importance of international travel for students to Bible lands. There is no better reward for the work involved in setting up these trips than to see the eyes of the students light up as they see bricks made by the Hebrew children in Egypt, or the blue-glazed tiles that Daniel saw as he entered Babylon. Whether walking in the steps of Jesus, Paul, Moses, or Abraham, traveling the Bible lands is like having devotions with your feet. As the sole of your foot touches the ground, it awakens the significance of the text as the Bible describes the historical and geographical places where God intervened.” Matt Roelli ’08 attended a trip to Greece and Italy last year and also participated in this year’s trip. “I would highly recommend a trip like this to anyone one who wants to experience and interact with the Bible in a whole different way,” Matt explained. “That’s why I went again this year!” Conservative believers are committed to the historicity of the faith. When asked why a professor would spend countless hours preparing a trip in addition to their already demanding teaching schedules, Dr. Hoffeditz responded, “The amount of time and energy spent cannot compare to the joy of witnessing a student develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the Scriptures and deepen his or her commitment to the historical accuracy of the Word of God as a result of one of these trips.” These professors also noted that these trips afford students an opportunity to increase their awareness and appreciation of other cultures, to witness overseas ministries, to interact with faculty on an informal basis, and to develop lifelong friendships. The biblical archeology tour for 2008 is tentatively scheduled to visit Egypt and Turkey. A group near the Valley of the Kings and Queens, Egypt Matt Roelli (right) with a tour guide “Whether walking in the steps of Jesus, Paul, Moses, or Abraham, traveling the Bible lands is like having devotions with your feet.” I