AMARILLO BIBLE CHAIR
at Amarillo College
What is a Bible Chair?
The term “Bible Chair” is an adaption of a term commonly used in colleges and universities. A “chair” can be established in any department to draw students due to the subject matter or the professor teaching in that position. In Amarillo the Bible Chair is not directly on campus but nearby and funded entirely by churches and individuals. Students can obtain an associate degree in religion accredited by Amarillo College. Amarillo Bible Chair is the only Chair at Amarillo College that teaches Bible courses for credit toward a religion degree. The academic classes are taught by William Mural Worthey. These students can then transfer to a university and pursue a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in religion.
The History of the Amarillo Bible Chair
The Amarillo Bible Chair was founded in 1972 by Gordon Downing and the San Jacinto church of Christ in Amarillo. Brother Downing directed the activities of the Bible Chair for four years, and the San Jacinto church has continued their support of the work for almost fifty years (1972-2022). We have had three churches in Amarillo oversee the Bible Chair over this period. They are San Jacinto church of Christ, Comanche Trail church of Christ, and Bell Avenue church of Christ. We have had a number of directors over the years. Following Gordon Downing, they are Dean Morgan, Wayne Wilks, Jerry Klein, Wyatt Fenno, Mark Johnson, Bobby Boaldin, Frank Bellizzi, Jerry Klein (second term), and Mural Worthey.
The Amarillo Bible Chair facility is located at 2501 S Jackson Street, across the street from Amarillo College. The building is used for students to gather for Christian fellowship, counseling, devotionals, lectures, Bible classes, fellowship meals, and to extend our presence and Christian influence among Amarillo college students, staff and community. We also host a Christian Club on campus known as Kappa Chi, which stands for Christian fellowship. William Mural Worthey is the director of the Amarillo Bible Chair. Mural has been the Bible Chair Director since the summer of 2017 and serves as sponsor of Kappa Chi, our Christian club on campus. He also is an instructor in the Philosophy Department of Amarillo College.
Christian Evidences (class held at Bell Avenue church of Christ)
(5 pm, Bell Avenue Church of Christ)
March 8: Knowing and Believing (Mural Worthey)
March 15: Proof That God Exists (Mural Worthey)
March 22: One God, Many gods, No god (Jerry Lawlis)
March 29: Age of the Earth (Jerry Lawlis)
April 5: The Rocks Cry Out (Mural Worthey)
April 12: Problem of Pain & Suffering (Jerry Lawlis)
April 19: Role of Eyewitnesses (Mural Worthey)
April 26: Jesus on Trial (Jerry Lawlis)
There are some who object to the idea of presenting physical evidences to support Christianity. It is true, of course, that the Bible gives concepts, ideas, and truth, while physical evidences like those discovered by archaeologists cannot. However, note what Jesus said when the Pharisees demanded that Jesus silence his disciples when he entered Jerusalem riding a donkey. He replied, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:40.) Harry Rimmer wrote a book titled, Crying Stones, 1941, based on this text.
The Bible itself is one of the most important archaeo-logical finds! The Dead Sea scrolls, discovered in caves around the Dead Sea, 1947-1956, are the oldest known fragments of the Hebrew Bible. We have over 5,000 documents, in part or whole, of the New Testament.
This Sunday, April 26, will conclude our series at Bell on “Christian Apologetics”. Jerry Lawlis will present the final lesson in this series titled “Jesus on Trial”.
This study of apologetics and evidences has been beneficial for us. I plan to present these studies for students in the future at the Bible Chair.
Director's Report
Week six begins on Monday, April 27. We are nearing the end of our Spring 2 term at Amarillo College. I have 22 students signed up already for our Summer philosophy class and 5 for Greek 1. The Summer class will last for eight weeks during June and July. All of these students are taking the classes for their degree program, but others can take the classes for audit as well.
There are so many individuals and churches involved in the work of the Bible Chair. I appreciate the good work of everyone. Mike Foster has been faithful in mowing the grass each season. Norma and Becky prepare meals each Tuesday for our students. We are having 16-20 each week who gather for lunch and a devotional period. We enjoy the fellowship with one another.
On May 9, two of our students will be married at Palo Duro Canyon. They have asked me to officiate their wedding. Another student will be presenting her thesis for her high school graduation. She is a home-school student who took dual-credit Bible classes at the Bible Chair. She chose “Once Saved Always Saved” as the topic for her research. I served as her mentor for this research as she used books from our library. She will present her thesis at graduation on May 8. We have had several high school students to take dual-credit classes at the Bible Chair.
Why Can’t Christians Answer Basic Questions?
(Ken Ham, blog on April 25, 2026)
#1: They’ve compromised with atheistic ideas.
#2: Many Christians don’t know what the Bible says.
#3: There’s been a lack of apologetics (faith-defense) teaching in our churches and homes.
The points above are a summary of the blog written by Ken Ham. I have followed the teaching and writing of Ken Ham ever since he came to the United States from his home country of Australia. He was a science teacher there and challenged the evolutionary ideas by his powerful use of the book of Genesis.
I was especially appreciative of the last point in his blog. We plan to give due emphasis to the teaching of apologetics at Bell Avenue. Paul wrote these words: “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense (apologia, Gr.) of the gospel.” (Phil. 1:14-15.) The word, apologia, occurs eight times in the Greek New Testament.
The apostle Peter said, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready to give an answer (apologia) of the hope that is within you with meekness and fear.” (1 Pet. 3:15, KJV)
Meal & Devotional is scheduled Friday, May 1st, 7 pm, at the Bible Chair for our online students. Since many of our online students are not available to attend on Tuesdays at noon, we have planned another time in the evening so we can get to know one another better.
Several of our students will be graduating in May; some will be entering universities to further their education. We wish them well in their chosen fields of service. We believe that they will help provide a solid foundation for their homes and communities.
Thank you for helping to provide for these students a Christian environment to learn and grow in Christ.
Bell Avenue Church of Christ is the overseeing church for our work at Amarillo College. They recently appointed two additional elders to serve the congregation. We now have six shepherds to provide leadership for the church. They have now been overseeing the Bible Chair since 2017. In addition to this work, the church at Bell provides support for nine other mission works.
Kappa Chi
Kappa Chi has a strong presence on the Amarillo College campus, currently averaging 40 members. Kappa (K) is the first letter in the Greek word for fellowship, and Chi (X) is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ. Thus, Kappa Chi stands for “Fellowship in Christ.”
Membership is open to any AC student who wants to be a member. There are no dues; but the members are expected to help pay for the parties, retreats and trips in which they choose to participate. Club t-shirts are available for purchase. Send an email to amarillobiblechair@gmail.com if you would like to join the club. . Mural Worthey is the faculty sponsor.
On Tuesdays of the regular semester, we have a lunch meal for our Kappa Chi students and enjoy fellowship with one another. This gives us an opportunity to talk about biblical subjects. New students often ask about the meaning of a Bible Chair and how we function on a state college campus.
Our 2024 Fall graduation was held in the Civic Center in Amarillo on Friday evening, December 13. We honored one of our graduates at the Bible Chair on Saturday. Norma prepared a meal for her family and afterward we took pictures with Donna Warner. I expressed to her family that we appreciated her dedication in her biblical studies. For the past several years she completed her studies at AC while battling cancer. She introduced several of her family members to the Bible Chair and our classes. Some of these have plans to enroll for Spring 2025.
I want you to know of my appreciation for your support of the Bible Chair. I let my classes know how the Bible Chair exists at a State Community College. From them, thank you!