The following questions can be helpful when
considering a Christian college for you or a family
member. They can be used when interviewing school
officials before deciding which college is best for
you.
-
Does your institution insist that all Scripture as
originally given was without error in all of its
assertions including where these touch upon matters
pertinent to science, history and nature?
[ ] Yes, we do insist [ ] No, we do not insist -
Would you allow the following positions as
consistent with Scripture or as a possible
interpretation of Scripture for one of your teaching
staff to hold, namely:
-
That Noah’s Flood was not global in extent?
[ ] Yes, we would allow [ ] No, we would not allow -
That God used evolution to create, starting with
a simple form of life or simple matter, over a
succession of long ages in which some of these
creatures suffered, died and shed blood long
before there was a man on the Earth?
[ ] Yes, we would allow [ ] No, we would not allow -
That man’s physical body has a genetic
continuity with animal ancestors?
[ ] Yes, we would allow [ ] No, we would not allow -
That Adam/Eve were not the literal historic
father/mother of the whole human race but were
merely representative of mankind?
[ ] Yes, we would allow [ ] No, we would not allow -
That human death/bloodshed did not only begin to
be possible after one man’s sin but was possible
at all times in which any humans existed?
[ ] Yes, we would allow [ ] No, we would not allow -
That the JEPD hypothesis on the authorship of
the Pentateuch is definitely correct?
[ ] Yes, we would allow [ ] No, we would not allow
-
That Noah’s Flood was not global in extent?
Foundational Doctrines Questionnaire
The inspiration of Scripture
-
Do you hold and insist that the inspiration of
Scripture means that the Biblical texts as
originally written were free of any human
influence (were in effect a word-for-word dictation
from God)?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold and insist that the Biblical texts as
originally written, though in the style of the human
author and influenced by his background, upbringing
and experience, were nevertheless exactly what God
intended to be communicated to man?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold that the Biblical texts, as originally
written, may have communicated human weaknesses,
cultural influences and effects which were thus not
all “inspired” in the sense of being what God really
wanted to be written?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold and insist that the Biblical texts as
originally written, allowing for the proper and
appropriate use of metaphor, poetic devices,
parable, figures of speech, “language of appearance”
and the like, were free of any error or
falsehood, or anything which would inevitably
mislead?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold that the Bible as originally written
may have been inclusive of some human error,
owing to the more limited knowledge of people at the
time it was written, or to the absorption of
information from the myths and legends of
surrounding cultures?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff.
Genesis
-
Do you hold and insist that the entire human race of
today is descended from one man and woman, Adam and
Eve?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold and insist that no other humans or
human-like creatures (e.g. soulless men) were living
at the time Adam and Eve were created?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold and insist that Eve was really created
directly from a part of Adam’s side?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
-
Do you hold and insist that Adam’s body was
created directly from the dust, in a miraculous
fashion, not requiring a long timespan and with
no intermediate stages—in other words, contrary
to “natural law”?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold that there will be a literal, actual
future bodily resurrection of believers from the
dead, implying a miraculous reassembling or
recreating of long-decayed, burnt or scattered
components of their long-dead remains, not
according to “natural law”?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff.
-
Do you hold and insist that Adam’s body was
created directly from the dust, in a miraculous
fashion, not requiring a long timespan and with
no intermediate stages—in other words, contrary
to “natural law”?
-
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 appears to link
the Resurrection from physical death of Jesus Christ
with the entry of physical death brought in
by Adam’s sin. Do you hold and insist that the
physical death of mankind entered the world only
after Adam sinned?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold and insist that the entire world will be
one day restored/renewed/restituted/recreated,
howsoever that may occur, to a state in which there
will be no more death, struggle and bloodshed?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold that there were millions of years of
death, struggle and bloodshed (as represented by the
standard interpretation of dead creatures in
fossil-bearing sedimentary layers around the globe)
before man (including Adam) appeared on the Earth?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold and insist that the Curse consequent to
Adam’s sin affected not only man but the whole of
the physical creation? (Romans
8)
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Do you hold and insist that the waters of the
Genesis Flood of Noah flooded the entire globe?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No, we generally/definitely hold otherwise
[ ] We would generally hold this, but would not see it as binding on all of our staff and co-workers.
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
Would you regard it as mandatory for your staff and
co-workers to be convinced that the original
creation was “very good” with no death or struggle
before Adam sinned? (That is, no overt bloodshed and
violence among humans or animals such as lions
hunting antelopes, for example—leaving out the
question of bacteria and insects for the moment.)
[ ] Yes
[ ] No -
If the answer to Q. 10 was “No”, is it acceptable
for someone in your organization to hold/teach that
the Fall of Adam could have been spiritual and not
have affected the whole world?
[ ] Yes, it is acceptable
[ ] No, it is not acceptable
[ ] Possibly acceptable -
What is your overall position on the “days” in
Genesis 1?
[ ] Ordinary earth-rotation days, with an evening and a morning
[ ] Long periods of time
[ ] Unsure
[ ] We accommodate a range of differing views on this among staff. -
How do you accommodate the vast difference in the
time since Creation, deduced from a straightforward
reading of Scripture (apparently thousands of years,
not billions, even if there are gaps in the
genealogies) and the age of the Earth held by the
majority today?
[ ] Encourage skepticism about the conclusions of fallen mankind and teach a recent Creation
[ ] Hold that the days could have been long ages
[ ] Hold to a possible “gap” between the first two verses of Genesis
[ ] Hold that it is an issue of secondary importance, with many different answers
[ ] Hold that it is important, but has more than one answer which would be acceptable to us -
If one of your staff or co-workers believed that it
was possible that man’s physical body could have
descended from animal ancestors, would this be a
matter of concern for you?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[ ] Possibly