College of Theology

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.

No one should have to choose between faith and science. “Faith is a starting point for knowledge, not the end of the search to understand all that God has done. One who believes wholeheartedly in God can also conduct amazing research projects in ways that enable us to better understand who He is and how He created,” said Dr. Jason Hiles, GCU’s Dean of the College of Theology, who was part of this weekend’s Conference on Faith and Science. Scholars at the two-day conference on GCU’s campus spoke about everything from intelligent design and discoveries in science that point to an intelligent designer, to ethical aspects on new technologies.

College of Theology instructor Dr. Amanda Jenkins has an interesting specialty that doesn’t seem to come up that often — beauty as it relates to theology. Her work on the topic has been published and also has been featured at national and regional conferences. But she also is attracted to a lot of other interests and activities.

There was a time, not that long ago, when Spiritual Life leaders weren’t sure if enough students would attend two worship services, Chapel and The Gathering. But worship on campus has grown so much, last fall The Gathering had to be expanded to two services on Tuesday nights just to accommodate all the people who wanted to attend. Reprinted from the February issue of GCU Magazine.