Abstract
In this book, editors Porter and Fawcett have published a collection of edited papers and plenary talks from the 2018 Toronto Symposium on Christian Higher Education. The symposium brought together 35 Canadian Christian institutions, including Bible colleges, Christian universities, and theological seminaries. The collection of essays is, while somewhat disjointed in focus, an insightful and much-needed overview of the history, present-day challenges, and considerations for the future of Christian higher education in Canada. This book fills an important purpose for faculty and student affairs professionals working in Canadian Christian higher education and is an important contribution to the developing body of literature that addresses higher education in the Canadian context.
In Part One, “The Historical and Contemporary Context for Canadian Christian Higher Education,” two of the four essays focus on specific topics in specific contexts to draw larger conclusions about Christian higher education. In the first essay, Adam D. Rudy highlights the cultural narratives of the Second World War as expressed in student newspapers and the “belief that democracy was rooted in Christian ideals, and that one could not survive without the other” (p. 36). The essay that follows draws implications for higher education by exploring the changing religious profile of Baptist youth in Atlantic Canada. This section is rich in data from diverse sources and is helpful for understanding general trends related to markers of Christian commitment such as decreased biblical literacy, predictions regarding who remains connected to the church, and characteristics of those who select Christian institutions. Throughout the book, the essays that focus on specific contexts tend to be the most helpful for drawing broader applications, as evidenced in Berg’s essay in chapter 5 wherein he employs the thriving framework in a specific institutional context to explain how they successfully reinvented themselves.
Among the more summative essays is the contribution by Kevin Flatt, which offers a helpful historical foundation and understanding of the evolution of the university in Canada. He offers an analysis of varied schools of thought related to secularization and describes the impacts on university autonomy, increased state involvement, the shifting nexus of knowledge authority, and the declining influence of the church in the affairs of the university. All these factors ultimately lead to the loss of Christian identity and religious affiliation of historically religious institutions over time. His conclusions are succinct, as he argues, “to remain meaningfully committed over the long term to a tradition of Christian orthodoxy, a Christian university will have to paddle very hard against contrary cultural currents that are powerful indeed” (p. 82). Flatt’s conclusion is, in fact, a theme of the whole book.
The internal and external challenges raised chapter by chapter are numerous. External pressures include the changing landscape of students’ religious affiliation, “delay of adult commitments” (p. 93), and increased competition with public universities due to changes in government funding. The pressure to seek accreditation to remain competitive while navigating the challenge of parents’ and students’ perceptions and expectations related to career preparation simply add to the list of challenges. In Chapter 10, Schwartz and Rehn point to internal challenges, including resistance to challenge the status quo, the deferral of responsibility for institutional change, and a lack of understanding or commitment to faith integrated learning. The challenges dominate the narrative in this series of essays.
The opportunities provided chapter by chapter are, unfortunately, often warning signs and notes of caution. Stanley Porter offers the advice in Chapter 7 that geographical locations where multiple evangelical seminaries exist join forces into one institution (p. 201). While exceptionally practical, this suggestion does not sufficiently acknowledge the vast diversity within the umbrella of “evangelicalism” nor the immense disruption and complexity of navigating various denominations’ own drive for the survival of denominational identity. John G. Stackhouse Jr.‘s essay offers the reminder and encouragement to press on despite the challenges and to listen and follow Jesus. Yet he is unequivocal to the point of adversarial in saying that Christian institutions must remain vigilant and stand against government interference or anything that threatens religious freedoms.
While secularization writ large may historically be the external driving force of change in Christian higher education in Canada, dynamics within the church and the fracturing of evangelical identity are among the most salient concerns for Christian higher education today and deserved more attention. This book is a valuable contribution for Christian higher education professionals and administrators working in the Canadian context. The reader who works in such a context will find helpful insights and solid affirmation of the tensions and difficulties that are readily apparent day-to-day.