About Lipscomb
From: Terry Briley
To: All Undergraduate Students
Cc: University Faculty, University Staff
Date: Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 2:30 PM
Subject: Bible Registration for Fall - Important Message to Students
Message to Students Related to the Bible Changes
You may have heard about the new Bible program that goes into effect in the fall. In this program students are required to take six Bible-credit courses in order to graduate. The specific required courses are:
The Story of Jesus (BI 1073)
The Story of the Church (BI 1083)
The Story of Israel (BI 1093)
and one of the following: Biblical Ethics (BI 4213)
Faith and Culture (BI 3213)
or Disciplines for Christian Living (BI 3433)
The bottom line for fall registration:
- If you have taken The Story of Jesus (BI 1073) and The Story of the Church (BI 1083), you should take The Story of Israel (BI 1093) in the fall.
- If you have taken the three “Story” classes (BI 1073, 1083, 1093) but have not taken either Biblical Ethics (BI 4213), Faith and Culture (BI 3213), or Disciplines for Christian Living (BI 3433), you should take one of them if one is available when you register. If one is not available, you may take another Bible-credit course or wait until a subsequent term.
- If you have taken the four required courses but have not taken six total Bible-credit courses, you may either take another Bible-credit course or wait until a subsequent term.
- If you have taken the four required courses and six courses total, you are not required to take a Bible class, although you may elect to do so.
If your situation is not covered by one of the categories above, or if you have other questions, please see your advisor. For a fuller explanation of the new Bible program, see the following section.
The New Bible Program
In the new program, all Bible courses receive three hours of credit to reflect the class contact hours. The courses also follow a logical progression that begins with an examination of one’s life in relation to the overall message of the Bible (The Story of Jesus, The Story of the Church, and The Story of Israel). Students then take a course that helps them reflect more deeply on what it means to live as a Christian (either Biblical Ethics, Faith and Culture, or Disciplines for Christian Living). Two additional Bible courses are required, and they may be taken from other Bible offerings or Bible-credit courses in other departments designed to explore the relationship of faith to that discipline. (Bible-credit courses will be designated as such on the schedule.)
The goal of these changes is to provide a substantive, relevant exposure to the Bible and the Christian life for all Lipscomb students. They also provide greater flexibility in the way students arrange their schedules. Bible classes may now be offered MWF, TR, or other times. They may be taken in any term. Some will be offered as travel courses or online courses. One important exception: traditional undergraduate students may not take courses designed for the Adult Degree program to fulfill their Bible requirement.
The six Bible courses students are required to take total 18 hours. A number of our current students will have fewer hours because they have taken some two-hour courses, but they will still be eligible to graduate with a minimum of six Bible courses as long as they have taken the appropriate required courses (as described above).
In order to encourage students to take the first three courses in sequence and in their first three semesters at Lipscomb, these courses are prerequisites for all other Bible-credit courses. Students are strongly encouraged to begin with The Story of Jesus, although some will begin with The Story of Israel. The Story of Jesus is a prerequisite for The Story of the Church.
Not all students will be able to take the fourth required course in their fourth semester because there may not be enough sections to accommodate everyone. Ideally, students would take this course in either their fourth or fifth semester at Lipscomb.
The number of Bible courses required for transfer students will depend on the number of hours they complete at Lipscomb. See the chart below that correlates how many hours a transfer student earns at Lipscomb with the corresponding number of Bible courses that are required.
If a student earns at Lipscomb . . .
- 100 hours or more – BI 1073, 1083, 1093, one of the following: BI 3213, 3433, or 4213, plus two additional courses;
- 80-99 hours – BI 1073, 1083, 1093, one of the following: BI 3213, 3433, or 4213, plus one additional course;
- 60-79 hours – BI 1073, 1083, 1093, one of the following: BI 3213, 3433, or 4213;
- 34-59 hours – BI 1073, 1083, 1093
- 33 hours – BI 1073 and 1083
Terry Briley
Dean, College of Bible and Ministry
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