Old Classes Never Die

April 8th, 2010 by Jamie Knowles

Have you ever had a class that talked about things you thought you would forget about, but you thought back on it after the class was over? It’s second semester, and today I started thinking about the American Literature class I took last semester.

We had been reading a good number of works from Nathanial Hawthorne, such as “The Blithdale Romance,” and “The Minister’s Black Veil”.

Most of Hawthorne’s writing is about sin and, more specifically, secret sin. Like in “The Minister’s Black Veil,” we all wear invisible veils that hide the sin within. We think because others do not know about this sin, no one knows. We forget there is one that will always know – one that will see beyond the veil that we put on in hopes no one will find out.

I never thought Literature would impact me as much as it did this year. The class has challenged me to think deep and more biblically than I could ever imagine. My teacher, Dr. Hicks, challenged my thought process almost to the extreme, and I loved it.

It is my hope you to will find a class that will challenge your thinking in ways you could never imagine just as I did.

Have a wonderful unveiled day,

Jamie ~ Proverbs 14:15

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Classes, Professors | No Comments »

 

Conversation

February 24th, 2010 by Jamie Knowles

I just got out of my Theology IV class and it was a blast.  A discussion started at the end of class – about the different roles between genders, in the home and in the church that got several people involved. It was quite interesting and the conversation took a little longer than Dr. Cragoe had expected, but he would rather have us get involved than to just sit and listen.

It never ceases to amaze me the conversations that pop up in the classrooms at BBC.  When I came here I expected to be sitting in lectures all day long.  I am so glad I was wrong.  As people we learn so much more through discussion, don’t we?  A lot of times during lectures we “tune out” what is being said, or we just take in the information without really thinking about it.  It’s through discussions that real life situations come up and real life solutions are given in a practical understandable way. 

It’s also encouraging to hear the discussions continuing even after classes are over. We as students can talk to each other without the feeling of being attacked by our fellow students for our views even with those that do not hold the same position.  A lot of times, through talking we learn even more than what was taught in the classroom and more about each other.

I encourage you to find people that you can talk to about life and the Bible.  And I would encourage you to talk to people that might not agree with you on every position.  You might learn something new or it might affirm what you already believe.  

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Classes | No Comments »

 

TMI

January 25th, 2010 by Dan Nichols

“TMI” emerged a few years ago as the standard abbreviation to use when social situations got a little too awkward. The letters stood for “too much information,” and if you were with people who knew what it meant – it became extremely advantageous.  

The brilliance was that you could just throw the letters “TMI” out there whenever someone divulged too much of their personal life in public. The awkward situation would then be acknowledged by everyone, and the atmosphere would lighten up considerably. This past week I’ve been thinking “TMI” over and over again, but not within the awkward social spectrum. I experienced the last finals week of my college career last semester, and it felt like I received too much information.

Knowledge is a funky thing. The more you get – the more you need. When you think you’ve found more – you actually find you don’t have much to begin with in the first place. When you need it, you don’t have enough of it. When you actually feel like you have enough, you don’t need it.

If you don’t believe me, just come to college.

Information abounds at college. The library has an infinite amount of books, magazines, online articles, and reference material where knowledge excitedly runs wild. Professors interact with you daily throughout the week with degrees and life experience that should humble any freshman. Classes consume your schedule with assignments, projects, tests, quizzes, questions, answers, data, numbers, graphs, labs, charts, statistics… It seems like an endless cycle.

And then finals week rolls around.

An entire semester of “all the above” is boiled down to one solitary test (or project – depending on which class you have). There is too much information to work with in just one test or project. Professors try to make it work, and they do the best they can. But no professor would sincerely boast that they can comprehensively boil the entire semester into one final.
So what’s our response to a finals week with too much information?

We are…

1) Responsible to work hard – because our God calls us to do that (Col.3:23).

2) To be thankful that our God embodies ALL wisdom and knowledge (Job 21:22).

3) Trusting that God will give us wisdom as we need it (James 1:5).

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Campus Life | No Comments »

 

Professor Forgives Classroom ADD

January 25th, 2010 by Dan Nichols

What typically happens when your teacher catches you goofing off in class? In most cases your teacher will either throw a very long glare from the front of the classroom or call you out  in the middle of the lecture. Normally you wouldn’t expect your teacher to take you out for lunch after you’ve been goofing off during the lecture.

