Reclaiming Christian Higher Education

I recently shared about how to transition from Christian to secular in the academy. It certainly had a good dose of verbal irony, but it was an attempt to identify a historic problem of the drift away from Christ centered education to humanism and secularism. Forbes shared an article a few years ago about religion and education that identified this same problem.

So if it is indeed a problem, then the real question is, what does one do about it?

How does a University President or a Board of Trustees direct an institution back to the place where Jesus is again the foundation? Here are a few ideas though they come with a high price tag and painful process.

1. Make sure the President and the board of Trustees are all on the same page with the problem and the painful process of moving the school in the right direction. If there are a number of Trustees or a president who are not interested or concerned about the direction of the school, no changes will be successful or lasting.

2. Call a faculty meeting. Publicly and clearly identify the core beliefs and essential mission of the institution. Give every faculty member time to process the change of emphasis away from secularization and back to a Christian foundation. If part of a denomination, include the beliefs, lifestyle covenant, and historical values of the denomination. 

3. Build strong relationships with the churches making up your constituency. Meat with groups of pastors to hear about their concerns, values, and needs. Make it clear that you are seeking to reclaim the institution for the kingdom. Seek out ways to benefit the local churches you serve. If the academy serves the church, the church will provide for the academy. This relationship must be nurtured for future students and financial support.

4. Know the place of the academy in the work of God in the world. The academy serves an important role of training clergy to be faithful and fruitful workers in the harvest field. Being Spirit filled is essential in this capacity. To educate the mind without quickening the spirit is to do little more than create an educated devil.  

5. Know the place of the academy in the work of God in the world. Universities are also tasked with training people for all kinds of occupations in a Christian context. This is rooted in a biblical morality, emphasis on evangelism, and fulfillment of the Great Commission. Academic excellence is important (and should be emphasized), but to establish students in righteousness is indispensable. 

6. Hire faculty who are in alignment with the values, beliefs, mission, or ethic. These are the kind of employees who will build the team and be fruitful. They will go out as faithful servants of Christ and His church. The ministers the academy produces will then love the doctrines of the church and seek to fulfill the Great Commission. This results in churches sending their young people and donors writing checks. 

7. Fire faculty who are not in alignment with the values, beliefs, mission, or ethic. They will only serve to distract, discourage, and be an ongoing source of detriment to the mission of the school. They may insist on their "academic freedom" or rely on their "academic reputation" but these things are always trumped by mission & purpose. (Note: Freedom always has boundaries so that it does not become licentiousness.)

8. Speak with orthodoxy and in clarity on controversial issues. Do not use double speak or ambiguity to confuse your constituency (this lacks integrity). Real leadership is willing to make sacrifices for truth. Walking in the Spirit requires us to "lose" some temporary things so that we may "gain" those things which are more enduring and valuable.

9. Remember why God raised up the institution. Read the founding documents, charter, speeches, and sermons given. Read any historical document you can find to be reminded of why the academic institution was put on the hearts of the men and women who started it, provided for it, worked at it, etc. God blesses an institution as they recall what He placed on the hearts of the founders and fulfil that mission.

10. Maintain accountability for spiritual vitality, academic excellence, and faithfulness to the core values/doctrines of the institution. The temptation to compromise these standards will be consistent, but to reclaim the school, standards must be raised, not lowered. The academy must be accountable, not so much to the larger academic community, but to the church from which it has been birthed.

11. Walk in the Spirit. People will attack, darkness will seek to envelope, and you will lose friends. Be faithful to the Lord, humble yourself before Him, and at the right time He will bring the victory. Truth and love are not mutually exclusive values for those who walk in the Spirit.

This is hard and costly work, but worth it. I wonder if there would be some in our generation who would pay the price on their knees for God to bring a great victory in this area!

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Some Things I Plan to Do in the New Year

 Here are a few things I plan to do in the New Year... (in no particular order)

1. Every year I commit to lead at least one person to Jesus outside of the pulpit. The greatest blessing I have ever experienced is participating in introducing someone to a walk with God. All Out For Souls

2. I want to become more generous with the resources I have. Though I would certainly not consider myself rich, wealth is not necessary to live generously. Buying fewer things for myself and giving more gifts will be the first step.

