David Dockery on Christian Higher Education

Christianity Today interviews David Dockery, President of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Dockery is the co-editor of two books on Christian higher education (Shaping a Christian Worldview: The Foundation of Christian Higher Education and The Future of Christian Higher Education), and has now written his own book on the subject called Renewing Minds: Serving Church and Society through Christian Higher Education. The latter will be available in October from Holman Academic. Here's a sample question and answer:

CT: One of the significant divides in terms of conceiving the Christian university is between the "two spheres" model that aims to provide an excellent secular education in a Christian environment and the integrationist model that aims at distinctively Christian education. You endorse the latter. Why?

Dockery: A two-sphere model recognizes the place of chapel, campus ministry, mission trip opportunities, and residence-life Bible studies. This model sees a place for faith on one side of the campus and learning on the other. This model can be achieved with parachurch ministries on secular campuses. I do not believe this model represents the best of Christ-centered higher education nor do I think it represents the best of the Christian intellectual tradition through the years.

Read the whole thing.

(HT: JT)