REFLECTING ON Dr. John MacArthur’s INDELIBLE INFLUENCE ON TMU and the world.
Dr. Gifford critiques the modern tendency to “blame it on the brain.”
PAGE 50 Luke Barnes ’05 grad honored Christ first in Marines, now in cybersecurity. PAGE 54 President’s Report
A look at Fiscal Year 2025 for TMU.
BY Dr. Abner Chou
AS WE QUICKLY APPROACH TMU’S CENTENNIAL YEAR IN 2026-27, WE HAVE SO MUCH TO BE GRATEFUL FOR: THE STUDENTS THE LORD HAS ENTRUSTED TO US, THE ONGOING FAITHFULNESS OF OUR FACULTY AND STAFF, AND THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF DR. JOHN MACARTHUR. READ ON FOR MORE ABOUT THESE AND MANY OTHER REASONS TO PRAISE CHRIST AS WE ENTER A NEW ACADEMIC YEAR.
Dr. John MacArthur’s impact on TMU has been multifaceted and incalculable — from his pivotal arrival as president in 1985 to his spiritual guidance as chancellor. Dr. Abner Chou reflects on the magnitude of this influence and explains how MacArthur’s vision has primed the University for future faithfulness and impact.
the University. You can sign up to receive the digital magazine at masters.edu/subscribe
Since graduating, Luke Barnes (’05) has labored to demonstrate the hard work, servant leadership, and protective zeal that he first began cultivating as a new believer at TMU. He brought that spirit first to his service in the Marine Corps, and now to his leadership role in the cybersecurity industry.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Icount it as an honor and a privilege to have had a lifelong friendship with John MacArthur.
Obviously, he has meant so much to the University as a leader; his personal sacrifices and convictional leadership have shaped so much of who we are and what, Lord-willing, we will accomplish for the kingdom in the years to come. But when I think about John MacArthur, what I most cherish is his faithful friendship.
John and I first met as high schoolers here in Southern California, in the fall of 1955. While we were both three-sport athletes, there was no question who was better — and it wasn’t me. Athletics brought us together, and in our junior and senior years we were very close friends.
In the fall of 1958, we rode clear across the country to attend Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. From there we transferred to different schools, but we continued to serve together at our home church in Burbank through a thriving college group. It was an incredibly exciting time.
John, of course, went on to a ministry as an expositor and Bible teacher, touching the lives of men and women across the country and the globe, while I became a teacher and expositor of history and politics. John began his ministry in 1969, and I taught my first college class in 1970 at Los Angeles Baptist College. He spent the next 50-plus years serving at the church, and I spent the same time serving at the University.
All along, we remained in touch. So, when LABC was struggling with its enrollment and looking for a new president in 1984, I invited John to breakfast and asked him if he would consider taking the job. The rest is history. I was privileged to spend the last 40 years ministering at the University alongside my lifelong friend.
While John is with the Lord now, I still have a mountain of precious memories that I will always cherish until we meet again in heaven, face to face.
Dr. John Stead EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY
YEARBOOK
Dr. Ed Gruss (pictured here) was a graduate of LABTS who went on to become the chair of the school’s history department. He taught history courses at the institution for more than 30 years and distinguished himself as an expert on cults (particularly Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormonism).
For the third time in four years, the Lord has blessed us with an incoming class of over 400 students. We are grateful for this precious stewardship that has been entrusted to us.
New traditional undergraduate students enrolled for fall 2025 429
1,229 U.S. states represented 31
Total on-campus enrollment for fall 2025
19.8%
Percentage of international students, representing over 25 countries
81.4%
Percentage of incoming students who will be living on campus
In the college rankings released for 2026 by Niche, a leading school review and ranking site, The Master’s University was once again given high marks.
In Niche’s search rankings, TMU came in at No. 15 in Best College Campuses in America and as No. 3 for Best Student Life among Christian
A leading school review website has given the University high marks this year in a wide range of categories.
BY TMU STAFF
colleges nationwide.
TMU has also received high marks from Niche in past years.
In the 2025 search rankings for Niche, the University came in at No. 5 for Best College Campuses in California. TMU also received high marks
for its student life across the board in 2025, being ranked in the top 3% among colleges in California, as well as in the top 5 among Christian colleges nationwide.
FOR MORE TMU RANKINGS AND STATS, SEE MASTERS.EDU/STATISTICS
Top 2% Best Student Life in America
Top 3% Best Student Life in California
Top 3 Best Student Life among Christian Colleges in America
Top 1% Safest College Campuses in America
Top 5% Best College Dorms in America
Top 5% Best Christian Colleges for Business in America
Top 10% Best College Food in America
Top 10% Best Colleges for Religious Studies in America
Declan Govender has grown in spiritual discipline as a TMU student thanks to donor scholarships.
BY AUDREY WELCH
For many students, including freshman business major Declan Govender, the classes, faculty, chapels, and community at The Master’s University instill spiritual discipline and teach them how to practice what they preach.
But Govender wouldn’t have been able to experience that without the help of donor-funded scholarships.
Growing up in Johannesburg, South Africa, Govender quickly wrote off the possibility of leaving his country to study at TMU. He first heard about the University through his pastor and his pastor’s wife, Tim and Michelle Cantrell, who are both TMU alumni. The idea of moving across the world to attend TMU interested Govender but seemed financially unrealistic.
OUTSIDE THE CANYON
He set his dream aside and began working as an accountant in South Africa shortly after graduating high school. But then the Lord brought another TMU grad as a visitor to Govender’s home church, and through that visit, word of Govender’s plight made it to donors.
This ultimately led to Govender receiving the scholarship help he needed to move his life across the world and begin his freshman year at TMU this past spring.
Despite having only been at TMU for a semester, Govender already sees growth in his own heart and spiritual maturity.
“Having so much poured into you from a biblical point of view,” Govender says, “there is just so much opportunity to
Students embarked on a pilot summer immersion program in Singapore and Malaysia.
BY JOSEPHINE LEE
In May, a cohort of students from The Master’s University flew across the Pacific Ocean to participate in TMU’s new Southeast Asia summer immersion program.
For five weeks, these 15 students — joined by several alumni, faculty, and staff members — traveled through Singapore and key Malaysian cities, learning about culture, career, and marketplace missions.
The trip was a historic venture for the University. While study-abroad trips to Italy and Israel are staples of the school calendar, a Southeast Asia program had never taken place. But this year, in partnership with The Master’s Academy International and Malaysian conglomerate YTL Corporation, a new opportunity took shape.
Students participated in panel discussions and seminars at a local church in Singapore during this summer’s Southeast Asia immersion program.
Dr. Mitch Hopewell, TMU’s provost and chief academic officer, said, “We are incredibly grateful for the tremendous partnership and world-class hospitality of our partners, which made this trip not only possible, but an absolute blessing to our students.”
On the trip, students attended industry panels, made field visits, and met with leaders from the finance, technology, and hospitality sectors in Malaysia and Singapore. They engaged with almost a dozen C-level executives, gaining not only unique insider perspectives into Asia, but biblical insights on faithfulness in the workplace.
Throughout the program, students also participated in outreach alongside local ministries — including hosting a week-long VBS for a Singaporean church and gospel
learn and grow in your knowledge of the Word. It also forces you to practice what you preach.”
The generosity of TMU’s donors allows students like Govender to develop deep spiritual habits through their education at the University. Govender is excited to carry these practices into his future career, knowing that if he focuses on Christ, everything else will fall into place.
“It has been incredible to be at TMU, where my skills and talents can be cultivated for the glory of God,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what else the Lord is going to do during my time at TMU.”
outreach at an eldercare facility and a girls’ home. At every opportunity, they were encouraged to evaluate their skills and explore pathways for fruitful careers and ministry in Southeast Asia.
Matthew Radmilovich, one of the student team leaders, said, “One of the most impactful themes for me was the experience of getting to work so closely with so many people from very different backgrounds, but all with the same love for Christ. I truly enjoyed the times of fellowship we shared with these brothers and sisters in Christ.”
TMU continues to deepen these international partnerships and explore opportunities for students to take their biblical training to the ends of the earth.
We look forward to celebrating our centennial with the TMU family during the fall 2026 and spring 2027 semesters!
ALUMNI WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO JOIN IN THE FESTIVITIES, BOTH ON-CAMPUS AND ONLINE. STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFO IN THE COMING DAYS!
Learn more at masters.edu/tbc
Join us for a chance to reconnect with the TMU family and be inspired by some of the University’s top professors and thought leaders. Whether you’re looking to refine your biblical worldview, expand your professional network, or simply to be refreshed, this is an experience you won’t want to miss.
Save the date to join us for our Alumni Dinner Theatre. This yearly gathering has become a staple event, and we are looking forward to a wonderful time of fellowship. Stay tuned for more details!
For more info, contact Vanessa Olson at volson@masters.edu
Learn more at masters.edu/giving-tuesday
For a full calendar, visit masters.edu/events
Join us for our annual Come Christmas Sing! concerts, featuring TMU School of Music choruses and orchestra. The series will coincide with our Christmas Market, where shoppers can buy gifts at boutiques and enjoy a beautifully decorated space. Get tickets at masters.edu/ music-events and learn more about the Christmas Market at masters. edu/christmas-market
Giving Tuesday has quickly become one of the most exciting opportunities for those who desire to partner with TMU in providing a biblically faithful education to students.
New track is designed for students interested in pursuing graphic design.
BY ANDIE VALDES
This semester, The Master’s University is launching a new visual communication emphasis for the communication program. The track is designed particularly for those interested in pursuing graphic design, but it also provides the foundational skills for other visual careers, such as in social media. The intention is to eventually transition the program into a full graphic design degree.
Classes offered for the program include Graphic Design, Photography, and Introduction to Visual Communication.
“Because we are people who represent Christ, we have to learn how to harness visual communication for the kingdom, for His purposes, and then be able to yield it in a way that is effective and powerful,” says Jefferson Henson, marketing
media professor. “We want to cut through all of the media that we get constantly thrown at us. Using that as a platform, we can create really powerful media visuals that live in people’s hearts and minds.”
To learn more about the visual communication emphasis, see masters.edu/visualcomm
PHOTO BY KAYLANI SETO
“This is a letter from President Nixon. It was Christmas time, and my sister misheard the classic poem as saying, ‘Donner and Blitzen and President Nixon.’ So my parents sent a letter to the White House telling the story, and they got this letter back.”
“This is a chunk from the Berlin Wall. Dr. Greer actually chipped it off the wall. He has a bigger chunk, but he gave me this piece. That was rather historic for people of my generation — the end of the Cold War and whatnot.”
“This is a pen made from a tree that George Washington planted. One of my students gave that to me as a graduation present.”
“I have a box of sermon pamphlets from the 1700s. The library owned them, and when I wrote my first book on the religious beliefs of the founders, they decided I should have them.”
5 | A Political Bloc(k)
“This is a piece of marble left over from building the U.S. Capitol Building — Dr. Horner gave me this.”
Senior from Arizona majoring in communication (with an emphasis in journalism). This summer, she participated in TMU’s study abroad program in Italy.
“An idea that was continually emphasized throughout the program was the quote by Leonardo da Vinci, ‘Art is never finished, only abandoned.’ This concept is on display all over Italy. The hard work and passion of the Renaissance artists who pursued beauty even when they may not see a finished work within their own time reflects this idea of beauty within the process.”
“One of the most amazing things for me was to see the beauty of the Italian architecture, artwork, and creativity on display throughout the country. These works taught and showed me the incredible abilities the Lord has given to man to reflect the Lord’s own beauty and creative power.”
