A Letter Written on the Walls of Higher Education
For my post, I wrote a hypothetical letter to leaders in Christian higher education believing that things can and will improve–based on the solutions our readings suggest.
A Letter Written on the Walls of Higher Education
Dear Christian Higher Education Administration,
Whenever I read books like The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust and Threatens Us All–But there is a Solution by Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott, I think about how extraordinary it is that you are still in existence. Your Christian colleges and universities were one of the first institutions of higher education in America. Early settlers in America, which included Quakers, Mennonites, Presbyterians, Catholics, and Baptists emerged providing not just religious education but a diverse curriculum. Approximately 106 of the 108 first colleges were founded by Christians. In fact, Harvard University, considered a leading global university, originally precepted that students should be instructed in knowing God and that Christ is the only “foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.”[1]
I grew up in a diverse area of New Jersey as part of a Christian-Jewish family but spent the majority of my growing up years in Christian schools, even when I was adamantly opposed to staying because I wanted more freedom to think out of the bubble. Yet, after I toured the universities where I was accepted, I decided to spend my undergraduate years at a Christian university whose marketing campaign won me over with the words from II Corinthians 3:17, “Now The Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
I’ve spent much of my life behind your walls of higher education mostly because I married one of your administrators and because I am a lead learner. When I started freelancing as a writer, another one of your administrators persuaded me to teach writing to your students. That one decision changed the course of my life and over the ensuing 25 years, your professors, students and administrators fed me new ways to think, express creatively what I was teaching, and gave me freedom to ask my students to think critically about history so they could become better writers and speakers. Writing books and articles alongside teaching your students behind your walls turned out to be more satisfying and transformative than I could ever have imagined–the relationships are life lasting. What the First Amendment[2] and academic freedom gave me was a place where I could see how my thinking was wrong[3]–this was the gift I modeled for my students and they for me. We developed character together.
But that all changed as Cancel Culture upended lives, ruined careers and undermined your more secular[4] and, in part, your religious campuses.
Lukianoff and Schlott say it best:
“Over the last several decades, many institutions tasked with teaching us how to argue productively have failed in their duties–most notably, American higher education . . .we rely on institutions of higher learning to help us sort out falsehood from truth, good ideas from bad, and tenable solutions from untenable ones.”[5]
Sorting Out Falsehood from Truth
In The Coddling of the American Mind, Jonathan Haidt and Lukianoff (their 1st book) become convinced through research that overly involved, anxious parents made children less prepared for the real world. Christian parents are just as anxious as non-Christian parents. I taught these students; the only difference between them and a student who goes to Harvard, is that behind your walls, they will learn personally about grace, sin, redemption, forgiveness, and honesty. In fact, I believe what you have been given to steward is what is so desperately needed in mainstream culture. As David Brooks remarked to the CCCU in Washington D.C., “[Christian colleges] have a way of talking about and educating the human person in a way that integrates faith, emotion and intellect. You have a recipe to nurture human beings who have a devoted heart, a courageous mind and a purposeful soul. Almost no other set of institutions in American society has that, and everyone wants it.”[6]
Is it still in your mission to help students sort out falsehood from truth? The ways in which you integrate faith, emotion and intellect synchronistically keep God in the picture. Just last week we read in Matthew Petrusek’s book how ideologies[7] threaten your mission. Yet, behind your walls, there is freedom to explore varied philosophies and religions while pursuing the truth. In any institution, pursuing truth meets a deep human need yet a truly academic approach can appeal to Christians and non-Christians as it adapts to other religions and philosophies. In a recent Christianity Today article, Joseph Clair makes a case for the liberal arts in religious schools. “The Christian university of the 21st century ought to present a picture of the human person and the role of intellectual cultivation in human flourishing that transcends the impasse of liberal and progressive approaches to the liberal arts.”[8]
Sorting Out Good Ideas from Bad Ideas
According to Lukiaoff and Schlott, the Great Untruth of Ad Hominem–means that if you can show someone to be “bad” by any measure, you don’t have to listen to them anymore. Anything can be used to dismiss someone as “bad” depending on your political orientation–from dubbing them of being “conservative” to accusing them of being “woke.”[9]
How might college administrators and faculty keep Christian campuses friendly to free speech? If Brooks’ convictions are right that “almost no other set of institutions in American society” has a way of talking about and educating the devoted human person, then what might you need to pay careful attention while swimming in the waters of cancel culture?
Be the Leader with Tenable Solutions
1. Reform Existing Christian Universities and Institutions. Lukianoff and Schlott write that higher education is begging to be fixed.[10] On pp. 287-291, they offer first steps to healthier free speech. One viable solution they mention is to Install an academic freedom Ombudsman. With someone in charge making sure academic freedom is protected, students and faculty would feel protected no matter how they challenge one another’s thinking. Might this be a way to reform anti-intellectualism?
2. Name the Enemies that keep you from staying in your lane of spiritual and character development in your student’s lives. Is it hypocrisy? Legalism? Mission drift? How might you lead in demonstrating humility in your System 2 thinking? The world understands when you misstep with your initial responses to students and faculty who make bad decisions. In Daniel Kahneman’s book, Thinking Fast and Slow,[11] He teaches us another way–to pay attention to our slow, deliberate way of thinking and responding.
3. Recommit to Truth-Telling and Truth-Knowing as a Process. You in this sphere have the Gospel, You know Christ and you know how to teach the next generation–Like Paul Hunham, the teacher in the movie The Holdover’s, who says, “Teaching is not for the faint of heart. It takes more than competence and intellect. It requires emotional and moral intelligence, too, including kindness, gentleness, and courage.“[12] As you recommit to the calling of learning, keep Jeremiah’s words close to your heart and mind as you work toward freedom of speech, academic freedom and character formation:
“If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name, there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”
[1] September 29, Allison McCalman-Updated and 2017. “The History of Christian Education in America.” The Classroom | Empowering Students in Their College Journey. Accessed February 3, 2024.
