Last year, several Christian colleges announced major changes or closures, highlighting the serious challenges that face not only small Christian schools but all of higher education in America. Trinity Christian College in Illinois, which has served its community for nearly 70 years with programs that included nursing and coursework grounded in a Christian worldview, announced that it will close their doors after the spring 2026 semester. Trinity International University, also in the Chicago area, moved its undergraduate program entirely online and will no longer offer a residential experience. Its graduate divinity school will transition into another seminary in Vancouver. In July, The King’s College in New York City — a smaller institution that had faced ongoing struggles — announced it would close permanently. Observers expect other similar announcements in the coming months.
It is true that these developments reflect the overall pressures on higher education. Enrollments have declined, leaving campuses with high debt and underutilized facilities. The rise of online education in the Covid-19 era accelerated this trend, leading students and faculty to adapt to virtual classes and no need for costly residential infrastructure.
But more important has been the shift in educational priorities at some faith-based institutions. Several schools once considered distinctively Christian have moved toward academic cultures and curricula that resemble secular colleges. In some cases, this included adopting ideas from academic movements like critical theory, leading many parents to question whether these programs still reflect historic Christian teachings. Because of this shift, families have chosen to pursue other options in seeking values-based higher education. When the educational experience at a Christian institution is no different from what can be found at secular schools, prospective students question not only the cost but the very purpose of that education.
While these closures are certainly difficult, they also create an opportunity for the renewal of Christian education. The Church has played an instrumental role in the development of Western education, and I have no doubt that long-standing Christian principles can inspire new, innovative approaches to learning yet again. Rather than seeing school closures simply as an end, this should be a chance to rethink educational models and principles altogether. Now is the time to develop options in higher education that combine academic excellence with a distinctively Christian foundation.
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