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Already Compromised
A stunning revelation about the nation's Christian colleges! Apologetics powerhouse Ken Ham teams with Dr. Greg Hall for an eye-opening assessment of 200 Christian colleges and universities from across America. During the unprecedented 2010 study by Britt Beemer's America's Research Group (ARG), these colleges were polled on core faith questions...and the results are revealing and shocking! Discover how these institutions address the cultural battlefield of science, Christianity, and the accuracy of the Bible, including views of inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility. Get tips for choosing colleges and questions you must ask to ensure your children will be instructed to stand boldly on God's Word. Will your college of choice pass the critical test by building your child's faith instead of destroying it?
238 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
17 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Ken Ham
235 books358 followersDr. Ken Ham is the president of Answers in Genesis USA and is a well-known speaker and author on the subject of Young-Earth Creationism. He received a bachelor degree in applied science (emphasis on environmental biology) from the Queensland Institute of Technology, and a Diploma of Education from the University of Queensland. He has also received two honorary doctorates: a Doctor of Divinity from Temple Baptist College, and a Doctor of Literature from Baptist Liberty University.
He was a director of Creation Science Foundation (CSF) in Australia, an organization which he jointly founded with John Mackay. In 1987 he moved to the United States, still maintaining his links with CSF.
From 1987 to 1993, Ham worked for the Institute for Creation Research, and in 1994 set up what in 1995 became Answers in Genesis (AiG), a creation ministry dedicated to "upholding the authority of the Bible from the very first verse."
In 2008 Ham was described by well known atheist and evolutionary biologist PZ Myers as a "Wackaloon" for carrying out a prayer session with members of the Pentagon. Ham responded regarding the validity of that prayer breakfastand that PZ Myers and other critics were intolerant of his position.
He was a director of Creation Science Foundation (CSF) in Australia, an organization which he jointly founded with John Mackay. In 1987 he moved to the United States, still maintaining his links with CSF.
From 1987 to 1993, Ham worked for the Institute for Creation Research, and in 1994 set up what in 1995 became Answers in Genesis (AiG), a creation ministry dedicated to "upholding the authority of the Bible from the very first verse."
In 2008 Ham was described by well known atheist and evolutionary biologist PZ Myers as a "Wackaloon" for carrying out a prayer session with members of the Pentagon. Ham responded regarding the validity of that prayer breakfastand that PZ Myers and other critics were intolerant of his position.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 26, 2017
This book is both sad and infuriating. Through the incorrect use of statistics, the authors attempt a falsely hyperbolic rant to sell books aimed at fearful Christians. I am not one of those fearful Christians. I am, in fact, a God-fearing and following Christian with a PhD who teaches at one of the Christian universities that this book takes aim at. More importantly, I promise you that the great majority of my faculty colleagues believe in the centrality of faith and scripture. This book is a sad demonstration of divisive theology and attempts to disparage the good communities of faith who have followed a vocational calling to Christian Higher Education. Authors posit their half-baked theories based on a faulty self-report survey and use quotes out of context to re-create the age old debate between the literal Creationist view (24 hour) versus the Creation-Evolution View (days did not represent 24 hours, but longer periods of time). From that extrapolation, they disparage Christian Higher Education broadly. This has been a deep and historic discussion between well-educated and informed scholars and theologians for more than 50 years. But, this book attempts to make that debate the FOUNDATION of whether Christian Higher Education is valid. I am honestly quite shocked and dismayed at their attempt to mislead, misrepresent and foster fear and distrust through this use of the Christian-evolution debate. Please don't read this book unless you have a statistician beside you (to see just how the research is not research at all, instead it is biased journalism) and a creationist scholar who understand the many historic and denominational divides (and how most Christian communities of faith have place their central beliefs around the PERSON of Christ rather than the details of creation). Shame on these authors and their attempt to make money on a divisive and half-baked idea - they are dangerously debunking institutions whose work produces faith-filled kingdom workers and the next generation of Christian leaders. As a faculty member who has dedicated her life in mentoring, teaching, and raising up these Christian leaders in the faith, I am appalled that these authors would so quickly and simply dismiss my hard work and the centuries of hard work that college founders have dedicated to creating institutions where young adults can openly grapple with the relevance of scripture in our modern times and how to live a committed Christian life. If you want your son or daughter to go to a Christian college, go on a visit and ask questions....decide for yourself
October 30, 2011
I read this book twice before I felt comfortable writing a review for it. It wasn’t an easy book to digest, though the conclusions Ken Ham & Greg Hall make were rather expected. We’ve all noticed this downward trend toward extraBiblical Creationist positions and the new evangelical “tolerance” that’s come with it.
