The Mustang Connection October 2021

October 2021 vol.

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MUSTANG CONNECTION

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A PUBLICATION of THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY

Making Sense of Today’s News Media Takes Time, Effort & Introspection

by D R . B O B DICKSON

WELCOME to THE MUSTANG CONNECTION. AS WE PREPARED TO PUBLISH THE 10TH EDITION OF THE MAGAZINE, IT FELT LIKE A GOOD TIME TO REVISIT OUR MOTIVATIONS FOR CREATING THE MUSTANG CONNECTION. We hope that as you read stories about TMU alumni, faculty, staff and students, you’ll be encouraged by the ways God has worked in their lives (like the way He’s inspired a greater love for the local church in Alyssa Ramos, who you’ll meet in this month’s Student Focus). We also hope that articles written by members of our faculty will provide you with practical advice on how to honor the Lord in different areas of life and challenge you to think critically about difficult issues (like Dr. Bob Dickson’s piece this month on the news media).

We hope, too, that as you read about what’s going on at TMU, you’ll feel a deep connection to our shared mission to make disciples and to honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in all things.

You can subscribe to the magazine at masters.edu/the-mustang-connection. We hope you will.

C O V E R A RT BY M A R I LY N C H O

CONTENTS

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Right Out of the Gate

M A S T E R’S I N M I N I S T RY:

Donny & Gabby Hoover O F F I C E H O U R S:

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Making Sense of Today’s News Media Takes Time, Effort & Introspection

by D R. B O B D I C K S O N

S T U D E N T F O C U S:

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From Baking to Biblical Counseling

FA C U LT Y F O C U S:

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This Wasn’t Meant to Be a Trilogy

Just Catching Up

Alumni Job Board October

2021

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RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE

CAMPUS

HIGHLIGHTS 01

I N R E C E N T Y E A R S , T H E LO R D H A S U S E D G E N E R O U S DONORS TO PROVIDE FOR CAMPUS ENHANCEMENTS A N D A C A D E M I C E X PA N S I O N .

02 Jim Rickard recently won his 350th game as TMU Men’s Soccer head coach. The milestone came in an impressive 1-0 win over visiting Vanguard University on Sept. 30.

At the time, the victory moved Rickard into eighth place among active coaches and 10th place alltime for career wins in NAIA men’s soccer history. Rickard is in his 31st season as TMU’s head coach.

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03 TMU professors Grant Horner, Gregg Frazer and Matt Green began a movie night tradition last semester with a showing of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The tradition is continuing this semester with a series of five showings.

Among the lineup are classics like “Casablanca” and the original “King Kong.” The showings are followed by an interactive discussion about filmography and theology.

At record levels, generous men and women have partnered with TMU to equip the next generation of students for lives of faithfulness to Christ and Scripture. The University’s endowment has grown by 178% in the last five years, and donors have funded many campus enhancements and academic expansions. Even more importantly, many students have received needed scholarships. During the 2020-21 school year, TMU’s donors contributed to $9.3 million in overall student aid offered by the school. Since fall 2018, Master’s has provided $23.6 million in total aid.

Because of this, more students who are a great fit for TMU have been — and will be — able to receive an education that, in every area, is subject to the Word of God. TMU is immensely grateful to the Lord and to the donors He has supplied.

04 TMU recently hosted Dr. John Mortensen, a Fulbright Global Scholar and an expert in historic piano improvisation. He is the author of “The Pianist’s Guide to Historic Improvisation” and “Improvising Fugue.” Mortensen hosted a workshop and an improvised concert on campus, giving TMU’s campus community the opportunity to learn from and enjoy his expertise.

UPCOMING

EVENTS OCTOBER 22

Tickets are still available for TMU Theatre Arts’ production of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Showings are on October 22-23 and 29-30. Ondemand streaming is also available. To learn more about the production or to buy tickets, see masters.edu/theatre-arts.

OCTOBER 28

View the U is happening October 28-29. This is an opportunity for prospective students to visit campus, sit in on classes and experience what it’s like to be a Mustang. See masters.edu/visit/view-weekend for the event schedule and registration details.

