Colleges Closing and the Church's Opportunity - Breakpoint

Summary4 min read

Episode Overview

Title: Colleges Closing and the Church's Opportunity
Podcast: Breakpoint
Host: John Stonestreet, The Colson Center
Date: November 18, 2025

In this episode, John Stonestreet discusses the recent wave of Christian college closures, examines the underlying cultural and financial challenges within Christian higher education, and offers a perspective that sees current crises as opportunities for renewal and distinctive engagement by the Christian community. Drawing on both current events and historical context, Stonestreet urges listeners to reconsider what makes Christian education unique and how the church can respond creatively and faithfully.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Wave of Christian College Closures

Multiple Christian colleges have recently announced closures:
- Trinity Christian College to close after Spring 2026; served for ~70 years with a focus on Dutch Reformed traditions and a strong nursing program.
  [00:15]
- Trinity International University shifted its undergrad program online; its graduate divinity school is merging into another seminary.
- The King’s College in New York also permanently closed after ongoing struggles.
There is a broader trend, with more closures likely.
- "Many observers predict we should expect more announcements like these in the weeks and months to come." – John Stonestreet [00:46]

Factors Driving the Crisis

Enrollment Shortfalls: Student numbers are not meeting expectations, leading to debt and empty buildings.
COVID’s Impact: Shift to online learning reduced campus life expenses (no need to house, feed, or entertain students).
Activism Over Education: A cultural shift, even in Christian institutions, toward activism at the expense of traditional education.
- "Too many educators now more interested in creating activists than educating students." – Stonestreet [01:24]
Mission Drift in Christian Colleges: Christian colleges, once distinct, often become indistinguishable from secular options, losing their biblical anchor.
- "Many parents have simply learned the hard way about mission drift at Christian colleges." – Stonestreet [02:05]

A Blessing in Disguise?

While closures are painful, they may be necessary for reform:
- "The closure of some schools is an overdue blessing. Too many ostensibly Christian schools are basically institutional versions of Christian merch—no different than regular T-shirts, but with a few Jesus words pressed on them." – Stonestreet [02:21]
- If Christian schools don't maintain a unique identity, there's little reason for them to exist.

The Church’s Historic and Ongoing Role in Education

Education as a Christian Calling: The Western education system is rooted in Christian ideals.
The church historically values learning—about God, about creation, and about humanity made in God's image.
Now is an opportunity for Christians to innovate and offer new models of educational excellence.
- "The church has always been an innovative and redemptive force in education for the glory of God, in the life of the world." – Stonestreet [02:46]

Quoting C.S. Lewis on Cultural Influence

Importance of Christian perspectives embedded across disciplines:

"What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects with their Christianity latent... It's not the books written in direct defense of materialism that make modern man a materialist. It's the materialistic assumptions in all the other books." – C.S. Lewis, quoted by Stonestreet [03:30]
Stonestreet applies this insight to higher education:
- If the best resources in science, politics, etc., consistently came from Christians, it would genuinely shape culture.

The Challenge and Opportunity Ahead

Christians should aim for excellence and distinctiveness:
- "Our challenge and our opportunity is simply to do things well, to be better... what if whenever a watching world was looking for a place to send their kids for an education or find their employees, the best option on the market was always a Christian college?" – Stonestreet [03:55]
Closures are not the end, but a possible new beginning:
- "Instead of fearing that these closures are the end of an era, believers should see this as a chance for another start—clearing out the things that have failed while building on what made Christian education great to begin with." – Stonestreet [04:12]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On mission drift:
"Why should Christian parents spend thousands on an education that has so-called progressed beyond biblical authority and historic Christian morality when the education offered is basically indistinguishable from cheaper secular options?" — Stonestreet [01:50]
On uniqueness:
"If Christian schools do not offer anything unique, then there's really no point in having Christian schools in the first place." — Stonestreet [02:30]
On seizing the moment:
"This is a crisis that's also an opportunity." — Stonestreet [02:39]

Important Segment Timestamps

00:01–01:45 — Introduction and recounting recent college closures
01:46–02:40 — Factors driving crisis and reflections on mission drift
02:41–03:29 — The church’s historical educational role and the shortcomings of compromised institutions
03:30–03:54 — C.S. Lewis quote and its application to higher education
03:55–04:34 — Articulating a new vision/opportunity for Christian education
(Ad reads and outros excluded as per instructions)

Tone and Language

The tone throughout the episode is candid, sober, yet hopeful. Stonestreet blends a warning about the consequences of compromise with a call toward creative, redemptive action aligned with longstanding Christian values in education.

