Rethinking College: When the Secular University and the Christian Student are Incompatible

By Ellen Pope

Forced to make a choice between her faith and a degree, Ellen learned the hard way that graduation isn't always guaranteed when you're a follower of Jesus Christ. Born out of a five-year indoctrination under a secular university agenda, Rethinking College reveals the harsh truth from the perspective of a student who gave up everything to follow her heart's desire to serve the Lord. This jaw dropping narrative concludes with a comprehensive list of options and alternatives to the traditional four year program.

For Christians who wonder, "Is it really okay to go to a secular school?" and "What are the barriers Christians will face in college?" Rethinking College addresses these questions with fervor and intellect, offering readers rare and invaluable insights into an otherwise secret world. With practical tips to navigate the challenges, and an optimistic outlook for the future, Rethinking College is the book for Christian students and parents—not because no one should ever go to college, but because everyone deserves to know when, where, and how not to. If you or those you love need wisdom regarding further education, run—don't walk for a copy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ellen Pope
• Release date: Oct 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386765875

Ellen Pope

Ellen Pope is a writer, caregiver, environmental steward, children's illustrator, autoimmune GPA survivor, and thankful for her savior Jesus Christ. Find her art at WatercolorMonikers.wordpress.com or Facebook.com/watercolormonikers. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering for the CASA program to protect the rights and safety of vulnerable children. For book updates, free downloads, and blog posts visit epopebooks.com

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Table of Contents

Rethinking College: When The Secular University And The Christian Student Are Incompatible

The Hard Way

Sowing and Reaping in American Education

The Abundance of the Heart

God Isn’t Welcome Here

Wisdom and the World

Creating a Marxist Society

Alternatives

The Final Verdict

Also By Ellen Pope

RETHINKING COLLEGE

When the Secular University and the Christian Student Are Incompatible

Copyright © 2017 Ellen Pope

All rights reserved.

Cover Photo and Design: Ellen Pope

ISBN-13:  978-1537622828

ISBN-10: 153762282X

1. Education 2. Christianity 3. Social Issues 4. Politics

Scripture is taken from the King James Version.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying form without written permission of the author.

Certain names, dates, and places have been changed or omitted to protect safety and privacy. Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within. Use at your own risk.

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Dedication

To my husband the life preserver. You’ve saved me more times than I can count, in more ways than I can say. Because of you I know Jesus better than I did before. You motivate me, inspire me, encourage me and because of your selfless sacrifice this book was possible. I’m so glad we are on this path together and I pray God returns to you a hundred times every good thing you’ve given up for me. God bless you my soldier and my dearest heart.

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Acknowledgments

Without great teachers there are no great writers. Special thanks goes to Mr. N the unflappable English teacher whose gift for communication, sky-high standards, quiet intelligence, severity tempered with kindness, and wry humor played an unmistakable role in my development as a writer. Whether you knew it or not (and I hope you do), God used you in a large way to help me fulfill my calling. Thank you.

I also want to express deep gratitude to my Dad who pushed me to keep going even when I didn’t think I could. To my talented editors Rachel S. T. and Nancy A. Williams who took such great pains to help transform this entry level book into something I can publish. And finally Sarah K. my first brainstormer, confidant, prayer partner, pep-talker, beta reader, iron sharpener, and friend forever and ever—I’ve never had so much fun sipping tea and working on a written project as I had with you. You are a great gift to my life. Never forget the rainbows!

RETHINKING COLLEGE

Dedication

Acknowledgments

The Hard Way

The Hazards Christians Face

More Than A Building

Why Not Bible College?

Lulled to Sleep in Liberalism

The Liberal Transformation

Sowing and Reaping in American Education

Seeds That Corrupt

The Vision of a Nation

The Abundance of the Heart

Under The Guise Of Science And Learning

Dumbing Down, Wising Up

Required Reading (A Taste of the Kool-Aid)

When Geography Isn’t Geography

Climbing The Knowledge Ladder To Nowhere

Education The Educators—My First Major

Commie-unications

Social Programing, Propaganda, and Government Growth

Gang Green

The Liberal Agenda

God Isn’t Welcome Here

Darwinian Dogma

God and Ethics

A Hostile Reception

Relative Rules

When God Is Banned

Wisdom and the World

Elevating The University Religion

Training High Priests

The Function of the Foundation

Whom God So Loved

Drawing the Line

A Dangerous Course

Glorious Freedom

Creating A Marxist Society

A Textbook Speech

Where Relativity Rules, Marxism Fools

The Perversion of the Female

Where It Leads, Will You Follow?