OCTOBER 30

On October 30, TMU will be hosting TheoTech 2021: God, Technology, and Man. This conference will explore technology from the standpoint of biblical theology, with talks aimed at a general audience. Speakers include Dr. John MacArthur and Dr. Abner Chou, among others. See masters.edu/theotech for tickets.

NOVEMBER 6

This year, TMU will be hosting the GSAC cross country championships at Central Park on November 6. The men’s race will be at 9 a.m., and the women’s will be at 10 a.m. For more details, or to see TMU’s full athletic schedule, visit gomustangs.com.

NOVEMBER 11

On November 11, TMU’s orchestra will be performing its fall concert. Then on November 13 the department will perform its yearly Bellfest. Several junior and senior music students will also be performing recitals throughout the month, and TMU’s annual Christmas concerts are slated for early December. Details and tickets are available at masters.edu/music.

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COMMUNITY BEST OF

THE WEB MASTER’S IN MINISTRY

VIDEO

DONNY & GABBY HOOVER

Watch at masters.edu/tmu-media

THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL STUDIES

PODCASTS

Listen at masters.edu/tmu-media

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EP. 9: DR. BOB DICKSON ON THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT NEWS MEDIA

EP. 124: AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. GIFFORD ON HIS BOOK “HEART & HABITS”

NEWS ARTICLES

EP. 19: ALL-DECADE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM

Read the full stories at masters.edu/news

As a kid, Dr. Gamble-Smith played the violin, studied German and read Calvin’s Institutes. That was just the start of a life that's been thoroughly interdisciplinary, making her a great fit to lead one of TMU's newest programs, interdisciplinary studies.

What Geoffrey Branda enjoyed most about a successful career in business was the opportunity to mentor people. Now as a professor at TMU, he hopes to prepare students to be compelling witnesses for Christ in their future careers.

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DONNY (TMU, ’07) GABBY (TMU, ’10)

DEACON - 3

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San Gabriel Community Church

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Crossroads Christian Fellowship

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Trinity Baptist Church

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Redeemer Bible Church

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Emmaus Community Church

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CrossLife Community Church

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Mandarin Baptist Church of Los Angeles

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Anchor Bible Church

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Chinese Congregational Church

117 N. Pine Street, San Gabriel, CA 91775 Steve Balentine, Senior Pastor

2107 E. Villa Street, Pasadena, CA 91107 Gideon Dignadice, Senior Pastor

1147 Cordova Street, Pasadena, CA 91106 Warren Okonowski, Pastor-Teacher

222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024 Allen Tsai, Pastor Cho Yim, Pastor

72 N. Wilson Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106 Ian Kwon, Pastor

33 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024 Justin Chan, Associate Pastor

110 W. Woodward Avenue, Alhambra, CA 91801 Garrett Ho, Associate Pastor Robert Chan, Youth Minister

1288 N. Bonnie Cove Avenue, Covina, CA 91724 Derek Mackie, Pastor Jack Lamb, Pastor John Saddler, Elder

11636 Lower Azusa Road, El Monte, CA 91732 Eric Chou, Pastor-Teacher

10 Truth Chinese Alliance Church

4047 N. Durfee Avenue, El Monte, CA 91732 Jimmy Li, English Associate Pastor

11 Arcadia Bible Church

4064 E. Live Oak Avenue, Arcadia, CA 91006 John Saddler, Elder

12 Christian Alliance Bible Church 1108 Highland Avenue, Duarte, CA 91010 Michael Sandfrey, Associate Pastor

13 New Life Baptist Church

3718 N. Baldwin Park Blvd., Baldwin Park, CA 91706 Rich Katekawa, English Pastor

14 Christian Fellowship Bible Church

1773 W. San Bernardino Road #A7-10, West Covina, CA 91791 Alex Hong, Pastor Elder

GABBY AND I BOTH GREW UP AT SAN GABRIEL COMMUNITY CHURCH, SO IT IS OUR GREAT JOY TO GIVE BACK AND SERVE IN A PLACE THAT HAS INVESTED SO MUCH IN US.Gabby recently became the executive assistant to the principal (Chesed Bialon, TMU ’06) of San Gabriel Christian School, which is one of our most effective ministries in reaching our community. Previously, Gabby served as the administrative assistant in our church offices for 11 years. I serve as the director of worship ministries and help out with student ministries in leading worship, teaching and discipling in small groups.

