Dr. Robert Woods

I was born in Rochester, NY but have spent the majority of my adult life in the south. I do love the south as a unique place in God's creation. I have been blessed to serve at a few different institutions of education. In addition to teaching at a few different colleges and universities, I have enjoyed consulting with numerous Classical Christian schools and being the Headmaster for the past twenty years. I am fully committed to “thinking Christianly” about all that is. To use Paul’s words, I feel God’s pleasure when I take “captive every thought for Christ.” I have been blessed for more than twenty years seeking to honor God with the life of the embodied mind.

I have long enjoyed the Great Books. We are a family of readers. Among my favorite authors are Homer, Plato, Cicero, Dante, Petrarch, Erasmus, Christina Rossetti, Flannery O’Connor, George MacDonald, C. S. Lewis, Ray Bradbury, Wendell Berry, and Richard Wilbur. In recent years I have really come to enjoy the novels of Ross MacDonald (detective fiction), Zoran Živković (very unique fiction), and Michael D. O’Brien (contemporary Catholic novelist with the depth and insight of Dickens, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky).

Passionately committed to what C.S. Lewis described as “mere Christianity.” I acknowledge real differences that really matter. I also quickly affirm the truth of the consensus fidelium (consensus of the faithful) and its value against the onslaught of a divided Christendom and an anti-human humanism.

My wife and children love camping and spending time with our families in Georgia and Alabama. At home, in North Carolina, we regularly have a seasonal puzzle underway and while loving our two cats, Lois and Lowry, have to discourage them from helping with the puzzle.

Teaching Philosophy

During my years as a student and continuing on as an institutional leader, I have drawn several conclusions that have shaped my philosophy of education. The teachers, and later professors, who influenced me as it specifically related to my convictions about education and the manner in which I conduct myself as an academic leader, were knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and of sound character. Moreover, those same people treated me as a significant person. As a result, I strongly believe that the best teaching transcends techniques and models and is an extension of excellent character. I am a zealous teacher who thoroughly enjoys life in the academy. During my years of service, I have continued to increase my knowledge and fine-tune my teaching skills.

Since I have been conscientious about the importance of the leader as a role model, I have attempted to cultivate various qualities most conducive to my sense of calling as a leader/teacher. It has been my experience that the most respected teachers possess patience, clarity, humility, a keen sense of humor, and kindness. As a teacher, I am guided by the principle to consider the perspectives and feelings of others.

Statement of Faith

It was a summer, Sunday evening and the minister had been preaching from I John. He had been speaking about the Love of God and I felt moved by the Spirit that evening to give my life to Christ. I remember being so touched by the depth and breadth of God’s love and that He wanted me as His child and to be part of His family. I went forward that evening and accepted Christ as my Lord and savior and have, by God’s grace and mercy, been growing in the fruit of the Spirit since that time.

Over the years, people have spoken to me of the most prominent spiritual disciplines they see in my walk with the Lord. My brothers and sisters in Christ have encouraged me by describing how they have been blessed by my Christ-like service and spiritual disposition. They often describe me in terms of a “humble, patient, and peaceful servant”. It is my hope that my Lord also describes me in these terms. While I have identified with the Restoration tradition (Disciples of Christ/Christian Church/Church of Christ) I am passionately committed to what C.S. Lewis described as “mere Christianity.” I acknowledge real differences that really matter among sincere believers. I also quickly affirm the truth of the consensus fidelium (consensus of the faithful) and its value against the onslaught of a divided Christendom and an anti-human humanism.

I readily call all my brothers and sisters who affirm the Apostle's and Nicene Creed within Christendom. Thomas Oden's Systematic Theology has profoundly shaped my theological convictions.

Video Introduction