JACKSON, Tenn. — Dec. 13, 2025 — In a culture that often prizes convenience and the path of least resistance, Union University graduates were challenged Dec. 13 to pursue a different route: the “hard path” that leads to character, integrity and life.
Kelvin Moore, who retired in 2024 as professor of Christian studies after serving the university for 33 years, delivered the keynote address to a class of 206 graduates during the fall commencement ceremony at West Jackson Baptist Church.
Drawing from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, Moore contrasted the “wide gate” and “easy way” with the “narrow gate” and “hard way.” He warned graduates that while poor decisions are often the result of human nature or deception, the most common trap is simply choosing what is easy.
“Seldom is great character formed on the easy path,” Moore said. “Seldom a great business is built on the easy path. Seldom a great church is built on the easy path. Seldom a great family is built on the easy path.”
Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver congratulated the graduates on their accomplishments and for completing this stage of their educational journeys.
“It is our prayer that today’s recognition represents a new beginning in a lifetime of service and achievement,” he said.
At the end of the ceremony, Oliver asked the Union faculty to stand and be recognized by the graduating class.
“Standing before you is what I believe to be the finest faculty in all the land,” Oliver said. “They have loved you, cared for you, challenged you, believed in you and taught you.”
In his address, Moore illustrated his point about taking the hard path by contrasting baseball legends Mickey Mantle and Stan Musial. He noted that while Mantle had immense natural talent, he admitted that Musial was the better player because he was the “better man” who refused to take the easy path in life. He also pointed to Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy, who chose the hard path of closing his restaurants on Sundays — sacrificing billions in potential revenue — to maintain his convictions. Yet Cathy built a business more successful than 99 percent of its competitors.
Moore, whose family holds multiple degrees from Union, expressed deep gratitude for the university's support during his three decades of service, particularly during a serious battle with neurological disease in 1998.
In his closing charge to the graduates, Moore emphasized that the temptation to compromise will be constant in their careers, marriages and community service.
“You will be tempted in life to take the easy path,” Moore said. “Let me admonish, plead with you this morning: do not do that. ... Choose instead the hard way, and Jesus said this will lead to life.”