Faculty Focus: Dr. Michael W. Langston, Professor of Chaplain Ministries

B.S., University of Louisiana; M.A., The Naval War College; M.Div., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; D. Min., Bethel Theological Seminary; Ph.D. University of Aberdeen
Dr. Langston joined the faculty of CIU’s Seminary & School of Ministry in 2011 and has taught Chaplain Ministries from that date until the present. Before coming to Columbia, he served as pastor of a congregation in North Carolina, law enforcement chaplain, and United States Navy chaplain. He is also a graduate of the Naval War College. He is ordained and endorsed through the Southern Baptist Convention.

Core Values: Authority of Scripture

The five core values of CIU are literally written on stones at our campus: Authority of Scripture, Victorious Christian Living, World Evangelization, Prayer & Faith and Evangelical Unity.

We also inscribe these values upon our hearts. Our faculty, administration and staff all commit to the solid foundation that was laid in 1923.

Come to CIU and you will strive for academic excellence with the Bible at the core of all learning. You also will practice skills related to personal and vocational goals in the community away from the classroom.

Our students can trust us to ensure that their CIU experience will always be fully formed and informed by these five bedrock values.

Authority of Scripture

The Bible is the ultimate foundation and the final truth in every aspect of our lives. We concentrate on mastering God's Word, learning to understand its meaning and apply its teaching

Dean's Devos: Loving Like Jesus Loved, Part 2

by Dr. John Harvey

In John 13:34-35, Jesus give his disciples (and us) a new commandment:

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. (NLT)

Jesus says this commandment is “new” commandment, and the Greek word (καινός) means “new of a different kind.” How is this commandment different from the “great” commandment to love God (Deut. 6:5) and the “royal” commandment to love our neighbor (Jas. 2:8)?

Jesus’ commandment is new, because it involves a new standard:

We are to love like Jesus loved (13:34b):

“. . . as I have loved you . . .”

Jesus sets the standard. 1 John 3:16-18 tells us that part of that standard is that Jesus loved sacrificially and actively. That is, we must be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. It’s not enough just to say that we love one another. We must practice what we proclaim.

Alumni Spotlight: George (Clay) Weeks (MDiv, 2001)

Since graduating from the Seminary and School of Ministry, George helped with a church plant (Salt and Light Church). He served by teaching/preaching and helped to start and lead Celebrate Recovery. George went on to work as member care/pastoral care for the IMB in Central Asia. He and his family are presently back in Sumter, SC serving as the worship leader/pastor/elder at Salt and Light Church.

"My time at CIU provided me with a strong biblical world view; strengthened my understanding and appreciation for God's love for the nations; I learned how to put together sermons and study the word; I was mentored by so many of the professors. I have maintained a strong relationship with Roy King over the years. Without being trite, I came away with a deeper love for God and a desire to lead others to know him and love him." 

Faculty Focus: Dr. Markus Klausli, Professor of New Testament & Greek

B.A., Seattle Pacific University; M.Div., Columbia International University; S.T.M., Ph.D., Dallas Theological Seminary

Dr. Klausli joined the faculty of CIU’s Seminary and School of Ministry in 2013 and teaches New Testament and Greek as well as Biblical Contextualization. Before coming to Columbia, he served from 2006-2007 as an adjunct professor at Southwestern Theological Seminary and then from 2007-2013 with Liebenzell USA as lecturer for New Testament and dean at CIU’s European School of Culture and Theology in Korntal, Germany. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society as well as the Society for Biblical Literature. He has served as a pastor in Germany and taught in South Africa.

B.A., 1993, Seattle Pacific University; M.Div., 1996, Columbia International University; S.T.M., 2001, Dallas Theological Seminary, Ph.D., 2007; Lecturer-Internship, 1996 Union Bible Institute, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa; Pastoral Assistant, 1997-1998, Church of God, Luedenscheid, Germany; Interim Pastor, Church of God, Marl, Germany 1998-1999; Lecturer, 2000, Center for Biblical Studies, Dallas, Texas; Adjunct Professor, 2006-2007, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Forth Worth, Texas; missionary with Liebenzell USA serving as lecturer for New Testament and since fall of 2009 as acting dean at the CIU branch campus: European School of Culture & Theology 2007-2013; Professor for NT & Greek, Columbia International University, since 2013.

Published periodical articles, essays, dictionary entries

“Wunder in der Bibel” (Miracles in the Bible) @ Mission Weltweit (Worldwide Missions –magazine of the Liebenzell Mission, Germany), May/June 2010.

Published book reviews

Lewis R. Donelson. Review of I & II Peter and Jude: A Commentary. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010. In JETS 54: 406-408.

