Candidates to professorial posts are usually required to supply a “philosophy of teaching.” Such a document outlines candidates’ fundamental thinking about their goals for teaching and how that works itself out in the classroom. However, for those seeking to serve in a theological confessional setting, is it not fundamentally more important to ascertain candidates’ “theology of teaching” even before one asks for their philosophy of teaching? A theology of teaching should seek to answer, at the very least, the following questions: On what biblical and theological grounds is theological teaching even possible? What are the goals and anticipated outcomes of teaching? How does this all relate to the mission of the church?

This article represents a departure from the normal pattern of a journal in that it purports to offer limited research findings, statistical reports, citation documentation, or academic analysis. Rather, it reflects the views of a veteran higher education administrator who has spent more than 37 years of his life in Christ-centered higher education. The article examines the significant changes that are taking place in the church and in education and the implications for institutions of biblical higher education and their leaders. The paper is divided into three sections: (1) past commitments, (2) present realities, and (3) future considerations.

The application of biblical principles to the theory and practice of education is beset with difficulties. One of the most obvious of these is the problem that occurs whenever we seek to understand how the Bible speaks into present-day issues; our respective cultures – and their educational requirements – are very different, and moving from one context to the other can be challenging.

ABHE’s collective understanding regarding the essence of our educational approach has become crystallized in terms of the following four concepts:  biblical, transformational, experiential, and missional. In my previous post, I asserted that when we describe education as biblical we mean that we engage intentionally and pervasively in education that involves extensive and serious study of the text of God’s eternal Word based on our conviction that the Bible is infallible, essential, authoritative, and understandable.

What criteria should guide biblical higher education leaders in faculty selection? Virtually all postsecondary accreditation standards stipulate that, as a minimum, instructors must have earned accredited degrees at least one level above the level at which they teach. Thus, instructors teaching at the baccalaureate level must have completed at least a master’s degree, including specified minimum course work in the subject area of instruction. This standard is one of three primary means of assuring that the actual level of instruction is indeed the level purported. Although there are justifiable exceptions to this standard, in my experience biblical higher education institutions often have been far too ready to sacrifice this norm on the altar of expediency.

Biblical higher education has a differentiation problem. Despite our efforts to establish a distinctive identity for Bible colleges or, as some prefer, institutions of biblical higher education, the research makes it clear that the presence and particularity of our sector is largely invisible and, in any case, indistinguishable from other sectors of Christian higher education. In my judgment, our way forward is to concentrate less on distinguishing ourselves from other sectors of Christian higher education and instead seek to distinguish ourselves among the variety of players that comprise North America’s Christian higher education landscape. Simply put, we have work to do on branding. What is our essential promise to students and parents?

You might say ABHE has come to a fork in the road as we cross the threshold into our 8th decade of existence. For more than two years, ABHE’s executive leadership team, Commission on Accreditation, and Board of Directors have been discussing strategic challenges and opportunities and their implications for the nature and composition of our Association in the days ahead. At their October 29-30, 2017 meetings, the Board and COA officers voted to recommend Delegate Assembly adoption of substantial Constitution and Bylaws changes to enable these strategic proposals. The proposals have been communicated to and thoughtfully discussed among our members in a series of regional Town Hall gatherings during December 2017 and January 2018. We stand on the threshold of a historic vote to adopt these proposals at our February 23, 2018 Delegate Assembly gathering.

This article examines the significant changes that are taking place in the church and in the larger society in the twenty-first century and their implications for theological education. Three key questions are addressed in an attempt to engage the theological education community in this reflective process: (1) How can we gain insight into tomorrow’s opportunities? (2) What will be the nature of our competition and how may it be different? (3) How can we energize our institutions to fulfill their mission in challenging times of change such as these?