The Purpose and Benefit of Christian Liberal Arts Education

Guenter E. Salter, Ph.D.

A student's education is not finished when he graduates from high school. He needs to be challenged and influenced to seek an environment where God can continue to shape and mold him that he might become the person God wants him to be. Upon high school graduation he can exercise one of three options: he can go to a Christian college; he can go to a secular college; or he can go to no college at all. The choice is his, to be sure; and there are various factors influencing his choice. In making the choice, however, a student must not delude himself into thinking that because of his attending a Christian high school, his education is now complete and he is ready to take on the world. He is not! His education has just begun; and by reason of intellectual and emotional temper, disposition, and maturity he is now entering that period of his life in which he will formulate his ideas, values, beliefs, resolves--in short, his philosophy--that will guide the totality of his actions for the rest of his life. This is not a statement of propaganda or a sales pitch for higher education; it is a scientific fact. Numbers of surveys have established that during his college years a student acquires and completes his belief system, and that such system rarely changes after college graduation.

Armed with that knowledge, shouldn't we as Christian educators do our utmost to get our high school graduates into a place where God is most likely to get their attention; where occupational choices are made based on God's will rather than on the expectation of material acquisition; where they are taught that the choice of a life mate is to be determined by eternal consequences rather than temporal benefits? The likelihood that such choices are made correctly in a God-honoring manner is greater in a Christian institution of higher learning than in a secular junior or four-year college as logic and experience teach us.

One might expect, therefore, that a high percentage of Christian high school graduates would flock to Christian colleges for further education and receipt of the benefits just enumerated. But such is not the case. My colleagues and I speak at many graduation ceremonies at Christian high schools every year; and we often find that out of 20 or 30 graduates, one or two plan to go to a Christian university. Where do the others go? More and more of them seem to be going to secular schools. Haven't they been told? Or are they simply self-willed, convinced that they know better? Obviously, choices must not be forced if they are to mean anything at all. But we want to be sure that we do not fail to place before our students the clear alternatives with proper emphasis in the right direction. Toward that end, I would like to discuss in this article the value of Christian liberal arts higher education. May we sound the call, and may our students hear it!

All discussions about Christian education ought to start with a clear statement on that nature and purpose of such education, are to promote Christlikeness in saved men, women, and children. Based on the unshakable foundation of the Word of God, the edifice of Christian education requires a liberal arts structure with the traditional humanities representing the building blocks, as these are most indicative of God's attributes and character. The liberal arts are language, communication, aesthetic sensibility, creativity, logic, history, etc. That Christian education should, therefore, come under attack from secular sources is to be expected. They charge that, because of its biblical foundation and orientation, Christian education lacks objectivity. It discourages intellectual inquiry and inhibits academic pursuit, they say, because it lets God's Word, not man's mind, decide what is truth. Thus it appears to them that Christian education operates in a closed system which is neither objective nor respectable. Even some Christians are not uninfluenced by this criticism which is of course without merit. If learning depended on thinking without the benefit of presuppositions (that is assumptions/axioms), then it exists neither in Christian nor in secular education. Everyone starts with an assumed philosophical basis on which to build, because education--that is teaching and learning--does not take place in a philosophical vacuum. Far more than the mere teaching of facts, true education concerns itself with establishing beliefs and values; and that is done with or on a system; it is done consciously or subconsciously. Thus, objectivity in an absolute sense is humanly impossible to attain. Every person is subject to his background, opinions, convictions. The highly praised objectivity of secular education is simply the substitution of an ever-shifting, error-prone human mind for the eternal Word of God.

While the attacks from the left come as no surprise, it is a strange phenomenon indeed that Christian liberal arts education comes under fire also from the right. Though well-intentioned, these charges are equally without merit and totally undeserved. They allege that in the name of academic freedom, Christian liberal arts education compromises faith and morals and--especially on the post-secondary level--tempts students to embrace skepticism, glory in intellectual pride, become morally neutral, and tend toward secularism. Thus intellectual nearsightedness on the part of the critics implies that more education equals less spirituality and that, conversely, the lower a person's educational and intellectual level, the higher are the spiritual heights which he can attain. To paraphrase a popular warning: "Higher education may be hazardous to your spiritual health." Holders of this notion delight in pointing out that most of Jesus' disciples were simple carpenters and fishermen and didn't go to college. But misdirected and erroneous enthusiasm is a poor substitute for reasoned deliberation and validity. If falsehoods on the left are to be rejected, they become no more acceptable when they are offered from the right--sincere though they might be. Let us examine the facts!

