Biblical and Theological Studies Minor

Mission

The mission of Biola's Biblical and Theological Studies Minor is to teach Christian undergraduate students to view all of God's world through the perspective of God's Word, the Bible. This biblical worldview involves understanding and applying the Bible as the foundation of the Christian faith, values, and virtues — both historically and presently. The goal is that students will lead lives of integrity and will engage the world of ideas, their vocations, their local church communities, and their society as responsible citizens, being faithful stewards of God's gifts to them and, empowered by His Spirit, carrying out Christ's commission to make disciples of all nations.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Biblical and Theological Studies Minor, students will be able to:

  1. BIBLE: Identify the basic contents of all books of the Old and New Testaments, and apply the biblical teaching for Christian faith and practice through reliable and faithful methods of interpretation (ULO 1).
  2. THEOLOGY: Explain the major doctrines of Christianity from an evangelical perspective, including their biblical basis and contemporary relevance (ULO 1).
  3. INTEGRATION: Examine their academic disciplines through critical evaluation of the knowledge, skills, and values of the discipline according to Christian faith and practice (i.e., a biblical worldview) (ULO 2 and 3).
  4. SPIRITUAL FORMATION: Describe a personal relationship with God in a maturing Christian faith and practice, and demonstrate the ability to serve the church and the world for Jesus Christ's purposes of redemption (ULO 2 and 3).

Each Program Learning Outcome (PLO) listed above references at least one of the University Learning Outcomes (ULO 1, 2, 3), which may be found in the General Information section of this catalog.

Curriculum Requirements

Students who complete the 30-credit Core Curriculum Bible Requirements at Biola University qualify for a minor in Bible. This minor is displayed on the transcript if the student declares the minor on the graduation petition. There is a residency requirement and an upper-division requirement for receipt of the Bible minor. Twelve credits must be upper-division and at least 15 credits must be completed in residency (including at least 6 of the required 12 upper-division credits). Transfer credit, credit for prior learning, and credit by examination may not be used to fulfill the minimum residency requirement.

Foundational Courses
BBST 103Biblical Interpretation and Spiritual Formation3
BBST 165Foundations of Christian Thought3
BBST 209Old Testament History and Literature3
BBST 210New Testament History and Literature3
Intermediate Courses
BBST 251Theology I3
BBST 354Theology II3
BBST 365Gospel, Kingdom, and Culture3
Advanced Courses
BBST 300/400Bible/Theology Elective3
BBST 300/400Bible/Theology Elective3
BBST 465Integration Seminar 13
The integration seminar topics below are offered as four-digit BBST courses. These courses satisfy the BBST 465 requirement. See course descriptions for any major restrictions.
BBST 4651
Integration Seminar: Christian Ministries
BBST 4652
Integration Seminar: Christian Philosophy of Education
BBST 4653
Integration Seminar: Christianity and the Natural Sciences
BBST 4654
Integration Seminar: Contemporary Art and Theology
BBST 4655
Integration Seminar: Contemporary Hispanic Studies
BBST 4656
Integration Seminar: God and Math
BBST 4657
Integration Seminar: Organizational Ethics
BBST 4658
Integration Seminar: Redeeming Culture Through Music
Total Credits30
1

BBST 465 is a course offered in partnerships with various departments with a variety of different sections. It may be taken with different content as a BBST 300/400 Bible/Theology elective for a maximum of 6 credits counted toward graduation. 

High-Credit Majors & Transfer Students

For select high-credit majors at Biola and for transfer students with 45 or more transferable credits completed after high school graduation at the time of enrollment, the following Bible and theology courses are required.1 At least 9 credits from the following must be taken at Biola (3 of which must be upper-division).

Foundational Courses
BBST 103Biblical Interpretation and Spiritual Formation3
BBST 165Foundations of Christian Thought3
BBST 209Old Testament History and Literature3
BBST 210New Testament History and Literature3
Intermediate Courses
BBST 260Christian Theology3
BBST 365Gospel, Kingdom, and Culture3
Total Credits18
1

While Biola’s 30-credit Minor in Biblical and Theological Studies is not required for students in select high-credit majors and for those with 45 or more transferable credits completed after high school graduation at the time of enrollment, these students are nevertheless encouraged to consider taking the additional 12 credits of advanced and elective Bible and theology courses needed to earn the highly valued minor.  

Online Bachelor's Degree Programs

The Biblical and Theological Studies Minor takes on a particular design for some of Biola’s online bachelor's degree programs. For these programs the first five courses of the Minor provide the foundational approach to, and contents of, Scripture and integrative thinking as Christians.

Foundational Courses
BBST 103Biblical Interpretation and Spiritual Formation3
BBST 165Foundations of Christian Thought3
BBST 209Old Testament History and Literature3
BBST 210New Testament History and Literature3
BBST 260Christian Theology3
Integration Courses
Up to five integration courses may be used toward the Bible requirement. However, other specific BBST courses may be required. See individual programs for details.
BBST Integration course (specified by program)3
BBST Integration course (specified by program)3
BBST Integration course (specified by program)3
BBST Integration course (specified by program)3
BBST Integration course (specified by program)3
Total Credits30