Editor’s Note: This represents a continuation of Part II of Mr. Hunter’s article.
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Objection 2: What about accepting students of different faiths and beliefs? What about carrying out the Great Commission?
A true Christian liberal arts education as presented above does not mean the exclusion or intolerance of students who are non-Christians! Nor does it mean the discouragement of debate and discussion between students with differing views or perspectives. All students, Christian or non-Christian, should be treated with love and respect by faculty, administrators, and (hopefully) other students), and all should be encouraged to contribute and to participate in the academic endeavor. This is not the issue. The issue is, what worldview are the faculty and administration operating with? An evangelical Christian liberal arts institution should have faculty and administration that hold to Scripture as God’s Word and to Christ’s supremacy in everything, which means that every class should seek to integrate faith and learning. As shown above, all professors teach from a particular perspective: a Christian perspective need not inhibit engagement of differing viewpoints or debate and discussion; in fact I think it would encourage it. Ironically at Erskine, it seems that in at least a few cases it has been evangelical Christians who have been treated unfairly.
Many keep saying that these students want to turn Erskine into a Bible College. These objections spring from a misunderstanding about what a Christian liberal arts education truly is. The concerns being raised are not about legislating morality, legalistic rules in the dorms, or preaching more sermons. It is about a Biblical worldview as the foundation of Erskine’s education. Please don’t make this mistake in identity.
The Great Commission
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Some have objected that the students who raised concerns about Erskine display no Christian spirit or desire to see the Great Commission fulfilled. I would argue that the very reason that a petition was formed and concerns were raised to the ARP General Synod is because Erskine as an institution is not effectively doing its part in carrying out the Great Commission. Before giving that commission, the risen Lord Jesus proclaims himself to have authority over all things. Christ’s rule is over all things! A Christian institution should strive to submit all things to Christ’s rule. First Jesus commands his disciples (and us) to “go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Erskine College should be an institution that longs to see unbelievers to become disciples and be baptized into the church, not by coercing or marginalizing unbelievers or by having Bible studies in biology class, but by having an institution committed to the truth of Scripture and to Christ’s lordship in all areas of education and of life. Christ also commands us to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.” A Christian institution should long for its Christian students to receive an education that encourages them to know and follow Christ’s commands. As we have seen before, in some instances students are not being evangelized, but de-evangelized.
Furthermore, Erskine College should be a place that prepares its Christian students to carry out the Great Commission. My question would be this: if a student is taught in such a way that faith and learning are not integrated into his/her education, how can that student possibly hope to integrate his faith into his particular job or field of study? The student will be encouraged to think that Christianity only affects his personal spiritual life and moral values, not his job or field of study. This would seem to me quite a hindrance to openly sharing the gospel in word and deed with non-Christians in the world.
I could be wrong, but I think that this particular objection has been raised partly because of comments about Erskine’s admissions process. The way I understand the concerns is that some of Erskine’s admissions strategies may reveal the desired direction for Erskine as an institution. If Admissions begins to shy away from emphasizing Christian commitment, does that reveal that Erskine as an institution seeks to do the same? The desire is certainly not to repel unbelievers and thus have Erskine become more “sheltered.” The desire is simply to not shy away from Christian commitment in the admissions process. The desire then also would be for Erskine to truly implement Christian commitment and excellence in learning so that such a presentation of Christian commitment to prospective students would indeed be an honest one.