Torch, Fall 1994

on line With /'~v.:r- President Cedarville College Building Values Today-For To1norrow A s I stood before 2,378 students this September 19, we began our school year with chapel 100 years to the day the first Cedarville College President, Dr. David McKinney, opened classes with these words: Cedarville College believes the culture of the mind without the nurture and growth of spiritual life is a mistake. Education without morality is a menace to the state. Accordingly the Bible is the textbook of the college. Cedarville College has always sought to build values into the lives of its students. We realize values don 't start at college, they start in the home. But as William Bennett wrote in his book, The De-Valuing of America, "Parents do not expect colleges to be neutral between morality and decadence." As a Christian college, we stand firmly for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ-the values that are taught in the written Word and shown in the living Word. Yet the landscape of this country is littered with the spiritually empty shells of colleges that were, at one time, powerful influences for 2 Torch Christian truth and character. But they have lost their values. The founding of American higher education, both private colleges and state universities, is a story of Christian mission. But as described by George Marsden in his new book, The Soul of the American University: From Protestant Establishment to Established Nonbelief , the values of " liberalism" and "tolerance" led the higher educational establishment away from any religious presence. Marsden 's research and other reading that I have done have convinced me that the decline of Christian values at these institutions was usually linked to the declining emphasis on chapel. In many cases, when a university outgrew its chapel, the administration chose not to build for the future , but to change the meaning of chapel. Chapel attendance was no longer required for students and faculty. No one made an effort to bring in quality speakers. Chapel lost its centrality on campus. At Cedarville, one of the main ways we teach values is through daily chapel. The articles in thi s issue of Cedarville TORCH are taken from three recent chapel sermons which specifically addressed value topics. We hope these messages are as helpful to you as they were to our college family. In chapel, students al so hear personal testimonies from Christians in various walks of life, share in times of prayer and praise, and benefit from the wi sdom of our own faculty. The values that permeate "family time" in chapel are reinforced in the classroom, in the dormitories, and in the faithful living of the administrators, faculty, staff, alumni, and fellow students. As we make preparations to build a new chapel for Cedarville College, along with new music and Christian ministries facilities, we are planning to spend millions of dollars to ensure that biblical values continue to be taught on our campus. I often say, "Chapel is the heartbeat of any Christian college," and we need to keep ours beating strong for God. Our theme for this year is "Building Values Today for Tomorrow." With a value-based education built around daily chapel, Cedarville College is influencing students who will serve God all their lives. And with a new chapel facility, Cedarville will be able to continue that mission tomorrow– and until our Lord returns.