Criminal Justice (BACJ)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
The Criminal Justice program at Lancaster Bible College will prepare students to fill redemptive roles in our larger society. We have designed courses, internships, student work, and instructor interaction to help students promote biblical justice and the love of Christ in service to people in public spaces. Students will take classes in areas of Criminal Justice, which focus on law enforcement and corrections, and of Legal Studies, which focus on legal reasoning and provides exposure for those interested in the legal profession. Through academic rigor and hands on training, Christian professionals in LBC’s criminal justice program teach students how to live out the Gospel in society, excel in their chosen fields, and strengthen their faith for the work to which God calls them.
Majors: Biblical Studies, Criminal Justice
Major Mission: The Criminal Justice Program will prepare students to be a redemptive presence in a broken world and promote biblical justice and the love of Christ within the law enforcement, judicial, and correctional systems.
Program Purpose: The Criminal Justice Program seeks to fulfill three purposes: advance the institution's mission, meet student needs, and enrich the LBC community. The Criminal Justice Program will provide Lancaster Bible College with opportunities that contribute to the College's future development and with practical steps to fulfilling its mission. By sending students who are looking for practical ways to serve Christ into public spaces associated with Criminal Justice, LBC will enable its students to serve Christ in a range of areas not yet accessible to them. The Criminal Justice program will allow students to study the Bible in college while earning a degree that will prepare them for jobs in competitive areas of government, ministry, and private markets. The Criminal Justice Program also aims to enrich the LBC community by introducing LBC to local leaders, furthering its awareness of society's injustices, familiarizing it with culturally relevant ideas, and augmenting its efforts to serve its neighbors.
Major Outcomes - Students will:
- Develop and integrate their biblical worldview into the system of Criminal Justice.
- Evaluate how the three major components of the Criminal Justice system – Law enforcement, Courts, Corrections – ensure equal justice and humane treatment.
- Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments.
- Synthesize practical experience with the Criminal Justice Program curriculum.
- Apply ethical principles of criminal justice to guide professional practice in pursuit of restorative justice.
- Identify as a Criminal Justice Professional and conduct oneself accordingly.
Additional Information:
Distinct Program Characteristics - Students in the Criminal Justice Program at Lancaster Bible College will enroll in premier Criminal Justice courses and field experiences while learning to understand their work in the light of biblical thinking. Course work and internships will provide students with concrete opportunities to see their faith in action as they serve Christ in work that desperately needs His light. Jesus taught the Church to combat sin and evil while acting to restore humanity in God’s image. At LBC, students will engage with the American court system, criminal law procedure, law enforcement, and rights of both victims and criminals not only as part of an academic curriculum but as an extension of God’s love for mankind. As the body of Christ, Christians are to act as the hands and feet of Jesus as His ambassadors of redemption in a broken world. In the Criminal Justice system specifically, we do this by: restoring wholeness to victims, restoring offenders to sanity and society, and restoring families to healing. To train our students to become biblically grounded professionals in Criminal Justice, our program will focus on the following three “C’s”:
1. Christ-centered and Biblical Worldview – Students in LBC’s Criminal Justice Program will learn the history and function of major areas of the criminal justice system and examine and compare current practices with biblical principles while continually reflecting on restorative justice.
2. Commitment – Students in LBC’s Criminal Justice Program will be part of smaller classes that will provide intentional one on one time with faculty.
3. Community Connections – LBC’s Criminal Justice Program will connect students and the larger LBC community to leaders in many fields of Criminal Justice through classroom activities, chapel talks, onsite visits throughout Lancaster and surrounding counties and internships with local organizations.
Areas of Focus: Forensic Investigation, Victim Advocacy, Law Enforcement, Political Science.
The curriculum sheet identifies the courses for this program. Criminal Justice (BA) Curriculum Sheet
For the course descriptions related to this program, see the courses section of the catalog.
Curriculum Scope
Program Director:
John Churchville, J.D.
Professor Churchville received a Bachelor of Arts in American History from Brown University and went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. He has previously practiced as an attorney in the private and public sectors of Philadelphia and Lancaster counties. He has taught Law, Government and Political Science over the last decade, and currently specializes in Criminal Justice and Constitutional Law.
Faculty:
Greg Wahl, Detective
Travis Schmalhofer, M.A.
Matthew Gullion, M.A.
Dawn Sutphin, J.D.
Jevon Thompson, MPA
Rufus Tolbert, M.S.
Joseph Mina, Captain, retired