by Dr. Kathy Meacham, Associate Professor of Religion & Philosophy
& Dr. Matthew C. Baldwin, Assistant Professor of Religion & Philosophy

Mars Hill College derives its name from the site in Athens, mentioned in Acts 17: 16-34, where Paul engaged in reasoned conversation with the people of Athens, including some who worshiped the gods of the city of Athens and some who were philosophically-minded Epicureans and Stoics. The Greek term is ho areou pagos, usually rendered as "Areopagus." Most scholars agree that this term refers to a small, rocky hill (pagos) west of the Acropolis named for the Greek god of war, Ares, whose Latin name is Mars. The King James Version translates this as "Mars Hill." The Areopagus refers both to a court in ancient Athens and also a place for debate and conversation about ideas. In the entire New Testament, Paul's speech at the Areopagus is the only one directed towards an exclusively gentile audience. Luke, the author of Acts, tells of Paul presenting reasoned arguments concerning his message of "the good news about Jesus and the resurrection" (NRSV) to the philosophically sophisticated Athenians.

Paul argues that God as revealed in Christ is the "unknown god" to which there is an altar erected in Athens. This story is a place where Athens (representing reason) and Jerusalem (representing faith) meet. Luke writes it with Paul (representing Jerusalem) engaging in rational dialogue with these skeptics, seekers, and thinkers, and acknowledging the "religious" nature of the Athenians, in a nice irony. Paul, who was well-educated in Platonic philosophy and the Stoics, even quotes the Stoic philosopher Aratus: "For in him we live and move and have our being," indicating that the Logos, which is the Stoic cosmic principle, and the God revealed in Jesus Christ, about which Paul is preaching, are the same. Some people scoffed at Paul's ideas; some responded by saying, "We'll talk some more about this;" and some responded by becoming Christians. Luke's gospel and accounts of the acts of the apostles continues by describing the works of the followers of Christ in feeding hungry people, teaching, preaching, and healing.

At Mars Hill College, as at the ancient Mars Hill in Athens, faith and reason meet. We encourage conversation, informed dialogue, about questions of faith and philosophy, about truth as discerned in the sciences, in the arts, on the sports field, in the humanities, indeed, in every human endeavor. We try to meet the world with creativity, compassion, and respect. At Mars Hill College, questions are encouraged, faith is affirmed, and reason is sharpened.