A FANTastic Point of View
President’s Pen
Welcome to the ‘President’s Pen: A FANTastic Point of View’
–a new blog series from the president of North Greenville University, Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr.
If you know anything about Dr. Fant, you know he’s an avid keeper, and teller, of stories. Some of his stories revolve around influential personal experiences. Others are born from enlightening conversations with interesting people. And still, others exist from his daily interactions with students, staff, and faculty in the world of Christian higher education.
But Dr. Fant is not a passionate storyteller for the sake of telling stories. He understands, through years as a student, professor, writer, father, husband, church member, Christian mentor, and university leader, that stories have the power to shape how we think and feel, and live.
And though his masterful collection of impactful stories is ever-growing and evolving, there’s one story that remains more powerful, more influential, more crucial, and more engaging than any other story residing on the shelves of his library or in the recesses of his mind.
That is, of course, God’s story, revealed to us through His Holy Word.
Since 1892
This has been the foundational truth of North Greenville University–that all of our individual stories, however impactful, find their ultimate worth and purpose in HIS story. The Bible forms and fashions, shapes and structures, compels and completes every lesser story throughout our collective history. And so, Christian higher education exists to help us view the world through God’s story. How do we bring God’s Word to bear on everything from biology to musical theatre?
How do we apply God’s story to the mundane aspects of our daily lives? To current issues and topics and movements within society and culture? To our professional responsibilities and aspirations? To what we read, watch, listen to, and discuss? To subjects of leadership, theology, literature, athletics, and entertainment?
How do we allow God’s story to dictate where we go to school, what we study, and how we engage our studies? How do we thrive as students, staff, and faculty members in a university setting? How do we prepare for a lifetime of service, whatever our career field, while remaining devoted to God’s glory and the good of those around us?
In short, how do we approach every aspect of life from a biblically rooted, Christ-centered, God-glorifying, and others-loving perspective? We submit to the almighty God of the Bible, THE master storyteller himself, and view everything through the lens of his story.
And that’s just what Dr. Fant seeks to do with this blog. To explain, embrace, and expand this fantastic point of view (pardon the pun) in the best way he knows how–through the art of storytelling.
We hope you’ll join us in this new adventure.
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I wrote a Father’s Day column in 2009 that is probably the widest-read essay I’ve ever written. - Being “Friends” with My Dad
I wrote a Father’s Day column in 2009 that is probably the widest-read essay I’ve ever written. - Dear “Certain” Senior, Who Is Excited about What Comes Next . . .
You have the date highlighted on your calendar: April 30! It’s almost here: graduation! The completion of your degree! Real adulthood! And your plans are… Read more: Dear “Certain” Senior, Who Is Excited about What Comes Next . . . - Dear “Uncertain” Senior, Who Has No Idea What’s Next . . .
All of my life I’ve been a planner. It comes in bursts of intensity, but planning and daydreaming have always gone hand-in-hand for me. I… Read more: Dear “Uncertain” Senior, Who Has No Idea What’s Next . . .