Should Apostolics Pursue Higher Education?

[Host:] Dr. Bernard, I think that anybody who's read your bio would be impressed by the academic achievements that you have piled up over the years. Just a quick recap: you graduated from Rice University with your bachelor's degree in managerial sciences and math. Then you went to the University of Texas Law School, earned your JD there. And then later in life you earned a master's degree in theology in New Testament and a doctorate from the University of South Africa. You've published 30 books and 11 booklets that have been published in 43 languages. You're the chancellor and founding president of Urshan Graduate School of Theology. So, I think I've hit all the highlights there. I think what I'm trying to say is it's pretty clear from your bio that scholarship is very important to you. However, there perhaps, at least in my experience, has been a vein that runs through the traditional Pentecostal movement that has been a little bit leery of academics and scholarship. I think there's been a fear that the more academic we get, we're somehow going to squeeze out the Spirit. How would you respond to that charge? Maybe more importantly, if a young person is listening to this episode and they're considering higher education — maybe they're even considering advanced degrees, a master's or a doctorate — what case would you make to them to lean into that desire? Why is scholarship and learning so important?

[Dr. Bernard:] Well, first of all, let me say that's a legitimate and a real concern. And let me give you a little bit of background. Traditionally, conservative Christianity in general, and also the Oneness Pentecostal movement in particular, have been a little skeptical of education, especially higher education and especially secular education. And there are legitimate reasons, because often higher education has led people away from God, as certain even religious institutions like seminaries — Harvard and Princeton and so on, founded as religious schools for training of preachers — are now very secular. I will hasten to add, though, historically when conservative movements have arisen, one of the first things they've done to preserve their heritage was to establish a seminary or a Bible college. So it can work both ways. It can be a liberalizing influence, but it can also be a conservative, stabilizing influence.

But then if you particularly think of, say, the Oneness movement: if you go back to the mainline Protestant denominations, as they became more liberal, conservatives were kicked out. As people began to receive the Holy Ghost, then Pentecostals were kicked out of their movements. And then as Oneness people began to see baptism in Jesus' name, they were pushed out of the Trinitarian movement. And so people have been skeptical of institutions, organizations, and the associated seminaries or Bible colleges because of the negative experiences. So that's legitimate. However, I would like to reject the fundamental dichotomy that you're either anointed or educated. That's a false dichotomy. You can be both. You can be anointed and educated.

And I like to give this example. The Apostle Peter was considered unlearned by his day. He was a fisherman, but of course he achieved great things. He became the spokesman for the church on the day of Pentecost, and the Jewish religious leaders marveled that even though the apostles were untrained theologically according to their standards, they had a tremendous impact on the world. So there's a great example of how God can use someone that has a limited education. I would never deny that. On the other hand, the Apostle Paul: he was one of the most highly educated men of his day. He was trained at the feet of Gamaliel, who's known from Jewish history as one of the most prominent rabbis of the first century. He also had some kind of secular education, whether it's self-taught or not, because he talked about the books and the parchments — which could have been Bible books, but also probably books beyond the Bible. And if you think that this was at a time when books were handwritten and very costly, expensive, rare, that he would collect books speaks of education. Also, you find him quoting from Greek philosophers and poets in several places in his epistles and his preaching in Acts 17. He quoted from several Greek writers. So apparently he was trained, or at least took the time to study and read and memorize these secular quotations, so that he could be more effective in ministering to a pagan, Greek-cultured society. And who did God use to appear before the Roman governors Felix, Festus, the King Agrippa, and according to tradition — and even the expectation of Acts — to Caesar himself? God used this highly educated person. So God can use everyone. We should not disfavor education. It's a tool. It can be used for good or it can be used for evil. But it's just a tool. It's neutral in and of itself, depending on how it's delivered, of course.

