Lifetime
is practical advice on
college training by a prominent educator
3y Dr. C lyde M. N arramo re tian understanding and spiritual ap plication that is integrated with the facts learned. Friendships Of s pec i al importance are the friendships one develops at Christian colleges and Bible schools. When you are a little older you will appreciate the fact that we live, to a great ex tent, by our Christian contacts. The evangelical, Christian work of Ameri ca, though separated by distances and various interests, has a strong ele ment of unity. God uses Christians to help other Christians, and it is almost impossible for a man to have an extensive min istry unless he has a wide acquaint anceship with those of like precious faith. These friendships are made and cultivated in Christian schools. Your college schoolmates are those with whom you will have associations for the rest of your life. Fred attended a regular state col lege near his home. There were 25 or 30 consecrated Christians on cam pus with whom he had fellowship. A few years after graduation he start ed work for a national Christian or ganization. There- he found that he was seriously handicapped because he knew so few other Christians. He realized then that had he attended a Christian school he would have had good friends, many of them, all over the nation. The friendships you develop in a Christian college will not only help you in the future, but they will be a real joy to you during your college
is sufficiently specialized to require undergraduate courses at s pe c i f i c schools, you could attend the first two years at a Christian college and then transfer. This will give you at least two wonderful years in a Christian environment. Quality of Scholarship The teachings of a Christian col lege are usually more factual and accurate than those of a non-Chris tian institution. Christian teachers have access to secular knowledge, and in addition, they have spiritual un derstandings that non-Christians do not have. For example, the history of the world and the history of the Unit ed States cannot be accurately learned apart from the influence of Christian ity. And yet, in non-Christian col leges such information is seldom men tioned! This is true in nearly every discipline of learning. Most Christian schools place their greatest emphasis at the undergradu ate level. There, the offerings are wide. However, some Christian insti tutions also offer extensive work at the graduate level. I have heard a few people suggest that academic standards in Christian institutions are not equal to non- Christian schools. I haven’t found this true. Christian colleges have access to the same books and periodicals that world-renowned universities use. The professors have similar degrees with similar skills, and there is no ques tion that the devotion of the Christian teacher and student is unsurpassed. But even more important is the Chris-
days. Other Christian young people will challenge and inspire you and draw the best out of you! Dating It is not unwise to say that one of the most important activities of college-age people is dating and asso ciating with those of the opposite sex. Like many other Christian par ents, I feel that college students should have the opportunity to meet many other Christians their own age with whom they can fellowship and from whom they can choose a life partner. To be very frank, it is not unusual to find the “ picking” very slim in a non-Christian college where there may be only a handful of Chris tians. It is not enough for a Chris tian to marry another Christian. One should have sufficient choice to marry a Christian to whom he is well suited. Only recently I counseled with Nancy and Bill, a young couple who are having a difficult time in their marriage. They reminded me of many Christian couples with whom I have worked. They had followed the scriptural teachings of not being unequally yoked together with an unbeliever. But the tragedy was that although they were both believers, they were not married to the right believer! Frequently this situation can be easily traced to the fact that Christian young people who do not attend a Christian college have such a small circle of Christian friends that they seldom have an opportun ity to find a life partner who is really suited to them. CONTINUED
JUNE, 1955
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