“It was interesting to analyze the artwork and culture of Italy through a Christian worldview. It showed me how even the greatest of artists, engineers, and architects can only replicate what has already been created by the Lord. Although their creative ability, power, and wealth is astonishing, all man can do is attempt to express what the Lord has already created and established.”
Learn more about TMU Italy at masters.edu/italy
ACADEMICS
This summer’s Chorale tour featured children of alumni from the long-standing group.
BY KAELYN PEAY
At the final concert of the West Coast tour undertaken by The Master’s Chorale this summer, eight students performing in the group took a moment to celebrate not just the conclusion of their trip, but a remarkable detail: All of them are second-generation members of Chorale.
This multi-generational legacy is one of the ongoing distinctions of an ensemble that has existed since 1966.
“It has been amazing following in my parents’ footsteps as a secondgeneration Chorale member,” says TMU junior Ellie Bohr. “Being in Chorale after knowing about it my whole life is such a joy and privilege. I didn’t know it would impact and encourage so many people, singing at different churches all over the country. It has been such a joy singing in the choir my parents were a part of in the 90s.”
BY MASON NESBITT
The Mustang Athletic Club exists to build community among the more than 300 athletes who attend The Master’s University and to equip them to honor Christ in and out of competition.
It’s safe to say the club succeeded on both fronts during its inaugural 202425 year. Sixty to 100 athletes attended biweekly gatherings for Christcentered discussion and fellowship, and nearly every Mustang came to a series of larger events where speakers shared about their own walks with Christ and
what it means to compete as a believer.
Featured speakers included Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlinLevrone, World Series champion J.D. Drew, and Dr. John MacArthur. The year concluded with a classy red-carpet awards ceremony at Grace Community Church.
The club also organized outings to TMU theater and music performances. This allowed athletes to show support for their classmates while being
reminded that they’re part of something bigger than just sports at TMU.
“We want to help them be powerful forces of influence for Christ and Scripture, here and beyond,” said Jeremy Vuolo, TMU’s dean of athletics.
Vuolo hopes for another impactful year starting this fall with a speaker list that includes former NFL linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk, and Ted Scott, caddie for world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler.
This year, chapel will highlight the history of the gospel from Old to New Testament.
BY KAELYN PEAY
This year’s chapel theme at The Master’s University is titled “Promised | Delivered.” The year will be split into two parts, with the fall semester focusing on “Promised,” how the gospel was prophesied and prefigured in the Old Testament. Then the spring semester, focused on “Delivered,” will trace how these promises were fulfilled in the New Testament.
“We are so excited about our theme this year,” says Brett Zamroz, dean of student life. “As we explore gospel hope in both the Old and New Testaments, our deepest prayer and greatest heart’s desire is that TMU students will be driven to behold Christ — sufferer on our behalf, shepherd of our souls, sovereign over our lives. It’s going to be an awesome chapel year.”
The latest news on this year’s speaker schedule is available at masters.edu/chapel
Chapel is livestreamed at masters.edu/live and on TMU’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
THE GRACE OF GOD REVEALED THROUGH EVERY DISCIPLINE.
JOIN US FOR A REFRESHING TIME OF FELLOWSHIP WITH LIKE-MINDED BELIEVERS AND REFINING YOUR BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW.
OCTOBER 11, 2025
THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY
Assistant professor of Hebrew and Old Testament shares about his life and work.
BY ANDIE VALDES
Jared Kingsley is an assistant professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at The Master’s University. He graduated from TMU in 2014 with a degree in biblical languages and came on faculty as an adjunct in 2018, becoming a full-time professor four years later. He was a part of the Legacy Standard Bible translation project and is currently working on his Ph.D. in theology at The Master’s Seminary, which he plans to finish in December.
We recently asked him a few questions about his faith, his family, and his work.
HOW DID YOU COME TO KNOW THE LORD?
I heard the gospel on my 17th birthday. My brother gave me a little USB drive, and I didn’t want to listen to it, but he said I needed to. It was a sermon by Paul Washer. And that was the definitive moment where God got hold of my heart. I saw my sin for what it was, and my need for Jesus as
both Savior and Lord. That was the day I was saved, on my birthday — the best gift of all time.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY.
I met my wife at a Bible study hosted by my roommate at our house. I was in the kitchen cooking chicken, and Missy walked in the door for the Bible study, and we just immediately hit it off. I asked her on a date that day, and we’ve been going
on dates ever since. The rest is history. Now we have two kids: Miles, who is three, and Olivia, who is a year old.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TEACH AT TMU?
I remember my first week of class as a student at TMU — Dr. Chou said that Jesus Christ is the greatest hero and champion throughout all of redemptive history, and I almost fell out of my chair. I remember thinking, “What is this guy talking
about? Jesus? The really nice guy who does some miracles and walks on the water?” But to think of Jesus as a hero and a champion who wins on behalf of his people and has the greatest victory — that was some paradigmshifting stuff for me. I was convinced this is what I would do for the rest of my life. So as an 18-yearold, my goal was to be a professor. And I wanted to teach the Bible at The Master’s University.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BIBLICAL LANGUAGES?
My favorite thing about biblical languages is that it forces you to move very slowly, where in English you can read and skim something quickly. But when you’re dealing with Greek and Hebrew, you have to move slowly in a way that you’re forced to be deliberate and actually account for every single word. We believe in verbal plenary inspiration, which means every single word is inspired. Every single word matters. It opens your eyes to the Bible in this really unique way, and biblical languages give you that ability.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING ON THE LEGACY STANDARD BIBLE PROJECT?
It was an amazing, formative experience and a once-in-alifetime opportunity, because it really was the culmination of a lot of my studies and my discipline. Our translation team was full of amazing men with such great legacies and abilities to translate and to teach. It was a long process, but it was a very special and sobering thing to be a part of.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING PART OF TMU’S FACULTY?
The camaraderie among the faculty is really special. And I get to benefit from their many years of experience of teaching here. What young guy gets an opportunity like that? When I was younger, I used to pray very frequently that the Lord would give me more godly men in my life. What I have now is an abundance of riches. It’s also very rare to get to work where you were educated, and to be back at the place that was the most formative place in your entire life.
Dr. Kurt Hild (English) served as the speaker at TMU’s 98th annual Commencement Ceremony in May. He charged the graduates out of Colossians 2:8 (illustrated by a passage in “Jane Eyre”) to guard their hearts as they enter life after college.
In July, Dr. Will Varner (Bible) finished writing an article on early Jewish Christianity for an Oxford encyclopedia and finished editing a new book titled, “Introducing the Apostolic Fathers” for G3 Books. He has also teamed with colleagues Dr. David Hegg and Dr. Todd Bolen in submitting a new commentary titled, “Matthew’s Messiah: His Jewish Life and Ministry,” for Fontes Press.
Prof. Dawn Okonowski (kinesiology) had the joy of speaking alongside her colleagues at the Think Biblically Conference in February. Additionally, Okonowski transformed EHC 100 this summer into a biomechanics laboratory to assess the kinematics of high school baseball pitchers for her doctoral dissertation project.
Dr. Gregg Frazer (political studies) has written an article for a new journal about Christianity and politics. Frazer’s article addresses the question, “Was the American Revolution biblical and/or just?”
Dr. Gwang Kim (music), who joined TMU’s faculty this summer, recently participated in the International Trombone Festival at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. He served as an adjudicator for the final round of the Frank Smith Solo Trombone Competition, conductor of a featured trombone choir, presenter of a lecture-recital, and performer with the “allstar” professor’s Cramer Trombone Choir.
This summer, Dr. John Beck (business) served as a VBS volunteer and conducted a summer seminar on marketplace ministry at Grace Baptist Church in Santa Clarita. He also worked on a literature review of learner-centered classroom interventions using large language models for a course this fall, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Dr. Matthew Brown (education) has officially completed his Doctor of Education degree from Johns Hopkins University, with a specialization in Mind, Brain, and Teaching. His dissertation examined the support systems within TMU’s teaching credential program, especially focusing on their influence to shape preservice teachers’ identity and confidence.
Dr. Shelbi Cullen (biblical counseling) spent the summer speaking at conferences (the Wise Woman Conference in Houston and the Institute for Biblical Counseling & Discipleship’s summer conference in Burbank, California), working on a book with 316 Publishing (titled “Faithful in All Seasons”), and recording episodes for the Women’s Hope Podcast.
Dr. Clyde Greer (history) enjoyed updating and slimming down his chapter in the second edition of “Think Biblically.” He has also returned to serving as an elder in his local church, Grace Chapel Lebec, which has undergone an extensive and exciting church revitalization process.
My time at TMU helped me really start trying to live my life as a living sacrifice. And I think it’s a focus on truth that helps me in the confusing times that we live. When I’m in the classroom, how I talk and what I choose to talk about is all influenced by my core values and beliefs, which are shaped by the Bible.”
Article, “Local TMU Alumni Honored as Teachers of the Year”
TMU has a long and historic heritage in the biblical counseling movement, and I am excited to continue this heritage. The world is overflowing with counseling needs, and it needs TMU grads who know the power of the gospel and are empowered by the Spirit. I can’t think of a better place to equip students with TMU’s commitment to Christ and Scripture.”
CHAIR OF TMU’S MABC PROGRAM
Article, “Dr. Ernie Baker to Lead TMU’s MABC Program”
with Paul Sedy, Chief Information Officer
My heart is full of gratitude to the Lord for my 40 years at Master’s … . I’m blessed that the Lord used me even in some small way in the TMU ministry. But I’m really sure that I have received far more than I could have ever given.”
RETIRED PROFESSOR
Article, “Prof. Betty Price Retires After 40 Years at TMU”
I’m grateful to our leadership, especially Dr. MacArthur and Dr. Chou who provide us the opportunity to have the breadth of sports that we have. I’m grateful for the quality of coaches that we have, and obviously it’s a testament to the studentathletes who are here. I’m thankful that their primary goal is to honor the Lord with their gifts and abilities and we want to use it as a platform to share the gospel of Christ.”
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
Article, “TMU Repeats as GSAC All-Sports Award Winner”
Paul Sedy joined The Master’s University in 2005 and currently serves as TMU’s chief information officer. He graduated from ITT Technical Institute in 1999 and then earned a master’s degree in biblical exposition from The Master’s Seminary in 2007.
When asked what he enjoys about working at TMU, he said this:
“It’s a real joy to be at a place that is focused on kingdomadvancing work. We know that we can do all kinds of work to the glory of God, but there’s a particular blessing about being
at an institution that is explicitly seeking to pursue Christ and Scripture, and I love the opportunity to be part of that.”
Cultural Geography
Dr. Clyde Greer
PROFESSOR, HISTORY
“This is a general social science course that utilizes human geography as a common element. I also use it to help develop or reinforce students’ biblical worldviews. For example, when examining demography (population geography), we attempt to hone a biblical view of marriage and children. The migration unit explores current issues relating to immigration. The ‘geography of religion’ unit examines which regions are culturally dominated by which religions.” — CG
The Career Services team connects seniors with opportunities to represent Christ in the workforce.
BY TMUS STAFF
Cultural & Linguistic Diversity in Teaching
Dr. Jordan Morton
“This course introduces students to issues relating to cultural and linguistic diversity in today’s schools that affect teaching and learning. In the class, students will build their knowledge base of diverse students in today’s classrooms and develop skills in culturally responsive teaching. Like all our courses, the approach of this course is grounded in biblical perspectives, especially relating to the view of culture and the role of the teacher. Students will also observe classrooms in local schools.” — JM
During their last semester of college, seniors at The Master’s University hardly go a day without being asked the question: What are you doing after graduation?