I believe for an international movement like ours, we need people of all backgrounds, all types of education, all types of experience. God will use us all in our own capacities. So anyone that feels called to higher education, or anyone who feels called to a vocation that requires higher education — such as lawyer or doctor or school teacher or professor, or maybe government official — I would encourage them to pursue that in the will of God. But other people who don't feel such a calling, I don't want them to feel they're second class. But I think we do need to demolish the myth that if you're spiritual, you won't be academic, or that those two have to be in conflict. As T. F. Tenney once said, God can use baptized brains. So God can use your gifts and abilities and your training. And so if God leads you to that training, it can be of great value.

For example, you rehearsed my story, my educational story. When I was 17, I graduated from high school, moved from Korea 7,000 miles away from my parents back to the US, because my parents were missionaries. I went to Rice University, which is a very highly regarded private university in the US — one of the top 20 in the nation, I would say at least — and I went on a full scholarship. At first, I was going to be a mathematician, so I took the major in mathematical sciences. Then I specialized in computer science. That was an emerging industry in those days. But then, in retrospect it was God working on me, but I thought, what if I'm not going to be satisfied being a computer programmer? So maybe I need to add business. So I took a second major called managerial studies. I took accounting. I took almost the equivalent of a bachelor's degree in accounting, but also other managerial studies — to be a manager or to be an accountant. I was approved for a five-year master's of accounting, which would result in being a CPA. I also was approved for a five-year master's of mathematical sciences — again, computer programmer. So I was considering master's degrees in both those areas, but I didn't feel satisfied with either one, so I ended up going to law school. I talked to one of my advisers and he highly recommended it. I took the aptitude test — scored very high; the law school admissions test, I scored 796 out of 800 — and took the interest test, scored very high, and so it just seemed like God was directing me to law school. I was going to be a lawyer, and then I went three years and graduated with my Doctor of Jurisprudence and passed the bar, became a lawyer — but God called me to preach.

Now, I went through all that to tell you: in retrospect, even though I didn't choose any of those careers, God was preparing me, and I've used accounting, business management, law extensively throughout my ministry, and certainly as General Superintendent. But had God told me, "You're going to be called to preach, you're going to be a preacher, you're going to be a pastor," I would have never pursued those things. But it was the will of God for me. I'm not saying that anybody else needs my journey.

Of course, when we founded Urshan Graduate School of Theology, I was the founding president, and then from there Urshan University. So it's a fully accredited university offering accredited bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctor's degrees. It offers a variety of majors in addition to theology. So there still is the theological, biblical core for all students, and there still is ministry majors for undergraduates, but other majors like organizational leadership, human services, communications, music, etc. And they now have a five-year master's program — bachelor's and master's. And they also have launched dual enrollment, where high school juniors and seniors can take credits towards the undergraduate, and they're planning to do a K-12 curriculum as well, starting with 12th grade. So a lot of things are in the works, a lot of exciting things that will impact education from kindergarten through doctoral programs. So obviously I believe in education, but I took the time to say that because each person needs to find his or her own path.

Now, I've said traditionally in our Western, industrialized, advanced society, the historic bar has been: get a high school diploma, or if you didn't do that, go back and get a GED. You need that to have a good job. Now, many people say a college degree is required. So if you're looking at various professions, that may be the standard. However, I would hasten to say, many times people don't really need a college degree for their training. They should consider vocational school, or some type of other trade school, or some other type of program. They probably need some type of higher education, but it could be community college. It could be Bible college — and UPCI has a number of Bible colleges. It could be Urshan University. But I do respect that if people are going into various vocations or careers that do not really require the knowledge and the expertise developed in college, then I'm not saying everybody needs to go to college. I'm saying people can get very good jobs and careers and ministries without having to do that. I do think you need to be a lifelong learner. So whatever course you pursue, you need to be studying, preparing, training, and learning, especially in our society. But I think all options should be considered. And especially secular education has gotten so liberal, and also so expensive that it's unreasonable. And it may actually be a bad investment to spend thousands of dollars, especially if you have to borrow that money, to be saddled with a degree that doesn't really give you the training you need for the type of career you want. So I'm not an advocate that everybody has to go to college. I'm not an advocate that everybody has to go to a Christian college. I do think an international organization such as ours needs to offer all these options.

