Higher Education at Risk
Give instruction to the wise, and they will be still wiser; teach the righteous and they will increase in learning. (Proverbs 9:9)
Presbyterians have focused on education throughout its history in the United States and even before our nation's founding. Since the outset of the Protestant Reformation, Presbyterians in Scotland and Switzerland committed to education. The Reformation focused on the primacy of sacred Scripture. Religious leadership understood that creating a literate world would provide a Biblically and spiritually intelligent society and renew faith more profoundly and meaningfully.
Over five hundred years later, the Presbyterians have founded and supported many colleges and seminaries in our country and worldwide. For Presbyterians, education enhances faith. When the benefit of higher education diminishes, technological, political, and intellectual knowledge declines, leaving the nation at risk. Further, our faith in God becomes more superficial when we devalue education. Instead of focusing on a complex rational faith based on historical and other critical methods, many of the faithful will turn Christianity into simplistic slogans, following foolish and sometimes dangerous charismatic leaders and focusing on superstition.
The devaluation of our national education system is already taking place. In "Why Americans Have Lost Faith in the Value of College," Douglas Belkin's Wall Street Journal article introduces a Gallup poll which confirms, "In the past decade, the percentage of Americans who expressed a lot of confidence in higher education fell from 57% to 36%." Between increased college costs and fewer perceived opportunities for qualified college graduates, fewer people understand the need to invest in post-high school education. Colleges and Universities carry some of the blame. "As students abandoned the humanities and flooded fields like computer science, big data and engineering, schools failed to respond." The result is an educational system at the crisis point.
Today, pray for our institutions of higher education. There are plenty of mistakes and blame to go around, but if we do not address the issues of cost, opportunity, and the value of college beyond a high-end technical school, society will decline, and faith will continue to fade. There is a reason Presbyterians and many other Christian groups invest in society's educational system. Everyone deserves the right to develop their intellect, professional opportunities, and faith. Honor our forebearers and keep education a priority for all God's children.