Why the Liberal Arts?

A Community of Learning and Faith: The Liberal Arts at Gordon College
When you come to Gordon, you join a global community of faithful learners committed to exploring and deepening their understanding of God’s world. We do this through the liberal arts, an educational model characterized by both breadth and depth—breadth through broad exposure to the arts and sciences, and depth through focused study of an academic discipline.

A community of learning.
A liberal arts education is about learning to think critically, communicate effectively, reason analytically and act morally. Its comprehensive approach enables you to perceive complex problems from multiple perspectives, and equips you to creatively and flexibly engage with the needs of our constantly changing world. In addition to pursuing at least one academic discipline in depth through your major, you will also have opportunities to explore other areas through the Core Curriculum, minors and elective courses.

A community of faith.
At Gordon, your academic exploration and personal development takes place within an intentional Christian community. You will be encouraged to think about how your faith comes into conversation with all aspects of your life, including your academic endeavors. Here, you will find space to ask difficult questions about all aspects of God’s world. You will find that your professors care about more than imparting academic knowledge; they are also concerned with your spiritual development, and will come alongside you as mentors in the Christian faith.

The broad exposure of a liberal arts education rooted in faith makes you versatile and best prepares you for all walks of life. You will be ready for a career or further graduate studies, but most importantly, for a lifelong journey of learning and Christian faithfulness.

Dr. Kristen Cooper

Assistant Professor of Economics and Business 

"As a Christian liberal arts college, our business majors learn to ask ‘why?’ not just ‘how?’ They learn why language, historical context and scientific evidence are important for understanding the world. They wrestle to define the role of self-interest and profit in a world where everyone can thrive. They learn to use economic theory to make good business decisions but they can also apply insights from philosophy, biblical studies and the arts."

 

"Gordon College as a whole helped me gain a strong foundation for my faith, encouraged me to find my identity in Christ…and modeled what true Christian community is. It undoubtedly provided excellent preparation for my career path and helped shape the person I am today."

"Gordon helped prepare me for everyday life in looking for God’s activity in the local communities that I am a part of and finding ways to apply my skills to participate in what God is doing."

"I appreciated the diverse set of viewpoints among faculty, staff and students at Gordon. Such diversity caused me to confront challenging ideas that helped me solidify some beliefs and change others. After wrestling with challenging ideas at Gordon, I felt more prepared to confront even more challenging ideas in a secular society."

“Who’s Afraid of the Liberal Arts”
D. Michael Lindsay, President

“The Promise of Religious Colleges”
Tal Howard, former professor of history and director of the Center for Faith and Inquiry

“An Investment in Faith and Learning”
Mark Sargent, former provost

“A Framework for the Liberal Arts”
Stan D. Gaede, scholar-in-residence

Why Choose the Liberal Arts? (see article-length version)
Mark Roche, University of Notre Dame