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Christiana Manthei
Professor Winteregg
Intro to Liberal Arts
29 October, 2014
Liberal Arts and the Christian Worldview
The Bible may not always speak directly to the importance of education, but many
Biblical principles infer that Christians should learn about the world they live in. Education is a
good thing, and Christians should treat it as such. It helps humans become better and fulfill their
purposes more completely. Education strengthens the Christians faith in God, and allows them
to counter false philosophies. Liberal education allows Christians to learn about the world to
effectively minister to the people in it and glorify God.
Christians need to be educated. The Bible tells of people who succeeded in this world
because they learned about it. Daniel and Pauls lives clearly show the importance of an educated
Christian. Nebuchadnezzar named Daniel and his friends the best in wisdom and understanding;
and because Daniel filled himself with knowledge, he had the opportunity to minister to the king
(English Standard Version, Daniel 1:19-20). Paul took mission trips all over the ancient world,
and in Greece he used his knowledge of secular poetry to evangelize to the citizens (ESV, Acts
17:28). They both prospered in their respective callings because of the education they received.
The purpose of man is to glorify God, and Christian intellectuals are to think to the glory
of God (Sire, 88-89). Through learning, Christians glorify God by using the intellect and reason
He gave them. God gave gifts and talents that He expects humans to use and cultivate. The
underutilization of these gifts does not bring God pleasure or glory. The Christian church should
exemplify the best use of talents in this world. Architects, priests, writers, and every other

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professional should strive for excellence to show the world that God is great and praiseworthy. If
their work does not meet the standards of the secular world, non-believers will not want to come
into the faith. The Bible commands all Christians to spread the gospel of Christ, and when
Christians do not educate themselves in certain areas of the world, they hinder the gospel instead
of help it (Hong, 78).
Christian thought has suffered dramatically in recent decades. Christians have largely
forgotten how to think and speak about topics in a Christian manner outside the realm of
theology (Blamires, 27). Secular thinkers have been taking over the intellectual sphere of the
world, and Christians have either adopted this mode of thinking, or given up all together.
Christian thinkers need to present themselves in the world to combat secular philosophies.
Howard Hong quotes C.S. Lewis when he says:
If all the world were Christian, it might not matter if all the world were
uneducated. But, as it is, a cultural life will exist outside the Church whether it
exists inside or not. Therefore, as he argues, for Christians to be uneducated and
simple would be to throw down our weaponsGood philosophy must exist, if
for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered. (80)
Christians need to know the culture in order to successfully present the Bibles teachings as truth
in spite of the best secular arguments. When people view the Bible as inerrant truth, they can use
its teachings to pursue a moral life.
Throughout life, humans strive for goodness and improvement. Education pervades in the
American culture as one of the most common methods of self-improvement. Those seeking
education seek truth and meaning. Truth, according to John 8:34, will set people free; therefore,
education can set the mind free (ESV; Fant, 18). The Biblical worldview provides the only way

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to set someone free spiritually, but the Bible does not give enough information to set someone
free intellectually. Once a person has started to become free, they begin to mature as a person
and develop as a better human being. Education changes people. It makes man more aware of
himself and his surroundings; not only natural surroundings, but also other humans (Holmes, 35).
This is important to Christians because one of the greatest commands for humans is to love one
another (ESV, Mark 12:31). Humans can love more effectively when they understand others
emotions and thought processes. Education through a college equips someone for a job, but more
importantly for life. Mankind needs intelligence in all aspects of life whether in the workplace or
not. Effective members of society think. They are not mindless cogs completing what someone
else says with no thought about the why or how of it (Hong, 75-76). Christians are to be movers
and shakers in this world; they are to leave a lasting impact on those around them, and it is
because of this that they should seek education.
In the world of education, Christians need to be active in all areas to show Gods glory.
God made this earth for humans to inhabit. Millions of different organisms live on this planet;
however, God singled out the human race to rule over the earth. He wanted mankind to explore
the wonder and glory of what He created. God gave humans the gift of reason and intellect to
use. Man should look on creation as a playground for exploration, discovery, and reason (Hong,
73-74). Christians often look at the natural world and reject it thus leaving science and discovery
to the secular world. Christians look at the natural world and think it does not concern their lives
as much as theology; however, God created everything, and everything God has a hand in
concerns the Christian (Kuyper, 92-93).
God weaves himself in everything that resides in this universe, including human
education. God declares his presence in every one of the liberal arts subjects, and because of

