Department of Theology Awards

Outstanding Theology and Philosophy Department Graduate
This award is given each year to the department's most outstanding graduate. The winner receives a plaque and his or her name is placed on a perpetual plaque.

Outstanding Theology Graduate
This award is given each year to the department's outstanding graduate in the discipline of theology. The winner receives a plaque and his or her name is placed on a perpetual plaque.

Outstanding Philosophy Graduate
This award is given each year to the department's outstanding graduate in the discipline of Philosophy. The winner receives a plaque and his or her name is placed on a perpetual plaque.

Outstanding Missions Studies Graduate
This award is given each year to the department's outstanding graduate in the discipline of Missions Studies. The winner receives a plaque and his or her name is placed on a perpetual plaque.

Award for Excellence in Hebrew Language Studies
This award is given each year to the department's outstanding student of Biblical Hebrew. The winner receives a plaque and his or her name is placed on a perpetual plaque.

Zondervan Annual Student Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Study of Biblical Greek
This award, sponsored by Zondervan, is given each year to the department's outstanding student of Hellenistic Greek. The winner receives from Zondervan a prize (such as Greek concordance), a commemorative medal, and a personalized certificate. In addition, the winner receives a plaque from the department and his or her name is placed on a customized perpetual plaque.

American Bible Society, Excellence in Academics and Ministry Award
This award, sponsored by the American Bible Society, is given each year to a student who best exemplifies two qualities: academic excellence and active involvement in practical ministry. The winner receives from the American Bible Society a special study Bible as well as a number of products (e.g., Bibles and study helps) for use in ministry. In addition, the winner receives a plaque from the department and his or her name is placed on a customized perpetual plaque.

Twila Edwards Awards
BIOGRAPHY: Twila Brown was born in 1933, the granddaughter of French-speaking Belgian immigrants who joined the Pentecostal movement in America. Her mother, Marie Godin Brown, was a faithful Pentecostal from childhood. Her father, George, was for three decades a leading deacon in Erie, Pennsylvania, First Assembly of God. Feeling called to study the Bible, Twila enrolled at Central Bible Institute, completing her degree in 1959. In 1969, she earned a B.A. in English from Evangel College. In the decade of the1970s, she earned graduate degrees from Southwest Missouri State University (M.A., English, 1976) and the Assemblies of God Seminary (M.A., Biblical Studies, 1979). She began her career at Evangel University (then Evangel College) as Secretary to Dean Ward Williams and then to President Robert Ashcroft. She joined the Evangel faculty in 1971. Through the gracious invitation of Dr. Bill Menzies, she joined the Department of Theology faculty in the late 1970s. She served as Chairperson of the Department for four years (1981-84), but her first love was teaching. For two decades she was a leading teacher and designer of the freshman course, Essential Christianity, and was a captivating New Testament lecturer. Her distinctive scholarly specialties were literature as theology and the role of the woman in the Bible, a theology in which she was a leading expert in the Pentecostal world.

Twila Brown Edwards Award for Theology and Literature
Twila Brown Edwards was never content to let the disciplines of theology and literature run along parallel but separate tracks of inquiry. Instead, she advocated and practiced integrating themes and methodologies of the two disciplines. The courses she taught on C.S. Lewis and John Milton were venues in which she refined her integrative approach. They were enchanting and life-transforming experiences for her students and represent one of her lasting legacies in the Christian academic community. The Twila Brown Edwards Award for Theology and Literature is given to an upper-class student taking a major, concentration, or minor in Theology or Literature. The award winner is distinguished both by superior overall scholarship (at least 3.5 G.P.A) and demonstrated excellence in integrating themes and methodologies in theology and literature. The winner receives a plaque and his or her name is placed on a perpetual plaque.

Twila Brown Edwards Award for Woman of Distinction
Twila Brown Edwards made a distinctive contribution to the Church and the Christian academic community in the way she developed a theology of ministry for women. At Evangel she counseled women, helping them understand their rightful call to ministry; delivered public lectures on the topic of women in ministry; and pioneered a course on the role of women in the Bible. Her impact on students, particularly women students, was extensive and profound. The Twila Brown Edwards Award for Woman of Distinction is given in recognition of the values she embodied and the lasting impact she made in the lives of many students. The award is given to an upper-class woman taking a major, concentration, or minor in theology or Literature. The award winner is distinguished both by her superior overall scholarship (at least 3.5 G.P.A.) and her Christian devotion. She is a woman with experience in Christian service, but she has been equally careful to develop her mind and her personal devotional maturity during her tenure as an undergraduate. She also understands and practices the integration of her faith, learning and life. The winner receives a personal plaque and her name will be added to a perpetual plaque.