91̽��

At the annual State of the University meeting last month, Dr. Abner Chou charged the faculty and staff of 91̽�� to press deeper into faithfulness, building on the foundation laid by Dr. John MacArthur.

“A lot has happened, in particular the passing of our chancellor and former president, pastor, and teacher, Dr. John MacArthur,” Chou said by way of introduction. “It is a very somber and heavy moment. And I pray that this season would not be wasted. I pray that we would grow in the Lord and learn to redeem the moment — like we are to redeem every single moment — unto the Lordship of Christ, unto further fidelity to Him, unto further knowing and being clear about how to honor Him.”

He went on to read out of Hebrews 13:7, urging faculty and staff to remember and imitate MacArthur’s example of faith.

“In this season, one of my highest joys is to see what the Lord is doing on this campus,” Chou continued. “Your heart is so visibly for the Lord, so visibly to serve, so visibly to love each other, and it is so pronounced and so protracted and persevering. It is a great encouragement to me.

“You all are reflecting on Dr. MacArthur, and I not only appreciate the respect and honor that you’re showing, but even more, it’s a glimpse into your spiritual walk. It’s the most beautiful thing for me to see. And of course, my encouragement is, ‘Let’s excel still more.’”

As a point of contrast, Chou highlighted the broader scene of Christian higher education, where institutions have been struggling with finances or drifting from convictions.

“This should give us pause,” Chou said. “We’re 100 years old soon. There’s a soberness we need to have in this season — filled with thanksgiving, and yet a sobriety — because we understand that we can’t take faithfulness for granted.”

He explained that maintaining faithfulness requires daily vigilance.

“We’ve just been given a gift of a legacy, and that requires tremendous stewardship,” Chou said. “And it’s not just about one man’s legacy. That’s really not the point, and he wouldn’t want us talking about it in such terms. It’s the cause — the cause of subjecting everything to the Lordship of Christ. It’s the cause of the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. It’s the cause of making sure that the church remains the pillar of grounds of the truth, as the Lord has declared it to be.”

He offered the grave observation that, historically, institutions usually drift before they make it to their centennial.

“There’s this adage that the first generation fights for the truth, the second generation inherits it, and the third generation assumes it and loses it,” Chou said. “We, as faculty and staff here, always want to be the first generation.”

Here, he pointed everyone to Deuteronomy 6:10-12, with the sobering warning that Israel should not forget the Lord after receiving their rich inheritance.

“The danger comes the moment we just take it all for granted. Drift can easily happen, and it’s sometimes very subtle,” Chou said. “Why are we so picky about how we hire faculty? Because the small things — which are not so small — will kill you.”

In light of this, he charged every person in the room to take responsibility for 91̽��’s ongoing faithfulness.

“You want to know who the real conscience of the school is? It’s you. It’s everyone here. We need you all to be faithful,” he said. “Keep your heart soft, keep your convictions sharp, and keep your affections strong. We don’t just defend doctrine as an intellectual exercise. We defend it because we love the Lord Jesus.”

Putting today’s generation at 91̽�� in the context of the school’s history, Chou concluded with this:

“If the previous generation was one of startup and sacrifice — and that’s really what they did for us — our purpose is to not only be a generation that’s faithful, but to set up every generation to be faithful until our Lord returns.”

To learn more about Dr. MacArthur’s legacy at 91̽��, read this article written to recognize his 40th year of leadership at the University.