2021 Convocation Ceremony: 10 Years of Reformation Bible College
Posted On September 24, 2021
With earnest gratitude to God, Reformation Bible College held its 2021 convocation ceremony on Friday, September 17. In addition to dedicating a new academic year to the Lord, we devoted this evening to celebrating ten years of God’s faithfulness and provision to the college. In the decade since RBC’s founding by Dr. R.C. Sproul, our holy God has greatly blessed our founder’s vision of raising up a new generation of men and women who are well equipped to know, worship, and serve the Lord in all of life.
Under the skirl of bagpipes—a familiar sound at RBC’s formal occasions and a tradition established by Dr. Sproul—our faculty, staff, and largest-ever student body processed along the nave of Saint Andrew’s Chapel. Dr. John Tweeddale, our vice president of academics, opened with a prayer of invocation before reminding us of the purpose of convocation: to assemble as a united college family to consecrate our academic studies before God.
Following the college hymn written by Dr. Sproul, “Clothed in Righteousness,” we gave attention to God’s Word: Hebrews 12:28–29, read by Dr. Ben Shaw, professor of Old Testament. Then our president, Dr. Stephen Nichols, ascended the pulpit of Saint Andrew’s to deliver the convocation address, “That Cannot Be Shaken.” This solemn message posed a question of urgent importance: What does it take to remain a truly Christian college?
In a day when many formerly Christian institutions have abandoned their theological heritage, drifting under the unbelieving currents of a secularized culture, Dr. Nichols exhorted us to turn our eyes to the Lord Jesus Christ, relying on Him and His kingdom as our unshakable foundation. To remain fixed on our founding purpose, we must know God in His transcendent holiness and worship the Lord with reverence and awe.
“I pray that God blesses your lives with faithfulness and fruitfulness,” Dr. Nichols said in closing. “I pray that God blesses this institution for the next decade and for decades to come.”
Dr. Tweeddale then joined Dr. Nichols on the chancel to offer reflections on the occasion of our tenth anniversary as a college. Remembering how the Lord has worked in RBC’s past to bring us to this important moment in the school’s history, they also expressed our hopes for the future of RBC. As we trust in God alone for success, Dr. Tweeddale noted, “the key to faithfulness in the future is faithfulness today.” At a time when classical education and the study of theology are disappearing from the landscape of higher education, RBC is committed to recovering the Reformed classical tradition for the good of the church and its influence in the world.
After enjoying special music from our very own Reformation Chorale, Dr. Nichols called upon the RBC faculty to publicly recite their vows and affirm the statement of faith, followed by the students’ affirmation of their standards of faith and conduct. Following a prayer of dedication for the new academic year from Dr. Keith Mathison, professor of systematic theology, we sang a closing hymn and received a benediction from Dr. Tweeddale. Thus the momentous evening concluded with praise and thanksgiving to God, to whom belongs all the glory for ten years of Reformation Bible College.
It is through the faithful prayers and financial generosity of friends such as you that the Lord has graciously sustained RBC through this first decade of teaching and discipleship. Thank you for your commitment to seeing the next generation of articulate Christians who will stand with a firm conviction on God’s Word and live out their faith in every vocation and calling.