Relevant Magazine ranks top 5 Christian Universities

College Search & Selection
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<p>Top 5 Christian College Rankings</p>

<p>For our rankings of the top colleges for RELEVANT readers, we ranked schools on a scale of academics, student life and spiritual life. From this, we took an average and ranked the top five schools. Below are some defining characteristics of each of the schools we chose.</p>

<li>Baylor University…</li>
</ol>

<p><a href=“http://www.relevantmagazine.com/beta/issue_25_colleges.php[/url]”>http://www.relevantmagazine.com/beta/issue_25_colleges.php</a></p>

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<p>Just some comments on this list:</p>

<p>I would take Pepperdine and Baylor out of this list on the basis that they have essentially abandoned their Christian heritage. </p>

<p>My personal and, I think rather educated opinion, on the matter would lead me to the following order if one assumes a serious commitment to Christian Scholarship is necessary to make this list:</p>

<ol>
<li>Wheaton College</li>
<li>Biola University</li>
<li>Abilene Christian</li>
<li>Calvin College</li>
<li>Westmont</li>
</ol>

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<p>i think it's terrible they ranked baylor first on their list, let alone at all. having come very close to attending BU, as well as the majority of my high school going there, I can say that it does not have a good academic reputation overall, nor a Christian reputation. I was very disappointed to see it ranked #1 in a magazine I like so much.</p>

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<p>I think that Baylor has a decent academic reputation - but they have taken decidedly firm steps away from their Christian heritage. </p>

<p>Pepperdine, on the other hand, is taking decidedly firm steps towards their Christian heritage and it definitely has a strong academic ranking. They still, however, have a long way to go before they can rightly describe themselves as a Christian University. </p>

<p>Wheaton and Biola, on the other hand, are really what Christian Scholarship is about:</p>

<p>Wheaton is a powerhouse of academics - decidedly small, intimate, and has an absolutely excellent scholarly reputation. They rank 11th in the country in percentage of students who obtain PhD's.</p>

<p>Biola is rapidly growing (5 record years for applications in a row) and has been fervently expanding their facilities and campus. They are gunning to be the first university that is a member of the Christian College Counsel to be ranked as a 3rd Tier, National University. They are currently the only member of the organization that is considered a National University. Biola was a cover story for the New York Times as well as Nightline last year. </p>

<p>Quite honestly, Biola and Wheaton are heads and shoulders above the other genuinely Christian Universities in this country, and they are both doing an excellent job at becoming relevant and engaging the world to find a common ground in science, humanities and the arts.</p>

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<p>Are Christian colleges different from Catholic colleges?</p>

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<p>Even though Catholicism is a demonination of of Christianity, when most people here Christian the think Protestantism (usually evangelical Protestantism)</p>

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<p>A Catholic/Christian school will teach the theological differences inherent in their belief structure. Also, while there are many Christian Universities in this country that require you to be a Christian to attend, this is rarely true at most Catholic Universities. </p>

<p>I shall highlight, very briefly, some of the main theological differences. This is NOT meant to incite a religious debate. I hold degrees in Theology and Philosophy so I assure you I know what I'm talking about. Again - This is just to highlight some of the general differences - NOT to say who is right or wrong. </p>

<p>Roman Catholicism espouses the following theological tenets: </p>

<ol>
<li> The edict of Papal Infallibility</li>
<li> The edict of Papal Succession </li>
<li> That the Pope is the head of the earthly church</li>
<li> The infallibility of ecumenical councils </li>
<li> The sinlessness of the virgin Mary</li>
<li> Justification is a combination of works and grace, rather than just grace</li>
<li> A spiritual difference exists between venial and deadly sins</li>
<li> The power of the church to forgive sins and condemn souls</li>
<li> The infallibility of apocryphal literature</li>
<li>The notion that the saints can intercede for you through prayers offered to them</li>
<li>The infallibility of the catechism</li>
<li>The necessity of the sacraments</li>
<li>The doctrine of transubstantiation (during communion the wine turns to blood and the bread turns into Christ's physical body)</li>
<li> Baptism is necessary for salvation</li>
</ol>