And I'll just give the example of Urshan University. We felt it was very important to be accredited at every step of the way. And here's the practical reason why. With an accredited bachelor's degree, you will qualify for better paying jobs in many cases. Not always, as I've already said. Some people pursue vocations or go to trade school, or pursue their own other means and start a business. You know, Michael Dell in Austin, Texas was an undergraduate at University of Texas. He built computers in his dorm room, started making money, he decided to drop out of school, and he founded Dell Computers, and he's a multimillionaire. So there you go: you don't have to have a college degree if you're passionate about what you're pursuing and you get your own training, you develop your own course. So I'll always be an advocate for that. I don't want an elitism that you have to go to college. Nor do I want an anti-elitism that if you go to college, something's wrong with you.

I know when I went to college — so this is ancient history, of course, 1974 — it was really looked down on. I went to one of the largest churches in Houston, which was considered an upscale church, a very progressive church, a lot of people in careers, and I was, of approximately 100 people in the youth group — some would be, of course, just in high school, but still 100, maybe 150 — I was the only one attending college at that particular time. Later, others did. I was the only United Pentecostal person at Rice University my whole four years. Then when I went to law school, 1978, the thought there was among many people, "You can't even be saved if you're a lawyer. Lawyers are just crooked, you know. We don't know any lawyers in church." Actually, there were some, but they were few and far between. I did not know one. But it turns out there were a few. Many of them were converts, and few would actually plan to be lawyers. So I was one of the rare cases, and I didn't know of anyone else like me. But I felt like, well, I could make a consecration of being an honest lawyer, and God will honor that, just like business persons and others — they face challenges of being honest or dishonest. You just have to make up your mind you're going to be honest, and ask God to bless your work.

So it's changed much. When I was elected as General Superintendent in 2010, I don't say this at any disparagement, but I was the first General Superintendent to have at least a bachelor's degree. And I had a doctorate. And I should add, just so people will know, that as the founding president of Urshan Graduate School of Theology, my Doctor of Jurisprudence did qualify me to be an administrator, but if I wanted to be a permanent instructor, I needed to have a doctorate in theology or a related field. So I pursued my Master's of Theology, and then I pursued my Doctor of Theology so that I could teach any class at Urshan Graduate School of Theology, basically. Which, you know, I have. And it's interesting, because even while I was an undergraduate, I taught at University of Houston, and then in law school I taught at Austin Community College. I taught bookkeeping and accounting. And then as a preacher, I helped do an off-campus class on location for Texas Bible College for some years in the Austin area. I did some module classes for Apostolic Bible Institute. I did a whole series of online classes — video classes — for Kent Christian College. So I've been involved in teaching. And then of course, my first full-time ministerial position, for five years, I was an administrator and instructor at Jackson College of Ministries. So I've taught in secular schools, I've taught in Bible colleges, and of course I founded what is now Urshan University. So I've been involved in education in all these spheres, and I can say that God can greatly use education.

And let me go back to an example of accreditation, why we thought that was so important. So let's say you are a full-time pastor; you want to start a church. Well, you need to support yourself first before you can go full-time with your church. Well, if you have an accredited degree, you're going to get a much better job typically than if you don't. Or if you get a master's degree in certain fields of theology, then you can qualify as a chaplain, or a counselor, or a hospice chaplain. So many of our graduates have gotten ministry-related jobs, which fulfill their ministry. Others have gotten ministry-related or other superior jobs just as a means of supporting themselves. So especially in urban areas, you need higher-paying jobs just to support yourself. Well, having an accredited degree, or an accredited master's degree in a related field, will get you a much better job, and often a job that overlaps or is related to your ministry. Likewise, overseas, there are many missionaries who go to access-challenged nations, or nations with heavy restrictions, and so having some type of accredited degree qualifies them for a visa, or for getting recognition for their ministry. Or in some cases, the nation, or the Bible college in that nation, by being affiliated with an accredited school here in the US, or by having teachers or a president with accredited degrees, that enables them to get recognition in their own nation. So there are many reasons — both practical, as far as the training, the knowledge, the credibility with governments, the ability to get jobs. All these things are beneficial.

