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Christian Colleges: Do They Match Up?
by Don Alexander
Choosing a college can be a very difficult task. Many highly rated colleges and universities are worth looking into. I wanted one that would enhance my spiritual, social, and academic values. My parents had little influence on my college decision. I was alone. Just one of the many who had to decide where to spend the most formative years of my life.
I once held the belief that selecting a Christian Liberal Arts College would prevent me from being a witness to the unsaved, and jeopardize my education. Several churches that I attended and friends I respdected supported a Non-Christian education for two basic reasons: Academic standards could be lower at a private college and there would be little or no opportunity to win others to Christ.
I have learned through my first few weeks here at California Baptist College in the Fall of 1986 that this theory about no witnessing opportunities is absolutely untrue. First of all, there are more rules to be broken on this campus, so the men of the world who want to be radical are going to try everything they can to break them without getting caught.
That's where I come in. These guys may be cool with the majority of the guys on my dorm wing, but when they come around me they know I stand up for my Christian beliefs. I may have a priestly nickname by the end of the year, who knows? When guys come down the hall cussing up a storm at one o'clock in the morning there needs to be some kind of mediator. Those sources and associates that had me believing everyone in a Christian College was saved must have been on L.S.D.-"A Low on Common Sense Diet."
The second belief that concerned me the most was low academic standards. Many students are paying almost seven grand a year to attend college, why on earth would a Christian teacher fail a student? This would lower enrollment, make the school look bad to the public, and give teachers a bad name. Academic standards must be lower in a private college, right?
Wrong! Professors who teacher here at California Baptist College have degrees from Baylor University, Pepperdine, University of Southern California, and University of Illinois, to name just a few. I enjoy listening and learning from those who have had hard core "upper class" educations and include this into their Christian faith. Also, with low academic standards it would have been very difficult to receive the accreditation that this college has obtained.
Miraculous changes can take place on a Christian campus. Continuous Bible reading and teaching leads to greater knowledge. After all, Solomon in the Book of Proverbs does state: "The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The students, professors, and faculty that I've met in my first few weeks here on campus have been people whose sole purpose is to serve God with all their heart.
That's big for me, because I believe that without the positive influence of Christian friends I do not believe that I can reach my full potential in college or in my life's goals and dreams for that matter.
Though once led astray, I now believe that the Christian Liberal Arts Education is superior to universities that are based solely on academic standards. My decision on this issue may sound very one-sided. I have to agree with you. However, my thesis is summed up most eloquently in the book of proverbs: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge."
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