The most obvious difference is the occasion and means by which you can witness to your faith. We are all called to be salt and light wherever we are, and to fill the places we occupy with the love of Jesus, so the expectations are the same. However, at a state university, in a classroom I cannot use the privilege of my position as a platform to express the reason for the hope that is in me, thus making unnatural what is the most natural of all impulses. Teachers at Andrews can pursue Christocentric teaching that is forbidden at secular institutions of higher learning. I should stress that we are able to do this while excelling at the standards used by accrediting bodies to measure the quality of the educational process. For example, the Andrews University Teacher Preparation Program was the only institution to receive a perfect score by the State Board of Education out of 32 public and private colleges and Universities in the state of Michigan. I could cite many other examples that demonstrate that “Seek Knowledge, Affirm Faith, Change the World” is an operating philosophy rather than just a catchy slogan.