Takeaway

John Stonestreet’s message is clear: While the closure of Christian colleges is troubling, it should be seen not merely as loss but as a needed reset. The church is challenged to reclaim its legacy of educational innovation and faithfulness—ensuring that Christian education stands out, not by label alone, but by genuine excellence and deep alignment with Christian worldview across all disciplines.

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Transcript2 lines

[00:01]
A
Welcome to breakpoint, a daily look at an ever changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet. A few weeks ago, Trinity Christian College announced it would be closing its doors after the spring 2026 semester. The Chicagoland School had served the Dutch reform community and others for about 70 years, had a strong nursing program, and gave a priority to the Christian WorldView. Back in 2023, Trinity International University, the other Trinity in Chicago, announced that its undergrad program would be moved online with no residential option offered. Its grad school, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, announced it would fold into another seminary in Vancouver. Also in July, the King's College in New York, which had been struggling for quite a while, announced it would permanently close, and many observers predict we should expect more announcements like these in the weeks and months to come. Institutions of higher education face a perfect storm of factors. Enrollments have not kept up with expectations, leaving high debt and in empty buildings. During COVID students, staff and administrators got used to zoom classes, especially how moving online avoids the trouble of feeding, housing and entertaining students. And of course, there are too many educators now more interested in creating activists than educating students. What's long been an endemic reality at secular schools is also the case at many once faithful Christian institutions that have fallen captive to the critical theory mood that pervades the rest of academic culture. So why should Christian parents spend thousands on an education that has so called progressed beyond biblical authority and historic Christian morality when the education offered is basically indistinguishable from cheaper secular options? Many parents have simply learned the hard way about mission drift at Christian colleges. Though hard to accept, and certainly not necessarily the case with the colleges that I've already mentioned, the closure of some schools is an overdue blessing. Too many ostensibly Christian schools are basically institutional versions of Christian merch, no different than regular T shirts, but with a few Jesus words pressed on them. If Christian schools do not offer anything unique, then there's really no point in having Christian schools in the first place. This is a crisis that's also an opportunity, and the church has always been an innovative and redemptive force in education for the glory of God, in the life of the world. The church values learning because of what it knows about God, about his world, and about his image bearers. The entire Western educational system is in fact rooted in practices and customs that flow from the ideals and beliefs of Christianity, and these same ideals can now animate new opportunities for educational excellence. After all, the contemporary educational system is certainly struggling as well we can neither abandon education nor can we compromise with this failed system. Instead, Christians should offer something better. What C.S. lewis wrote about books and God in the dock applies just as much to higher education. What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects with their Christianity latent. You can see this most easily if you look at it the other way around. Our faith is not very likely to be shaken by any book on Hinduism. But if whenever we read an elementary book on geology, botany, politics, or astronomy, we we found its implications were Hindu, that could shake us. It's not the books written in direct defense of materialism that make modern man a materialist. It's the materialistic assumptions in all the other books. In the same way, it's not books on Christianity that would really trouble him. But he would be troubled if, whenever he wanted a cheap, popular introduction to some science, the best work on the market was always by a Christian. Our challenge and our opportunity is simply to do things well, to be better. To what if whenever a watching world was looking for a place to send their kids for an education or find their employees, the best option on the market was always a Christian college. Instead of fearing that these closures are the end of an era, believers should see this as a chance for another start clearing out the things that have failed while building on what made Christian education great to begin with. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co authored by Dr. Timothy Padgett. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast and for more resources to live like a Christian Today, go to BreakPoint.org.
[04:36]
B
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