3. To love "unlovable" people more. Have you ever heard "hurt people, hurt people"? I want to show love to hurt and broken people wherever I go. Not the "easy to love" folks, but the down-and-out.

4. Spiritual growth is a priority for me. To spend more time fasting and quiet in the presence of the Holy Spirit. To listen to the Holy Spirit. To mature in my relationship with Him.

5. This coming year I want to be a better encourager. There are plenty of discouragers and critics in the world. I want to find someone doing good things and encourage them!

6. May the fire in my bones burn with a greater passion. Monotony, discouragement, disappointments, and things like these can take away our zeal. May I continue to be zealous for good works.

7. Continue to walk in holiness. My desire is to live above reproach a life that is pure and pleasing to God. And to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

What about you? What things are you planning to do in the New Year?

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How to Transition from Christian to Secular in the Academy

It would seem to me that many colleges & universities started by churches have, over time, parted from their Christian roots and eventually divorced themselves from the church all together.

Forbes says: "In the beginning, most universities in the U.S. were established as institutions of faith: the colonial colleges – such as Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth (Puritan), College of William and Mary (Church of England), Princeton (Presbyterian) and Rutgers University (Dutch Reformed Church) – were Christian schools in mission or affiliation. For almost all of these and similar elite schools, the answer to grow with the times and the country was to leave their religious legacy in the microfiche files." (emphasis mine) (Read the whole article here.)

I'd like to propose a few ways to change a Christian school into a secular school (and there is a difference between the two). I make these proposals not because I actually recommend them, but as a warning to those that may be tempted to follow the path...

1) If you have chapel services five days a week; change it to three. If you have it three days a week; change it to one. Too much "church" is a turn-off to unbelievers (not to mention the fact that it could hurt enrollment/finances to require chapel). Finally make chapel optional before being a good steward of the school's finances and doing away with chapel all together. (Remember, do it slowly in a long process so that no zealous Christians will cause a fuss.)

2) Strive for intellectual and academic excellence to the neglect of the spiritual state of the campus. Certainly you could probably focus on someone's spiritual health and academic performance, but their spiritual state is just another thing to be juggling and the 'academy' has a different function than the church. You are, after all, a college/university!

3) When you advertise on TV, billboards, or secular periodicals make sure you do not mention your Christian foundation. It is a turn-off and you will lose many prospective students that way. (They might find out if they come to your school anyway, so why mention it?). Even if they don't ever realize they attended a Christian school, you've just done a great job of helping them be Christians even though they may not realize it!

4) Lower the standards for your sports teams. If it makes you feel better, you can convince yourself that having a winning basketball team will make a better name for Jesus than a mediocre basketball team that lives a holy life.

5) Hire faculty, staff, & administrators that are not Christians. As long as they do their jobs well, who really cares? And what about diversity?

6) Create a false dichotomy by mischaracterizing Bible believing, faithful Christians who desire for their children to be given an education from a Christian world view and pitting them against sincere ideologues who are simply trying to "minister in an ever changing world." Consistently claim that both conservative bible believing Christians and leftists are complaining. This gives you credibility when it comes to claiming you are a "middle way" or "different way" or abstract way. We know that you are following the historic shift from Christian to secular, but let's continue to live in denial.

7) Do away with any kind of rules or standards you might have on your campus. Those include curfew, expectations for dress, required chapel attendance, alcohol prohibition, and any other rules students often complain about. You certainly do not want to be viewed as legalistic. If you have any rules and, for denominational reasons, are not able to do away with them, just leave them in print but ignore them in practice.

8) Change your school motto from something like: "Christlike in all we do" to something that uses some Latin and is translated to say something more general like: "We are nice and we like everybody." The shift of your statement should move from God's holiness to the practical benefits of students graduating with a degree from your school.

9) Take down all crosses and religious imagery from your campus. It was all probably graven images any way. Put up peace signs, lots of posters on what we can do to help the environment, BLM, and other left leaning political rally points. Remember the goal is that secular humanists would find your school enticing.

10) Replace some of the religious requirements (required Bible & theology courses) with community service. It will fool the Christians into believing you are still a part of the Christian church as long as it is a good deed and convince the rest of the world you want to make a difference without "pushing your beliefs" on anyone else.

