2025 Thesis Presentations
The senior thesis is…
the culminating work of WCA’s Humanities program. It is a summative and integrative project that requires students to use the rhetorical skills developed at all phases of their learning at WCA to develop a thoughtful and persuasive argument on a chosen topic. Their thesis and topic must be things of depth and significance about which Christians can reasonably disagree.
The thesis is not meant to be, primarily, a research paper. It is an argument which will, as a matter of course, rely on good research to make its argument thoroughly and comprehensively. However, unlike a thesis at the collegiate or graduate level, it is not intended to demonstrate specific knowledge of a field in which the student has particular expertise or training. Rather, it is intended to demonstrate the students’ rhetorical skills that have been trained throughout their WCA career, and the ability to use the ideas and arguments discussed and evaluated throughout their studies.
Students think, research, debate, and discern in order to deliver an approximately 20 minute presentation, which is followed by a defense before a panel of academics.
Matthew Suttles
Man’s Call to Create
God has equipped man, his creature creators, with creativity and work, not to simply profit and wield power over others, but to fulfill his calling to maintain dominion over the earth. There are three ways that God, being the first creator, has equipped us to fulfill this calling. First, we are made in the image of God. Second, we operate under God’s dominion. Last, we are stewards over that which God has granted us dominion. View Thesis
Kara Gaitaniella
Man’s Utopia: An Attempt to Reverse the Curse
Throughout human history, humans, who want to be like God, have attempted to reverse the curse and essentially create heaven on earth. First, humans have tried to invent paradise by developing utopian communities. Next, throughout literature, people have authored “imaginary” utopias. Finally, humans have attempted to reverse the curse through modern day technology, which is being used as an attempt to usher in a heaven-like state or utopia where all can enjoy paradise on earth. View Thesis
Xander Biederman
Habits: Walking in Discipline
The everyday life of man—whether in thought, word, or deed—is shaped by sin. In order to combat this sin man cannot rely on his own will and faculties, but instead must, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, utilize good habits and get rid of their bad ones, doing everything in moderation, thus developing strong self-discipline. This work is impossible without the Holy Spirit, so these habits are formed through the following and meditation of God’s word. In order to live faithfully, one needs to first understand that habits connect man to a greater purpose, understand that habits are born out of one’s character–his virtue or vice, and know that habits are what construct discipline. View Thesis
Trent Douglass
The Necessity of the Physicality in the Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is a physical sign of God that conveys spiritual truths in order to aid believers and is a necessity in the Christian life. The physical sign of the Lord’s Supper aids believers in understanding God’s Word; it assists believers in remembering and being assured in God’s Word; and it helps believers to connect and unite with their Savior and with fellow believers and thus is needed for the sanctification and unity of the church. View Thesis
Olivia Billy
The Eternal Promise: Learning True Contentment In A Life Bound By Time
Man is called to be content with whatever he is given; in other words, nothing else matters except for our faith in Christ, yet we continue to depend on a world which is bound to change. Without aligning one’s perspective on the past, present and future to Gods, it becomes impossible to know how to be truly content. Believers’ affections shape how humans live in the temporal world. By loving what God has ordained, we are able to find contentment, but in order to find contentment, man must accept life in the world by giving thanks for the past, having joy in the present and hope for the future. View Thesis
Stefanie Shields
The Grand Narrative: God’s Ultimate Work of Literature
The Lord created all things and placed them within the Grand Narrative, which is the Bible. Since Adam and Eve were created in His image, humans are both authors and characters, reflecting his will through our bodies and our works. This is visible through many of God’s attributes as they are also reflected in man, specifically through those who are writers. These three attributes writers reflect are God’s virtue, His creativity, and His memory. View Thesis