This past week Sue and I were with some HCU friends at a restaurant. As we all walked out, another patron who had eaten there with his wife approached us and said, “Congratulations on the name change. You know there’s a lot of Christians out there who aren’t Baptists.” Then he laughed and added, “And I have been just about all of them!”
I thought his kind comments implied several interesting points. First, he knew about the name change. We are working to increase our visibility with a strong and still largely forthcoming marketing campaign, and we have been getting a lot of affirming feedback and attention because of the name change to Houston Christian University. It’s understandable, of course, that some have expressed their initial reservations, but overwhelmingly the feedback has been very positive, and, like this gentleman, people understand why we’ve made the change: that is, we are still affiliated with Baptists, and those ongoing affiliations represent our heritage and history, but we have long appealed to Christians all across the spectrum in a world where denominationalism has been declining since the 1970s. I’m confident that our efforts to grow significantly as a university will be rewarded by this name change, as it demonstrates and emphasizes our historic appeal to Christians of all denominations. At the same time, using the word Christian makes clear that we are still committed to all of the same scriptural and foundational truths that we have maintained since our very beginning. In that connection, I hope you will read some of our key documents, especially what the Board of Trustees has now officially designated as our Foundational Documents, including “Scripture and a Christian Worldview” and “The Ten Core Convictions.” And, of course, the doctrinal commitments of our Preamble have not changed in any way.
Another exciting development garnering a lot of attention for the University has been the recent grand opening of the Morris Family Center for Law and Liberty. This amazing complex is already doing exactly what we expected—that is, drawing tourists, elementary school children, civic organizations, and other visitors to the campus to view the facility, hear stirring lectures about the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, or hold a meeting in one of the beautiful new rooms. The visibility and the stunning quality of this new Center are matched only by its mission: to teach and educate our students and all who come to the facility about the American founding and especially the historic documents that were signed in Independence Hall—the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. We are committed to the aspirations and the principles of constitutional democracy, and this Center and the activities in it speak volumes about the nature of our university.
Thanks to so many of you for your support of HCU. We could not continue without your prayers, your financial contributions, and the positive conversations you’re able to have with others about the Christian mission of this great university.
I know you’re going to enjoy reading this issue of The Pillars. We have an outstanding staff and faculty and a remarkable and distinctive mission. We also have many things to accomplish as expressed in our new vision document, The Ten Pillars 2030, and I hope you will consider what aspect of HCU stirs you the most and then make every effort to support us with your generosity.
In fact, I would ask you to consider including us in your end-of-year giving and in your estate plans. We live our lives by faith, one day at a time, but all of us also have to make wise plans regarding the future. As an estate lawyer once told me, “The way our tax laws are structured, every year and at the end of our lives, all of us are going to do some form of philanthropy— either the private philanthropy of our own choosing or the public philanthropy that the government will choose for us!” I hope you will reflect upon the life-changing quality of our mission for the sake of the next generations and support us with your prayers and philanthropy.