Message from President Hogue on Pursuing Rigorous Excellence with an Unapologetic Christ-Centered Focus

Posted on September 22, 2025

Message from President Hogue on Pursuing Rigorous Excellence with an Unapologetic Christ-Centered Focus

As we gathered Sunday for Charlie Kirk's memorial service, we remember a man whose unwavering commitment to Jesus, the gospel, and Scripture demonstrated what happens when young leaders are grounded in biblical truth. Charlie's courage, intellect, and faith in Christ showed us the need for transformative and authentic Christian education-and the urgent need for more leaders like him.

Charlie embodied what we strive to produce at Colorado Christian University: graduates who are unashamed of the gospel, uncompromising in their convictions, and unafraid to engage the culture with both grace and truth. His life reminds us of the profound responsibility Christ-centered higher education must play in our future.

The Time for Serious, Rigorous, Unapologetic Education

It's time to get serious. Rigorous. Unapologetic. We must educate tomorrow's leaders with conviction. At Colorado Christian University, our vision is clear: to be the nation's best performing and most trusted, respected, and recognized Christ-centered, biblically sound, evangelical, conservative university. This is more than institutional ambition-it is our kingdom responsibility.

We refuse to accept the false choice between academic excellence and scriptural fidelity. Our commitment to being biblically sound and winsomely evangelical shapes every aspect of university life-from faculty hiring to curriculum design, from student conduct to campus culture. When critics suggest that maintaining strong Christian convictions leads to academic mediocrity, they fundamentally misunderstand the relationship between faith and learning, and honoring God with our first fruits of our talent harvests.

The greatest scholars in history-Augustine and Aquinas -understood that faith enhanced rather than hindered their intellectual pursuits. At Colorado Christian University, we demand both rigorous academic scholarship and unwavering biblical commitment to Jesus and His grace and truth.

America's Hunger for Gospel Transformation

Sunday's memorial reveals something profound: America's younger generation hungers for Jesus-for His resurrection power, salvation, grace, and truth. Despite cultural

secularization, we see young people longing for the transformation that only Christ provides.

Charlie understood that that Jesus' resurrection changes everything-not just eternal destinies, but how we think, speak, and courageously engage a broken world. His faith provided the foundation for both his public courage and his commitment to truth.

He showed a generation that following Jesus doesn't mean cultural retreat-it means engaging with greater purpose because we serve the risen Savior of all creation, the Son of God, the King of kings, the name before whom every knee will bow-Jesus!

Our Sacred Responsibility

As Christian educators , we cannot compromise on these essential principles. Pressures to conform, water down our distinctives, or embrace popular trends are intense. Yet we serve a higher authority and pursue a greater mission than institutional success or cultural acceptance.

Our commitment must be to Christ first, to truth second, and to excellence in all things. At CCU, our determination to be the best performing, most trusted institution of our kind drives us to the highest standards. This vision challenges every Christian university to pursue true greatness-measured not by simply worldly metrics, but also our faithfulness to God's calling.

We must create institutions where young people encounter the living God through rigorous study, meaningful community, clear, Scriptural instruction, and a faithful mentorship in spiritual transformation. We must graduate students who are thoroughly prepared for their professions and fields and deeply rooted in their faith in Jesus Christ. When we achieve this balance with excellence, we earn the recognition that opens doors for greater kingdom impact.

The Legacy and the Call

At the heart of everything we do lies the magnificent truth of Jesus' grace and truth, embodied in His resurrection that leads to a life made new. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to every student who walks through our doors. This is not merely theological doctrine-it is the living reality that transforms hearts, minds, and destinies.

May we seek Jesus with all our hearts, so our lives will be renewed, and restored by His grace and truth. When young people experience this resurrection power personally, they understand that their education is not just about career preparation but about kingdom participation.

Charlie's legacy reminds us that when young people truly encounter Jesus-His salvation, resurrection power, grace, and truth-they become unstoppable forces for revival and positive change The gospel transforms lives, turning enemies into friends, rebels into servants, the lost into the found.

This is what our country desperately needs. We must ensure every graduate understands not just what they believe, but why they believe it, and how Jesus' grace and truth compel them to live courageously in an increasingly hostile world.

Sunday's memorial stands as testimony to the lasting impact of one life surrendered to God's purposes. Charlie's example inspires us to recommit ourselves to raising up a generation that will not shrink back from being salt and light, knowing that in Christ's resurrection, we have already won the ultimate victory.

The future of Christ-centered higher education-and our call to lead with a Christ-like influence in our culture-depends on our willingness to be serious, rigorous, and unapologetic. This is not merely our calling; it is our sacred responsibility to the risen Christ and to the world He came to save.

orever.