Martie Moolman realized Wycliffe College was a special place when she saw the College’s impact on her daughter, Kira, who completed her MDiv and PhD degrees at Wycliffe. “Watching Kira grow through her time there was a powerful experience,” Martie says, “especially seeing how her faith and scholarship intertwined so naturally.”
Faith and scholarship have always been intertwined for Moolman. For years, she found participating in Bible studies to be discouraging—either the leaders failed to provide answers to her questions, or the discussions lacked diversity, with [PP1] participants seeming to offer identical answers. Neither of these responses worked for Moolman. Her desire to deepen her understanding of Scripture in a community she could trust took root. “I was in a church where culture trumped Scripture and sound answers,” she remembers. Witnessing Kira’s growth at Wycliffe, she finally felt “ready to go and study” under Wycliffe’s professors. “They are Christians, and they don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk.”
Moolman audited courses for six years while Kira studied at Wycliffe, and she considers her decision to formally enrol in the MTS program a great reflection of how Wycliffe’s environment invites lifelong learning and growth. Witnessing Kira’s development in such a rich academic and spiritual environment made her “appreciate the unique value” Wycliffe offered.
Now taking the MTS program part-time, Moolman has entered her second year, and that “unique value” continues to surprise her.
“I am surprised by how big a difference it makes when you study Scripture with professors whose teaching is not limited to the syllabus,” she says. “Yes, there’s a ‘close dancing with the text’ as Dr Marion Taylor says. And with that attention to the text, we go back to basics. What is God saying? The professors don’t just lecture. They give life lessons.”
As Moolman explains, this practical wisdom from her professors comes from their being rooted in God’s Word. They “prioritize Scripture while they also nurture you to grow in your spiritual life. They serve as genuine role models worthy of admiration. It is this quality that distinguishes Wycliffe and grants it a special place in our family’s journey.”
[PP1]hyperbole?
