Religious Colleges

[rachel83az]

As long as we're on the subject, what I will add to the conversation is my coworker's experience of having gone to a small religious college (not Liberty.) They offered him a full ride, and for financial reasons, at the wise old age of 18, he took that over his first choice, which was Big State University.
What he came to realize for the next few decades is that anyone who sees on a resume or LinkedIn or in conversation where he went to college makes assumptions that he must be religious and/or have conservative social values. Neither is true. He doesn't like the baggage his degree came with. Your mileage may vary.

That’s very interesting. It’s probably a good thing that the stereotyping isn’t the norm or else there wouldn’t be any religious colleges left. They would all be out of business.

With Christianity being the dominant religion in the US, that's not exactly true. Plenty of people are fine with degrees from generic Christian colleges and universities. For instance, I believe that Yale is a Christian university but all it means there is that you have to attend a religion class or two. 

The Liberty variant of Christianity and Christian universities has fewer followers and comes with more baggage. Having to cite the Bible in accounting class, for instance, is pretty ridiculous and makes the classes sound like a joke to a lot of people.

[SophiaPrincess]

The freedom we enjoy and our system of higher education both have Judeo-Christian roots. Christians founded Harvard, Yale, Princeton and many other selective schools. As a born again Christian I have been disappointed that many 'religious' universities actually incorporate little theology in courses where it would be appropriate. Christians and Jews believe they will be held accountable by GOD for their actions. Therefore, we have extra incentive to treat others well. I'm not suggesting this always occurs. Unfortunately, some legalistic hypocrites have given Christianity a bad name.

A much more common problem is universities aggressively promoting secular humanism. Institutions of higher learning should be places to expand your worldview and explore different ideas. Shamefully, too many irreligious schools attempt to indoctrinate students. I declined admissions offers from several highly selective universities once I learned about the content of some of the required courses. This precipitated my nontraditional journey. I know a number of Christians who were penalized by atheist professors for articulating their beliefs.

I have found two Baptist universities to be the most accommodating in acceptance of transfer credit from Sophia, Liberty University and the University of the Cumberlands. Both schools accepted more transfer credit from Sophia than the Big 3. Liberty offers a massive number of degree options, even aviation. Sophia students receive a 15% discount. Civil Air Patrol Senior members ($82 per year) receive a 25% discount that stacks with the Sophia discount.

University of the Cumberlands accepted 90 hours of Sophia credit and correctly transferred all the upper level Sophia business courses to their upper level equivalent rather than as miscellaneous lower level credit. University of the Cumberlands further distinguishes itself with low tuition at $220/credit, very competitive for a nonprofit, RA doctoral university. I'm told UC's online courses are asynchronous, with the option to work in advance, but not complete the course prior to the end of their 8 week terms. They do require a capstone and completion of the ETS Major Field Test for your major.

[Charles Fout]

As long as we're on the subject, what I will add to the conversation is my coworker's experience of having gone to a small religious college (not Liberty.) They offered him a full ride, and for financial reasons, at the wise old age of 18, he took that over his first choice, which was Big State University.
What he came to realize for the next few decades is that anyone who sees on a resume or LinkedIn or in conversation where he went to college makes assumptions that he must be religious and/or have conservative social values. Neither is true. He doesn't like the baggage his degree came with. Your mileage may vary.

That’s very interesting. It’s probably a good thing that the stereotyping isn’t the norm or else there wouldn’t be any religious colleges left. They would all be out of business.

With Christianity being the dominant religion in the US, that's not exactly true. Plenty of people are fine with degrees from generic Christian colleges and universities. For instance, I believe that Yale is a Christian university but all it means there is that you have to attend a religion class or two. 

The Liberty variant of Christianity and Christian universities has fewer followers and comes with more baggage. Having to cite the Bible in accounting class, for instance, is pretty ridiculous and makes the classes sound like a joke to a lot of people.

Any such course requirements are perfectly in line with Liberty University's Mission Statement, and should not be a surprise to anyone.

"Statement of Mission and Purpose
Maintaining the vision of the founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Liberty University develops Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact the world.
Through its residential and online programs, services, facilities, and collaborations, the University educates men and women who will make important contributions to their workplaces and communities, follow their chosen vocations as callings to glorify God, and fulfill the Great Commission."

https://www.liberty.edu/about/purpose-and-mission-statement/

[Jonathan Whatley]

I think there are plenty of colleges with Christian identities and mission statements similar to Liberty's where the integration of religious content into secular subjects isn't nearly as extensive as it is at Liberty.

Liberty's approach will be welcome or acceptable to some students (including some non-Christians), unwelcome to some students (including some Christians).