Letter from the President: Fall 2020
“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2 NIV)
Two words carry the weight of this sentence. The first is somewhat hidden from view by the English translation. It is the word steward. The second is the word faithful.
STEWARD | In the Graeco-Roman world great family estates were often cared for by someone we might now call a chief operating officer. This steward was entrusted with the task of protecting, growing, and using the assets of the great estate. He was often so trusted as to be the one who allocated income to the members of the family for their uses. This is the mental image Paul’s Corinthian readers would have had – a great estate watched over by a careful steward.
FAITHFUL | The second word points to the central quality required of a trusted steward. One who has been given a trust of this magnitude must be – innovative, frugal, knowledgeable, shrewd? Perhaps so. But Paul isolates a quality without which those characteristics might actually be destructive.
One who has been given a great trust must prove faithful.
I often reflect on this charge as I lead Indiana Wesleyan University. We have been given a great trust. For 100 years those who came before us cared for this place so as to hand on to us a university that is faithful to its identity and calling as a Christ-centered community committed to academic excellence.
This year I have been reminded that the challenges to faithful stewardship change with each generation. As you read the stories in this issue of the Triangle you will see reflected the unique challenges of the day in which we serve. We serve in the midst of a pandemic that is rearranging the landscape of our society and our industry. We serve in the midst of one of the most polarized and contentious social contexts our country has known for quite some time. We serve in a time of unprecedented information and communicative power, but one so often lacking in wisdom, grace, and godliness.
This year I have also been reminded that the Lord to whom we are faithful never changes. Though the challenges of faithful stewardship may change, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The call of God to a radically transformed life of holiness does not change. The power of the Gospel does not change.
How, then, will we remain faithful to the trust we’ve been given?
It is our people who do this – the brilliant Christ-centered faculty and staff of Indiana Wesleyan University who live out our calling with intelligence, courage, and faithfulness. In this issue you’ll meet Todd Williams, one of the top jazz musicians in our country, whose story of conversion and faithful service is one of the most powerful I have ever heard. You’ll meet Dr. Rosanne Thomas, for whom we prayed and sought for five long years, before God brought her to IWU to begin our Physical Therapy Doctoral program. You’ll hear the powerful testimonies of David Henry, Jeff Eckart, Hilary Moore, Edwin Castañeda, and Michael Thompson III. These are alumni and students whose passion for their life’s calling is fueled by their dedication to the One who commands their allegiance.
The generations change. The Lord who calls us to a future of hope is the solid rock on which our future is built. The trust endures.
DR. DAVID WRIGHT '77, PRESIDENT
