Going from a public high school to Truett McConnell University (TMU) meant the difference between sifting what I was being taught to determine truth from theories and being taught according to my beliefs in the Bible and viewing creation from a Christian perspective.
The Christian perspective of creation is not even discussed in public schools, instead Darwin’s theories and aspects of evolution that cannot be proven are taught to students as true facts, not as optional explanations of our world’s existence and changing patterns. I had to learn growing up that not everything my teachers taught was actually true.
While this helped me to further investigate things for myself rather than take everything anyone says as truth, I knew that I wanted to be in an environment of like-minded people who believe in the same God as I do, and could help me go deeper in my faith through academic studies.
Devotional Biology
My biology class with Mr. Tom Hennigan, TMU’s Associate Professor of Ecology and Organism Biology (pictured at top), helped me realize the education I signed up for was exactly what I needed in order to articulate to others exactly what I believe and how to explain the information.
The textbook, “Devotional Biology”, was written by our own Dr. Wise, Professor of Biology. It is equally academic and spiritual referencing scripture as it relates to each topic we studied. For someone who was homeschooled or went to Christian school before TMU, this may not have been such a change, but for me, I could now enjoy my assignments and engage more in lectures and discussions knowing my perspective was not an outlier.
Discussing Noah’s ark and questions such as “How did two of every single animal fit on that boat?” helped me think and find logical answers that are supported by science and are not contrary to God’s Word. We discussed creation and other topics that would not have been allowed to be discussed at a public high school. This gave me more confidence about speaking with people who have secular scientific beliefs.
I learned how science applies to the lives of every person in every major and why it matters to study and have a basic understanding of scientific principles and procedures even within the context of sharing the gospel.
Faith vs. Academics
While public school taught me to discern what I was being taught through the filter of the Bible, Truett McConnell allowed me to be surrounded by like-minded professors and students who may not all believe exactly the same way, but our biggest commonality is our faith and that impacts every area of academics.
My alma mater allowed me to freely study, question, learn, and talk with people that believed the same way I do and could help me navigate through science in light of the Bible. I could say the same for all classes at TMU and how invaluable the gift of learning is when it is according to a biblical worldview–no matter the subject or major.
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Maggie Reeves is a TMU Global Studies alum.
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