Authority of Scripture Week at CIU

By Abbey Shoemaker
CIU Student Writer

CIU emphasized the Authority of Scripture - one of the school's five core values - with a week-long series of chapel messages delivered by selected faculty members.

The week began by recognizing CIU President Emeritus Robertson McQuilkin whose commitment to God's Word has strongly influenced the heart of the university. McQuilkin was honored in September with the Lifetime of Service Award by mission accrediting agency The Mission Exchange and CrossGlobal Link. That award included an oil painting of McQuilkin which was unveiled at the first Authority of Scripture chapel.

After McQuilkin's recognition, Dr. John Harvey, associate dean of the CIU Seminary, spoke on the inspiration of Scripture. In addition to explaining the process and product of inspiration, Harvey challenged students to consider the implications of inspiration. "The Authority of Scripture is one of CIU's core values," Harvey said, "but is it one of your core values? If it is, how do people know?"

On Wednesday, Dr. Bryan Beyer, seminary professor, delivered a message on the inerrancy of Scripture. After a careful examination on what inerrancy does and does not mean, Beyer urged the audience to lift up the Bible, not personal interpretations of the Bible.

The week closed with a unique message on the intimacy of Scripture given by the undergraduate and seminary professors of theology, Mr. Andre Rogers and Dr. Larry Dixon. Rogers and Dixon offered practical suggestions for cultivating lives of intimacy with the Lord, explained the difference between knowing God's Word for information and knowing it for transformation, and advised students to develop relationships with people who love God and are growing in their knowledge of His Word.

Rogers and Dixon's final exhortation, which comes from 2 Timothy 2:15, captured the overarching theme of the week - "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."