Faith Baptist Bible College

This week I made my annual journey back to Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa, for the Refresh Conference.

It was my fourth Refresh, so I realized that, in essence, I have witnessed another class of college students pass through Faith’s doors during these days. To me that time seems like it has just whisked by—as does the entire interval since I was a seminary student at Faith.

I knew that this would be a somewhat sentimental trip for me this week, since this summer will mark 30 years since my wife and I first stepped on Faith’s campus to look things over. I remember so much about that first visit—just like that also was yesterday.

During my time as a student at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary, I learned that there was an old youth pastors’ joke, built on a misuse of Heb. 11:6. The verse states:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

This winter, for the second year in a row, I went back to my seminary alma mater in Ankeny, Iowa, to attend the Refresh Conference hosted by Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary. Once again, I exhibited on behalf of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, and this year I was joined by my colleague Paul Pierce, a Faith College graduate who serves as a church ministries representative in the state of Washington.

I extended my time in Iowa by scheduling local church ministries on both Sundays surrounding the conference. On the Monday following Refresh, Paul and I also hosted a pizza lunch for Faith students interested in learning more about The Friends of Israel.

“You could go to seminary!”

I will never forget those words from my wife Lynnette—and she won’t either.

They were uttered as we were eating lunch one day in the spring of 1994, watching The Coral Ridge Hour from Dr. D. James Kennedy and Coral Ridge Ministries. The segment at the end of that particular episode highlighted the new Knox Theological Seminary, which Dr. Kennedy had begun and was promoting to his national television audience.

I was ending the second year of my first pastorate, in a small church in a small town in northwest Illinois, and had completed two graduate classes during that school year.

No one will ever replace Dr. Myron J. Houghton.

“Dr. Myron” was my seminary theology professor. He served at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary from 1983 until his retirement in 2019.

He died on Tuesday, less than two weeks from his 79th birthday.

There are, in fact, many aspects of his life that can never be replicated—such as his wit, his unique life experiences and the incredible rapport that he had with his students who, through the years, became an increasingly smaller fraction of his age. He even spent most of his evenings going out to dinner with one, or sometimes a small group, of them.