The gospel is central to life in the Christian community. It is formational to the church proper and to the pedagogical task of faith-based colleges and universities. The gospel is also significant for the education of non/nominal Christians who are present in our classrooms. This article describes the gospel as indispensable for faith-based…

Drawing from research in the learning sciences, this article argues that educators, like Jesus, should use stories as we mentor students to move beyond passive reception of information and truly apply their learning to novel situations. Thus, students can go beyond "hearing" to "bearing fruit." This storytelling approach to…

The prevailing current context of neoliberalism has often been viewed as curtailing the prophetic expression of the Catholic identity of Catholic educational institutions (CEIs). This article proposes that only by reclaiming their prophetic identity can CEIs flourish authentically in the neoliberal era. A faith-based approach to addressing the…

This paper proposes an original synthesis of teleological aims and priorities of Christian colleges and universities. Based on historical trends and trajectories, I provide a typology of ages based on the purpose of college education and the subsequent views of human personhood: the age of faith, the age of reason, the age of industrialization,…

Since the 17th century, life in general--and in particular with respect to the management/administration of higher education institutions (HEIs)--has been dominated by neoliberal tendencies. Stated another way, neoliberalism is the tendency to view everything in capitalist terms and to see all institutions as businesses, including those that in…

Recent contributions in the fields of psychology, sociology, and theology reveal opposing attitudes about the subject of calling or vocation with regard to one's work. Whereas psychologists have rediscovered the concept, theologians increasingly show reluctance to accept a vocational view of work. In offering an alternative perspective, this…

What does it mean to be a community in right relation with each other? That question, as well as a partial answer found in Taylor University's Life Together Covenant, still bear the marks of Wesleyan evangelical convictions. Exploring those convictions shines light for us on why this question and Taylor's covenant matter for Taylor University and,…

Christian educators recognize the value of biblical wisdom. Indeed, one of the foremost objectives of a Christian liberal arts education is that all members of the learning community would pursue and attain wisdom. Although wisdom is important as an end goal of Christian liberal arts education, this article proposes that wisdom can also serve as…

Charles Gutenson's convicting words motivated me to attempt this essay. He writes: "If we are to engage in serious dialogue about the relationship between Christian faith and our [public] commitments, we must invest more energy in bringing Scripture to bear on them" (2011, p. 9). The common good seems a common conversation these days. To…

A sense of disillusionment grips many doctoral students as they face financial distress, lack of adequate mentorship, concern about job prospects, and other challenges. The Old Testament book of Malachi is a little-recognized resource for students struggling with feelings of disillusionment. Malachi's audience faced disappointment after joyfully…

What does it look like to cultivate a community in right relationship with God? In taking the focus off individual members and placing it on the community itself, we recognize that the whole of a university is greater than the sum of its parts, and that individual parts are repeatedly and continually shaped and defined by the whole. Being in right…

Reconciliation is often understood as only having to do with our broken relationship with God. Yet we are alienated not only from God, but also from other people and the natural world. So we need help. Our brokenness extends to all things, thus we need to be put back into right relationships with all things. Such is the good news of Scripture: God…

In recent years, the topic of multiculturalism has often been a divisive issue. Although some argue that highlighting particularities allows for richer and more productive dialogue across differences, others choose to emphasize humankind's similarities with the belief that this focus on commonalities will create a greater sense of unity. This…

Using the riverside account surrounding the events of Moses' birth in Exodus 2:1-10 as a structural guide, the article explores whether Christian higher education institutions ought to adopt administrative policies, programs, and practices that extend specific support to students from foster care aspiring to earn a postsecondary degree that are…

The policies, priorities, and productivity of postsecondary admission offices are under a great deal of scrutiny. The current realities range from the pressures of tuition-driven institutions to deliver the majority of the university budget each fall, to more selective institutions wrestling with standards of which applicants to accept amid…