What do we mean when we say that Samford University is distinctively Christian in its identity and in its approach to higher education? It would take pages to give the complete answer, but here is a start.
1. Samford professes to be a Christian institution. Our policies and foundational statements are replete with explicit statements of devotion to Christian faith. There is no attempt to “sneak up” on the public or to hide our light under a bushel. We are not embarrassed, ashamed, nor afraid to state that our Christian moorings are Samford’s unique place in the higher education pantheon.
2. Deliberate effort is made to implement the profession (above) in practical ways. Most meetings of faculty and administration include prayer. Most organized student activity begins with prayer. Students are encouraged to be involved in ministry through various volunteer activities. In organized missions trips and during the summer, students devote themselves to missions. Many student Bible study groups operate during the academic year. The Convocation series includes Christian themes and subjects.
3. Leadership at Samford — the board of trustees, the administration and the majority of faculty — profess personal faith in Christ. That does not mean that we are perfect, or that we merely sit around polishing haloes. But it does give us the advantage of knowing that Jesus and His teachings form the central focus of our lives together here on earth and of our hope for eternity. Currently, Samford has 76 ordained ministers on its payroll.
4. With Samford’s recognition by the public as an especially spiritually conscientious place, it tends naturally to attract a preponderance of students who are serious about their personal faith commitment. Coupled with the strong faculty, Christian community becomes not just a slogan but a practical reality. The bonds between students are very strong and life-lasting. Likewise, faculty-student relations are cited most often by students as the feature they appreciate most about Samford. A spirit of caring concern and mutual support prevails.
5. Because we are Christ’s and know Whose we are, we are not afraid to explore the world around us. We are not scared, because we have a faith anchored in the One who is ultimate truth. As Christians, our lives, individually and corporately, should be characterized by integrity, including intellectual integrity. We can critique the world, evaluate it and challenge accepted beliefs without fear. “This is my Father’s world,” as the hymn writer said, and the Lord God loved it and gave His Son to die for it. Experience teaches us that knowledge is often incrementally, or progressively attained; that once-accepted “truth” sometimes turns out not to be true: therefore, man’s quest continues.
6. The university imposes specific rules and regulations about student behavior regarding conduct between the sexes, alcohol and drugs, personal accountability. While seeking to allow students freedom, including freedom to make mistakes, attendance at Samford is a privilege, and students are expected to conduct themselves responsibly.
7. Architecturally and aesthetically, Samford bears a strong Christian testimony. The main quadrangle is framed by the cross atop the dome of Andrew Gerow Hodges Chapel and the spire of A. Hamilton Reid Chapel. Biblical healing scenes adorn the walls of the Dwight and Lucille Beeson Center for the Healing Arts. A verse from Psalms hovers over the dining hall. Our Lord’s Great Commandment is in bronze on the front entry gate. Public inscriptions quote Scripture verses and declare Christian testimonies.
8. With a department of religious studies and Beeson school of divinity as vital parts of the campus, formal instruction in religion is obviously available and is required of undergraduates. Initiatives of the Provost’s Office in recent years have focused special faculty attention on the need for the integration of Christian faith with each of the academic disciplines.
9. Samford faculty and personnel have modeled the servant leader lifestyle, serving the community and the churches in very specific ways. Whether considering outstanding Christian books and articles written by faculty and staff each year, the summer pastors school, the discount afforded Baptist ministers and their dependents or the work of the center for the study of law and the church, or Samford’s hosting of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission, Samford serves in supportive ways.
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