THE (SOCIAL) PIT AND THE PENDULUM:
A Case for Assemblies of God Christian Higher Education
Dr. Dayton A. Kingsriter, Director
Assemblies of God Christian Higher Education
I. INTRODUCTION
"It's like a social pit out there," I said one day as a colleague and I were discussing some of the
news of the day, and thus was born my social pit file.
In his address to the University of Michigan, President George Bush said, "I think it is ironic that
one year after the 200th anniversary of our Bill of Rights we find free speech under assault (on)
college campuses....In their own Orwellian way, crusades that demand correct behavior, crush
diversity in the name of diversity." [1]
Larry King opened one of his television programs by saying, "The college campus, it's become a
crime magnet for the '90s. No longer the idyllic ivory tower, crime and violence have turned some
colleges into virtual armed camps. Robbery, rape, murder and hate crimes have our institutions of
higher education dealing with life-and-death issues, not just academics." [2]
Yes, it is like a social pit out there, and secular higher education is wallowing in the pit with the rest
of society.
In his Pit and the Pendulum, Edgar Allan Poe wrote about the Spanish Inquisition which was an
attempt to force religious conformity upon unwilling people. In the story, a heretic in prison
notices a large pendulum swinging above him, descending to slice him in half through the heart.
As I have talked with parents, students and administrators, attended conferences and added to my
social pit file, I have come to the conclusion that many Christian parents do not know what is
happening on secular college campuses. They are sending their children with the uninformed
opinion that secular campuses today are much like they were when they attended them 20 to 30
years ago. Christian parents and young people should have the opportunity to know what is
happening on secular college campuses. This paper is an attempt to provide that information.
Many quotations are included, mostly from secular sources. They indicate what is happening
academically, socially, and spiritually on secular college and Christian college campuses. Examples
are given from many geographic areas of the country to show that the issues are not confined to
just a few colleges in a small geographic region.
This paper may be reproduced without change and in its entirety for non-commercial purposes without prior permission
from the author.
Copyright © 1999 Dayton A. Kingsriter
1445 Boonville, Springfield, MO 65802-1894
All rights reserved.
746-075
The term Christian college is used to represent Assemblies of God Bible colleges and Christian
liberal arts colleges. This paper is about undergraduate education in the U.S. It does not address
graduate education. It is not written to "bash" secular colleges or those that attend or teach there.
2
Rather it is written to acquaint Christians with what is happening on secular college campuses, so
an informed choice about college can be made.
I described Poe's victim lying on his bed watching the pendulum get closer and closer. I believe
the Pendulum of another inquisition, the "Political Correctness Inquisition" on secular college
campuses, is swinging closer and closer to the heart of the Judeo-Christian traditions that have
made this country and its colleges great. The most visible form of political correctness (PC) on
secular college campuses has been in the speech codes. However, there are many other evidences
of the influence of PC in higher education: academics, accreditation, curriculum, gay rights, radical
feminism, and sensitivity training, to name a few. These are not as well publicized, but in many
ways are even more pervasive than speech codes.
Writing in Christianity Today, Charles Colson says political correctness is much more than
silliness and hyper-sensitivity.
It represents a deep-rooted philosophical struggle called
Postmodernism, which Christians critically need to understand. "Postmodernism holds that
individuals are merely constructs of social forces--race, gender, and ethnic background....You and I
need to be aware that postmodernism is not just one more 'ism' on the intellectual horizon. It has
become a powerful force changing our culture....The PC wars are not just campus silliness. They
are reflections of a battle over fundamental principles of truth and social morality, which go to the
very heart and soul of our common life." [3]
In response to what is happening on secular college campuses, this paper gives rationale for why
we need a clearly defined Case for Assemblies of God Christian Higher Education, and some
suggestions for its development.
