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.
UPCOMING CLASSES:
Spring II
RELG 2301-001 Life of Christ
March 18 – May 10
M/T/W/Th 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM
RELG 2301-002 Life of Christ
March 18 – May 10
M/T/W/Th/F/S Online (Web)
PHIL 1301-002 Intro to Philosophy
March 18 – May 10
T/Th 5:30-8:15 PM
Director's Report
We are already three weeks into our Spring session at Amarillo College. I mentioned previously that I will be teaching my Bible classes both in person and online so that more students will have the opportunity to enroll. This is working well, as anticipated. Some of the students who live locally and take the classes online also come by at least once a week to sit in the class. This provides a good time to visit with them and know them personally.
I plan to present a class on Revelation this summer. This will be an audit class and serve primarily as background for approaching the text of Revelation. This background will be from two main sources—the Old Testament and first century Caesars of Rome. More about this study later.
Amarillo College presented a seminar on AI, artificial intelligence, on Friday, Jan. 26. An explosion of progress in this field has occurred since 2010 in almost every area of our lives. The leaders in the high-tech field in countries around the world are pushing it forward with rapid speed. It is not going to happen in the future; it is here now. Every level of education is being affected. It is already being used in churches and by ministers. We need to address it.
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.
Norma and Mural Worthey (pictured at left). Mural has been the Bible Chair Director since the summer of 2017. Mural serves as sponsor of Kappa Chi, our Christian club on campus; he teaches Bible classes at the Bible Chair and also is an instructor in the Philosophy Department of AC.
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 Wednesday we have our Kappa Chi club meetings. We have a lunch meal for these students at 11:30 AM and enjoy fellowship with one another. We look forward to the time we spend together. 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. Last Friday night we met here at the Bible Chair, had a meal and watched a movie called "God on Trial."
