Building a Strong Foundation: The Impact of Biblical Education at Concordia

“A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education” -Theodore Roosevelt

As a Christian University, rooted in the confessional Lutheran faith, I love that Concordia University Texas requires each of our students to take three classes on Biblical foundations: Old Testament, New Testament, and an additional class of one’s choosing or related to one’s major. The past few years I’ve had the opportunity to teach Old Testament, which I love because of the richness of the stories, the complex fallen nature of the people, the glimpses of Jesus throughout, and the constant perseverance and patience of God. However, I’m always nervous at how this ancient text will be received by the students, especially those who have little, to no, background in Christianity. However, as a University who believes in access for all through our ABIDE initiative, a solid Biblical foundation helps give all our students access to this wonderful book.

At the beginning of each semester, we start with an anonymous poll asking one simple question: How well do you feel you know the Old Testament? The first time I did this, the results surprised me. About 35 percent knew it very well, to somewhat well, and the other 65 percent had little, to no, experience with the Bible. This is where I experienced a mild panic. How do I go about teaching a subject where some know the topic extensively well, and some have absolutely no point of reference? I have always liked challenges, and as a former church worker who worked in youth ministry where often times youth didn’t want to be there, this seemed like a fun challenge.

During that first class of the semester, we also start by reading through the first few chapters of Genesis and then open it up for discussion. It’s always fun to see what questions, insights, and ways they relate to the first humans and to their own humanity. This seems to set the pace of the semester as we come back to a few questions each time we read through the ancient stories of God’s people: What does this say about God? What does this say about humanity? And, why do you think this story was included in the overall narrative of God’s story? It’s fascinating to hear them engage and reflect.

At the end of the semester, I have the students meet with me in my office in small groups of three to verbally process what they most took away from the Old Testament. It’s fun to hear what they learned, and for the most part, to hear how they have a new appreciation for this text. For those who had no idea who or what was in the Old Testament, they verbalize how they love that the stories aren’t about people who have it all together, but rather, about broken people who they can relate to. For those who came knowing most of the stories, what I most hear is how they have gained an understanding for how the stories fit together in God’s overall plan of salvation. Each student seems to take away something new each semester, which is why I love that Concordia requires these courses on the Bible- students get to gain accessibility to these ancient texts. Because of this, we can truly be a liberal arts university, where all knowledge is on the table, and students, with the faculty, can wrestle with how it all fits together.

I want to leave you with some anonymous comments from their course evaluations. Comments like these are why I am thankful Concordia exists and requires courses like these, so all can hear the good news of Jesus and see how he has been working through all of history.