Page 9 - Brochure Economics & Business UPH

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” 1 Pet. 4:10
What is an excellent mind? Many definitions can be given to this phrase,
and in addition to the definition, there are also questions about the necessity, why
we need to have an excellent mind, and the purpose, what is the goal of having an excellent mind. To answer these questions, we need to have a larger perspective from which to answer these questions, and as
a Christian university, the best concept
to understand this phrase “an excellent mind”, as well as its necessity and purpose, is the biblical concept of stewardship. The word “steward” means a person entrusted to manage the affairs of a household for the owner. It is a position of honour, trust and responsibility. In Genesis 41:40-41, Pharaoh entrusted Joseph with a second authority to manage his house, his people and all the land of Egypt, and Joseph became his chief steward. In the same
way, human beings, created in the image and likeness of the Triune God Himself, are His stewards, and as His stewards He has given us the mandate to subdue the earth and everything in it, to have dominion over it, to work it and to keep it for His glory (Gen 1:26-27; 2:15). In other words, human beings have been entrusted with the task of digging up the riches of creation in all
its spheres, developing them, transforming them and caring for them for the Triune God. In order to fulfil this mandate, He has endowed us with a variety of gifts to be used with accountability and responsibility, and it is in the context of using these gifts to fulfil the creation mandate that we
need an excellent mind and to fulfil it in an excellent way. Having an excellent mind as a steward of the Triune God’s creation is a broad concept, it covers a variety of areas and responsibilities, it has to do with the excellent and responsible use of all of life, including our world, our body, our time, our talents and our goods. In short, we must use our minds excellently in all our speech and conduct in a spirit of obedience, love, faith and purity towards the Triune God.
UPH FESTIVAL 2024 | a mind of excellence
about the theme
Because of the fall and the destructive and corrupting power of sin which enslaves
us, we have failed to live out our calling
as His stewards of creation in an excellent and responsible way. We misuse natural resources and pollute the air and water
in our greed to subjugate creation for our ungodly ends. We abuse our bodies with drugs, alcohol, improper diet and exercise. We misuse our goods in unlawful ways without considering God’s law of their use. We misuse our time by spending it without purpose in a way that is too tight or too loose. But in His grace, through the work of Christ on the cross and the renewing power of the Holy Spirit, we have been redeemed and transformed into a new creation from glory to glory. Our minds are renewed so that we can re-establish a godly culture
in all areas of life in an excellent way, to bring His light into civilisation, society, politics, science, technology, art, personal relationships, etc., because although these areas are corrupted by sin, they are still redeemable. In other words, we are called not only to be a transforming and godly leader, but also to be a faithful and godly steward of God’s grace in Christ with an excellent mind and in an excellent way.
This is what UPH strives for in its vision and mission as a Christ-centred university for all its students, and this aim is realised through UPH’s holistic and transformational education, which is an education in which the academic curriculum is integrated
with student life activities and spiritual formation opportunities, and in which all students are offered a transformational learning experience, which is a process of deep, constructive and meaningful learning that requires a change in behaviour
and thinking according to the graduate competencies of the university, faculties and programmes.
In this season of UPH Festival 2024, it
is our prayer that all the devotions, events, mentoring, performances and celebrations involving our students will begin a lifelong process in their lives of allowing Christ to transform them into a faithful and godly steward of God’s grace with an excellent mind and in an excellent way.
8