Nearly all those asking the question are merely curious. Most can’t actually help seniors find a job. But there is at least one staff member at TMU who asks seniors that question and can help them find employment: Nathan Dougherty.
At some point in their final semester at TMU, every
Isaiah
Dr. Todd Bolen
PROFESSOR, BIBLICAL STUDIES
“In my Isaiah course, the students see how Yahweh is salvation, His judgment is righteous, and His coming King-Servant lays down His life to atone for the sin of His people. Throughout the semester, the students write analyses for every chapter to create their own mini-commentary, and their study culminates with a research paper focused on a particular theme, metaphor, controversy, or intertextual relationship.” — TB
senior will speak with the Office of Career Services — many with Dougherty himself, the school’s associate director of corporate sponsorship. His goal in those conversations is to ensure students have every resource they need to find a job that suits their skill set, then go through the hiring process.
“We have a job board in the career services department,” Dougherty said. “Currently, it has over 800 jobs posted on it. Those are businesses that want to hire TMU students. Most likely, they hired a TMU grad in the past and had a good experience, so they
are interested in hiring more TMU grads because they recognize they are people of character, hard work, and integrity.”
Dougherty not only points these students to the job board. He also connects them with mentors, men and women who work in whatever field the student is interested in. And he makes sure students are well-prepared for the interview process. In all these ways, Dougherty and the career services department try to bridge the gap for students between life in the classroom and a lifetime in the workforce.
“First and foremost, alumni of TMU are representing Christ when they leave school,” Dougherty said. “Certainly, our institution’s goal is to prepare them to do that well. But they also represent TMU in their career. And if they do that with excellence, it encourages businesses to hire more graduates.”
In recent years, Dougherty and the career services department have seen a steady increase in employers looking to hire TMU students. Some businesses, particularly in Southern California, come every year to the campus to recruit. The eagerness to hire TMU students speaks to the integrity of the student body and to the quality that employers receive when they hire from the ranks of TMU.
“Our office verse is Colossians 3:23, ‘Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,’” Dougherty said. “I love that our job is to help believers apply that verse. Work is a platform for believers to be obedient to Christ. It’s not just a means to support ministry. It is ministry. I love helping students see that and helping them understand that their work matters.”
Dr. Keith Palmer (biblical counseling) saw his book, “John Newton’s Theology of Suffering and Its Application to Pastoral Care,” released this past May. He will also be speaking on John Newton’s counseling ministry at the annual ACBC conference this fall.
Dr. Ernie Baker (biblical counseling) is thrilled to be back at TMU as the chair of the MABC program and will continue as chair of the online bachelor’s program in biblical counseling. He is also working on several writing projects, including editing the book series, “Critical Issues in Biblical Counseling.”
Dr. Joseph Francis (professor emeritus) has written a textbook on human genetics titled, “Science and Society: The Influence of Genetics on Human Life and Society.” The textbook will be used in biology courses in TMU’s online programs.
Dr. Ross Anderson (professor emeritus) helped former student Shaveen De Mel publish his research on silver nanoparticles. De Mel’s article has been accepted for publication by Springer Nature, a subsidiary of Nature (a highly respected international science journal).
Dr. Ruta Bloomfield (professor emeritus) recently performed with both the Nevada Chamber Orchestra (Las Vegas) and the Kingman Concert Band.
Prof. Paul Butler (business) wrote a book titled, “Business Financial Intelligence: A mindset and skillset few people have and all organizations need.” Dr. Dwight Ham (business) kindly contributed to the comments in the endorsements section. Butler was also recently featured on Paylocity’s HR Mixtape Podcast.
Prof. Isaías Elpes (music) composed and produced the original score for the Brazilian feature film “Maloucos Contra o Ladrão de Sonhos,” which had its pre-release screenings in July. He has also wrapped recording sessions with guitarist Mateus Asato for his debut original album.
Sophia Taylor (communication) is launching Ascendea Creative, a branding agency for small businesses and faith-based organizations. The official launch date for Ascendea Creative (ascendeacreative.com) is Oct. 15.
Dr. Edward Wilde (biblical counseling) has filed an amicus curiae (friend of the Court) brief in four Supreme Court cases over the last year on issues involving First Amendment rights and abortion. In the recent case of Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, the Court relied on the argument Wilde provided on behalf of Justice Defense Fund in reaching their decision.
For the second year in a row, Prof. David Caldwell (communication) has been named the Sports Information Director (SID) of the Year for the Great Southwest Athletic Conference (GSAC).
utilize our cover letter and resume guides and scan an exclusive job board, with listings like these:
Two grads are excited to bring their TMU Theatre Arts experience to Branson.
BY ANDIE VALDES
Gabriela Holland (’24) and Catalina Sonnenburg (’23) didn’t think it was possible to recreate their experience from the Theatre Arts program at The Master’s University after they graduated. But to their welcome surprise, both were hired at Sight & Sound, a renowned Christian theater company in Branson, Missouri, where they’ll get to live the dream and utilize the experience they gained on set as students.
Holland arrived on TMU’s campus in 2020, majoring in communication studies with the hope of working in graphic design. But her time on crew in Theatre Arts fostered another love — for hair and makeup.
“I love that aspect of storytelling and helping the actors become part of their character,” Holland says. “It’s really cool to be part of the visual, but not have to be on stage to do that.”
Holland never considered that her new passion could become a career. It wasn’t until Steven Inabnit, TMU’s director of events and production, suggested the idea that it even occurred to her as a possibility.
“I felt weirdly encouraged but also terrified,” she says, “because I didn’t know how I would even start.”
After graduation, Holland moved to Kansas City and began applying for jobs in the communication field. But then Tricia Hulet, director of TMU Theatre Arts, saw job postings for Sight & Sound and encouraged Holland to apply — which she did.
Though she didn’t know it at the time, one of her close friends, Sonnenburg, also applied for a position at the company.
Sonnenburg, a fellow communication major, was
heavily involved in TMU Theatre Arts through the costume crew. Although at first she participated in order to spend more quality time with friends, over time she realized that crafting costumes was what she wanted to do as a career.
After graduating in 2023, Sonnenburg worked for various theater programs around the country until Hulet forwarded the Sight & Sound job postings to her.
Ultimately, Holland and Sonnenburg moved to Branson together — Holland being hired in the hair and makeup department, and Sonnenburg brought on as a costume shop assistant and craftsperson.
Sonnenburg figured that her time
at TMU was her last opportunity to work in a theater program that wanted to produce a beautiful product for the glory of God. So she says it is surreal that she gets to do exactly that in her new job.
“Everyone here wants to glorify God with their art, and it is everything that I strive for,” she says. “It’s an amazing opportunity.”
Holland agrees, saying it’s like a dream come true. She’s excited to pursue her passion for the arts for the glory of Christ.
“Something that’s really important to me being a creative is excellence for Christ,” she says, “I think it’s such a beautiful way to reach people and share the gospel.”
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You are just a click away from a world of opportunities. So it is important to sequence your steps, which means how you manage your time, how you prioritize activities, and how you choose relationships. A big picture plan is great. But with so many competing options, the right next move is more important than knowing all the moves.
After a historic year, TMU’s 18 teams are aiming at more Christ-honoring success in 2025-26.
Members of the 2025 TMU Men’s Volleyball Team (left to right) Matthew Hamm, Bryce Jones, and Braden Van Groningen, and head coach Jared Goldberg pose with the NAIA National Championship trophy.
Without question, last year will forever be remembered in the history of The Master’s University Athletic Department. For the first time ever, a Mustangs team won an NAIA national championship (women’s cross country), and then men’s volleyball became the first men’s team to accomplish the feat, going a perfect 27-0 in the spring to bring home another national title. TMU also won five individual national championships, highlighted by freshman Katherine Dyer’s two in women’s swimming. TMU will look to carry the momentum forward into a promising 2025-26.
Of note, TMU’s conference — the Great Southwest Athletic Conference — has added two Southern California schools: La Sierra University (Riverside) and Soka University of America (Aliso Viejo). The additions bring the number of schools in the GSAC to 10, with five in Arizona and five in SoCal.
As always, your best source for all things TMU Athletics is gomustangs.com, where you will find schedules, stats, and livestreams of games.
HEAD COACH
Jim Rickard | 35th season
KEY RETURNERS
Trent Rickard
GSAC Player of the Year, All-American, 2024
Tyler Mora
Scored 2 goals vs. OUAZ, 2024
Kai Terentieff
Team-high eight goals, 2023
Matt Picht
Three goals and four assists, 2023
KEY NEWCOMERS
Clinton Mawusi
Parkland College
Jamie Dominguez
Prairie State College
Hidenori Akasaka
Parkland College
Zach Rodriguez
Clovis Community College
LAST SEASON 9-9-2 Overall 8-4-2 GSAC (2nd)
HEAD COACH
Esteban Chavez | 3rd season
KEY RETURNERS
Breanna Fajardo
GSAC Freshman of the Year, 2024
Kegan Brunnemann All-GSAC, 2024
Autumn Jensen All-GSAC, 2022
Sasha Redshaw 2 goals and 2 assists, 2024
Bryanna Elias Team-high 8 assists, 2024
KEY NEWCOMERS
Madeline Traylor Whittier College
Katie Trinh
Ayala HS
Mia Thompson
Woodbridge HS
LAST SEASON 15-5-1 Overall, 11-2-1 GSAC (T-2nd)
NAIA National Tournament Qualifier
KEY RETURNERS
Jack Anderson
2x GSAC Champion, All-American
Emmanuel De Leon All-GSAC, 2024
Cedar Collins All-GSAC, 2024
Suzie
Emma Nelson 2x All-American
Alyssa Lovett All-GSAC
KEY
Brogan
Cheyenne
All-GSAC, 2024 KEY RETURNERS
KEY RETURNERS
Grace Colburn
GSAC Player of the Year
All-American, 2024
Sierra Hale
KEY NEWCOMERS
Charlie Pollock
Chagrin Falls HS
Joseph Montoya
Immanuel HS
Will Giesbrecht
JACOB JANHO
HEAD COACH
Luke Brueckner | 1st season
KEY RETURNERS
Seth Bishop
All-GSAC, 2025
Jacob Janho
All-GSAC, GSAC Freshman of the Year, 2025
Wes Opliger
GSAC Freshman of the Year, 2024
Open Door Christian School
LAST SEASON
3rd at GSAC Championship 9th at NAIA Nationals
HEAD COACH
Luke Brueckner | 1st season
KEY RETURNERS
Hannah Ulibarri
GSAC Player of the Year, 2025
KEY NEWCOMERS
Susan Tiffner
Fremont HS
Halle Hagberg
Des Moines Area Community College
Reece Benjamin Turlock HS
LAST SEASON
5th at GSAC Championship
HEAD COACH
Kelvin Starr | 10th season
KEY RETURNERS
Quincy Phillips
12.8 points per game
Tiago Soares
Eli Terpsma
Appeared in 24 games
Rylan Starr
Scored season-high 13 points twice
Season-high 10 points vs. Bethesda on Nov. 19
KEY NEWCOMERS
Avery Jackson
Oklahoma City University
Parker Tuttle
Corban University
Duke Gipson
William Jessup University
LAST SEASON
26-6 Overall, 12-2 in GSAC (1st)
NAIA Tournament Qualifier
We teach students that Christ is the center of life and, therefore, honoring and glorifying Him is the goal of every pursuit. We also teach that those who follow Christ must pursue excellence, for the glory of Christ, in all of life.
