Week 5, Philosophy of Christian Higher Education
This week, we asked Dr. Sutton to share his philosophy about Christian higher education. Read what he had to say here.
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Over the years, I have developed philosophies of Christian higher education for both the classroom and the institutional levels. My institutional-level philosophy is expressed as a checklist that I hope prospective students and their parents find useful. My classroom-level philosophy is a 12-point philosophy that is much more detailed, and I will be sharing it one principle at a time in future weeks. Here I will share only the first two principles, as they have been the most fundamental in my educational career.
Two Classroom-Level Philosophical Principles for Christian Higher Education
1. Christian educators must be prepared and able to communicate the gospel message, and they should consider ways that disciplinary content may lend itself to discussions about the gospel. The “integration of faith and learning,” or what is perhaps better termed worldview education, is not just important—it is essential to the Christian educator’s task, especially in a culture that is increasingly hostile to the Christian worldview. However, Christian educators must remember that the gospel is foundational to the Christian worldview. Moreover, Christian educators should understand that worldview instruction will always be more effective if those receiving such instruction have the discerning power of the Holy Spirit, which comes from hearing and responding positively to the gospel message. Worldview instruction equips—and necessarily so—but the gospel empowers and transforms. Christian educators should pray earnestly that their equipping instruction is received and utilized by Holy Spirit-empowered and transformed students.
2. Christian educators should state at the outset of a learning experience the presupposition that God’s word is authoritative and will therefore inform the learning experience. In a Christian environment, an educator should explicitly acknowledge the presupposition that God’s word is sacred and the ultimate source for truth. Academic and professional skills are certainly fundamental in a university environment, but as Christian education expert Robert Pazmiño points out, the Christian educator should remember that the primary, overarching objectives of any educational experience are (1) to prepare people to be better servants of God and others and (2) to be more effective inhabitants of God’s kingdom. Both the foundation of and the purpose of education are therefore God-centered, and since knowledge of God is obtained primarily through Scripture, Scripture ought to be foundational to learning.
Institutional-Level Philosophy of Christian Higher Education—a Checklist
- Does the institution require its students to attend chapel or at least earn spiritual-formation credits in some other type of way?
- Do chapel speakers communicate more than just the “social gospel” or “social justice” concerns? That is, do they communicate the gospel, the reality of sin, the importance of sound theology, and the importance of a Christian worldview?
- Do a significant number of faculty and staff members attend chapel services? Do the president and other institutional leaders attend chapel?
- Is the student body respectful and participatory during the chapel service?
- Does the general education curriculum require an adequate number of Bible-related courses so as to reflect that biblical education is an institutional commitment?
- Do the required Bible-related courses in the general education curriculum go beyond courses such as “The Bible as Literature?” That is, do required courses include the study of theology, apologetics, and/or Christian worldview?
- Do course descriptions of required Bible-related courses leave you without any serious concerns as an evangelical who believes in biblical orthodoxy?
- Does the institution still value instruction in Western, world, and United States history?
- Does the institution have a published, easily accessible statement of faith that reflects orthodox Christian theology?
- Does the statement of faith contain a statement about the Bible being infallible, inerrant, or authoritative for life?
- Does the statement of faith contain a clear statement about Jesus being the way—and the only way—to salvation?
- Does the statement of faith contain a clear statement about the reality of sin and God’s judgment of sin?
- Does the statement of faith—or at least a community-expectations or community-behavior document—contain clear statements about biblical marriage, biblical gender identity, and the sanctity of life?
- Are employees required to sign the institution’s statement of faith?
- Are both employees and students required to sign a community-expectations or community-behavior document that communicates clear expectations but at the same time disavows harmful legalism?
- Is there systematic and intentional integration of faith and learning in the classroom? That is, are faculty required to help students understand how a Christian worldview should inform the proper handling of various disciplinary issues?
- Does the institution support student organizations that promote biblical truth and avoid organizations that promote anti-Christian values?
- Does the institution have a robust “Identity” or “About Us” page that contains a strong statement of faith, an explicitly Christian mission, and a list of values that reflect a biblical worldview?
- Do the academic pages on the website make clear that academic programs are grounded in a Christian context?
- Do the athletic pages on the website make clear that athletic programs are grounded in a Christian context?
- When applicable, does the institution’s website contain pages that promote the university’s associations with churches and other organizations that are grounded in Christian orthodoxy?
- Does the website feature pages about chapel, student organizations that are driven by missions work, and the overall spiritual life of the campus community?
- Does the Admissions page make clear that the institution has a Christian identity and mission?
- Are the institution’s Christian identity and expectations communicated clearly to students and parents during their campus visit?
- Does the institution maintain associations with organizations that have a good reputation within the Christian community and stand for biblical principles, and does the institution avoid partnerships with organizations that promote unbiblical values?
- Does the institution feature academic programs that communicate a bold Christian identity?
- Do conversations with faculty and staff members reveal a commitment to orthodox Christian theology and seriousness about the institution’s Christian mission?
