Integration--How Important is it?

"The integration of faith and learning is at the essence of authentic Christian higher education and should be wholeheartedly implemented across the campus and across the curriculum." David S. Dockery 


Integration of faith and learning is an important ideal to look for in a college, but how much and what kind of integration should we be looking for is the important question.  This answer is different for every student.  This is the point David S. Dockery is trying to get across in his article "Integrating Faith & Learning in Higher Eduction."  He points out that almost every higher education school in America was founded on Christian/Biblical views but are now falling more than short of their founding ideals.  Dockery says that this falling short is cause because the academy has a lack of world view which is allowing for more secularization.  


In my opinion, Dockery is entirely correct.  If Christian colleges don't start staying true to their values and original biblical morals, soon there will be no more faith integrated higher education institutions. Sadly, I feel I have seen this happening within Montreat College lately.  Granted Montreat doesn't admit students based on their faith, but it is important for students without faith to be reprimand for their actions the same way students of faith would be.   It is great that anybody can be accepted to Montreat but we should all be held tot he same standards in athletics, academics, and otherwise.  


Integration of faith and learning should be found in every aspect of a school.  Everyone should be on the same page from the staff to the board of trustees.  If everyone is not on the same page and doesn't share the same beliefs and ideal, the school is eventually going to struggle.  Granted, this is an extremely hard thing to do because not everyone can know everything going on.  Montreat's professors integrate faith into their curriculums fairly well, but I feel that integration stops at the professors.  This is an unfortunate thing because we be even more tight as a community if it went past that.