We Are One
When the Christian church was scarcely聽twenty years old the apostle Paul asserted聽something in one of his letters that very聽few people in his time would have agreed聽with. In Galatians 3:28 Paul declared: 鈥淭here is neither Jew聽nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither聽male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.鈥� Greeks聽and Romans would have found such an assertion utterly聽laughable. Most Jewish leaders and teachers would have聽found it appalling and just plain false. After all, according聽to this thinking, God made a covenant with Israel鈥攏ot聽with Gentiles! Before his conversion Paul鈥攁t one time聽a Pharisee and a strict interpreter of the law of Moses聽wouldn鈥檛 have agreed with any of it either.
So where did Paul get these radical ideas? He got聽them from the risen Jesus whom he met on the road to聽Damascus, an encounter that changed his life and changed聽his thinking. He went from a man who believed that Jews聽were superior to Gentiles, that slaves were inferior to free聽people, and that women were less important than men.聽Jesus prayed that his disciples be 鈥渙ne,鈥� that is, unified聽(John 17:11, 22). Paul embraced this truth, declaring that in聽Jesus the Messiah, we 鈥渁re all one.鈥�
This is why it is so important for Houston Baptist University聽to become known as 抖阴入口, for in聽Christ, there is neither Baptist nor Presbyterian, neither聽Methodist nor Pentecostal, neither鈥擨 think you get the聽point. 抖阴入口 is open to all students聽who meet proper academic standards. All students are聽welcome. Denominational distinctions have their place, to聽be sure, but a Christian university is not a church. Houston聽Christian University is a community of learning, where聽everything is taught from a Christian perspective, where聽students鈥攚hatever religious convictions they may have鈥攁re welcome to become part of this community and to聽learn and grow within it. I have been part of this community聽of learning and discipleship for seven years and I have聽found it stimulating and refreshing. And one of the reasons聽for this is because faculty, staff, and students come from聽many denominations鈥攏ot just Baptist. Our hope is that in聽changing the University鈥檚 name more聽students will want to become part of聽this exciting community.
Dr. Craig A. Evans,聽John Bisagno Distinguished聽Professor of Christian Origins
A Legacy of Faith
As a recent past Chair of the Board of Trustees,聽it has been an honor to serve for the past nine聽years. I have seen God鈥檚 hand on this University聽and the leadership of Dr. Robert Sloan. With the聽recent name change, you can be assured that the Mission聽Statement, Scripture, Christian Worldview and the Ten聽Core Convictions are still in place for Houston Christian聽University. The name change is all that will be taking聽place and is more definitive of what is happening today聽in Christian higher education. We want to reach a broader聽base of future students who want to be educated at a聽university that upholds their core beliefs and principles.聽Parents can be assured that their children will be warmly聽welcomed, given good direction in the field they choose聽and will have excellent instructors.聽We are prepared to continue to be a聽light in the city of Houston, the state聽of Texas and the great United States of聽America. May revival start at HCU.
In His name,
Judy C. Graham
A Solid Foundation
Globalization is real. What used to take a day, now聽takes an hour, what used to take hours, is now realized聽in nanoseconds. Houston Baptist University was founded聽in a time of the onset of air-conditioned shopping malls,聽the early stages of America鈥檚 civil rights movement, and聽before man had placed his foot on the lunar surface. Yet,聽the same founding principle remains steadfast today, the聽University鈥檚 foundational pursuit of academia in a Christian聽environment.
The occasion of a name change, transcending聽from Houston Baptist University to Houston Christian聽University, though monumental in some respect, is聽simply a testament to the seventh pillar of the University鈥檚聽governing Ten Pillars, which states: 鈥淏ring Athens and聽Jerusalem Together鈥�. That is, recognize the collective聽environment we all operate in. But remain committed to聽a principled approach to education, learning from each聽other, and working together in community, in the nation,聽suspended in a universe, occupying the small speck of聽land we call 鈥淓arth鈥�.
As we march into new calendar years and decades,聽pursuing the constant journey into the future, we realize聽the shrinking nature of our life existence. As humans, as聽society, as a social experiment, we increasingly encounter聽each other due to globalization, are therefore more聽dependent on each other, and more aware of our diversity聽in cultures and understandings.
The one constant remains, Christ Jesus. And it is through聽that prism, that I, as an alum, though years removed from聽day-to-day campus existence, remain convinced that we聽can rely on the old adage 鈥淭he more things change, the聽more they will remain the same鈥� at my alma mater.聽This name change represents a proud and historic聽milepost in the history of the original Houston Baptist聽University. But a milepost nevertheless, to be traveled聽through and beyond as more minds are educated, more聽lives are influenced, and more standard-bearers in all聽fields of study are sent out.
Apostle Paul鈥檚 writing to the Galatian church was to聽address differences, detailing how the collective is always聽better than the individual. Houston聽Christian University is and will continue聽to be a proud and great experiment聽for delivering first-rate academia in an聽ever-expanding environment, built on聽the foundational belief in Christ.
Roy D. Jones 鈥�83,聽HCU Alumnus