What is a Christian liberal arts education?
There are two essential educational structures offered by most colleges and universities:
- Professional or vocational education trains you how to do something. You study accounting to become an accountant or study education to become a teacher.
- The liberal arts expose you to subjects such as history, philosophy, literature, the arts, mathematics and science to not only give you a body of knowledge, but also to prepare you to write and speak about those subjects in deep and engaged ways.
While many colleges and universities offer a blend of both (OBU, in fact, has an outstanding teacher preparation program), some stress the study of the liberal arts more than others.
Why study this stuff?
Why bother with subjects that don't lead directly to a career path? Because studying, analyzing and writing about "the liberal arts" teaches you to research complex subjects, draw conclusions, develop informed opinions and communicate with grace and ease-all skills employers love.
Where does the Christian part come in?
As you study various works of literature, philosophy and science, you will encounter ideas that have shaped Western civilization and the world. By studying the liberal arts at a Christian university, you will have the chance to explore those ideas through a Christian lens. At OBU you can ask tough questions like, was World War II moral in a Christian context? Is Descartes' famous assertion, "I think, therefore I am," a Christian idea? If a Shakespearean character curses, is that right or wrong or just a figure of speech?
As you can see, exploring the world of ideas is not only challenging, but it's also fun. And it will expand your mind in ways you can't even begin to imagine now.