"APU represents a beautiful mosaic of students from many different back-grounds," said Franson. "The university models the framework of Jesus Christ, and in that, there is freedom to figure out who God wants you to be. We are at an exciting but challenging time right now; the hunger for spiritual truth is on the rise in America.
"We want APU to be a place where students can move from a foreclosed identity to an achieved identity; that is, to transition from preconceived notions to a faith in Christ that is their very own. Many students come here with baggage. Our goal is to help them unpack it all and help them sort through their stuff. Unpacking can be messy. Change is rough. Some act out. That's okay. Because if we do our job, by the time they leave, many will have discarded much of the old and repacked their bag with their own thoughts and beliefs with Jesus as the chief cornerstone. It is our hope that this process reflects the Apostle Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 5:17: 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!' This is transformational scholarship."
Cynndie Hoff is a freelance writer living in Walnut, California. ceh.hoff@verizon.net
