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273 │ COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY 2017-2018 │ APPENDIX A
Philosophy of Undergraduate
Education
To fulfill personal and vocational goals, Columbia
International University offers a variety of academic
programs, with Bible as the core of each. To understand
the Bible it is necessary to know its content, understand
its meaning, and apply the truth of the Scripture so that it
changes patterns of thinking and behavior. Skill in
observing, interpreting, and applying God’s Word is
necessary. Bible surveys, book studies, topical Bible
studies (e.g. theology), and Bible-related subjects are
designed with these purposes in mind. To develop skill in
the use of the Bible, tools for study and communication
are learned and used in such courses as hermeneutics
and homiletics. However, to make Christ known in the full
sense of the word, it is necessary not only to study the
Bible and Bible-related subjects, but to know and
communicate well with the people to whom we make
Christ known.
As an institution of higher education, at least two relevant
reasons for studying general education are essential.
First, an important part of studying the various disciplines
in general education is to become the fully-formed,
creative, reasoning, social creatures that God designed
us to be. In doing so we enter into richer relationships with
God and others. The second vital reason to study general
education is to develop the ability to communicate Christ
effectively. By becoming well-formed, we will have
reasoning
skills,
worldview
understanding,
anthropological knowledge, and historical perspectives
that will enable us to reach others.
Undergraduate Objectives
The objectives of our undergraduate programs express
specific ways in which we endeavor to accomplish our
mission through helping students to develop in spiritual
maturity, Bible knowledge, ministry skills, and general
education. We take our mission and objectives seriously
and have taken care to state these objectives in terms that
facilitate assessment. We conduct specific assessment
activities each year and the results guide the institutional
planning process, enabling us to make improvements.
Focused on Spiritual Formation
*
Graduating students should demonstrate a growing
intimacy in their relationship with God, as evidenced in the
areas of worship, prayerfulness, and faith. Graduating
students should demonstrate a biblical understanding of
themselves rooted in Christ, as evidenced in the areas of
confidence, self-discipline, and stability. Graduating
students should demonstrate a growing relationship with
the body of Christ as evidenced in the areas of
community, unity, and submission. Graduating students
should demonstrate a growing maturity in personal
relationships as evidenced in the areas of purity,
faithfulness, and servanthood. Graduating students
should demonstrate a desire to serve God fully as they
engage the world as evidenced in the areas of eternal
perspective, conviction, and perseverance.
*The faculty recognizes that spiritual formation may be
defined in various ways. After careful consideration, in
2005 the faculty defined spiritual formation as: “The
divinely ordained transformational process by which the
Holy Spirit leads believers to embrace the Lord Jesus
Christ through the Word of God and by that relationship
become progressively freer from sin and more like Christ.
The Spirit’s formative work occurs in the context of a vital
engagement with a community of believers.”
Focused on Bible Knowledge
Graduating students should demonstrate basic
understanding of the content and composition of the
biblical revelation of God’s plan of salvation and program
of redemption, including a basic grasp of the content,
principles of interpretation, and theological teaching of the
Bible. Graduating students will demonstrate a thorough
understanding of the biblical standards, principles, and
provisions for Christ-like living.
Graduating students should demonstrate a basic grasp of
the biblical mandate for world evangelization and the role
and responsibility of each individual believer and local
church.
Focused on Professional Competencies and Ministry
Skills
Graduating students should evidence identification and
understanding of their spiritual gifts and abilities and
evidence ability to use them effectively in ministry.
Graduating students should evidence integration of the
cognitive aspects of learning with affective and behavioral
aspects by demonstrating competence in development of
ministry strategies, development and use of ministry
materials, and adequate skill in methods and media of
presentation appropriate to their individual academic
specialization and vocational goals.
Graduating students should demonstrate development in
and adequate reflection of traits and skills for spiritual
leadership such as commitment to the biblical priority of
world evangelization, personal involvement in
evangelizing the lost and promoting righteousness,
justice and mercy in society, dependability, creativity,
initiative, and vision, and a servant attitude in their
ministry skills and internship experiences.
Graduating students should demonstrate technical and
human service skills by completing internships or other
forms of direct service under professional supervision in
their programs.
Focused on General Education
Graduating students should evidence development in
formation of a biblical worldview, which provides a
framework for interpreting, integrating, and assimilating
truth from various realms of revelation and human inquiry.
Graduating students should demonstrate improved
achievement and proficiency parallel to that of students of