Department of Arts & Sciences
The Arts and Sciences department delivers the core courses for LBC undergraduate students so that they meet accreditation standards set for graduation with Associates’ and Bachelors’ degrees. More than that, the A&S department creates academic space for students to connect their biblical training with their degree fields so that they learn how to integrate the Bible into the way they think, live, and act. It delivers arts courses designed to cultivate in students a desire for the good, true, and beautiful, as revealed in Christ. It delivers science courses to broaden students’ understanding of nature, humanity, and God. At a Bible college, the A&S department puts the “world” in students’ biblical worldview.
Department Mission
The Arts and Sciences Department serves the LBC community by teaching courses in the traditional liberal arts disciplines so students will attain the wisdom to see that Christ is the way the truth and the life, and upon the knowledge of him build a Christian philosophy of life. Department faculty teach students not only a wide range of subjects but also the time-tested patterns of human thought which belong to the traditional arts and science disciplines. These academic disciplines provide students a holistic way of thinking so that they develop a healthy curiosity, the ability to discern truth, and the desire to seek God. Students who complete the Arts and Sciences curriculum will develop a robust biblical worldview so that they grow into humble yet capable leaders who faithfully serve God in the church and society. In addition, students will, through the study of creation and human cultures, cultivate in themselves an appreciation for diverse expressions of beauty and for the value of knowledge so that they will more intentionally pursue a deeper love for God and their neighbors.
Department Vision
Arts: Human beings experience the world in the effort to find meaning in themselves and their natural and cultural contexts. The arts explore the intricacies of human experiences--self, society, nature, ideas, human creation, and culture. Knowing God, knowing oneself, and knowing others leads to thoughtful scholarship and fulfilled lives characterized by wisdom, worship, and love.
- The arts cultivate a posture of curiosity, deepening a desire for the true, good, and beautiful.
- The arts equip students to be professionally versatile, preparing them for holistic servant leadership and creative collaboration, while providing the tools to express themselves through polished oral and written communication.
Sciences and Math: The natural sciences and mathematics reveal truth concerning the created universe and systems of knowledge. They are unique paths of discovery that broaden our understanding of God and man in order to further the gospel and engage with cultural conversations. These disciplines empower students to be critical consumers of scientific information, practical problem-solvers through logical scientific and mathematical inquiry methods, and inspired stewards of God-given resources and themselves.
- Evaluate and construct logical arguments, in order to develop awareness of the assumptions and implications that exist in any system of knowledge.
- Synthesize mathematical and scriptural truths evident in the observed structure of the universe, the abstract structure of mathematical systems, and biblical descriptions of God’s nature and man’s purpose.
Department Outcomes
As a result of Arts and Sciences courses, students will do the following:
1. Develop a healthy curiosity about the meaning of human life and its relationship to the world.
2. Cultivate an appreciation for diverse expressions of truth, beauty, and goodness.
3. Exhibit principles necessary for a life of creativity, cultural engagements, and biblical decision-making to be a redemptive presence in the world.
Arts
4. Analyze diverse cultural contributions as expressions of human ambition, creativity, and worldviews in light of the truths of Scripture.
5. Articulate opinions, beliefs, and research in well-polished oral and written communications.
6. Research and synthesize qualitative and quantitative information, primary and secondary sources, and cultural artifacts that are necessary to inform logical reasoning.
Sciences & Math
7. Develop the skills to become critical consumers of scientific information.
8. Apply logical scientific and mathematical methods to problems, questions, and theories.
9. Synthesize mathematical and scriptural truths evident in the observed structure of the universe, the abstract structure of mathematical systems, and the biblical descriptions of God’s nature and man’s purpose.
Department Chair
Geoffrey Reiter, PhD
Dr. Reiter is Associate Professor and Coordinator of Literature at Lancaster. He holds an MA in Church History from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a PhD in English from Baylor University. Prior to his time at LBC, he was Associate Professor and English Program Coordinator at The Baptist College of Florida. Dr. Reiter is also a writer and associate editor at the website Christ and Pop Culture. He is the author of over a dozen academic articles on theology and genre fiction, and he has published several poems and short stories in the horror, fantasy, and science fiction genres. He loves discovering ways in which the Bible helps us “read” culture and the ways in which cultural products like literature, film, or television may help us “defamiliarize” Scripture to see old truths from new and surprising angles.