After finishing my sophomore year of college at a small, Christian liberal arts school, I can officially say that I regret it.
I regret going to a college that stresses the importance of relationship–with our professors, with one another, and with Christ. I regret going to a college where I have to integrate my faith with literally every single subject. I regret going to a college where I am forced to think about major world issues from multiple perspectives. I regret going to a college where I can pretty much name at least half of the students on campus. I regret going to a college that forces me to be held accountable to showing up for every class. I regret going to a college that has mandated Bible and Humanities core classes. I regret going to somewhere that pushes me to connect with the local community.
The thing I regret the most, however, is that I don't regret it at all.
I love my school. I really, really do. They aren't paying me to say that, and they sure didn't bribe me or blackmail me to say it, either. While it's true that sometimes the cafeteria food sucks, that nothing being open on Sundays is a little extreme, and that obtaining permission to live off-campus is more difficult than actually getting admission into the college itself, I do not regret my decision to attend a Christian college.
Make no mistake about it, the college I attend doesn't appeal to everyone, and it may not be a good fit for everyone, either. The thing about the Christian college, though, is that it's for everyone. When the integration of faith and learning begin in the classroom, it extends everywhere on campus: clubs, activities, events, etc. It extends off campus, too, by encouraging students to be planted in any one of the number of local churches and to volunteer and engage with the local community. In this way, it is for everyone. A true Christian college is never about the individual; it is about the community. It is about relationship. Building community and relationship is a step towards healing the world we live in, and, Christian or not, this world being broken is one thing that can be agreed upon by everyone.
Am I naïve enough to believe that this effort alone can bring peace to a broken world? No. Do I think that some change can be made through the efforts of Christian colleges similar to the one I attend? Absolutely.
Finally, do I regret being a part of this Christian effort to make the world a better place? Yes, but only because it's changed me–down to the very core of how I view the world and the people in it–so much that I could never go back to the way I used to be. It has made me take on a greater perspective and a more holistic approach to life. And the thing is, when all is said and done...I really don't regret it at all.
