The Nature of Education

At Taylor, our process of integating faith with learning reflects the reality that all learning is intrinsically connected to a developing faith. As a Christian educational community, we work according to the presupposition that learning processes necessarily influence the central practices of the Christian life. Therefore, as life-long learners we strive to model the type of character that reflects positive intellectual and spiritual development in accordance with the Christian faith as defined in scripture.

The idea of education is inherently connected to notions of community and wisdom. Indeed, education is the process by which a community works to inculcate that which it considers wise. Our pursuit of knowledge is expressed by an understanding of philosophy (philosophia) as the “love of wisdom,” which for the Christ-follower is theologically based upon “the fear of the Lord” (Prov 1:7, 29; 2:5; 9:10; 15:33). The love of wisdom reflects Christ’s admonition, reiterating the Shema (Deut 6:5; cf. 11:181–21; Num 15:37–41), to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27).

Our Aims

From this perspective, we who make up Taylor University desire to live out a Biblically based view of the world, and we presuppose that education is a means of discovering God’s truth and the wise use of his truth continuously until the day when we are united with Christ and when we will know just as we have been fully known (1 Cor 13:11–12). Our community aims to teach that which needs to be known and evaluated as wisdom that fosters life to the full in Jesus Christ (John 10:10). We strive to develop formatively by training our intellects, wills, and affections so that we, as Jesus’ disciples may become faithful and competent stewards who act in accordance with the values and purposes of God in all things (Rom 12:2; cf. Matt 13:52; Luke 6:40; 1 Tim 4:6; Heb 5:14; 12:11).

Our Anchor Points

The elements of Taylor’s philosophy of education have been expressed in our history as the university “Anchor Points.” These were articulated by one of our most visionary educational leaders, Dr. Milo Rediger. They form the basis of Taylor University’s educational model, with each Anchor Point corresponding to specific characteristics cultivated not only in a student’s major areas of study but also in the Foundational Core curriculum:

Biblically Anchored

  • At Taylor, we believe it is essential that Christ-followers study and examine all truth claims in light of Scripture.
  • Timothy was encouraged by Paul to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” and as Paul instructs the believer, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (2 Tim 2:15; Rom 12:2)

Christ Centered

  • Christ serves as the Foundation for study in every discipline, therefore our singular commitment is to establish Christ as the Foundation for all that we do as we value thecapacities of human intellect and creativity that reflect our Creator. Paul tells us that Christ is “the chief cornerstone” of our faith (Eph 2:20).
  • This commitment requires the practice of humility as we approach Christ as sinners saved by grace and as we learn to follow his example faithfully.

Faith and Learning Integrated

  • The faithful pursuit of the Christian life should permeate all of our spiritual and intellectual endeavors. “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge for the ears of the wise seek it out” (Prov 18:15).
  • Our faith integrated model of education presumes that academic rigor and faith commitments are necessarily interdependent.

Liberal Arts Grounded

  • Taylor’s Liberal Arts framework emphasizes the Christian commitment to disciplined study within both an academic concentration and across the Foundational Core disciplines, realizing that intellectual pursuits are great adventures as well as sacred privileges.
  • Our model of education emphasizes intellectual persistence and critical thinking in all areas of the academic experience. The work of self-evaluation and the exercise of initiative are qualities necessary for the acquisition of wisdom. We are to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” in order to discern the wisdom of God in all things. (Rom 12:2).

World Engaging

  • We invite students to realize that those who have experienced the depth of God’s forgiving love cannot help but express that love to others.
  • Taylor’s academic programs support students as they develop their capacities to engage in the world around them, consider ethical debates, formulate positions for scholarly research, and question the best academic minds and models to establish Godly judgments and wise discernment that will enable them to live and work in service to others, building relations of mutual respect. (John 13:34-35).

Whole Person Focused

  • We invite students to recognize that all pursuits of wisdom influence the spiritual, relational, and intellectual wholeness of the Christ-follower, and we seek to equip students in these pursuits to meet the demands of the Christian life. Our incarnational model of community emphasizes these values inside and outside of the classroom.
  • We aspire to become whole followers whose desire to follow Christ enables us to present the truth of the gospel to the whole world. (Matt 5:14-17).

Servant-Leader Motivated

  • It is our belief that we are persons created in the image of God who should be open to God’s call in all areas of life. Therefore, a Taylor education provides opportunities to gain experience intellectually and to practice the cultivation of habits which enable the faithful pursuit of God’s call for each stage of life.
  • We offer students the opportunity to live like Jesus did with a sacrificial commitment to serving others before self through daily acts of humility, as we are reminded “to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others” (Phil 2:3-4)

Our Commitment

By adhering to the principles represented in these Anchor Points, we aspire to create an academic culture that invites students to engage in the process of ongoing stewardship. Students are encouraged to develop the skills of critical thinking, problem solving, decision-making, creativity, and scientific and aesthetic literacy. Thus, they are given the opportunity to not only steward their gifts as they engage with the world around them but also to gain self-awareness and understanding. Such learning processes are both liberating and restraining, allowing for self-evaluation, correction, and growth in the pursuit of wisdom and Christian maturity.