Confessional universities growing

Charlotte Allen writes that "America's religious colleges are growing in popularity and quality." This is something which we who teach at such institutions have known for some time, but only now, it seems, are the media catching up to this reality. Citing Naomi Schaefer Riley, Allen observes that

the number of students attending the 100 schools of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities -- an organization of four-year liberal-arts schools dedicated to promoting the Christian faith -- rose 60% between 1990 and 2002. In those same years the attendance at nonreligious public and private schools stayed essentially flat. The number of applications to the University of Notre Dame, the nation's premier Catholic college, has risen steadily over the past decade, with a 23% jump last year alone.

Here in Canada there are far fewer such universities, even relative to this country's much smaller population. I am happy to say that my employer, Redeemer University College, is one such institution and it is definitely growing. (In fact, from my office at the south end of the academic building I can clearly hear the noises associated with our library expansion project.) Other similar institutions include The King's University College, Trinity Western University and Atlantic Baptist University. What impact will the graduates of these institutions have on Canada as a whole? It is, of course, difficult to discern their long-term influence, but there are ample grounds for hope. Pray that God might see fit to prosper these institutions for his greater glory.