Pepperdine

Pepperdine

Faith and academic excellence are often good characteristics that can be obtained in an institution of learning.  Many of the Ivy League American Universities were started by puritans with the foundation of Christian faith. Many of these institutions later neglected the aspect of Christian faith in order to accommodate an extensive atmosphere of learning. Nevertheless, there are institutions that have remained standing for the mission of the puritans who started them. Based on the Christian faith that these institutions have stood for, they have excelled in their pursuit for academic brilliance as well as maintaining their stand as institutions that stand strong for the Christian faith. One of the greatest Universities that have remained intact for the Christian faith is Pepperdine which has remained loyal to its mission statement. Through the example of Pepperdine, integration of faith in academics causes more reliable results to the student.

The major focus of Pepperdine University is the integration of faith with learning and living in accordance to the teachings and scholarship. Trough such a program, I am going to get several advantages in my pursuit for academic excellence and growth of my Christian faith. As a matter of fact, faith, heart and soul as well as the intellect are supposed to function synergistically in the process of empowering me in the different aspects of life. Therefore, through the program offered in Pepperdine, I get to be challenged towards viewing knowledge as a gift destined for service according to the biblical principles.

The empowerment that I am going to obtain through a program that recognizes the relevance of faith in the process of learning is immense. The life of service that usually awaits me in the society on completion of my course is imperative as it determines. The main advantage of this kind of learning is that I am going to acquire the ability to balance academic excellence with the biblical truth about faith. I will also get to know the spiritual life that leans on the principle of truth and escape from the fear that is often a stumbling block towards effective learning.

Through the integration of faith in the process of learning, I will acquire the skills to focus on the development of the mindset that is tuned towards service-learning that clarifies my center of attention throughout the whole process. In my pursuit of the knowledge which is meant to serve the community, my mind will be opened up to accommodate the fact that not only is God the author of truth but also that He is the author of all knowledge. Through this understanding, I will be in better position to wage a spiritual war with the sophisticated intellectual modern world by having an incisive mind (1 Peter 3:15b).

The relevance of developing my mind just like the heart and soul are the major reasons triggering me to enroll in Pepperdine. My training is aimed at nourishing the mind in order to gain more insight about the Word of God eventually growing in my faith. In deed, the community counts on me as a knowledgeable person to render my services in accordance to the purposes of God; this knowledge can only be found in Pepperdine. Therefore the emphasis on the integration of Faith in the pursuit of academic excellence as seen in Pepperdine will be highly beneficial to me in my future life of service. The knowledge I am going to acquire in Pepperdine will therefore open up my mind to comprehend the will of God concerning my service to others. As a result, I will be able to shun any untrue principle that does not conform to the Word of God (Romans 12: 2).

References:

American Scientific Affiliation, (2009), Perspectives on science and Christian faith: journal of the American Scientific, The Affiliation Pub

Anonymous, (2008), Religious and theological abstracts, Volume 42, Religious and Theological Abstracts, Inc.

Dockery, D., (2008), Renewing Minds: Serving Church and Society Through Christian Higher Education, B&H Publishing Group.

Evans, C.T. & Littlejohn, R., (2006), Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning, Crossway Books.

Guthrie, D. & Noftzger, R., (2008), Agendas for church-related colleges and universities, Jossey-Bass.

Harris, R., (2000), The Integration of Faith and Learning, VirtualSalt Press. Retrieved on Wednesday, October 07, 2009. From http://www.virtualsalt.com/integrat.htm

Koenig, G.H., (2005), Faith and mental health: religious resources for healing, Templeton Foundation Press.

Littlefield, C., (2008), Deeply Anchored: Pepperdine’s Dual Commitment to academic excellence And Christian faith questionable, Harvard University Press

O’Grady, C., (2000), Integrating service learning and multicultural education in colleges and universities, Routledge

Woude, J.V., (2008), The relationship between the Christian faith and Learning, Calvin College Press. Retrieved on Wednesday, October 07, 2009. From, http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/faculty/faith/jvw.htm