<p>Evangelical/Protestant Christianity rejects all of these things</p>

<p>Please note that many Catholics reject some or all of these teachings but still consider themselves to be proud Catholics. Conversely, some Christians accept some or all of these teachings and consider themselves to be proud Christians. In general, however, the aforementioned differences tend to hold true and so the theological portion of the education offered by Christian/Catholicism will generally hold to their perspective on these teachings. </p>

<p>Do note, that there are a great many Jesuit schools in this country and their beliefs do not coincide with evangelical Christianity or Catholicism, but are somewhere in between. Most of the "loyola" schools are Jesuit.</p>

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<p>so phear me, i know you didnt want to be questioned, but if your last belief is true, then wouldnt that mean that according to catholicism nonbelievers who were still great people will not go to heaven (ex: ghandi)? i go to catholic high school and this is not what i was taught at all. also i thought the jesuits were a completely catholic society, not "somewhere in between". not looking for an argument, just clarification.</p>

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<p>I have heard and read some good things about Grove City, near Pittsburgh.</p>

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<p>This thread is about Christian Universities, particularly in the context of Relevant magazine's ranking. </p>

<p>I will respond briefly to metfan and then I will not respond to any topic about religion qua religion any further. Please recognize that, unless you really know what you're talking about, spouting off opinions only adds more confusion to an entirely too convoluted issue:</p>

<p>Christianity, Islam, Catholicism, Mormonism etc. etc. etc. all espouse that only through certain things (i.e. Works + Grace, Acceptance of Christ as Resurrected Savior, Admittance that there is only one God and Muhammad is his prophet etc. etc.) can salvation be attained. There is almost no theological system that teaches "being good enough" is necessary for salvation. This includes Catholicism. </p>

<p>This is going to head into a topic that is filled with tons of misinformation and lots of passion usually most fervently argued over by people who really aren't qualified to have an opinion on the topic because they lack the proper philosophical training and the proper working knowledge of relevant theological facts. Theism usually comes with the idea that people go to hell. Postmodernism has taught that there is no right and wrong and truth is subjective, but this is an inconsistent worldview that leaves us unable to pass judgment on Hitler and the terrorists of 9/11, or more recently Cho Seung-hui of the Virginia Tech Tragedy. If atheism is true, then determinism is also true and we are all biological machines with no free will. Reality sucks, and no matter who's right there is an unhappy truth to swallow. Rather than pick and choose "what we like best" all we can do is seek truth, together. </p>

<p>ANY MORE CONVERSATION ON THE TOPIC OF RELIGION SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO A NEW THREAD. IF YOU WISH, YOU MAY PM ME AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO RESPOND. I WILL NOT RESPOND HERE.</p>

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<p>The most selective schools with a Christian religious affiliation including Roman Catholic and Greek and Russian Orthodox and so on. From IPEDS</p>

<p>These are the schools with SATs 75th percentile above 1200 for math + verbal. It is a long list.</p>