The Mystery of History

The Illusion of Decency

Peeling Back the Mask

Salvation in Christ

Lost And Found

A Little Leaven

Alternatives

A Who’s Who Of Self-Education

Alternatives: Either, Or, And

Our Charge

The Final Verdict

Spiritual Pop Quiz

Crossroads

God Is My Guidance Counselor

God Is My Way-Maker

Coming Soon

Postscript

End Notes

The Hard Way

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.—Proverbs 13:30

It was late in the semester when I quit school. It caused quite a stir. The stir wasn’t caused as much by dropping out however, as it was by the reason for it. The university’s liberal Kool-Aid didn’t work on me—I finally found the antidote. The hard part came when I began the work of waking others to the reality of what was wrong. One of the first episodes occurred while I was still at the school working the registration table for a charity walk. I was alone manning the table when a high school girl and her father walked up.

What’s this all about? he said, pointing with his umbrella to all the signs and balloons that surrounded me.

I explained it was a class project and a fundraiser to help the charity. Would you be interested in doing the walk today?

No, no, we’re just here to tour the university. What year are you in?

Senior.

Oh, so you’re almost done? How have you liked it here?

In that instant I decided not to tell them that I’d quit the previous day. They weren’t looking for a long story and I wasn’t ready to give it to them. Instead I said simply, I wouldn’t recommend it.

The daughter, who, up to that point had been largely silent, suddenly snapped two very quizzical eyes up at me. This was not the response she expected.

The father pounced. Really? Why do you say that?

I hesitated. A slap at the university might equate to a slap in their faces, and confrontation has always been one of my weaknesses (at least till now). I knew I wouldn’t feel good about the exchange unless I told them the truth.

Well I’m a Christian, and my beliefs clash with what’s taught in the classrooms. The subjects, the lectures, the assignments and professors—they’re all very, uh . . .

Thankfully, the father finished for me.

Liberal?

Yes I said, relieved to have a knowing interpreter.

Are there a lot of [liberal candidate] supporters here? he asked.

I nodded my head and lowered my voice a little so the ground troops milling around us wouldn’t hear such treasonous conversation.

Just about everyone.

The daughter spoke her first words to me. That’s surprising.

And she was right. It is very surprising to see the extent to which universities are controlled by the left, and the extent of rejection of anything more than a wisp of nominal Christianity. Faith in a Creator God, believing the Bible is His Word, and worshiping Jesus as Savior are among the views flatly rejected and often attacked. Following Christ in word and deed is a foreign concept in academia, and even mildly conservative Christian values are labeled intolerant and anti-intellectual. To add insult to injury, students like me go in thinking we are going to get a skill-set in preparation for a career, but we walk out with more than we bargained for (and usually a lot less vocational preparation than we’d hoped for). Young people find themselves not just intellectually brow-beaten, but after all is said and done, they are jobless and indebted too. I don’t think this is a coincidence.

Most professors are disproportionately liberal.¹ Surveys have proven it. Experience confirms it. Common knowledge knows it. I think it’s also fairly well understood that some universities function as safe havens for radicals of the Marxist and terrorist varieties. They are here, and they have tenure. But is this the norm in college? How much will this affect a student’s future? How much of the schooling is anti-Christian? How much is left leaning? Can a Christian even go to such a school and expect to graduate with his sound doctrine intact? How much of what we learn is objective and useful to a vocation, and how much will be dedicated to ideology? How are these ideologies impacting the trajectory of this nation, our culture, and the world? These are pressing questions potential students need to answer before they go.

For too long Christians have kept largely silent about the problems and barriers they faced, the radical indoctrination they experience, and the wasted years they endure. Graduates are afraid to admit (even to themselves sometimes) that their degree wasn’t worth it, or that they heard, saw, and did things that humiliated and degraded them. The cycle of silence hasn’t served us well. New students continue to enroll totally unprepared, only to be blindsided by the ferocity with which Christian views are attacked. Some classrooms have become so extreme that even passing has become impracticable and it’s becoming more apparent as time goes on that change is needed. Just ask students like Jennifer Keeton, Julea Ward, Nicole Bruff, Emily Brooker, Audrey Jarvis, Brandon Jenkins, Dustin Buxton, Grace Lewis, Rachel Langeberg, Jonathan Lopez, Lance Steiger or any other student who was denied a degree, a good grade, a job, or entrance into college because they were asked to violate their faith, their moral integrity, or their worldview to satisfy the demands of a liberal professor, school, or department. Ask professors who are punished or fired for uttering even the slightest dissent to the party line. During the five years I spent at two secular universities I experienced first hand what it’s like to sit in some of the most outrageous classrooms where truth was relative, indoctrination was a routine, and assignments demand we either submit to an anti-Christian philosophy, or get out. Eventually I faced an amazing and bizarre choice—get a degree, or stay faithful to Jesus Christ.

I never, ever thought it would come to that.

