Congratulations! You Now Have a Degree in Opinions

I am reading Not A Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth by Dr. Everett Piper. The book caught my attention from the start so I thought I would share one of his observations about the current state of university education. Dr. Piper can speak with some authority on higher education since he is President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

He states, “Our universities are doing a tremendous disservice, both to students and our culture, by letting students think they can bend reality to fit their whims. In the real world, people don’t get paid to be selfish and disruptive, but rather, to be productive members of society. They are rewarded for cooperation and teamwork, not for dividing people because they have negative feelings about another race or feel offended by those from a different socioeconomic background. Our universities are producing a generation of Americans who are unable to function in the real world. We are quickly becoming a culture of Peter Pans, believing we can avoid reality in a Neverland of our own making. We’re encouraging students to embrace their selfish fantasies and to expect everyone around them to bend and submit to their narcissistic whims and personal prejudices. We have created a generation that expects to receive affirmation for every feeling they have and every emotion they feel. Objective reality doesn’t matter. Subjective opinions are king.

“Many of today’s universities seem content to give degrees in opinions, as opposed to degrees grounded in knowledge and the classical pursuit of wisdom, beauty, and truth. I once warned our graduating students of this danger in an Oklahoma Wesleyan commencement address:

Today we are all here to celebrate! You have made it. Over the next few minutes I’m going to give you a long-winded commencement address. . .. But after I’m done, I’m going to call you up to the stage. You’ll stand to my left and wait for your name to be called. Then you’ll march proudly across the stage. I’ll thereby, shake your hand, give you your diploma and whisper in your ear, “Congratulations! You now have a degree in opinions. “. . . That’s insulting isn’t it? I surely hope you got more than that from your college education! Today as you graduate, I do not care what your opinion is, nor should you care that much about mine. You did not major in opinions. I’m not going to give you a diploma in opinions. A good education is not about opinions. It’s about learning what’s true.

“Pol Pot, Mao, Robespierre, Stalin, Chavez, Hitler, Mussolini and all the despots of history had opinions—and it did not end well. Opinions always lead to slavery and bondage, but Jesus told us that the truth shall set you free. I surely hope if you majored in nursing that you have a little more knowledge today about of the truths of biology, physiology, and chemistry than you did before you came here. Because if you’re going to administer medication to me on the basis of your opinion, stay away from me. You are dangerous. If you’re going to design an airplane on the basis of your opinion, please tell me which one it is because it will never fly. Today we are celebrating truth, not your opinion. Now come and get your diploma” (Not A Day Care, Piper, page 15- 17).

As Christians, we are focused on the truth found in the word of God. The word of God is not opinion, but it is instead the truth (John 17:17).

We might ask ourselves this Sabbath, “Is my life based upon the truth or opinion?” Truth leads to life and opinion leads only to death. I hope we are all choosing life based on the truth.

Happy Sabbath,

Gary Smith