Profile by Katie Childs Even his spike of hair looked intimidating.

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Profiles | Send mail to The Voice Brains and brawn characterize MBC Renaissance man Dr. Kutz practices martial arts in the weight room. -Dr. Kutz, photo The professor boyishly chuckled as his students attempted to repeat the foreign tongue that flowed from his lips. He moved to the blackboard and scribbled Hebrew letters as if it were second nature to him. The martial arts instructor carefully explained each Hwa Rang Do move to his students. His lethal hands gracefully yet powerfully snapped into position as he demonstrated a bone-crushing punch. The husband, hour after hour, slaved away in his basement on a gift for his wife. He woke earlier than the sun to chip, chip, chip away at a block of wood, out of which a creature began to take form. Professor, instructor, husband. These titles describe one man, Multnomah Bible College professor Dr. Karl Kutz. Dr. Kutz is a man of many talents and abilities. His modern exploits could be compared to those of early Renaissance men such as Leonardo da Vinci or Rene Descartes who were experts in a variety of fields. Dr. Kutz teaches Greek, Hebrew, several Bible classes, fencing and Tae Soo Do at MBC. He also enjoys sailing and woodworking. Raising Bonsai trees recently caught Dr. Kutz's interest, and a Bonsai tree now sits on his office windowsill. Dr. Kutz looks younger than his 40 years, his hair buzzed closely to his scalp, except for one triangular spike of hair that is juts over his forehead. This is to hide the cowlick that would stick straight into the air otherwise, he said. He cuts his own hair. Although Dr. Kutz has a broad pool of interests, he does not take his endeavors lightly. If he could compare himself to any object, it would be a "guided missile," he said. He carries his interests all the way through, whether teaching himself graduate level Hebrew and Greek or reaching black belt status in Hwa Rang Do. "Intense" is the word Douglas Johnston, MBC senior, used to describe Dr. Kutz. "He does everything to his utmost ability. He is a perfectionist, and he expects perfection," he said. Johnston recalled preparing for Prophets, his first Dr. Kutz class. The notes were thick and expensive, and the first day of class Dr. Kutz proceeded to hand out several more pages of notes. Shortly thereafter, sophomores were banned from taking this class, due to its level of difficulty, Johnston said. Dr. Kutz's intensity reaches beyond the classroom. Recently he tested for his half-black belt in Hwa Rang Do. When the time came for his trials, his boyish grin disappeared. He displayed the Hwa Rang ideal of loose body, focused mind. Even the spike of hair on his forehead looked intimidating. Silence dominated the room as Dr. Kutz began his choreographed form. One could only hear his deep breathing and the exotic music drifting through the walls from the belly dance class next door. He intensely fought off imaginary opponents, kicking, manipulating and occasionally flinging himself to the floor. His movements were lethal. Dr. Kutz's students, family and friends usually see a much softer side of him. Laurie Neff, former manager of the Solid Rock Cafe, became friends with Laurie, Dr. Kutz's wife of 18 years. When Ms. Neff needed help hanging a sign for the cafe, Dr. Kutz brought his tools and a ladder to the café because the campus services department was unavailable to help. Leann Schalo, a junior at MBC, said she was scared of Dr. Kutz at first. She heard rumors of his being self-taught and having "burley" exams. But after getting to know him, eating lunch with him and visiting his house to watch "Frosty the Snowman," Schalo said Dr. Kutz is "available to students academically and personally." The Kutzes have a ritual on Sunday nights. They make buckwheat pancakes and watch the TV show "Alias." If the pancakes get started late, Dr. Kutz watches the show while his wife flips the pancakes. He then fills her in on all the missed details. Dr. Kutz's wife would be more adventurous than he is, Dr. Kutz said, if her chronic fatigue did not keep her from more activities. Together they have traveled in four continents and visited such countries as England, Mexico and Japan. They enjoy going to Borders Books in the evenings and thumbing through books, constantly learning new things. In 1994, Dr. Kutz decided to make a rocking horse for his wife for Christmas. His dilemma, he said, was that his wife is impossible to surprise. So where and how to make the horse became a problem. Dr. Kutz put the materials in the basement of their apartment building and began secretly waking at 4 a.m. to work on the horse. The phone rang about 6 one morning. His wife brought the phone down to the basement only to find him in a neighbor's locker, holding a broom "making something," he said. Mrs. Kutz immediately knew what her husband was up to. He would not allow her to see the horse until Christmas. After nearly 300 hours of work, Dr. Kutz completed the horse and later christened it Mattan, Hebrew for "gift of love." Dr. Kutz's self-motivation toward learning new things began developing as a young child, he said. When his family traveled, they often stopped at random places such as a honey factory or a lumber mill, simply to experience new things. Christ was central to Dr. Kutz's family while he was growing up, he said. He accepted Jesus as his personal savior at age 5 or 6. When he was 7, his mother found him crying because he did not know God's plan for his life. In junior high and high school, Dr. Kutz's desire for knowledge began to take more definite shape. He found that math and science came easily for him. He became involved in basketball, football, band and wrestling. That was a time of character development, he said. After graduation, he went to MBC, where he discovered that learning was challenging but fun. Over the next 22 years, Dr. Kutz earned a doctorate in Greek and Hebrew and learned fencing, sailing and woodcarving. He has produced classroom texts for Eastern European students and traveled in four continents and passed his black belt test in Hwa Rang Do. He has been an associate pastor in Montana, an administrator in Wisconsin, and a college professor in Oregon, to name a few things. Dr. Kutz plans to remain teaching at MBC for some time. He said he would like to learn more foreign languages such a Arabic, Chinese and Japanese. Another goal he has is to reach fifth-degree black belt over the next 15 to 20 years. What other new ambitions interest this Renaissance man? Skydiving is on the list. Dr. Kutz and his wife, Laurie, share a bicycle while on a trip to Korea. The Kutzes have been to numerous countries together. -Dr. Kutz, photo Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Profiles | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2003 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.