<p>sorted by SAT</p>

<p>Duke University 1560
University of Notre Dame 1500
The College of Saint Thomas More 1500
Georgetown University 1490
Emory University 1470
Oklahoma Christian University 1460
Macalester College 1450
Davidson College 1440
Wheaton College 1430
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary-Overbrook 1430
Boston College 1420
Thomas Aquinas College 1400
St. Olaf College 1400
Grove City College 1388
Wisconsin Lutheran College 1385
Bethel College 1380
University of Tulsa 1380
Lafayette College 1380
American University 1370
Rhodes College 1370
Trinity University 1370
Coe College 1366
Centre College 1360
Calvin College 1360
Bethel University 1360
Villanova University 1360
University of Mobile 1350
Hendrix College 1350
Pepperdine University 1350
Illinois College 1350
Earlham College 1350
Gettysburg College 1350
Brigham Young University 1350
Ave Maria University 1350
Taylor University 1340
Cornell College 1340
Loyola University New Orleans 1340
Gustavus Adolphus College 1340
Austin College 1340
University of Dallas 1340
Southwestern University 1340
Hope College 1330
Chapman University 1326
Albion College 1325
Santa Clara University 1320
DePauw University 1320
Evangel University 1320
Creighton University 1320
Muhlenberg College 1320
Sewanee: The University of the South 1320
LeTourneau University 1320
Southern Methodist University 1320
Agnes Scott College 1310
Luther College 1310
Wartburg College 1310
Elon University 1310
Ohio Wesleyan University 1310
Allegheny College 1310
Baylor University 1310
Whitworth College 1310
New Saint Andrews College 1310
Hanover College 1300
Belhaven College 1300
Calvary Bible College and Theological Seminary 1300
Saint Louis University-Main Campus 1300
Houghton College 1300
Franciscan University of Steubenville 1300
Wofford College 1300
Union University 1300
Randolph-Macon Woman's College 1300
Gonzaga University 1300
Marquette University 1300
Clarke College 1291
Birmingham Southern College 1290
Gordon College 1290
Hamline University 1290
Magdalen College 1290
Fordham University 1290
Warren Wilson College 1290
Cedarville University 1290
Wittenberg University 1290
Oklahoma City University 1290
Providence College 1290
Bryan College 1288
Millsaps College 1285
Transylvania University 1282
University of San Diego 1280
Covenant College 1280
Loyola University Chicago 1280
Goshen College 1280
University of Detroit Mercy 1280
University of St Thomas 1280
William Jewell College 1280
Drew University 1280
Ohio Northern University 1280
Xavier University 1280
University of Portland 1280
Messiah College 1280
Belmont University 1280
Seattle Pacific University 1280
Augsburg College 1275
Saint Johns University 1275
Mercer University 1270
Valparaiso University 1270
Vennard College 1270
Loyola College in Maryland 1270
College of Saint Benedict 1270
Wagner College 1270
University of Dayton 1270
University of St Thomas 1270
Seattle University 1270
Concordia University-Ann Arbor 1265
Samford University 1260
Harding University 1260
Loyola Marymount University 1260
Fairfield University 1260
North Central College 1260
Taylor University-Fort Wayne 1260
Westminster College 1260
University of Sioux Falls 1260
Aquinas College 1260
Texas Christian University 1260
Northland College 1260
The Master's College and Seminary 1250
Catholic University of America 1250
Hobe Sound Bible College 1250
DePaul University 1250
Elmhurst College 1250
Trinity International University 1250
University of Evansville 1250
Huntington University 1250
Stonehill College 1250
Concordia College at Moorhead 1250
Northwestern College 1250
Salem College 1250
Christian Brothers University 1250
Abilene Christian University 1250
Carthage College 1250
Bellarmine University 1246
Crown College 1245
Biola University 1240
Point Loma Nazarene University 1240
Saint Mary's College 1240
Centenary College of Louisiana 1240
Alma College 1240
The College of Saint Scholastica 1240
Rockhurst University 1240
Iona College 1240
Guilford College 1240
George Fox University 1240
Benedictine College 1233
Eckerd College 1230
North Park University 1230
Trinity Christian College 1230
Grace College and Theological Seminary 1230
Loras College 1230
John Carroll University 1230
Linfield College 1230
Saint Joseph's University 1230
Presbyterian College 1230
Freed-Hardeman University 1230
Lambuth University 1230
Saint Edward's University 1230
Mississippi College 1225
Southwestern Christian University 1225
Spring Hill College 1223
Colorado Christian University 1220
Millikin University 1220
Central Bible College 1220
Manhattan College 1220
Muskingum College 1220
Duquesne University 1220
Elizabethtown College 1220
Lebanon Valley College 1220
Lipscomb University 1220
Pacific Lutheran University 1220
College of St Catherine 1218
Le Moyne College 1213
University of the Ozarks 1210
University of San Francisco 1210
Central College 1210
Dordt College 1210
Louisiana College 1210
Avila University 1210
Saint Anselm College 1210
Oklahoma Baptist University 1210
Arcadia University 1210
Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary 1210
University of Scranton 1210
Maryville College 1210
Grace University 1205
Brevard College 1203
Huntingdon College 1200
Ouachita Baptist University 1200
Azusa Pacific University 1200
William Jessup University 1200
Concordia University 1200
Dominican University 1200
Indiana Wesleyan University 1200
Campbellsville University 1200
Andrews University 1200
Spring Arbor University 1200
Concordia University-Saint Paul 1200
Crossroads College 1200
Hastings College 1200
Canisius College 1200
Siena College 1200
Baldwin-Wallace College 1200
Pacific University 1200
Corban College 1200
Geneva College 1200
Susquehanna University 1200
Erskine College and Seminary 1200
Lee University 1200
Houston Baptist University 1200
Saint Michaels College 1200
Eastern Mennonite University 1200</p>

