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.
Director's Report
Our summer session begins on June 8th. I have 25 students signed up for philosophy and six for Introductory Greek. Others will be auditing the Greek class. The emphasis will be on Koine Greek (or common language of the people in the first century) and useful tools for studying this language. Many useful books to work in the Greek language have been donated to our library over the years. We have one volume of the Septuagint, Greek OT translation. In addition to books, good software is available to access information on the Greek text of the NT.
Concerning the classes that I teach in philosophy, I want to explain why I spend so much time teaching these classes. 1) I teach them because it gives me access to so many more students. This is a required class in most majors. The classes almost always fill up even though several professors are teaching the same class. 2) I teach them because the material is so helpful to students. One area of philosophy is religious philosophy, in which classical arguments for the existence of God are considered. Another important aspect of the class is the study of knowledge. Christians believe that knowledge is comprehensive and extensive. Many seek to limit knowledge to empirical evidence to exclude God from the realm of knowledge. The apostle John repeatedly uses the word, know, in his first letter. We can know many spiritual things.
Some Facts about the Greek Language.The Greek language is among the oldest of languages in use. Its beginning dates back to 1350-1400 BCE. The Greek language holds a very important place in the history of Western civilization. Greek roots have been widely used for centuries and continue to be widely used to coin new words in other languages. Greek and Latin are highly influential on the English language and remain the predominant sources of international vocabulary.
During antiquity, Greek was by far the most widely spoken language in the Mediterranean world. In its modern form, Greek is the official language of Greece and Cyprus and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. It is spoken by at least 13.5 million people today in Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Albania, Turkey and many other countries of the Greek diaspora.
The New Testament and the Septuagint (OT translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) are read today in the Greek language. There are several dialects of the Greek, but there is no proof that peoples of those various dialects had any difficulty in understanding one another.
We are indebted to Erasmus of Rotterdam for his insistence that the Greek language be used in translating the biblical text of the NT into English. This greatly helped in the Reformation Movement.
Review of Religion Program with the Dean. We have a two-year period in which our departments are analyzed both by Amarillo College and our Accreditation Agencies. We have a new Dean over the Humanities and Religion Programs. Dr. Stephen Crandall and I met at the end of the Spring term to discuss the status and growth of our classes. Even though we are a small department, I emphasized the increase in students enrolling in Bible classes since the completion of our new facility in 2023 and making our classes available online. Dr. Crandall was helpful and encouraging in our work at the Bible Chair.
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!