Students should choose the education/training they need, for both life and occupation. That ought to be done with counsel from those who have received formal education, and with insights from some who have not, especially from those gratified with choices they made. The first objective for the Christian student is, or ought to be, to glorify God, to develop as a thoughtful and cultivated person with conviction to serve society, and that most practically in beginning with his or her family. The large context is identified as a search for truth for life. Truth is an affirmed objective for both Christian and secular thinkers and doers, but the processes and conclusions may differ. Sincerity and respect for both contexts is assumed here.
We might take various directions, but will touch just one for this Page. During my own studies in Christian higher educational institutions, and making comparisons with the secular universities I attended or related to in some way, I was surprised that the differences between Christian higher education and secular higher education were not really clear to many students. Christian institutions wanted to match or surpass the secular in excellence in what commendable institutional contexts were trying to accomplish, but also wanted to hold to the best of the great liberal arts concepts for the individual student. The secular gave little attention to the Christian context, even putting it down on occasion, while the Christian sought to achieve excellence in scholarly effort as interpreted in the secular context, but with some amendments. Following World War II, and outing of quality evangelical institutions in higher education, the omissions tended to make the Christian institutions somewhat more like the secular, even while retaining the Christian intensity and overview. The result has been a kind of unspoken drift away from a body of thought and theory that must not be lost if Christian higher education is to provide alternatives to wholly secular higher education. One source, Habits of the Mind, by James W. Sire may serve here. (The erudition, found most fully in the notes at the end of the book, may be an example of the maturing of modern higher education for the Christian context.) Sire ranges over a number of issues, although remaining in the theme of what a Christian education should be. He wonders if a wholly Christian context can ever be adopted.
Even though I share the Sire review as faithful analysis of circumstances surrounding Christian education, I believe the issues pointing to clarity and truth, must include the faith context. This context has been more widely influenced by secularism than is acknowledged. Talking with parents about the higher education of their children one is impressed that often the education is not for the purpose of developing a better context for the individual to glorify God, and find peace for the active mind in truth, but to find a better occupation that likely will offer improved financial rewards than might be the case if the person did not go to college. Financial benefit is the common goal of most secular parents. Statistics of larger incomes for college graduates are commonly published. One needs to search carefully for information that the life of the person is improved by college experience in intellect, relationships, service, values and meaning that includes faith issues. Students formed for years before college to relate firmly to the secular expectation may have much to do with Christian institutions adapting to meet the expectations of Christian parents working in secular society. Christian families need to have better understanding of Christian education, partly gained from insightful pastors, as to the large meaning of a holistic Christian life. It is too often assumed that the church is to manage religious context, and education defined by society manage the secular. Some Christian oriented schools have moved to the secular context. In my review of the point I realize that I entered my education with no thought of the salary I might receive, or the acceptance of my education by the secular world. Before I arrived on campus, I wanted to learn whatever I could that validated my faith and guided me in the way of life that would honor God, as well as mankind, and that within a value (moral) system. I looked for truth, for life standards, for methods of personal maturation and for purpose. I believe I found those factors. From that experience I learned that students must take charge of their own education and be lifetime-learners for holistic life. Having a value-oriented education before advanced public education helped me find the great usefulness/discipline of my secular education. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020