What is a Bible College? Is Geneva a Bible College? Should I go to a Bible College? These are all questions that you might be wondering about. The first two questions will be answered here, and hopefully you might gain some clarity about the third.
The first question is the most straightforward. What is a Bible College? Typically, Bible colleges focus on primarily Biblical Studies, Pre-Seminary, and Ministry majors. Examples of these are places like Moody Bible Institute and Word of Life Bible Institute. They are colleges that focus primarily on teaching Biblical topics and preparing students for ministry experiences. Christian colleges on the other hand are colleges that have a Christian foundation but offer a variety of majors and classes. Christian colleges tend to have thriving Bible and Ministry Departments, but also have thriving departments focused in STEM, History, English, etc. Where Bible colleges have a primary focus on Biblical subjects, Christian colleges seek to teach a variety of subjects through a Biblical worldview.
Geneva College is a Christian college because of the wide variety of courses and majors that are offered. This variety does not mean that students will be less prepared for ministry, in fact, some might argue that students will be more prepared because of the integration of the Bible into diverse subject matter.
Dr. Jonathan Watt is the chair of the Department of Biblical Studies, Ministry, and Philosophy at Geneva. He says, “I see the strength of a college like Geneva as having a holistic, diverse, and context-connected education where biblical studies (like other fields) is shown with an inter-connectedness to other fields of knowledge and experience. If we want to get at integration – i.e. biblical beliefs and practices made real and genuinely experimental in life – then putting study of the Bible right next to other fields such as literature and communication, STEM subjects, social sciences, for example, makes for a rich and deep environment for preparing for life.”
Christian colleges offer a large variety of coursework, all from a Biblical perspective. While Bible colleges can give incredibly useful teaching about Biblical topics, Christian colleges prepare students to have a Biblical worldview in a variety of fields.
Christian colleges are very useful for students that are Christian and want to receive spiritual growth, but also want to work in a field outside of biblical ministry. Geneva College offers over 195 majors and programs, including Accounting, Engineering, Education, History, and Sport Management, to name a few. All of these programs are taught with the purpose of integrating faith and learning and preparing students to lead Christ-centered lives in any field. If you are a high school student that is interested in Biblical topics, but want to work as an engineer, or a CEO, or an elementary teacher, then a Christian college, like Geneva, might be right for you. Christian colleges are useful for preparing students to live out their faith in any career that they choose.
Christian colleges are also useful for equipping students who are majoring in Biblical studies or ministry. Christian colleges do not neglect Biblical topics, but instead encourage ministry-minded students to engage with other subjects and students of different majors.
Rutledge Etheridge is an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, and stated, “Geneva and Christian liberal arts colleges can, from a very real academic and practical viewpoint, actually provide a better foundation for postgrad work for students looking to go into fulltime Christian ministry than can Bible colleges - at least in principle.”
Pastor Etheridge makes this claim, because students that have majors in pre-seminary or missions at Geneva and other Christian colleges receive excellent teaching in Biblical topics, but they also take classes in other fields. These students also have classmates, roommates, and friends that are in other majors. Christian colleges can prepare students to interact with others who have different career aspirations. Once students leave college and/or seminary, they are forced to interact with the culture and people who think differently than them. Christian colleges are a great place for students to interact with subjects and people that are not in their field of study.
Both Christian colleges and Bible colleges are useful in preparing students for mission-oriented careers. Whether you are interested in becoming a pastor, missionary, nurse, or engineer, a Christian college can be a place where you can receive a high-quality education that integrates faith and learning. If you think that a Christian college might be the right place for you, check out the degrees and programs offered by Geneva College.
Mattigan Burleigh '24
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
Dec 14, 2023
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