Tag: Higher Education

Scandia Chapel

Final Thoughts on Evangelicalism and the Humanities: Rethinking How Christian Colleges Serve the Church

May 18, 2016

I’m pretty sure the world has heard enough from me for now on the subject of the “crisis of the humanities” in Christian colleges. At the risk of overreaching, let me just add a few closing thoughts: First, that I appreciate the enormous response to the first two posts this week. They provoked some truly enlightening … More Final Thoughts on Evangelicalism and the Humanities: Rethinking How Christian Colleges Serve the Church

"Fear" in neon lights

If There’s a Crisis of the Humanities in Christian Colleges, What Does It Tell Us about Evangelicalism?

May 17, 2016

So what’s causing the decline of humanities disciplines in evangelical colleges? And why is it significant for those institutions’ constituencies? I think the answer to both questions may hinge on one word: fear. Now, I’m sure no single factor can explain why English, history, and philosophy accounted for only 5.5% of bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2014 by members of … More If There’s a Crisis of the Humanities in Christian Colleges, What Does It Tell Us about Evangelicalism?

Graph showing declining enrollment in humanities fields (English, history, philosophy) at selected Christian liberal arts colleges since 2004

Quantifying the Crisis in Humanities at Christian Colleges

May 16, 2016

So is Messiah College history professor John Fea correct that “Enrollments in humanities fields — history, philosophy, literature, theology — at evangelical colleges have experienced a precipitous decline over the last decade”? Last week I looked at my own institution to begin to offer an answer to that question. But I admitted that I didn’t … More Quantifying the Crisis in Humanities at Christian Colleges

Cover of The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education

A New Review of The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education

May 11, 2016

Thanks to Brant Himes of Azusa Pacific University for taking the time to review our book on Pietism and higher ed for the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion! In The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education, Christopher Gehrz convenes an impressive array of scholars to offer fresh, cross-disciplinary reflections on how the Pietist … More A New Review of The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education

Enrollment by major (as percentage of total enrollment) at Bethel University, 2009-2015

Are the Humanities in Crisis at Christian Colleges?

May 9, 2016

Last week I was part of a discussion at Bethel about what defines “the humanities.” I bit my tongue, but I was tempted to say, “A perpetual sense of crisis.” And perhaps “crisis of the humanities” talk has been overblown. I wrote a whole post about this nearly three years ago, noting historian Ben Schmidt’s finding that (aside … More Are the Humanities in Crisis at Christian Colleges?

Hatmaker, For the Love

That Was The Week That Was

April 29, 2016

I’ll be out of town this weekend, so here’s an early, abbreviated links wrap. Here… • This week’s podcast revisited the themes of our book, The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education, then applied them to Christian formation in other settings, including churches and homes. • Elsewhere on the Christian Humanist Radio Network, the Sectarian Review took on David … More That Was The Week That Was

John Williams with Muhlenberg College students

The Liberal Arts Are Not Synonymous with Elite Private Colleges

April 13, 2016

For a couple weeks now, I’ve been meaning to circle back to a post by Muhlenberg College president John Williams that John Fea shared at his blog. I still haven’t had time to write up a full response, but I thought I’d go ahead and share what Williams wrote — and why it simultaneously encourages and … More The Liberal Arts Are Not Synonymous with Elite Private Colleges

Championship Basketball: Some Advice from Coach Rupp

April 3, 2016

I’m not sure they’re any more likely to be reading this blog today than to have been watching my Twitter account yesterday, but just in case Roy Williams or Jay Wright is looking for an edge before their North Carolina Tarheels and Villanova Wildcats face off tomorrow night for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship… I had a little fun … More Championship Basketball: Some Advice from Coach Rupp

Grünewald, Resurrection

That Was The Week That Was

April 2, 2016

Here… • Fortunately, blog readership plummets during Easter weekend, but in case you want to revisit them, I did post reflections on the vigil of Holy Saturday and the “resurrection sunset” of Easter evening. • Lesson learned: any supposed list of “indispensable Christian academic Twitter users” is itself quite dispensable. (Though you could do worse than to follow these seven.) … More That Was The Week That Was