Hunter Baker on the Ruin of Christian Higher Ed

Dr. Hunter Baker observes, “All universities, and certainly Christian ones, face a landscape in which students have been largely replaced by consumers.” He says in his latest book, if Christian colleges try to be like their secular counterparts, they will fail on almost every level, particularly in their stated mission. On the other hand, if they integrate the worship of the Most High with every academic discipline, they will distinguish themselves and accomplish their mission. “Christian colleges can successfully argue that the best education connects with the mind, the body, and the soul.”

4 thoughts on “Hunter Baker on the Ruin of Christian Higher Ed”

  1. “All universities, and certainly Christian ones, face a landscape in which students have been largely replaced by consumers.”

    – that about says it all. I see very few students who care anything about getting a good, secure job.

  2. – that about says it all. I see very few students who care anything about getting a good, secure job.

    Actually, I see the opposite. I went back to school in my late 30’s to finish the degree I’d abandoned in my mid 20’s. The students I encountered at a regional state university didn’t give a hoot about mastering topics. All that concerned them was what would be on the test so they could get the sheepskin. The didn’t care about getting an education. They just wanted to pass the required classes to get their ticket to the good jobs punched.

    After a year I transferred to the adult degree completion program at a small Christian College. To be in the program one had to be over 25 and have at least two years of college under their belt. The students I found in that program were there to learn, to grapple with the material and to master it. It was so much fun to not be the only one in class dumb enough to ask questions.

  3. Back to Prof. Baker’s proposition that Christian Colleges should offer a product that is more than just a commodity.

    That is why I love the school where Lars is Librarian. It is two years of studying Bible and related topics as a foundation for life. There is virtually no vocational prep aspect to the course of study. Students learn foundational truths that will serve them well wherever life leads them, whether a career as a homemaker, tradesman, executive or professional. My daughter attends there and people are often aghast that she is spending two years of study that is not part of any career track. Yet she is gaining knowledge and skills that will serve her well wherever her path may lead.

    Maybe the problem isn’t so much with the Christian Colleges, but with a church that has lost sight of the value of character, doctrine and other riches that money can’t buy.

  4. I would say both church and college have lost sight of character, etc., but that’s a broad brush. We need sanity at every level to make college education worth whatever amount it costs. Isn’t education mostly a development process, not a technique to a defined goal? I’m probably thinking of things from a humanities angle.

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