II. A VIEW OF EDUCATION
ON SECULAR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES
A. Academic Quality on Secular College and University Campuses
Alexander Astin, one of the top researchers of higher education in the U.S. writes in What Matters
in College?, "There is a widespread (but seldom publicly stated) belief among university
administrators that some of the funds allocated for undergraduate education must be siphoned off
to support graduate education and research....The real problem, it seems to me, is that many
academic administrators feel the only way to protect and preserve graduate education and research
is at the expense of undergraduate education." [4]
1. Faculty Teaching Loads and Advisement
In the book, Impostors in the Temple: American Intellectuals are Destroying our Universities and
Cheating Our Students of Their Future, Martin Anderson indicates there is declining concern for
teaching, counseling, and evaluating. Professors' courses are often taught by graduate teaching
assistants (TAs), while the professor is writing articles or doing research. Students and parents are
led to believe that top-notch professors personally teach and interact with undergraduates. In
reality, TAs teach most lower-division courses. "The amount of teaching done by students (TAs)
is now so large...that it threatens the validity of a university education," Anderson says. [5]
A report on the MacNeil Lehrer News Hour indicated serious questions of academic quality and
faculty load are being raised concerning the University of California-Berkeley, considered by many
3
to be one of the premier universities in the country. That program shows the Chancellor of
Berkeley talking about the budget cutbacks they have suffered. There are scenes from a classroom
so full that students are sitting on the floor in the hallway, looking through the doorway trying to
take notes, see and hear the professor, and see the chalkboard. State Senator Tom Hayden talks
about the "trophy professors" at Berkeley, most of whom do not teach undergraduates, and some
of whom don’t teach anything. Their average teaching load is only three courses per calendar year.
They spend their time with graduate students or doing research, not teaching undergraduate
students. [6]
2. The Cost of Academic Quality
When considering all the factors, the cost of attending a Christian college is not always higher than
attending a secular college, especially if that secular college is located outside a student's home
state. The average total cost to attend a college in the Coalition for Christian Colleges and
Universities is only $421 higher than the average total out-of-state cost for Money magazine's "Ten
Best College Buys in America." [7] [8] There are many references in the literature where secular
colleges are telling their students to expect to take 5 to 6 years to receive a baccalaureate degree.
This adds significantly to the cost of an undergraduate education, and delays entry of students into
the workplace.
Students and parents need to ask another very important question about the cost of attending
college. Given the information in this paper and what seems to be the higher spiritual risk on a
secular college campus, is a lower cost of tuition worth the high cost of spiritual decline? A
student may pay a high price in spiritual loss to obtain a low tuition cost.
3. PC and Accreditation
Several accrediting associations are adopting "diversity" standards that prohibit member colleges
from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation in admission standards and hiring practices.
This is an attempt of the homosexual community to force accrediting association member colleges
to admit homosexuals as students and hire homosexual faculty and staff members.
Southern California College (SCC), an Assemblies of God college and member of the Coalition of
Christian Colleges and Universities, is experiencing the diversity issue first hand. The Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), proposed adding the words "sexual orientation" to
a diversity standard. SCC, in cooperation with other Christian colleges, and several secular
institutions concerned about the diversity requirement, attended a WASC hearing to register their
opposition. The San Francisco Chronicle reported, "Given a choice between being intellectually
consistent and being politically correct, WASC simply chooses to be politically correct." [9]
In a memo copied to me, the SCC president Wayne Kraiss quoted the following statement from a
female representative of the homosexual community who stood at the WASC hearing, and while
waving her finger shouted, "We may not win this battle, but we will prevail and every religious
college will have to accept gays and lesbians or lose its accreditation!" [10]
4. Radical Feminism and a PC Curriculum
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Much of the radical feminism in our country today is in the college community. Radical feminists
have profoundly altered curriculums, social mores, and attitudes toward Western thought and
Judeo-Christian principles. In essence it amounts to nihilism.
"Our purpose is to revise knowledge itself." This statement in Alene Graham's keynote address to
the conference on "The Inclusive Curriculum: Setting Our Own Agenda," set the tone for a
growing group of education activists whose goal is the "total transformation of the curriculum."
Feminist critic Christina Hoff Sommers attended that conference. "The last thing these people
really want is diversity," she said. "Outlandish notions were accepted as settled fact, and everyone
nodded their heads in approval." [11]
PBS aired a program on Political Correctness entitled, "Campus Culture Wars, Five Stories About
PC." One story is about radical feminism at the University of Washington. A male student, Pete,
enrolled in Women's Studies 200 thinking he would learn something about famous women, but
instead found himself in a class promoting radical feminism. Exchanges between Pete and the
teacher resulted in him being expelled because he challenged the “facts†that were being taught. In
one case the teacher said lesbians were better parents than a mom and a dad. Pete's father said one
of the reasons Pete was so upset by the class was that Pete's mother had been a radical feminist and
Pete had experienced first-hand the problems associated with radical feminism.
