CBU School of Christian Ministries

Philosophy Student Spotlight: Faith Clark
Faith (Philosophy and Psychology, ’25) shared why she chose to double major in philosophy: “I fell in love with the discussion-based courses and how they really encourage deeper thinking. I believe that a lot of psychological principles can be further understood in the study of philosophy. I love that at CBU I can learn the material with undergirding biblical teachings from philosophy professors whose love for the Lord is exemplified in how they teach!”

This summer, Eli Kang (BAT) got the opportunity to serve as an ISP student leader in Southeast Asia.

Joelle Chute (Christian Studies and Early Childhood Studies) was a junior high leader at her church's student ministries summer camp.

JP Johnson (BAT) was a part of the Collegiate Team for Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief, where he cleaned tornado damage, shared the gospel, and connected community members with the local church.

"The BAT program gave me a firm foundation for my theology and answered questions that I didn't even know I had. The reading, lectures, conversations, and relationships have helped me to see that everything humans love was designed by God to point us to the gospel. I recommend the BAT program for anyone serious about reaching the world for Christ."
- Corey Singleton (BAT and Philosophy, 2016), Senior Pastor at St. John Missionary Baptist Church.

Faculty Milestone: Dr. Andrés Vera, Associate Professor of New Testament. Thank you for your 5 years of service at CBU!

Class Spotlight | HON251: Christian Character and the Community of Faith

This class explores the role of virtue and character formation from the New Testament through the early centuries of the Church. What is the blessed and happy life, and how does virtue formation correspond to a happy life? Students learn about the teachings of Jesus, the Apostle Paul, Seneca, Augustine, and others in the early church on virtue, character, God, friendship, and the role of the Spirit.

Here’s what Honors student Elianna Vargas (Exercise Science, 2026) has to say about the class: “Dr. Wilhite's course was a tremendous experience where students learned the value of biblical truth and application for daily living. We also used philosophical principles to help us understand the complexities of human nature.”

This summer, Glenn Ivory (BAT) had the opportunity to serve in his church's evangelism and food giveaway campaign.

Melanie Gomez Morales (Christian Studies and Exercise Science) was part of a media team where she did video, audio, and social media production for a local radio station. She was able to share her testimony on TV.

Jonny Monroe (BAT) and Luke De Los Reyes (BAT) were leaders at The Grove’s high school summer camp.

Dr. Morgan, Dr. Joe, and Dr. Gonet had the pleasure of speaking to Zona Camp students last week. They hosted a workshop called “Am I Called to Ministry/Missions?”

This summer, Kaitlyn Restrepo (Christian Studies and Philosophy) led a trip to Los Angeles for the CBU Spiritual Life Summer Service Projects.

Nicholas Khalili-Borna (Biomedical Sciences and Philosophy) got the opportunity to meet with his church's teen spiritual enrichment coordinator.

William Hunter Howard (Intercultural Studies and Christian Studies) and Elijah Jones (BAT) served overseas on an ISP trip to North Africa.

Faculty Milestone: Dr. DA Horton, Director of Intercultural Studies and Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies. Thank you for your 5 years of service at CBU!

This summer, Aubrey Bortmess (Public Health and Intercultural Studies, 2025) served overseas on a mission trip with a team from CBU. She went to East Africa for 3 weeks to share the gospel by assisting people in their humanitarian needs.

Carly Dirksen (Business Administration and Christian Studies, 2025) went on an ISP trip to Europe for 3 weeks where she and her team did henna and shared the gospel.

Fawzi Gramajo (Christian Behavioral Science and Intercultural Studies, 2025) evangelized in Europe with his family.

Our philosophy seniors were given the opportunity to share their research with their peers this spring. This year, we had three presentations: one on the philosophy of grief, another on divine omnipresence, and a third on the philosophy of art.

BAT Alumni Spotlight: Zac Gutierrez
Zac (Applied Theology, 2020) is the Student Ministries Pastor at Orchard Church. This is what he has to say about his time in the BAT program: "My years in the BAT Program were some of the most transformative and impactful years of my life. They shaped my theology and every other area of my life. The professors and students that poured into me – and continue to do so – helped me become the man of God, husband, and pastor that I am today!"

