Month: December 2021

By Kenneth Nehrbass In response to Marsden’s (1994) The soul of the American University: From Protestant establishment to Established non-belief, Benne’s (2001) book, Quality with Soul: How six premier Colleges and universities keep faith with their religious traditions, provided a counter narrative: Christianity is alive and well in renown Protestant and Catholic universities. Benne’s survey of the “soul” at Calvin, Wheaton, Notre Dame, Baylor, St. Olaf and Valparaiso University found evidence of Christian conviction in the following areas: the hiring practices (denominational schools are intentionally recruiting faculty who share the same denominational heritage or convictions)the chapel lifethe community life standardsthe Bible requirements (at Wheaton and Calvin) and theology requirements (at the other four schools) as part of the general ed curriculum Although Benne’s book lacks any qualitative or quantitative research methods, he has built a strong (and encouraging) case that the Christian campus is alive and well even in an age of secularism. However, does Benne’s evidence of the “soul” indicate that students and faculty are integrating faith and learning? Yes, faculty at these institutions may be champions of Christ; and the chapels may bring students close to Jesus, but what is happening in the nursing class, the calculus class, or the history class? It’s one thing to “add on” (Benne’s words) faith to the academy—but integration requires much more intentionality. And what evidence would you gather to demonstrate such integration? Perhaps that’s something for Benne’s sequel. Speaking of sequels, Marsden (2021) has revisited his landmark work in The soul of the American University. Below, we'd love to hear your comments: What gives a "soul" to a Christian university? Benne, R. (2001). Quality with soul. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Marsden, G. (1994). The soul of the American University: From Protestant establishment to Established nonbelief Marsden, G. (2021). The soul of the American University Revisited: From Protestant to Postsecular