Rising Above Our Reputation: Responding to the Challenges of Christian Higher Education

As Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Christian Higher Education, it is sometimes hard to separate my identity as a Christ follower who is a faculty member at a Christian university from my identity as a researcher and journal editor. As I read the collection of articles that were slated to comprise this issue of the journal, what struck me was how many of the findings contradicted the stereotypical view of Christian colleges and universities—some in positive ways and others less so. I found myself at times discouraged and at other times hopeful. It was within this emotional context that I decided on the editorial title “Rising Above Our Reputation.”

Reputation is subjective; it is comprised of others' perceptions—which may or may not be accurate. The first article in this issue, “‘Jagged Edges’: Victim Blaming, Student Care, And Legally Defensible Sexual Assault Investigations,” by Neil A. Best and Alexander Jun, investigates the negative reputation of conservative evangelical Christian colleges as blaming the victims of sexual assault—a reputation that is supported by prior research evidence, but which the Christian college in their study “rises above” and refutes with a compassionate response from their trained sexual assault investigators. Reading this qualitative study can provide Christian college educators not only with hope, but with practical suggestions for how to implement an effective and compassionate response to the tragic incidents of sexual violence that too often occur, many of which go unreported by students out of fear of being blamed.

The second article in this issue is by Steven M. Conn, who examines Christian college students' perceptions of the value of their tuition. Often the reputation of a Christian college is that it is a more expensive option that may not be “worth it” in the long run. Rising above this reputation, Conn highlights the importance of students' perceptions of institutional integrity and their experience of a sense of community on campus as contributing most to their feeling that their tuition dollars are a worthwhile investment. When Christian colleges deliver on their implicit promises made during the admissions process, when faculty and staff “walk the talk” and embody the institutional mission, and when students' expectations are met by their actual experiences on campus, students report feeling a sense of community and that their tuition dollars were well spent. When they are academically engaged in meaningful learning, the perceived value increases even more. That finding gives me hope when I think about the future of Christian higher education.

Particularly given Conn's assertion that mission congruence is vital to institutional integrity and students' perceptions of tuition worth at Christian colleges, the article that follows his is one that reminds us that we may be missing that mark. Matthew Weeks, Katie James Winningham, and Brandon Winningham examined the mission statements of 87 faith-based institutions to determine the level of mature faith embodied in those statements. They defined mature faith using Benson, Donahue, and Erikson's (1993) conceptualization of “prosocial actions rooted in one's religious values” (Weeks, Winningham, & Winningham, 2017, p. 159). A mature faith has both vertical and horizontal elements—that is, a demonstrated love of both God and neighbor. In addition to examining the mission statements of these institutions, the authors also examined the policies and practices around the Christian faith that were evident on each institution's website, such as their chapel requirement, requirement of Biblical or theological courses for graduation, and availability of pre-seminary preparation. Their findings were that most mission statements did not reflect or advocate a mature faith; rather, there was a negative relationship between the two dimensions. Thus, institutions that had a tendency to promote the vertical dimension of belief in God had a decreased likelihood of advocating social action or change. Likewise, institutions that clearly articulated the horizontal dimension of faith (loving neighbor) tended to downplay their Christian identity. As a Christ follower who aspires to a mature faith that demonstrates love of God and neighbor, this dichotomous and mutually exclusive approach to faith that appears in the mission statements of many Christian colleges is cause for concern. As I read their article, my hope was that we collectively would be convicted to rise above this particular reputation and be the presence of Christ in a hurting and broken world. An increasingly polarized United States—and indeed, an increasingly polarized world—is in need of Christian institutions that not only are committed to Christ and his teachings, but also to serving the world and acting to embody the love of Christ for stranger and neighbor.

The final article in this issue of the journal—the one we have featured as our Faith Integration article for the issue—demonstrates that Christian college faculty desire to integrate their faith in the classroom and thus could equip our students to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. Authors Corina R. Kaul, Kimberly A. Hardin, and A. Alexander Beaujean examined the faith integration beliefs and practices of 2,074 faculty from 55 CCCU institutions who participated in the CCCU's Denominational Study (Rine, Glanzer, & Davignon, 2013). They found that almost 80% of these faculty reported regularly integrating their faith in the classroom setting. The likelihood of faith integration was best predicted by the match between the denominational affiliation of the faculty and the institution where they obtained their degree, as well as the institution where they were currently serving. The faculty's discipline was also a predictor, with faith integration more likely among Religion and Philosophy professors, as might be expected. These findings provide hope for the future of Christian higher education, as well as the impetus to ensure that Christian college faculty continue to receive the professional development they need to coherently integrate their faith within their academic discipline. The authors provide some practical suggestions for how Christian university leaders might best support their faculty in that process.

As this journal continues to provide a forum for research, best practice, and strategies for integrating the Christian faith into the learning process, policies, and practices of our institutions, I find myself remaining hopeful about the future of Christian higher education. We are rising above some of the negative reputations that may have characterized our institutions, and the evidence suggests that we are equipped to lean into a reputation that is unapologetically Christ-centered, committed to academic excellence, and dedicated to tangibly demonstrating the love of Christ to the world around us. May it be said of Christian higher education that we “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8).