11) In your Bible, Theology, or religion department hire professors who are most adept at promoting cultural ideology rather than biblical truth. Have them promote critical race theory, philosophy, universalism, and process theology. Bonus: you can probably receive grants from secular organizations that want to influence your students with their causes like integrating "climate science" into the theological education. You can justify this to your faithful constituents by explaining that you want to be inclusive of all viewpoints for the academic benefit of your students. (Just do not actually include anyone more theologically conservative.)

12) Finally, measure your success by how much money your graduates make or how many books they publish. If someone becomes a denominational leader you can take credit for it within the denomination but do not talk about it outside of the church. (You may be able to take credit for sports stars who thought about coming to your school too.)

Extra note: If part of a denomination, you may want to continue to tap into the enormous amount of financial resources available from the many lay people who have no earthly idea what is really going on at your school. To do so, talk a lot about what God is doing at your school (even if you have to exaggerate or even make things up). All some lay people care about is whether or not the young people are serving the Lord and living for Him (how short-sighted they must be)!

What might you add?



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Let's Reach People!

A few things that need to happen for you to reach people for Jesus.

1. Fall in love with Jesus. And let love motivate you in every endeavor to minister to the world around you.

2. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Apologetics, methodologies, psychology, talents, resources, and friendly personalities might be helpful but none of those things can change a heart. We need Holy Spirit power to minister.

3. Refuse to quit. Do not give up on people. They might reject you. They might reject your message. They may mistreat you. They may discourage you. Do not give up on people; there's too much at stake.

4. Be steadfast in prayer. The amazing thing about the New Testament church was not their technology or fashion sense, but that it was evident they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

5. Learn how to be a friend. In the current world of smart phones, artificial intelligence, and social media we are less social than ever before. Having in person, face to face conversations is a skill set few have. Work on putting down your phone, turning off your television, and finding someone to engage.

6. Don't throw away truth from the Bible. Many have a disdain for biblical truths (such as 'hell') that make them uncomfortable. No one likes the reality of hell. But I have found many people who reject its existence make little to no effort in reaching people for Jesus. 

What else might you include?




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Why I Am for School Voucher Programs

I currently live in Indiana where they have a school voucher program that allows some money designated to my child's education to be used towards an approved school of our choice (including approved private schools). I am thankful for the ability to choose. 

Here's why I am for school voucher programs (and you should be too).

1. I believe competition is a positive driving force for improvement. Monopolies are never good. There are laws that prevent private businesses from having a monopoly, but that does not prevent government from having a monopoly.

2. If this is tax money (which is my money), then shouldn't I be able to spend it on the education for my kids as I see fit? 

3. It gives me choice about what kind of education I want my children to have. That choice would be stifled for me and many others were we unable to use our money (tax money) for our own educational preferences.

4. A Christian school is not forced to accept government money. No school is required to accept the school choice money and no school can receive it unless they meet certain requirements to be an eligible school (these requirements have to do with academic, staff education, facility safety, etc.). These are reasonable expectations.

5. If you are a parent sending your child to a private school, you are paying taxes that go to public schools and paying again to send your children to private school. This is not fair.

6. School vouchers do not destroy the public school system. Every state that has school vouchers still have public schools. Every student in every state with school choice vouchers still has access to a public school. Period. 

7. No one interferes with home schooling families through school choice vouchers. In my state of Indiana, homeschools are not eligible to receive the funds. I am not arguing that they should be eligible, just that they aren't here in Indiana. But government does not encroach more in homeschooling in this state that states that do not have school choice.

8. In most cases, school choice saves the state money. Typically less money is given in vouchers to those choosing private schools that money spent (per student) in public schools. This might not be fair, but it saves the state money.

9. Not every public school is bad. Most are not. I am thankful that our nation has made a priority of education for everyone. Those in favor of school choice vouchers are not arguing that. Some private schools are bad. Some public ones are bad. Parents should have the ability to choose what is best for their child.

10. The government rarely performs well when it refuses to allow competition. Private sector creativity, ingenuity, and excellence is important in

So why do some people oppose school choice?

1. Whoever controls the education of the next generation controls the future. Parents across the country are tired of some teachers and school districts (not all) using educational hours to indoctrinate their children in unwanted veins of cultural ideology. Without school choice vouchers, many middle income and low income families are at the mercy of their local public school despite the ability of its staff or the ideology that is being promoted. 