Pete's
reinstatement to the class led to a riot by the feminists. The coordinator of the Feminist Studies
Program concluded by saying they had taught the students how to riot and they did. [12]
B. Social Conditions on Secular College and University Campuses
1. Morality
I interviewed a Christian parent who basically for financial reasons decided to enroll his son in a
state university close to home. This university is in the Midwest and would be thought by most
people to be in the "Bible belt." "We were told that there were opportunities for homosexuals on
campus. At five o'clock on Friday the dorms were open for men and women to be together at any
time during the weekend. They told us if your child wasn't sexually active when they arrived, they
would be in 3-4 months. In answer to a question, 'do you teach abstinence?', the leader looked us
like we were stupid. I got the feeling that as parents we were nothing."
Rolling Stone magazine gives examples of five colleges where campus "naked events" are held.
The article indicates these are just five of "some of the best" of others that are available. [13] There
is evidence in the literature that indicates there are several secular campuses with coed bathrooms
and showers.
In 1970 male and female housing at the University of Iowa was on opposite sides of a river, but by
1980 separate housing was gone and the sexes were unofficially sharing bathrooms. A U.S. News
& World Report article indicates, "When the sexual revolution was launched at Iowa and campuses
throughout America, there was hope that it would encourage more responsible relationships
between males and females." U.S. News found however, that casual, unprotected sex is, if
anything, increasing on the campus. One female student changed rooms because her roommate's
boyfriend was in their room so much she couldn't even change her clothes there. The director of
residence services said the liberal visitation policy was intended for study or for creative purposes,
not for cohabitation. [14]
2. Drugs, Alcohol, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Crime
5
Describing the high rise student dormitories that many large state universities have, Paul Keegan
says, "The incidents that have taken place in these student ghettos for a quarter-century--rape, racial
violence, alcoholism, drug abuse, dangerous pranks, vandalism, and suicides--have only recently
begun to be talked about. Colleges have tried for decades to suppress the truth about crime in dorm
life." [15]
"The Campus Crime Wave," by Anne Matthews, gives some revealing information. "Violence on
urban, suburban and rural campuses has transformed many schools into discreetly armed camps:
electronic passkeys for dormitories, cold-steel mesh on classroom windows, computer-controlled
cameras in stairwells, and alarm strips in toilet stalls. These messy realities, however, rarely
surface in the glossy catalogues and upbeat recruiting brochures by which many schools now live
or die....At Arizona State University, in the tidy city of Tempe, serious weekend partying begins on
Thursday, as it does at most American campuses," says Matthews. She observes that crime and
alcohol are linked, but that alcohol is also often linked with sexual activity that is leading to
sexually transmitted diseases with greater frequency than ever before. "After sundown, certainly
after 10 P.M., the campus, with its night world of wild drinking and unprotected sex, is almost
entirely adultless. One price of such institutionalized inattention: at least 1 undergraduate in 12
suffers from a sexually transmitted disease; 1 in 10 becomes a chronic substance abuser. An
increasing number--how many, no one is sure--are H.I.V. positive." [16] Reports are now
indicating the number one parental concern of what's happening on college campuses, is safety.
Columbia University's report on substance abuse states, "Tragically, for many students on our
nation's college and university campuses, "binge drinking" (defined as 5 or more drinks in one
sitting)...is the number one substance abuse problem in American college life....42% of all students
reported that they had engaged in binge drinking in the last two weeks...95% of violent crime and
90% of all reported campus rapes are alcohol related...alcohol is implicated in more than 40% of all
academic problems and 28% of all dropouts; one-third of all college students drink primarily to get
drunk.†[17]
3. Homosexuality is PC
What does the gay and lesbian community want to accomplish on college and university campuses?