KEY RETURNERS
Ty Beck
22 home runs, All-American, 2025
Carson Knapp
7-3 pitching record, 2025
Gage Webster
69 strikeouts in 56 innings
Scotty Pieper .312 batting average
Jack Drew
Started 21 games as a freshman
KEY
Emma
6x
Suzie Johnson
3x
8x All-American
Alyssa Lovett
All-American
Olivia Nantz
National Champion
All-American
KEY
Jack
KEY
KEY RETURNERS
Alli VanKooten
10.6 points per game
Chloe Auble
6 points per game, 39% on 3-pointers
Leyna Gorauskas redshirt
HEAD COACH
Fonda Wilson | 2nd season
KEY NEWCOMERS
Madi Brooks Owyhee HS
Kylin DeVries
Montgomery HS
HEAD
KEY RETURNERS
Dylan Crane
All-American
Charley Sears
All-American
Michael Loughboro
All-American
KEY NEWCOMERS
Evan Nail
Arizona State University
Ethan Soni
Hart HS
Izaiah Trevino-Lozano
Cal Baptist University
LAST SEASON 19-9 Overall, 10-4 GSAC (2nd)
GSAC Tournament
Champions
NAIA Tournament Qualifier
HEAD COACH Curren Bates | 4th season
KEY RETURNERS
Katherine Dyer 2x National Champion
Kylee Sears National Champion, 4x National Runner Up
Trudy Patterson
All-American
KEY NEWCOMERS
Megan Sutanto
Indonesian National Team
Bella Hiner
Redding, CA
Mia Llamas Cal Baptist University
LAST SEASON GSAC Champions 13th at NAIA Nationals
KEY RETURNERS
Isaac Seltzer
2x All-GSAC, 2024 All-American
Matthew Hamm
NAIA Championship Tournament record 66 assists vs. Indiana Tech
Trace Oswald
All-American, GSAC Freshman of the Year, 2025
Preston Schmidt
All-American, 2025
KEY NEWCOMERS
Grant Strong
Ohio State University
Andrew Kargas
Orange Coast College
Jace Davis
Fort Zumwalt South High School
HEAD
Annett Davis | 7th season
KEY RETURNERS
Zoe Yates
All-American, 2025
Grace Colburn
All-GSAC, 2025
KEY NEWCOMERS
Addison Brock
Bakersfield Christian HS
Krista Brady
Fresno Christian HS
Ashlan VanGronigen
Fresno City College
When you tell a high school student, “You should go to TMU,” that phrase is powerful. You’re encouraging them to attend a university where everything they experience is uncompromisingly committed to Christ and Scripture.
SEND THEM TO MASTERS.EDU/VISIT.
REFLECTING ON Dr. John MacArthur’s
INDELIBLE INFLUENCE ON TMU and the world.
BY Dr. Abner Chou
“Sometimes,” Dr. MacArthur once said to me, “you do not know the significance of a man of God until he is gone.” While Pastor John was speaking of individuals like Calvin, Spurgeon, Sproul, and Lloyd-Jones, these words are equally true of the one who originally spoke them.
In the days since his passing, tributes have flowed from close friends and family to major news outlets like Fox News and even The New York Times. Christian leaders representing seminaries, humanitarian aid organizations, denominations, and universities have expressed their condolences. Government officials have written in, business owners have communicated their respect, and those influential in the media have gone online to convey their recognition. Social media itself was and is still dominated by hundreds of thousands of individuals expressing their appreciation and by millions of people watching and reminiscing about Pastor John’s teaching. Even the nation of Israel sent a letter in honor and gratitude to Dr. John MacArthur.
All of this is occurring within the greater context of millions of people voicing their gratefulness for this faithful servant of Christ. The outpouring of such appreciation literally extends around the world, a reflection of the unquestionable and staggering impact of what the Lord has done through one expositor.
ON MAY 12, 1985 Dr. John MacArthur OFFICIALLY BECAME LABC’S EIGHTH PRESIDENT, SAFEGUARDING ITS Christ-centered mission AND forever changing its trajectory.
DR. MACARTHUR ALWAYS SAID,
“
You take care of the depth, and let God take care of the breadth. ”
HIS GIFT TO THE NEXT GENERATION IS TRULY A COMPLETE PACKAGE: A CAMPUS, RESOURCES, CONVICTIONAL PEOPLE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, A VIBRANT AND FAITHFUL MINISTRY.
The starting point and driver to this astounding consequence was not clever marketing, polished PR, or shrewd business tactics. Dr. MacArthur always said, “You take care of the depth, and let God take care of the breadth.”
The mission of Pastor John was singular: unleash God’s truth one verse at a time. He was consumed with the careful study of God’s Word, precision in theological belief and conviction, clarity in teaching and the pulpit, and conscientiousness to subject all things to the authority of Scripture. Dr. MacArthur’s heart was captured to the truth — and even more, the God of truth. It was his consistency to the resilience and depths of the truth, in season and out of season, that drew so many to respect him.
MACARTHUR’S ARRIVAL IN 1985 STIRRED UP NEW LEVELS OF EXCITEMENT ABOUT TMC, LEADING TO A massive spike in enrollment.
This fidelity to the truth propelled a comprehensive fidelity in ministry. From a church whose members were once known as the “church of 900 ministers,” to a worldwide radio ministry, to a seminary that has trained thousands of pastors, the Lord granted Dr. MacArthur opportunity even as he led each institution in Christlikeness and unto Christ.
Dr. MacArthur’s work at The Master’s University was a prime demonstration of that. In the earliest days of his tenure as president, he raised up the right faculty, instilled theological conviction in the campus, redid chapel so that it featured expository preaching, and raised considerable funds for the school, which was in desperate straits. His work to ensure the people were provided for was constant.
While TMU has gone through significantly hard times, they would have been absolutely dire if Dr. MacArthur had not gone time and time again to friends and acquaintances, asking for help for the people. Dr. John Stead, our longtime faculty member and administrator, put it well: “We need to remember that in all our years here, we never missed a paycheck.”
Dr. MacArthur worked hard to support the people of the institution, and not just in financial ways. Though busy
with a global ministry, he gave of his time, which perhaps was the most precious commodity he bestowed to us. Students came to talk with him on a regular basis, he had them over to his home, he had them over for Thanksgiving, and he always remembered their name (to everyone’s amazement).
He also spent time with faculty and staff, ministering to those who deeply appreciated him and demonstrating extraordinary patience and understanding with those who were frustrated. His leadership was an exercise of influence and discipleship, and the lessons learned have shaped individual lives, convictions, philosophy of ministry, and the entire campus culture.
THERE IS A REASON WHY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL CONSISTENTLY RATES TMU as top 10 IN THE NATION FOR STUDENTS' BEST CHOICE. THIS IS VINDICATION OF the sufficiency
of Scripture AND THE VALIDATION OF the man who labored to invest it into the liv es of so many.
In all of this, Pastor John did not take himself too seriously. To the surprise of many, he consistently participated in students’ projects and films to humor the student body. From a fake commercial for the MacArthur Study Bible to him talking about memes, Pastor John showed that he was not an aloof leader but one who wanted to share in the joy of those whom he so loved.
And every year for nearly 40 years, come graduation, he would be on the platform. Graduation weekend is an intense weekend, filled with board meetings, times with donors, dinners with graduates, and graduations for both TMU and TMS. Despite the intensity, Dr. MacArthur stood on the stage, shook hands, conveyed honest congratulations, and spoke personally with many graduates whom he had known throughout the years at the school. There was never a halfhearted moment.
In that way, Dr. MacArthur’s labor for The Master’s University was deeply self-sacrificing. He not only raised money for the institution but gave of his own resources. When the faculty and staff were at risk of not being paid, he mortgaged his own home to provide the money for their salaries. He has funded numerous students every year with scholarships from his own pocket.
The MacArthurs ARE PICTURED HERE WITH DR. JOSEPH STOWELL (LONGTIME PRESIDENT OF MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE) AND HIS WIFE MARTIE AT A TMC GRADUATION CEREMONY.
This self-sacrificing investment into the institution continued to the very end. In these last years, Dr. MacArthur went on one final campaign for the University. Traveling from state to state to meet with every major donor for the institution, he raised capital as a final gift for the school. Donors rallied because of his strong stand in COVID and because of his clarion call that this was the crucial time to make a stand for Christ and Scripture.
Resources have come in to make what I never dreamed possible a reality. For my entire career at The Master’s University, I prayed that the Lord would give us an endowment to protect us from the pressures that society and politics can exert, and to help us be free to be who we are. Such a vision seemed like an impossible reality. It was hard enough to raise one million dollars, much less to raise hundreds of millions. But in his last campaign, Dr. MacArthur summoned donations so that we can see our endowment becoming what it needs to be.
His gift to the next generation is truly a complete package: a campus, resources, convictional people, and most importantly, a vibrant and faithful ministry.
The presidency of this beloved institution required much of Dr. MacArthur, and he bore it with dignity and grace. It is of note that Dr. MacArthur was one of the longest standing university presidents in American history, a testimony to his unwavering and enduring faithfulness. It is even more of note that he did all of this for free. Dr. MacArthur never drew a salary in all his years of dedicated service. His work was completely voluntary, done out of love for the people of the institution, the institution itself, and the Master of this institution.
Fidelity to the Word of God not only drove Pastor John’s faithfulness in the broad sweep of ministry, but in individual relationships. I know that truth quite personally.
I was one of those students he talked with on stage at multiple graduations.
He congratulated me when I became a faculty member, and he gave me opportunity upon opportunity, from preaching to writing to translating the Legacy Standard Bible to partnering on a commentary to being the John F. MacArthur Endowed Fellow to becoming president of TMUS. From visiting him in Colorado to many dinners before elders’ meetings to his office at church, school, or home, to numerous phone calls and texts, we chatted about everything from Scripture, to leadership, to translation and book projects.
The Lord afforded me quite a few opportunities to be with Pastor John. And in all those times, the zeal Dr. MacArthur had for Christ and Scripture in the pulpit was manifest in private. He constantly subjected every leadership decision, from athletics to Shepherds Conference, to eternal truth — identifying the biblical issue in those matters and answering them from Scripture. He was never too proud to learn, taking notes with a fountain pen of what we had learned from the Scripture to feed his own hunger to love the Savior.
A passion for
He knew God’s Word. I often asked him about translation issues for the Legacy Standard Bible and would often call him while he was in the car. Even while driving, he would rattle off the relevant texts for a biblical word, understand the issues, and make an insightful decision. Such facility is indicative of one who for decades was immersed in the Word.
Pastor John certainly loved those who served around him. In every meeting, he expressed his joy in being with us, his delight in the ministry, and his thankfulness to the Lord for what He was doing in our lives. He often declared he would defend us and found every way to support us and our families.
He shepherded me when my mother passed away, even though he himself was in a hospital bed. He later preached a message from John 10 about how the sheep hear the Shepherd’s voice. I was so moved that I thanked Dr. MacArthur for the message, and he responded, “I was thinking of you when I preached that.”
Dr. MacArthur was a devoted father, husband, grandfather, greatgrandfather, Bible translator, global expositor, president, and chancellor. But he was also a pastor, and in that role he was truly a shepherd.
More than all of this, Dr. MacArthur in private had an unshakeable love for his heavenly Lord. In times of challenging administrative circumstances, most leaders drift into thinking about administrative, communication, logistical, or procedural issues surrounding a matter. Dr. MacArthur had no such thought. He once instinctively said, “I must do this for our heavenly Lord.” He thought firstly of his Savior and what would most honor Him. His Lord had captured his heart so that he could only think that way.
