I
thank God for all Christian universities,
and I pray for their success. Yet, the
landscape of Christian higher education
across America is not an even playing
field. As anyone surveying universities is
most likely aware, choosing what school
to attend is a critical decision. Higher
education, or any type of education for that
matter, is a high-stakes game. Regardless
of where young men or women go for their
undergraduate training, they are entering
an institution that exists to influence the
way they think and, consequently, places
students on a particular trajectory at a
time when they are making significant
life choices.
I encourage prospective students and
parents to ask several questions of the
Christian institutions they are considering.
First, does the school have a clear doctrinal
statement? If so, do all professors sign it as
part of their contract that they completely
concur with the doctrinal statement and
will teach geology, history, biology, and
sociology in a manner consistent with
the school’s doctrinal statement? Second,
what steps does the university take to
encourage spiritual growth, and is chapel a
key component of its strategy?Third, does
the university provide a truly Christian
educationwith a biblical worldviewpresent
in every classroom, with theology serving
as the foundation of the student’s learning
experience? I believe these questions will
reveal whether an institution truly desires
to be a Christian institution or merely
uses the label “Christian” as a marketing
technique to recruit students.
Many good institutions answer the
questions above in acceptable ways.
At Cedarville, we call these items the
Cedarville distinctives. In the pages of
this magazine, we attempt to show you a
glimpse of what we do and why we do it.
We don’t shy away from our ultimate
mission of combi ni ng academic
excellence with a passion for the Gospel.
We accomplish the spiritual side of this
mission in several ways.
First, all faculty and staff sign our
doctrinal statement.
It is important to
do more than have a doctrinal statement
that guides the institution. You must have
professors and staff members that concur
completely with the statement and teach
according to it. A true biblical education
will not include advocating evolution
in science classes, postmodernism in
by Thomas White
Distinctly
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Cedarville Magazine