Ben Hart says, "The strategy of the gay movement on campuses is very well conceived. First they
pushed for tolerance. Then official recognition as legitimate campus organizations. Then funding
with mandatory student fees. Then they wanted their own academic departments. Now they want
their material featured and promoted in every part of the college and university curriculum. Gay
and Lesbian Studies is the natural outgrowth of feminist theory, which tries to obscure and negate
the differences between the sexes." [18] A gay professor writing in Radical Teacher magazine
said, "Whatever action is taken in favor of the homosexual college community, will never be
enough; ask not what we can do for the academy, but whether it can do anything for lesbian and
gay people." [19]
One of the more graphic homosexual activities on campus takes place in the bathrooms. "On some
campuses, young men who go to the toilet are likely to be either propositioned there or to be
unwilling witnesses to homosexual activity. After complaints about this at San Jose State
University, a crackdown netted one of the school's own professors among those hanging out in the
toilets for homosexual purposes." [20] At Stanford University, radical homosexuals have drilled
holes in the walls between toilet stalls to facilitate "anonymous bathroom sex." "This practice of
6
homosexuals performing oral and anal sex with complete strangers through so-called 'glory holes'
is documented in Thomas Sowell's Inside American Education." [21]
Harvard University began as a college to train ministers. In a second story from the PBS Campus
Culture Wars program, a student says that talking openly about homosexuality is acceptable at
Harvard, but expressing views about your Christian faith is not acceptable. Responding to a
student newspaper that ran articles opposing homosexuality, gays and lesbians held a rally where a
college dean characterized the newspaper articles as "hate speech," and the Harvard campus pastor
"came out" and announced he was gay. The video closes with a professor saying that PC is a real
fact of life for professors, particularly those without tenure. [22]
4. Influence of Peers and Faculty Members
The most conclusive data about the influence of peer groups on college students, has been
published by Alexander Astin of UCLA. Based on a study of more than 20,000 students, 25,000
faculty members, and 200 institutions, one can not ignore a study of this magnitude from a person
of this caliber. Astin's empirical findings indicate, "The student's peer group is the single most
potent source of influence on growth and development during the undergraduate years....Students'
values, beliefs, and aspirations tend to change in the direction of the dominant values, beliefs, and
aspirations of the peer group....Next to the peer group, the faculty represents the most significant
aspect of the student's undergraduate development." [23] If a young person's lifestyle is going to
change because of his or her college experience, it would seem a Christian would want to go where
it is most likely to move him or her toward God, wholesome living, and Christian values rather
than away from the same.
C. Spiritual Loss on Secular College and University Campuses
Your first response might be, spirituality isn't the mission of secular colleges, so it isn't appropriate
to raise the question. In the current climate in our society, that may seem to be true. However, that
has not always been the case, and even though the mission of secular colleges may not be to
encourage the spiritual development of its students, I believe it should still stand for moral and
ethical values. Unfortunately, in many cases we find it does not.
It was not that long ago that moral and religious values were taught on secular college campuses.
Evangel College professor Calvin Holsinger recalled when he was a professor at a state university
in Pennsylvania in the 60's, they still had required chapel two days a week. He tells of a time when
one of their faculty members took a group of students to New York to see a play. Some
inappropriate activity took place between the faculty member and a female student while they were
there, and upon return to the campus the professor was summarily dismissed. No faculty protests.
No student protests. It was understood and accepted that the college stood for important moral
values. [24]
I know of several pastors who attempted to follow-up on Christian students who were attending
the university in the city where they were pastoring. Their estimates range from 50-85% were lost
to the church because of the negative spiritual influence the university had on them.
1. Religion is not PC
7
Writing in his newsletter, Bill Bright said, “The predominantly liberal mindset on American
universities has made it ‘politically incorrect’ to be a Christian. For many students, it is
unthinkable that Jesus could meet his or her needs.†[25]
There have been several references in newsletters and magazines that many secular colleges do not
allow Christian students to pass out religious literature. Campus Alert, a publication of Campus
Crusade for Christ has reported that great pressure is put on Christian professors in secular
colleges to say nothing about their faith in the classroom. Many reported having their jobs or
promotions threatened, and some said they had even lost their jobs because of their Christian belief.
Marsden, in The Soul of the American University, says, "There is no soul to the American
university." He feels it has been replaced with an amalgam of special-interest groups that substitute
an eclectic blend of non-Western alternatives in place of European-based traditions. "It is an odd
sort of multiculturalism that does not recognize that in almost all cultures in history, religion has
been a major factor." [26]
Speaking to the Eighth Annual National Conference of Accuracy in Academia, Mark Draper said,
"Marxism survives in only two places on the planet: on Castro's island empire and on the
American university campus. With the Soviet Union gone, the most socialistic, the most Godless,
enterprise on earth is America's educational system. The university has lost its soul..." [27]
2. One Spiritual Bright Light
The above picture of the spiritual condition on secular college campuses is indeed dark. However,
at least one bright spiritual light does shine, that of the evangelical groups whose mission it is to
evangelize secular college and university campuses. We are all familiar with Chi Alpha, Campus
Crusade for Christ, InterVarsity Fellowship, the Navigators, and others. As I was conducting this
research I could not escape being burdened with the great need for Christ on these campuses.