No Bible-believing Christian would advocate that God can use only people with college degrees. Of paramount importance is a person's love for God and surrender to Him. Thus a grade school dropout may bring honor to God by his selfless and faithful service, while a brilliant Ph.D. might be an abomination to the Lord because of pride and self-glory. In acknowledging that fact we must not fall victim to the dreaded either/or syndrome. Effective service is not preconditioned upon a person's intellectual or educational insufficiency but on a willing heart and full development of all God-given talents. God deserves---He must have--the best in and of everything. He is not satisfied with less than that. The Bible makes it abundantly clear--notably in Luke 19--what God wants us to do with our talents and to what extent. Acknowledging then the fact that God can and does use people from all walks of life with great variety in educational level and achievement, we also need to be honest and not ignore the scriptural record of dedicated servants who obviously had been the recipients of a thorough liberal arts education as the following examples will demonstrate:

• Luke, the evangelist, was not only a competent physician but also an accomplished writer. Reading his gospel we note how his linguistic precision and stylistic elegance impress even in translation. Affirming quite readily that the Holy Spirit is the author of the Scriptures, we nonetheless know that He chose the words and arranged them according to each writer's vocabulary and style. Luke's writing skills bear testimony to his education.
• Daniel and some of his peers were "skillful in all wisdom, . . . cunning in knowledge, . . . understanding in science" and proficient in linguistics and foreign languages (Daniel 1:4). They certainly were not born with that knowledge. It had to be acquired through education.
• Moses was "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts 7:22). Knowing that God had elected him to lead His children from bondage, we cannot but conclude that Moses' Egyptian education was a necessary part to equip him more fully for his leadership task.
• Paul's erudition is amply documented not only in the conciseness and logic of his arguments and his ability to converse in different languages (see Acts 21:37), but we see it also in his many references to Greek philosophy and literature. We find examples in Acts 17:28; I Cor. 15:33; Titus 1:12; Acts 9:5, and II Cor. 4:17-18. In these verses he refers to the writings of Epimenides of Crete, Aratus, Menander, Aeschylus, and Plato.

Without discounting God's special blessings that rested on these choice servants of His, we must conclude, on the basis of scriptural evidence, that their effectiveness was greatly enhanced--if not dependent upon--their extensive education. Going back to the contention that Christ's disciples were simple carpenters and fishermen, we must reject as absurd the implication that they were not well-educated. They walked for three years with the Master in "whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). Learning from such a teacher who not only witnessed creation but was the cause of it (Col. 1:16) and learning from Him in daily contact provided for the disciples an education unparalleled in comprehensiveness and excellence.

A Christian liberal arts education teaches a person to be at home in the world of the mind and ideas. It helps him respond as an educated person rather than a fool. It helps him understand the problems he encounters in all areas of public and private life: political, social, and economic. It challenges him to the pursuit of knowledge, enabling him to bring discipline and order into his own life and that of a confused society. It refines his ethic and aesthetic sensibilities. Based on the eternal foundation of God's Word, the touchstone of truth, a Christian liberal arts education uniquely integrates faith and learning and, thus, teaches the student not only how to earn a living, that is to provide for his material needs however necessary that may be, but it teaches him more importantly how to live because it has an eternity in view. Having benefitted from a Christian liberal arts education, the Christian can function more effectively in his three God-ordained roles as prophet, priest, and king. As prophet he proclaims God's sovereignty, using language that is cogent, lucid, precise, grammatically correct, stylistically pleasing, and linguistically impressive by tone and impact. A person who has not learned how to express himself clearly, logically, sequentially, persuasively, and grammatically correctly will not draw attention to the message but only to his own incompetence. As priest, man maintains proper communion with his creator as he heeds His commands and serves Him. As king he exercises responsible stewardship over the created order. He will do so responsibly, not giving in to propaganda and hysteria, having learned to ignore the siren call of political correctness while basing his decisions on reason and evidence.

