<p>As a Grand Rapids native, I’m familiar with Hope but more so with its rival, Calvin. I’d summarize Hope as solid and not flashy. It offers a fine education; its graduates seem to find good jobs and do well in said jobs. Those seeking further education also seem satisfied, anecdotally speaking: a friend of mine graduated from there in May, and she is excelling in our competitive graduate program. The college is definitely less conservative than Calvin, which is affiliated with the CRC. </p>
<p>Holland is a lovely town, albeit one with a surprising gang population, but that’s easily avoided. </p>
<p>Hope College in Holland, MI and Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa are affiliated with the Reformed Church in America (RCA). Dordt and Calvin are Christian Reformed (CRC). I know these seem like minute differences to the average observer, but those of us in the know about the Dutch Reformed tradition know that the CRC is definitely more conservative than the RCA. Hence the rivalry between Hope and Calvin.</p>
<p>Calvin is uber-conservative and the profs have to sign covenants affirming the three historic Reformed forms of unity—the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort—and must teach, speak, and write in line with these.</p>
<p>Okay this may seem hyper technical to the average outside observer, but St. Olaf and Luther are both ELCA and Hope is RCA. In my first post I said Hope is like Presbyterian. ELCA, RCA and PCUSA are all in a “Formula of Agreement” where they agree that any of their congregations can hire a minister from any of the other congregations, which is the definitive statement that they are basically very similar in doctrine and outlook. This is also referred to as being in “full communion.”. <a href=“Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - Resources - Formula of Agreement”>http://www.pcusa.org/resource/ecumenical-formula-agreement/</a> Bottom line: St. Olaf, Luther and Hope, the 3 colleges that are the subject of this thread, are going to be from the same tradition and similar in terms of “religiosity.”</p>
<p>The services at StO are pretty much exactly like an Episcopal service for those who may have that as a touchpoint. The liturgy, hymns, banners, etc are all the same.</p>
<p>This is reassuring for me to hear. I went to an evangelical high school that was strongly influenced by the Dutch Reformed tradition and with many teachers who were graduates of Calvin College. I did not have a good experience. I assumed Hope was similar because it’s in the same area.</p>
<p>Now that I think about it, I do know a Hope graduate. He is an awesome, super-smart guy who came out during college–which also speaks to a more tolerant atmosphere than some Christian colleges might offer.</p>
<p>I would assert that Hope is somewhat more conservative than St. Olaf, or any of the ELCA schools, for that matter. There is a significant difference in the supporters of the Midwestern RCA colleges (Hope, Northwestern, Central) than the east coast manifestation of the RCA. RCA congregations in the NE and MidAtlantic states with their ties to the Old New York Dutch are more liberal than the Midwestern descendants of the 19th & 20th century Dutch immigrants who are the major forces behind Hope (and most definitely Calvin).
For example, during the 2009-2010 school year, Hope got a lot of press for dis-inviting Dustin Lance Black, the screenwriter of the film “Milk” because of the college’s stance on homosexuality.</p>
<p>Your experiences with Calvin are interesting, sally. The best teacher I ever had–the teacher who opened my eyes to the field that became my passion–was a Calvin grad. It’s definitely a case of “your mileage may vary.”</p>
<p>Hope is conservative Christian, but not evangelical per se (unlike Calvin). Luther is mainstream to liberal. St Olaf is moderate, that is, more liberal than either one but not liberal in the way Oberlin or Smith are liberal.
They’re all colleges where believing in a God is respected.Religion is woven into daily life at school - chapel times, religious groups for various faiths, etc. All colleges have FCA, Newman, etc. for those so inclined. I think there were groups like Clowns for Christ at St Olaf (students dress up as clowns and visit children in hospital???) and both Luther and St Olaf had “liturgy interpretative dance” clubs. The emphasis is on service and living a “clean” lifestyle (hence, “dry” campus).
Since today the litmus test is position on homosexuality/gay rights: Hope considers homosexuality a sin; I don’t think Luther has any position one way or the other (may have missed it?) St Olaf campaigned, students, alumni groups, and faculty, for mariage equality.
For someone who is a believer and wants a liberal environment, I would think St Olaf would be the most comfortable environment.
To have an idea of the religious open-mindedness of the school (as a body), see if there are various faiths and denominations represented in the Religion Department.
Academically, St Olaf is the better one overall, followed by Hope (especially in the sciences), then Luther.</p>
<p>All three are good schools, but Luther is amazing. The people are so nice and the opportunities are endless. One thing I love about Luther is that if you are Christian, nobody is going to look down on you and if you are not Christian, nobody is going to look down on you.</p>