2. It is about money. Many people argue that public dollars should be used only for public schools (not private ones). This is an argument that is a bit deceptive in its twisting of semantics. They really do not care where your kids go to school, as long as they get to keep the money.  

3. Government over parents? I am a firm believer that parents should have authority over their children and the education of their children. Some people believe that government knows better than parents. The state of California recently banned school rules requiring parental notification of child's pronoun change. God intended for parents to be in authority over their children, not government.

4. They believe the propaganda. In the political debate you will hear people who want to give money only to government run schools that to do something else will harm teachers, eliminate homeschooling, allow the government to control private schools, harm the poor and cause test scores to go down (most data indicates that school choice leads to higher test scores across the spectrum). Don't believe all the flashy memes, rants, editorials, etc. In most cases across the country where states have already adopted school voucher programs, great things are happening. Some states are proposing and discussing expansion of the school voucher program. Do your own research and make an informed decision. 

You can find some more information about school choice at this website: www.schoolchoicefacts.org

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Why Counterfeit Christianity Will Fail

When I say "counterfeit Christianity" I mean a propagated type of Christianity divorced from the authority of Scripture and church history. I speak of people more enamored by cultural morality than holy living. A people who do not seek the Truth, but rather the approval of the world. Here is why they will fail...

1. They tried to blitz the true church. It was a rush job on the fundamental truth of the Gospel (i.e. atonement, human sexuality, etc) They attempted to change too many of the fundamentals too quickly. You cannot reject sexual morality, advocate for a new type of racism, and reject the basic principles of the Gospel and expect to get no push back from faithful followers of Jesus. Ultimately they just came off pushy.

2. It is basically a fad among disenfranchised people who have grown up in the church. Sometimes lacking their own personal experience of being born-again, they remain in the church for its social connections, but not for its spiritual discipleship. They do not really care about being holy or the sacred doctrines of the church, but they do want to find a way for their church life to be compatible with a life in the world. These chase new fads (remember the "emergent church"?) when they should be chasing Jesus. What started as worldly affections has turned into a full love affair with the world.

3. No one cares! No one was changed for the better. No one experienced transformation. It was rebottled philosophy from the prince of darkness. They didn't seek transformation, they sought to coddle people in their sin. Churches with leaders who embraced counterfeit Christianity were fruitless and unfaithful to the Great Commission and Christ's church. Schools who catered to counterfeit Christianity struggled and some were even shuttered. Death and decline followed their ideology.

4. They didn't start their own church, they tried to change the church. Because they are by and large unfruitful in every conceivable way they become parasites in denominational infrastructure. Their ideologies are not only antithetical to Scripture, but pragmatic failures as well. In love with the Spirit of the Age, they cannot contemplate why they are unsuccessful in the local church context. But they consistently demand denominational position to propagate their dead methods and philosophies.

5. Too much conversation. "Conversation" is one of their buzz words. The problem is that a bunch of talk doesn't change reality. Playing sophisticated games of semantics only gives the rest of us a headache and often heartburn. So, while they are 'conversing,' the rest of the world moves on without them. And the church has always been more interested in being the church than simply talking about it. Like the tower of Babel there were many words and opinions thrown about, but no progress made in glorifying God. They seem to be experts on theology, but unable to translate to a spiritual harvest.

6. They were just re-wrapped liberals. Same song, second verse. The early Church of the Nazarene spoke clearly about the problem of the "modernists". Early leaders called the Church to stand against the compromise of biblical truth and a watered down faith. A cheap grace has always been offered by those who do not believe in God's power to transform and cleanse the heart. Modernists. Liberals. Progressives. Emergent church. Leftists. It has changed labels, but the emphasis is always the same (see the main line denominations' history). They question the same things liberals did: authenticity/authority of Scripture, atonement, hell, the literal resurrection of Jesus, & even, in some cases, the character and nature of God. They also push the same things liberals did: lower standards (they call having standards legalism), universalism, and 'conversation' with other religions.

7. They didn't stand for anything. I guess if you believe there are no absolute truths then you will not stand for anything definitively. In the name of "conversation," "tolerance," and "ecumenical" they refused to boldly proclaim the powerful truths & standards of God's Word and His Gospel. Unity was to be bought at the lowest common denominator... and they were willing to go very low. The only moral issues they would stand for were ones that the world has adopted and promotes. "Any dead fish can swim downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream."