Our local church started over 100 years ago (est. 1918), and our senior pastor (Steve Balentine, TMC and TMS graduate) just celebrated his 25th year of ministry here.

In the midst of an ever-changing world, we praise God for the steadfast ministry of SGCC in our community. We appreciate your prayers as we continue to be a place where the Word of God is preached.

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OFFICE HOURS

Making Sen News Media Effort & I

by D R . B O B D I C K S O N

nse of Today’s a Takes Time, Introspection

It’s no secret we live in a contentious time in our culture. Ideological, political and spiritual battlelines crisscross the landscape of our lives. They create divisions in our relationships at work, in our churches and even within our homes.

This is nothing new, of course. As a nation, we have always engaged in spirited debate over the issues of the day. Such debate, in fact, has been welcomed and necessary for the health of a representative democracy; propositions are brought to the marketplace of ideas to be scrutinized and debated, and then either adopted, amended or rejected.

However, the divisions we are experiencing today are different. They do not bear the hallmarks of healthy debate. There is little we would recognize as an exchange of ideas. Instead, we see separate ideological camps digging in – as walled off from one another as missile silos. Constructive conversation is rare, at best, and always a risky endeavor.

If you have attempted to discuss one of the hot-button issues of the day with someone from a different ideological camp – perhaps even at the dinner table – you have felt the effects of this change. You have probably been frustrated by how rapidly those kinds of discussions devolve into something less than fruitful. The frustration is felt by all sides.

The reason we can no longer seem to engage in healthy debate is that we have lost the most important ingredient: We no longer agree on a common set of facts. Without that, we have no foundation for a rational exchange of ideas.

What is the source of this confusion? Put simply, it is the news media. In America, we are losing our trust in the news media at a rapid rate. A 2021 poll conducted by the

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Pew Institute found that in the last five years, Americans who say they have “a lot” or “some” trust in information coming from the national news fell from 76 to 58 percent.

The reasons for this are numerous, but they reveal a credibility crisis within the news media industry that has been building for 25 years, congruent with the rise of the internet. As late as the mid-90s, everybody got their news on a 24-hour cycle. They read a morning or evening newspaper and supplemented that with the evening news on TV. The internet eviscerated the traditional news-delivery model. Suddenly, news could be communicated across the world in seconds. In this new, minute-by-minute news cycle, speed – always valued in the news industry – became critical, sometimes at the expense of accuracy.

Add to that the financial pressure resulting from plummeting subscriptions and advertising revenue, and the monetization of clicks and views, and you have a witch’s brew of rushed, sensationalized and loosely vetted information pouring into society.

So here we are in 2021, with a largely misinformed or ill-informed population not able to agree on a set of facts and largely unwilling to consider that another set of facts could possibly be true. Meanwhile, the very institution we rely on to find and present those facts is at best playing fast and loose with the truth and, at worst, engaging in informational subterfuge for profit.

In such an environment, the onus falls on the news consumer to discern the truth. It is the news consumer who must wade through the swamp of information and misinformation to get at the actual facts.

It is with that in mind that TMU’s communication department began offering a course titled News Media Literacy this fall. The course, which is required for most communication majors, is designed to teach students how to spot truth from error in news reporting. If we are to pursue our mission to “empower students for a life of enduring commitment to Christ, biblical fidelity, moral integrity, intellectual growth and lasting contribution to the kingdom of God worldwide,” we must teach them this skill.

The course focuses on 12 ways in which news can be slanted or misrepresented, intentionally or through shoddy journalistic practices.

We call them “THE DIRTY DOZEN.”

They are ordered below from easiest to spot to the most difficult:

1. Outright lies and propaganda

Is the information fraudulent? Is it intended to elicit a specific response/behavior?

2. Weighted content

Is a story over- or under-reported in the news? Why?

3. Misleading headlines

Is the headline consistent with the facts of the story? Is it clickbait?