Every fact or reason I have given that may discourage a Christian from attending a secular college,
is also a fact or reason why those campuses desperately need to be evangelized by Christians. I
take this opportunity to make a plea to you for prayer, understanding, support and encouragement
for these God-called faculty members, students, and campus pastors. There have been times they
felt Christian educators have denigrated their position or call, or made them feel they were second-
class Christians. This is truly unfortunate and certainly unChristlike. The missions of both are
important in the world-wide harvest field of the Kingdom. We need to support and appreciate each
other, not cast aspersions in either direction. I lift them up. They often work in environments that
are hostile to them and their message.
It was approximately 35 years ago that the subtle shift away from religious and moral values began
to take place on secular college campuses. That shift has had 20-30 years to pick up steam, and is
headed down the track at break-neck speed. I believe the last 3-5 years have been particularly
significant in this spiritual and moral loss.
As I close this View of Education on Secular College and University Campuses, I need to make it
clear that I do not believe every secular college fits every description I have given. It is obvious
that good education is taking place on some of them, yet some very disturbing trends have
developed. A vast amount of literature suggests these trends are no longer isolated exceptions.
Are they the rule? That is yours to decide. However, these trends are continuing with enough
frequency they do merit our serious and prayerful concern.
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III. A CASE FOR CHRISTIAN HIGHER EDUCATION
In one sense, A Case for Christian Higher Education has already been made by the preceding View
of Secular Education. However, Christian higher education is much more than a list of what we do
not do. There are many positive things happening on Christian college campuses, that make the
real case for Christian higher education. I will also suggest some things we need to initiate or
strengthen.
A. Quality Academics on Christian College Campuses
Research and experience support the view that academic quality is higher in Christian colleges
today than ever before. Brown's research at UCLA with Alexander Astin as his advisor, found
"Bible colleges are as academically sound and educationally productive as most other types of
colleges or universities in the country. No evidence was found to support the prevailing folklore
that Bible colleges are inferior institutions." [28] I believe the same can be said for Christian
liberal arts colleges. We know that students from Christian colleges are doing well in graduate
schools and the marketplace.
Christian colleges also need faculty members who believe that part of their responsibility is
perpetuation of faith. Our mission is more than education. Colleges from main line denominations
often do not believe that perpetuation of faith is part of their mission. Most believe their mission is
limited to education. Assemblies of God colleges must be concerned about perpetuation of faith.
We need faculty members who are committed to the integration of faith and learning. This is more
than opening class with prayer or Scripture and attending chapel, which are good, and a part of the
integration process. However, lasting integration takes place in the teaching/learning process in
and outside the classroom, and does not come easily. Administrators must be the leaders in this
effort. It will not happen overnight, and not all faculty members are convinced it needs to be done.
However, we must work at it, and not lose sight of its importance.
Costs for higher education will continue to rise. The excellent academic advisement at A/G schools,
and the availability of courses when they are needed, should in many cases, enable our students to
graduate with a baccalaureate degree in four years. Thus they will avoid the cost of the fifth or
sixth year predicted for them by secular institutions, get into the workplace one or two years
sooner, and in the long run actually pay less for a degree. Parents and young people need to check
into this important factor very carefully. Coupled with the idea that a student may pay a high price
of spiritual loss to obtain a low tuition cost at a secular school, these ideas give cause for serious
consideration and concern for parents and young people before choosing a college.
B. Morality on Christian College Campuses
1. A Stand for Biblical and Traditional Values
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Christian colleges have taken, and must continue to take, an unwavering stand for the Bible and our
Judeo-Christian heritage. Our rules of conduct must be based on traditional, biblical, moral and
spiritual values. The nihilism taking place on secular college campuses will haunt our society for
many years to come. We know our students encounter social pressures to get involved with
premarital sex, drugs, and alcohol, with the possible consequences of sexually transmitted diseases.
Nor are they totally immune from the issue of homosexuality. However, unlike secular colleges
we have positive faculty influences, Christian peer groups, and a spiritual environment that
encourages our students to avoid participating in these activities.
2. Homosexuality Not PC
While there have been a few isolated instances of homosexuality on Christian college campuses,
unlike secular colleges, Assemblies of God college administrators are strongly opposed to
homosexuality. They are supporting the biblical view that homosexuality is sin and are taking firm
stands against homosexuality on their campuses.
