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Both the curriculum and the community life at CIU are intentionally designed to stimulate a dynamic context in which each
student is assisted and encouraged to pursue the following institutional goals:
•
Know
Christ
by learning submission to His lordship and dependence on the Holy Spirit, thus making progress in
conforming to His image
•
Know the
Word
by gaining mastery of its content and understanding of its meaning, by assimilating and applying its
truth, and by developing skill in the use of study tools
•
Know
oneself
by an increasing awareness of spiritual gifts, personality types, and personal potential
•
Know
people
by becoming sensitive to their needs and the contexts in which they live, improving communication with
them, no matter their cultures
•
Know the
skills
required in a particular area of ministry. By “ministry” CIU consciously and intentionally includes
those who are called by God to minister in and through professional disciplines — whether in communication,
education, psychology or other professional disciplines where training programs are being developed.
In addition to the faculty, the university provides resources for learning and curricular guidance necessary for progress
toward these goals. CIU expects students to be active participants in the spiritual, academic, social, and physical dimensions of
college life. As they do, they come “to know Him” better and are able “to make Him known” more effectively. We believe God’s
purpose for CIU institutionally and for its faculty and students individually is achieved only by the supernatural work of the
Holy Spirit through yielded believers.
P
H I L O S O P H Y O F
E
D U C A T I O N
&
D
O C T R I N A L
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O M M I T M E N T S
Overview
The educational philosophy of Columbia International University is derived from two essential goals:
Personal Goal
: We desire growth in personality, character, spiritual maturity, and knowledge. At CIU, our objective
experientially is to know God and become increasingly like His Son, Jesus Christ. To become like Christ implies that we
know who He is. Our knowledge of Christ has two dimensions: to know all we may know about Him cognitively and to
know Him in intimate relationship experientially.
Vocational Goal
: We design professional programs to enable students to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives. We prepare
students for various vocational responsibilities, whether they serve God in their home countries or in a cross-cultural
setting. We also understand that vocational responsibility must come with a balance of home, church, and other
community responsibilities. Fulfilling one’s responsibilities in a godly, balanced way is our reasonable service.
Educational Triad
We often describe our educational process at CIU as an educational triad — three educational components come together to
provide balanced education. The first component is academic excellence with the Bible at the core. This component focuses on
content and may be characterized by educating one’s “head.” The second component focuses on character and may be
characterized by educating one’s “heart,” the component by which students grow in maturity in Christ. The third component is
ministry skill development (or experiential education) in which students systematically practice skills related to personal and
vocational goals in the community away from the classroom. This component focuses on competence and may be
characterized by educating one’s “hands.”
Doctrinal Standard
The teaching at Columbia International University is based on the great fundamentals of the Christian faith, all of which center
in the person of Jesus Christ, our crucified, risen, and glorified Savior and Lord. The following, together with other Christian
principles of doctrine and practice (including the affirmation of the full trustworthiness of Scripture which, in its original
writing, was verbally inspired and without error) shall be the basis of the faith and doctrine of CIU:
1.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, the written record of His supernatural revelation of Himself to man, absolute in
its authority, complete in its revelation, final in its content, and without any errors in its teachings.
2.
All men in their natural state are lost, alienated from God, spiritually dead: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God” (Rom. 3:23).
3.
Salvation is only by grace, a free gift of God, through faith in the Lord Jesus, who died for our sins according to the
Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3). Those who thus receive Christ by faith have their sins forgiven (Eph. 1:7) and their hearts
cleansed (Acts 15:9), are born of the Spirit, become children of God (Jn. 1:12-13), and are made new creatures in
Christ (II Cor. 5:17).
4.
God is one God, who reveals Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ, as the Scriptures
affirm, is the Son of God and Son of man. He was born of a virgin and is Himself very God. The Scriptures also declare
the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit.
6│ Columbia International University
Introduction