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Professor Lubeck
pursues a doctorate in theology

Dr. Garry Friesen describes him as a "blend of a scholar, teacher and mentor." He's also a well-known Calvin and Hobbes enthusiast. And now he's moving toward a doctorate of theology. He's Multnomah's Professor Ray Lubeck.

Of this new degree, Mr. Lubeck said, "Multnomah extends to take me further, so not only will the doctorate open doors, but it also looks better for the school."

Mr. Lubeck is studying for his doctorate of theology through the University of South Africa. He communicates and corresponds with his mentor and promoter, Dr. Gerrie Snyman, by e-mail, fax and phone.

Mr. Lubeck's dissertation topic covers "any biblical narrative that communicates the truth," and uses the book of Jonah as a key model to portray this idea. "The content consists of the importance of narratives for human cognition; the universal nature of narratives, which allows for cross-cultural communication; and common elements, which characterize all stories, in part, setting, characterization and plot," he said.

Mr. Lubeck has been working on his dissertation since January 1997, when he enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of South Africa. He began the foundation for his current study while at Trinity Seminary in Chicago, Ill. Mr. Lubeck kept in touch with Dr. Snyman for an entire year before enrolling in preparation for beginning his dissertation.

A doctoral program is completed through a process of reading, research and writing. Mr. Lubeck has read for many years on such topics as narrative, communication theory, text linguistics, compositional analysis and discourse analysis. "All subjects are theoretically underpinning for the study of narratives," according to Mr. Lubeck.

The University of South Africa was founded on a European scholastic model, which Mr. Lubeck found quite appealing in an institution. Approximately 130,000 students live on its campus, and its faculty consists of 20 Old Testament professors alone. The doctorate of theology program is very thorough, Mr. Lubeck said.

Dr. Snyman, a member of the Society of Biblical Literature at South Africa, teaches biblical narratives and chronicles at the university. Dr. Snyman met Mr. Lubeck in Philadelphia while on a recruitment trip for the school. They talked and Dr. Snyman said, "We at South Africa have a reputation for being methodology conscious." That idea alone drew Mr. Lubeck to the university. That residency was not required was also appealing, he said.

Mr. Lubeck submitted his first dissertation draft to the institution during the summer of 1997. Throughout the summer of 1998, Mr. Lubeck will be revising and rewriting his draft.

He has spent much discretionary time and effort contemplating the positives and negatives of pursuing a doctorate. Mr. Lubeck said his wife, Tamara, has been very supportive, agreeing with and upholding his goal for this new stage of his life. "I wouldn't even try for the degree unless my family was a hundred percent for it," he said.

Although studying for his doctorate has affected his availability in relationships, distance-learning has allowed Mr. Lubeck to remain at Multnomah. The doctorate degree will give him more credibility in his profession as a teacher.

Mr. Lubeck was born in Waco, Texas, and moved with his family to Kennewick, Wash., when he was 5.

He has been involved in the church since childhood, but while in high school he came to a crossroads--either make the decision to completely follow Christ or take his own road away from the church. Mr. Lubeck had seen some Christians who were halfheartedly committed to God and to His perfect will for their lives, which discouraged him. "I said to myself, unless there's more to the Christian faith than this, and if this is what the Christian faith really is, then it isn't for me," he said.

At this point, his youth pastor, Tim Kopp (brother of Dr. Tom Kopp, Intercultural Studies adviser at MBC), influenced his life. While back from missions service in Zambia, he persuaded Mr. Lubeck to consider attending Multnomah Bible College.

A later experience at a high school camp was also formative. While still considering a lifelong commitment to serving Jesus, Mr. Lubeck saw an injured boy floating motionless in the camp pool.

The boy had been in a car accident with his brother, and his brother had died. Mr. Lubeck was amazed at the boy's great faith; he could not explain why the boy would be at a Christian camp other than that he still believed God was in control in spite of his circumstances.

Astonished by the boy's faith, Mr. Lubeck prayed, "God, I will give you one year to prove yourself to me." He said he was checking out God, who overwhelmed him with His grace within a matter of weeks through answered prayers, worship, Christian fellowship, and the power of God's Word to transform his life. He was quickly reading through the Bible and was constantly in prayer.

The boy Mr. Lubeck saw in the pool turned out to be Professor Dave Jongeward. It wasn't until years later that Mr. Jongeward discovered how his faith had impacted Mr. Lubeck's life.

Following high school, Mr. Lubeck majored in psychology at a community college in Pasco, Wash., for two years. He came to MBC to major in Bible and theology, graduating three years later. Then he went back to his home church in Kennewick to work as its youth pastor.

A few months later, a large lymph node was found on Mr. Lubeck's neck. He was diagnosed with Stage 2A Hodgkin's cancer, which is a form of lymphoma. Initially, the cancer appeared to be Stage 4, and Mr. Lubeck was given a 20 percent chance to live beyond two years. "I'm convinced through the prayers of many, God healed me, and I've been clear ever since," he said. "It helped me focus my life more clearly." He also said that his healing was a faith-builder.

He moved on to Regent College, a part of the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, B.C. There, in the graduate studies program, he studied integration and worldview. While at Regent, he got engaged and married. After Regent, he decided to take a year off from studying to spend time with his wife.

During that year, Mr. Lubeck worked for the Tri-City Herald newspaper. A year-and-a-half later, he enrolled at Trinity Seminary to study the Old Testament, eventually earning a master of arts in Old Testament studies. While at Trinity, he traveled to Israel to study historical geography at Jerusalem University College.

Mr. Lubeck said he went there mainly to better understand biblical geography because he had a deep interest in knowing the context of the biblical region. But he said that going to Jerusalem didn't give him a clearer understanding of the Bible.

Back at Trinity, he would drive down to Dallas, Texas, for Evangelical Theological Society conferences. He ended up crossing paths with Dr. Friesen from Multnomah. Dr. Friesen occasionally visited Mr. Lubeck at his apartment for dinner.

After his years at Trinity, Mr. Lubeck went home to the Tri-Cities for six years to plant churches. He began commuting from Kennewick to Portland for further ministry training in Multnomah Biblical Seminary's masters of divinity program. He wasn't planning to finish another degree; he wanted to gain a better understanding and knowledge of his ministry skills.

Finally, while taking courses at MBC, Academic Dean Garry Friesen asked Mr. Lubeck to teach a course on the prison epistles for a semester. The following semester, Dr. Friesen asked him to teach a worldview class. In his third semester, he taught Bible Perspectives. Then Dr. Friesen offered him a full-time faculty position. He has also taught Homiletics and Senior Bible Study Methods.

According to many students and faculty members, Mr. Lubeck has the qualities of an excellent teacher. Dr. Friesen said, "Normally, with an M.A., I wouldn't look at someone, but Ray magnifies the blend of a scholar, teacher and mentor." Mr. Lubeck was one of the first faculty members that Dr. Friesen hired at MBC.

Mr. Lubeck's son, Chip, is 9, and his daughter, Lani, is 11. They are both home schooled by their mother. Mr. Lubeck serves as the assistant coach of his son's Pop Warner football and Little League baseball teams. Lani plays the flute and piano. Mr. Lubeck enjoys reading to his children every night and has done so since his daughter was 1.

Mr. Lubeck also likes sports such as softball, basketball, volleyball and downhill skiing. He delights in playing music with his acoustic and bass guitars. He speaks at youth camps and retreats, many of which he was involved with as a child. In the future, he hopes to write in the areas of biblical studies, theology, prophetic literature, psalms, and pastoral and ministerial studies.