C. Spiritual Emphasis on Christian College Campuses
This is where Christian colleges are obviously different from secular colleges and universities.
From time to time our colleges do face academic, social, and accreditation pressures to moderate
our spiritual emphasis. We must resist those pressures! The things we all know are important and
proven "winners" for us must continue: required chapel, a required core of Bible and theology
courses for all majors, periodic spiritual emphasis, residence hall prayers and devotions, emphasis
on missions and evangelism, service to the church, perpetuation of faith, and Christian Service.
One criticism of Christian colleges is that they are a spiritual cocoon where students do not learn to
deal with the real world. There is a sense where that may be true. However, I believe our
Christian Service programs are one place where our students can get that "real world" experience.
I know some Christian Service activities are to the "real world," but I also know many are to those
already churched. I am suggesting we adopt a "Christian Service to the world" mentality where
our students will get experience in invading the spiritual darkness so prevalent around us.
D. Who Should Attend a Christian College?
The transition from home to life, via college, is a very important one and should be planned with
great care. Some view college as the "finishing school" of the Christian education program of the
church. To them it is a place where students can "try their wings" under supervision in a
supportive environment, be putting the finishing touches on their moral, spiritual and character
development, and learn their entry level vocational skills before being thrust into the world of
work. To others, however, the above amounts to a "spiritual hothouse" approach that is an unreal
preparation for life.
Should every Christian young person attend a Christian college? There is no "pat" answer to this
question. It requires an individual response based on what God's will is for each person’s life. A
student may think they can not attend a Christian college due to finances or because an academic
program is not available. A family should make sure they have looked carefully at their family
financial priorities before giving this as a reason. Some families have said they couldn't afford a
Christian education for their children, but somehow had the finances for a new car, boat or home.
The availability of a particular academic program can also be a factor. Obviously, Christian
colleges do not offer all majors that Christian young people may feel called to pursue. However,
Assemblies of God colleges do offer more than 120 academic programs. (Write to the Gospel
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Publishing House for an A/G College Guide, item number 746-054, which gives the academic
programs for all 17 A/G colleges.) In many cases, it is possible to take a year or two at a Christian
college and then transfer to the secular college that has the major they need, without losing any
credits. Dr. James Dobson feels very strongly that the first two years of undergraduate school are
the most important, and strongly recommends a Christian college for those two years if at all
possible. [29] Whatever the circumstances, the college decision-making process should include
seriously considering attending a Christian college after, 1) getting accurate information from all
colleges in which they are interested, and visiting the campuses if possible, 2) receiving counsel
from parents, pastors and friends, and 3) seeking God's wisdom through his Word and prayer.
This will lead to an informed decision regarding God's will in choosing a college.
It is my firm conviction that if a student decides to attend a secular college or university for
whatever reason, he/she must make a deliberate and intentional decision to attend a local church and
be a part of a Christian support group on campus (like Chi Alpha) for all four years, before they
ever enroll as a student there. This is true if they attend a Christian college as well. However, the
anecdotal evidence indicates that there is a very good chance the godless environment of a secular
college campus will suck them in and take them away from God and the church if they don’t make
a predetermined, and continuous, decision to serve Him. The spiritually nurturing environment at a
Christian college makes it less likely to lose out with God there.
As students and parents face the issue of selecting a college, answers to the following questions
will give guidance to making that decision.
1. What kind of environment will help me develop my academic skills? A Christian environment
where I will have top professors in my freshmen year, small classes, good academic advisement, a
quality traditional curriculum, and faculty members who are interested in me personally and will
spend time with me outside the classroom, OR, a secular environment where it is less likely I will
have top professors teaching me, where I will probably be in large classes with TAs as instructors
who will spend little or no time with me outside the classroom, where I may not get academic
advisement, and where relativism is rampant throughout the curriculum?
Alexander Astin spoke to another aspect of academics that is important to consider when he
reported that universities today are de-emphasizing undergraduate education by taking money away
from undergraduate education in order to fund research and graduate education. Christian colleges
are undergraduate education specialists. For most of them that is all they do. Where is a student
most likely to get the best undergraduate education? At a college that de-emphasizes undergraduate
studies, or a college that specializes in undergraduate education?