4. Poorly sourced stories

Is the story based solely on unnamed, onesided or compromised/biased sources?

5. Advocacy/Activist journalism

Does the reporter have a clear political affiliation or a demonstrated agenda/slant?

6. Citizen journalism

Who is telling the story? Does it follow established guidelines of journalistic ethics/ integrity? Is it staged?

7. Censorship

What isn’t being allowed to be seen? Why? Is there an imbalance?

8. Manipulated studies and statistics

Is the data reliable and valid? Who funded the study? If percentages are used, what are the raw numbers? If numbers are used, what are the percentages?

9. Vocabulary manipulation

Is it a protest, a riot or an insurrection? Are they freedom fighters or terrorists?

10. False or incomplete context

Is the news article, picture or video showing just a portion of the story for the purpose of misrepresentation? What is the bigger picture?

11. Logical fallacies

Is the reporter utilizing faulty logic such as an either/or fallacy, a post hoc fallacy, a strawman fallacy, or are they making sweeping generalizations or making personal attacks?

12. Confirmation bias

Are we as news consumers guilty of only believing the stories/articles that support already held beliefs?

Number 12 is an especially tricky one. We tend to more readily accept information that confirms what we already believe. In the realm of biblical truth, that makes sense. There is no need to question what we read in Scripture because we know it to be the inspired, inerrant and authoritative Word of God. In the arena of news media, however, we must be willing to set aside our assumptions and proclivities and consider new information objectively. We must be willing to stop curating our news feeds to the point where they only tell us what we want to hear. If we are unwilling to do this, we have effectively removed ourselves from the marketplace of ideas, and we are as unwilling to be moved as we consider the “other side” to be.

professor’s recipe for success.

What I have discovered is that our students are well aware of the issues; they feel the divisive effects of a failing news model on an extremely personal level.

Several times already this semester, I have had to rewrite lesson plans on the fly because I accounted for only a fraction of the discussion time needed for a particular subject. These young men and women are sharp, and they have a lot to say about how the current state of ideological polarity is undermining their relationships, unsettling their hearts, and eroding their peace of mind.

IN SUCH AN ENVIRONMENT, T HE ONUS FALLS ON T HE NEWS CONSUMER TO DISCERN T HE T RUT H. IT IS T HE NEWS CONSUMER WHO MUST WADE T HROUGH T HE SWAMP OF INFORMAT ION AND MISINFORMAT ION TO GET AT T HE ACT UAL FACTS.

Our culture is suffocating under the weight of misinformation, halftruths, distrust and confirmation bias.

Public debates are no longer debates. They have become cage matches. In such an environment, our students must be prepared for battle. But they can also learn to find the common ground, or at least to acknowledge that if such common ground does not exist, perhaps it can be forged.

The response to our News Media Literacy course this semester has been eye-opening. Publicly, I have lauded the purpose for teaching this material, while privately, I have wrestled with doubt over how willing my students would be to learn it. Acquiring news media literacy is challenging. It’s uncomfortable. It takes effort. It forces students to see some ugly truths about how the media world operates and even about how they have participated in it ... not exactly a hopeful

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The course seems to have come at just the right time.

One day, I ended class with a brief detour. We had been discussing how misleading headlines are often meant to stoke our fears, and that fear is the greatest motivator to get us to fixate on current events and thereby drive the economics of the 21st century news model.

I had been sharing with them that when it comes to journalism today, clicks and shares equal dollars, and when you combine that economic reality with the reality of a sin nature, you have the perfect storm. We concluded that even the most noble intentions can be corrupted by greed, and that we shouldn’t be surprised to find journalism in its current state of disarray.

I felt compelled to remind them, however, that while I want them to become skeptical, I don’t want them to become cynics. The line between the two is thin, but for Christians, it is significant.

This is the Lord’s world. We all know this, but after spending days and weeks awash in the duplicity and hypocrisy we must explore in the class, we might be tempted to despair.

The problems are huge. They can seem insurmountable, and that gets discouraging. But recognizing that the magnitude of a problem is too large to overcome is a perfect place to be for a believer. From that place, we recognize what we have known all along – that this too belongs to the Lord. We do our part. We remain vigilant and we stay faithful.

