BY MARTA STONE

FTER 23 YEARS OF BEING PART OF the system known as Adventist education, including six years of college experiences and six years of academy teaching, my roots are irreversibly planted. I have learned a lot, matured, and grown closer to God through the years as I have sat in classrooms, traveled the world, and taken on my own responsibilities as a teacher. My year studying in Spain (as part of Adventist Colleges Abroad) and school trips and family vacations within the United States have connected me to an Adventist family that spans the globe and makes me part of an incredible network of support and friendship.

Adventist education and all that it encompasses have played a big part in shaping me into who I am today, helping to develop and clarify my priorities and goals, and even influencing my lifestyle. I am convinced that Adventist education, from kindergarten through college, is a necessity and that it is worth the cost. But every year I am saddened to see seniors, in their first major opportunity for independent decision-making, choose not to continue their education on an Adventist campus. Admittedly, in terms of practical, everyday life, an Adventist education is a pricey alternative, but ultimately it is a priceless investment.

Growing in the Water
College means change. For some it is a bigger change than for others, but it always means change. Imagine a tadpole in a pond. The tadpole has to go through metamorphosis to become a full-grown frog. However, the atmosphere in which it exists during change is important. It has to live in water, or it will die. As Christians we need the right atmosphere as we develop, or we might die spiritually. For many, college is the first independent exposure to the "real world." I remember attending a panel discussion on the issue of homosexuality during my first year of college. Suddenly I realized that as an adult, I had to know what I believed and be informed enough to know why, not just on that topic but on many others. I had to acknowledge the complexity of life, even when on the surface an issue might appear black and white. It wasn't enough to be from a strong Christian home and admire, even agree with, my parents' beliefs; I had to take charge of my own ability to think.

As I continued my college experience, maturing along the way, I came face to face with so many other challenges. In my own life I dealt with interpersonal relationships, my relationship with God, dating, career choices--and the list goes on. As a resident assistant in the dorm, I trained to help others in their struggles with those same issues and ones even more serious such as drugs and alcohol, eating disorders, and suicide. I would have been exposed to these same types of things at a non-Christian college. But out of the water, would I have kept a spiritual focus? Who would have been there to guide me through the tough questions with a spiritual perspective?

Fortunately, we do not go through the metamorphosis into adulthood alone. There are thousands of college tadpoles around the world that can commiserate on the challenges of becoming a frog. This is good, since we are created to be social beings. It also presents another argument for the importance of Christian education.

Get a Life
The social life on a college campus runs the gamut from the casual acquaintance of fellow classmates to the deep bonds of lifelong friendship and even marriage. A wide variety of beliefs and religions can be found on any college campus, and developing friendships with people of all faiths is incredibly rewarding. Having friends of different religions makes us more well rounded, gives us spiritual insights from many perspectives, and strengthens our own beliefs. In my own college experience, I was thankful for the diversity of my friends and enjoyed the opportunity to get acquainted with people of different denominations.

At the same time, I am grateful that the overall atmosphere of my college was Seventh-day Adventist. I did not have to worry that I would not be able to participate in some activity because I did not feel it was appropriate to my beliefs. Friday night's enjoyment came from activities to welcome the Sabbath, rather than a football game or a movie. Big date occasions were banquets, not dances. Church, vespers, Christian concerts, and Weeks of Prayer were important to me and many other students. I have wonderful memories of singing praises to God with a roomful of friends each Friday night after vespers. I heard speakers who changed and improved my relationship with God because of their testimonies. All of these are privileges of living on a Christian campus. Besides, there are enough stresses in college without having to be different, not one of the crowd because of religious beliefs.

Another aspect of the college social scene is courtship. It is only logical that while we are planning our future careers we are also thinking about our future family life. This is one of our biggest and most important decisions, as it affects not only the whole course of our lives but determines the legacy we leave behind in the way of descendants.

The Bible has many things to say on the topic of marriage. One of the guidelines is found in 2 Corinthians 6:14, 15, which states, "Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. . . . What does a believer share with an unbeliever?" (NRSV). This is not to say that all non-Adventists are unbelievers. Instead, it is a warning not to marry someone with totally different values. Imagine an obscure religion in which one of the commandments is to kill a beaver on the night before each full moon in order to be saved. It would be safe to say that a member of that religion better not marry an animal activist. Obviously, this example is ridiculously extreme, but it can cause as much tension if one partner is a Sabbathkeeper and the husband or wife does not see the importance of Sabbath. How will they resolve the conflict each weekend? Even more important, whose values will they use to raise their children?

Granted, attending an Adventist college does not guarantee a marital match with a believer. Neither does attending a non-Adventist college mean marriage to an unbeliever. However, the probability of finding someone with similar values is much higher when more people who share those values exist within our circle of contact. For anyone to whom marriage to someone of like beliefs is important, the educational options should be considered carefully.

A Bigger Pond
Let's get back to the tadpole for a moment. The thought probably never enters its mind to wonder about life outside its own little pond. It was hatched there, it changed into a frog there, and it will live out its days there happily croaking away. We humans are a bit more complex. We live in a world full of millions who are like us yet completely unlike us in beliefs, lifestyle, and culture. The more we know about each other, the easier it is to coexist peacefully despite our differences. We also tend to find more relevance in the things that matter if we are actively involved, rather than sitting as spectators on our own little lily pads. This is where another advantage of an Adventist college education becomes apparent: the opportunity to go overseas, either to continue study in an Adventist college abroad or to serve as a student missionary.

