Should My Child Go to a
CHRISTIAN OR SECULAR COLLEGE ?
BY DR . ROGER C . S . ERDVIG
P arents frequently ask me for my opinion about whether their children should go to a Christian or secular university . While there are many reasons why parents ask this question , the issue behind the question is often related to their child ’ s faith . This is an understandable concern , as parents watch the news about what ’ s going on in today ’ s universities and hear a steady stream of stories about young adults who have walked away from or “ deconstructed ” their childhood faith .
Parents are wise to consider how college will influence their kids ’ faith . A well-chosen Christian college will do much to support faith and worldview formation . But preserving and strengthening our kids ’ faith is only one reason to seriously consider a Christian university . There ’ s another important reason . But let ’ s explore this issue of faith first .
We ’ ve all heard the bad news about how virtually all secular universities have become antagonistic toward the Christian faith . Simply stated , a high school graduate heading to the local state university or a prestigious Ivy League school will be pressured to reject faith in Christ . In the classroom , Marxist or postmodern professors will scoff at Christianity as a crutch for weaklings , a socially constructed story , or a tool to oppress others . In the dorms , sexual immorality and debauchery of all sorts will be normalized and celebrated . Christian young people will be told their faith is unreasonable and that maintaining it puts them on the wrong side of history .
This pressure begins on the first day a student steps on campus . I ’ ve had a firsthand look at what freshmen orientation is like in a local state university . A former student of mine captured multiple screenshots of the orientation process , which is sort of like a journey through what the university deems a new student needs to know to succeed in college . Right alongside tips for how to manage their meal plan and access online databases for research , freshmen are given instructions on how to be a ferocious ally for oppressed groups on campus , how to identify one ’ s privilege or points of intersectionality ( or lack thereof ), and how to have “ safe ” homosexual sex in their dorm room , complete with diagrams and video links for more detailed instructions .
Recent research suggests that as many as two-thirds of Christian young people walk away from church between the ages of eighteen and twenty . 1 That ’ s a staggering statistic and a big reason for parents to think carefully about where to send their kids to college . Just imagine investing tens of thousands of dollars in your child ’ s education , only to receive a return on that investment no Christian parent would want — rejection of Christ and His church . Unfortunately , we all know families who don ’ t have to imagine this ; they ’ ve experienced it .
One of the most troubling things I hear from parents about the option of attending a secular university is the “ but I turned out fine ” argument . This argument bases the college decision on the reality that mom or dad went to a secular university and maintained his or her faith . However , this does not take into consideration the rapidly evolving and militaristic opposition to Christianity that has all but taken over the American university in the last twenty years . It also doesn ’ t consider their child ’ s unique needs , as if their child is identical to them in terms of their faith and their strengths and weaknesses . Saying “ I turned out fine ” is like me saying that my infant grandchild shouldn ’ t have to be in a car seat because I survived infancy riding in the car on my mother ’ s lap .
If a family prayerfully discerns that a secular university is the best choice for their child , he or she can maintain faith . Most often , this happens when mom and dad have equipped him or
26 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW