Christianity Today's 2018 Book of the Year Award of Merit - Politics/Public Life Has the American university gained the whole world but lost its soul? In terms of money, prestige, power, and freedom, American universities appear to have gained the academic world. But at what cost? We live in the age of the fragmented multiversity that has no unifying soul or mission. The multiversity in a post-Christian culture is characterized instead by curricular division, the professionalization of the disciplines, the expansion of administration, the loss of community, and the idolization of athletics. The situation is not hopeless. According to Perry L. Glanzer, Nathan F. Alleman, and Todd C. Ream, Christian universities can recover their soul—but to do so will require reimagining excellence in a time of exile, placing the liberating arts before the liberal arts, and focusing on the worship, love, and knowledge of God as central to the university. Restoring the Soul of the University is a pioneering work that charts the history of the university and casts an inspiring vision for the future of higher education.

Leading scholars explore the role of faith in the university setting

"This volume ... is a revision and updating of The Soul of the American University: From Protestant Establishment to Established Nonbelief (1994)"--Acknowledgments

Explores the decline in religious influence in American universities, discussing why this transformation has occurred.

This book demonstrates that, despite much evidence to the contrary, there are still Christian colleges and universities of high academic quality that have also kept their religious heritages publicly relevant. Respected scholar Robert Benne explores how six schools from six different religious traditions (Calvin College, Wheaton College, St. Olaf College, Valparaiso University, Baylor University, and the University of Notre Dame) have maintained "quality with soul." These constructive case studies examine the vision, ethos, and personnel policies of each school, showing how--and why--its religious foundation remains strong.

Many universities, founded on the principles of vigorous scholarship and steadfast Christian faith, have abandoned those roots, resulting in confusion, fragmentation, and ideological strife. This book explores the role reflective Christian faith can play in unifying the intellectual life of the university. Contributors including Jean Bethke Elshtain, Richard Hays, John Polkinghorne, Joel Carpenter, and David Lyle Jeffrey analyze the character and practices of an ideal Christian intellectual community.