2. What kind of environment will encourage me to develop appropriate social skills? A Christian
environment where traditional values and Judeo-Christian principles are upheld, activities are
planned that produce wholesome social development, and where it is physically safe, OR, a secular
environment that expects immorality, allows homosexuality, encourages "responsible drinking,"
has significant crime and sexually transmitted disease problems, and enforces sensitivity training?
What could be one of the most important social reasons to attend a Christian college has nothing to
do with education per se. Many young people find a Christian spouse at a Christian college. They
often say this is one of the best things that happened to them during their college years. Obviously,
it is possible to find a Christian husband or wife at a secular college as well. However, what is
most likely to happen, given the numbers of Christians in each environment?
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3. What kind of environment will motivate me to grow spiritually? A Christian environment that
has required chapel and Bible classes, Christian service opportunities, and a peer group and faculty
members who will influence me to stand for biblical principles and move toward God, OR, a
secular environment that is decidedly anti-God, my spiritual development will be discouraged,
challenged, or ridiculed, and where peers and faculty are most likely to be non-Christians who will
try to lead me away from God?
Is it possible to lose out with God at a Bible college or Christian college? Yes, just as it is possible
to lose out with God at a secular college, or even in the midst of a revival. I think the better way to
phrase the question is, given the description of the two campus environments, where are you most
likely to lose out with God? In an environment that nurtures your faith, or one that attacks and
ridicules your faith? Bill Bright writes, "Because of the current anti-Christian propaganda
dominating college classrooms, many of America's choice young people who are raised in
Christian homes graduate from college as atheists or agnostics--mocking their Christian
upbringing." [30]
The forces of radical feminism, homosexuality, alcoholism, free sex, and other peer pressures are
more concentrated on a university campus than they are in society at large. The faith of some
young people thrives on that kind of adversity. When their faith is attacked and challenged, they
grow. They may also be the kind of students who can integrate their faith and learning on their
own without a Christian professor's guidance. These young people might be called to be spiritual
lights on a university campus. If so, they should go and God will help them bear good spiritual
fruit there. However, if they feel Christian faculty and peers in a nurturing spiritual environment
will best prepare them for life and their vocation, they should attend a Christian college.
Who should attend a Christian college? Those that are called to go there. However, one of my
concerns is that many Christian students (or their parents) are not giving God the opportunity to
call them to a Christian college because they never even consider attending a Christian college in
the first place.
IV. CONCLUSION
There has been a commercial on television that depicts a man interviewing for a job. In the course
of the interview, he rejects the job offer because the car offered “wasn't a Mercury Sable.†The
statement is made that the car offered is the latest to "imitate the Sable."
In a similar sense, Christian colleges have sought to convince their constituencies that if their
young people attend Christian colleges they will receive "just as good an education as if they
attended a well-known secular college.â€
Indeed Christian colleges do have beautiful campuses, very qualified faculties, memberships in the
same accrediting associations, and are getting state-of-the-art buildings and equipment. These
academic resources will always be necessary.
However, the Case for Assemblies of God Higher Education is not just academic. It is also
spiritual. I believe Christian colleges do compare very favorably with what secular colleges have
and do. However, Assemblies of God colleges have many important uniquenesses that secular
colleges do not have and never will have. It is these uniquenesses that I believe Christian students
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and parents should seriously consider when choosing a college. Mercury Sable does not try to
establish its ‘market share’ by telling us how it is like other cars, but by how it is unique, different,
and better than other cars. Christian parents and students should have similar questions about how
a college is unique, different, and better in preparing a person spiritually and for the important
issues of life, as well as academically.
The following table illustrates the characteristics of A/G Christian higher education and the
uniquenesses that should be considered when choosing which college to attend and support.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHRISTIAN HIGHER EDUCATION
Similarities with Secular Colleges
Uniquenesses of A/G Colleges
1. Land
1. Christian Service Opportunities
2. Buildings
2. Statement of Faith for Admission
3. Equipment
3. Developing a Servant's Attitude
4. Faculty
4. Pentecostal Faculty
5. Accreditation
5. Christian Students
6. Academic Quality
6. Spiritual Formation
7. Academic Programs
7. Nurturing Spiritual Atmosphere
8. Wholesome Social Activities
9. Safe Physical Environment
10. Integration of Faith and Learning
11. Perpetuation of Pentecostal Faith & Doctrine
12. Required Chapel & Bible Classes
Assemblies of God young people and their parents need to be aware that A/G colleges are
significantly different from secular colleges in ways that are vital to Pentecostal Christians. Our
colleges have uniquenesses that are in addition to, and set them apart from, their similarities with
secular colleges. A/G colleges offer a Christian-value-added education that is worth much more
than any cost differential that might exist. In addition to excellent academics, Assemblies of God
colleges offer preparation for life in critical academic, social, and spiritual ways that will never be
found in secular colleges.