Then we rest in Him.

A SHORT READING LIST

on THE HISTORY OF HIGHER EDUCATION The Christian College: A History of Protestant Higher Education in America WILLIAM C. RINGENBERG A general overview of Christian higher education in the United States. This work follows the outlines of other histories but offers more in terms of the role of religion in shaping institutions. A workable single volume overview.

Higher Education in Transition: A History of American Colleges and Universities JOHN S. BRUBACHER, WILLIS RUDY A single volume overview of the development and expansion of higher education in America. Brubacher & Rudy’s work is widely cited and commonly used as an introductory text to the subject. Somewhat dated but quality foundational material.

The History of American Higher Education: Learning and Culture from the Founding to World War II ROGER L. GEIGER A more critical work that is less rhapsodical about the development of higher education in the United States.

Geiger is one of America’s leading higher education historians and his development of the rise of science and research is helpful in understanding the modern American university, particularly in an age where the term university is market-driven.

An Uncommon Union: Dallas Theological Seminary and American Evangelicalism JOHN D. HANNAH While focusing on the history of Dallas Theological Seminary, Hannah’s opening chapters are a tour de force of the intellectual history and fundamentalist movement that established schools such as The Master’s University.

Readers wanting to understand realities that created TMU would do well to understand his opening chapters.

Dallas Seminary (1924) was established a mere three years before Los Angeles Baptist Theological Seminary (1927). Both institutions are the offsprings of the theological and intellectual culture pervading American evangelicalism.

DR. BOB DICKSON Chair, Department of Communication

composed by DR. GREGORY BEHLE Professor, Christian Education

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STUDENT FOCUS

TMU student Alyssa Ramos left behind a promising career as a professional chef because she wanted to help people in their walks with Christ.

by MASON NESBITT

Let’s start with this:

Alyssa Ramos doesn't regret walking away from a promising career as a professional chef.

Yes, Ramos still loves to bake. Just ask anyone who’s recently received her strawberry shortcake or chocolate chip cookies the size of pingpong paddles.

But no, Ramos doesn’t believe she made a mistake in leaving a job at one of the best restaurants in her home country, the Philippines, so that she could enroll as a biblical counseling student at The Master’s University.

Since arriving at Master’s, she’s grown in her love for the local church. She’s seen what it looks like to enjoy vibrant personal study of God’s Word. And she’s developed an interest in the classical liberal arts, going so far as to add the program as a second major.

As for why she switched gears in such a significant way, it came down to motivation. Ramos feels becoming a successful chef was mostly about making a name for herself. Her desire to be a counselor, as far she can tell, was centered on a desire to help people meet life’s problems with biblical truth.

Still, it’s never easy to sacrifice a dream. *** Ramos’ first foray into baking took place in the third grade. She was 8.

Unable to find an Easy-Bake Oven in the Philippines, she settled for a small toaster oven. She did her best to follow the directions on the back of a brownie box. “That was my Pandora’s box into the world of food,” she says.

Years later, she enrolled in a culinary arts program that offered classical training in French cuisine. Her studies included a “surreal” five-month internship at the restaurant on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.

After graduation, she took a job at one of the Philippines’ top restaurants. And still in her early 20s, she rose to a

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leadership role within the pastry department.

However, what should have been the euphoric culmination of a lifelong dream was instead three challenging years.

Ramos often worked from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. She sacrificed relationships, and she began to crack under the pressure of the restaurant’s growing international reputation.

Anxious, depressed and insecure, she began to lash out at coworkers.

“You know Gordon Ramsay?” Ramos asks, referencing the celebrity chef and his work on the TV show Hell’s Kitchen. “I kind of turned like that.”

Ramos was aware that her behavior in the kitchen – and the lifestyle she adopted outside of work to cope with depression – did not square with her faith in Christ. And over time, she began to repent and seek help from family and people from church. It was around that time that she was reminded of a Christian university in the U.S. that she’d briefly been interested in years earlier (she says she grew up knowing about the school’s chancellor, John MacArthur). Now, she thought maybe that place – The Master’s University – was where she needed to be.

