A Glimpse Into Faith At Pepperdine Caruso Law: Dean’s Bible Study

The Graphic, A Glimpse Into Faith at Caruso Law: Dean’s Bible Study:

The Dean’s Bible Study offers Caruso School of Law students a time to worship and opens a space to share faith with one another. Attendees of the the two-hour Dean’s Bible Study service gather in community, listen to sermons and pray.

The Dean’s Bible Study offers Caruso School of Law students a time to worship and opens a space to share faith with one another. Attendees of the the two-hour Dean’s Bible Study service gather in community, listen to sermons and pray. “My first year it [the Bible study] was such a cornerstone for me; it was a nonnegotiable time,” Heuermann said.

The Dean’s Bible Study occurs every Wednesday of the academic year and is open to all Pepperdine students, Caron said. With a new guest speaker each week, students can worship in community and connect with God.

The Dean’s Bible Study has been a longstanding tradition at Caruso for 43 years, according to Caruso’s website. With the myriad of academic and mental challenges of attending law school, having a faith community for sharing and support can make those challenges more manageable, Heuermann said. ...

Over its 43-year existence, hosts varied from professors of law like F. LaGard Smith, the original host, to senior vice chancellors like Ron Phillips to deans like Caron and President Jim Gash, according to Pepperdine’s website. ...

Mostly law students attend, but students from Graziadio Business School and Pepperdine’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology also come, said Ana Rodriguez, third-year law student and President of Caruso’s Christian Legal Society. It is the only Bible study a graduate school hosts, Caron said. Therefore students from all of Pepperdine’s graduate schools are welcome to attend, Rodriguez said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Caruso held the Bible study virtually over Zoom, Caron said. But attendance numbers sank, with at most 15 people attending compared to the Bible study’s current weekly attendance of around 50 people.

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Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• Last Pepperdine Bible Study of the Year (Dec. 7, 2014)
• Pepperdine Law School Dean’s Bible Study: Celebrating 37 Years (Feb. 12, 2017)
• Dean's Bible Study Kicks Off At Pepperdine Law (Aug. 25, 2019)
• Faculty And Staff Find Silver Linings Amid Loss And Isolation During COVID-19 (Oct. 23, 2020)
• Pepperdine 3L Commissioning Ceremony (Apr. 22, 2021)
• Pepperdine Caruso Law 3L Commissioning Service (Apr. 24, 2022)