Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2014

things. This explains why the opposition to Christian higher education is not merely questioning but openly hostile. It is not that we will be treated as odd or backwards.That would not be new. We have been treated as odd and backward for well over a hundred years. No, in a culture increasingly terrified of those who would claim an unreserved belief in the inspired, inerrant Word of God, increasingly terrified of those who would claima belief in the exclusivity of the Gospel, and increasingly terrified of those who would claim a belief that the biblical model of sexuality is the moral model for all people at all times, we are going to be seen not merely as quaint but as dangerous. And that is a very different thing. So what can we do? There are only two options: go secular or go sectarian. If we try to hold onto the approval of the academy, sooner or later we will surrender our Christian convictions and turn secular. The only other option, and the only real option for those wishing to remain faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is to go sectarian. Now, I realize the word sectarian makes some people nervous, but I mean it in the technical sense used by sociologists: we are going to have to be more tightly defined by what we believe in contrast to the larger society. We are not going to have a choice. We are going to have to release our ambition to receive the approval of the broader academy and focus on providing an education that is Christian in terms of conviction and content — an education that is entirely defined by the effort to bring every thought captive to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). The Christian understanding is that there is no such thing as secular knowledge. All truth is God’s truth, and it is the Christian’s responsibility to make that very clear and to pass that knowledge on to the next generation. A Christian institution of education is not Christian because Christians founded it. It is not Christian because Christians are paying for it. It is not Christian even if Christians are the ones coming to it. It is only genuinely Christian if every dimension of the university or college is accountable to the revealed truth of God’s inerrant Word. Without that, “Christian” is merely an adjective reflecting more of the school’s public relations strategy than its cognitive commitment. At times, I have difficulty being cheerful about the future of Christian higher education. When you consider the challenges that are coming, you quickly realize that it is a daunting task. At times, it even seems like an impossible task that is somehow still getting harder by the day. But we conclude as we began: these heightened challenges only heighten the urgency of our task. Make no mistake, we must not flag or fail. As the people of God, we have an imperative to provide for a systemof education that prepares ministers and marketers and mathematicians to take the Gospel to their neighbor and to the nations. The future may be dark, but the same could be said in every age in a Genesis 3 world. And it is not without hope. God did not promise that the gates of hell would not prevail against particular institutions, but He did promise that they would not prevail against His Church (Matt. 16:18). And because the Church has a future, there will always be a future for Christian higher education. It will not be easy. It will not be applauded by the secular academy. But it will be faithful. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. , is President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has been recognized by such influential publications as Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. He received his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. from Southern Seminary. He addressed Cedarville’s faculty and staff on this topic in August 2013. Learn more about Dr. Mohler at AlbertMohler.com. GIFT PLANNING? What is cedarville.edu/giftlegacy Gift planning integrates personal, financial, and estate planning goals with charitable giving. The right gift plan can provide you and your loved ones with tax and income benefits while giving to Cedarville. Do you want to increase your income for retirement? Do you want tominimize capital gains tax on the sale of your business or real estate? Do you want to create an inheritance for your children and also give to Cedarville? If you answered yes to any of these questions, a gift plan can help you achieve your goals. Contact Cedarville’s gift planning professionals for a personal consultation at 1-888-CEDARVILLE (233-2784), or at giftplanning@cedarville.edu. A CHRISTIAN INSTITUTION IS ONLY GENUINELY CHRISTIAN IF EVERY DIMENSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE IS ACCOUNTABLE TO THE REVEALED TRUTH OF GOD’S INERRANT WORD.