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How Christian Colleges Can Avoid Going Liberal

How Christian Colleges Can Avoid Going Liberal

Last updated on: March 3, 2026 at 5:29 pm by Roger E. Olson

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How Christian Colleges Can Avoid Going Liberal 2026-03-03T17:29:18-05:00 Roger E. Olson

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Everyone involved in Christian higher education knows that many contemporary liberal American colleges and universities were once quite conservative and even evangelical. This trend has become so well-known and talked about in evangelical academic circles that many people are highly sensitive to any rumor or hint of progressive thinking or teaching in their alma mater or college/university/seminary associated with their church or denomination.

I served in American evangelical higher education for forty years. I avoided administration. One of my seminary professors who was “roped” into serving as academic dean told me always to remember that “The road to scholarly perdition is paved with the stones of administration.” I never forgot that and never wanted to serve in an administrative role. I just wanted to teach and do research and write. However, I did get to know administrators and listened to some of them complain bitterly about the many challenges of their jobs.

I will just tell one story from my own experience. I was invited by the president of my college to deliver a presentation about evangelical theology to the presidents of the Christian College Consortium, a group of 13 evangelical colleges. Among them: Wheaton, Gordon-Connell, Trinity, Asbury, George Fox, Westmont and Bethel (MN).

I delivered my presentation and then listened as the presidents fell into debate among themselves about the meaning of “evangelical” and who among them best represented evangelical higher education. Most of the presidents were not theologians. I could tell that some of them did not really understand “evangelical theology.” They thought of “evangelical” as a kind of piety, but did not to my way of thinking understand the theology connected with it.

There were tensions arising about a number of issues in some of those colleges: the historical nature of Adam and Eve (were they necessarily two “real people” in time and space?), the roles of women in churches (whether women could or should preach or pastor), “open theism,” the rise of the “Young, Restless, Reformed Movement,” and other issues dividing their colleges’ constituency.

Each of those colleges, and many others, struggled with criticisms aimed by constituents, often by “deep pockets” financial supporters. That still goes on. Sometimes the criticisms are legitimate and sometimes spurious.

Every Christian college, university, seminary president or dean needs either to be a theologian or have a group of trusted theologians for consultation and advice.

Every pastor or concerned alumnus/alumna ought to go directly to the president to gain information and insight about rumors or accusations aimed at the institution, rather than just believe what they hear and go off against the institution on social media, Youtube, or the telephone.

When a controversy breaks out, the president ought to hold an open forum including the most intelligent and articulate critics and the accused professor(s)/teacher(s). Both sides should be well represented and heard. Those sides’ main arguments should be published in the college’s newsletter.

After a thorough investigation the president and the regents/trustees should publish a definitive conclusion permitting no further argument.

If the investigation finds that a professor (or professors) violated the doctrinal or ethical standards of the college or university by teaching heresy, he or she or they should be advised to stop teaching it. If the investigation finds that the accused professor(s) did not violate the doctrinal or ethical standards of the college or university, he or she or they should be fully exonerated. The college or university (or seminary) should stand behind the wrongly accused person(s) and let the chips fall where they may.

Too often the end result of the “investigation” is that the accused person(s) is/are exonerated inside the institution but thrown under the bus, so to speak, externally. The result is that he or she or they is/are forced to look elsewhere for employment to save “face” for the institution and keep deep pocket financial supporters from withholding funds.

That is unethical and should not be tolerated. I personally know of cases where that has happened and I find that behavior despicable.

Keeping Christian colleges and universities from “going liberal” requires vigilance at the top and vigilance at the top requires administrators to be wise men and women knowledgable about generous Christian orthodoxy. What Christian colleges and universities do not need is hyper-vigilant outsiders, even alumni, harassing them over rumors of heresy and “wokeness” without real facts or foundations.

*Note: If you choose to comment, make sure your comment is relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures or links.*

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