Engaging the Culture, Changing the World

Drawing on the social critical thinking of Lesslie Newbigin, Richard Hays, Walter Brueggemann, Richard Mouw, Richard John Neuhaus, Charles Taylor and James Davison Hunter, Philip W. Eaton proposes an alternative idea of the Christian university that aims to equip students for responsible engagement in our post-Christian context. Going against the mainstream of Christian higher education, Eaton envisions a place that considers engagement and interaction with culture to be a positive priority. Going against the mainstream of secular higher education, Eaton envisions a place where the grand narrative of the Christian gospel is affirmed as a life-giving response to the critical issues of our day. We need not resign ourselves to exile on the margins of society nor blend in with the pervasive secular society. Engaging the Culture, Changing the World foresees a third way: the Christian university that stands in distinction and compassion, a community that models human flourishing to the world.