Studying abroad expands our view of the world as well as that of our own culture in ways we can't even imagine. It deepens our understanding and sensitivity to those whose heritage lies outside our own. It teaches things we can never learn in a classroom. And most important, living on "the far side of the sea" (Ps. 139:9, NIV)--away from all things familiar--strengthens our dependence on God. Of course this is an opportunity available to students at non-Adventist schools, but anyone who buys into the other reasons that education in an Adventist atmosphere is important has to believe that those reasons exist no matter what part of the world they may find themselves.

As for student mission trips, it is true you can join a mission group through a variety of avenues, but it is almost always a guarantee that Adventist colleges will have student representatives going on summer mission trips to places such as Russia and Borneo. They send students to orphanages in Central America. They sponsor students to take a year out of school to teach elementary and secondary children in China, Guatemala, and Pohnpei. Is this an important aspect of education? Most definitely! All the reasons for going abroad to study apply here as well. In addition, there aren't enough missionaries as it is and the students who go come back different people. Over and over I've heard returned missionaries comment on how they would not trade their experiences for anything. I've even heard such remarks as "My experience as a student missionary is the number one reason I will always be a Seventh-day Adventist." This is a powerful argument for being in a place that affords these opportunities.

A Quality Education
Aside from all the issues of social development and overseas prospects, what about quality of education? Do you really get what you pay for? Actually, the question is not so much about money or about Adventist versus non-Adventist education as it is about making informed decisions. On any college or university campus, Adventist or not, there is a lot of quality of education, and then there are programs that are not as strong. There are superior teachers producing excellent graduates who are tops in their field, and there are teachers who fall short, for whatever reason. Any decision about where to go to college should take into consideration the specific program of courses desired. If it is weak on one campus, a different school might be a better option.

There are 14 colleges and universities affiliated with the Adventist Church in North America alone, not to mention more than 100 worldwide. It is not uncommon for people to sacrifice and travel long distances to be in a top-quality program at a certain college. Look at the engineering students at Walla Walla College, for example. They certainly are not all from the Northwest. They come from Africa, Puerto Rico, and islands out in the middle of the Pacific to be in the program. Why? Because Walla Walla College has a well-deserved reputation for employing high-quality teachers in this department. It has an engineering program that can compete with top-quality public university programs.

Another benefit is that classes on Adventist campuses tend to be smaller, which results in a lower student to teacher ratio. Since most teachers are there because they believe God has called them to serve, they do just that by learning students' names, making themselves available for help outside of class, sponsoring clubs and organizations within their fields of expertise, and including God in their class discussions. They typically worship with their students on Sabbath mornings, and pray with them in offices and dorm rooms throughout the week. Some even leave their homes and their own schedules to provide education in off-campus locations, or give up their weekends to sponsor workshops for former students currently using their degrees and training in jobs of their own.

Finally, classes on topics of eternal importance provide a definite advantage on Adventist campuses. Men and women who have devoted their whole lives to study and research into the Word of God help students test their own faith and mature spiritually. But any Christian teacher could do the same. In a Seventh-day Adventist school we can become rooted in our own history, gain a better understanding of our own beliefs, and learn how to establish ourselves firmly in our church family so that we can carry on the work begun so nobly and at such great personal cost to those who came before us.

The Other Side
Of course there are counterarguments for any reason a person could give for attending an Adventist college. Some are excuses, such as the ones with narrow vision that see only the problems without acknowledging that we do, after all, exist in an imperfect world, and even teachers and students on Adventist campuses are human. Then there are always rumors. I've actually had friends tell me, in all sincerity, for instance, that they would not attend a certain Adventist college because you can smell marijuana in the hallways of the dorms. They had never even been to the school about which they were speaking! People just don't seem to understand that no matter where you go, you find what you are looking for. If it's drugs, alcohol, and partying you want, then sadly, you can find these things on an Adventist campus as well as anywhere else. But if you want true friends, quality teachers, and spiritual growth, you can find these things, too.

Other concerns are valid, however, and must be recognized. Denominational education isn't for everyone. For some, the type of career they want prevents them from attending an Adventist school. For others witnessing is truly more effective in a non-Adventist atmosphere. And sometimes the financial responsibility is too heavy and the options are either a public college or no college at all.

It is worth considering, though, that this choice does have ramifications more far-reaching than where we will spend four years of our life. It will impact the entire course of our life, as well as the lives of future generations in ways that may not be clear until looking back from heaven's perspective. The bottom line is: a decision on where to attend college, like any other decision, should be made prayerfully, and may well require a great act of faith.

While I was a student at Walla Walla College, we celebrated our one hundredth birthday during a special alumni weekend celebration. It was exciting to think about all the people who have had some impact on the world because of their experiences on that campus. I know that in heaven there will be a whole group of people who attribute their eternal life either directly or indirectly to WWC or another of the Adventist colleges and universities around the world. But it was during the church service on Sabbath morning that I caught a true vision of Adventist education. Tears came to my eyes as I looked around the packed church at the people singing the morning hymn, heard the majesty of the huge pipe organ well played, and thought about what it was going to be like when we have that gigantic reunion in heaven. And when the pastor got up and said that we were different than any public university or community college alumni group because our main weekend focus was worshipping God and meeting in a church rather than a football field, I asked myself, "Do I think an Adventist college is the place to be?" The answer was and always will be: I wouldn't be anywhere else.

Is an Adventist college education worth the cost? Consider it the most secure and productive investment you'll ever make.

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Marta Stone taught on an Adventist academy campus before becoming a full-time homemaker. Stone lives with her husband, daughter, and two dogs in Caldwell, Idaho.