Torch, Winter 1992

w ch";'h o"' freedom. Even os many Americans are turning away from traditional beliefs, everyone still believes in freedom. Unfortunately, some want to be free to do whatever they want without taking any responsibility. But freedom is never free. We have to work for it. The same holds true for the free market. We want to be able to make our own decisions in our economy. We want other countries to open their markets for our goods. We want free trade to create jobs, increase our wealth, and strengthen our economy. But we must realize that each one of us has a responsibility to promote and protect our free enterprise system. At Cedarville College, we accept this responsibility gladly. We value this system which allows us to operate as an independent institution of higher education. More importantly, we respect a process which models so many principles taught in the Bible, our foundation for faith and practice. Christianity, free enterprise, and the Constitution of the United States all teach the worth and importance of the individual. In contrast, socialism and communism declare that the state or community, not individual liberty, are most important. As Americans, we prize the freedom to worship God openly. We value the right to choose our place of work, to earn a salary, and to enjoy the privilege of giving to the charity of our choice. Private ownership is the main tenet of a free market economy. The religious expression of giving to others presupposes ownership. And among the Ten Commandments, the eighth urges man not to steal the private property of others. At Cedarville, we teach these principles to our students and apply them in our approach to education. Business administration is our largest department, and students who graduate to serve the Lord in accounting, management, marketing or finance understand how to operate with At Cedarville, we teach these principles to our students and apply them in our approach to education. integrity in a free market. Moreover, through our core curriculum in the social sciences and history, we teach every student the essential components of free enterprise and the importance of preserving them. The Templeton Foundation has recognized Cedarville College (and one other Ohio college) on its honor roll for Free Enterprise teaching. Integrity means practicing what you preach. Cedarville College is a free enterprise college. We refuse to accept or solicit government funding for the operation of the college or construction of buildings. Also, we reward individual initiative and creativity among our faculty and staff, thus maintaining an entrepreneurial approach toward meeting student needs. Free enterprise has been astoundingly successful around the globe. Economic freedom has walked hand-in-hand with political and religious freedom into a new day of liberty for some of the most closed societies in the world. Yet we recognize that the leadership and the