Already Compromised is something of a sequel to Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church & What You Can Do About It. Both books are based on research conducted by America’s Research Group. Both also statistically verify a trend toward compromise with evolution and millions of years, which results in a large number of people abandoning the faith.
Since the information in Already Gone is applicable to Already Comprised, you should definitely read both books. I even recommend that you read them in order to get the full effect. Already Gone documents the effect that teaching kids evolution and millions of years has on their faith. It statistically demonstrates that most kids begin questioning the Bible in middle school when evolution and millions of years are actively pushed in science classrooms. It explains why a lot of our churched youth graduate from church when they graduate from high school. And, most disturbingly, it demonstrated that those who attended Sunday School regularly were actually more likely to question the Bible, hold unBiblical views and ultimately abandon the faith than those who did not attend Sunday School regularly [Yeah... we're doing it wrong]. Already Gone called for churches to begin critically evaluating their Sunday School curriculum, the quality of their teachers [train them, for crying out loud!] and their commitment to doctrine and apologetics [over Bible stories and arts and crafts time].
One of the reasons that kids who regularly attended Sunday School were more likely to doubt the Bible and begin their slippery slide out the church door was because those kids were more likely to hear a Sunday School teacher or pastor tell them that they could believe in the Bible and millions of years of microbes-to-man evolution.
Already Compromised picks up the question where it concerns Christian colleges and universities. What the researchers found is that the science department tends to have a more Biblical view of origins than the theology/Bible department. Um, what?
Let me just take a moment to state the obvious: That’s just messed up. Why should the theologians be more inclined to hold an extraBiblical view of origins than the science department?
As crazy as this sounds, 77.8% of the Religion departments of the Christian colleges and universities polled considered themselves Old Earth Creationists (with only 14.8% calling themselves Young Earth Creationists) compared to only 34.9% of the Science departments (who weighed in at 57.1% Young Earth). It appears that theologians have abdicated the battle for the mind and now defer authority to the expertise of secular scientists who are, by and large, opposed to God, supernatural agency and supernatural revelation; on the other hand, Christian scientists have been forced to evaluate the limits of science, the meaning of naturalism and the effect of evolution and millions of years on the Bible.
I’ve been seeing this for a while.
One of the other things of note that this book uncovers is a difference in perception between college presidents [who must market and fund-raise for their schools] and vice-presidents [who deal with inter-departmental issues]. Presidents tend to have a rosier view of the situation than the fellow just below them in the trenches. This is nothing more than a lack of intercommunication [and honest introspection] that Christian colleges must address.
Another, deeper issue uncovered is that those with extraBiblical, compromise views of origins tended to give the “right” answers until they were asked questions with more specificity. As the authors note, a new sort of evangelical Newspeak has crept in that uses the same language but means something completely different. This is especially troublesome where it concerns the authority of the Bible and the issue of origins!
Already Compromised contains several good appendices, including a questionaire for a prospective college [one you might pose to your pastor and Sunday School teachers as well!]. If you’re considering a Christian college, you should definitely pick up this book. You should especially consider one of the colleges listed at
http://creationcolleges.org, which list includes my alma mater, Appalachian Bible College.
This book has but one flaw: It does not spell out what this means for clergy. Make no mistake, and I say this as a member of clergy, the biggest issue here is that these compromising theology/Bible departments are training our ministers, missionaries, etc. These clergy then come to your church, my church, the church around the corner, and begin to tell their congregations and Sunday School teachers that you can believe the Bible and millions of years of microbes-to-man evolution. This leads to the predicament discussed in Already Gone of kids doubting the authority of God’s Word and abandoning the Church. Those who survive go on to attend Christian Colleges, many of which compromise where it concerns origins and, therefore Biblical authority as well. If their fate is anywhere similar to students who attend public universities, 52% of them will no longer identify themselves as born-again Christians after four years; those that do will not have attended a church service in over a year! Some of those who remain will be taught that they can accept extraBiblical views of origins, and among those will be future clergy, Sunday School teachers and missionaries… ready to propogate the ver-widening circle of apostasty and compromise.
