The undergraduate experience encompasses the whole person, developing biblical wisdom that is applied to every academic discipline and detail of life. Christian higher education far exceeds the acquisition of intellectual knowledge. A distinctive Christian higher education promotes comprehensive Christian life within a believing community to harmonize what a student is learning inside the classroom to what the student lives outside the classroom.
The Master's College emphasizes four fundamental biblical principles that promote a student’s comprehensive spiritual development. These “Distinctives” flow out of the college's mission statement and influence all our strategies and programs. The “Distinctives” are not an exhaustive list of dynamics relating to the Christian life, rather they are select, interrelated, principles, which compose the essential philosophy of how The Master's College encourages students to live and develop distinctively biblical lives during their college years and beyond. These “Distinctives” are as follows:
These Distintives are individually defined by several interrelated biblical principles. The collective result is a framework for developing a distinctively Christian life. A review of these biblical truths will inform how the policies and procedures of Student Life are shaped.
Every expression and pursuit of the Christian life (renewing of the mind, prayer, worship, sanctification, evangelism, etc.) is empowered and experienced from Him, to Him, and through Him. We view spiritual development under the direct oversight of Divine authority. The Distinctive of DIVINE AUTHORITY is defined by the interrelated biblical principles of SOVEREIGN LORDSHIP, SUFFICIENT WORD, and SUBMISSIVE DEPENDANCY.
A superficial change in external behavior is not the authenticating mark of a distinctively biblical life. The Master's College desires to see genuine change in the student’s life that is sustainably rooted in the transformation of his or her intellect, affections, and resolve. By focusing on what the Bible describes as the heart, we can confidently exhort and encourage a student's comprehensive development without reverting to legalistic methodologies. The Distinctive of HEART TRANSFORMATION is defined by the interrelated biblical principles of LIFESTYLE OF WORSHIP, POSTURE OF REPENTANCE, and CONTINUUM OF LOVE.
Relationships are the context by which a student's distinctively biblical life is cultivated and experienced. 11We reject hyper individualism and promote a sanctified pursuit of friendships that are committed to mortifying sin while seeking personal holiness in everyday life. The Distinctive of SANCTIFYING RELATIONSHIPS is defined by the interrelated biblical principles of BELONGING TOGETHER, INTER-PERSONAL DISCIPLESHIP, and CONFRONTATION-RESTORATION.
A distinctively biblical life has the primary purpose of reflecting and magnifying the redemptive work of Christ to the world. It is the responsibility of every believer to steward the truth of the Gospel in both word and deed. This commitment postures every student to proclaim the Truth to their generation within the context of God’s unfolding plan of redemption. The Distinctive of GOSPEL WITNESS is defined by the interrelated biblical principles of SERVANTHOOD, LOCAL CHURCH, and GLOBAL MISSION.
The Distinctives become a lens that illuminates everything that happens at Master’s. There is an expectation that our students desire to grow as a Christian. We are confident that a when an individual develops in their understanding and commitment to the Distinctives they will yield a foundational biblical framework to live a distinctively Christian life during their college years and beyond.