[1] Born on November 10, 1965, and raised in Othello, Washington, Oord went from high school to attend Northwest Nazarene College, graduating in 1988.

Oord then attended Claremont Graduate University, earning an MA and PhD in religion in 1999.

Oord speculates that God created our particular universe billions of years ago from primordial chaos.

[3] He was asked to resign by the new president of NNU in 2014 before learning that he would be laid off at the end of the 2014–2015 school year.

[8] The president received a no-confidence vote of 77 percent in 2015 and then resigned, leaving Oord employed at a lower status and pay scale.