It’s no secret that Christian colleges do things differently than their secular peers. There are behavior codes, required Bible study, Christian-infused curriculums (think: environmental protection as “creation care”) and weekday chapel.
But where these campuses once existed in a bubble, new economic, social and cultural realities are letting outside air rush in — and with it, controversy.
For a generation of students that is connected, inclusive and risk-averse, Christian colleges present an interesting puzzle. On one hand, they offer “safety” in contrast to drinking and hookup cultures (alcohol and sex are forbidden) and take seriously their call to produce “deeper souls,” as Shirley Hoogstra, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, put it.
But they are also grappling with a giant generational rift over what it means to be Christian — from students’ more accepting views of L.G.B.T.Q. individuals and the conviction that faith demands social justice activism, to their comfort with using social media to organize a counter movement.
Unlike their elders, many students want to use their love for Jesus not to uphold traditional values, but to engage with and change the world, pushing Christian campuses to a careful openness.
Stephen Mortland, vice president for enrollment management and marketing at Taylor University in Upland, Ind.,said that unlike the past when campuses protected students’ faith from outside tampering, Christian colleges now help them explore, even challenge beliefs.
“This is not some Christian Disneyland,” Mr. Mortland said. The goal “is not to indoctrinate. I’m not afraid that God is not real.”
Colleges discuss evolution (an alternative theory), science, refugees and the role of women.
“If we want our alums being the hands and feet of Jesus, we can’t have them scared to talk about the things that everyone is talking about,” said Mary Hulst, pastor at Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Mich.
In some ways, Christian colleges look on trend. Their sweet spot of missions abroad and deep community service speak to a generation seeking not just a future paycheck but meaning and impact.
Read the full story at the New York Times
