An Intentionally Christian Community

The integration of faith and learning—the uniting of heart and mind—is a challenge we take seriously at PLNU.  We want students not only to accumulate credits toward a degree but to become individuals who think and behave intentionally as Christians in all of their endeavors.

Jesus presents this challenge of integrated experience in His first and greatest commandment to the Church:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  (Matthew 22:37-38)  Biblical truths and principles like this shape the campus life of a university striving to be an intentionally Christian community.  Scripture reminds us repeatedly of the importance of becoming Christian who both feel and think deeply.  We are encouraged to “have the mind of Christ” and to “be transformed by the renewing of our minds.”  Scripture also teaches that knowledge and understanding—even of God Himself—must be brought regularly and prayerfully before the very Creator of that knowledge.

Learning and internalizing these principles are most effectively accomplished through community—one that worships, plays, studies, questions, challenges and encourages one another in the practice of allowing the Word to become flesh in our lives.  Both the curricular and co-curricular dimensions of the university play a critical role in establishing and nurturing this community.  Students are challenged to explore the concepts and theories in their chosen field of study and their own values and beliefs.  In doing so, they form an understanding of life to which they can be truly committed.

The internalized and integrated commitment we seek in the lives of our students naturally incorporates lifestyle expectations and choices.  It is central to the mission of PLNU that we model for our students—and expect of them—a lifestyle that is consistent with principles of values gleaned from God’s Word.  The Bible describes character qualities and actions that should be fostered in the lives of believers including prayer, kindness, humility, compassion, forgiveness, hospitality, accountability to each other, corporate worship and harmonious living.

A natural outcome of this type of Christian formation is the desire to make a difference—to serve others as agents of grace and reconciliation in a broken world.  With that in mind, we also work faithfully to shape these qualities in our students:  commitment to justice, recognition of the rights of others, generosity to the poor, care for the oppressed and evangelism.

We intend to offer an education that will teach, shape and send the whole person—body, mind and spirit.  We intend to be a place where Christianity is not just a filter through which knowledge is acquired but a very foundation for engaging all human understanding.  When our graduates leave Point Loma with an understanding that Christianity as a reference point for all of life, the University has effectively been an intentional Christian community.