8. They were blown about by the winds of secular culture (worldliness). They believed that friendship with the world is friendship with Christ. They believed that Christianity is an adoption of a higher way of philosophizing rather than a holy way of living. Their theology is rooted in man and not God. They live in ambiguous and clouded religious terminology rather than Biblical clarity. They chose to be set apart to culture rather than Christ (but would claim they are one and the same). They cannot understand why the things of this world are inherently fallen and sinful and thus they are tossed to and fro by the philosophies and distractions of this sinful world. They talk about the imago dei, but deny the fallen nature of man.

9. They have, in essence, ignored God's Word. Its use is good only for a few of the 'stories' in it and various verses that, taken out of context of the whole Gospel, seem to support their heresies and justify their worldliness. Repentance, sin, hell, & Christ as the only way, to name a few, are verses and passages of God's Word they ignore because they don't like. If truth made them uncomfortable, they would simply ignore it. Truths that have been taken for granted by the church for 2000 years are now disregarded and stripped of all influence in counterfeit Christianity. 

10. God is not in it. Case and point: Acts 5:33-40. Gamaliel stands up before the Sanhedrin and says: "...if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God you will not be able to overthrow them." If God is for them, who can be against them? Instead the Spirit is stirring in the hearts of the faithful followers of Jesus to resist the false teachings and false prophets of our hour.

While the death of counterfeit Christianity has already begun, it has not yet occurred. It takes a whole generation for this insidious fad to fade away. But in the meantime, you won't catch me mourning for that movement!

But be aware: while counterfeit Christianity may die under its current label, it will return under a new label. No doubt the label will sound positive and encouraging, but it will be the same counterfeit bringing death to any who have itching ears to hear.

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Some Things I'm Watching this Election Year

It is another "political season" with all that it entails. To even talk politics in casual settings is to risk friendships sometimes. Are we past the point of no return when it comes to the ability to discuss hard issues without permanent relational damage? I do not know, but I do know that we must risk it for the sake of issues at hand.

Here are a few observations/opinions about what is going on in the political realm that I am keeping an eye on:

1. Abortion. I believe this is the most significant moral issue of our time. According to a NPR article, over one million abortions were performed in 2023. For perspective, around 6 million Jewish people were killed during the Holocaust spanning 1939-1945. Abortion is the holocaust of our time.

Do not buy the rhetoric. This is not a mass of tissue. This is not about a woman's right to choose (no one gets to choose to murder another person). This is not about reproductive rights. This is about the indiscriminate murder of a baby in the womb. The vast, overwhelming majority of abortions have nothing to do with rape, incest, or the life of the mother. However, let me address these three issues.

Rape. There are obviously laws against rape, sexual assault, etc. It is recognized as a moral wrong by nearly every person in our culture. It is a tragedy and an evil. If a child is conceived due to a rape, that child should not be killed. If the mother does not want the child, she should be provided for and an adoption should take place. Murder does not erase rape it compounds it. Emotional manipulation on this issue ceases when we recognize that the baby is a human being created by God even though the circumstances are horrific. Abortions due to rape rank in single percentages among the total abortion numbers.

Incest. Again, there are laws against incest. This too is illegal and immoral. What is consistent is that, if a child comes from an incestuous sexual relationship, it is still a human being created in the image of God. It is life and should be protected rather than killed. Abortions due to incest are less than 1% of the total number of abortions.

Rape and incest account for few abortions, so why all the attention? (usatoday.com)

The life of the mother. In the extremely rare circumstances that the life of the mother and/or child is in danger there can be a difficult ethical dilemma to be made. In these unusual cases families, doctors, and others involved directly have to make hard decisions quickly about who has the greatest chance for survival. These kinds of decisions are not made with the desire to end a pregnancy, but to save a life. No state in the US has laws that prohibit saving the life of the mother (or child) in these kinds of situations. 

My concern over this issue is the single most significant issue for me. Not because I am worried about my life being aborted, but because I am a Christian and must stand up for the innocent who cannot defend themselves. Abortion = murder.

