Around La Mirada, Biola is a big deal. However, once you travel beyond the greater Los Angeles area, the word “Biola” rarely means much to anyone. The occasional missionary will light up, but otherwise the name Biola falls in relative obscurity. This is a pity; Biola is a tremendous bastion of faith with wonderful doctrine situated in a major metropolis. The Center for Christian Thought allows Biola to impact the surrounding secular society and make waves in the greater academic world, increasing respect for our small-in-numbers, but great-in-message university.

If we can capture the attention of intellectual communities, we will gain more than respect for Biola — and we will bring glory to God. Biola should be known among academic institutions as a place for serious, intelligent thought — but unfortunately, the word “faith” is synonymous with “stupidity” for many people.

The establishment of the Center for Christian Thought asserts Biola’s mission of “biblically centered education, scholarship and service — equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.” While this new venture will inevitably bolster Biola’s voice and influence within the context of Christian higher education, it also intends to engage the student body in the very issues it aspires to address.

Far from being an obscure research facility with no effect on the learning of Biola students, the Center is a place where world-renowned Christian minds come together, with the lion’s share of the benefit going to Biola students. The product of their research will enrich our learning, advance our faith, and deepen our efforts towards biblical integration.

Expanding understanding of faith and culture

Two visiting scholars, Alvin Plantinga and Nicholas Wolterstorff, will deliver free lectures for the public during February. These giants of Christian thought exemplify the caliber of scholarship that the Center will make available for the student body. Wolterstorff is an emeritus philosophy professor at Yale University, while Plantinga is an emeritus professor at the University of Notre Dame and chair of philosophy at Calvin College. In addition to these two stellar scholars, eight research fellows will contribute to the Center and produce resources such as lectures, articles, books, videos and podcasts — providing for the Center a lasting and ever-increasing sphere of influence.

According to the Center’s mission statement, its goal is to provide “the broader culture with thoughtful and carefully articulated Christian perspectives on current events, ethical concerns, and social trends.” Students should avail themselves of the insight and intellect the Center offers; doing so will equip them to address and examine important social issues.

What’s more, the Center is not chapel. While chapel exists for spiritual development, events sponsored by the Center focus more on biblically integrated, intellectual advancement. It could be easy, especially with some of the Center’s visiting scholars speaking at chapel, to confuse the two. The distinction is important. As an institution that exists to cultivate the spirit and the mind, Biola’s new project offers access to the finest scholarship.

Beyond the gain in prestige, reputation and Christian intellectualism, these speakers effectively stretch understandings of faith and offer challenge on a deeper level than we might normally encounter. Attending these events is a privilege worth seizing.