Already Compromised: Colleges Took a Test on the State of Their Faith and the Final Exam Is In
4.6
5
27
27
Slightly flawed, but still incredibly valuable
Several years ago, Ken Ham co-wrote Already Gone, a book that documented that Sunday School is not providing a solid theological grounding for American Christian youth. Already Compromised, co-written with Greg Hall and Britt Beemer, is a logical sequel examining Christian Colleges and their impact on American Christians in their teens and twenties.
For the book, Beemer (who runs ARG, America's Research Group) interviewed 312 Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Science Department heads, and Theology Department heads from universities in the Council for Christian Colleges (the majority) and Universities and to universities affiliated with a Protestant or Catholic denomination (89 of the 312). They asked both general and specific questions about the universities' faithfulness to the foundational truths of the Old and New Testaments.
While there was broad agreement on the foundational truths of the New Testament, when it came to the Old Testament - specifically Genesis - there was far less agreement. Just as one example, many affirmed that Noah's Flood was worldwide--but admitted upon further questioning that, by "worldwide," they only meant the region of the world known in Noah's Day.
The research is thorough and convincing, but the conclusions could have gone farther. The authors still work from the assumption that Christian teenagers will go off to Christian college, despite disturbing evidence that Christian Universities in the United States, from the (now) Ivy League schools through today, almost universally are on the slow path to compromise. Also, of concern to homeschooling parents who believe that God has entrusted parents with the responsibility to train their children, the authors also affirm the validity of the Christian school model.
The book isn't quite as strong as it could be, but aside from those reservations, it is an incredibly valuable resource for parents with children nearing or in high-school years.
Disclosure of Material Connection (FTC 16 CFR, Part 255): Review copy provided by publisher. A positive review was not required; opinions expressed are those of the site editor.
May 21, 2012
Where Do Christian Colleges Stand?
How do Christian colleges stack up when it comes to teaching Biblical truths? How many actually teach what the Bible says? What impact does this have on those entering and leaving Christian colleges? Ken Ham, Greg Hall and research data from Britt Beemer give the facts in the book Already Compromised.
With the passing of time, IâÂÂm getting very close to having a student that will be looking at attending college. I really canâÂÂt keep burying my head in the sand. I requested to review this book from New Leaf Publishing and they graciously sent me a copy.
Many know who Ken Ham is (and many may know who Greg Hall is as well- I didnâÂÂt) and his affiliation with Answers in Genesis. The philosophy behind AiG is that if you canâÂÂt believe, and have faith in, the first book of the Bible (in its entirety- as written) then you will have trouble with the remainder of the Bible as well. That is why when researching Christian colleges many of the questions were dealing with belief and teachings about and from the first book of the Bible. Of course, there are other questions that veer from the book of Genesis (such as âÂÂdo you believe the Bible is literally true?â and âÂÂwhat does your institution teach about the Bible?âÂÂ) but it is interspersed throughout the book. Personally, I felt it âÂÂgot oldâ that they kept coming back to the âÂÂyoung earth/old earthâ debate BUT I understand that it is something that is important to distinguish.
I did like a statement made by Ken Ham on page 129 in chapter 8 (The High Stakes of Good Thinking: The Age of the Earth):
I am sometimes belittled and cut down by professors at âÂÂrespectedâ Christian universities because I donâÂÂt have the academic credentials that some of these people do. They think that because they have the credentials, they have the truth. They say, âÂÂHow dare Ken Ham question us, because he is not trained in biblical languages; he didnâÂÂt go to Bible college; he didnâÂÂt go to seminary; etc.â In some ways IâÂÂm glad that I donâÂÂt have those credentials, because I might have ended up like some of them: compromising the truth clearly laid forth by Scripture in the midst of a bunch of academic mumble jumble created to accommodate secular scientific ideas.
I agree that it seems that much of the debate about Christianity is because the âÂÂeducatedâ are âÂÂin the knowâÂÂ. And the only ones. He goes on to say:
Or worse than that, they might actually believe that since they teach it, that makes it trueâÂÂthat they are the ones who actually determine the truth.
