Have you ever wondered what the phrase “Arts & Sciences” means? If so, you wouldn’t be the first to be confused. In fact, college Arts & Sciences departments can sometimes be misunderstood because of the broad nature of the academic programs offered within them.
Lancaster Bible College’s Arts & Sciences Department directly fulfills the LBC mission to “educate Christian students to think and live a biblical worldview and to proclaim Christ by serving Him in the Church and society.” So this broad but important academic department is worth a second look!
At LBC, Arts & Sciences consists of three relevant and timely programs: Criminal Justice, Political Science and Christian Thought in the Humanities, each with various concentrations and available minors. In general, this department is dedicated to equipping students with broad cultural knowledge and practical principles for living out Christ’s teaching through a strong liberal arts curriculum. Courses emphasize four themes: developing discernment, cultivating creativity, analyzing the evolution of diverse worldviews and critically investigating God’s creation.
Now leading Arts & Sciences as Department Chair, Dr. Krissi Castor looks back on her own undergraduate education and values the uniqueness of LBC | Capital’s programming and commitment in this area.
“LBC | Capital is uniquely positioned in this time and space to offer students such relevant programs,” said Castor, who earned a Master of Arts in Ministry with a concentration in Leadership Studies from LBC | Capital in 2013. “My own undergraduate degree is in liberal arts, and I am thankful for both the soft and hard skills I learned. Learning about God’s world through studying various people, artifacts, ideas, cultures and movements is never a waste of time. These studies taught me that I am not an island, and they impacted how I view others. What I would have given for access to the biblical, intellectual and formational-missional core captured in the design of LBC’s Arts & Sciences programs. These programs are intentional offerings to develop the head, heart and hands of kingdom citizenship—for students to become all Christ has ordained them to be in their current and future contexts.”
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice was the first program within Arts & Sciences, where students learn about helping to bring restorative justice to the world both through their career and their relationship with Jesus. Available in several modalities, including a four-year bachelor’s degree on LBC’s main campus in Lancaster, as an associate degree, as a minor, as a fully online bachelor’s program or as a hybrid program, with a blend of online and in-class instruction at LBC | Capital – Philadelphia.
Criminal Justice students at LBC have opportunities for real-world experience through events such as the annual mock trial.
Jenna Dombach (’24) had this to say about her time in the Criminal Justice program at LBC: “The college provides so many different perspectives but emphasizes the most important one—a biblical perspective. The professors do an amazing job at instilling this into the students and taking time to invest in our lives.”
This program is designed to give students an overview of the criminal justice system by broadly studying the various aspects of the law enforcement, judicial and correctional systems. Through academic rigor and hands-on training, Christian professionals in LBC’s criminal justice program teach students how to live out the gospel in society, excel in their chosen fields and strengthen their faith for the work to which God calls them.
Dr. Jevon Thompson (’10) is one of the knowledgeable and experienced professors in the program. Thompson has more than 17 years of experience as a campus police officer in Baltimore.
“Our program instructors provide mentorship and guidance to many of our students at LBC who have performed internships at law firms, police agencies and human service organizations,” Thompson said. “Many of our guest speakers are career professionals in criminal justice who bring their real-life work experience into the classroom. They have served many years in the community and are able to share their first-hand knowledge with our student body. More importantly, our guests tell stories about their time working in public service and are always willing to answer questions and network with our students as future career prospects. Our students also learn subject material pertaining to ethics, corrections, judicial law, chaplaincy and law enforcement.”
Political Science
In the fall of 2022, LBC introduced the online Political Science bachelor’s degree program within the Arts & Sciences Department. This program focuses on American political institutions and practices as it seeks to prepare students for careers in the poli-sci arena, for public service or for graduate studies. The program is designed for busy people as they balance working full time, raising a family, serving in ministry and more. Each course is taught in an 8-week subterm, and students can customize the sequence of their classes based on which courses are being offered and their prerequisites. This way, with the help of their LBC Student Success Coach, students can chart a class schedule that fits their stage in life.
Jim Cox serves as the Political Science Program Director for LBC | Capital and notes that the online courses, internships, student work and instructor interactions will help students embrace a biblical worldview and demonstrate the love of Christ within the areas of public policy and public service.
“With American politics being at the forefront of nearly every newscast these days, interest in the field of political science has seen a resurgence in colleges across the country,” Cox said. “Lancaster Bible College, recognizing this growing interest, saw the need to develop a political science program based on a solid biblical worldview. LBC shares my heart’s desire that Christians of all ages have the opportunity to study and engage the political process in a way that points toward Christ. The political science program is, in my opinion, a fantastic complement to the rest of LBC’s offerings, and serves to show how Christ-centered teaching in every area of life can even extend to the realms of political discourse.”
LBC’s Political Science program is currently offered 100% online only, as well as a minor for on-campus undergraduate students.
Justin McDade (’28), a full-time online student studying from Arkansas, is passionate about political science and the way the field interacts with his faith. He understands the need for Christians to be involved in all spheres to impact culture for Christ.
“It is crucial for Christians to actively engage in political science and be well-informed because we are stewards of the world we inhabit, which is far from perfect and will one day be remade,” McDade shared. “As stewards of this world, it is essential for Christians to care about this world and its inhabitants because God does. Christians must participate in political discussions with a biblical perspective.”
Christian Thought in the Humanities
The newest addition to the Arts & Sciences department is the Christian Thought in the Humanities program, offered both on campus as a bachelor’s and associate degree and online. Designed to provide students with a degree that deepens their understanding of God and broadens their understanding of humanity, the major takes advantage of the disciplines already part of the Arts & Sciences core curriculum while offering students the opportunity to dig deeper into courses that help them see the world, its cultures, its societies and its people according to the light of Scripture.
“The Bible isn’t just an add-on or one text among many,” said Dr. Geoffrey Reiter, Program Coordinator for Christian Thought in the Humanities as well as Associate Professor and Coordinator of Literature. “At LBC, the Bible remains the centerpiece of our thinking. That’s not true for secular institutions, and even some Christian Humanities programs might not emphasize Scripture’s centrality the way we do.”
The Christian Thought in the Humanities program also offers three areas of specialization: Literature, Rhetoric & Writing and History.
“This major is built for people who have a desire to serve people like Christ using their passions for history, literature or writing,” explained Kristin Webster (’25). “This major is one of the more flexible majors at LBC, so if you have one or all of those passions, this may be a good fit for you. I am taking the writing route within this department, and something I appreciate is that I know I will use writing for the rest of my life, making it very practical.”
The program prepares students for careers as educators, technical writers, editors, copywriters, archivists, public relations professionals, politicians and more. It also readies students looking to continue their education in graduate-level programs.
Within LBC’s Arts & Sciences Department students have the opportunity to not only gain a degree, but to truly learn how to understand the world around them and impact it for Christ.