[2] Greg Lukianoff: The Canceling of the American Mind. Free Speech and Academia, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucIL2IZZqog.
The First Amendment discussion with Lawrence Krouse and Greg Lukianoff is fascinating. Here Greg talks about the reason for the First Amendment which was to give people the freedom to speak so they could think aloud with others. By doing so, they could discover that their thinking was wrong.
[3] Schulz, Kathryn. Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error. Illustrated edition. HarperCollins e-books, 2010.
[4] It’s important to note here what happened when several schools left the CCCU over LGBTQ Issues:https://www.baptistpress.com/. “More Schools Poised to Leave CCCU | Baptist Press,” August 24, 2015. https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/more-schools-poised-to-leave-cccu/. The point I am trying to make is that inside Christian higher education, the cancel culture is mainly focused on theological stances around the LGBTQ issue. Secular universities face the Cancel Culture with more severity, at least publicly.
[5] Lukianoff, Greg. “The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust and Threatens Us All–but There Is a Solution.” New York: Simon and Schuster, 2023.
[6] Brooks, David. CCCU. “The Cultural Value of Christian Higher Education,” July 10, 2017.
[7] Petrusek, Matthew, and Cardinal Thomas Collins. Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture. Word on Fire, 2023.
[8] Clair, Joseph. “The Christian Liberal Arts Tradition Can Appeal to Christians and Non-Christians Alike.” ChristianityToday.com, November 27, 2023.
[9] Lukianoff, “The Canceling of the American Mind.” Pp. 8-9.
[10] P. 283.
[11] Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. 1st edition. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.
[12] Baggett, Marybeth. “Spoiled Hopes and Recovered Dreams in The Holdovers.” Christian Scholar’s Review (blog), February 5, 2024. https://christianscholars.com/spoiled-hopes-and-recovered-dreams-in-the-holdovers/.
About the Author
Pam Lau
Pamela Havey Lau brings more than 25 years of experience in speaking, teaching, writing and mediating. She has led a variety of groups, both small and large, in seminars, trainings, conferences and teachings. Pam’s passion is to see each person communicate with their most authentic voice with a transparent faith in Jesus Christ. With more than 10, 000 hours of writing, researching, and teaching the heart and soul of Pam’s calling comes from decades of walking alongside those who have experienced healing through pain and peace through conflict. As a professor and author, Pam deeply understands the role of mentoring and building bridges from one generation to another. She has developed a wisdom in how to connect leaders with their teams. Her skill in facilitating conversations extends across differences in families, businesses, schools, universities, and nonprofits. Pam specializes in simplifying complex issues and as a business owner, has helped numerous CEOs and leaders communicate effectively. She is the author of Soul Strength (Random House) and A Friend in Me (David C. Cook) and is a frequent contributor to online and print publications. You can hear Pam’s podcast on Real Life with Pamela Lau on itunes. Currently, Pam is a mediator for families, churches, and nonprofits. You can contact Pam through her website: PamelaLau.com. Brad and Pam live in Newberg, Oregon; they have three adult daughters and one son-in-law. One small, vocal dog, Cali lives in the family home where she tries to be the boss! As a family they enjoy worshiping God, tennis, good food and spending time with family and friends.6 responses to “A Letter Written on the Walls of Higher Education”
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Great post, Pam. One of the things that I kept pondering as I read your post was this… How much energy does someone (or a group of people) put toward reforming an already existing institution vs. starting a new institution? I do think both — reforming what is AND starting something new — are worthy endeavors, but at what point does it become clear that something is so broken (and things were probably breaking before “cancel culture” arrived on the scene) that a new model (or re-newed model) needs to emerge? That is something I keep thinking about, and I will also write more about that, or at least ask more questions, in a future blog post in a couple of weeks.
Travis,
Thank you for reading my post! I enjoy reading your writing for several reasons – for one you ask good questions and second, you have a razor sharp mind that sees connections to authors. A few years ago, a handful of our colleagues (and close friends) put an enormous amount of energy toward reforming a part of the university where we work. In fact, what they were doing was trying to start a new model alongside the existing one. One day, I will tell you the story, the road they took and how it was roadblocked. But this is not the venue! I look forward to more dialogue because the truth is—higher education must start a new model.
Pam-
First, I really enjoyed your approach in writing a letter to higher education; very creative literary tool to use here.
Second, as I thought through your challenge to higher ed, I found myself going to your question: “Is it still in your mission to help students sort out falsehood from truth?” I like that question because it is demonstrating the gap between stated values and actual practice. And I do wonder, if we unpack the values that are reinforced in higher ed, would they be values around this sorting, or something else?
Jen, Good question for you as you have a son entering higher education. He will find some professors and spaces that do distinguish falsehood from truth and other places and people who encourage a “you be true to yourself” approach without a set of truth-based values. How do you already talk about these things at home?
Well written. I think speaking to higher education within higher education is crucial. From within is where we can speak truth. Sometimes, I suppose at the risk of being canceled. I wonder where the line is for free speech at Christian Universities? I know GFU has had some difficult past situations, but yet it stays open and educating. Is it is sometimes necessary to just ride the wave with as much integrity as possible. Tough work.
Jana,
You wrote about your work in higher education in your last blog so I know you understand its complexities. Your question of Where is the line for free speech at Christian universities, is an excellent one. Christian anything should have the market on freedom for speech so we can listen well and decide where we are wrong and where we can work toward unity. Personally, I could not live as a communicator without Scripture. God speaks all the time. He is the wisest Being in the universe. See you soon!