By Dr. Ryan F. Smith
All problems of modern academic liberalism are, at their root, theological. The fundamental error in secular academia is the denial of the Triune God, coupled with the intellectual and moral void that spirals out from this rejection. In contrast, spiritually faithful colleges – those which are liberal (“free”) in the original sense – ground their understanding on Scripture rather than what John Bunyan called “worldly wisdom.” Christian higher education integrates faith into its curriculum and pedagogy with three essential features: acknowledgement of the Triune God, awareness of common grace, and affirmation of biblical ethics. The Triune God not only exists, but He created and sustains all aspects of the world. Consequently, Christ’s rule spreads across every academic discipline in its entirety (Col. 1:17). The Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck rightly explains, “Any science, philosophy, or knowledge which supposes that it can stand on its own pretensions, and can leave God out of its assumptions, becomes its opposite, and disillusions everyone who builds his expectations on it.” The faithful instructor will cultivate theological awareness in conjunction with the study of his discipline. Such habits will inculcate sophisticated critical thinking skills that enable students to critique faddish theories that fundamentally deny the truth of a good God who created man and woman in His image. Furthermore, one ought to consider all disciplines in relationship to the doctrine of Creation: those that either examine the mechanics of creation (i.e. mathematics and sciences), reflect man as a sub-creator expressing the Imago Dei (i.e. the arts and literature), or cause us to consider our created reality (i.e. philosophy, theology). Every discipline is most fully explored when it is biblically informed and guided — even if that exercise simply results in doxology. How, then, does a Christian liberal arts institution incorporate human wisdom, offered by those not working in submission to the creator God, into its curriculum? Common grace is a central tenet of Christian higher education that recognizes that God equips people outside the church to make significant cultural contributions. Who can imagine a Western culture without Plato or Aristotle? By recognizing the Imago Dei in all persons, one can mine the wealth of authors from previous centuries and foreign lands, regardless of their faith. Reading and studying a variety of perspectives is inescapable in academia, yet it need not be uneasy for the Christian. One must seek to read charitably to glean the products of common grace in those writings. And, one must seek to read critically to parse out the veracity of the claims. By honing both of these skills, the Christian scholar will be equipped to enter the conversations of the academy armed with grace. Finally, the ethical dimension plays a central role in Christian education. Christian higher education, unlike secular education, emphasizes a strong moral component that cannot be divorced from intellectual pursuits. When studying any discipline, one must relate its concerns to Christian morality while developing a disposition and worldview that can engage with opposing viewpoints. We must be able to engage with subtleties and complexities with nuance, sophistication, and clarity. Furthermore, discipleship and worship must accompany content, and thus be commonplace in the classroom. Higher education that is faithful in this regard produces godly, thoughtful men and women who effectively impact their spheres of influence outside of the academy, whether at home, church, or the public square. Our desire at New Aberdeen is to model this type of educational approach so that we can fulfill our mission to “form mature disciples in the traditions of classical learning and the Reformed faith.” Such an approach will bear fruit not only for the students themselves, but ultimately spread throughout their realms of influence.
¹ Herman Bavinck, The Wonderful Works of God. Glenside, Pennsylvania: Westminster Seminary Press; 4.
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