On a personal note, this book more than any other finally sheds much-needed insight into why atheist Dr Michael Zimmerman’s pro-evolution Clergy Letter Project currently boasts the signatures of more than 12,700 signatures while the response letter at CreationLetter.com affirming the historical veracity of a literal Creation Week and a worldwide Noachian Flood has only been signed by a little more than 80 clergy. Our theology departments are simply training our clergy to believe evolution and millions of years as facts! [I realize there are other factors involved, chiefly apathy/complacency and the fragmented nature of the Creation movement itself (you know what I mean: you only meet 999, 998 of my personal 1,000,000-item critieria for a Biblical Christian, so we can't work together, amen?)]
What can we do? Is it enough to send our kids to Bible-affirming colleges? Is it enough to hold our professors accountable? No. We need to begin examining our clergy and, as much as I hate to say this as a preacher, we need to rid our pulpits and lecterns of pastors and teachers who hold compromise positions. Appendix D provides a rather handy questionaire which might be used. In any case, one must remember to be as specific as possible in order get past the evangelical Newspeak some utilize to mask their true position!
I definitely recommend this book. Purchase your copy of Already Compromised at http://www.answersingenesis.org/Publi...
See a trailer for this book here
Rev Tony Breeden
From the Bookwyrm’s Lair
July 8, 2011
Disclaimer: This book was co-authored by Ken Ham, the president of Answers in Genesis. I am an employee of this ministry and helped edit one of the chapters. While I will do my best to be objective, I admit that I have a bias.
I was excited to read this book from the time I had first heard about it in one of our morning staff meetings. Already Compromised is sort of a sequel to Ken Ham’s and Britt Beemer’s earlier collaboration entitled Already Gone, which highlighted many of the reasons why young people are leaving the church in droves. Both books utilized extensive polling research conducted by America’s Research Group.
Survey questionnaires were delivered to 200 Christian colleges. The goal of the research team was to survey the president, vice-president, head of the Bible department, and head of the science department at each school. In the end, out of a possible 800 responses, 312 surveys were returned. The questionnaires included questions such as the following:
Would you consider yourself to be a young-earth or old-earth Christian?
Do you believe in the Genesis account of creation as written?
Do you believe in the inspiration of Scripture?
Do you believe in the inerrancy of Scripture?
Do you believe in the infallibility of Scripture?
Do you believe the Flood was worldwide, local, or nonliteral?
Do you think the religion and science departments have the same views on the age of the earth?
If your faculty teach something contrary to the Bible, is there a consequence?
There were many other questions included in the survey. Oftentimes, the same question was asked in the opposite manner. This exposed some of the many inconsistencies that exist in some of these schools.
Although this book review is not designed to address every single issue, allow me to share a couple sets of questions and the responses so that you can see the importance of the information in this book. When asked if they believed in the inspiration of Scripture the presidents and vice-presidents responded positively 98.1% and 98.7% respectively. However, when asked if they believed in the inerrancy of Scripture only 21.2% of the presidents and 77.9% of the vice-presidents said they did believe the Bible was without error. Likewise, when asked if they believed in the infallibility of Scripture, 17.3% of presidents and 94.8% of vice-presidents replied in the affirmative.
How does one make sense of this data? How can Christian college presidents claim almost unanimously to believe in the inspiration of Scripture (the biblical definition of inspiration is that it was literally breathed out by God), yet only about 1 in 5 claim to believe in inerrancy of Scripture and about 1 in 6 believe in the infallibility of Scripture? These numbers, along with the other portions of the survey reveal that there is a severe problem at many of our Christian colleges and universities.
Although I was already aware of this information, the following statistic may surprise or shock you. When asked if they considered themselves to be a young-earth creationist or an old-earth creationist, the heads of the Bible departments responded with 14.8% claiming to be young-earth creationists and 77.8% claiming to be old-earth creationists! When this same question was posed to the heads of the science departments, 57.1% said they were young-earth creationists and 34.9% said they were old-earth creationists! Think about that for a minute. The reason so many Christians have accepted the billions of years is because they think that scientists have proven this to be true (which they haven’t), yet the majority of the science department heads say that we can take God at His Word on this issue and believe in a young earth. In other words, the science department heads are far more biblical than the Bible department heads on this subject.
