TRACS DISTINCTIVES
TRACS is recognized by both the United States Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as a national institutional accrediting agency for Christian post-secondary institutions, colleges, universities, and seminaries.
TRACS is a member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE). INQAAHE is a world-wide association of over 200 organizations active in the theory and practice of quality assurance in higher education.
TRACS is also a member of the American Council on Education (ACE). ACE has over 1,700 organizations that collectively promote, protect, and advocate for students, faculty, and administrators in higher education. ACE is the most visible and influential higher education association in the nation and is at the center of federal policy debates concerning issues related to higher education legislation across the country.
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Institutional Faith Statement Requirement
As a distinctively Christian organization, TRACS requires each member institution to provide a statement of its faith position and beliefs (Faith Statement) to clearly represent the religious identity of the institution to the public and all other constituencies. Compliance with this requirement is considered an Institutional Eligibility Requirement (IER) as TRACS Standard 1.1 (see below) and as such, institutions must demonstrate compliance with this requirement in order to be approved as an Applicant, in order to be granted Candidate (pre-accredited) or Accredited status, and in order to maintain membership with TRACS. The specific TRACS Standards related to this faith statement requirement are as follows:
1. Faith Statement:
The Faith Statement of an institution defines its Christian nature by affirming those primary doctrinal matters that are held by the institution. Institutions are not required to duplicate the TRACS Biblical Foundations Statement, but the institution's Faith Statement should identify it as part of the evangelical protestant tradition in higher education. It is to be written so as to conform to the historic creeds and statements of Christianity, and thus reflect a careful and precise theological statement, but also accurately state
the current position of the institution as set forth by the institution’s Board and administration. In addition, it should be written lucidly in order to inform prospective students, faculty, administrators, and Board members, as well as external constituencies, regarding the religious identity of the institution.
1.1 The institution has a Faith Statement which is readily available, and included in appropriate official publications. (Institutional Eligibility
Requirement - IER)
1.2 The institution’s Board approves and periodically reviews the institution’s Faith Statement.
TRACS Biblical Foundations Statement
The Bible
The unique divine, plenary, verbal inspiration and absolute authority of all sixty-six canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as originally given. The Bible is the only infallible, authoritative Word of God and is free from error of any sort, in all matters with which it deals, scientific, historical, moral, and theological.
The Trinity
The triune Godhead, one eternal, transcendent, omnipotent, personal God existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father: God the Father, the first person of the Divine Trinity, is infinite Spirit, sovereign, eternal, and unchangeable in all His attributes. He is worthy of honor, adoration, and obedience.
The Son
The Perfect, sinless humanity and the absolute, full deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, indissolubly united in one divine-human person since His unique incarnation by miraculous conception and virgin birth.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead who convicts, regenerates, indwells, seals all believers in Christ, and fills those who yield to Him. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to all believers; however, the manifestation of any particular gift is not required as evidence of salvation.
Historicity
The full historicity and perspicuity of the biblical record of primeval history, including the literal existence of Adam and Eve as the progenitors of all people, the literal fall and resultant divine curse on the creation, the worldwide cataclysmic deluge, and the origin of nations and languages at the tower of Babel.
Redemption
The substitutionary and redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sin of the world, through His literal physical death, burial, and resurrection, followed by His bodily ascension into heaven.
Salvation
Personal salvation from the eternal penalty of sin provided solely by the grace of God on the basis of the atoning death and resurrection of Christ, to be received only through personal faith in His person and work.
Last Things
The future, personal, bodily return of Jesus Christ to the earth to judge and purge sin, to establish His eternal Kingdom, and to consummate and fulfill His purposes in the works of creation and redemption with eternal rewards and punishments.
Biblical Creation
Special creation of the existing space-time universe and all its basic systems and kinds of organisms in the six literal days of the creation week.
Satan
The existence of a personal, malevolent being called Satan who acts as tempter and accuser, for whom the place of eternal punishment was prepared, where all who die outside of Christ shall be confined in conscious torment for eternity.