At Geneva College, Scripture is the flour, not the icing.

Conversations regularly emerge with students challenging one another about how something matters or how Scripture should apply to this topic. The institution I attended for my undergraduate studies loved to talk about “integrating faith and learning.” While we had dedicated times or events to talk about Christian faith at my alma mater, here at Geneva I have seen what it means when faith and learning are united in Christian higher education.

It’s common to bring Scripture to a conversation that could easily stay technical. A recent discussion after the shark-tank style Envision program quickly asked how Scripture should impact city development and downtown revitalization.

At my previous school it felt as though Scripture was referenced as a necessity — when it felt like the conversation couldn’t go any further without talking about it. Geneva does its formal work from Scripture first, asking, “What does Scripture say? What are you called to do as a nurse/engineer/communicator? What does good stewardship look like here?” Delightfully, Geneva’s informal work imitates this approach — within a few minutes of conversation someone will quickly ask how Scripture ought to apply or direct us as Christians.

One encouraging illustration of this is how many faculty and staff work in the church. I think of the chemistry professor studying for pastoral ministry, the enrollment professional who moves from recruitment meetings to deacon meetings at his church after work, and the many faculty who quietly serve as elders, Bible teachers, and ministry leaders in their congregations.

Just as is seen on our seal and logo, the Bible stays open at Geneva College.

Normalizing Faith Conversations

At many universities, conversations about faith are private or superficial. At Geneva, they are normal.

One of my favorite examples of this was within six weeks of my arrival. One student was studying John Calvin’s Little Golden Book in the library. Another student, flopped across a bean bag a few feet away, noticed it and began asking questions — both about how the material applied personally and to his discipline of physics. I was startled at the time but came to see how this kind of curiosity and depth were encouraged and natural at Geneva. This example also made me start to love lingering around bitter pots of coffee poured into paper cups — who knows what kind of conversations or check-ins you may run into in McCartney Library?

Going back to Scripture and applying faith to all types of conversation and practice are an encouraging and unique way that Geneva College integrates faith and learning regularly.

Learn more about my top six reasons on how Geneva stands out in the world of Christian higher education.