Christ-Centered definition
Christ-Centered. - This simply means that we believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and thus, we seek to serve and honor Him in all we do. Our decisions and actions are built on this foundation. As we build and develop tomorrow’s leaders, we strive to influence them by this core value. We want leaders who serve, sacrifice, and make mistakes but take responsibility. We also strive to develop young people who love and accept other people for who they are. We want to be guided each day with the goal of seating The Lord above all.
Christ-Centered means that historically and to this day, our roots are faith based. We see a continuous and virtuous connection between the example of Christ’s life and our educational purposes as a liberal arts institution. Our intent is to live this out by systematic inquiry and study, example, profession, and deed. We stake out a position on the continuum of Christian educational institutions that is neither “name only” nor “prescriptive”. We are steadfast in our belief that the Christian faith is one where its truth will set people free (“Veritas Liberabit”) without adopting a narrow interpretation or exclusive approach that would marginalize those who are not people of faith or of a different faith in their experience at OU. Thus, we are willing and open to living with the tension that comes when neither our employees nor students are required to espouse the Christian faith or to sign oaths or to engage in activities that often characterize other more traditional Christian colleges. We see our institution as tied to but not owned by the church, serving it through our graduates who become clergy and lay leaders and our programs which strengthen the church’s mission and leadership. We are also served by the church, and in particular the American Baptist denomination, with which the institution has maintained a vital and lasting affiliation since our founding nearly 150 years ago. The guiding principle that we are “Steadfastly Christian, Proudly American Baptist, and Positively Open and Inclusive” captures our position reasonably.
Christ-Centered means that historically and to this day, our roots are faith-based. We see a continuous and virtuous connection between the example of Christ’s life and our educational purposes as a liberal arts institution. Our intent is to live this tenet out by systematic inquiry