Dr. MacArthur’s fidelity to the Word of God and the God of the Word drove his entire life, from the great to the small. And the Lord honored such intense and deep faithfulness, entrusting to this servant an international ministry that resources the entire life of the church.
Indeed, “Sometimes,” as Pastor John said, “you do not know the significance of a man of God until he is gone.”
But Dr. MacArthur’s quote did not stop there. Having uttered those words, he looked at me and said, “but the most faithful men of God do not merely leave behind an institution, but a movement.”
If the first part of Pastor John’s quote was true of him, then the latter half of this quote is even more so. The Lord honored Dr. MacArthur’s mission of unleashing God’s truth one verse at a time and his faithful manner of life by entrusting him with a significant ministry.
Presently, over 20 million people listen to Grace to You every month. Half a million children use the church curriculum produced by the ministry. People look to the MacArthur family of ministries to guide education from kindergarten to 12th grade, as we now have home-schooling, hybrid, and full private school modalities and are even producing our own home-schooling curriculum. People recognize The Master’s University as a beacon for faithful training of the next generation of the church in vocation and worldview. Increasingly, The Master’s Seminary is becoming the central hub for pastoral training across the world, even as The Master’s Academy International becomes a crucial infrastructure for the global church.
Given such extensive resourcing and such extensive reach, what God has entrusted through the fidelity
“When I learned that John had taken the leadership of LABC (now TMU), I was overjoyed that God had worked such a miracle. When I married Larry, he brought me to Grace Community Church, and it became our home church back more than 50 years ago now! When we moved to Alabama, we took John with us in the form of his recordings. Now that we are retired, we can begin each day in God’s Word, using John’s messages to take us, verse by verse, through whole books of the Bible, and it is the highlight of every day.”
Linda (Campbell) First (’66)
Scot: “One of my most valued classes was a weekly, hour-long Q&A session with Dr. MacArthur in RAC23. We both appreciate his consistent devotion to Christ and Scripture and his earnest desire to equip men and women for service to our Lord. We thank God for Dr. MacArthur’s ongoing impact on our family, including our daughter Naomi, who graduated from TMU in 2023.”
Scot (’96) & Mariah (Yates) (’97) Chadwick
Shannon: “In 1993, I had essentially no theological girding but was hungry for the truth and zealous to serve the Lord. Then, by God’s grace, I was led to TMC and the ministry of John MacArthur. TMC’s discipleship environment and truthbased education radically impacted my worldview. John MacArthur has been a model, friend, example, supporter, and inspiration to us these past 32 years. The fingerprints of his ministry are all over our ministry here in Uganda. His legacy is now spreading throughout East Africa.”
Shannon (’97) & Danielle (Seehusen) (’99) Hurley
“When I was a brand-new believer, I was given two treasures: John’s landmark book, ‘The Gospel According to Jesus,’ and a MacArthur tape titled, ‘Issues of the Heart.’ Since that day, no single individual has had a greater impact on my ministry than John MacArthur. When I learned that he was the president of The Master’s College and Seminary, I came for a visit and never looked back.”
Justin Erickson (’98)
“Outside of my own father, few men have had the impact on me that John MacArthur has had. God used him at the very outset of my spiritual growth through his faithful exposition of the Word. I am also very thankful Dr. MacArthur was willing to talk with an average Joe like me. I remember having a handful of opportunities to chat with him at basketball games, and I will always treasure those times.”
Peter Goeman (’10)
“While many preachers fly through a text without slowing down to help people see the details, Dr. MacArthur took the time to mine into individual words and phrases to aid his listeners’ understanding. I have been specifically edified by Dr. MacArthur’s sermons on the life of Christ. When it comes to unpacking the teachings and miracles of Jesus, Dr. MacArthur was second-tonone in bringing the Bible to life.”
Nathan Zide (’12)
“Dr. MacArthur’s voice made its way through the radio when I was growing up, he led the seminary that formed my pastor’s preaching, he cemented the biblical foundation of the university where a couple of my kids grew into the faith, and he jettisoned psychology in favor of biblical counseling at the school, which is what drew me as an adult to study there. I believe God grants each generation a limited number of firm truthtellers who fear Him enough to speak truth without apology. Dr. MacArthur is in that line.”
Todd Sorrell (’16 MABC)
“When I was serving in the Israeli military, I would listen to John MacArthur’s sermons almost every morning as the military bus was taking me to the IDF base. Later on, I had the great opportunity to sit under his preaching at Grace Church and TMU. In the winter of 2016, he visited me in the hospital after a lifechanging car accident. He left a card with words from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. Throughout the years, Pastor John and his sermons have been an encouragement during my recovery and painful days.”
Angelina Korotki (’21)
of His servant Dr. John MacArthur is nothing short of a movement. Churches worldwide depend upon the faithfulness of these ministries to support the entire spiritual life and work of God’s people.
Finding ourselves with such a stewardship, we have but one response: As our chancellor charged us, we double down on every conviction that has been handed down to us.
To the best of our ability, we have taken every measure to ensure every hire and every admitted student is for Christ and Scripture. Every department is codifying the convictions they must have to carry on the mission of the institution. We are regularly teaching through the doctrinal statement to our faculty and staff, so that the truth is not only fresh on everyone’s mind but that they also cherish these precious doctrines in their hearts.
We are raising up our people to protect the mission of the institution, even as we are pulling together every resource to preserve this mission. And all of this is so that we would perform the mission, setting up every generation after us for faithfulness until our Master returns. We are convinced that this is our role in the plan of God for this season, set up in divine providence through Dr. MacArthur.
In his final epistle, the Apostle Paul had a singular charge: that the ministry Christ had entrusted him would continue. The apostle articulated the key doctrines of this ministry (2 Tim. 1-3), established the key people and places for Timothy to work with (2 Tim. 4:9-21), and then charged Timothy to fulfill his ministry (2 Tim. 4:5).
Following in Paul’s footsteps, Dr. MacArthur fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, and entrusted to us the ministry entrusted to him. I am earnestly praying that by God’s good grace and for His glory, we come together to do our all to fulfill our ministry and champion this movement of Christ and Scripture.
Dr. Abner Chou PRESIDENT, THE MASTER’S
UNIVERSITY & SEMINARY
DR. GREG GIFFORD EXAMINES THE TOPIC OF ADDICTION THROUGH A BIBLICAL LENS.
by Dr. Greg Gifford
This article is adapted from Dr. Greg Gifford’s book, “Lies My Therapist Told Me.”
In an age of naturalism, we can look for physical remedies, medical explanations, and search — sometimes endlessly — for an elusive medical diagnosis. We live in a “brain-first” culture: that is, we live in a culture that considers the organ of the brain to be at the root of many anomalies. Perhaps there is no better place to demonstrate this than in the area of so-called addictions.
In this brief article, I will show you how addictions start in the mind, not the brain.
“BLAME
You may not be aware of it, but in 2009 there was a fight for the terminology that surrounds much “addiction” like that of substance, alcohol, or sexual addiction. Joe Biden, then serving as a senator, said, “Addiction is a neurobiological disease — not a lifestyle choice — and it’s about time we start treating it as such. … By changing the way we talk about addiction, we change the way people think about addiction, both of which are critical steps in
getting past the social stigma too often associated with the disease.” 1
After this, institutes were renamed and the culture of addiction as disease was perpetuated. No longer is the term “abuse” used when referencing alcohol and substance abuse. Rather, the medicalized term “addiction” is used.
The church isn’t exempt from this confusion, as well.
For example, there are prominent resources aimed at Christians struggling with sexual sin that blame the use of pornography on the brain. These resources suggest that instead of repentance, transformation, and renewal, these people need treatment. This trend is just one of many examples of the church imbibing the culturally misinformed understanding of the mind and the brain.
Your mind is the source of your thinking, not your brain. Remember the famous passage?
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).
The phrase “by the renewal of your mind” represents the way that transformation and true change occur for the believer. Where is the transformation? In the Christian’s mind. The mind simply means, “the sum total of the whole mental and moral state of being.” 2
1 A. B. C. News, “Biden Challenges Public Perception of Addiction,” ABC News, accessed June 20, 2024, https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3445662&page=1.
2 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 680.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” ROMANS 12:2
Your mind is more akin to our modern use of “attitude” than it is the brain. The brain is tangible. It is material. The brain is animated by the mind, but the brain doesn’t govern the mind. No, rather, the mind is that which is being transformed, renewed (Eph. 4:23), and will be perfected at the moment of glorification (1 John 3:2).
Where do addictions start? That question is fundamental to the issue of substance abuse (and I am using this term intentionally). When a person reaches for the phone to call their drug dealer, it is an issue of their mind, not their brain. Your brain cannot hijack your fingers and force you to call a drug dealer. Rather, your brain is being influenced by the mind but the mind is not being controlled by the brain.
Biblically, it’s an untenable position to hold that thoughts come from the
brain (cf. Gen. 6:5; Heb. 4:12). That means that the source, the fundamental reason for alcohol abuse, starts in the mind.
In my book, “Lies My Therapist Told Me,” I make the argument that even unbelievers see the medicalizing of drug abuse as addiction isn’t helping. One example is the book, “The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction is Not a Disease.” 3 In it, Lewis argues that, “After reading thousands of comments and emails from former and recovering addicts and interviewing dozens of them for hours at a time, I’m convinced that calling addiction a disease is not only inaccurate, it’s often harmful.” 4 Whether one agrees with Lewis or not, he represents pushback to the medicalizing of so-called addictions.
As a Christian, we know that the brain is not in the driver’s seat — the mind is. Where do thoughts come
from? The mind. Where does reason come from? The mind. The mind is the source of all thoughts, to include wayward, sinful thoughts to abuse substances and alcohol.
As I stated above, the mind is perhaps more important than you have originally considered.
What happens when the Lord saves Christians? He gives them a mind that can finally “get it.” They finally have the “mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). That mind is a mind that has a “way of thinking” like that of Christ Himself. No, the Christian doesn’t receive the brain of Christ, but the mind of Christ. Other terms describe this mind, but most commonly it is “transformed” or “renewed” (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23).
Does the renewed mind struggle with wayward thoughts? Undoubtedly so. However, the renewed mind is being transformed to have those thoughts less and less.
That means that the renewed mind is the reason why a person gets clean and repents of substance
3 Marc Lewis, The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease, 2nd ed. (New York, NY: Public Affairs, 2016).
4 Ibid., 9.
abuse. A change of mind literally means to repent of something (1 Thess. 1:9). Repentance is at the center of substance abuse, alcohol abuse, and habitual sexual sin. Individuals ensnared in these sins don’t need treatment first and foremost. They need repentance.
Christians, protect yourself from the “blame it on the brain” mentality that permeates our culture. The Word of God cuts it straight: The mind is not the brain and the brain is not the mind.
Individuals struggling with substance abuse need to be compassionately called to repentance, not told they are helpless and have a disease. If you are reading this and struggle with substance abuse, please know that God has answers in His Word. His plan for your life is far superior to what you’re experiencing now. In truth and love, please know substance abuse isn’t a disease or disorder — it’s disobedience. And the disobedient can become the forgiven.
DR. GIFFORD’S BOOK, “LIES MY THERAPIST TOLD ME,” CAN BE PURCHASED ON AMAZON. YOU CAN ALSO FIND HIS PODCAST, “TRANSFORMED,” WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.
THE HALLWAY. HE BLENDS RIGHT IN . BUT HE’S NOT THERE FOR A NORMAL WORK SHIFT — HE’S THERE AS A (LEGAL) INTRUDER, INVITED BY THE COMPANY TO TEST ITS DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL DEFENSES.