That’s when she reached a crossroads. Would she continue to pursue the career she’d always wanted? Or would she embrace a new path she believed God was calling her to?

Ramos’ prospects in the arena of culinary arts remained promising. But she felt unable to detach herself from the selfish ambition that had warped her character. On the other hand, she wanted to study biblical counseling so that she could help people suffering under the weight of depression with nowhere to turn for help.

Ramos enrolled at TMU. *** Since coming to Master’s in spring 2020, Ramos has seen God work in her life in foundational ways.

He’s used counseling homework and general education classes in biblical studies to further convince Ramos of the gravity of her sin (and to show her that He alone can

change her heart). Ramos has also found encouragement in new friendships. “Hearing the testimonies of my friends and how God worked in their lives has impacted me a lot,” she says. “It helped me to shift my focus from myself to Christ.” Ramos says it’s strange, but also encouraging, to just now, at 24, be figuring out what it looks like to personally seek God in His Word every day.

Another area of growth has been Ramos’ love for the local church. At first, TMU’s church-attendance policy felt excessive. But Ramos found that God gradually transformed obligation into a genuine desire to serve and connect.

"I’ve learned that, as a believer, it’s really vital for us not just to attend but to actually be part of the ministry,” she says.

Ramos is a member at Oak Hill Bible Church, one of many strong, Bible-teaching churches in the area that give TMU students opportunities to serve and be discipled. For Ramos, that’s meant building relationships with godly, older women and serving in children’s ministry.

I’ve learned that, as a believer, it’s really vital for us not just to attend but to actually be part of the ministry.

Maybe the most surprising development during Ramos’ time at TMU, however, came when she was introduced to the classical liberal arts program. Right away, she was intrigued by the opportunity to study literature in the major’s dynamic, discussion-based learning environment.

She also heard about the brilliance of CLA director, Dr. Grant Horner. “When I get out of Dr. Horner’s classes, it makes me realize how little I know,” Ramos says now.

“But it’s good because it means there’s room for growth.”

Horner has seen plenty of hard-earned growth in Ramos.

Often when he arrives at TMU’s on-campus coffee shop at 7 a.m., Horner finds Ramos already there digging into a pile of books. “She’s gone from being tentative, like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I can do this,’ to one of my best students because she just keeps knocking away at stuff,” he says.

Ramos has so fallen in love with the program that she hopes to one day teach in a classical liberal arts setting, maybe even opening a school in the Philippines.

She’s also open to providing biblical counseling to people back home, even if just in an informal setting. However, she knows God can change her plans. He’s done so before.

“At this point I'm like, ‘Lord, this is my desire, but Your will be done,’” she says.

A LY S S A R A M O S C A M E T O T M U I N S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 AFTER A PROMISING CAREER AS A P R O F E S S I O N A L C H E F.

MASON NESBITT is the communications manager at The Master’s University

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FA C U LT Y F O C U S

T H I S WA S N ’ T M E A N T TO B E A

TRILOGY D R . VA R N E R S E T O U T T O W R I T E O N E B O O K O N T H E PA S S I O N W E E K . I N S T E A D, H E

R E C E N T LY P U B L I S H E D T H E F I N A L W O R K I N A S E R I E S C O V E R I N G T H E L I F E O F C H R I S T.

by K A E LY N P E A Y

Dr. William Varner has taught his Life of Christ class at The Master’s University for more than 20 years. And even before coming to TMU, Varner spent a considerable amount of time thinking about and teaching on the prophetic and cultural background of Jesus’s ministry.

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Now, the entire scope of what he has been teaching for decades in his most famous class has been put to paper.

the final entry in his messianic trilogy, which began with “Passionate About the Passion Week” and later expanded with “Anticipating the Advent.” This final entry bridges the gap between the two previous books, examining the events of Jesus’s life between His baptism and transfiguration. The trilogy, now complete and available on Amazon, covers Jesus’s first coming from beginning to end.

Varner’s latest book, “Messiah’s Ministry: Crises of the Christ,” will be published at the end of October. This is

Throughout the series, as throughout his teaching career, Varner has had one objective: that Christians would

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continue to know and to love Christ more deeply.

