Chad Crouch, President of Cre8tive Group and 1993 alumnus of Asbury College, co-authored a chapter from the newly released book Cornerstones of Spiritual Vitality from Asbury College.

As a part of Asbury's accreditation process of 2009, the college committed itself to a clear demonstration of its academic rigor and quality, but also a better definition and articulation of what it means by "spiritual vitality."  Four cornerstones of spiritual vitality emerged from this process:  scripture, holiness, stewardship and mission.

Academic excellence and spiritual vitality have always been the hallmarks of an Asbury College education.  Since its establishment as a liberal arts school in 1890, their overall objective has been to develop the entire student - body, soul and mind.  Mostly written by the faculty and administration of Asbury College, Cornerstones of Spiritual Vitality reaffirms this commitment.

"It was a privilege to share this effort with Dr. Jim Owens, Dean of the School of Communication," said Chad Crouch.  "After several conversations and initial ideas, we decided to focus on the school's role in training students to positively influence tomorrow's media, which is the most significant force shaping our culture."

Today's incoming students are more influenced by culture than by the church, and the leading influencer of today's culture is media.  The challenge is to train students both technically and spiritually to help them navigate the ethical challenges they will face.



Through their research, Owens and Crouch determined that, "People too easily accept what they see and hear in the media as cultural norms.  Alarmingly, critical thinking and questions seem to be disappearing. To this end, we have captured the essence of our approach and commitment to prepare students to communicate truthfully and effectively within this culture-shaping industry."

The book is currently in available through Asbury College.