Pictured above: Dr. Troy Matthews — John W. Rawlings School of Divinity
Teaching a Christian worldview in every classroom
A core characteristic of a Liberty University education is the biblical worldview through which every course is taught. The philosophy of gaining knowledge by understanding the world through God’s Word and teaching and learning to live in His truth has been present at Liberty since its founding in 1971. The newly created Center for Biblical Integration is ensuring that all schools and departments remain on mission as they point to God’s presence in every vocation and Train Champions for Christ.
The Center for Biblical Integration exists to support and enhance the Christ-centered teaching already present across all elements of classroom learning — from lectures to course announcements, assignment feedback, and presentations — nurturing both spiritual and academic growth. All new residential and online faculty receive training in biblical worldview integration in order to teach courses through the lens of Scripture.
“Our dedicated faculty are already exemplifying the Lord in the classroom every day, but through this center we are showing how the biblical worldview that is a Liberty signature can be deepened and further refined,” said Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Scott Hicks. “Wherever our students are coming from, whether a public, private, or homeschool education, we desire for them to grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and Savior first and carry that with them into their professional lives as Liberty graduates.”
Nirva Ready — School of Music
Dr. Mark Eckel is the center’s executive director. He brings over 40 years of experience in Christian education, from junior high to doctoral courses.
Eckel explained that God is found in every discipline and profession and that the purpose of the center is to help faculty shine a light on this truth in their classes.
“In any field of study, you have to ask yourself what synthesizes that discipline with Scripture,” he said. “It’s seeing the wholeness of your discipline from a biblical vantage point. When students leave their classrooms, they need to be able to say, ‘I actually have a basis for my faith that helps me to understand it, and there are permeating principles that run through everything.’ They can pick any kind of discipline and then see how those disciplines are woven with Scripture.”
He said it’s also important for students to learn how to discern the Christian worldview from opposing perspectives, allowing them to be like the Berean Jews in the book of Acts who verified what they heard from the Apostle Paul with Scripture.
Dr. Lindsey Stevenson — Department of Biology & Chemistry
“My goal is to help young people to think differently about the world than the narratives that are fed to them on a regular basis. When I was teaching in high school settings, I was always introducing my students to ideas and thoughts and people that were antithetical or opposed to the Christian view so they could compare and contrast. We want to make sure they learn how to think, and we want to teach them how to be Bereans who go find out for themselves, but we give them direction too.”
The college years are a time of personal growth and questioning as students become more independent from their families and upbringings. They make decisions about what they believe, what they are passionate about, and where they want those decisions to take them. Because of this, Eckel said it is essential for Liberty students to learn how to take ownership over their faith.
“You need to be able to prove, or give evidence for, whatever it is that you say you believe in. Students need to learn at every level how what they believe is different and know why they believe what they believe, especially in the teenage (and early 20s) years, because everybody’s always asking them that question.”
Dr. Kevin Conner — Department of Psychology
The concept for the center was developed by Liberty President Dondi E. Costin in December 2023 as a way to further support, clarify, and steward Liberty’s longstanding commitment to biblical worldview education. Rather than introducing a new direction, the center provides structure and shared resources that reinforce a foundation that has defined Liberty since its inception.
The resources and training models can be requested by schools, departments, and individual faculty. One resource is The Christian Professors Project, an ongoing effort to compile more than 30 videos focusing on major topics like the image of God and being image-bearers, research and interdisciplinarity (collaboration across academic programs), the difference between eternal and temporal treasures, and more. The videos will feature views and advice from Christian professors across the country and around the world.
As the center was developed, so was an interdisciplinary committee of Liberty faculty who collaborate with the center to directly facilitate biblical integration
in coursework.
Dr. Bryan Malone — School of Business
“This center for biblical worldview integration and this committee are figuring out how glorifying God looks for every individual and collectively,” said Suzanne Caruso, committee chair and associate dean for assessment and online operations for Liberty University School of Law. “At its absolute core, the purpose of education here is about helping our fellow human beings, our students, learn about God and the purpose for which they’re created. We believe collectively that there is no separation between education and vocation and that there is no sacred/secular divide when we look at the world through the lens of God’s created order.”
She said an organized, focused approach to Christian education across the university will help students who are surrounded by a culture in America that is overcome by relativism and syncretism, where lines are blurred between what Scripture says and what the world says.
“Our students have been steeped in relativism, and we have to help them understand a more holistic framework with the Christian worldview,” Caruso said. “We want Liberty University to be an educational institution where, in every academic discipline, the authority of Scripture is presupposed, biblical principles are explained and clearly taught, and convictions relevant to all that God has revealed about Himself and His Creation are made plain within every academic experience.”
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Liberty University is a distinctively Christian academic community. As such, Liberty continues the philosophy of education which first gave rise to the university, and which is summarized in the following propositions.
God, the infinite source of all things, has shown us truth through Scripture, nature, history, and above all, in Christ.
Persons are spiritual, rational, moral, social, and physical, created in the image of God. They are, therefore, able to know and to value themselves and other persons, the universe, and God.
Education, as the process of teaching and learning, involves the whole person by developing the knowledge, values, and skills which enable each individual to change freely. Thus it occurs most effectively when both instructor and student are properly related to God and each other through Christ.
— Approved by the Liberty University Board of Trustees, April 16, 2021
