College of Theology

The College of Theology’s Barnabas Pastoral Program, which begins in the fall semester, quickly has caught on with students who felt a nudge from God to become a pastor. There’s a consistency to their stories that proclaims God’s power to speak through them when they least expected it.

Alexander Manire never thought that his attempt to prove the Bible wrong would result in his conversion to Christianity, nor did he know that it would turn him into a Christian author. Now, with multiple books published under the pen name Chris F. Walker, Manire has taken on a new journey: the path to his GCU degree in Christian Worldview.

Christian Worldview 101 often inspires students, and now they have another class that could expand their faith. Beginning with the fall semester, Christian Life: The Way of Jesus will help them apply their faith to their career. “I think it will be good for students in any program,” said Brett Berger, part of the three-man committee that crafted the CWV 316 curriculum.

A lot happened at GCU near the end of the 2019-20 academic year, but nothing could come close to the significance of COVID-19 forcing students off campus in March. Athletics also felt the brunt of the pandemic with the WAC Basketball Tournament and spring sports being canceled, but the hirings of new basketball coaches Bryce Drew and Molly Miller made for a promising future.

From remote graduation parties to a graduation ceremony on Zoom to a social-distance-minded graduation dinner al fresco from a parking lot across from a Texas Roadhouse, GCU’s Lopes found a way to celebrate even though they couldn’t be together on campus for Commencement.

Theresa Killingsworth, Principal of Westwood Elementary School and a 2008 GCU graduate, never expected to be inducted into the GCU Hall of Fame. But Dr. Kimberly LaPrade, Dean of the College of Education, said the honor is richly deserved. Killingsworth’s guiding hand has been key to Westwood becoming a GCU Academic Excellence site.

There WAS a Chapel service Monday morning — one in line with the “new normal” of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the usual service in GCU Arena, it was recorded on campus and made available digitally. Here’s a look at what the Spiritual Life staff and Worship Arts students are doing these days to help people keep the faith.

Dr. Christian Wilder, an Online Full Time Faculty member for the College of Theology, has an innovative way of making online students feel more connected to the campus. He also some interesting thoughts about the Old Testament.

The Homecoming festivities wouldn’t be complete without the induction of some very special Lopes into the GCU Hall of Fame, scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday in the GCU Arena Hall. Making a difference in the lives of future generations was a common theme for this year’s group of inductees, professionals who have spent their careers doing just that.

Producer/director Michael Matheson Miller wanted to critique the big business of the poverty industry in his award-winning documentary, “Poverty, Inc.,” which ponders the question of who really benefits from all the humanitarian aid and “social engineering” — the new, politically correct word for poverty — directed at poverty-stricken areas of the world. The film was screened on campus Wednesday, and Dr. Jason Hiles, Dean of Theology, says he hopes the screening will start a conversation on campus about how we engage in our work in the community and in charitable causes.