Kingsley living his dream in TMU’s Bible Department

Professor Jared Kingsley’s life changed on the day he turned 17. 

“My brother gave me a little USB drive, and I didn't want to listen to it, but he said I needed to. It was a sermon by Paul Washer,” he said. “And that was the definitive moment where God got a hold of my heart. I saw my sin for what it was, and my need for Jesus as both Savior and Lord.” 

He continues, “That was the day I was saved, on my birthday — the best gift of all time.”

After graduation, Kingsley started college at Liberty University, pursuing a degree in biology with the intention of becoming a doctor, but quickly realized it might not be the best option for him.

“I remember my professor was saying that we needed to memorize all 280 whatever bones in the human body, and I distinctly remember hitting my head on the desk and thinking ‘This is not for me. There is no way I can do this.’” 

It was also during this time that Kingsley fell in love with his Bible classes at Liberty. From a life of public school, he said it was foreign to him that it was possible to even study the Bible academically. 

He called his parents and told them he was dropping every science class and only taking Bible classes. 

Throughout that year, Kingsley also grew an interest in biblical counseling. His brother, a TMU student at the time, used the opportunity to convince Kingsley to transfer.

His brother told him, “We have the best counseling program in the entire country. Just transfer here. We have this Asian guy. You’ll love him.”

Though Kingsley was hesitant to move across the country, he was persuaded. 

“It was my first week of class as a student at TMU, and Dr. [Abner] Chou said that Jesus Christ is the greatest hero and champion throughout all of redemptive history, and I almost fell out of my chair. I remember thinking, ‘What is this guy talking about? Jesus? The really nice guy that does some miracles and walks on the water?’ But to think of Jesus as a hero and a champion who wins on behalf of his people and has the greatest victory — that was some paradigm-shifting stuff for me.” 

It was then Kingsley realized his ultimate goal, “I was convinced this is what I would do for the rest of my life. So as an 18 year old, my goal was to be a professor. And I wanted to teach the Bible at The Master’s University.”