Eastern Nazarene College. Clarks Summit University. The University of Saint Katherine. What do these universities have in common? They were all private Christian colleges. And they were among the latest victims to succumb in the college closure crisis.
The recent trend of faith-based university closures is troubling. Young adulthood is an incredibly formidable era, characterized by a reduction of parental guidance and a growing taste for both the freedom and tribulations of adulthood. Christian universities offer college-aged students not only a moral structure but also a curriculum facilitating a deepened understanding of Christianity and a community of like-minded individuals and mentors.
At Christian universities, it is significantly harder for students to become involved in destructive partying, alcoholism, and substance use. This occurs for many reasons, such as small community accountability, alcohol and substance bans on campus, and lack of Greek life. But the shaping of moral character goes significantly beyond just rules and bans.
Christian universities offer a Christ-based curriculum of theology, apologetics, and service. Theology and apologetics are integrated throughout coursework ranging from the sciences to nursing to liberal arts and are facilitated in chapel and Bible study requirements. Service is facilitated through participation requirements in community service and missional work.
Ultimately, faith-based universities shape hard-working, virtuous, and unwavering Christian adults committed to serving their communities through a diverse set of skills. Christian universities are a vital component of higher education that need to be preserved. So how can they prevent themselves from becoming the next college closure victims?
Multiple factors have been noted as contributors to campus closures, but the primary recurring factor is low enrollment. Therefore, in order for a faith-based university to escape impending doom, they need to attract students by being distinct. What makes Christian higher education distinct is staying true to traditional Christian values and the model of the Scriptures.
Minding the Campus recently cross-posted a column by Graham Hillard that addressed the hallmarks of an authentic, orthodox Christian university. In summary, these include alignment with Scriptural teachings, hiring of exclusively Christian faculty, and production of practicing Christian alumni.[1] I expound upon this list by adding the integration of Christian values into coursework and incorporation of additional Christian requirements, such as chapel attendance, community service, and required Bible classes. These elements are clearly visible in the format of the university website and in the speech of campus tour guides.
I speak from experience when I state that a conspicuous difference exists between Christ-centered and Christian-founded universities. When I was in high school making the final choice on a university to attend, I narrowed my options to Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida and Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Both were listed as Christian universities. But they could not be more opposite.
From the moment one reads the guiding principles of Palm Beach Atlantic University, the Christian focus can clearly be seen:
Palm Beach Atlantic University’s purpose is to offer a curriculum of studies and a program of student activities dedicated to the development of moral character, the enrichment of spiritual lives, and the perpetuation of growth in Christian ideals.[2]
Florida Southern College’s mission statement is slightly less clear:
Maintaining its affiliation with the United Methodist Church, Florida Southern College will serve as the preeminent mid-sized institution within the denomination, always striving to foster students’ spiritual growth.[3]
When one dives deeper into each website, the level of Christ integration becomes more visible. While Palm Beach Atlantic University requires undergraduates to attend chapel at least 24 times and complete 45 hours of Workship (community service) every academic year, Florida Southern College simply provides students with one nondenominational Christian, one Catholic, and one Jewish worship service per week in case they wish to attend.
Furthermore, while Palm Beach Atlantic University’s catalog demonstrates an undergraduate core requirement of at least 6 credit hours of Bible classes and Christian integration in their “Faith, Roots, and Reason” general education curriculum, Florida Southern College demonstrates no Bible requirement and no evidence of Christian integration.
Since I sought not just a religious environment but also Christian spiritual formation and a sustained heart of Christian service, I ultimately chose to attend Palm Beach Atlantic University. I did not, and still do not, consider Florida Southern College a true Christ-centered Christian university.
There is one final draw which makes or breaks Christian higher education: the community. As previously stated, Graham Hillard pointed out the essentiality of a true Christ-first university hiring Christian faculty. It is the work of these faithful, practicing Christian professors, who incorporate their faith into every class and student interaction, that entices the students both to attend the school and to remain for the entirety of their degree and beyond.
Danger lies ahead in the world of Christian higher education, but keeping to traditional Christian values and maintaining the Christian community is the response that each one should strive to preserve. Ultimately, the Christian universities that are currently still thriving need to make a choice: they can sink, or they can swim.
[1] Graham Hillard, “How to Find an Authentic Christian College,” Minding the Campus, https://www.mindingthecampus.org/2024/10/20/how-to-find-an-authentic-christian-college/
[2] “Guiding Principles,” Palm Beach Atlantic University, https://www.pba.edu/campus-life/christian-community/guiding-principles/
[3] “About FSC,” Florida Southern College, https://www.flsouthern.edu/about-fsc#:~:text=The%20mission%20of%20Florida%20Southern,Wright%20campus%20and%20visitor%20program.
Image by Pamela — Adobe Stock — Asset ID#: 271959647
There are two issues that the author is missing:
First, what do graduates of “Christian” colleges do upon graduation?
The era of one obtaining a liberal arts degree and then inherently obtaining a good job because one is a college graduate are long gone and a lot of small liberal arts colleges are failing as a result. This includes Christian liberal arts colleges which are failing for the same reasons.
Second, there are Christians who drink, and many who would consider the regimented nature of a PBAU to be oppressive. I’d be offended at anyone (other than the Lord) keeping track of the hours I spend helping others, and forcing students to attend chapel is the best way I can think of to make them hate it.
The Protestant opposition to alcohol has to be viewed in where it came from — the 19th Century opposition to Catholicism and the immigrants of that faith. Before then, ministers brewed beer and distilled spirits. Often the only college-educated person in town, they often were the only person in town who knew how to do this.
I argue that one can have a Christian college without the dry campus and rigid (borderline fascist) regulations — that an institution can be led by Christian examples rather than top-down fiat. I am a firm believer in the Amethyst Initiative and do not consider it in conflict with Christian principles. And I think that it is the faculty and staff *acting* like Christians that makes a successful Christian institution.
I argue that one can have a Christian university that openly states that it believes homosexuality to be a sin and transgenderism to be a mental illness. An institution that doesn’t permit unmarried couples to live together, and which frowns on the “hook up” culture. But an institution which leads by Christian example.
That said, students who wish the regimented education of a PBAU are welcome to attend such an institution — it’s just that this is a small cadre in an era of declining demographics. It’s the same reason why the single-sex colleges had to go co-ed — there weren’t enough students interested in a single-sex education anymore.