Papers presented

“'Sharing in the Sufferings of Christ’ – Reassessing the Use of the Messianic Woes to Characterize Suffering in 1 Peter,” presentation at the annual meeting of the Facharbeitsgruppe für Neues Testament (Study Group for New Testament) in Marburg, Germany, March 3, 2008.

Our Mission

Columbia International University educates people from a biblical worldview to impact the nations with the message of Christ. We pursue this mission as an academic community modeling, mentoring, and motivating students to cultivate spiritual vitality and character formation, acquire knowledge in biblical content, gain interpretation skills, to develop competence as critical thinkers and communicators, formulate a comprehensive biblical worldview for themselves, and explore and initiate experiences that are ministry-focused.

Both the curriculum and the community life at CIU are intentionally designed to stimulate a dynamic context in which each student is assisted and encouraged to:

• Know Christ by learning submission to His lordship and dependence on the Holy Spirit, thus making progress in conforming to His image.
• Know the Word by gaining mastery of its content and understanding of its meaning, by assimilating and applying its truth, and by developing skill in the use of study tools.
• Know oneself by an increasing awareness of spiritual gifts, personality types, and personal potential.
• Know people by becoming sensitive to their needs and the contexts in which they live, improving communication with them, no matter their culture.
• Know the skills required in a particular area of ministry. By “ministry” CIU consciously and intentionally includes those who are called by God to minister in and through professional disciplines-whether in communication, education, business, psychology, or other professional disciplines where training programs are being developed.

In addition to the faculty, the university provides resources for learning and curricular guidance necessary for progress toward these goals. CIU expects students to be active participants in the spiritual, academic, social, and physical dimensions of college life. As they do, they come “to know Him” better and are able “to make Him known” more effectively. We believe God’s purpose for CIU institutionally and for its faculty and students individually is achieved only by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit through yielded believers.

Dean's Devos: Loving Like Jesus Loved, Part 1

by Dr. John Harvey

In John 13:34-35, Jesus gave his disciples (and us) a new commandment:

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. (NLT)

Jesus says this commandment is “new” commandment, and the Greek word (καινός) means “new of a different kind.” How is this commandment different from the “great” commandment to love God (Deut. 6:5) and the “royal” commandment to love our neighbor (Jas. 2:8)?

Jesus’ commandment is new, because it is directed toward new subjects:

 We are to love other believers (13:34a):

“Love one another . . .”

The great commandment is directed toward God. The royal commandment is directed toward our neighbor. The new commandment is directed toward our brothers and sisters in Christ and reminds us that our relationship with other followers of Jesus transcends all other human relationships. Human blood might be thicker than water, but Jesus’ blood creates a bond that is even thicker.

Alumni Spotlight: Garry Knussman (MDiv, 1977)

Garry and his wife are retired but very active in ministry at Truth Community, which started just 8 years ago. The Knussmans are charter members.

"My M.Div. from the grad school/seminary provided me with a solid foundation of biblical/theological & practical knowledge for my variety of work, service, and ministry efforts at the ministries and churches I was and am a part of.

My degree also provided me with a strong resource base (books, commentaries, periodicals) for maintaining and increasing my knowledge of Scripture, the church, and various service and leadership opportunities. What I learned and experienced at CIU (then CGS) helped me form and keep alive a desire for Christian discipleship and service."

Faculty Focus: Dr. Steve Johnson, Assistant Professor of Ministry Care

B.A., Indiana University (chemistry & psychology); M.S., Indiana University (philosophy); M.A., Christian Theological Seminary (marriage & family therapy); Ph.D., Indiana University (philosophy); ScD, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj, Romania (evidence-based psychotherapy)

Dr. Johnson moved to Columbia after serving 17 years as a pastor of Care and Counseling at a church in Connecticut. He has also served as the vice president of the board of trustees at the Albert Ellis Institute for cognitive behavioral therapy/rational emotive behavior therapy in New York City. There he supervised psychotherapists from around the world. Since 1993, Dr. Johnson he has been a private practice psychotherapist specializing in treating addictions and trauma. He has also taught Muslim Studies at CIU as an adjunct professor for nearly 20 years.

Dr. Johnson is a devoted writer who publishes in the areas of Muslim studies, psychotherapy, and philosophy. His current work focuses on the philosophy of the self-operative in models of psychotherapy.

He is married to Carol Stone, who is a biochemist and epidemiologist employed as a bureau chief in the South Carolina Department of Public Health. His two daughters, Lauren and Shannon, are both pursuing careers in psychology.

Spring Break, March 9-13

Have an enjoyable break!