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<p>^
Those schools, of course, have varying degrees of ties. Duke maintains a link to the Methodist church only through the divinity school, for example, whereas North Central requires church attendance.</p>

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<p>I doubt the Christian credibility of any organization that holds Ken Starr in high regard. That reeks of hypocrisy and self righteousness which is against all of Jesus' teachings.</p>

<p>Thank God for Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Ben Franklin who were inspired to protect religion from the American Pharisees like Starr.</p>

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<p>sorted first by religion and then by SAT 75th percentile</p>

<p>key:
22 American Evangelical Lutheran Church
24 African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
27 Assemblies of God Church
28 Brethren Church
30 Roman Catholic
33 Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
34 Christ and Missionary Alliance Church
35 Christian Reformed Church
36 Evangelical Congregational Church
37 Evangelical Covenant Church of America
38 Evangelical Free Church of America
39 Evangelical Lutheran Church
40 International United Pentecostal Church
41 Free Will Baptist Church
42 Interdenominational
43 Mennonite Brethren Church
44 Moravian Church
45 North American Baptist
47 Pentecostal Holiness Church
48 Christian Churches and Churches of Christ
49 Reformed Church in America
50 Episcopal Church, Reformed
51 African Methodist Episcopal
52 American Baptist
53 American Lutheran
54 Baptist
55 Christian Methodist Episcopal
57 Church of God
58 Church of Brethren
59 Church of the Nazarene
60 Cumberland Presbyterian
61 Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
64 Free Methodist
65 Friends
66 Presbyterian Church (USA)
67 Lutheran Church in America
68 Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
69 Mennonite Church
71 United Methodist
73 Protestant Episcopal
74 Churches of Christ
75 Southern Baptist
76 United Church of Christ
77 Protestant, not specified
78 Multiple Protestant Denomination
79 Other Protestant
80 Jewish
81 Reformed Presbyterian Church
84 United Brethren Church
87 Missionary Church Inc
88 Undenominational
89 Wesleyan
91 Greek Orthodox
92 Russian Orthodox
93 Unitarian Universalist
94 Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church)
95 Seventh Day Adventists
97 The Presbyterian Church in America
99 Other </p>

