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.
Area Christians have made it possible for the work to continue at Amarillo College for the past 54 years (since 1972). The San Jacinto Church of Christ established the work in that year and has been a faithful supporter ever since. In addition, we receive several gifts in memory of loved ones on a monthly basis.
Michael Foster and his grandchildren from Bell Avenue Church of Christ take care of the lawn for us. This is a weekly task that demands time and effort. I also want to acknowledge Enviro-Ag Engineering for providing a copier for our office over many years. This company in Amarillo is run by Norman and Bryan Mullins. They are members of the Comanche Trail Church of Christ.
Over the past 54 years, only three churches have served as the overseers of the Bible Chair. They are San Jacinto Church of Christ, Comanche Trail Church of Christ, and Bell Avenue Church of Christ. They have made sure that the Bible Chair has the financial resources to continue and that the Chair provides a Christian environment for students at Amarillo College. I have great appreciation for everyone involved in this work of teaching religion classes, spending time with students, and providing regular devotional periods of worship and encouragement.
Over the past nine years of my experience here, I have seen first-hand the good that teaching Bible classes on a weekly basis has upon students. They regularly express their appreciation for what you are doing.
Director's Report
Our Fall 2 classes started today with 26 students taking Romans (for both online and in person classes). This is a very important study for religion majors. We started the class by noting what various writers and scholars have said about the letter to the Romans. Here are some examples.
“Again and again, it has played a decisive part in the renewal of Christian faith and life.” (C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans: A Shorter Commentary, Introduction, ix.)
“It is the most remarkable production of the most remarkable man. It is his heart. It contains his theology, theoretical and practical, for which he lived and died. It gives the clearest and fullest exposition of the doctrines of sin and grace and the best possible solution of the universal dominion of sin and death in the universal redemption by the second Adam.” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 1, 766.)
“If ever God wrote a book, it was the book of Romans!” (Jim McGuiggan, The Book of Romans, 3.)
One professor from Harding University was known for saying to his students, “If you get Romans, God will get you!”
“I say this thoughtfully: the man who does not know what the righteousness of God is cannot really appreciate the gospel of Christ or the grace of God.” (“The Righteousness of God,” Gospel Advocate: (Jan. 24, 1946), Roy Key.)
Rick Oster (HGSR): “Romans has a theology that keeps a movement from becoming a monument.”
These quotations show the high esteem in which scholars hold the letter to the Romans.
Passages on Truth
Solomon wrote, “Buy the truth and sell it not. Buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.” (Prov. 23:23.)
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth every man with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Eph. 4:25)
“Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Jesus said, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:38)
“Of this (hope) you have heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing.” (Col. 1:5-6)
There are many wonderful affirmations concerning truth in Scripture. In the final analysis, the most important question concerning Christianity is this—Is it true? It won’t matter whether one thinks that it works in one’s life if it is not true. It won’t matter how many good sounding messages one can present to those who believe, if it is not true. What matters first of all is whether it is true. This must be established first, and it can be. Paul wrote, “Prove all things and hold fast to that which is good.” (1 Thess. 5:21) Paul wrote to Theophilus so that he might know the certainty of the things he had been taught. (Luke 1:4)
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!