Besides the statistics, there are some other strengths in this book. The discussion on worldviews will be helpful to people who are not well-versed in this battle. There is also a helpful section addressing young people who are preparing to go to college encouraging them to remain strong in their faith and to be ready for the attacks on their faith that will inevitably come (even from within Christian colleges). The appendix which critiques the Documentary Hypothesis also contains excellent information for students and parents alike. This view has been successfully debunked numerous times, but it keeps popping up in Christian academia so it needs to be dealt with. (And since I helped edit this chapter, it is obviously the best one.) :)
In case you are wondering, the authors do not “name names” when it comes to the various schools. You will not find a list telling you to stay away from _____ Christian College. However, in one of the appendices, the authors do address some of the public statements made by professors at a handful of these colleges. This is beneficial because students and their parents need to realize what is accepted at these schools which claim to stand for God’s Word.
Like most other books in their first printing, there are a couple of typos and one of the charts (out of a few dozen) does not match the text (two numbers were switched around). Consequently, I wasn't sure which information was accurate, but I went with the text because the data was given twice there.
Of course, not every aspect of this widespread compromise could be covered in this book—it could have been much, much longer. However, with the research presented in Already Compromised, it would be great to see someone follow up with some ideas on how church leaders can utilize this information. After all, they are the ones at the grass roots level responsible for equipping their congregations with this information.
It would also be nice to see someone expand on the chapter that specifically addressed students. There is some great advice in the chapter, but the limitations of space necessarily prevent every idea from being discussed. Here are just a couple of ideas I had that could be explored by others (or maybe in a future work). How can students who are concerned about this problem in their own Christian college get involved in responding to this compromise? While they need to be respectful to their professors (and this is pointed out in the book), they could lead study groups in their schools to teach the truth of God's Word. Someone may want to write about some helpful tips in doing this. Another thing we can do is encourage some students to study hard to someday become professors (if it is in accordance with God's will for their lives) so that they can help turn the tide. These are just a couple of ways that students can help reach the next generation with the truth.
Overall, I think Already Compromised is an extremely important book for Christians to read, especially if you are a pastor, a student who is in or will soon be choosing a college, or a parent of one of these students. The information contained in the book is vital and the authors spend some time helping the parent learn how to ask penetrating questions to school administrators so that they can learn where the school really stands on these important issues. The “institution questionnaire” at the end of the book, put together by Bodie Hodge, is designed to do just that.
I was excited to read this book from the time I had first heard about it in one of our morning staff meetings. Already Compromised is sort of a sequel to Ken Ham’s and Britt Beemer’s earlier collaboration entitled Already Gone, which highlighted many of the reasons why young people are leaving the church in droves. Both books utilized extensive polling research conducted by America’s Research Group.
Survey questionnaires were delivered to 200 Christian colleges. The goal of the research team was to survey the president, vice-president, head of the Bible department, and head of the science department at each school. In the end, out of a possible 800 responses, 312 surveys were returned. The questionnaires included questions such as the following:
Would you consider yourself to be a young-earth or old-earth Christian?
Do you believe in the Genesis account of creation as written?
Do you believe in the inspiration of Scripture?
Do you believe in the inerrancy of Scripture?
Do you believe in the infallibility of Scripture?
Do you believe the Flood was worldwide, local, or nonliteral?
Do you think the religion and science departments have the same views on the age of the earth?
If your faculty teach something contrary to the Bible, is there a consequence?
There were many other questions included in the survey. Oftentimes, the same question was asked in the opposite manner. This exposed some of the many inconsistencies that exist in some of these schools.
Although this book review is not designed to address every single issue, allow me to share a couple sets of questions and the responses so that you can see the importance of the information in this book. When asked if they believed in the inspiration of Scripture the presidents and vice-presidents responded positively 98.1% and 98.7% respectively. However, when asked if they believed in the inerrancy of Scripture only 21.2% of the presidents and 77.9% of the vice-presidents said they did believe the Bible was without error. Likewise, when asked if they believed in the infallibility of Scripture, 17.3% of presidents and 94.8% of vice-presidents replied in the affirmative.
How does one make sense of this data? How can Christian college presidents claim almost unanimously to believe in the inspiration of Scripture (the biblical definition of inspiration is that it was literally breathed out by God), yet only about 1 in 5 claim to believe in inerrancy of Scripture and about 1 in 6 believe in the infallibility of Scripture? These numbers, along with the other portions of the survey reveal that there is a severe problem at many of our Christian colleges and universities.