Even with this goal, though, Varner did not originally set out to write a trilogy. The series began with a simple desire to “zero in on” the Passion Week, important details of which Varner believes are often overlooked.

“My focus was to try and understand the Passion Week against the background of Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 — those great texts about the suffering of the Messiah,” Varner says.

But after the first book was released in early 2020, Varner’s publisher said to him, “OK, you’ve written a book on the end of the Lord’s earthly ministry; why don’t you write one about the beginning?” This suggestion turned into “Anticipating the Advent,” which was published later that same year.

“And then I thought I was done,” Varner says. “But my biblical studies dean, Dr. Tom Halstead, said, ‘Now you’ve written about the end and the beginning — how about the middle?’”

And so Varner wrote “Messiah’s Ministry: Crises of the Christ.” It’s fitting that the first words on the book’s endorsement page are from Halstead: “This volume on the ministry of Jesus is a fitting climax to Dr. Varner’s trilogy on Jesus the Messiah. Having written masterful works on His advent as well as His death and resurrection, Varner now writes an informative work on His life while on Earth. What makes this book even more valuable are the chapters on the history and culture of the Jewish people prior to Christ’s advent.

He discusses Josephus, the men of Qumran, Moses, and Melchizedek for instance, giving us a more well-rounded understanding of the Jewish world Jesus encountered during His life.”

Renowned New Testament scholar and Los Angeles Baptist College graduate Dr. Robert Gundry then writes in the foreword, “As well-established scholar, the author William Varner explains to his readership of seriousminded lay people not only the biblical texts dealing with the middle part of Jesus’s ministry but also its Jewish

background both in the Old Testament and in other Jewish literature of the New Testament period.”

Serious-minded disciples — or in Varner’s words, “thinking laypeople” — are exactly who the book is written for.

“I’ve got about 15 books that I’ve published, and over half of them are academic,” Varner says. “So my wife every now and then says, ‘Honey, occasionally write a book for the rest of us.’ And I would say that this trilogy is for ‘the rest of us.’

“That doesn’t mean it’s just some warmhearted devotional — though I do think we should read devotionally, and so I include a prayer at the end of every chapter. But I think it’s got some meat to it. This is for the layman who wants to see the connections between the Old and the New testaments, but doesn’t want to get bogged down with a ton of Hebrew and Greek.”

The end goal of the book is to bless believers by helping them fill in certain blanks in their understanding of Jesus’s ministry by looking at them in light of their messianic background. And ultimately, the purpose of this understanding is to fuel greater love for the Savior.

“What I want readers to do is fall deeper and deeper in love with Jesus,” Varner says. “There’s no better goal than that.”

As Varner points out, even Paul himself, after more than 25 years in the faith, identified this as his goal in life in Philippians 3:10: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings” (LSB). After all those years, Paul was still seeking to know Jesus.

The same has been true in Varner’s life. And he hopes the same is true for his readers.

“It all comes back to Jesus and knowing Him,” Varner says.

KAELYN PEAY is a writer in the marketing department at The Master’s University.

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COMMUNITY

FROM THE DESK OF

DR. JOHN STEAD

Dear Friends of TMU, I wanted to share something with you all that was very encouraging to my heart.

Every school year at TMU begins with the Week of Welcome, when we bring our incoming students into town early in order to acquaint them with their new home.

The students take part in activities like a beach day, a scavenger hunt and The Master’s Cup. But this is also the time when we introduce the students and their parents to who we are as an institution and what we hope God will accomplish in their lives over the next four years.

During a Q&A with the parents of our newest students, Dr. John MacArthur, Dr. Abner Chou, Harry Walls and I highlighted the importance of what it means to stand For Christ & Scripture, which is the motto and most important distinctive of The Master’s University. We also talked about the phrase “Christ in all things,” which daily drives our administration, faculty and students to make an impact for Christ on our culture. Dr. MacArthur stressed that TMU is about the truth of the gospel and that the truth must be declared in the midst of so much confusion and uncertainty.

