Which Christian college can you actually trust with your kids’ faith — and with how they understand history? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Amanda Aucoin — history professor at Judson College in Wake Forest, North Carolina, PhD in history from the University of Arkansas specializing in U.S.-Soviet cultural relations, and homeschool mom of four sons — to talk about teaching history through a biblical lens without whitewashing the past.
Amanda shares how a Russian history class at Ouachita Baptist University led her to research in the former Communist Party archives in Moscow and the National Archives, and what she saw living in Russia in 1998–99, as the post-Soviet “Wild West” brought new religious openness, corruption, and spiritual bankruptcy — and, later, laws against proselytizing. She explains why a biblical view of human nature lets Christians face history’s hardest chapters, from Cold War cultural propaganda to the police battalion in Ordinary Men, and why the gospel is the only panacea for the human condition. She also offers practical tips for homeschool moms raising boys who love history — read-aloud biographies, Liberty’s Kids, and historic field trips — previews her Women in Church History course featuring Perpetua, Julian of Norwich, Lottie Moon, and Gladys Aylward, and walks through Judson College’s growing majors, house system, experience days, and commitment to keeping tuition low.
For parents weighing Christian college options and students who want to understand the times, this conversation is a reminder: God began human history, He will end it, and our task is to obey Him in what’s right in front of us. Share it with a family asking which colleges they can trust.
Visit Judson College (experience days and overnight visits)
📘 Books mentioned: Ordinary Men and Christian Heroes: Then & Now — Gladys Aylward by Janet and Geoff Benge
This episode of Refining Rhetoric is sponsored by Judson College
At Judson College, North Carolina’s only four-year accredited confessional Christian institution, we equip passionate students with over 25 majors and exceptional faculty to pursue God’s calling in ministry, missions, or the workplace. Experience vibrant community through our unique House System while receiving comprehensive scholarships and special SBC church member discounts to make your divine calling affordable.
Ready to answer your calling? Apply to Judson College today and step into God’s plan for your life.