[Vision2020] NSA and Its True Peers

[nickgier at adelphia.net]

Greetings:

I'm writing a column on New St. Andrews College's listing among the top 50 conservative Christian school.  Roy Atwood is really stretching it when he claims that NSA's peers are colleges such as Hope College, Calvin College, and Aquinas College.

I've just looked up the religion and philosophy faculty of each of these colleges and they all have PhDs. I've witnessed some of these faculty giving presentations at scholarly meetings.  You will recall that since 2003 I've extended personally invitations to NSA faculty to attend our regional theological meeting, but Atwood said that they have "better things to do."

Calvin College boasts that it is the first evangelical school to have an Asian Studies program.  Hope College has three professors who specialized in Asian philosophy and religion.  Don't hold your breath for news that NSA will offer any courses on non-Christian thought. Aquinas College even has a feminist (gasp!) philosopher on its faculty!

Calvin College has 16 faculty in its philosophy department, all with PhDs.  One sign of a good college is whether or not other institutions would hire its faculty.  After teacing 30 years at Calvin College, Nicholas Wolterstorff was hired away by Yale Divinity School.  One of the high points of my career was an invitation by the dean of that school to apply for this job in philosophical theology that Wolterstorff got.  I knew I didn't have a chance but it was still a compliment to be asked to compete.

All three colleges are accredited by the 1303 member North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (includes U. of Chicago), while NSA is accredited by the 41 member Transnational Association for Christian Colleges and Schools.

NSA's true peers are Word of Life Bible Institute, Shasta Bible Institute, Institute for Creation Research, Messenger College, and Jerry Falwell's Liberty University.

I'll have more on Atwood's foolish boast later.

Nick Gier