Do Many Christian Colleges Practice “False Advertising”?

Things haven’t gotten any better over the years. A while ago, author Randy Alcorn published an article with an interesting title: “The Problem of False Advertising by Christian Colleges.” He writes,

Over twenty years ago, I wrote an article titled The Scandal of Evangelical Dishonesty. The subjects I addressed were uncomfortable and controversial, including the issue of false advertising by Christian colleges. But this problem has not gone away, and if anything, the situation is worse now than it was then.

I would agree—the problem in our Christian colleges has not gotten better with time. Even more have compromised on Scripture, even if their supporters and the parents of students don’t know it yet. Alcorn went on to say,

Many Christian colleges and universities routinely print doctrinal statements in their catalogs that are not believed or taught by some or even many of their professors. Years ago, the academic vice president of a major Christian liberal arts college confided to me, “If Christian parents actually knew what their children are being taught in our classrooms, they would pull them out of college tomorrow.” And, I would add, they’d never give another dime to that college.

If Christian colleges told the truth in their promotional materials, some would read like this: “Thirty-four percent of our faculty believe in the inerrancy of God’s Word. Twenty-one percent of our science teachers believe the biblical account of creation. No one in our psychology department believes in the doctrine of original sin. Two out of our three sociology teachers are proabortion and defenders of homosexual lifestyles. The director of our philosophy department is an agnostic. The head of our Bible department hasn’t attended church for ten years because he doesn’t believe in organized religion.”

Why not be honest and admit this publicly? The answer is simple: So Christian parents will keep paying to send their students there, and so the college’s major Christian donors will keep sending money.

He then cautioned parents not to just assume that because a college says it is Christian, or uses the right words in its marketing materials, that the school really does stand boldly on Scripture or teaches a biblical worldview. I offer the same caution.

Most parents, I believe, are non-discerning when it comes to sending their children to a “Christian” academic institution. So much more research and discernment are needed as parents are really gambling with their children’s minds and thus their eternity.

Most Christian colleges don’t actually offer that, even if they advertise it.

If you are wanting to send your child to a Christian college (or you are attending one yourself), you’re probably doing it because you want them to have a wonderful Christian environment, be taught through the lens of Scripture, and graduate better equipped to serve Christ however he has called them to. Most Christian colleges don’t actually offer that, even if they advertise it.

You must do your due diligence to dig past the marketing, speak with actual professors or deans at the college, and find out what the school really believes (looking at their social media and who they invite or whose posts they share is a great way to start). Don’t make the investment until you know for sure that this college is worth it!

If you want help, I encourage you to make plans to attend our Creation College Expo 2026 at the Ark Encounter, November 5–7, 2026. This event is free for students in grades 7–12 and features colleges and universities from across the nation that take the same stand we do on the authority of Scripture and the age of the earth. It’s a great place to start your search (of course, you still need to do your own due diligence).

Your student will also enjoy free Ark admission and teaching from myself, AiG’s Avery Foley, astronaut Captain Barry Wilmore, and Dr. Cal Beisner from the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, along with a drama from Logos Theatre.

One of the schools coming to this event, and one of our partner schools, is Cedarville University in Ohio. They are proud to publicly partner with us, stating:

The Word of God — from creation to Revelation — influences every part of life at Cedarville. Like our partners at Answers in Genesis, we’re committed to biblical authority. Through excellent academics, intentional discipleship, and vibrant community, Cedarville is passionate about transforming students’ lives.

As a Cedarville student, you’ll be equipped to excel in your chosen profession and stand for biblical truth, opening doors to make a lasting impact for Christ.

They even recently hosted AiG’s VP of education, Dr. Georgia Purdom, on their podcast, highlighting her as one of their alums. You can learn more about the impact Cedarville had on her—as well as many other topics they discussed—in this video:

Learn more and check out Cedarville for yourself at Cedarville.edu.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.