by Al Sanders
IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
I t was M ark T wain who said when he was graduated from high school that he was amazed at how ignorant and unlearned his father really was. However, four-years later, when he had finished college himself, he could hardly believe how much his dad had learned in such a short period of time. It’s true; education has a way of changing one’s perspective on things. Here at Biola, we are not simply interested in presenting vari ous areas of knowledge to our stu dents. Our entire emphasis is to give them that which is thoroughly reli able, education based upon God’s Word, the Bible. Scripture exhorts us to study to show ourselves approved unto God “workmen who needeth not to be ashamed.” It is a fact for our stu dents, as well as any Christian, that in order to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, there must be a consistent method of Bible study. Some time ago an experiment was conducted in New York City. Doc tors took a baby and for a period of three months fed it nothing but ele phant’s milk. At the end of 90 days that baby weighed more than 100 pounds. Let me hurry on to ex plain, lest some of you become aghast at this atrocity; the infant happened to be a baby elephant! Growth to that extent was perfectly natural. Translating this rather mundane il lustration into our own situation, we have to remember that growth in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ can not be determined by how we feel, or by how long we’ve been Chris tians. Spiritual maturity is not even measured by the degree of our active service for the Saviour. Growth in grace is tied in directly with our knowledge of Christ. 14
Some very grave dang e rs face Christian education today. Biola—its Board, administration, faculty and staff — is exerting every means by prayer and God’s guidance to guar antee continued Christian confidence. A graduate of a well-known Chris tian college recently called me and in a shaken manner stated, “Al, I’m very much disturbed. I want young people with whom I counsel, to come to your school. I’ll tell you why.” He then proceeded to explain something of the alarming trends of worldli ness and secularism which were clearly evident in the school from which he had been graduated. As an example, he cited the fact that the college gave little indication that the institution had any Christian concept whatsoever. He indignantly report ed, “I had to go as far as page 43 in the yearbook before there was even the slightest hint that my alma mater had any Christian concept. But with Biola it was right at the front where it should be.” It is alarming to note the elements and inroads of apostasy so insidious ly appearing where one would least expect them. History does have a way of repeating itself! The warning comes, “There shall be false teach ers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift de struction.” Yale University, founded in 1701, had as its main purpose the prepara tion of spiritual leaders for a new nation. Dr. Cyrus Northrop, in his book written about the turn of the 19th century, dealt with the subject, “Two Centuries of Christian Activi ty at Yale.” We read from the pub lication, “Yale College was founded
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