Whether students are seeking to serve in Christian camps, urban ministries, local churches, foreign countries, or go on to graduate school, the Biblical and Theological Studies (BTS) department at College of the Ozarks seeks to prepare majors and minors for a faith-filled future in life and ministry. Rooted in a deep understanding the Bible, the BTS department champions the Christian Goal of the college, “To foster the Christian faith through the integration of faith with learning, living, and service” by encouraging students to grow in their knowledge of Scripture and recognize the Lordship of Jesus in every area of life.
Our college offers a major in Biblical and Theological Studies with emphases in Biblical Studies, Christian Ministry, or Christian Apologetics. Some students may desire a major outside of the BTS department but know that they want to be involved with the church and Christian ministry for the rest of their lives. For these students, the department offers three minors under the same titles as the emphases above, which provide an important orientation to faithful service in the church at any level.
Students earning a Biblical Studies degree have the opportunity to take courses that focus on Scripture interpretation, Old and New Testament, Greek and Hebrew, church history, Christian spirituality, Systematic Theology, Practical Theology, the life of Jesus, the motivation of Christian missions, and many others. Theological studies courses are taught by an experienced and pastoral faculty trained in some of the nation’s leading theological institutions. With years of teaching and local church experience, the faculty enjoys helping students discern God’s calling upon their lives, and how their God-given skills and passions play out in the Lord’s glorious plan of redeeming the world!
Title: Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies
Email: chinn@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Practical Theology, Christian Worldview, the Trinity
Education: B.A, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 1997; MDiv: Westminster Theological Seminary, Escondido, CA - 2001; DMin: Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO - 2010
Dr. Chinn began working at College of the Ozarks in 2001. Before that time, he shepherded churches in Tulsa, OK, San Antonio, TX, and San Deigo, CA.
His teaching interests include practical theology, Christian worldview, Christian theology, and courses focusing on community, the Trinity, and helping Christians understand and live in a pluralistic culture.
Email: wrosborne@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Christian Worldview, Old and New Testament, biblical languages, biblical interpretation, and Christian Mission
Education: B.A, Carson-Newman College, 2002; M.Div., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008; Ph.D. Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2015
Dr. Rusty Osborne has been a part of the biblical and theological studies department of the College since 2012, where he teaches courses on Christian worldview, Old and New Testament, biblical languages, biblical interpretation, and Christian mission. He has pastored in Southern Baptist churches, served on the dig staff of the Tel Gezer Excavation in Israel, taught pastors in Kenya and Ethiopia with Training Leaders International, and been a visiting professor at Tyndale Theological Seminary in the Netherlands. He has published several books and articles, including Trees and Kings: A Comparative Analysis of Tree Imagery in Israel's Prophetic Tradition and the Ancient Near East (Penn State Univ. Press/Eisenbrauns, 2018), Divine Blessing and the Fullness of Life in the Presence of God (Crossway, 2020), co-edited Riddlesand Revelations: Explorations into the Relationship between Wisdom and Prophecy in the Hebrew Bible (T&T Clark, 2018), and co-authored A Book-by-Book Guide to Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary (Hendrickson, 2020).
Title: Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies and the M. Graham Clark Chair of Christian Nurture
Email: rapinchuk@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Christian Apologetics; Philosophy; New Testament
Education: B.A., Bethel College, 1980; M.Div., Bethel Theological Seminary, 1992; Ph.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1996
Dr. Rapinchuk began teaching at College of the Ozarks in 1997. In addition to teaching in the Biblical and Theological Studies department, he spent four years as an assistant baseball coach and six years as chair of the humanities division.
Title: Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies and Bible and Commerce Division Chair
Email: jtodd@cofo.edu
Teaching Focus: Christian Worldview, Biblical Studies, Biblical Languages
Education: B.A., The Baptist College of Florida, 2002; M.Div., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006; Ph.D., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2010
Dr. Jay Todd has been teaching at College of the Ozarks since 2011. He has a passion to help his students better understand the Bible and fall deeper in love with the Hero of Scripture by teaching them biblical content and interpretation. He hopes his students become lifelong learners and servants in the local church. His research interests include the Psalms, the Pentateuch, the role and function of the old covenant, biblical interpretation, and the geography and archaeology of ancient Israel. His works include Remember, O Yahweh: The Poetry and Context of Psalms 135–137 (Wipf and Stock, 2015) and Sinai and the Saints: Reading Old Covenant Laws for the New Covenant Community (IVP Academic, 2017).