3/16- Declaring God’s Glory by Supporting Christian Colleges- Proverbs 19:27

3/16- Declaring God’s Glory by Supporting Christian Colleges- Proverbs 19:27

Stop listening to instruction, my son,
    and you will stray from the words of knowledge. (Proverbs 19:27)

Thoughts: Christian colleges began as a way to glorify God and often give good education for those who would serve in the church.  At one time Harvard, Yale, and Princeton were Christian colleges.  In the last sixty years Christian colleges had provided safe retreats for parents to send their children without having to worry about animal-house-like debauchery.  Today, it is hard to find colleges who are associated with churches who still have Christianity at their core.  There is a natural tendency to secularize in order to reach more, be less restrictive, and to broaden the base of support.  But at the same time, many Christian colleges are struggling because we are in a more secular environment, and churches do not support colleges as well as private supporters.  Giving to churches has been down across the board in America, and the emphasis on benevolences have been to give to the poor and needy instead of an education that is only somewhat faith related.  Many Christian colleges are cutting themselves off from their original purpose, from the purpose of their endowments (usually given to a college by church members because of its Christian content),  and from the feeding of those colleges by church members.  But there is still a real need for colleges that emphasize learning on the one hand and more moral and spiritual improvement on the other.  These are not just Bible colleges or pre-seminaries, but places of hope and light shining in darkness.  Such places make a complete circle where the church feeds the colleges with young people and money, and the colleges feed the churches back.   Such places also elicit support, enthusiasm and prayers from parents, churches, and students who wish to keep their faith.  

Prayer: Lord, we pray for the next generation- especially those at college- that they would not stray from you- but rather grow in witness for you.  We pray for the leaders and chaplains at Christian colleges in our land.