"We only buy the truth,” proclaimed award-winning nationally-syndicated radio host Janet Parshall to a crowd that filled The Moody Church in Chicago to capacity. The 450-plus graduates were the primary audience, but Parshall’s words echoed above to friends, family and alumni seated in the balcony who prayed for and encouraged the Class of 2009 throughout their studies at Moody.

Citing John Bunyan’s work The Pilgrim’s Progress, Parshall’s declaration to buy truth was a call to resist the urge to purchase from “Vanity Fair,” which in the literary classic is a marketplace filled with useless goods only meant to entice, but ultimately distract the pilgrim. Parshall further pressed the graduates to use both their hearts and minds in ministry. “The mind and the heart are not two exclusive concepts,” Parshall said as she further emphasized discernment as a key tool for ministry. Parshall’s message concluded with a reminder for the graduates to “know this end is just the beginning” and an opportunity to develop a life-long desire for learning.

Following Parshall’s address, students from the Chicago campus undergraduate, graduate and Moody Distance Learning programs were presented with their diplomas and certificates of study. Within the graduating class, more than 14 countries and 37 states were represented. Students from the MBI – Spokane campus will receive their degrees Saturday, May 30, in Spokane, Wash. For more information, please visit Moody’s Commencement Web site.