Dr. Chou stressed that the daily goal of TMU is subjecting all things to the Lordship of Christ. Christ must be in all things, not just part of all things. This starts by having a firm foundation on Scripture, which is the ultimate definer of truth. I then took some time to explain the history as to how and why so many evangelical colleges and universities have lost their primary vision through the faculty hiring process and the losing of their commitment to Scripture, along with a lack of strong board and presidential leadership.

As I recently reflected on the Week of Welcome, a number of thoughts went through my mind. I was very pleased with the smoothness of WOW, the incredible effort of our staff, the interest shown by parents, and the stress on “Christ and Scripture” and “Christ in all things.” For me personally, one of the greatest blessings over my 50 years of being associated with the school is to see how many of our new students are children of TMU graduates. This very fact is an encouragement that our alumni trust TMU. You trust us with your most treasured possession. It also places a great amount of responsibility on the shoulders of administration, faculty and staff to help your student mature in Christ and become salt and light in their home church, throughout the nation and around the world. We take that responsibility very seriously.

We also know that none of what TMU has and the blessings therein would have ever happened without our Lord’s faithful hand. We owe everything to God and God alone. Since our founding in 1927, He has been faithful every step of the way.

The guiding hymn that is the heart of this institution is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” which has been so evidently seen for all these years. To Him and Him alone belongs all the glory.

Sincerely,

Dr. John Stead TMU EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

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The M U S T A N G C O N N E C T I O N

JUST CATCHING UP

danielle tasmajian tmu connection Danielle graduated from TMU in 2003 with a degree in home economics.

where she's at Arcadia, California

on the job For the past 17 years, Danielle ha worked as an interior design consultant at Fedde Furniture.

favorite memory of tmu There are so many wonderful memories from my time at The Master’s College (now TMU), but one in particular came during my sophomore year.

I was walking through North Campus, and Dr. Halstead greeted me by name. I had attended his New Testament Survey class, which had roughly 75 students, one time since the start of the semester.

That moment stood out to me because it showed me the love and care the professors have for their students and the importance of getting to know each student individually.

gabriel argenal tmu connection Gabriel graduated from Master’s in 2006 with a degree in business administration.

wife Amber

children Judah - 5 Jesse - 3 John - 1

where they’re at

how can the tmu community pray for you?

Rockwall, Texas

Please pray that I would continue to be a light in my workplace and have boldness to share my faith with both my coworkers and the customers I have the opportunity to work with.

on the job Gabriel is a technical product owner at Bank of America.

favorite memory of tmu My favorite class was an Old Testament Survey night class with Dr. Steven Boyd. He described the Bible as a pageturner, and he was completely right. Learning about the history and context of the Old Testament books that we studied was fascinating and I loved the class.

how can the tmu community pray for you?

Please pray for the salvation of my children, and that Amber and I would have the wisdom, energy and patience to train them up in the way they should go.

October

2021

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COMMUNITY

ALUMNI

JOB BOARD Accounting Manager/Controller A P P LY N O W

Director of Finance A P P LY N O W

High School Bible Teacher A P P LY N O W

Customer Service Supervisor A P P LY N O W

Worship Pastor A P P LY N O W

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The M U S T A N G C O N N E C T I O N

SCHOLARSHIP HIGHLIGHT

THE FOUNDERS’ FUND This fund provides scholarship assistance for new, transfer and continuing TMU students. Funds are specially designated for those who have been admitted into the University but are unable to enroll due to a funding “gap” between the student’s financial package and what their family can afford.

These scholarship funds seek to impact the nations for Jesus Christ by supporting students who have been affirmed as worthy candidates for admittance into TMU, including affirmation from home church leaders and educators and have demonstrated faithfulness to Christ and learning.

To learn more, visit masters.edu/founders-fund.

ADAPTED BY

IN PERSON & STREAMING ONLINE

21 - 30, 2021

TICKETS AT MASTERS.EDU/THEATRE BOX OFFICE 661.362.2255 | EMAIL: THEATRE@MASTERS.EDU

P R O D U C E D B Y S P E C I A L A R R A N G E M E N T W I T H P L A Y S C R I P T S , I N C . ( W W W. P L A Y S C R I P T S . C O M )