Advancing freedom with Christian scholarship dedicated to the pursuit of truth is the unique focus of The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. At the Center we believe that freedom is the fountainhead of economic and political progress, and religious tolerance. Moreover, we embrace the wisdom of Western Civilization that biblical truth is the foundation of freedom.
This is a concept expressed in the American Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Acting in the absence of truth, mankind too frequently suppresses freedom. As a result, power, rather than truth, becomes the means to advance pernicious ideological agendas. To defend and advance freedom, civilization requires institutions that seek to preserve truth – such as that in the Declaration – and to discover and advance truths that affect the political, economic, religious and social spheres of life.
Greek philosophers beginning with Socrates understood the implications of denying the existence of truth but it was Christianity that took the concept to a wider audience throughout history.
The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College presupposes that God is sovereign, that man is made in the image of God and is therefore of inestimable and eternal value, and that the God of the Bible is the indispensable starting point for understanding truth. Moreover, John’s gospel records Jesus’ words to those who believed in Him, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The study of truth, therefore, is inextricably linked to personal freedom, political and economic freedom, religious freedom, and orderly progress.
The Center helps people comprehend that God’s truth pertains to all areas of life and reality while providing answers for today’s difficult issues using scholarly methodologies that presuppose truth and human value – as opposed to relativism and chance – as the proper foundation for addressing society’s challenges.
In short, the Center provides truth-seeking answers to today’s major issues, a vision for individual freedom and hope for the future.
There are few, if any, places of higher education and Christian scholarship in the world that combine the love of truth with the love of liberty like Grove City College. The basic tenets of the College, in fact, are the precepts of faith and freedom.
Grove City College was founded in 1876 and today finds itself attracting faculty of the highest caliber from all over the country who seek out the college for its high academic standards, its Christian emphasis, its appreciation of aesthetics and its principled commitment to forgo federal government funding in order to freely pursue its long-held mission to provide a high quality education in a Christian atmosphere at an affordable cost.
Asking important questions facing humanity as well as pursuing truth rigorously are hallmarks of the finest Christian scholars and the faculty at Grove City College. For the past several years many Grove City College faculty members have been pursuing research projects — books, white papers, laboratory experimentation — of all kinds in their fields of expertise. Moreover, Grove City College leaders recognize that this scholarship enriches not only the classroom but the public square via hundreds of media placements such as opinion editorials, newspaper and magazine stories, web sites and blogs, and speaking engagements. Such external activities place the transformational scholarship of the College’s faculty into the marketplace of ideas.
Whether working on economic, political, social, religious or scientific issues, Grove City College faculty are making an impact for freedom on campus and beyond through The Center for Vision & Values. Indeed, it is the continuing duty of each generation to preserve freedom for the next generation.
With a year of preparation, The Center for Vision & Values began formal operations in April 2005 to further this work — advancing freedom with Christian scholarship.