Syrian Professor Liberty Motivates Students to Become Culturally Aware and Globally Thinking

Liberty University Professor Dr. Sherene Khouri draws on her personal experiences growing up in Syria and fleeing persecution as a global worker in a Middle Eastern “10/40 window” country to encourage her students to think globally.

Khouri teaches Arabic language courses, Methods and Topics of Theology, Introduction to Apologetics, Introduction to Islam, Global Studies. She was instrumental in developing the Arabic language course offerings, helping to launch an Arabic minor in the fall of 2023.

Originally from Damascus, Syria, Khouri grew up in a mixed-religion family, where her mother became a believer when Khouri was eight, but many of her relatives are Muslim. Khouri said she struggled with whether Islam or Christianity was true and questioned basic beliefs like the Trinity. Nevertheless, she followed Christ and dedicated her life to Jesus at age 11 under the supervision of a children’s ministry teacher at a local church in Damascus.

As an adult, Khouri knew she wanted to devote herself to ministry and lead others to Christ. She and her husband, Daniel, assistant director of academic advising at Liberty, spent seven years as global workers in another Islamic country, working and serving at the same time. They put their fears aside and held weekly prayer meetings in secret in their home.

“I opened my home as a church so people could come and pray with us,” Sherene said. “We sang Christian songs, but very quietly. No music, no instruments. We were basically breaking the law every time we met.”

But the government eventually discovered what they were doing.

“We started evangelizing the locals, and then the government found out about our ministries and ordered us to leave the country within three days. It was very difficult. We lost everything.”

After receiving the notification, the Khouris returned to Syria and engaged in apologetic activity.

“It lit a spark in my heart that forced me to find an answer to how to defend Christianity against other religions,” she said.

Soon after, civil war broke out in her homeland, and the couple faced intense persecution for their faith. They lost their jobs, their car was vandalized four times, and their lives were threatened. Fearing for their safety from radical Islamic groups, they moved to the United States, where they found Liberty University through some friends who recommended its apologetics program.

It was at Liberty University that Khouri saw an opportunity to explore some of the questions she had in her youth. Her quest to better defend Christianity as truth led her to pursue a master’s degree in Christian apologetics, which she completed in 2017, and a doctorate in theology and apologetics, which she completed in 2022. Her dissertation, “Triune Relationality: A Trinitarian Response to Islamic Monotheism,” will be published in November 2024.

Khouri said that when she was a student, she was greatly influenced by her professors and that they largely influenced her development as a person and as a professor.

“Here in the United States, at Liberty, you can express yourself very freely,” she said. “A professor’s job is not just to correct you, but also to encourage you to be who you want to be. It encouraged me to express my ideas and feel safe in class. I revised many of the views I had learned earlier in life, thanks to my professors and their experience. There was no discrimination against someone who came from a different background or had different views.”

Now a professor herself, Khouri said one of her favorite parts of the job is being able to impact students by sharing her experiences. Even when she was a teaching assistant during her graduate studies, professors gave her opportunities to tell her story, which helps students connect with others from different backgrounds.

“They saw the impact I could have on students. Students come to me and ask me questions all the time, especially global studies students, because they are globally minded and want to go abroad to impact people, influence others and share the gospel.”

Khouri said she also emphasizes to her students that they do not have to fear persecution.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” she said. “When we lived in Syria and Saudi Arabia, we were persecuted there, we even lost our jobs and were forced to leave the country. We lost everything. But God was very faithful to us; he didn’t leave us alone. We felt closest to God during the persecution and difficulties.”

Khouri works with Liberty students who are helping Syrian refugees in their churches. She supports their efforts by answering questions about Syrian and Arab culture and by advising on how to work with refugees.

In 2023, Khouri took a group of students to Jordan for Spring Break, where they partnered with a local church and gained more practical knowledge of Arab culture. Many of her students now serve or intern in the Middle East.

“It was a dream for me to influence my students and help them become culturally aware, relevant and loving,” Khouri said. “When you understand someone’s culture and background and all the struggles they’ve gone through, you’re going to love them. You’re going to build compassion for them so you can share the Gospel and care about them. That’s what I’m trying to do now, just influence and teach them.” Masters of Christ. Training Champions is my life’s purpose.”