Mike Gurney, Ph.D.

“You know what you love, and you love what you know.”

While serving a six-year enlistment in the Navy, I became aware of the need for cultivating a deep love for God, his Scriptures and people; a desire that impressed upon me the need for further study in the Bible, theology, and apologetics.

This led me to pursue studies at Multnomah, where I developed a passion for integrating my faith with intellectual pursuits. Such intellectual interests resulted in further academic work completing a Master’s degree in philosophy and a Doctorate in theology in which I examined the influence of Scottish Common Sense philosophy on the Princeton theologian Charles Hodge and its relevance in a ‘postmodern’ context. My experiences in education have created a vocational passion and commitment to teaching and research where I am able to share my love for learning with students here at Multnomah University with the conviction that we can know truth and that such truth can truly transform us. One of my favorite Scriptures is Romans 12:1-2 that highlights the importance of truth and a transformed mind for following Jesus.

This interest in knowable truth has further motivated my ongoing studies in the historical relationships between theology and philosophy and other areas of knowledge that can be integrated on the level of truth based on the principle that “all truth is God’s truth.” Conjoined with a love for books and reading, I have a passion and curiosity for knowing and experiencing God and his creation.  Besides collecting and reading books, I like to run and enjoy the beauty of the Northwest. My passion is helping people to see the truth and relevance of the Gospel and its profound implications, both theoretical and practical, and to encourage Christians to see that following Jesus necessarily involves loving God with our whole person, including our minds.