Toward a Future for Christian Higher Education: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future

Abstract

This article does not attempt to address the many and varied changes currently facing Christian higher education, but seeks to provide a framework for thinking about the future that is grounded in the church's heritage and tradition. Believing that the secular culture is indifferent to the Christian faith and that the Christ world tends to be confused about its heritage and beliefs, the article proposes that the Christian tradition, informed by the Nicene Creed, offers a hopeful way forward.

At the heart of Christian higher education is a calling to prepare a new generation of Christians to think Christianly, to engage the culture and the academy, to serve society, and to renew connections with the church and its mission. Contending that limiting Christ-centeredness to the sphere of personal piety or activism is minimalistic and inadequate, the article also suggests that any attempt to envision a faithful Christian higher education for the future that is not tightly tethered to the great Christian tradition will likely result in an education model that lacks a compass. The uniting of the Christian tradition with learning is proposed as the pathway forward for understanding the essence of Christian higher education. In doing so, this article offers a pathway that focuses on the central and foundational commitments needed to sustain a faithful future for Christian higher education.