<p>Evangel University 27 1320
Central Bible College 27 1220
Grace College and Theological Seminary 28 1230
University of Notre Dame 30 1500
The College of Saint Thomas More 30 1500
Georgetown University 30 1490
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary-Overbrook 30 1430
Boston College 30 1420
Thomas Aquinas College 30 1400
Villanova University 30 1360
Ave Maria University 30 1350
Loyola University New Orleans 30 1340
University of Dallas 30 1340
Santa Clara University 30 1320
Creighton University 30 1320
Saint Louis University-Main Campus 30 1300
Franciscan University of Steubenville 30 1300
Gonzaga University 30 1300
Marquette University 30 1300
Clarke College 30 1291
Magdalen College 30 1290
Fordham University 30 1290
Providence College 30 1290
University of San Diego 30 1280
Loyola University Chicago 30 1280
University of Detroit Mercy 30 1280
University of St Thomas 30 1280
Xavier University 30 1280
University of Portland 30 1280
Saint Johns University 30 1275
Loyola College in Maryland 30 1270
College of Saint Benedict 30 1270
University of Dayton 30 1270
University of St Thomas 30 1270
Seattle University 30 1270
Loyola Marymount University 30 1260
Fairfield University 30 1260
Aquinas College 30 1260
Catholic University of America 30 1250
DePaul University 30 1250
Stonehill College 30 1250
Christian Brothers University 30 1250
Bellarmine University 30 1246
Saint Mary's College 30 1240
The College of Saint Scholastica 30 1240
Rockhurst University 30 1240
Iona College 30 1240
Benedictine College 30 1233
Loras College 30 1230
John Carroll University 30 1230
Saint Joseph's University 30 1230
Saint Edward's University 30 1230
Spring Hill College 30 1223
Manhattan College 30 1220
Duquesne University 30 1220
College of St Catherine 30 1218
Le Moyne College 30 1213
University of San Francisco 30 1210
Avila University 30 1210
Saint Anselm College 30 1210
University of Scranton 30 1210
Dominican University 30 1200
Canisius College 30 1200
Siena College 30 1200
Saint Michaels College 30 1200
Wisconsin Lutheran College 33 1385
Crown College 34 1245
Calvin College 35 1360
Dordt College 35 1210
North Park University 37 1230
Trinity International University 38 1250
St. Olaf College 39 1400
Gettysburg College 39 1350
Gustavus Adolphus College 39 1340
Muhlenberg College 39 1320
Luther College 39 1310
Wartburg College 39 1310
Augsburg College 39 1275
Concordia College at Moorhead 39 1250
Carthage College 39 1250
Pacific Lutheran University 39 1220
Susquehanna University 39 1200
Taylor University 42 1340
LeTourneau University 42 1320
Gordon College 42 1290
Bryan College 42 1288
Messiah College 42 1280
Taylor University-Fort Wayne 42 1260
The Master's College and Seminary 42 1250
Trinity Christian College 42 1230
Grace University 42 1205
Salem College 44 1250
Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary 44 1210
Southwestern Christian University 47 1225
Crossroads College 48 1200
Hope College 49 1330
Central College 49 1210
University of Sioux Falls 52 1260
Linfield College 52 1230
Bethel University 54 1360
Baylor University 54 1310
Cedarville University 54 1290
William Jewell College 54 1280
Belmont University 54 1280
Mercer University 54 1270
Samford University 54 1260
Oklahoma Baptist University 54 1210
Corban College 54 1200
Lee University 57 1200
Elizabethtown College 58 1220
Point Loma Nazarene University 59 1240
Chapman University 61 1326
Transylvania University 61 1282
Texas Christian University 61 1260
Seattle Pacific University 64 1280
Spring Arbor University 64 1200
Earlham College 65 1350
Guilford College 65 1240
George Fox University 65 1240
Macalester College 66 1450
Davidson College 66 1440
Grove City College 66 1388
University of Tulsa 66 1380
Lafayette College 66 1380
Rhodes College 66 1370
Trinity University 66 1370
Coe College 66 1366
Centre College 66 1360
Illinois College 66 1350
Austin College 66 1340
Agnes Scott College 66 1310
Whitworth College 66 1310
Hanover College 66 1300
Belhaven College 66 1300
Warren Wilson College 66 1290
Westminster College 66 1260
Alma College 66 1240
Eckerd College 66 1230
Presbyterian College 66 1230
Millikin University 66 1220
Muskingum College 66 1220
University of the Ozarks 66 1210
Arcadia University 66 1210
Maryville College 66 1210
Hastings College 66 1200
Wittenberg University 67 1290
Valparaiso University 67 1270
Wagner College 67 1270
Concordia University-Ann Arbor 68 1265
Concordia University 68 1200
Concordia University-Saint Paul 68 1200
Goshen College 69 1280
Eastern Mennonite University 69 1200
Duke University 71 1560
Emory University 71 1470
American University 71 1370
Hendrix College 71 1350
Cornell College 71 1340
Southwestern University 71 1340
Albion College 71 1325
DePauw University 71 1320
Southern Methodist University 71 1320
Ohio Wesleyan University 71 1310
Allegheny College 71 1310
Wofford College 71 1300
Randolph-Macon Woman's College 71 1300
Birmingham Southern College 71 1290
Hamline University 71 1290
Oklahoma City University 71 1290
Millsaps College 71 1285
Drew University 71 1280
Ohio Northern University 71 1280
North Central College 71 1260
University of Evansville 71 1250
Centenary College of Louisiana 71 1240
Lambuth University 71 1230
Lebanon Valley College 71 1220
Brevard College 71 1203
Huntingdon College 71 1200
Baldwin-Wallace College 71 1200
Sewanee: The University of the South 73 1320
Oklahoma Christian University 74 1460
Pepperdine University 74 1350
Harding University 74 1260
Abilene Christian University 74 1250
Freed-Hardeman University 74 1230
Lipscomb University 74 1220
University of Mobile 75 1350
Union University 75 1300
Mississippi College 75 1225
Louisiana College 75 1210
Ouachita Baptist University 75 1200
Campbellsville University 75 1200
Houston Baptist University 75 1200
Elon University 76 1310
Northland College 76 1260
Elmhurst College 76 1250
Pacific University 76 1200
New Saint Andrews College 79 1310
Calvary Bible College and Theological Seminary 79 1300
Northwestern College 79 1250
William Jessup University 79 1200
Geneva College 81 1200
Erskine College and Seminary 81 1200
Huntington University 84 1250
Wheaton College 88 1430
Vennard College 88 1270
Biola University 88 1240
Colorado Christian University 88 1220
Azusa Pacific University 88 1200
Houghton College 89 1300
Hobe Sound Bible College 89 1250
Indiana Wesleyan University 89 1200
Brigham Young University 94 1350
Andrews University 95 1200
Covenant College 97 1280
Bethel College 99 1380</p>