ALUMNI FOCUS
WHETHER IN IRAQ OR ON THE INTERNET, LUKE BARNES (’05) HAS USED HIS PASSION FOR PROTECTING THE DEFENSELESS AS A MEANS OF HONORING CHRIST.
by ANDIE VALDES
This is a practice known as penetration testing. It’s just one example of what a project might look like for Luke Barnes (’05), whose job is to protect companies from a wide array of security threats. As the founder and CEO of Crux Security, Barnes specializes in empowering companies to build comprehensive and cost-effective cybersecurity programs.
Really, this is nothing new for Barnes.
In every stage of his life since graduating from The Master’s University, Barnes has labored to demonstrate the hard work, servant leadership, and protective zeal that
he first began cultivating as a new believer at TMU. He has brought that spirit to his service in the Marine Corps, his responsibilities as a husband and father, and his leadership role in the cybersecurity industry.
“I want to help protect the defenseless,” Barnes says. “The world is full of evil. Even in the nefarious hacker world, there are a lot of bad guys out there trying to do a lot of damage. So I’m doing a small part to stand in the gap.”
* * *
Born and raised in Texas, Barnes thought he was a Christian when he
BY LACHELLE SAIEH
first arrived at what was then The Master’s College.
“I went to church. But I wasn’t a born-again believer, and I wasn’t living for the Lord,” Barnes says. “When I got to TMU and sat under teaching at church and my professors and being on the (soccer) team with other godly guys, I realized these people were different, and they had something I didn’t.”
Over the course of his freshman year, he slowly realized he wasn’t the believer he claimed to be, and the Lord brought him to saving faith. He was baptized on Easter Sunday.
A key influence in Barnes’ life at TMU was his experience on the soccer team with Coach Jim Rickard.
“Luke was really affected early on,” Rickard says. “He was a very changed individual and would tell people about it. He was a leader and he was fun, but he was also serious and a really hard worker.”
Barnes majored in political studies, intending to pursue a career in law. Dr. Gregg Frazer, dean of the John P. Stead School of Humanities, says Barnes worked diligently on the soccer field and in the classroom, and that he had a great respect for those in authority.
But it was still a surprise to some when, after
BARNES IS WORKING WITH TMU’S DEVELOPMENT OFFICE TO CREATE THE MASTER’S FELLOWSHIP FOR BUSINESS — A NETWORKING PLATFORM FOR TMU ALUMNI THAT ALLOWS THEM TO CONNECT WITH FELLOW GRADS IN THEIR AREA.
THEY ARE CURRENTLY SEARCHING FOR ALUMNI WHO ARE BASED IN MAJOR CITIES AND ARE INTERESTED IN HELPING BUILD A LOCAL NETWORK.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE PART, PLEASE EMAIL ALUMNI@MASTERS.EDU.
graduating in 2005, Barnes decided to join the Marine Corps and become an infantry officer.
“I was a freshman when 9/11 happened, and so I watched for four years as our country was at war,” Barnes says. “I just got fired up. I wanted to serve my country — to get in and do my part.”
It turned out that Marine Corps life fit Barnes nicely.
“Coming from Southern California to join the Marine Corps was a pretty big culture shock,” Barnes says. “But it was a culture that I really fit into and was able to thrive in, because it was heavy on discipline, accountability, and leadership, which is what I really love.”
Barnes served two combat tours in Iraq before transferring to the Counter Narcotics Task Force on the Southwest U.S. border. He met his future wife during this time, and after getting married and having kids, he decided to leave active duty but has remained as a Marine reservist. (He and his wife now have seven kids.)
During his time in active duty, Barnes advanced into leadership roles, continuing to expand on the skills he first practiced as a captain of the soccer team at TMU.
“Servant leadership goes a long way,” he says. “That’s something learned in the church — something Scripture preaches — and it’s also something that is pushed in the Marine Corps for their officers.”
After leaving active duty, he earned an MBA from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in information security from the University of Texas at Austin. He wanted to start his own company, and he was hunting for an industry that would parallel his career in the Marines.
He soon discovered an interest in fighting a new type of “bad guy” — nefarious hackers.
Relocating back to his hometown of Austin, Barnes started a cybersecurity firm that eventually transformed into Crux Security. He says the most rewarding part of his job is protecting his clients from bad actors.
Crux does this in several ways, including helping companies hit compliance goals, offering leadership support, and developing security software.
It also conducts penetration testing, using ethical hackers to break into networks and expose a business’ weak spots. This often involves going onsite and searching for physical vulnerabilities (like unguarded access to server rooms and sensitive information) using advanced social engineering techniques. Crux then provides assessments on how the company can improve its digital and physical defenses.
This kind of access to sensitive data requires Crux Security to uphold a high level of trust and responsibility. Barnes says, “Our reputation has to be immaculate, and we have to be above reproach in our dealings.”
As CEO, Barnes sets this tone from the top by positioning employees to succeed. He says this is accomplished in three ways: building trust, learning employees' strengths and weaknesses, and giving them the vision for what needs to happen and letting them get the job done.
“You have to be very confident in your skills and abilities to be successful in this domain,” Barnes says. “But it’s not an arrogant confidence. It’s the experience that God’s brought me through to be able to do this stuff for the good of others.”
At the end of the day, Barnes says that where he’s at now is all a testimony to the goodness and grace of God. And this grace has equipped him to work hard to glorify Christ.
“We as Christians should be the best at our jobs,” Barnes says. “We should not be known as slackers or people who only do the bare minimum. We should be known as diligent workers. And that’s an excellent testimony to everyone around us.”
We teach that the Bible is God’s written revelation to man, and thus the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, constitute the Word of God. That is, we teach the plenary verbal inspiration of Scripture, that every word is equally breathed out by God in all its parts (1 Corinthians 2:7–14; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20–21).
We teach that the Word of God is an objective, propositional revelation (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 2:13), infallible (John 10:35), and absolutely inerrant in the original documents, being free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit (Psalm 12:6; 119:160; Proverbs 30:5).
We teach that the Bible constitutes the only infallible rule of faith and practice and is true and reliable in all the matters it addresses (Matthew 5:18; 24:35; John 10:35; 16:12–13; 17:17; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20–21).
We teach that God spoke in His written Word by a process of dual authorship. The Holy Spirit so superintended the human authors that, through their individual personalities and different styles of writing, they composed and recorded God’s Word to man (2 Peter 1:20–21) without error in the whole or in the part
(Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16).
We teach the literal, grammatical, historical interpretation of Scripture, which affirms that, whereas there may be several applications of any given passage of Scripture, there is but one true interpretation. The meaning of Scripture is to be found as one diligently and consistently applies this interpretive method with the aid of the illumination of the Holy Spirit (John 7:17; 16:12–15; 1 Corinthians 2:7–15; 1 John 2:20). It is the responsibility of believers to ascertain carefully the true intent and meaning of Scripture, recognizing that proper application is binding on all generations. Yet the truth of Scripture stands in judgment of men; never do men stand in judgment of it.
We teach that literal, grammatical, historical interpretation yields the affirmation that God created the world in six literal twentyfour-hour days (Genesis 1:1–2:3; Exodus 20:11; 31:17), that He specially created man and woman (Genesis 1:26–28; 2:5–25), and that He defined marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; cf. Malachi 2:14). Scripture elsewhere dictates that any sexual activity outside of marriage is an abomination before the Lord (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:1–30; Matthew 5:27–32; 19:1–9; 1 Corinthians 5:1–5; 6:9–10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–7).
What does it really mean to be educated? Is college, in and of itself, really what educates a person? What above all must you know? Scripture’s answer to this is very clear: “In all of your learning, get wisdom” (Proverbs 4:7).
However, we also know from Scripture that getting wisdom is no easy thing (Proverbs 2:1-5). The pursuit of wisdom requires effort. We have to search for it like miners search for precious metals. In fact, Job talks about mining and says that finding wisdom is even harder than finding underground treasures (Job 28:9-13).
Job is saying, “We may be able to find silver and gold, but no man knows where to find wisdom.” And yet God in His Word commands us to seek wisdom, and in Proverbs much is said about the benefits of having wisdom. It brings safety to
those who have it (Proverbs 1:33).
It gives people favor in the sight of God and man (Proverbs 3:4). It brings us exaltation and honor (Proverbs 4:8). In light of all these benefits, Proverbs says that wisdom is more valuable than anything a miner could find in the ground (Proverbs 8:11).
The most important thing you will ever gain is wisdom. But that leads us to ask the question, “What is wisdom?”
The word for wisdom in the Greek language is sophia. This word sophia refers to concepts; for a Greek, being wise meant being able to analyze and comprehend ideas. This is often how we think about wisdom today. But the Hebrew word for wisdom, chakam, is quite different; it means “skillful.” In the Hebrew language, a wise person is someone who has skill in living. When we read about
wisdom in Proverbs, this is the sort of wisdom we are meant to picture. Biblical wisdom is designed to give us skill in how we live our lives.
So then, what does it mean to be educated? It means to pursue skillfulness in every area of our lives.
If there is anything that should set apart a Christian college, anything that should set apart those of us who are committed to Jesus Christ, it should be this: that we are not only seeking knowledge of concepts, but we are pursuing skill in all aspects of living. And this skill comes from studying the Word of God and the person of Christ, who is God incarnate and the sum of all wisdom (Colossians 2:3). When we come to Scripture, we learn wisdom.
This post is based on a sermon by Dr. MacArthur.
Graduates of TMU are eligible for an exclusive scholarship in one of our online graduate degree programs.
ELIGIBLE GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Master of Arts, Biblical Studies
Master of Business Administration
Master of Healthcare Administration
Master of Education in Teaching
FIND OUT MORE AT ONLINE.MASTERS.EDU/ALUMNI-SCHOLARSHIP
“After having served at Grace Bible Church in Gatesville, Texas, for 12 years, my family and I moved to Powell, Tennessee, in 2020. Powell is located just north of Knoxville and near the Smoky Mountains — our favorite vacation destination! I have served as senior pastor at First Baptist Church Powell for just over five years. My stewardship includes the regular preaching and teaching of Holy Scripture, oversight of various staff
members, and help guiding our classical Christian academy (First Baptist Academy), among other ministries of the church. My desire is simple: to faithfully steward what Christ has entrusted to me as a husband, father, and pastor. As the Apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, ‘Let a man consider us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that
one be found faithful.’ Gospel ministry continues to highlight our insufficiency and the infinite sufficiency of Christ. If any of you desire to pray for us, please pray for enduring and unashamed faithfulness until the end. Additionally, I would ask that you pray for an everincreasing love for Christ. Our prayer is, ‘O make me Thine forever! And should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never outlive my love for Thee.’”
were married in 1993, the same year John graduated from TMS. John served as an associate pastor for 12 years before becoming the senior pastor of Redeemer Church — a church plant in Rockford, Illinois
— which just celebrated its 20th anniversary. John and Betsey have five adult children, three sons-inlaw, and a daughter-in-law. Four of their children attended TMU, and all currently live in the Rockford area, serving at Redeemer Church. John and Betsey are blessed with seven grandchildren and are joyfully anticipating two more by the end of 2025. John and Betsey feel like
the richest people in the world, grateful for children who believe and serve faithfully at their church, and grateful for the privilege of seeing their grandchildren each week. John loves pastoral ministry and, having planted two churches, is passionate about multiplying courageous Jesus-followers and gospelcentered churches throughout the Rockford area.
briefly returned to the motherland of Texas before moving back to California to marry the love of his life, Julianne Horning. In 2023, they started Integria Construction, a general contracting company serving Orange County and the surrounding areas. Canon also serves as the
music director of Foothills Church in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, and Julianne is the demand planning manager at Feit Electric. Canon and Julianne are joyfully expecting a daughter in November. To this day, Canon prays weekly with his classmate Troy Anderson (’17), one of the deep friendships he formed at TMU.
married on May 10, 1992, the day after graduation from TMC. They moved to Texas in 1993, where Reagan took up the furniture business, Gracie taught music, and they both served their church as they raised their six children. In January 2021, the Lord called them to serve as missionaries in Scotland, where Reagan now pastors Springburn Baptist Church in Glasgow, with sons keeping up the furniture business in Texas. They are excitedly expecting their first grandchild in September.
studied political philosophy, ethics, Christian political thought, and American government through the John Jay Institute immediately following graduation. Shortly after, she lived in Washington, D.C., for a year, where she was a member of Capitol Hill Baptist Church and worked as a state constitutional research fellow at the Federalist Society. Most recently, she moved back to Clovis, California, to live near family. While assisting with research for a forthcoming book on the Nicene Creed, she attends Grace Church of the Valley in Kingsburg, California.
