Dig Deeper: Grand Canyon Theological Seminary
By Jaerden Willingham
Student Worker, College of Theology
The College of Theology seeks to encourage the expansion of theological wisdom amongst our students and modern scholars. The concept of “A Deeper Understanding” was grafted with the purpose of presenting the importance of advanced theological studies.
We got the chance to interview the Assistant Dean of Grand Canyon Theological Seminary, Dr. Daniel S. Diffey, who prompted the understanding that this pursuit begins well before a seminary Student’s first day in an advanced theological course. Check out the rest of the interview below.
Gaining a Deeper Understanding
We asked Dr. Diffey about his understanding of the seminary as fostering a deeper understanding within the lives of students, he responded: “The way that I think that GCTS students are best moved toward a deeper understanding of God and His word is through their instructors. At GCTS (Grand Canyon Theological Seminary) we have made strides to get strong faculty members in each of the courses.” This response prompted the question of the manner in which theological knowledge should be developed within the lives of GCU students.
When asked about the Seminary perspective of developing theological insight for GCU students, Dr. Diffey replied: “One of the primary ways that our professors demonstrate their knowledge of their field to students is through strong student interaction. Most of my student experiences, and most people that I know who have gone to seminary, say that their interaction with their professors was the most valuable part of their education. I think that this is something that we seek to foster within our instruction.”
The Impact on Students
As our discussion came to a close, we asked Dr. Diffey about the impact that the seminary has on the development of a deeper understanding amongst modern scholars, to which he replied: “Our faculty are impressively involved in scholarship. The larger college has a journal, JBTS that is published twice a year. That can be seen at jbtsonline.org and is also available in print.”
There are few publications that promote the expansion of wisdom in light of the theological perspectives in our world today. The Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies is one of those resources and can be accessed at http://jbtsonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/JBTS-2-1-Compressed.pdf.
Several of our faculty have been involved in recent society meetings at AAR, ETS, and EHS.” Research led us to find that several faculty publications, presentations and reviews were completed by GCTS Faculty members last year; including Dr. Sammy Alfaro, Dr. Pete Charpentier, Dr. Justin McClendon and Dr. Christina Larsen. Each of them used their insight to present a deeper understanding of Christ, the Protestant Reformation, Evangelical Preaching, Eternal Generation and many other topics. Alongside these instructors and Dr. Diffey, it is our hope and prayer that the Grand Canyon Theological Seminary will continue to inspire the theological development of modern scholars with a deeper understanding.
Grand Canyon University encourages its students and staff to find their purpose in Christ. To learn more about what the College of Theology offers, visit our website or use the Request More Information button on this page.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.
