Spiritual Vitality

Asbury University is a Christian liberal arts university which stands in the long succession of Christian orthodoxy. Although no official denominational emphasis exists at Asbury University and all may participate fully in the spiritual life of the campus, the institution maintains its commitment to an evangelical Wesleyan-Arminian perspective and requires all who affiliate with the university community to live within the guidelines of this commitment.

Our Faith

Asbury University stands in the Wesleyan theological tradition—believing that an act of God’s grace upon which one receives the offer of salvation through the sacrificial life of Jesus Christ can indeed transform a human heart in such a way that through His mercy they can experience holiness of life, have a heart that exhibits His love, and become an agent of His grace for the advancement of God’s Kingdom here on earth.

From her onset, Asbury’s legacy was to reach out to a population of people who might not have the opportunity to attend college. The intention was to provide a rigorous education as well as to engage the students’ hearts for God. In the early 20th century, Asbury was viewed along with schools like Princeton and Harvard as one of the most cosmopolitan colleges in America, meaning that students were coming from all across the United States and from around the world. This diversity in the student population was strongly influenced by Henry Clay Morrison’s preaching throughout the United States and the wide reach of the Asbury publication “The Pentecostal Herald.” Today, Asbury once again has the opportunity to reach a wide range of students from literally all over the globe. John Wesley’s famous motto was “the world is my parish.” In this present age, Asbury University’s motto can truly be “the connected world is our parish.”

Academic excellence and spiritual vitality is the mission of Asbury University. An important aspect of spiritual vitality is the experience of community. Traditional undergraduate students experience community every day on campus, and graduate and online students have opportunities for spiritual growth through strategies and initiatives that meet the needs of a geographically-dispersed, non-traditional student population. Asbury is committed to engaging students with Christ’s message of love and salvation, and equipping them with knowledge and skills for making personal growth, servant leadership, and holiness lifelong pursuits.

We believe:

1. That the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments constitute the divinely inspired Word of God, that they are inerrant in the original writings, and that they are the final authority for truth and life.
2. That all truth is a unity since it originates in God, and that God imparts it to man through His revelation in Jesus Christ, in the Scriptures, and in nature.
3. That there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
4. That Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man.
5. That Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that His atonement is for the whole human race, and that whosoever repents and believes through faith in Him is justified and regenerated and saved from the dominion of sin.
6. That man was created in the image of God, that man fell into sin through disobedience and “so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12), that all human beings are born with a bent toward sinning, and in the case of those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in need of conversion.
7. That entire sanctification is that act of divine grace, through the baptism with the Holy Spirit, by which the heart is cleansed from all sin and filled with the pure love of God. This is a definite, cleansing work of grace in the heart of a believer, subsequent to conversion, resulting from full consecration and faith in the cleansing merit of the blood of Jesus Christ.
8. That the Holy Spirit bears witness both to the new birth and to entire sanctification, enables the Christian to live a godly life, to grow in the graces of the Spirit, and to walk blamelessly in His holy commandments.
9. That the church is the body of Christ, and that all who are united by faith to Him are its members and love one another out of pure hearts.
10. That the crucified body of the Lord was resurrected, that He ascended into heaven, and that His return will be personal and is imminent.
11. That there will be a bodily resurrection, of the just to everlasting blessedness, and of the unjust to everlasting punishment.

The institution maintains its historic Christian commitment and resists the public practice or propagation of beliefs alien to its Wesleyan Christian orthodoxy. It welcomes students though who have not come to that faith but are respectful of the institution, its mission, and its commitment.