Todd Cheney (’95) recently retired after 26 years in the military, with the last 20 years serving as a U.S. Army chaplain. He ministered in a variety of commands and units; memorable ones include serving as a regimental chaplain at West Point, New York, and garrison chaplain in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He now pastors Tahoe Community Church in Stateline, Nevada.
lives in Houston, Alaska, and works in the aviation industry as a professional pilot. Since graduating, she has been enjoying flying throughout Alaska and the lower 48 states, working in various piloting roles. She enjoys spending her free time flying around Alaska, which allows her to see God’s creation from another vantage point — up in the air — and loves being outdoors. She attends Anchorage Grace Church, where she is thankful to have a community of like-minded believers as well as see fellow graduates of TMU.
has been blessed with her own editing and proofreading business for the past decade. Beyond her work, she cherishes time with her parents and enjoys playing with her 1-year-old niece. It brings her great joy to serve at events at her church, Grace Community, and to pursue her hobbies of playing the piano and singing!
O’Brien met at TMC and dated throughout college until they were married in 2017 and moved to Phoenix. Mike works at a wealth management firm, while Rachel home-schools their four children. In addition to co-leading a small group and occasionally filling in on the worship team, Mike and Rachel serve in student ministry at Northwest Community Church. They have grown increasingly thankful for their time at TMU, as working with youth, raising kids, and walking through trials continually give them opportunities to practice what they’ve learned during their college years.
met in 2004 and married in 2008. They have two children, Zeke (8) and Piper (5), and live just down the road from TMU in Santa Clarita. After traveling around the country for work and graduate school, the Lord brought them back to Los Angeles, where Grant completed post-graduate work at USC. He works as a composer in film and television, and Carley teaches high school mathematics at Trinity Classical Academy in Valencia, where Zeke and Piper also study. Grant is an adjunct professor of music at TMU, and Grant and Carley serve in leadership at Oak Hill Bible Church. They love hosting friends and family in their home for meals and fun conversation, and they love exploring new restaurants as a family.
met at TMC but didn’t marry until 1997 while both were attending Grace Community Church. Shortly after, they moved to the Atlanta, Georgia, area, where they’ve now lived for nearly 30 years. The Lord blessed them with three sons — Josh, Nathan, and Zach, the youngest of whom graduated from TMU in 2025. Lyle has worked in the lighting industry as an analyst with Cooper Lighting for 23 years. Michelle has served as a teacher in various settings over the years — from home schooling their sons, to a classical school educator, and now teaching fourth and fifth grade at a Christian school. For over 25 years, they’ve had the privilege of attending Faith Bible Church in Sharpsburg, Georgia, where they’ve served in a number of ministries and where Lyle currently serves as an elder. Both Lyle and Michelle look back on their time at TMU with great fondness and gratitude to God for the spiritual formation they experienced and Christ-centered discipleship modeled to them during those years.
inspired by some of her courses as an English major and exposure to global church needs at TMU, completed a Master of Arts in Linguistics in 2022. From there she got an opportunity in Louisville, Kentucky, to intern as a linguistic analyst with a Bible translation project (working with Congolese refugees). Although thinking that would be a temporary move, the Lord surprised Ellie by enfolding her into Clifton Baptist Church and making Louisville her home, where she has learned to value lived-out biblical ecclesiology and the hard-earned joy of authentic community. Today, she’s working as an editor at a Christian classical education publisher and has also had the gift of studying at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and serving as a teaching assistant for Boyce College English classes. Outside of work, she is so grateful to be doing life with her church family, playing pickleball more than ever expected, and enjoying the outdoors.
moved to Carlsbad, California, after getting married two days after graduation in May of 2023. They spend their days working from home, swimming, surfing, and visiting their favorite local coffee shops. Owen works full time as a software developer for bookreport, and Courtney works full time as a social media manager and email director at Coastal Collective Marketing. They are blessed to be serving in their church, Redemption Church North County, in various ways, including helping lead music, organizing events, and pitching in wherever else they can. They are so thankful for their time at TMU and the skills it gave them to flourish in work and church life.
and her husband, Andrew, have now been married for four years. Andrew works as a systems engineer, and Lauren is a mother at home to Augie (who will soon be a big brother). Prior to having children, Lauren used her accounting degree to become a CPA and a controller for a general construction company. While being in the workforce was a joy, Lauren is grateful to now be a full-time, stay-at-home mom. She loves being a wife to Andrew and a backyard playmate to Augie, joining him for baseball, golf, looking at bugs, and playing in the hose. As a family, they enjoy serving at and attending Redeemer Church in Rockford, Illinois, and are involved in Adult Life groups.
met at TMU in 2017 and were married the summer after graduation in 2019. They have two sons, Theodore (2) and Henry (1), and recently moved to a small town in Nebraska. The boys keep Kayla very busy as a stay-at-home mom, and Noah owns Snowday Design, a web design and marketing agency serving clients across the country. The Olsons enjoy traveling, discovering new places and restaurants, and spending a lot of time outdoors together. Their time at TMU helped form the biblical worldview that continues to shape their family and their walk with Christ today. They’re especially thankful for the friendships built, the spiritual growth experienced, and the faithful teaching they received during those formative years.
A PROUD PARTNER OF THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY.
graduated with her bachelor’s degree in biblical counseling, then went on to receive her ACBC certification and master’s degree in biblical counseling from TMU as well. For five years, Julie worked as a resident director at TMU, where she enjoyed discipling college women and building dorm community. Just recently, Julie accepted a new position at Desert Christian High School as their student life coordinator and guidance counselor. This position has been a dream job since her senior year of high school, and she is so excited for the opportunity to use her counseling degree in a high school context. Julie serves at her local church, Grace Baptist, in various ways, including counseling, women’s ministry teaching, and music ministry. She is grateful for the impact TMU had on her spiritual life, along with how it prepared her for her career goals. Her next ambition is to take her master’s degree thesis and publish her first book!
met at TMC while singing in Chorale. They are grateful for the theological foundation, especially the biblical influence of Dr. MacArthur, that God provided for them and their three children — Justin (’20, with his wife, Reagan), Ryan (’22) and Caroline (’25) — at TMU. Currently living in Spokane, Washington, Jim is self-employed with a cargo transport business and Lauren is a children’s book author. They attend Christ Our Hope Bible Church, and they enjoy regularly connecting with other alumni nationwide!
Danielle
is now living in Washington with her husband, Steve, who she met at a church Bible study at the end of 2021. She currently teaches math to seventh and ninth graders at a public junior high school in the area, and she really enjoys getting to care for her students and share both her love for math and her love for the Lord with them. Steve and Danielle are both actively involved in serving their church, Puyallup Community Baptist Church, in the youth group and music ministries, which has been a huge blessing to them!
Mahowa met at TMU in 2015 and were married in December 2017. They are proud parents to two daughters, ages 4 and 2. Humphrey played for the TMU men’s soccer team from 2014-17, and Jessica competed in cross country and track at TMU from 2011-15. Humphrey works in a variety of roles — primarily as a state-licensed K-12 teacher at Golden Valley High School, and additionally as the assistant coach for TMU men’s soccer and as the head soccer coach at Legacy Christian Academy. He is the founder of AfriSportsConnect, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating educational opportunities for young African athletes through sports. Jessica is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach with over eight years of experience, specializing in pre/postnatal fitness, strength training, and running. Together, they attend Crossroads Community Church, which has been a meaningful place for their family to grow in their faith and connect with their community.
Zietlow met at TMC during their freshman year and married shortly after graduation in 1994. Rob attended seminary at TMS (1995-98), and in 2001 Rob was called to serve on the pastoral staff at Cross & Crown Church in Colorado Springs, where he has been ministering alongside the senior pastor, Lance Gentry (TMS grad), for the past 24 years. Rob and Sharon raised two daughters, Mackenzie and Kayla, and a son, Brayden (who just graduated from TMU in May). Their girls are both married, and they are the proud grandparents to a 2-year-old granddaughter and another due to arrive soon. Rob and Sharon are so thankful for the education and experience they received at TMU, and for how it shaped and prepared them for various ministry roles within the local church.
met at LABC, both graduated in 1979, and married in 1980. They have served at Grace Bible Church (Marysville, Washington), where Tim has been an elder and pastor with the primary responsibility of leading Grace Academy, a K-12 Christian school, until he retired in 2022. Renée served as the school’s development director and cared for their five children, three of whom graduated from TMU and one from TMS. They now have 19 grandchildren. The last two years have been devoted to founding Foothill Christian Academy in Upland, California.
Alumni, we hope to include more of you in the next issue’s “Class Notes.” We’d love to share a little bit about your life with the TMU community. Reach out with your update at alumni@masters.edu
moved to Santa Clarita to attend The Master’s College and then never left! They both returned to TMU for the MABC program (Jesse ’19, Adam ’22). Adam is a bi-vocational pastor. By day he serves at Children’s Hunger Fund as the international ministry development director for Africa, equipping local churches overseas for gospel-centered mercy ministry. By night (and weekend), he serves as the pastor for discipleship and missions at Oak Hill Bible Church. Jesse homeschools their two children (Eden, 12 and Zion, 7) and serves at their church in a variety of ways — teaching, counseling, and discipling. Now that they are parents to “middles” (no longer “littles”), they enjoy road-tripping to various national parks. It is a privilege and joy to highlight to their children how “the heavens (and the earth!) declare the glory of God!”
Dr. Hannah Dupea graduated from The Master’s University in 2011 with a degree in biological and physical sciences, before going on to medical school and working in family medicine in Montana. We recently asked her to share some tips on how to stay healthy during the fall and winter months.
“The goal here is movement every day — some days can be intense ‘exercise’ days, but lighter days are good too. Make little things count: deep cleaning or house repair projects, organizing and decluttering. If you live in a multi-story building, find reasons to utilize the stairs more often. Dress for the weather and still get outside if at all possible. If weather or lack of daylight is keeping you inside, consider utilizing DVDs, online programs, or community classes.”
ILLNESS PREVENTION
“Wash your hands! Sanitizer is great — don’t be afraid to carry it to church and other gatherings. If you or your child has a fever, uncontrollable cough, or runny nose, please stay home until the fever is gone for 24 hours. Some folks see benefit from intermittent use of supplements such as zinc, echinacea, and vitamin C when sick-exposures are especially high.”
