Where does Christian higher education go from here?
A conversation with "The Fearless Christian University" author John Hawthorne
I recently had a back-and-forth exchange with my friend John Hawthorne about his new book, The Fearless Christian University. I’ve known John for several years, and given all the hats he’s worn at various Christian colleges and universities over the years, it’s hard to imagine someone more qualified to reflect on the landscape of Christian higher education. You may not agree with his proposed solutions, but it’s hard to argue with his diagnoses.
I hope you enjoy the conversation.
What motivated you to write The Fearless Christian University?
In March of 2020, two months before I retired, I sat down one Saturday and wrote myself a 30 page memo documenting my career and what I'd learned. I considered using it to write a series of essays about Christian higher education. The more I thought about it, the more I became focused on the question of how Christian universities engaged (or didn't engage) the world around them.
That led me to two important contrasts. One was between the theoretical frameworks of sociologists James Davison Hunter and Christian Smith. While Smith's approach in the 1990s discussed how evangelicals have leveraged opposition to "the world," Hunter (first in the 1980s and then in 2010) argued that the forces of modernity required a new approach.
The second contrast is what I had seen between the administrators, trustees, donors, and denominations on the one hand and today's students on the other.
I came to the conclusion that the former oppositional, fear based approach, was counterproductive and set out to make an affirmative case for the alternative. That became FCU.
I want to get to the administrators and stakeholders. But first, as for the theoretical frameworks you mentioned, how do you think these affected the day-to-day of Christian higher education? That is, in what ways did the work of a couple of prominent Christian sociologists affect the landscape at Christian colleges and universities?
First, I think it's obvious that administrators and stakeholders have no idea who Hunter and Smith are, nor are they concerned with sociological analysis of evangelicals. So it's not that these sociologists shaped Christian universities (and evangelicals writ large). But the contrast between them provides a lens that helped me identify something about Christian universities.
Smith's book is called American Evangelicalism: Embattled and Thriving. That helps explain how separation from "the world" leads to perceptions of continual threat from both outside and inside the institution. "They" may be out to attack our religious liberty. Simultaneously, internal changes may cause us to drift from the battle lines we've drawn (which stakeholders will be quick to loudly point out).
Hunter's 1983 book was titled American Evangelicals and the Quandary of Modernity. He argued that while evangelicals may create parallel institutions, they are also affected by the dynamics of the modern, pluralistic culture. By 2010 in To Change The World, he argued that the former oppositional stance had proven ineffective and counterproductive.
My argument is that the more Christian universities are caught up in the Smith version, the less they focus on their core mission of educating the current generation. This decreases their attractiveness to today's young people and exposes them to pushback from vocal alumni and social media critics. Certain evangelical gatekeepers and donors may reward them for their stance, but they damage their market in the process. When you add that to my second contrast about how Gen Z differs from the stakeholders, it gets challenging pretty quickly.
What does it mean for Christian universities to be fearless?
I try to lay this out in specific in the final chapter. But here are the key ingredients:
A commitment to institutional mission centered on what's happening with the current students
A partnership between all stakeholders (students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees) on that mission
A confidence to hold that mission central when challenged
A willingness to tell the story of how students are impacted to the mission even (especially) in the face of external detractors
Courage to faithfully address all contemporary issues of importance to the students
A long-term vision of impact that stretches decades in the future and not just at graduation
In your experience in Christian higher education, do you have an example or two of universities that have done these things poorly and done them well? What were the outcomes for these universities, in your observations?
I don't think any of the five institutions I served quite got there. I have some positive views of some other schools based on a general reputation but I don't know enough detail to be sure. Also, I've found it highly dependent on leadership. A more fearless institution gets a new president or board chair and then retrenches.
I tell the stories of some institutions in the book. In the opening chapter, I explore how in recent years Grove City College was accused of being "woke" (hard to fathom for anyone who knows GCC) and how the board responded as an example of being fearful. Belmont has moved toward fearlessness in recent years, revising their HR policies, absorbing a music school, hiring Jewish faculty, all while holding their Christian university values central. Seattle Pacific demonstrates why alignment on mission is important. They had been trying to move toward fearlessness in recent years, but their efforts were not supported by their denomination, the Free Methodist Church. Their recent financial troubles are related to this challenge, at least in large measure.
I had originally planned a field trip to do some in-depth interviews at schools that were leaning toward fearlessness. But I only had from November 1 to February 1 to finish the manuscript and that plan didn't work out. The final chapter is my attempt to imagine what fearlessness might look like in a fictional setting.
Looking ahead 10 or 20 years, what do you think the future holds for Christian higher education? What will the fearless Christian university look like in a time of declining religiosity, alongside other demographic and cultural changes? And what kinds of things do you think these colleges and universities should be doing today to prepare for the challenges ahead?
It's always a risky proposition to imagine what things will look like decades in the future. One thing I'm confident about is that there will be winners and losers among Christian universities. Some institutions will thrive, doubling down on their conservative religious identity in the embattled and thriving model. Others who try to follow that game plan will find it increasingly difficult to compete with the already established winners. Given the changes in religiosity, the continued shrinking population of young white evangelicals, and the importance of cultural issues, those not looking to mirror the most conservative models will need to rethink quite a few things. And, as your question suggests, they need to start now.
I outline some of those ideas in the book: Focusing first on long-term student growth, learning how to proactively engage our most complicated social issues in partnership with the broader culture, identifying leadership and trustees who understand the problem and are prepared to address it, and broadening the potential admissions funnel to include students who will benefit from the Christian culture commitments of a Christian University even if the students themselves are only vaguely spiritual.
Will it work? It's hard to say. But there are not enough traditional evangelical students to support 100-plus CCCU institutions. Changes put in place now may provide a path to the future. But simply cutting programs and faculty/staff while pretending not to change condemns institutions to a mediocrity that is not sufficiently distinct from any other transactional university in the higher education landscape.
If I'm right, and swinging to more conservative positions doesn't work and simply doing the same with less doesn't work, we should at least try a different path.
What are some books you’re recommending these days? I mean, other than The Fearless Christian University…
Here are some things that stood out to me in my reading over the last couple of years:
Professional Reading
Religion for Realists, Samuel Perry
Ministers of Propaganda, Scott Coley
The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory, Tim Alberta
Circle of Hope, Eliza Griswold
Fiction (because everybody needs a diversion)
The Thursday Murder Club series, Richard Osman
The Bright Sword, Lev Grossman
James, Percival Everett
Upcoming Events
Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be two events at John Brown University:
“The American Church and Loving our Immigrant & Refugee Neighbors” — Thursday, March 13, 7pm
“An Evening with Gov. Asa Hutchinson” — Tuesday, March 18, 7pm
If you’re in the vicinity, I hope you’ll consider joining us!