I paid a heavy price to learn the lessons I’m about to share with you. By writing I hope to help young people avoid making the same wrong turns I did, and to expose universities for what they are. Much of what goes on in them is kept under wraps. Sometimes we can’t even access the syllabuses and the textbooks to even examine what it is we are buying, or what skills we are actually going to get when we fork over our hard-earned money. Make no mistake, in that kind of environment with no impetus to change and no light to see down the corridor, corruption is everywhere.

My goal is to change the odds in your favor by arming you with the truth. What I have, I want to give to you. I realize my experience is personal—and my stores are specific—but I hope you’ll see the connection to the trends. I hope you’ll realize that what I saw is not uncommon, and that the solutions are not just interesting but for many Christians they will be absolutely necessary to their spiritual, academic, and financial survival.

For almost five years I sat under the system, trying to get through it, and in the process I discovered many things I wish I’d known at the outset. Parents and young people need to know what goes on in these institutions before they mortgage their future on school. Serious problems in higher education lead to even graver problems for individuals and for the nation as a whole.

The Hazards Christians Face

No matter how problematic college has become we all recognize that in our society it is necessary in certain professions. The good news is there are ways to succeed. We are not without hope. At the end of the book I’ll share my recommendations. But before we dive into solutions we must look very hard at what makes college problematic in the first place.

In this book I’ll cover what I believe are the four primary hazards Christians face in college—to both help you see them and also prepare for the choices you’ll soon make. They are:

1. World-view (liberalization)

2. Lack of free speech (intolerance)

3. Brainwashing (indoctrination)

4. Academic sloth (market irrelevancy)

On their own each hazard is a force to be reckoned with, but united these four hazards form an overwhelming hurdle designed to be too high to jump—a wall more than a hurdle. As I mention in the notes, I don’t use the word liberal to be divisive. I use it to be descriptive and realistic. By calling it a hazard I also don’t wish to imply that students should never learn from outside perspectives. They should. Unfortunately the schools have become so narrow in scope that outside perspectives are precisely what universities now lack. Tolerance for conservative views and Christian values has reached an all time low at the same time indoctrination has reached overwhelming heights. Large numbers of students aren’t sure why they vote liberal—only that it’s the right thing to do.

Of the four issues, academic sloth will probably be considered least spiritual. I debated including it. But in rethinking college I saw a major connection between the spiritual issues and the social and economic insufficiency going on. Major milestones like marriage, careers, and children are being bypassed or delayed thanks in part to this hazard. We’ll take a closer look at that relationship in chapter three. What’s important to realize now is that young people just aren’t building the foundations they need for success. Employers agree—most business leaders do not feel that universities effectively prepare students for the workforce.³In some cases college has been reduced to a very expensive piece of paper—proof that the candidate can follow directions and not much else. High unemployment rates among young graduates isn’t just a feature of a down economy. It is direct evidence of the irrelevance and failure in many degree programs. A scarcity of quality skilled workers means many high wage jobs are going unfulfilled. With $1.3 trillion (with a t!) in student loan debt this shouldn’t be happening. The good news is that the same advice I give to Christians to address the spiritual and ideological problems apply to academic sloth as well, as the final chapters will bear out.

Besides the four problems I’ve chosen to address: liberalization, intolerance, indoctrination, and irrelevancy through academic sloth, many other problems could be listed. From safe spaces, speech zones, codes and campaigns against micro-aggression, wasteful spending, exorbitant campus development (and unconscionably low utilization of space), tenure, administrative salaries, corruption of research, misappropriation of donations, the hiring of sex offenders, the harboring of terrorists, social degeneration, and the endless parade of junk courses—I can’t effectively cover every topic here. Each is a book all its own. I mention these because they are important and I do believe they all bear a connection to the moral degradation of the university systems. My goal however is to highlight the most spiritually pressing issues for Christians in the classroom—issues that ended my academic career. One cannot hope to reform a system which has expelled them.

More Than A Building

When touring campuses you might wonder if all this talk about danger and indoctrination is really true in your area. Looks can be deceiving. Brochures aid in the seduction (or should I say suction?) and beckon students to each respective ivory tower. Words like integrity, spirit, leadership, diversity, knowledge, excellence, ingenuity, and honor are emblazoned upon the sky in prestigious-looking font. Being college bound is regarded as the epitome of success and respectable living. If you don’t go to ensure your future economic prosperity, at least go to give the appearance that you care about your future. Christians follow the example of other Christians and bumper stickers abound. In spite of decades of controversy college remains a huge source of pride and cult-like cultural devotion. It doesn’t take much to persuade us that we must have a traditional college experience to lead a fully thriving life. We want connections, networks, and a chance to do better things. Red flags fly high as politicians continually call for increased enrollment and government subsidization. The marketing, the culture and the economic pressures work.

College is big business. Bigger still when you factor in the student loan industry. Yet just like the church is not just a building made of bricks, neither is the university. A university is made up of people—highly trained, highly opinionated, highly-motivated individuals who have unparalleled authority in their fields of study. Given the power they