For our meeting Nov. 7 at 7:30 a.m. at Mr. J’s Bagels, we will be discussing Nigel Paterson’s “Do We Need a Christian University?” This essay examines the relationship between secular society and the idea of the university.

Here’s a summary of the paper:

The concept of a university was substantially a Christian innovation, yet most modern universities are secular institutions. This paper surveys briefly the historical background which shows how this came about and the institutional landscape of higher education today. Next, biblical perspectives applicable to all Christians involved in higher education are explored. At the heart of the paper, there lies a discussion of the arguments for and against a Christian university, and the characteristics of such a new Christian university, as envisaged, are presented. The paper is intended to provoke readers across the world to thought, discussion and a more informed response to the many possibilities for Christian service within higher education.

View the paper here in Word format.