Choosing APU

I choose to go to APU for two main reasons: 1) The classes were at night and also were on-line. This allows me to stay at home with my daughter during the day and also left opened the possibility of working while going to school. 2) It is a Christian university and I was excited to learn about teaching from the Christian perspective and worldview.

I honestly say, and this might sound harsh, that besides a few moments in the last 1.5 years, it is hard to tell that APU (at least at the satellite campus that I'm at) is truly "God First." This does not mean that my professors or any of the staff are ungodly people. Everyone is extremely kind and willing to help. What I mean is that when I think of "God First," I think of seeing everything through the lens of "God" ---everything from the perspective of being a believer in Christ and living lives that bring glory to God. Besides a few verses mentioned, a few Soul Quest nights, and a few faith integration assignments, God is really not mentioned that much in our classes. I guess I was expecting more honesty and sharing about what it means to be a Christian teacher. I was hoping for professors that shared their Christian perspectives and experiences and wisdom on living the gospel in the classroom. I feel that the curriculum and professors shy away from being upfront and real about what it means to live out Christianity in the classroom. Maybe this is because the university knows it has non-Christian students that don't believe or understand Christianity. But, this, I believe, defeats the point of being a "God First" university. Since APU is openly a Christian university, I think it should be bold in its faith and that means integrating it in every part of the curriculum, not segregating it to certain projects. The occasional faith integration projects provide time to reflect, but do not provide any "leading" or "teaching" on the university's end. Truly integrating God into every part of our teaching and learning is not an easy task with an easy solution, but I think it is important to strive after.