So I do encourage young people, young adults, and even not-so-young adults that may be considering advancing their ministry, or feeling a transition in their life, to consider various forms of education. And as I've said, in the UPCI we have ministerial training programs such as Purpose Institute. We have Bible colleges — and I'm not going to list them all. We have several ministerial training programs. And then we have Urshan University. As I said, bachelor's, master's, doctorates in Bible fields, but also other fields of study. So I really feel like — and then I'm not against secular college. I did go to secular college. I did teach at secular college. But you really have to nowadays find out: is this going to be a totally secular and liberal and anti-Christian curriculum, or is this going to be a more conservative, hospitable curriculum?

I also found, as a pastor, two things. Interestingly, if a student went to college in our church, there was a little higher rate of retention in church than if they didn't. So we certainly found that college wasn't a detriment to their faith. But I tried to analyze why, and I think one thing: our Hyphen group — we really did talk about apologetics, defending our faith, responding to challenges to faith, dealing in a secular setting. So we tried to prepare people for what they would find in a secular college. And maybe it's just in our culture, maybe it's not universal, but in a place like Austin, probably having that pursuit of college probably indicated a little more stability, or organizational skills, or motivation, that may have bled over to their spiritual life as well. The other thing we found is, if someone stayed in the church and went to a local university — even if they commuted some distance, but they at least kept coming faithfully on the weekends and being involved — we had a high retention rate. Or if they went to one of our Bible colleges or Urshan, then we had a high retention rate. But if they moved out of town to a secular college, we had the highest loss, even though I tried to connect them with the local church. I think not being involved in local church, and being immersed in a secular college environment, was detrimental.

So I would strongly urge: if you are considering college or higher education, look in your own area, if you're in a good strong church, or look at one of our UPCI educational institutions. If you're going to go outside because of specialized training, make sure you connect with a strong local UPCI church. And I've found it's important to be involved with the extracurricular activities of the church more than the school. So you're immersed in a secular culture; you need to be immersed in a Christian culture. You need to be involved in active ministry, teaching Bible studies — not just going to church, but participating. Because one of the best ways to maintain your faith is to share your faith. So you need to be involved in practical soul winning, practical ministry. All during my undergraduate and graduate experiences, I taught Bible studies. And I was very involved in outreach programs, and the youth programs, and the Hyphen programs of the local church. And I made more friends in church than in school. And it's valuable to make friends in school, especially if you're going to pursue a career that they could be connected to, but don't neglect your church family. That's very important. Don't neglect coming to services faithfully, and don't neglect some type of outreach or ministry effort. And you may say, "Well, I'm too busy." You'll never have more time than you have when you're going to college. You actually have more discretionary time than what you think. Once you get married, have a career, family, ministry, you're going to find your options are even more limited. So you've got to make room for God and church and church friends and church activities while you're an undergraduate. Otherwise, you could be at high risk.

So there's a real danger of higher education. But there are also real benefits. And so you have to pursue your own calling, whatever God leads you to pursue, and then you have to take the steps to protect your Christian life and faith and holiness lifestyle, regardless of the circumstances. And if you do, I can testify, your God is big enough to keep you and bless you and give you great opportunities. So I believe that we as Apostolics should consider all avenues of education. We need people in every career, in every institution that we can, to be a witness and to be an influence. And education could be a great part of that. So there are dangers, but there are also benefits, and each person needs to evaluate their own life and make good choices and follow the leading of God's Spirit.

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