Peter Beck has joined the religion department as an assistant professor of religion, specializing in church history. He earned his Ph.D. and M.Div. from Southern Seminary and his B.A. in religious studies from Boyce College.
Peter BeckAccording to Beck, his main vision for teaching is discipleship, particularly in the area of church history. “The idea is to get students excited about what God has done in the past, and to then see how that relates to what he is doing in the church today,” said Beck. “I don’t want to just fill their heads but change their hearts. I want to help prepare them to be good Christian citizens.”
Beck has been the marketing director at Southern Seminary for the past seven years, as well as pastor of two churches in Louisville, Ky. Before his position at the seminary, Beck’s work experience is quite varied. For 10 years, he worked as an advertising art director in St. Louis and Chicago for many well-known companies including Rawlings Sporting Goods, Pearle Vision Centers, and Ralston Purina. Prior to that, Beck served as an airborne ranger in the Army, a combat medic and later became a counter-intelligence specialist.
Beck recognizes that his diverse background and interests have afforded opportunities to share his faith and to build relationships that he otherwise may not have made.
“Peter is a unique find, and we want everyone to know how happy we are that he is a part of the CSU family,” said religion department chair Keith Sharp. “His life story is a great testament to the Lord’s ability to use us, no matter where we find ourselves in life.”