Faith-Based Institutions

When Western Europe gave birth to universities in the 1100s, they were all faith based, that is, they were identified with a particular faith tradition and built on the premise that the metaphysical and theological assumptions of this tradition should guide the search for wisdom. More specifically, these early institutions were all Christian. Furthermore, since the Eastern Orthodox Church never helped start universities until centuries later, all of the early universities were Roman Catholic. Therefore, what defined a faith-based university was that the Christian worldview of the Catholic Church shaped the purpose, curriculum, and educational methods of these early universities. For example, early educational designers primarily sought not only to educate good citizens but also to restore humanity to what God intended—flourishing bearers of God’s ...