By Somy Madeoy
Staff Writer
Center for Thinking Biblically is a site launched by the Master’s University that regards culture and the Bible. The content is derived from Master’s University’s professors, and will hopefully expand to outside experts to provide more background on certain series in the future.
Some examples of those involved in CTB series so far include: Dr. Abner Chou, current TMU president on thinking biblically about the Bible, Dr. Greg E. Gifford, associate professor of biblical counseling, on thinking biblically about the heart, and Dr Grant Horner, professor of Renaissance and reformation studies on thinking biblically about the culture.
In each series, the topics addressed by these experts are explained through their knowledge of the word of God under the Master’s University’s theological beliefs.
Master’s chancellor. Dr. John MacArthur, approached Dr. Hopewell three years ago with the idea of making The Master’s University education available to anyone. Since TMU has admission requirements, the hope with Center for Thinking Biblically was created to reach those outside of TMU and help people learn about issues like theology all the way to dinosaurs.
During Shepherds conference, held March 9 -11, CTB officially launched.
CTB is organically advertised through their website and Grace Media, as well as social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Paid advertising will advance after finding where the interest comes from, and which platforms generate the most traffic.
The major areas for CTB are the Bible, culture and current events. The range of content will target personal questions (ex. finances, mental health), all the way to theology (ex. end times, tribulation).
After creating a 6-episode series with Dr. Matthew McLain on thinking biblically about dinosaurs, Matthew Frields, professor at the Masters University, notes that there is room to expand.
“We’re working on possibly doing a kid’s series on dinosaurs. There’s a biblical perspective, so why not put a biblical perspective out there for kids? We’re really looking to see what it is people are interested in, hearing from them, and responding from what they have,” Frields said.
Right now, there is between 30-50 hours of content being produced that will be coming out soon. Experts may contribute to videos in the future, though faculty will remain the target focus.
The hope for CTB is to hear what it is that the audience is interested in and to go from there, a market strategy that Frields says will support the promotional aspect behind the content.
Within two weeks, content reached thousands, with reels now averaging 4,000 views each on Instagram. CTB will continue to grow as new content is produced and promoted. In so doing, TMU leadership hopes to achieve MacArthur’s vision of making the core truths of the school available to everyone.
The TMU Mane 