The Democrat party platform in recent years has moved from wanting "safe, legal, and rare" abortions to making abortion the focus of their platform at the party's convention in 2024. Prolife Democrats are extremely rare in federal politics and most state level politics. Some refuse to answer the questions of whether medical care should be given in the case of a failed abortion attempt that results in a live birth. 

Republicans are getting soft on their pro-life stance. With the fall of Roe v Wade, Trump has assessed the political climate and backed up from abolition of abortion in order to appease pro-choice (death) voters. The most significant moral issue of our time cannot pander to death dealers.

Many abortion related amendments and issues will be at the state level. Every Christian should always be prolife in their voting on these issues.

2. Parental Authority & Transgender Issues. The most significant form of child abuse in our culture right now (besides abortion) is the physical alteration and sterilization of children. Pushing an agenda to physically alter children dealing with gender dysphoria is an evil that has far reaching consequences which ultimately impact the tension between parental authority, growing confusion on gender identity, and broken lives decades into the future. 

God created the biological family as the primary agent for nurturing children into adulthood. Government interference is sometimes necessary, but should be avoided if at all possible. The government cannot raise children better than a mother and father in the home. Nor should the government be given authority to interfere in the God-given and biological authority that parents have over their children. There are now states (like California) that have made it illegal for school employees to discuss with parents their child's gender dysphoria or desire to be recognized as a different sex than their biological one.

If a young teenage girl came to me who was dealing with anorexia and insisted that she was fat while her body weight was actually at an unhealthy and dangerous level, it would be abusive to encourage her in her erroneous self perception instead of directing her toward the truth about her body and self. Society's continued affirmation of false gender identities (that do not match biological sex) is not loving, it is abusive.

As a Christian, I believe parental authority should never be usurped by government, schools, or even the church. These different spheres of culture and society are important, but must remain within their respective biblical boundaries.

3. Religious liberty issues. The United States has long been a safe haven and even a promoter of Christian values in the world. This issue was a major player in the American revolution and the reason why so many people fled Europe to come to the Americas in the beginning. Honoring the sincere religious convictions of individuals is paramount to religious liberty (as it has for over two centuries in the US). 

4. Immigration. There is simply no reason that someone cannot be compassionate toward immigrants and expect immigration law to be upheld. In some research I found that no other country in the world receives more legal immigrants than the United States of America. I hope we keep it up! To expect people to go through the process legally is not lacking compassion, but operating from a just and fair place. To be dismissive of illegal immigration is allowing some to circumvent the legal process and "cut in line" those who are taking appropriate steps.

Rhetoric is high and common sense is an ever-increasing commodity. Democrats argue for open boarders and Republicans advocate for walls and throwing everyone out. None of these are feasible. There have been laws in place for decades that are being ignored by some politicians to create a crisis. Politicians need to stop using people in need as political fodder.

5. Marijuana. Libertarians do not understand (or maybe some of them just do not care) about the extent of the danger and harm marijuana brings to our culture. It is a gateway drug. It is harmful; physically, mentally, and spiritually. 

Yes. You can make money off of tax revenue when you legalize it. You can also make money off taxes from prostitution if you legalize that. Revenue off the backs of addicts and broken families is equivalent to blood money. We do not need more vices in our culture that lead to the breakdown of the family, addiction related deaths, or destroyed lives.

6. Profanity. I have previously written on cursing, profanity, and the tongue. In recent years it has become fashionable and acceptable for politicians (of every stripe) to use profane language. This should not be accepted. Please have more dignity for those who are listening and the office you might be elected to when you speak.

I am not suggesting that a candidate not be able to say hard things. We need strong leadership who will be willing to address hard and difficult issues head on. I am tired of wondering what a politician is really saying or where they really stand on an issue. "Niceness" has come to be defined as "never saying anything that offends anyone." That is silly.

But you can be strong, direct, assertive, and never curse. May it be so.

7. 24-Hour News Networks. In order to keep the attention of viewers 24 hours a day they have resorted to click bait, sensationalism, manipulation, and extremely biased journalism (if you can even call it journalism anymore). The last two debates have been fraught with moderators who's biased was so blatant and arrogant that not even Democrats insisted that it was fair. This is unacceptable from professionals who are supposed to moderate and report, not manipulate and distort.

What are some of the things you are watching for this election cycle?

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