Trinity International University

A Christian university advancing law, ethics, and public engagement through @TrinityLawCA and two academic centers.

[Trinity Law School @TrinityLawCA]

Almost two years ago, the Trinity community lost our dear colleague and friend, Professor Craig Hawkins. Professor Hawkins taught at Trinity for many years, and was a regular fixture of academic life both on and off campus. His courses included Jurisprudence, Legal Institutions and Values, Human Rights, and many others. In particular, he created and taught our course on the prevention of human trafficking in Cambodia.

He was also involved in numerous ministries, including founder of the Apologetics Information Ministry, and host of many radio programs focused on apologetics, biblical teaching, and faith & culture.

His work—and more so, his faith, lived out loud for all to witness—has fundamentally shaped this school, and hundreds of students along the way. It is with deepest gratitude and honor that the Board of Regents of Trinity International University awards Professor Hawkins the Degree of Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa.

#trinitylawschool #TLS #trinityinternationaluniversity #TIU

[Trinity International University @TIU]

The Board of Regents of Trinity International University (TIU) has unanimously appointed Eric Halvorson, current Dean of Trinity Law School, as President of the University, effective January 27, 2026.

Read full story - https://t.co/WX8VpleE3a

#HigherEducation @cccuorg

[Trinity International University @TIU]

We’re grateful for @TrinityWestern's partnership as TEDS begins its next chapter—one rooted in shared faith, academic excellence, and the formation of Christian leaders.”

@TEDS #HigherEducation @cccuorg #Seminary #HigherEd

[Trinity Western University @TrinityWestern]

TWU is the new home of @TEDS, welcoming one of North America’s most respected evangelical divinity schools into its academic community to serve the Church locally and globally through graduate theological education.
Read more about this announcement here: https://t.co/j3rrXQEV2O

[Trinity International University @TIU]

https://t.co/6a3y6Fey9S

[Trinity International University @TIU]

https://t.co/iRemHa9hWL

Trinity is both proud and honored to announce that @Jeb_R has received the #fulbrightscholarship. Jeb is currently working on his PhD at @TEDS

#HigherEducation #Seminary #ChristianHigherEd

[The Gospel Coalition @TGC]

𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥: 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬

𝐛𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐊𝐲𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝑬𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔’ 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆: On March 5, 2024, Trinity announced its president, Nicholas Perrin, had resigned and was being replaced by Kevin Kompelien, who’s leaving his role as the president of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) to assume this position. We asked Bill Kynes, a Trinity graduate who served for 36 years as a pastor in the EFCA and is a member of Trinity’s board of regents, to address what this change means for the institution.
____________

Trinity was birthed in 1897 as a 10-week Bible course held in the basement of a church to train workers for the Swedish Evangelical Free Church. From that humble beginning, the school took on various forms and emerged in the early 1960s as Trinity Evangelical Divinity School under the direction of what had become the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) and under the leadership of a new dean, Kenneth Kantzer (1917–2002).

Kantzer was one of the leading architects of the new evangelical movement, which guided theologically conservative Christians away from fundamentalism’s cultural and intellectual isolation. He believed a seminary could combine robust biblical orthodoxy with gospel piety, evangelistic zeal, cultural engagement, and academic excellence.

This “Kantzer vision” was compelling. Trinity blossomed and soon became one of the largest seminaries in America. Its influence reached far beyond its sponsoring denomination, and it became, in Kantzer’s words, “a love gift from the EFCA to the entire church of Jesus Christ.” Trinity graduates have had a worldwide influence.

Recent years have seen declining enrollment, and, in the minds of some, a diminished connection to the EFCA. With the president of the denomination leaving that position and now assuming the role of Trinity’s president, the school is returning to its ecclesiastical roots without wavering from the “Kantzer vision.” This move helps to clarify its central mission—to train pastor-theologians, missionaries, and laypeople for ministry in the local church and through the church to the world.

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗙𝗖𝗔

Trinity aims to produce biblically faithful, theologically driven, and culturally aware Christian leaders. It’s dedicated to providing theological education that’s accessible, affordable, and applicable for those who want serious preparation for the challenges of a rapidly changing, multicultural world.

This closer connection with the EFCA will enable Trinity to customize its education to the real needs of the church, with both in-person and online learning, as it explores new and creative ways to partner with local churches in educating ministry leaders.

Trinity already shares the statement of faith of the EFCA, and it has maintained a strong theological core. But this renewed relationship with the EFCA will foster a closer ethos alignment. Several aspects of this ethos stand out.

𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗙𝗖𝗔 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 ‘𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹’ 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆—𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁.

Its 10-point statement of faith is an expansion of this gospel, and it provides a touchstone for every aspect of ministry (for the EFCA focus on the gospel in addressing various cultural controversies, see the recent
statement, “Where We Stand in the EFCA: Denials and Affirmations”). This ethos reinforces the existing Trinity motto: “Entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thess. 2:4). Trinity seeks to prioritize the gospel above all else, and, in the words of TEDS dean David Pao, to “boldly demonstrate the transformative power of the gospel which challenges and subverts all the competing ideologies that threaten the life of the church.”

𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗙𝗖𝗔 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀.

The EFCA motto “Where stands it written?” (echoing Jesus’s words “Have you not read?”) has resounded through the decades of its ministry, and has been a hallmark of a Trinity education.

