Over twenty years ago, I wrote an article titled The Scandal of Evangelical Dishonesty. The subjects I addressed were uncomfortable and controversial, including the issue of false advertising by Christian colleges. But this problem has not gone away, and if anything, the situation is worse now than it was then.

Many Christian colleges and universities routinely print doctrinal statements in their catalogs that are not believed or taught by some or even many of their professors. Years ago, the academic vice president of a major Christian liberal arts college confided to me, “If Christian parents actually knew what their children are being taught in our classrooms, they would pull them out of college tomorrow.” And, I would add, they’d never give another dime to that college.

If Christian colleges told the truth in their promotional materials, some would read like this: “Thirty-four percent of our faculty believe in the inerrancy of God’s Word. Twenty-one percent of our science teachers believe the biblical account of creation. No one in our psychology department believes in the doctrine of original sin. Two out of our three sociology teachers are proabortion and defenders of homosexual lifestyles. The director of our philosophy department is an agnostic. The head of our Bible department hasn’t attended church for ten years because he doesn’t believe in organized religion.”

Why not be honest and admit this publicly? The answer is simple: So Christian parents will keep paying to send their students there, and so the college’s major Christian donors will keep sending money.

I am a great believer in Christian higher education. But the doctrinal statements published in many Christian colleges, including some at which I’ve spoken in the past, are simply false advertising (also known as lying). Much of the motive for this dishonesty boils down to money.

When students go to secular colleges, they and their parents should be prepared for the fact that most Christian beliefs will be argued against, marginalized and often ridiculed in classrooms. Many students are woefully unprepared to defend their faith, and end up abandoning it during their college years. But at least if they go to secular colleges, they have no illusions they’ll be taught Christian beliefs. They might have the opportunity to get involved with InterVarsity, Cru, or a number of other Christian ministries to college students on their campus.

But many students go to Christian colleges assuming they will be taught biblical truths. They and their parents have the right to be told in advance what is actually taught at so-called Christian colleges. I implore parents to do their homework and find this out. I suggest you watch chapel messages, visit the campus, and go to some different classes and ask of yourself or others:

• What is the atmosphere in the classrooms?
• Are the professors committed to the infallible Word of God?
• Is there a vibrant spiritual life among students and faculty? Are students and faculty involved in local churches?

If your goal is for your son or daughter to lose their faith, there are much cheaper ways to do this than sending them to “Christian” colleges that neither teach nor believe God’s Word!

Shortly after the article was originally published, a reader wrote me to say, “I work as a staff person at a Christian college, and have taken classes at the college. Some of the things the professors teach and expose these students to [are] horrible for their faith. I have seen students come in as freshman ready to serve Jesus, and leave four years later, jaded and their faith destroyed or they are seriously questioning it.”

The writer then shared this advice: “Parents, encourage your children to be strong in their faith. Pray for them. Send them encouraging letters in the mail, not email [or years later, I would add, by text]. (You have never seen such sad faces as those students who go to the mailbox and there is nothing there.) Encourage them to get into life groups and do a Bible study weekly with them.”

Also see my article Choosing a Christian College or Secular University.