This paper proposes an original synthesis of teleological aims and priorities of Christian colleges and universities. Based on historical trends and trajectories, I provide a typology of ages based on the purpose of college education and the subsequent views of human personhood: the age of faith, the age of reason, the age of industrialization,…

In this essay, we contend that there is much unfinished business ahead for Christian higher education. Our argument is grounded in the cumulative impact of long-standing frameworks and an expanding knowledge base on diversity and social justice in higher education. In 2013, we edited a special volume of this journal calling for focused work on…

The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is the most successful higher education organization to emerge from the modern American evangelical movement. Especially within the context of the United States, higher education has been a key element of neo-evangelicalism since the 1940s. Rather than choosing "between"…

In recent years, the topic of multiculturalism has often been a divisive issue. Although some argue that highlighting particularities allows for richer and more productive dialogue across differences, others choose to emphasize humankind's similarities with the belief that this focus on commonalities will create a greater sense of unity. This…

The challenges facing higher education continue to mount. The shifting of the U.S. ethnic and racial demographics, the proliferation of advanced digital technologies and data, and the move from traditional degrees to continuous learning platforms have created an unstable environment to which Christian higher education must adapt in order to remain…

The future of Christian higher education is not certain, and faith-based institutions will need to continue to convince prospective students that the experiences they offer are worth the investment. What is missing in the discussion of what makes Christian higher education special is the transformational experience provided outside of the…

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…

In an era of rapid societal change, institutions of higher education are grappling with how to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals are safe and supported on campus. Many challenges remain as LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff are subject to continued acts of discrimination and subtle microaggressions on a…

The following article lays out the rationale and vision for a new section of "Christian Higher Education" focused on academic faith integration. The section editor provides a brief history of this central aspect of Christian higher education, including some of the opportunities, challenges, and critiques expressed within the scholarly…

Institutions of Christian higher education are charged with helping students steward their current callings and prepare for future callings (Plantinga, 2002). Subjective knowledge, or knowledge of self, plays an important role in this sort of vocational discernment. John Dirkx's "soul work" can help educators lead their students to a…

We are currently experiencing a global revolution in Christian higher education. As chronicled in Carpenter, Glanzer, and Lantinga's 2014 volume titled "Christian Higher Education: A Global Reconnaissance," Christian universities are expanding rapidly around the globe. My institution, Cornerstone University, has been involved in this…

This article explores the historical roots of Ernest Boyer's impact on Christian higher education in the United States. Boyer's stints as a student at two Christian colleges (Messiah College in Pennsylvania and Greenville College in Illinois) and his first faculty and administrative posts at Upland College in California were significant…

The integration of faith and learning is regarded to be a primary distinctive of Christian higher education, yet this terminology conveys a false dichotomy. The frequent call for integration suggests that the Christian faith and learning belong to different areas of knowledge and practice; consequently, there is a need for bringing the two realms…

It is increasingly important to understand the fundamentals of investing and, for many, the ability to integrate faith and ethics with investing decisions. This is especially relevant for employees and students in Christian higher education. Most employees in Christian higher education are enrolled in retirement plans that obligate them to make…

By the mid-19th century, liberal protestant universities had allowed their religious identity to slip away. During the same period, Catholic institutions had maintained their religious identity. Catholicism's stance against modernist thought had held the day. In the 1960s, the Aristotelian-Thomistic hegemony was broken, allowing for a pluralistic…