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this, Christians can learn about God and his character through the liberal arts. This strengthens
ones faith in Him (Fant 31). When humans come from the right worldview, every liberal art
displays a unique aspect of God. Some of the best evidences of God exist in the natural sciences,
and indeed some state the cell as the reason they know God has to exist. In this way the sciences
can strengthen ones faith in God (Kuyper, 93).
Faith is an enormous aspect of the Biblical worldview, but that faith is not alone in the
tool belt of Christians. 2 Peter 1:5, 8-9 state, For this very reason, make every effort to
supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledgeFor if these qualities are yours
and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind (ESV).
Knowledge keeps Christians from being ineffective and blind. Paul, while addressing Athenians
in the Areopagus, used his education of secular literature to preach effectively (ESV, Acts 17:28).
His liberal education aided him in his calling of witnessing for Christ.
A Christian liberal arts education is a method of finding meaning and discovering moral
living. Many philosophers ponder the question What is the meaning of life? Many more still
go in search of either their personal meaning or the whole human races meaning. They turn to
exploration, religion and education to find it. Christian liberal arts learning provides the
opportunity to find meaning in everything (Holmes, 36). The world as a whole points to God the
creator and His purposes for everything He created. From a Biblical perspective, man is
supposed to glorify God and follow His commands; and a majority of the Bibles commands
concern morality. According to James Sire:
the moral governs the intellectual. If we have a passion for holiness, we will
have a passion for truth. And if we have a passion for truth, we will be rewarded

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by a knowledge of the truth. On the other hand, if we let out usual, baser human
desires govern our lives, we will quite simply never know the deepest moral
truths, or perhaps any truths at all that challenge us. (92)
Humans need to exhibit morality in order to know truth. Without morals, reason can enable
dangerous people. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, The most dangerous criminal may be the man
gifted with reason, but with no morals. Information is valuable and powerful, and when
immoral people have that power, they will often abuse it. Liberal learning sought to prepare
morally wholesome persons according to the appropriate cultures standards (Fant 29).
Christian liberal arts education keeps morals as an important part of the education process and
educated persons life.
The Christian aspect of the liberal arts needs to stay in the minds of students and
educators. Christians need to have an impact on the liberal arts because those subjects make up
the foundation of all learning (Hong, 68). So often do Christians forget to think like Christians
when outside the realm of theology. Christian thought is different because it is rooted in
heavenly truth rather than worldly truth (Blamires 38, 44). Artists for example should see the
world differently if they profess Christianity than secular artists would. So the artist who sees
life and reality as a Christian will not despise the creation in which he finds himself. He will not
see it as something from which to be liberated (Wolterstorff 70). God filled this world with His
glory and Christians in all areas of profession should recognize and appreciate that.
God embodies the word awesome, and He wants humans to know it. A Christian liberal
education reveals God in every part of the world, namely the natural world and humankind. God
requires that Christians use the intellect He gave to explore the vastness and beauty of the world.
Education strengthens faith in God and creates morally aware people able to love God and

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others. Christians need to live and think intellectually to combat the false human philosophies
that litter this fallen world. Liberal education ultimately enables Christians to fulfill their purpose
of glorifying God and spreading His name throughout the earth effectively.

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Works Cited
Blamires, Harry. The Christian Mind : How Should A Christian Think? / By Harry Blamires.
n.p.: Ann Arbor, Mich. : Servant Books, [c1963, 1978 printing], 1978. 27-107. Print.
ESV: Study Bible : English Standard Version. ESV Text ed. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Bibles,
2007. Print.
Fant Jr., Gene C. The Liberal Arts a Student's Guide. Ed. David S. Dockery. Wheaton, IL:
Crossway, 2012. 18-35. Print.
Holmes, Arthur F. The Idea of a Christian College. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, 1975.
25-47. Print.
Hong, Howard Vincent. Integration In The Christian Liberal Arts College, By The St. Olaf
College Self Study Committee: Clarence Clausen [And Others] Howard Hong, Chairman.
Foreword By Sidney French; Pref. By Clemens M. Granskou. Edited By Howard Hong.
n.p.: Northfield, St. Olaf College Press [c1956], 1956. 68-80. Print.
King Jr., Dr.Martin Luther. "The Purpose of Education." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1 Jan. 1947.
Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Kuyper, Abraham, et al. Wisdom & Wonder : Common Grace In Science & Art / Abraham
Kuyper ; Edited By Jordan J. Ballor And Stephen J. Grabill ; Translated By Nelson D.
Kloosterman ; With An Introduction By Vincent E. Bacote And A Foreword By Gabe
Lyons And Jon Tyson. n.p.: Grand Rapids, MI : Christian's Library Press, c2011., 2011.
92. Print.
Sire, James W. Habits Of The Mind : Intellectual Life As A Christian Calling. Downers Grove,
Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2000. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). 88-92. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.

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Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Art In Action : Toward A Christian Aesthetic / By Nicholas Wolterstorff.
n.p.: Grand Rapids : Eerdmans, c1979., 1979. 70. Print.