This summer, Hope Harris (Psychology and Christian Studies, ‘26) served in outreach and community engagement at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in California alongside her teammates participating in GenSend.

Maria Striplin (Psychology and Philosophy, ‘25) got the opportunity to go on an International Service Project to Southeast Asia.

Levi Eannarino (Applied Theology, ’26) has been able to intern at his local church. He has helped as a greeter, run the welcome/info table, served communion, counted the offerings, and hosted for baptisms.

The Christian studies major equips students to understand the Bible and its message, the church and its mission, and themselves and their purpose.

Noel Chambers (Christian Studies, 2024) shared, “CBU has prepared me for the future by solidifying my theology and giving me solid grounds for what I believe about the Bible.” He also commented on the helpfulness of Dr. Joe, Associate Professor of Christian Studies. “I took Pentateuch and Former Prophets (CST 210) with Dr. Joe as well as Latter Prophets and Writings (CST 220). He helped us study all of the Old Testament in a short period of time, and I'm so grateful to learn from him.”

https://calbaptist.edu/academics/programs/bachelor-of-arts-christian-studies/

We will be featuring the ways SCM students are serving God and other people this summer.

Kayden Drake (BAT, ’24) went on a short-term mission trip to support Fellowship Church's mission partners in Spain. The team reached Muslims coming from North Africa through ports of southern Spain.

Annalisa Williams (Christian Studies and Psychology, ‘25) was the leader for a group of students who came alongside a SendRelief team to serve the vulnerable in Los Vegas.

Ryan Eperjesi (Aviation Flight and Christian Studies, ’25) got the opportunity to fly missionaries in Southeast Asia.

One of SCM’s distinctives is that we offer classes in biblical Greek and Hebrew. This year, we had two graduates who completed three years of Greek and one graduate who completed three years of Hebrew. The two Greek students translated Romans, James, and Revelation this year. The Hebrew student conducted an in-depth study of Jonah 2 as one way of evaluating the sincerity of Jonah’s repentance.

Grad Spotlight: Natalie Lopez and Rhett Warner.

Grad Spotlight: Hannah Daily, Chris Scrima, Trey Tate, and Michelangelo Torchia.

Grad Spotlight: Dereck Lopez, Dylan Martin Del Campo, Kamryn Savage, and Joseph Mora.

Grad Spotlight: Noel Chambers, Justin Hunter, Nanami Hiramatsu, and Micaiah Kuhl.

We had a great time at the 3,2,1 Preaching Lab with D.A. Horton, Greg Cochran, and RJ McCauley. Local youth pastors and church leaders joined together to improve our preaching.

Grad Spotlight: Tristan Yepez, Isaac Reinherz, Peter Ku, and Sela Thomas.

Grad Spotlight: Noah Gauderman, Grace Lombardo, Dalton Parker, and Trenton Phillips.

Congratulations to Manny Boston, CBU BAT and Beeson Divinity School alumnus! Manny is this year’s recipient of Beeson’s History and Doctrine award.

Grad Spotlight: Derek Reiser, Wes Swanson, Brennan Shaw, and Hannah Krispin.

Grad Spotlight: Gracie Louderback, Sam Palmieri, Zach Paszkeicz, and Blake Rice.

In April, CBU Spiritual Life hosted a Collegiate Ministry Gathering for local leaders to learn more about how to minister to young adults. Dr. Horton, Director of Intercultural Studies, led one of the sessions. BAT alum Joe Cosato shared his experience at the conference with California Southern Baptist Convention. https://csbc.com/news/first-person-cbus-collegiate-ministry-gathering-provides-deep-encouragement-for-all-kinds-of-ministry-spheres/

Grad Spotlight: Olivia Kula, Jake McMillan, Luke Lamberth, and Daniel Olivares.

Grad Spotlight: Daniel Harris, Calla Harrison, Maritza Huerta, and Dylan Jacobs