Developing Leaders with a Biblical Worldview

Colorado Christian University utilizes Christ-centered higher education, transforming students to impact the world with grace and truth.

That sounds very nice, but what does it mean?

Even though the percentage of Americans who identify as Christians or "believers" has dropped dramatically over the last fifty years, more than 60 percent of people in the United States identify as Christian, according to a Pew Research Center study. That same research company found that more than a third of the global population are Christians, or 2.2 billion people, making it the most popular religion on the planet. So, even though the population has been falling, it is not rare to find a believer in Jesus Christ.

On the other side of the coin, nearly every country, city, or state has some form of education standards to which all local citizens must adhere.

Advantages of a Christian degree

Why then, does the integration of faith and learning seem to be a unique — and resonating — selling point when it comes to higher education, specifically at CCU?

In an article for The Washington Times, CCU Chancellor Dr. Donald Sweeting cited statistics from the Chronicle of Higher Education, noting enrollment declines in institutions of higher learning going back more than a decade. However, he also notes how that same trend hasn't seemed to hit Christian institutions.

While undergraduate enrollment fell 12.3% nationwide between 2011 and 2020, institutions such as Colorado Christian University have experienced 13 years of consecutive enrollment growth.

"It is the value proposition of what they get for that investment. They are looking for sane and solid academics. And in our case, an education with a faith foundation is what we refer to as 'Christ-centered' higher education. We are an unapologetically Christian, conservative, evangelical university."

University based on biblical principles

It is exactly what the name implies: an institution of higher learning with a Christian worldview.

"I think it's important to be faithful to a biblical worldview, and it is important to be faithful to a particular body of knowledge that you're studying," said Earl Waggoner, Ph.D., who is dean of the School of Biblical and Theological Studies at CCU. "There was a time when we might have had a math assignment that would quote a verse from Numbers and call it good, but the deans realized that's not what real integration of faith and learning is. What does working with numbers reflect about God's character? What does math reflect about the order of God's creation? It's about thinking about everything from God's perspective in a way that is legitimate and not forced."

Yes, you can attend CCU and study Apologetics or Biblical Studies, but you don't have to. CCU can prepare you for a career in ministry, but it is not a seminary. You can also pursue degrees in Business, Elementary Education, Economics, Nursing, Counseling, Computer Information Technology, and scores of other programs. You will learn about them from a biblical perspective, is all.

You could study and learn how to run your own business while also learning ethical business principles based on the bible. You could learn the importance of empathy when working with a patient. The opportunities are endless and seamlessly fit.

"We are faithful to both scripture and to a particular subject matter," Waggoner said. "There are plenty of opportunities to connect those two."

Students have enrollment counselors, professors, and staff who pray with and for them. They incorporate biblical principles into their assignments, whether that is writing a paper on the free-market economy, utilizing the Pythagorean theorem for an assignment, or analyzing the impact of Supreme Court cases on local populations and the nation at large.

Education with a Christian focus

All of it is done with a goal of giving students the ability to distinguish fact from fallacy and truth from error in order to impact their communities and workplaces in a positive way after graduation.

"That doesn't mean that every assignment in every class will have an applicable biblical lesson drawn from it," Waggoner said. "But it's a very distinctive part of our curriculum at CCU that we take very seriously and do not feel to be onerous. It's a core, if not the key component, of our mission."

Christ-centered higher education transforming students to impact the world with grace and truth.