Category: Biblical and Religious Studies

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Spring Chapel: Dr. Schaefer

Grove City College’s Dr. Schaefer, one of many esteemed members of Biblical and Religious Studies (BARS), delivered the message at Chapel on March 23. The message was based on Psalm 40:1-10, and Hebrews 10:5-10. Because the content of chapels was something that appealed to me when considering admissions, and because it is what many students here consider a highlight of their experience, the “Spring Chapel” series will summarize several of these chapels and relay what I as a student see as the key takeaways.

The connection that Dr. Schaefer draws between these passages is that Hebrews is a quotation of Psalm 40. Psalm 40 seems initially like a normal psalm of thanksgiving, but it is actually a lamentation. It is an expression of a clear and present crisis that David is experiencing. As he experiences this, he remembers a time of rescue; the specific instance isn’t clear, but David is recalling a time that he experienced helplessness and hopelessness and God faithfully drew him up out of this pit.

Verses 4-5 show David recognizing that in the midst of life and myriad experiences, hope can only be found in the one living God. The “multiplied wonderful deeds” inspire David to show that hope is trusting.

Verses 6-8 should be read as telling of God’s desire that the people of God reflect on their relationship with Him. The language is strong “here I am” and “I have come,” signifying the “here I am, I have come to do your will,” mentality that God desires his people have. This was certainly David’s spirit in writing Psalm 40.

Verses 9-10 contain David’s proclamation of God’s deliverance. David makes this proclamation as a covenant person in the covenant assembly bringing forth witness testimony to God’s goodness. This highlights the importance of the proclamation of the word in verses 3, 5, 9, and 10. Faith comes by hearing the good news of God and his covenant mercies; just like David, we are to proclaim these mercies to one another because it is how we grow in union and communion.

Throughout the whole of Psalm 40, Dr. Schaefer pointed out that it is God’s magnificent splendor that calls His people together in worship. Worship is meant to be personal, but not kept private; God’s desire is for deeply felt, sincere, corporate worship.

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CCO’s Jubilee Conference 2019

Two summers ago, I interned with the company Coalition for Christian Outreach better known as CCO. CCO puts on Jubilee every winter which is a Christian conference held in Pittsburgh, where thousands of college students gather and learn how to worship God. The CCO has been putting on the Jubilee Conference for over 40 years now and every year it attracts more and more people. Jubilee’s main purpose is to “bring together college students to experience powerful worship, incredible speakers, and engaging topics that may impact our lives.”

Throughout the Jubilee weekend, students experience four large group gatherings that follow the Biblical narrative of the creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. For students, it is a good place to connect and meet people in their vocational field. Students can network to discover their next internship, learn how to continue their education and even plan for their future career. The CCO believes both faith and future are one in the same. This conference is unique in the fact that it is built around college students by trying to expose students to the Christian faith, but also help them plan for their futures in the post-college world. Jubilee gives students the opportunity to be part of a community, even if it is just for a weekend, which expands on the teachings of the Bible and our calling as Christians.

You can sign up for Jubilee online. Tickets went on sale Thursday, Oct. 4. The conference takes place on Feb. 22-24, 2019. Online, you can see the different deals that take place for students vs. non-students. You are able to purchase a conference pass, which is just for the events that take place, or a pass for four people and a hotel room for the weekend. The CCO blocks off rooms at a Pittsburgh hotel every year for anyone who is coming in from out of town or anyone who would like to be close to the conference for the weekend. It is a great offer and a great weekend for a group of friends or a family to join and learn more about God and what it means to be a Christian. I promise you, Jubilee will not let you down. Check out the link below to sign up and view promo videos of 2019’s Jubilee conference.

https://www.jubileeconference.com/

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Reel Life at Grove City College: A Chat with Dr. Schaefer, Religion Professor

In this episode of Reel Life, I got to meet and speak with a professor widely known and beloved here at Grove City College — Dr. Paul Schaefer.

Dr. Shaefer is a religion professor. He teaches everything from required humanities classes like Christianity and Civilization to upper level courses like Systematic Theology. Schaefer is known for being witty, energetic, knowledgeable, and most of all passionate about the subjects he teaches.

Today, I asked him four questions:

  1. What do you like most about students here at Grove City College?
  2. What is the most challenging part of your job?
  3. What inspires you to do what you do?
  4. What is your favorite part of your job?

Dr. Schaefer is truly a wonderful professor who cares about the students here and about his work. This episode of Reel Life shows you a bit of that. Enjoy!

Check out an interview I did with one of his students here.

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Major/ Minor Mix-Up: Biblical & Religious Studies, Communication Double Major with Computer Science Minor

Grove City College makes it really simple to pursue countless majors and minors. What is interesting is some of the major and minor combinations students choose. Some may be a little out of the ordinary, but they spark an interesting conversation. Rachel Kohnerger ’20 is one of those students with an interesting major/minor combination.

Rachel is a Biblical and Religious Studies and Communications double major with a minor in Computer Science (that’s a mouthful). When I reached out to students to see who has an interesting combination of a major and minor, Rachel caught my eye, so I decided to have a little chat with her and here is how it went:

Why did you choose Biblical and Religious Studies and Communication Studies as a double major?

Like a bunch of kids, I went to youth camps. One day they asked for anyone going into ministry to come up. At that point I decided that is something I want to do. Because of this, I looked into Christian colleges. I knew I wanted to get involved in spreading the gospel whether it was working with a mission agency or with Christian media.

A lot of BARS (Biblical and Religious Studies) major professors recommended a double major as the two compliment each other. The Communication Studies major is a support to the BARS major and it opened up opportunities with both majors.

What was the moment you knew your major was the right choice?

The very first assignment: A 15-page research paper in Contemporary American religion. We had to go to different churches and research the ways they worship and how it had an effect on age-group attendance… [after the project] it showed me that is was something I could do and something I enjoyed doing.

Computer Science and Biblical and Religious Studies? Why Computer Science?

Last year I took programming 1 for my math requirement with no expectations but I really ended up loving programming. There was room in my schedule to add it as a minor. With the direction I want to take it [academic career], I’ll take web design classes that compliment my Communications major.

What moment made you decide you loved Computer Science?

I had professor Al Moakar who is a very hands on teacher. It was the first time I created a program and ran it. It was so satisfying to see the program run and to see and understand how it worked.

Any advice for incoming freshmen that are debating what majors and minors they will pursue?

Don’t limit yourself! Its okay to get in and realize that you aren’t doing what you want to do for the rest of your life. Explore classes in other departments, not just your Gen Ed’s or HUMAs (General Education and Humanities courses). You never know. You may actually love it and decide to minor in it, like me.