By George Gunn
The young man timidly knocked on my office door and asked if he could speak with me for a minute.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
“Sure, I’m glad to see you. What can I help you with?”
“Well, Dr. Gunn,” he stammered, “it’s about next semester’s classes. I, um, need to ask you, um, an important question.”
“I’ll be glad to help you in any way I can.”
“Well, you see, Dr. Gunn, it’s just that I’ve heard that your Greek class is really hard, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to learn Greek. And, besides, all I really want to do is just pastor a church somewhere and preach the gospel. I don’t really want to become a Greek scholar.”
This is typical of numerous conversations I’ve had over the years as both a professor of New Testament Greek and as a registration counselor at Shasta Bible College and Graduate School. Of course, Greek is not the only course that students are reluctant to take (I comfort myself on this point); some don’t want to take math or history or a particularly difficult theology class. Bible colleges are tasked with the responsibility of putting together the best program possible to train and equip God’s people for effective, Christ-honoring ministry. But it’s not always easy knowing exactly what to require in a Bible college curriculum.
- Read the entire article by subscribing to the Baptist Bulletin. Purchase an individual or gift subscription online. If you already subscribe to the print edition, sign up for free digital access.