Thus far I have discussed the general and comprehensive benefits that a Christian liberal arts education provides. For a more complete appreciation, let us focus now on its value in several specific areas. Our society is feeling-oriented. Rather than listening to reason and critical analysis, it responds readily to appeals directed to emotion. Mental response requires intellectual effort--emotional response is immediate and convenient (a gut reaction), rendered on the subconscious level without engaging man's critical-evaluative faculties. Life and death decisions (abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment) are often made on the basis of prejudice and convenience with but casual regard for our rich moral Judeo-Christian tradition, if not ignoring it altogether. Religious freedoms that were so important to our philosophy- oriented founding fathers that without them nations were not considered to be free are currently attacked and curtailed in the name of misconstrued egalitarianism. Efficient exploration and management of our natural resources (development of new energy sources: oil and atomic, opening of wilderness areas) are hampered by mass hysteria that feeds on rumors and misinformation about the earth running out of resources, living space, and life-supporting climate. For instance, we are told that soon we all will die of skin cancer because we punched a hole in the ozone layer with refrigeration gases and other fluorides. But scientific investigation revealed recently that the thinning and thickening of the ozone layer are cyclical affairs. We hear about global warming and possible melting of the polar icecaps which will result in unimaginable catastrophes. II Peter, 3 tells us that eventually much more than the polar icecaps will melt. The whole earth will burn up with fervent heat--not because of the hair spray we use, but because of God's judgment. Wherever we turn, honest and reasoned arguments are drowned out by a flood of catchy but deceptive slogans. It seems that truth has a chance only if noise and distraction are on her side; otherwise she will not prevail. Frustrated by this state of affairs, the educated Christian seeks for effective measures to halt the accelerating mindless slide of our society into relativism and intellectual death. Christian liberal arts education offers the answers. It teaches a person to examine issues rationally, judge them critically, weigh alternatives, and reach intelligent decisions. Thus a student will learn the meaning of an open mind and how to keep an open mind. An open mind is much like an open mouth. The purpose is to clamp down on something solid. Failing that, an open mind can become like the city sewer, accepting everything and rejecting nothing.

Christian liberal arts education also prepares a person for effective and responsible leadership. If impassioned oratory and catchy slogans on behalf of a secular cause reveal faulty logic, incomplete substantiation, or unwarranted conclusions, they are to be rejected as intellectual dishonesty. They must be equally unacceptable under these circumstances if the cause is Christian. It is not the worthiness of the cause that sanctifies the methods, nor does a noble purpose obviate the need for intellectual integrity. The truly educated Christian, as a result of his liberal arts education, will have learned not to substitute opinion for conviction or emotional inclination for demonstrable fact and sound research. Properly informed, he can speak out with clarity and assurance and chart the course that man must follow. He will be able to convince rather than cajole, inspire rather than inflame, edify rather than enervate. All of this will not guarantee him a large crowd that willingly follows his lead. But he knows that effective leadership is not measured by the number of converts he garners but rather by the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth of his followers. In his 3-year ministry, Christ gathered around Him a small entourage of twelve people. He taught them, discipled them, and poured Himself into them. A few weeks after His ascension, thousands came to know Him through the efforts of those few whom He had prepared.

A Christian liberal arts education helps a person establish and keep a historical perspective. Although each person is uniquely created by God in His image and individually responsible to Him, he still is a member of his society. The present society, in turn, is but one link in a chain of generations that reaches from the day of creation to the day of the Lord's return. It is clear, therefore, that man is a historical being. Studying his history, he will learn how God dealt with men and nations throughout the civilizations. It will become evident to him how God poured out His blessings on peoples who obeyed and honored Him. He will also see the record of God's displeasure and wrath as a consequence of disobedience. Thus the study of history, providing far more than mere dates, names, and events, yields--especially under the guidance of Christian teachers--important lessons through proper interpretation of that which has occurred in the past. The "now" generation disdains the study of history as a useless relic of the past. Their cry is for relevance, for addressing "current problems" rather than the unprofitable learning (in their view) about the old Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Charlemagne, or even Napoleon, all of whom have died long ago. The educated Christian, however, recognizes that without a sense of history, man is essentially rootless. Where we are now makes sense only in terms of where we have been and where we want to go. History provides us with such important reference points. We must acquire a critical appreciation of the past before we can understand the present completely; and we must understand the present in order that we can creatively prepare for and participate in the future.

