Gateway developing a ‘new normal’ as students return to campus
By Tyler Sanders
ONTARIO, Calif. — A return to on-campus education marked the beginning of the fall 2020 semester at Gateway Seminary. However, it is not a continuation of routine practices, Gateway President Jeff Iorg said.
“We are establishing a new normal at the seminary,” he said. “Our mission remains the same, but we are finding and executing new ways to accomplish that mission during the coronavirus pandemic.”
The months preceding the new semester have been largely developmental at Gateway — staff have adjusted policies, modified budgets and trained for various pandemic-related scenarios.
“It has been a busy summer at Gateway,” Iorg said. “We have made a number of changes focused on ensuring students’ health and safety as they continue their ministry training.”
The seminary has increased access to distance course delivery for students. In a typical semester, a limited number of students could register to attend an on-campus class through a live video conference feed each week. This fall, the limits on remote attendees to on-campus classes have been lifted and some classes will be offered exclusively through video conferencing.
“More than 60 percent of Gateway students have registered for online or remote access courses,” Iorg said. “That represents a significant increase in distance learning delivery at Gateway.”
New study Bible takes readers on a Holy Land journey
By Aaron Earls
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Millions of Christians read the Bible each day, but few have a full grasp of the historical, cultural and geographical context of what they read. The new “Holy Land Illustrated Bible” from LifeWay Christian Resources aims to change that.
The latest study tool to feature the text of the Christian Standard Bible, the Holy Land Illustrated Bible is the result of a two-year editorial process and an even longer period of collecting the more than 1,000 photos displayed throughout the resource.
“The high-quality photos and historical/archaeological content collected for the Bible was the result of more than two decades of research and effort,” said Andy McLean, director for Bibles and References at LifeWay.
In addition to photography, the Bible includes maps and illustrations to provide greater insight and understanding of the people, places and objects of Scripture. Editors also included 275 full-length commentary articles and more than 40 “Digging Deeper” callouts placed throughout the text for further explanation.
This type of resource can help Bible readers better understand the context of a passage.
A recent LifeWay Research study found 57 percent of Protestant churchgoers say they find it challenging to make sense of the Bible when they read it on their own. Yet nearly all (96 percent) say it is important to understand the context in which the Bible was written.
