Heritage
From its inception, the University has been a distinctively Christian and Baptist institution in terms of world view and ideological commitments. A Christian world view, which is grounded in the Old and New Testaments, is the belief that: God is creator and sustainer of the universe, and the ultimate source of all truth, beauty, and moral value wherever they are found.
God both judges and redeems humanity, thereby inviting men and women to define their relationship with Him, with fellow human beings across the globe, and with history.
All people are to be treated with respect since they have been created in the image of God and have innate worth. Human beings have sufficient capacity and freedom of will to develop their physical, social, psychological, and spiritual well-being.
Christians are to be change agents in society, sharing the Christian message and lifestyle, in that persons are responsible for their relationship with God, with fellow human beings, and with their environment. Christians must exercise responsible citizenship.
The cornerstone of Baptist tradition is the conviction, based upon biblical principles, that each person has freedom of conscience before both God and man. The implications of this tradition for Baptist higher education are the:
- acknowledgement of God as the ultimate source of all knowledge and truth.
- commitment to scholarly endeavor under God.
- desire for open inquiry and responsible scholarship, and the freedom to promote the results of this scholarship.
- freedom of others to hold and to promote contrary scholarly views