Longtime professors Don Carson (cofounder of The Gospel Coalition, which began with Trinity support on Trinity’s campus) and John Woodbridge have published extensively in defense of this critical Christian conviction. With this renewed alignment with the EFCA, training pastors to expound the Scriptures will become an even greater priority.

𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗙𝗖𝗔 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 ‘𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝘀.’

The EFCA seeks to focus on that which is central to the gospel and unites believers. In reflecting this value, Trinity has the opportunity to impress on a much-divided world “the significance of silence”—that is, Trinity is bound by a statement of faith that is resolutely orthodox but is silent on many issues that have divided biblical believers (e.g., the time and mode of baptism or the cessation or continuation of miraculous gifts). As a result, Trinity can bring together faculty and students from Baptist, Anabaptist, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Lutheran, and Holiness traditions, displaying the beauty of gospel unity.

Though intimately linked to and supportive of the EFCA and its distinctives, Trinity can still serve students from a broader spectrum of the evangelical community, especially from churches with no denominational affiliation.

𝟰. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗙𝗖𝗔 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀.

The EFCA now has more than 500 missionaries serving in 40 countries. Trinity has fostered that international focus both by training missionaries to go and by receiving students from all over the world to study—students who then return to leadership positions in their churches, denominations, and schools. A Trinity education exposes its students to the worldwide church.

𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗙𝗖𝗔 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

This is significant, for it means Trinity is accountable not only to a set of theological propositions but also to a people. It’s accountable to God’s people situated in local churches, where Christ dwells by the Spirit.

As the apostle Paul affirms, it’s the church of the living God, God’s household, that’s the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). Though we often think of the seminary upholding the truth for the church (and it can), Paul declares it’s ultimately the church that must uphold the truth for the seminary. Positioning Trinity under the banner of the EFCA can help both to remain faithful to the gospel once and for all entrusted to the saints.

𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀

In renewing its ties with the EFCA, Trinity is returning to its roots.

It’s entering a new day with a renewed commitment to the local church and its ministry—which is, in the divine design, the central means of God’s work in the world.

[The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity @BioethicsCenter]

CBHD Exec Dir Dr. Eppinette joined a panel discussion last night on PBS's Chicago Tonight to discuss IVF. This topic has been thrust to the forefront of national conversation by an Alabama Supreme Court ruling last month.
https://t.co/VdyiCMVmMv

#life #bioethics #ethics #IVF

[Trinity International University @TIU]

https://t.co/qhVgS2VO5c

Join us in welcoming Kevin Kompelien as Trinity's next president, starting April 1st.

@TheEFCA @GoReachGlobal #Seminary @henry_center @BioethicsCenter @FaithandChild @TEDS @TrinityLawCA

[The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity @BioethicsCenter]

CBHD Research Analyst Heather Zeiger was on Faith Radio's Mornings with Carmen yesterday, and she discussed the Alabama Supreme Court case on embryos and IVF as well as using AI to "resurrect" deceased loved ones (and more!).

Listen to the recording at https://t.co/Uw3smrt08k

[Trinity Law School @TrinityLawCA]

"Being asked tough questions about how law and faith intersect with real-life issues from other students, as well as the professors, refined and matured my faith." ~ Tiffany Poncy

Check out Tiffany's inspiring story - https://t.co/MbI9z94YPd

#lawschool #faith #inspiring

[Trinity International University @TIU]

Trinity Prof. @MatthewEppinett shares his thoughts on the importance of compassionate care for the dying in his latest op-ed in Newsweek. Go to https://t.co/gdJw7MLRN0 to learn more about our MA in Bioethics. #bioethics #medicalethics #ImagoDei #ethics @bioethicscenter

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[Trinity International University @TIU]

👏 Congrats, @FellipeDoVale1 for winning the Emerging Public Intellectual Award. The award is intended to promote & encourage emerging academics working at Christian universities making substantive contributions to big public questions. https://t.co/Mi7CaEu88h #TEDS #AcademicExcellence

[Fellipe do Vale @FellipeDoVale1]

I had a lovely day today with the folks @RedeemerUniv! It was such an encouraging time, and getting the “Emerging Public Intellectual” award has been the high point of my career. What a tremendous honor! (Also my first time seeing my book in a store! 🤯)

[Trinity International University @TIU]

Wise words from MLK "Unarmed truth and unconditional love will ultimately triumph." Let's stand for what's right over transient evil. #MLKLegacy #UnarmedTruth #LoveOverHate #MLKday

[Trinity International University @TIU]

https://t.co/dpp2J8QN0t

🎓 Exciting News! Trinity Law School is now an education partner with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This collaboration brings SHRM certification preparation courses to Trinity, empowering our graduates to excel in HR management. #TrinityLawSchool #SHRM #HRManagement #LegalStudies 🌟 @TrinityLawCA

[Trinity International University @TIU]

🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉 #happynewyears

[Trinity International University @TIU]

https://t.co/5xX6nzZro3

⏰ Final day alert! 🌟 Help Trinity International University prepare future Christian leaders with unwavering faith and Biblical truth. Help fund scholarships to enable more students to get the training and readiness to lead. Give before midnight tomorrow. 🙌 #SupportTIU #YearEndGiving

[Trinity International University @TIU]

🌟"But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship." Galatians 4:4-5 🎄 #Christmas #jesus #gospel #GoodNews

[Trinity International University @TIU]

🎄"The word became flesh" #ChristmasEve