Are The Liberal Arts Liberal?

That question could also be phrased, “are there conservative arts?” Do left-wingers study in liberal arts schools and right-wingers study in other kinds of schools? What about the “moderate arts” – where do you go to school to get that kind of education? Would there be a school where I could go and get an education in the “fundamentalist arts?”

It is an odd thing that for some followers of Jesus, any idea that has the word liberal attached to it is automatically assumed to be from the pits of Satan worship! That might explain why any survey you see suggests that among conservative Christians, the percentage of income given to the work of the Kingdom is so paltry. After all, Paul uses the word “liberal” in describing the giving practices mentioned in 2 Corinthians 8. Here’s what he says, “We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift.” (2 Corinthians 8:20, NIV) Can’t imagine how the conservative, Bible-believing translators of the NIV allowed that word to slip into the translation!

We live in an age where it is difficult to keep up with the “arts and sciences” well enough to be able to communicate the Christian gospel in an effective manner. It’s one thing to be able to parrot someone else’s interpretation of Scripture, but a whole different thing to be taught to think for yourself and be given the tools to direct that thinking. The broader our education (think liberal arts) the more likely we are to avoid spending life as a parrot and learn to think, study, evaluate, and come to understanding.

Many Christian colleges, born in the reactionary approach to education of another age, have moved more and more in the direction of “liberal arts” with a healthy dose of good, quality, biblical education in the mix. That produces graduates who have more potential than can be adequately measured to change the world in which we live.

It’s one thing to be biblical. I’ve spent most of my adult life helping students discover how to discover for themselves the meaning of Scripture. The compliment I like to hear most is “he teaches me to think.” But one can be biblical to the core, and if you don’t understand the world in which you have been called to serve God, you aren’t likely to communicate that biblical message. An education that is broad enough to include literature, science, history, the social sciences, the humanities, psychology, education, communication, languages, and the like – as well as biblical and theological disciplines – is most likely the kind of education that prepares one for a life-time of service in the Kingdom of God. It produces graduates who can be both biblical and relevant.

The global culture of the 21st century can’t be influenced by those who see “biblical and relevant” as an “either/or” proposition. It must be “both/and.” What better way to create the “both/and” than in a good, solid, and broad approach to education?

Sometimes I hear people suggest that the reason Christian colleges have moved more in the direction of the liberal arts is because we have more and more students coming who want a good Christian education, but don’t plan on a vocational ministry as their goal in life. While I think that is true, and good – it is only part of the story. The move to liberal arts isn’t a move to bad theology, no theology, watered down theology, or any of the other negative terms that often get thrown in that direction. It actually is a move that prepares those who plan on vocational ministry in ways that are good, godly, and essential in terms of preparing young adults for a life of serving Christ – no matter their vocational goals. It also provides the opportunity to give students in a wide variety of vocational choices a solid biblical and theological foundation.

On the spiritual formation pamphlet that we use at Point University – and have been using for the five years I’ve served in my current role – we say this:

Every student at Point University will see the importance of integrating faith and vocation.

This means that we strive:
• to practice the idea of the priesthood of all believers;
• to see vocation, regardless of what it is, as mission;
• to learn how to effectively bear witness to our faith in any setting, without being overbearing;
• to learn in every classroom setting the relationship of the subject at hand to our faith; and
• to ensure that no student graduates without having been exposed to the ideal of integration of faith and vocation.

But we also realize that a part of our core mission is to prepare young men and women for ministry-connected vocations. Here’s what we say to that reality:

Some students at Point University will sense that they are called to ordained ministry.

Thus:
• some will find themselves in church settings as preachers, worship leaders, education leaders, spiritual formation facilitators, student and children’s ministers, administrators, etc.;
• some will find themselves in global settings as missionaries, campus ministers, church planters, relief workers, educators, health workers, etc.; and
• some will find themselves in parachurch settings such as colleges, seminaries, camps, convalescent centers, orphanages, relief agencies, urban ministries, campus ministries, etc.

For the life of me I can’t see how that is somehow to be viewed as deserting the mission! Counting my four years as a student and now 35 years as a faculty/staff member, I’ve been at this school for over half of its existence. I’ve seen more changes than I can count. One of those changes is that I’ve never seen as many students committed to transforming the world as I do right now.

Some of them come here wanting to play sports, and end up in ministry or some other vocation with a solid biblical foundation. Some come wanting a business degree and end up doing campus ministry. Some come because their parents see us as a reform school – and end up being transformed by the community that makes up this campus as it lives out the Jesus story in inviting fashion. Some come thinking that they want to be in vocational ministry, only to discover they really aren’t wired for that and can more effectively serve God is some other vocational choice. Thank God the broader approach to education gives them that option!

It really is about mission – not style of education. If Christian colleges should have embedded in their reason for existence the desire to transform the world – then Point University is on mission!