College is where students generally spend four years of their life getting an education and preparing themselves for their future careers. Some students prioritize a place where they can comfortably practice and share their beliefs alongside their academic studies at a Christian university. 
At Lipscomb University, students may be familiar with Dr. Larry Brown, who has taught a variety of classes in his 24 years, including both Bible and Liberal Arts courses.
Brown first majored in the field of theater then followed in the footsteps of his parents, who were both teachers at one time.
“It seemed natural to follow that path. I grew up in a home where education was appreciated. As an undergraduate, I decided that if I wanted to continue in the field of theater, but not go the professional route, that teaching was my best option,” Brown said.
Brown grew up in Nashville and attended Lipscomb University.He received his first teaching job at York College in Nebraska in 1982. Brown’s former professor, Dr. Marlin Connelly, invited him back to Lipscomb when its previous director retired, and 1989 Brown returned to his roots.
“I teach a variety of courses. For 19 years I was director of theater, and I still teach a few theater classes,” Brown says, “But also World Lit. and four different online Bible classes; mostly for the Adult Degree Program.”
Although theater was his focus for quite some time, Brown always had time set aside to teach Bible.
“Besides my PhD in theater,I also have a master’s in Bible,” he said. “I always intended to teach Bible along with my other subjects, as learning about God’s will for our lives is the most important study there is.”
Brown believes a Christian education is very important. According to Brown, attending a university where you can build on that is key to not only academic success, but all aspects of life.
“I have always believed in the value of a liberal arts Christian education where students are exposed to many ideas but presented within a Christian worldview,” he said. “In our secular society it’s far too easy to be led astray by the world’s values, especially in higher education where so many competing views are presented as equally valid. A strong Christian foundation is vital for beginning one’s life, family, and career with the proper perspective if we want to live as God has called us to live.”
Having taught for over thirty years, Brown has plenty of experience under his belt when it comes to teaching. He shares some insight to teaching philosophy:
“I think good teaching begins with enthusiasm for one’s subject, a love of learning, and being able to impart those qualities to others. I’m interested in a broad range of subjects and think it’s important for students to be exposed to different disciplines other than just their major; that’s why I enjoy teaching one of the integrated literature courses which demonstrates the interaction of several of the arts.”
Throughout his teaching career he has seen many changes to the classroom including the introduction of new technology and how it has affected his teaching process and student interaction.
“The biggest influence of technology on my teaching has been with my online courses, using the resources of Blackboard and the internet,” Brown said. “I have created several academic websites which I use in my classes but which have also been available to others. One of my websites has over 650,000 hits; I receive email from people around the world.”
Technology has been helpful in many ways to Brown, and now most of his courses are taught online. However, Browns says he still prefers the “old school” method of being in the same classroom.
“I enjoy being in the classroom and interacting with students, sharing ideas,” he said. “I still enjoy email conversations with students, but it’s not the same as face-to-face interaction. Thus my favorite course presently is ‘World Literature and the Arts’ which meets as a regular class.”
Brown has seen many changes to Lipscomb in his many years here. Lipscomb has big plans for the future, with the addition of new structures and programs, but Brown thinks we need to focus more on the present than changes for the future.
“Frankly at this point in our history, I feel that we have had enough change for awhile,” Brown says, “Let’s try to excel at what we are currently doing before taking on more new programs.”
The one thing that hasn’t changed at Lipscomb is the requirement of mandatory chapel and Bible classes for each student; albeit less than the required amount at the start of the school. A lot of students argue that chapel and bible class shouldn’t be part of the required curriculum and should be a choice instead of an obligation. Brown believes that if you choose Lipscomb for a Christian education, these things are a necessity.
“Lipscomb was founded on the belief that the Bible should be the core of the educational experience, no matter what else one studies. That’s what makes Lipscomb different from a secular university,” Brown states, “If students do not want a Christian education or appreciate the unique opportunity of academic Bible study, then they should seriously consider going elsewhere.”
He says there are many schools where you can study accounting, psychology or nursing just as well as at Lipscomb. However, much fewer offer the same level of Christian education.
“I hope students choose Lipscomb because we require Bible, not despite that fact,” he said. “I cannot see how studying the Bible less is any improvement in fulfilling our mission of preparing students for a life pleasing to God. For those that do not have that priority, then Lipscomb is not the university for them.”
Countless students change majors throughout their college career, and people in their careers even consider rerouting, but Brown stands strong in his teaching profession and states, “I’ve never wanted to be anything else.”