Defining 'Hope College'

Hope College is a Christian college. It’s not a secret. There are a lot of preconceived notions about Christian colleges. People say that because Christian colleges only accept Christians into their school, they don’t tolerate people in different walks of life. People have a conception that students at Christian colleges are pious and only attend their specific school because no other school is Christian enough for them. People think that those students don’t care about academics or take their studies seriously; all they care about is being a devout Christian. All these generalizations have given Christian colleges a bad reputation. I have to admit, I find myself buying into these stereotypes at times. But I don’t believe any of these things are true about Hope College or its students. Since I began my time at Hope, I’ve seen countless examples of how Hope is not like those other Christian colleges.

When I read Hope’s Philosophy of Education, I could see what made Hope so different, but not without some additional research. I read through Bethel University’s Philosophy of Education. There were some aspects that were similar to Hope’s, but for the most part it was very different. A passage from the Bethel’s Philosophy of Education states:

“As a Christian learning community, we honor God by the way we work together at our calling. We rejoice in discovering the character and glory of our Creator as we explore His creation. As people who bear God’s image, we pursue the truth of His revelation. That revelation comes to us in the person of Christ, the wonder and beauty of creation, and the Spirit-directed words of the Bible” (Bethel University, Philosophy of Education)

Compare that with an excerpt from Hope’s Philosophy of Education...

... middle of paper ...

...ian college. It has all the perks of a Christian college—moral values, supportive and compassionate faculty, a caring Christian community—plus all the benefits of a liberal arts school. Hope focuses on developing a person as a whole, not just spiritually, not just intellectually. I am confident that by the end of my time at Hope, I will be the “informed, sensitive, and competent” member of society that I was intended to be. I will be stronger in my faith because the environment Hope fosters is one of Christian fellowship. Hope aims to produce students that are morally sound, spiritually strong, and intellectually well-versed. Students are independent thinkers—not confined to a single school of thought based on religious beliefs. All of these things make Hope more than just a Christian school and more than just a liberal arts school. Hope College is a special place.