The Curious Absence of the Satan and Spiritual Warfare in Christian Higher Education

Abstract

This article examines to what extent any engagement with the themes of the Satan, demonic evil, and spiritual warfare appear in the scholarship and teaching within Christian higher education institutions. A review of the course descriptions from 104 of the 115 governing members of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities was conducted to answer this question, along with a review of recent literature in the field of higher education. The results of both reviews suggest that faith integration efforts in scholarship and teaching largely ignore the Adversary and ways to combat his influence. Secondly, this article makes the case that Christian higher education could better accomplish its mission if the Enemy and spiritual warfare were taken seriously. Finally, I argue that a failure to take the Satan seriously is a failure of holistic faith integration and ignores an opportunity to provide guidance to those who believe in supernatural evil.