“For many, fall/winter is a time of cooler temperatures, less daylight, and improved sleep. Take advantage of the season to let your body catch up. Perhaps you need a break from intense workouts so your body can heal and strengthen. This might be a good time to try a new hobby, to forge deeper relationships, or to dive into a more complex study of God’s Word. In Ecclesiastes, God reminds us that life is to be balanced, an ebb and flow. Embrace the gentle pattern of change seen in each season that God made for us. Find His purpose for you in each moment and enjoy the benefits!”
FISCAL YEAR 2025 (JULY 1, 2024 – JUNE 30, 2025)
Office of Development
Two words characterize the landscape of higher education at the moment: uncertainty and instability. Volatility in funding, the advent of the demographic cliff and sharp decline in enrollment, campus protests, government intervention, and the disruptor of AI in cheating scandals and the viability of certain occupations all have made universities quite unsteady. Even the largest institutions have frozen budgets, and numerous schools have engaged in systematic layoffs, merged with other institutions, and even shut down. In fact, the statistical average a couple of years ago was that one institution of higher learning closed down every week. What has fueled all of this and what the turmoil has exposed is the lack of any true cause in education. From Capitol Hill to the living room of many homes, people wonder if higher education has any purpose or meaningful outcome. Such skepticism is the fuel that drives the uncertainty and instability that higher education currently faces.
But The Master’s University has a very different story than what is going on around us in higher education. The Lord has worked powerfully. While higher education is wrecked by unsteadiness, The Master’s University has increased enrollment by 40%, grown the endowment over $100 million, and expanded real estate holdings. Several years in a row, it has claimed a spot in the top 10 of the Wall Street Journal rankings for career preparation and students’ best choice.
The reason for all this blessing cannot be clever marketing or incisive strategy. All other schools have expended exorbitant resources to develop such plans only to find themselves in a precarious position. The One who has determined TMU’s current blessing is the Lord, and as always, He honors His Word. I believe God is blessing our institution because it is trustworthy. Families know our school stands unashamed on the authority of God’s Word. We are not swayed by trends, fads, or worldly philosophies. We subject all our campus — from the classroom to the dorm room — to the lordship of Christ. Those are not just words. They are the convictions of every employee of this institution, and such conviction produces a sweetness of love for each other, a love for the truth, and a love for the God of the truth that unites hearts, compels wisdom, and drives outstanding work in all of life and vocation. That is true, effective, and everlasting purpose. WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW IS THE FRUIT OF THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US, PARTICULARLY OUR CHANCELLOR,
JOHN F. MACARTHUR, WHOM THE LORD RECENTLY CALLED HOME. THE SUCCESS OF WHAT IS HAPPENING, FROM OUR CAMPUS CULTURE TO OUTCOMES, IS A VINDICATION OF HIS RELENTLESS FAITHFULNESS TO CHRIST AND SCRIPTURE. EVEN MORE, THIS MOMENT IS A TESTIMONY TO THE ABSOLUTE SUFFICIENCY AND SUPREMACY OF SCRIPTURE.
As we look toward the future, I have been asked what lies ahead and the answer is the same as always: faithfulness. If the Lord sends us more students (as He is), then our job is to be faithful to each of them as we were in the past, especially as the demand for those who know and live the truth is greater than ever in the church and the workforce. If hard times come, we are building the resources so that we can defend the mission of Christ and Scripture and remain faithful so that the work of the church, being the pillar and grounds of the truth, is upheld worldwide from generation to generation. No matter what, we are pressing on to be faithful.
We are in a new era where eternal convictions and a noble ministry have been passed down to us by a stalwart of the faith. I am convinced that in this season we must double down on what our institution has stood for for nearly a century. The need for upholding the truth remains as high as ever, and as I survey the landscape of higher education, the training for that purpose is falling ever more on our shoulders. Our job then, in the providence of God, is to do all we can to uphold the legacy of Christ and Scripture for the sake of the church until our Master returns.
PRESIDENT, THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY
HISTORICAL ENROLLMENT GROWTH
The Master’s University has a residential undergraduate enrollment of more than 1,200 STUDENTS and a total enrollment exceeding 2,200
TRADITIONAL UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT THE PAST 10 YEARS
42% 90% 1,229 Increase in school enrollment since 2019 Retention Rate Undergraduate On-Campus Enrollment
32 40 112 Countries Represented by the Student Body States Represented by the Student Body International Students 48-52% Male-Female Ratio for Traditional Undergraduate Students
WHY ARE STUDENTS CHOOSING TMU?
92% of incoming students selected either “Doctrinal Stance,” “Spiritual Growth and Development,” or “General Academic Excellence” as their top reason for attending TMU.
The Master’s University has prayerfully expanded its ACADEMIC PROGRAMS to meet growing market needs, allowing more students to receive a thoroughly biblical education while strengthening long-term sustainability. This growth has required additional MISSION-FIT FACULTY , and TMU has been blessed to recruit professors deeply devoted to Christ and student discipleship. SCHOLARSHIPS help attract students from diverse backgrounds, while the University’s emphasis on on-campus living fosters intentional spiritual growth. Strategic PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS have further enhanced academic and residential life — all made possible through generous donor support. WHILE WE TRUST THE LORD TO BRING THE STUDENTS HE DESIRES AT TMU, THESE ARE THE KEY PROPELLERS OF GROWTH AT THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY.
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Number of New Programs or Emphases Added the Past 5 Years
360
Number of Students Represented in New Programs
150+
Total Degrees and Program Options
12:1
Student-Teacher Class Ratio in Upper Division Courses
RECENTLY ADDED OR UPDATED DEGREES & PROGRAMS
Artificial Intelligence
Agricultural Business
Cinema & Digital Arts
Classical Liberal Arts
Computer Engineering
Computer Systems
Criminal Justice
Electrical Engineering
Entrepreneurial Studies
Environmental Science
Financial Planning Minor
Geology
Information Systems
Interdisciplinary Studies
Marketing Media
Mechanical Engineering
Pre-Dentistry
Sport Management
Master of Education in Teaching
D.Min. in Biblical Counseling
Since 2021, TMU has made it a priority to invest in its most valuable asset — our beloved faculty — through multiple cost-of-living adjustments, pay increases, and faculty bonuses.
The Lydia Endowment is used to support, retain, and recruit faculty at The Master’s University. As we seek to honor the Lord by offering an education that equips students for a lifetime of service to Christ, it is critical that we provide resources to support and enhance the faculty at TMU.
MORE THAN 550 GIFTS, TOTALING OVER $930,000, HAVE BEEN RECEIVED IN GENEROUS SUPPORT OF OUR FACULTY THROUGH THE LYDIA ENDOWED FUND.
FACULTY STORIES FACULTY VIDEOS
DR. GRANT HORNER
Christian Education in the 21st Century
DR. TAI-DANAE BRADLEY
Featured in Prestigious Science Publication
DR. JOEY KIM
Equipping STEM Students to Shine for Christ
FACULTY Q&A s
DR. JOHN BECK
Q&A with Dr. John Beck, Business & Communication Dean
TRICIA HULET
Q&A with Tricia Hulet, Director of Theatre Arts
DAVID LARSEN
Q&A with David Larsen, Kinesiology Department Chair
DR. ABNER CHOU Not Exhaustive But Comprehensive: How Scripture Frames Everything
DR. MATTHEW MCLAIN You and the Zoo: Humans, Animals & the Image of God
DR. GREG GIFFORD The Heart of a Bible Professor at TMU
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TMU has 42 scholarship funds impacting students.
Students received a total of $22,725,000 in institutional aid during the 2024-25 academic year NOT INCLUDING EXTERNAL AID.
96%
During the 2024–25 academic year, 96% of students received financial aid, benefiting over 1,200 students
$4M
Students received $4,025,000 in donor-funded scholarship aid during the 2024-25 academic year.
$24M
TMU anticipates awarding $24 million during the 2025-26 academic year.
We hope you are encouraged by a short video featuring Lauren Dougherty, a current student and a recipient of The Master’s Global Scholarship.
Knowing that someone is paying for me to attend college and learn is such a motivation for me to excel. Somebody — without even knowing me — has chosen to help me pursue my education. It challenges me and shapes how I think about my future and how I can serve the next generation. I hope you realize the impact you have on us. Thank you so much for your legacy and your testimony.” “
LAUREN DOUGHERTY
Additional student housing allows more than 200 STUDENTS to benefit from residential education.
45% of housing acquisition costs were covered by donor support.
Donors have invested $24.4 MILLION to acquire real estate assets for student housing.
GRATEFUL FOR YOUR GENEROSITY
$30,640,191 Total Amount Donated FY25
3,895 Number of Gifts
1, 2024 - JUNE 30, 2025 5-YEAR GIVING COMPARISON ENDOWMENT GROWTH
155 Recurring Donors 216 Chancellor’s Circle Members 231 New Donors
Donating appreciated stocks, mutual funds, or securities to The Master’s University offers significant benefits. You can enjoy an income tax deduction, avoid capital gains tax, maximize your gift’s impact, retain your cash, and increase your charitable deduction — all while seeing the results of your generosity now.
Charitable gift annuities are a great option for donors who are 60 years or older and who are seeking to make a gift while securing a dependable, lifetime income stream unaffected by market fluctuations.
An IRA charitable rollover allows donors aged 70½ or older to make tax-free gifts to the University from their Individual Retirement Accounts. For those 73 or older, these gifts can also satisfy required minimum distributions (RMDs). Since IRA assets are heavily taxed, this taxfree option is especially advantageous.
Since its founding in 1927, more than 20,000 MEN AND WOMEN have graduated from TMU. TODAY, ALUMNI ARE ACTIVELY SERVING IN MORE THAN 50 COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. Each life equipped at The Master’s University extends the impact of the gospel and biblical truth to the ends of the earth.
Gospel Progress in Italy
Need
Am I Called to Missions?
This photo, taken in the late 1980s, proved to be a foreshadowing of things to come. The school now features a beach volleyball complex, with three sand courts, on the west end of campus.
SCHOLARSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
AMOUNT: FULL TUITION COVERAGE
Recipients of this scholarship pay zero tuition. This unique scholarship, which honors Dr. John Stead, combines all existing financial aid that a student receives and then supplements the remaining amount to offer a full-tuition scholarship. Five scholarships are awarded each year.
LEARN MORE AND APPLY AT MASTERS.EDU/STEADFAST
AMOUNT: $84,000 awarded as $21,000/year for up to 4 years.
This highly competitive academic scholarship is awarded based on an interview process. Full-time incoming freshman applicants must have a weighted high school GPA of 4.00 and an SAT I score (Critical Reading and Math sub-tests only) of 1,350 or ACT score of 30 or CLT score of 91.
LEARN MORE AND APPLY AT MASTERS.EDU/ACADEMIC-SCHOLARSHIPS
AMOUNT: $20,000 awarded as $5,000/year for up to 4 years.
This scholarship was created to honor the life of Audrey Ku Chou, mother of TMU’s president, Dr. Abner Chou. The scholarship is for new and current students in STEM fields who possess eligible GPAs. Students must submit a written essay as part of their application.
LEARN MORE AND APPLY AT MASTERS.EDU/AUDREY
AMOUNT: $5,000
The Just Thinking Scholarship is open to all fall 2026 on-campus undergraduate students applying for the first time to TMU. Five scholarships are awarded each year based on an application essay.
LEARN MORE AND APPLY AT MASTERS.EDU/JUSTTHINKING
We look forward to celebrating our centennial with the TMU family during the fall 2026 and spring 2027 semesters!