Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look, and an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

A few weeks ago, Trinity Christian College announced it would be closing its doors after the spring 2026th semester.

The Chicagoland School had served the Dutch Reform Community and others for about 70 years,

had a strong nursing program,

and gave a priority to the Christian worldview. Back in 2023, Trinity International University,

the other Trinity in Chicago, announced that its undergraduate program would be moved online

with no residential option offered. Its grad school, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

announced it would fold into another seminary in Vancouver. Also in July, the King's College

in New York, which have been struggling for quite a while, announced it would permanently close.

And many observers predict we should expect more announcements like these in the weeks and months to come.

Institutions of higher education face a perfect storm of factors.

Enrollments have not kept up with expectations, leaving high debt and empty buildings.

During COVID, student, staff, and administrators got used to Zoom classes,

especially how moving online avoids the trouble of feeding,

housing, and entertaining students. And of course, there are too many educators now more

interested in creating activists than educating students. What's long been an endemic reality

at secular schools is also the case at many once faithful Christian institutions that have fallen captive

to the critical theory mood that pervades the rest of academic culture. So why should Christian

parents spend thousands on an education that has so-called progressed beyond biblical authority

and historic Christian morality when the education offered is basically indistinguishable from cheaper secular options.

Many parents have simply learned the hard way about mission drift at Christian colleges.

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