“Whether on location or back
on campus, Huntington professors bring to the classroom
genuine and earthy experience in what is being taught. It
makes the teaching especially honest, down-to-earth and
insightful. It carries weight because it is immersed in
reality.” |
Joshua Miller
has traveled a winding road to settle where he is today. From a
trip to Israel, to ministry in New York, and now graduate studies
in Kentucky, Josh has committed to following God’s calling in his
life, wherever that leads. A 2001 alumnus of Huntington University,
Josh majored in Bible and Religion. After graduation, he and wife Andrea headed to
Liverpool, N.Y., beginning a three-year stint in youth ministry at
a Free Methodist Church.
“I did everything
from youth ministry to short-term mission trips to assistant
pastor duties,” says Josh, who is currently studying at Asbury
Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. “Now I’m working towards a
master’s degree in Biblical studies with the goal of eventually
teaching in higher education.”
When asked what
prompted his decision to return to school, Josh instantly knows
the answer. “Calling,” he quickly says. “That’s basically what
it was. I felt called to go to Liverpool and be in ministry for
awhile, but even during and before that time, I believed God was
leading me to a vocation of teaching. I knew graduate school was
somewhere in my future.”
A Huntington University January-Term trip to Israel during Josh’s sophomore year
sparked his calling to teach biblical studies. That trip, led by
Dr. Mark Fairchild, allowed classroom studies of biblical history
and biblical archeology to come alive. And since that trip, Dr.
Fairchild has played an integral role in Josh’s decision to pursue
a career in higher education.
“I know that my
choice to go to Asbury and to even consider other schools was a
direct result of conversations with my previous professors,” Josh
says. “I know I wouldn’t have come to Asbury specifically if I
wouldn’t have had some long, in-depth conversations with some
people back at Huntington.”
With several
Huntington University off-campus opportunities to study and serve,
Josh encourages other students to expand their global vision. Many
trips allow for students and professors to dig deep into specific
studies together.
“Whether on
location or back on campus, Huntington professors bring to the
classroom genuine and earthy experience in what is being taught,”
Josh says. “It makes the teaching especially honest,
down-to-earth and insightful. It carries weight because it is
immersed in reality.”
Along with
personal interaction with professors, Josh cites smaller class
sizes and the college campus as important aspects of his
all-around education at Huntington. “You had a voice in class and
could ask questions and make helpful contributions,” Josh says.
“Also, the size of the campus gave me a healthy sense of
accountability, kind of like growing up in a small town. It keeps
you true to who you are and helps you be who you want to be.”
Defining that
sense of a small-town campus can be a challenge, but Josh sums up
the unique Huntington atmosphere as a community of people with
spiritual honesty. “You definitely find genuine people at
Huntington and genuine faith,” reflects Josh. “These are people
who seek God and try to do the best with their lives.”
Now that Josh is
once again taking up his textbooks in graduate school, he has a
better perspective on the value of his academic preparation at
Huntington University. At Huntington, he found exactly what he
needed in the Bible & Religion department with courses that went
deep into biblical history and theology. Josh says there is
nothing lacking in his undergraduate education that made him
ill-prepared to continue his studies. He was even able to waive
some of his classes at Asbury due to the preparation given him in
the Bible & Religion department at Huntington.
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