I was telling a friend last night that they should really encourage their son to check out The Master’s College because it really is the best school I know of. This morning an email announced the change of the “Purpose and Philosophy Statement” with the addition of one word.
The Master’s College, a Christian liberal arts college, exists to advance the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping men and women for excellence in service to Him in strategic fields of ministry and vocation worldwide. This is accomplished through unreserved commitment to worshiping God, submitting to the authority of the Scriptures, nurturing personal holiness, serving the local church and penetrating the world with the Truth….
I think that’s a good change. I wish they had gone ahead and changed another word at the same time: a better word for Kingdom is Church. In what sense is the Church a kingdom? Is there a kingdom of Christ today that is apart from the Church? Is there any advantage to using the word Kingdom instead of Church? I wouldn’t say that all of the references to kingdom in the NT are to a future age (e.g., Col 4:11), but most are, and I just think it’s better to keep the terms distinct.
A keen observation. I appreciate your discernment pertinent to words and phrases often overlooked by readers such as myself.
Thanks Todd – I agree with your observations. Because the coming Kingdom is clearly in view in most scriptural kingdom references I also prefer to specify “Church” to be clear in meaning.
Both my kids went to CIU in S.C. – another good college with worldwide focus.