a few of these important Bible insti tute distinctives which have charac terized Biola: First of all, we are a Christian institution established for the educa tion of Christians. By that we mean that administrators, faculty, and all personnel, as well as each and every student, are born-again believers. They have each had a real experience with the Lord. Furthermore, we adhere to the fundamental Biblical doctrines. We are clearly conservative and evangeli cal in our theological position. The first item in our statement of faith reads, “The Bible, consisting of all the books of the Old and New Testa ments, is the Word of God, a super- naturally given revelation from God Himself, concerning Himself, His be ing, nature, character, will and pur poses; and concerning man, his na ture, need, duty, and destiny. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testa ments are without error or misstate ment in their moral and spiritual teachings and record of historical facts. They are without error or de fect of any kind.” We also firmly believe that the Word of God should be both central and prominent in all courses of study. Although this is rather obvious in such areas as the seminary program and the Bible major at Biola, it is equally true of the liberal arts major in the College. Let me explain it in this way: Even though a student may major in psychology, he must still complete 30 units of Bible and doc trine. Actually, Biola College requires considerably more Bible than a mere token course now and then to supple ment the major. Finally, each student is required to participate actively in Christian service, prayerfully considering how he might best serve the Lord after graduation. These representative distinctives of the Institute movement play a vital part in the lives of all of our stu dents. In essence, it means that a col lege such as Biola is more than just
another liberal arts college. It is a unique Christian College, blending the best of liberal arts education with the fundamentals which undergirded the historic Bible Institute of Los Ange les. In a similar vein, Talbot Theo logical Seminary is hardly just anoth er seminary. Its doctrinal position and emphasis upon the exposition of the Word of God distinctively sets it apart. To meet the increasing academic needs of young people coming to us for Christian education, there will be changes. Our basic objective is still the same, however, in preparing stu dents for effective service for our Lord. Graduates of Biola not only en ter the ministry at home and abroad, but also are witnessing for Christ in virtually all avenues of life. Because of the solid foundation they have re ceived at Biola, they are never just a school teacher, or just another busi nessman, or just another nurse. They are men and women who make a vital mark for Christ in their chosen pro fession, because they are not only sin cere Christians but are firmly rooted and grounded in the Word of God. Thus, despite healthy educational growth and expansion, the firm spir itual base upon which the original In stitute was built is today, and will continue to be, until Jesus comes, our foundation for Christian Education.
Dr. and Mrs. J. Richard Chase andtheirtwo chil dren take the spotlight this month from our Biola family files. Dr. Chase is Academic Vice President for Biola. Their children,Kenneth and Jennifer, ages 8 and 4.
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