September 2010

A message from Dean Smith, Bible Department Chair and Chapel Coordinator

What sets apart a Christian college or university from a secular school? It is the school′s commitment to emphasize the importance of the Bible in all areas of life as well as the desire to see students grow in knowledge and faith. At Geneva College we are committed to the inerrancy of Scripture and the foundations of the Evangelical and Reformed faith. This commitment is not only in writing, but it is played out every day on Geneva′s campus. Between the dedication of the faculty and staff to the Christian faith and the truths being taught in core Bible classes, students at Geneva College are growing in both biblical knowledge and in their own personal faith.

Prior to their employment, every faculty and staff member at Geneva College must make a clear statement about the inerrancy of Scripture, the divinity of Jesus and their own personal relationship with Him. College students are at a very impressionable stage in their lives and this profession of faith of all faculty and staff is pertinent to the holistic education of Geneva students. In addition, all faculty must acknowledge their agreement with our Foundational Concepts of Education, and before promotion they must produce an integration paper demonstrating how their area of scholarship is impacted by a Christian worldview.

We are devoted to seeing the students at Geneva College grow in their knowledge of the Bible. As part of their core curriculum, students are required to take classes in biblical knowledge. Recently the Bible department has begun to compare the scores of incoming freshmen on a Bible knowledge survey with the results of the same survey 2 or 3 years later. The results of this assessment show that "there was an average 24% increase in the number of students who scored 30 points or greater on the follow-up assessment."

In their course work, students are required to demonstrate their Biblical knowledge through a comprehensive essay summarizing the entire course′s presentation of the Gospel. The three questions are: "Who is Jesus Christ?" "What was the purpose of His coming to earth?" and "What is true faith, according to the New Testament?" These primary truths are being taught to every student at Geneva College.

As a testament to the strength of our Biblical studies program at Geneva, leading seminaries are actively recruiting our graduates. Seminaries such as Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Covenant Seminary, Gordon-Conwell, and Westminster (East and West) have sought out our graduates. Geneva and the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary have developed a "3-3 Program" where select students may enter the Seminary after their Junior year at Geneva and have their first year at Seminary count as their Senior year at Geneva.

In addition to the academic courses provided at Geneva for Biblical studies, we also require students to attend a weekly chapel service. The theme for this year′s chapel services is based on the book Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller. Messages from chapel are available for you to listen to on our website.

Geneva is committed to providing not only a quality education to our students, but also presenting them with many opportunities to grow in their faith.

Dean Smith, Bible Dept. Chair and Chapel Coordinator