Is there a good way to respond to or combat the modern university mindset that is growing
amongst us today? How might parents prevent it in the lives of their sons and daughters? In our
friends? Are there any Bible verses that you might suggest to someone with that mindset that
they read to possibly have them question their motives/beliefs?


When you use the term, “modern university mindset”, we are assuming that your concerns
center around the Biblical and moral liberalism currently being professed in many of our
Christian universities, or even perhaps all universities.

How did it all get started? It started with some who believed it was alright to do just a few things
that were unauthorized by God. Often, such things were motivated by the need for money and
prestige. When those seemingly innocent innovations were accepted, a few more were
introduced. And so, it progressed with one innovation followed by another until these
Professors and Administrators lost any concept of proving all things and holding fast that which
is good (I Thess. 5:21). They have followed the downward spiral of apostasy plainly declared in
God's Word (2 Tim. 3:13; 3:5; Acts 20:29-30; 2 Thess. 2:10-12). The have sown the wind and
they are reaping the whirlwind (Hos. 8:7). Let us always be vigilant against the very start of
departing from God’s guidance. Watering down God’s word must be seen for what it is; a deadly
cancer which will spread through every part of the body (or university) until it destroys any
semblance of life remaining (2 Tim. 2:16-18).

Liberalism tends to drift away from established authority. It sees little or no danger in departure,
and tends to put confidence in the reasoning of good men, popular movements, and well-
intended aspirations rather than in the absolute authority of God's word. There is a tendency to
walk by sight rather than by faith. It matters not that a position or practice may be on shaky
ground morally, ethically or scripturally. The battle cry of the liberal is: "the end justifies the
means." Truth, principle, or being right is not the main concern of the liberal ... results are. Far
to often, those supporting universities, concentrate on ungodly material gains rather than the
welfare of the student.

Liberalism is deceptive. Liberalism reasons that the apparent goodness of a work will suffice as
authority for that work. The final test in liberal thought is "how will this help/hurt man?" For this
reason, liberalism tends to be subjective in its faith. The fervor to do godly things in godly ways,
gives way to doing good things in any way that seems best to man. In the long run liberalism
worships and serves the creature rather than the Creator. This is an especially dangerous
situation within Christian universities.

Liberalism is dangerous because its basic expression is one of unfaithfulness. God's word is
faithful and must be held fast (Tit. 1:9). However, liberalism considers additional criteria for its
justification. In Numbers 22:18; 24:13 Balaam twice tells King Balak that he cannot go beyond
the word of the Lord (this is the correct and scriptural attitude) . . . however we later discover
that Balaam relents from this position and counsels Israel to trespass against the Lord (for
personal gain, Num. 31:16; 2 Pet. 2:15). The basic problem Balaam had was that what he
wanted to do was not approved of within the will of God, so he had to go beyond the word of
God to find justification for his actions. This is liberalism as it is driven by human rational.

In Numbers 20 when Moses was instructed by the Lord to speak to the rock, instead he struck
the rock and consequently was not allowed to enter into the promised land. We discover in
verse 10 that Moses considered himself the main character in this episode and thus acted upon
his own judgment of right and wrong concerning the circumstance. This too is liberalism.

The liberal sees the personal individual as the yardstick by which every situation is finally
discerned. The liberal tends to treat the basics of the gospel as peripherals of judgment and
opinion. Thus ultimately, liberals cannot agree among themselves except it be to oppose all who
do not agree with them.

In the story of the twelve spies, Joshua and Caleb are the heroes because they put their trust in
what God said, and determined to follow it regardless of personal feelings . . . this is neither
liberal nor conservative, but scriptural. One must never be blind to dangers, but neither must
the child of God be afraid to do anything scriptural. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but
of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). So many of our universities are afraid to
do anything which even hints of God’s involvement!

Liberal or conservative? Why not just be faithful; perfectly united in our collective efforts to
follow the pure gospel of Christ, and liberal in our love toward one another as concerning our
personal opinions and privately held judgments? Seems simple enough if we genuinely have the
spirit of Christ. After all, it is the good and faithful servant who will enter into the joy of the Lord
(Matt. 25:21) . . . not the liberal or conservative.

Liberal universities usually have little use for the word of God. They do not care to be bound by
its commands and examples but rather to follow their own inclinations. Indeed, the spirit of
liberalism fosters rebellion against anyone or anything that would tend to limit one in thought
or action. This includes God, for He definitely has limited us in our conduct before Him.

Jeremiah, the prophet of God, said in Jer. 10:23: "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in
himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Is it not far more reasonable to
conclude that God, being who He is and what He is, and man being what he is, can and should
tell man what he needs to do in order to save his soul? Liberalism would actually reverse the
positions of God and man, making man the judge and God the judged.

Liberalism seems to have a spirit of compromise rather than a spirit of warfare against sin and
error (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Many liberal Christian Universities fail in exposing false doctrines, false
religions, and false teachers by name as was done in Bible days (Matt. 16:12; 2 Tim. 2:16-18).
Some try to teach a “positive” gospel about the need to live a pure and godly life, but they do
not openly fight against worldliness and expose sinfulness (Gal. 5:19-21). This “positive”
approach gradually allows sin and error to work among God’s people. Less and less direct
teaching is done on Bible principles. Fewer and fewer warnings are given against more and more
forms of sin and error. The university (and eventually the student) becomes weaker, softer, and
more open to false teaching and sinful conduct in many forms. Such colleges and universities
will gradually lose more and more distinctive marks of Christianity and become more and more
like the world.

What can parents do?
 
1. Accept the fact that the primary responsibility for your child's education rests on you the
parent, not on the government (Eph. 6:4; Deut. 6:49; Prov. 22:6). You must be
responsible, even when they are at school. If your child is lost because of the influence of
the schools, while you did little or nothing about it, God will hold you accountable.
2. Inform yourself about the kinds of teachings that are in the universities.
3. Get to know the Professors. Work with the administrators to influence what teachers
your children have.
4. Read textbooks, especially insist on seeing Professor’s expectations.
5. Diligently teach your children the truth at home to arm them against false teaching.

Teachers and Administrators who embrace this liberal spirit of compromise are highly offended
and embarrassed by strong gospel teaching which deals directly with sin, error, and false
teachers. They become agitated against and alienated from Christian principles. In this way,
Satan builds a wall which protects the liberal-minded university from practicing the full truth of
God. Those who “will not endure sound doctrine” turn to teachers who will tickle their ears with
smooth, sweet, soft teaching; just as Paul warned in 2 Timothy 4:1-5. 

In order to avoid liberalism in our schools and in fact, in our lives, we must preach “all the
counsel of God” and “fight the good fight of faith” against every form of sin and error (Acts
20:27; 1 Tim. 6:12).