As we once again go through the process of deciding on a college destination for one of our kids, there are several things that can quickly turn us *off* to an institution from our standpoint as Christians wanting the best for our student. We are firm believers in a liberal-arts program, but that is not the sole consideration. We want an environment where she can grow and develop not merely in knowledge but in applying her Christian faith to all areas of life – in other words developing her Christian worldview further.
I am amazed that some people honestly believe that developing Christian character means going to school and seeing just how far one can deviate from the Word of God in their moral behavior and still rationalize it as being acceptable to God. Any school that fosters that sort of approach to student life and still tries to claim to be Christian is a farce. We, as parents, are not looking for a school that forces all the students to dress a certain way and that tracks their whereabouts by implanting a microchip in their ear like some people do to their dogs (though as I type this, the thought occurs to me that it would be an incredibly interesting study…I’M KIDDING…relax and get a sense of humor, people). I am though hoping for a Christian institution that actually acts consistently with its stated mission and purpose instead of giving mere lip service. For someone to say that the way to encourage growth in Christian faith is to encourage students to explore the realms of debauchery is a tortured logic that is most certainly not born of a true Christian faith. I’d rather see her attend a pagan university if it came to that, as at least they are unabashedly and consistently wicked, and thus she would know from day one what she was up against. Christian character is developed by the challenging study of God’s Word wherein we approach it in faith, not skepticism and cynicism.
In considering a Christian liberal arts school, we would also hope for a faculty which is not made up largely of educators who basically crossed their fingers behind their backs when they signed any statement of doctrinal belief and adherence. That sort of attitude of course comes from an administration which encourages seeing such statements as a non-binding farce which they must accede to in order to satisfy a sponsoring denomination. If the administration took such statements seriously, the faculty would be forced to as well. It amazes me how frequently faculty members at such institutions protest having to adhere to any kind of doctrinal boundaries in the name of the ever nebulous idea of ‘academic freedom.’ Do you know what I want for my child? I want her to sit under faculty who are less concerned with academic freedom than they are academic integrity. If a faculty member does not like the doctrinal stance of an institution, then they should not accept a position at that school in the first place. Or if the school changes their stance subsequent to that faculty member’s hiring, then the faculty member should have the professional integrity to either submit to those conditions or else seek employment at another institution where they can have their precious ‘freedom.’ Why would I want my child to sit under disingenuous faculty members who think it to be a joke to sign a statement of belief – and who amazingly still claim to hold some form of Christian belief as dear to them after lying in order to gain employment? The institution where I serve as a faculty member has a very clear doctrinal stance to which we must submit – I knew that coming in, and was delighted to have the opportunity to serve here for I am in hearty and full agreement with their doctrinal statement. True academic freedom is found in working for an institution which holds a similar worldview as the people teaching for it. It is a privilege to work for any academic institution, not a ‘right’. If you don’t like what your institution requires of you, man up and find another place to work.
We are looking for a Christian liberal-arts institution that is not afraid to submit all that it does to the Lordship of Christ. I’m not sure why that frightens some people. They seem to think that taking one’s faith seriously is not compatible with higher education, that it is tantamount to mental suicide or such. Perhaps some have not discovered the joys and freedom that come from being a sold-out, wholly submissive (as far as possible by grace) servant of Jesus Christ. “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32) If our daughter is to attend an institution which claims to be Christ-centered, I don’t want to see them constantly waffling on that and backing away from it when the public are not looking. I don’t want a fresh coat of Jesus painted on your school when prospective students come to visit. I want a Biblical worldview that permeates everything and everyone from the president on down to the janitors. We’ve already seen how frustrating an equivocating mission can be for a Christian student and don’t need that again.
Which brings me to my last point for the moment. If we cannot find a Christian liberal-arts institution that declares a firm dedication to a Biblical worldview and then backs it up in practice, then we’re better off sending our child to a secular institution in-state that has a good campus ministry program to give our daughter a place for encouragement and growth. Why should we as parents go through the pain again of taking out ever sizeable loans so that our child can get a very overpriced education from a private school that is trying to say one thing while being another? We can purchase a Christ-less education from the state much more cheaply and then help our child find a supportive fellowship so she can endure and sift through the secular worldview she will hear in the classroom. The irony is that at some state schools there are professors and administrators who are more sold-out to Christ than many who are employed at the Christian (*wink, wink*) schools.
Obviously there will be other factors in helping our daughter decide on a school such as scholarship money. But I think we’ve pretty much crossed off the list any school that can’t decide whom they will serve, the living God of Scripture or an idolatrous, toned-down god of their own making. That, my friends, would be a waste of four years and a lot of money.