There is a chapter geared toward college students- chapter 10- that gives many scriptures and advice to help students stay true to their beliefs. The final chapter- chapter 11- calls for unity but not as it has been requested by many:
We are often told we should be concentrating on our unity in Christ alone. The accusations usually sound like this: âÂÂOnly Christ should matter and those elements of the gospel message essential for salvationâÂÂand differing interpretations in Genesis should be acceptable and tolerated.
But this view ignores a larger questionâÂÂcan we separate the centrality of Christ from the authority of [GodâÂÂs] Word? Surely we should agree that our unity should be centered around Christ. After all, it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that one can be savedâ¦If the Word of God is not an authoritative document, then how can we know that the message of Jesus and the gospel is reliable?
Well, it was a lot to read (not that it is a large book but it is full of numbers and statistics) and take in. But it definitely made me think.
I received this book from New Leaf Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way.
October 11, 2011
There is certainly an ongoing movement to belittle and phase out any influence of Christianity from society through multiple forms of method. If anyone denies this fact they are either not a Christian or they are deceived. I make no apologies in that last statement, of course people like Ken Ham and Dr. Greg Hall wonâÂÂt be making any apologies for their stance and findings either I would imagine.
In Already Compromised Ken Ham, the Founder of Answers in Genesis, and Dr. Greg Hall reveal a surprising survey taken from the leading representatives of several Christian based Colleges and Universities. In this survey they have uncovered conflicting answers, denial of the authority of scripture, support of evolution, and other unfortunate responses from some of the heads of these Christian based institutions.
What I really liked about this book is that Ken Ham and Dr. Greg Hall not only present a problematic situation with proven statistics and facts, but also provide a solution for the problem as well. I like this quality a lot, because I have read several books which have presented a problem to its readers, but their authors didnâÂÂt give a very strong solution to their presented problem; if any solution at all⦠The one thing I didnâÂÂt like is that certain information was repeated a little too much, but I assume this was to constantly remind the reader of the seriousness behind the survey. Overall I thought this was a great book as it was disturbingly educational and it also had a good provision of scripture in support. If you have read the previous book Already Gone, youâÂÂll definitely want to read Already Compromised too. If you have not read Already Gone, IâÂÂd still recommend this especially if you are a student or parent.
Disclaimer: Ben Umnus was given a free copy of this book by New Leaf Publishing, but he was neither paid for his review nor was he commanded by New Leaf Publishing to write a positive review. This review is the personal, written opinion of Ben Umnus. This disclaimer is in accordance with the Federal Trade CommissionâÂÂs 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : âÂÂGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.âÂÂ
September 2, 2011
How much tuition to undermine your faith?
How much tuition does it cost to undermine the faith of a Christian college student? When a college claims to be Christian, you would expect it to adhere to the teachings of the Bible: not necessarily so.
This book presents the conclusions of a professional poll of Christian university presidents, vice-presidents and deans. The numbers are revealing: the historicity of the first 11 chapters of the Bible is widely doubted in the upper echelons of âÂÂChristianâ higher education.
The survey focused on beliefs (or lack thereof) in Biblical inerrancy, literal six-day creation, and a global flood. The results were varied, even among members of the administration at the same school. Remarkably, science deans tended to hold to Biblical inerrancy more than the deans of the schools of theology.
SO WHAT?
Statistics. Lots and lots of them, so much so that the point is far over-supported. The first several chapters were tedious to wade through, and I love numbers! The rest of the book, however, is imminently practical with advice for parents and college-bound students.
The final appeal to unity is earnest, and also ironic. âÂÂUnityâ is often the banner flown to encourage compromise. Instead, the authors provoke the church to a unity around the inerrancy and centrality of GodâÂÂs Word.
Here is a list of colleges that subscribe to Biblical inerrancy, a young earth, and a global flood: http://www.answersingenesis.org/colleges/.
August 12, 2011
Welcome to Christianbook.com! Sign in or create an account
Cart
0 items
Checkout
We now accept PayPalfor ALL orders