Mine did.

Greek III is the kind of class where you start to delve into the more minute details of language study, and during one particular class hour I started to move into “ADD” mode. I don’t usually have an attention deficit, but once we started talking about “aspect” and “aktionsart” in relation to the Greek verb – my attention plummeted. This sudden plunge of attention to Dr. Decker’s lecture eventually culminated in reaching for my iTouch during the lecture (again, not characteristic for me at all).

My Greek professor Dr. Rodney J. Decker is a genius. You can find his Greek textbooks on Amazon.com. He knows Macbooks better than anyone I know. He wrote his doctoral dissertation for D.A. Carson, one of the top theological scholars in America today. And he can also spot a student using his iTouch during his lectures.

Dr. Decker calmly said my name once. I looked up sheepishly, and put my iTouch back in my pocket. Dr. Decker said no more about the incident until a few days later. I was hanging out with a friend of mine in the dorm one night when I got a new e-mail in my inbox. The sender line said “Rod Decker,” and I thought that I was about to receive a polite but firm e-mail of positive reprimand. This was not the case.

Instead, Dr. Decker told me how uncharacteristic it was for me to not pay attention in class. He asked if there was anything wrong and offered for me to reply with any questions I might have – which I did. I was honest with him and told him that I had been struggling to understand why an M.Div. degree was considered profitable for pastors. I didn’t quite understand. His response was an invitation to lunch that following Wednesday.

Dr. Decker took me out to Quizno’s and answered my questions. He asked me what God was doing in my life and what I perceived to be my future in ministry. That was how I was rewarded for goofing off in class, something I never plan on doing again… maybe.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Classes, Professors | No Comments »

 

Learning from the Past

January 22nd, 2010 by Jamie Knowles

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.  ~ George Santayana, The Life of Reason, Volume 1, 1905, US (Spanish-born) philosopher (1863 – 1952)

This year I am taking American History II.  My teacher Miss Cagley is one of the reasons I love history so much.  Honestly!  For me history is one of the greatest subjects that one could ever learn.  If we did not have our past, we would not know where to go from here.  The past is the starting point of the decisions that will be made in the present.

Now some think that they cannot learn anything from History.  I disagree.  History is filled with advancements and with failures that we can learn from.  One of the biggest and funniest lessons to be learned from history is to never try a land invasion of Russia.  Okay you might think well duh of course, but think of how many times it has been tried.

Napoleon. Hitler.  Both tried.  Both failed.  Miserably I might add. 

However, my point is no matter how silly it may seem we can learn from history.  If we do not glance back every once in a while how will we know not to make the same mistakes?

I encourage you to get into history and find something new that you can take with you in the present.  For me?  Well let’s just say that my lesson from history is there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9- “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

Tags: , ,
Posted in Classes, Professors | No Comments »

 

Putting Knowledge to Work

January 21st, 2010 by Jamie Knowles

The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.  ~ Herbert Spencer

English philosopher (1820 – 1903)

How true is that quote?  In my opinion, it is exactly right.  The reason why I am here is not just so I can learn all that there is, but I am here so that I may learn how to take that information and put it into action.

What good is knowledge if we do not know how to use it and what good is it if we know how to use it but don’t.  That is why I love my professors here at BBC.  They are first giving me knowledge then they teach me how to use that knowledge.  Moreover, they even go as far as giving me opportunities to use what I have learned.

My Theology class this year is the perfect example.  I am taking Theology IV with Dr. Cragoe and his wife.  I just love the class.  Today we looked deeper into Baptist distinctives and as the class progressed, he gave us examples of other churches’ standings on the Bible and how church is to run.  He then asked us to look for the differences and for the Biblical inaccuracies of the statements.

This will help me in the future as I search for a church to settle down in or even how to communicate the Gospel to someone who wants no part of it.  This knowledge will also help me in every aspect of my life, but only if I actually use it.

Training men and women to put into action what they know – that’s BBC.  That’s one of the many reasons that I love it here.

Is there a class that actually challenges you to use the knowledge you have?  Better yet, do you take up the challenge when it arrives?

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Classes, Professors | No Comments »