The Christian college phenomenon : inside America's fastest growing institutions of higher learning / Samuel Joeckel and Thomas Chesnes, editors. [print]

Includes bibliographical references.

A slippery slope to secularization? : the worthwhile risk of Christian higher education Samuel Joeckel and Thomas Chesnes -- Christian scholarship : opportunities, realities, and challenges Susan VanZanten -- A coda on faith, learning, and scholarly rigor David L. Weeks and Donald G. Isaak -- Thick ecumenism : the possibility of enlarging our circles at Christian colleges and universities Phillip Irving Mitchell -- Faith and campus culture : are faculty and students on the same page? / Carol Woodfin -- Faith and campus culture : living and learning in the questions Wayne Barnard -- In loco parentis : strengths, weaknesses, and future directions C. Eric Jones and April L. Cunion -- In loco parentis : an evolving concept Edee M. Schulze and Paul Blezien -- In loco parentis from a student and faculty perspective Allison Sanders and Samuel Joeckel -- The hesitants among us : and the tightrope act of Christian scholarship Joe Ricke -- Fear not : security, risk, and academic freedom Dan Russ -- What is freedom for? : rhetoric and reality at Christian colleges David Hoekema -- Race and ethnicity in CCCU schools : rhetoric and reality Alvaro Nieves -- Understanding CCCU faculty of color Jenell Williams Paris and Michelle Knights -- Biblical multiculturalism : moving forward in deed and truth Terriel Byrd and Olga Rybalkina -- Finding a home in academia : gender equity at CCCU institutions M. Elizabeth Hall -- We're doomed : why Christian colleges and universities must lead on the issue of gender equity and why they don't Bettina Tate Pederson and Allyson Jule -- Holding on to the traditions of men : Christianity, gender, and the academy Jennifer McKinney -- Deconstructing the second pillar of antievolutionism in Christian higher education Thomas Chesnes -- Inherited beliefs and evolved brains : a CCCU challenge Howard Van Till -- Evolution and Christian faith Richard G. Colling -- Moving up the slippery slope George M. Marsden -- The secular challenges and resources for addressing them Martin E. Marty.

Both mainline and evangelical Christian denominations have faced membership declines in the past decade, yet Christian higher education is booming. The authors of this compendium, both associate professors at Palm Beach Atlantic University, developed a survey to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the 110 institutions affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. The results confirm their underlying assumption: both faculty and students are predictably conservative, theologically and politically. Nearly 30 contributors go on to parse elements of the survey, painting a portrait of life on campus both complimentary and critical, including heavy workloads and feelings of inferiority in relation to secular scholars. If there is one consistent theme to this heavy tome, it is the willingness to be open and honest. That's not always easy given the gatekeeping tests on such issues as evolution, abortion, or same-sex marriage, which majorities on campus reject. Still, these academics can be admired for striving to create a climate of intellectual inquiry while holding firm to their Christian identity.

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