We live in a day of shifting moral values; and the study of ethics does not provide a consistent guide for human action, since ethics is a normative matter. Rather, it is suggested that time, place, and circumstance determine right and wrong in the absence of fixed standards; hence: situation ethics. Men do that which is right in their own eyes. And the Humanist Manifesto II declares that community standards and consensus determine moral values. In the face of such confusion and ethical laxity, Christian liberal arts education teaches the timeless validity of divinely established ethical principles. Christians who teach these truths are derided as anachronistic, wanting to turn back the clock as though progress were measured by the extent to which the relevance of the past is denied. Christian education will teach the student, always on the basis of Scripture, how to make correct moral choices. As he studies his dramas, novels, poetry, and philosophical essays--all of which may be called the laboratories of life--he will come to know that ethical dilemmas are real, and that there are no simplistic answers. Rather than handing him a catalog that delineates the proper action for each situation--a catalog that does not exist because it would be impossible to anticipate all possible situations a man will face in life--proper Christian education will teach the Scripturally correct concept of an ethical hierarchy. Biblical example will provide the proper framework within which man with clear thinking and the guidance of the Holy Spirit will be able to make moral choices that please God. Life does not always present us with clear black- and-white situations. Sometimes duties appear to conflict when at a given time two laws apply but we can obey only one of them, as was the cause with Rahab who was faced with the ethical dilemma of either telling the truth and thereby compromising the safety of the two Israelites or engaging in deception and thus protecting the men of God. Intellectual keenness fostered by a Christian liberal arts education is often required to determine which Scriptural principle applies to a given situation. As we discuss morality we realize that it has two corresponding components: intent and conduct. Excessive concern with conduct tends toward legalism and, possibly, self-righteousness. On the other hand, overemphasis of intent may provide a welcome excuse not to follow biblical command. But the properly educated Christian will be able, by God's grace, not only to make the right decisions, but to explain to his shallow critics the difference between situation ethics and a Scripturally taught ethical hierarchy. Situation ethics has no absolute standards; the situation determines right and wrong, whereas the Christian always approaches each situation with divine standards firmly determined. Yet faced with an ethical dilemma, his obedience to one law does not invalidate the other.

Another benefit of Christian liberal arts education lies in the area of aesthetics. It sensitizes the student that he may gain a critical appreciation for that which is truly beautiful. Armed with that knowledge he can exercise the proper judgments concerning the things he chooses for his entertainment, enjoyment, and edification. The world teaches that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder and is entirely subjective. However, the Christian has learned that there are absolute criteria for determining what is beautiful, although he may allow some latitude for individual tastes. Therefore, the Christian studies and then applies Scriptural standards as he occupies himself with music, art, and literature. He learns to be alert to objectionable elements in either content or situation of a work of art. This is the development of a discerning spirit. Taking the Bible as his guide and using his critical faculties, he will not reject on superficial grounds that which is acceptable, nor will be allow the intrusion of objectionable elements in the name of so-called academic freedom. Man learns from negative as well as positive examples. The fact that a work of literature, for example, has been produced by a nonbeliever or that it contains some objectionable elements does not automatically render it unfit for providing enjoyment or instruction to the Christian. Of overriding concern must be the explicitness or gratuitousness of such elements and the overall moral tone of the work. The Bible must be our guide here as in all other matters. It contains itself many objectionable elements; yet they are given for our edification. Sin is never treated lightly in the Scripture, nor do its consequences yield anything but God's wrath.

A Christian liberal arts education attempts to help the saved Christian young person reach his potential; and it contributes to his spiritual, emotional, and intellectual growth that he may become the person God wants him to be: a testimony of God's love and grace; an image of God's attributes and characteristics; a good citizen of his earthly community; an example to believer and unbeliever; the salt of the earth. In summary, he will have learned to be intellectual rather than bookish, informed rather than opinionated, discriminating rather than prejudiced, competent rather than competitive, compassionate rather than condescending, committed rather than captured, and disciplined rather than capricious. Imitating his Lord and Scriptural exemplars, he will have allowed his Christian liberal arts education to help him become "all things to all men, that [he] might by all means save some" (I Cor. 9:22). And that, in the final analysis, is the value of a Christian liberal arts education.

Reprinted from Balance, a publication of the School of Education, Bob Jones University. Used with permission of Bob Jones University. Please write BJU Press, for permission to reproduce this article.