Assemblies of God colleges are not just in the higher education business, they are in the Christian
higher education business, and I believe it is a calling from God. Every prayer prayed, every
lecture presented, every college board meeting attended, every dollar raised, and all the spiritual,
academic, personal, and social counsel given on our campuses has lasting value. It may be a
semester, a year, or more before the seeds that are planted in the lives of our students will come to
fruition. However, we know that as we are all diligent and faithful to support our schools verbally,
prayerfully, and financially, God will honor the ministry of Assemblies of God higher education
and bless our young people.
ENDNOTES
1.
"George Bush on Speech Codes and Political Correctness," as quoted in Campus, Fall
1992, p. 9 (from his commencement address, University of Michigan, May 4, 1991).
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2.
"Crime on the Campus," Larry King Live, CNN, April 21, 1994, transcript p. 1.
3.
Charles Colson, "Postmodern Power Grab," Christianity Today, June 20, 1994, p. 80.
4.
Alexander W. Astin, What Matters in College? (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.,
Publishers, 1993), pp. 414-415.
5.
Ed Evans, "Are Students Being Cheated?" Review of Impostors in the Temple:
American Intellectuals Are Destroying Our Universities and Cheating Our Students of Their
Future, by Martin Anderson. Campus, Spring 1993, p. 21.
6.
MacNeil Lehrer Newshour, PBS Video, November 12, 1993.
7.
Lani Luciano, "Best College Buys Now," Money Guide, 1994 edition, pp. 12-19.
8.
Interview with a representative of the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities,
February 1994.
9.
Debra J. Saunders, "Thought Police, Diversity Patrol," San Francisco Chronicle,
November 12, 1993.
10. Wayne Kraiss, memorandum, November 8, 1993.
11. Stephen Goode, "The Total Transformers," Insight, July 12, 1993, pp. 20-21.
12. "Campus Culture Wars," Direct Cinema Limited, PBS Video, September 24-October 3,
1993.
13. Michael Rubiner, "Cheeky Monkeys," Rolling Stone, October 20, 1994, p. 87-89.
14. Betsy Wagner, "Struggling with Sex," U.S. News & World Report, September 26,
1994, pp. 117-119.
15. Paul Keegan, "Inhuman Architecture, Bad Food, Boredom, Death By Fun and Games,"
Esquire, April 1992, p. 94.
16. Anne Matthews, "The Ivory Tower Becomes An Armed Camp," New York Times
Magazine, March 7, 1993, pp. 38-47.
17. "Rethinking Rites of Passage: Substance Abuse on America's Campuses," Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, June 1994, pp. i, 2-4.
18. "Gay and Lesbian Studies Becomes Mainstream Curriculum," Campus Alert, Vol. 1
#2, p. 4.
19. David Bobb, "Gay Studies Beats Budget Cuts," Campus, Winter 1995, p. 4.
20. Thomas Sowell, "Boomerang," Forbes, October 12, 1992, p. 62.
14
21. Dave Sacks, "A Diversity of Perversity at Stanford: Gays Run Wild in Men's Rooms,"
Campus Alert, Vol. 1 #4, p.6, referenced from The Stanford Review.
22. "Campus Culture Wars"
23. Astin, pp. 398, 410-411.
24. J.C. Holsinger, "Some Current Trends in the Academy," paper delivered at the A/G
National Educators Conference, August 10, 1993.
25. Bill Bright, Campus Crusade for Christ Newsletter, August 1994, p. 3.
26. Joe Loconte, "The Battle to Define America Turns Violent," Christianity Today,
October 25, 1993, p. 77.
27. Mark Draper, "Take Back the Temple!" Vital Speeches of the Day, (September 15,
1994), p. 733.
28. Dan Brown, "A Comparative Analysis of Bible College Quality," Diss., University of
California, Los Angeles 1982, p. 261.
29. James Dobson, Focus on the Family Newsletter, April 1993.
30. Bright, p. 3.
Mowser