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<p>"when most people here Christian the think Protestantism (usually evangelical Protestantism)"</p>

<p>Really? Perhaps this is true of Evangelical Protestants. I assure you that most Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Mormons (who together constitute the majority of the world's Christians and a very sizable chunk of America's Christians) do not hear the word Christian and think "Protestant." They think "me."</p>

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<p>So what makes a college "Christian"?</p>

17

<p>Almost all of the top institutions in this country began as Christian Institutions. The link between Christianity and Higher Education in this country is inseparable. Many schools such as Notre Dame, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Yale, USC etc. began as religious universities - meaning religion was a required and integrated portion of the curriculum. However, to include many of these universities in the list of "Christian" universities today (including the aforementioned) is naive. They have decided rejected theism as a valid world view, and that is reflected in the teaching of their courses, from science to psychology to philosophy to math. </p>

<p>I would qualify a Christian University as one that, without exception, integrates the Christian Faith into the curriculum. It is possible to be a Christian University without all of the students being Christians, but I do believe that all of the staff should be Christian in order for the university to truly fulfill its mission. </p>

<p>The easiest way to check out a schools (though it is not entirely full proof) Christian ties is to see if it is a member of the Christian College Council. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.cccu.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cccu.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>One other note, while Mormons, Protestants and Catholics refer to themselves as Christians and they are correct in that they are "followers of Christ", this would be incorrect in the taxonomic sense. For better of for worse - for right or for wrong - Christianity has come to be synonymous with protestant based theology. While in some sense you could say that any religion that follows Christ would be a Christian religion (so if I made up a religion founded on the notion that Jesus rides invisible pink elephants that float above my head - my new insane religion would be "Christian") the culture understanding of the term has changed. Notre Dame and most of Jesuit/Catholic schools would say they are a Catholic Institution. It would be the mark of a poor education to say that any of these three, Protestant/ Catholic/ Mormon, are essentially the same. Christianity (Protestantism) specifically split away from Catholicism and so they are necessarily different. Meanwhile, Mormonism is so out on it's own that very few theologians considers them "Christian". Many typically classify Mormonism as a cultic branch based off of Christianity. If you study Mormon theology, you will likely come to find that it is definitely the most unique of the three "Christian" theologies mentioned in this thread. Not a knock against Mormonism, these are just the facts. </p>

<p>Throwing the name "Jesus" around makes something "Christian" but, it is correct to say that in AMERICAN culture the word Christian typically refers to evangelical protestants. </p>

<p>I'm NOT saying who is right or wrong - I'm just telling it like it is.</p>

18

<p>

My goodness, that's like saying snakes are considered the true reptiles because they split from lizards and lost legs.</p>

19

<p>i think the word christian just refers to those who believe in the divinity of Jesus, not one individual sect. just the way i view it.</p>

20

<p>I believe that the Jesuits are in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Also, I would take issue with the taxonomic defintion of "Christian" described here; to say Catholics are not "Christians"... well that is just silly.</p>