Dr. Morris on Choosing a Christian College
Yea, I agree, but Christian college is still not for every Christian young person going to college. I live near Penn State. If a young person wants to get a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering where is he to go? I feel that the emphasis Christians place on going to Christian college limits the potential of many Christian young people.
My first question would be “Why doesn’t an 18 year old Christian young person already have a firm foundation in Scripture?” Sure- there are kids with lost parents, no parents, or have been recently converted, but I don’t get the feeling that this is who we are talking about specifically on this topic. So why else does a young Christian adult need to continue to be sheltered like this, and why haven’t they been adequately discipled by their parents in their home church?
Second, if a young person can go to a local secular college or university to study their chosen vocation, where they can have the encouragement and support of their family and home church, there is no reason to leave home. If there is a local Christian college that offers a quality degree, then yahoo.
Third- one can’t assume that Christian college is full of Christians any more than a Christian high school is full of Christians. The staff and curriculum and activities may be Christian, but the student body is often quite a mix of mature Christians, immature Christians, extremely confused Christians, and the lost (who were probably sent to Christian college by their parents like celebrities get sent to rehab). The idea that Christian college is a way to be exposed to controversial ideas in a controlled environment is IMO naive.
The Lord chose the church to equip the saints, not Christian colleges, and I think we have to be careful that we don’t allow churches to abdicate this responsibility to Christian schools and colleges. I’m not against Christian colleges- if they can provide the kind of specialized knowledge necessary for someone to pursue a particular vocation, then great- but it is far too often viewed as some kind of panacea, when it ain’t no such thing.
Second, if a young person can go to a local secular college or university to study their chosen vocation, where they can have the encouragement and support of their family and home church, there is no reason to leave home. If there is a local Christian college that offers a quality degree, then yahoo.
Third- one can’t assume that Christian college is full of Christians any more than a Christian high school is full of Christians. The staff and curriculum and activities may be Christian, but the student body is often quite a mix of mature Christians, immature Christians, extremely confused Christians, and the lost (who were probably sent to Christian college by their parents like celebrities get sent to rehab). The idea that Christian college is a way to be exposed to controversial ideas in a controlled environment is IMO naive.
The Lord chose the church to equip the saints, not Christian colleges, and I think we have to be careful that we don’t allow churches to abdicate this responsibility to Christian schools and colleges. I’m not against Christian colleges- if they can provide the kind of specialized knowledge necessary for someone to pursue a particular vocation, then great- but it is far too often viewed as some kind of panacea, when it ain’t no such thing.
Discussion