Although I was already aware of this information, the following statistic may surprise or shock you. When asked if they considered themselves to be a young-earth creationist or an old-earth creationist, the heads of the Bible departments responded with 14.8% claiming to be young-earth creationists and 77.8% claiming to be old-earth creationists! When this same question was posed to the heads of the science departments, 57.1% said they were young-earth creationists and 34.9% said they were old-earth creationists! Think about that for a minute. The reason so many Christians have accepted the billions of years is because they think that scientists have proven this to be true (which they haven’t), yet the majority of the science department heads say that we can take God at His Word on this issue and believe in a young earth. In other words, the science department heads are far more biblical than the Bible department heads on this subject.
Besides the statistics, there are some other strengths in this book. The discussion on worldviews will be helpful to people who are not well-versed in this battle. There is also a helpful section addressing young people who are preparing to go to college encouraging them to remain strong in their faith and to be ready for the attacks on their faith that will inevitably come (even from within Christian colleges). The appendix which critiques the Documentary Hypothesis also contains excellent information for students and parents alike. This view has been successfully debunked numerous times, but it keeps popping up in Christian academia so it needs to be dealt with. (And since I helped edit this chapter, it is obviously the best one.) :)
In case you are wondering, the authors do not “name names” when it comes to the various schools. You will not find a list telling you to stay away from _____ Christian College. However, in one of the appendices, the authors do address some of the public statements made by professors at a handful of these colleges. This is beneficial because students and their parents need to realize what is accepted at these schools which claim to stand for God’s Word.
Like most other books in their first printing, there are a couple of typos and one of the charts (out of a few dozen) does not match the text (two numbers were switched around). Consequently, I wasn't sure which information was accurate, but I went with the text because the data was given twice there.
Of course, not every aspect of this widespread compromise could be covered in this book—it could have been much, much longer. However, with the research presented in Already Compromised, it would be great to see someone follow up with some ideas on how church leaders can utilize this information. After all, they are the ones at the grass roots level responsible for equipping their congregations with this information.
It would also be nice to see someone expand on the chapter that specifically addressed students. There is some great advice in the chapter, but the limitations of space necessarily prevent every idea from being discussed. Here are just a couple of ideas I had that could be explored by others (or maybe in a future work). How can students who are concerned about this problem in their own Christian college get involved in responding to this compromise? While they need to be respectful to their professors (and this is pointed out in the book), they could lead study groups in their schools to teach the truth of God's Word. Someone may want to write about some helpful tips in doing this. Another thing we can do is encourage some students to study hard to someday become professors (if it is in accordance with God's will for their lives) so that they can help turn the tide. These are just a couple of ways that students can help reach the next generation with the truth.
Overall, I think Already Compromised is an extremely important book for Christians to read, especially if you are a pastor, a student who is in or will soon be choosing a college, or a parent of one of these students. The information contained in the book is vital and the authors spend some time helping the parent learn how to ask penetrating questions to school administrators so that they can learn where the school really stands on these important issues. The “institution questionnaire” at the end of the book, put together by Bodie Hodge, is designed to do just that.
December 22, 2011
Can I write a book about a book?!
That is exactly what I want to do in order to share with you all of the eye-opening, sometimes shocking, sometimes confirming things I learned when reading this book.
Already Compromised by Ken Ham and Greg Hall is the clever and thorough presentation of the results of a survey conducted by the authors.
They surveyed over 300 people who are in one of four different positions in several Christian colleges and universities throughout the United States. The positions the surveyed people hold are one of the following: the president of the university, the academic dean/vice president, the head of the science department, or the head of the theology/religion/Bible department.
Let me just say that the results are quite revealing of the major disconnect between the leaders within these institutions as well as the disconnect between what Christian parents expect they are paying for when sending their grown children to a Christian college versus the often dis-unified, non-Biblical instruction and support the students are actually receiving at a high monetary and spiritual cost.
As a matter of fact, did you realize that when these leaders of Christian education were asked what their institution teaches about the Bible, only 35.3% of them said that they teach it is true and only 25% of them teach that it is inspired by God?! Are you saying, "WOW!" along with me? Seriously, that is just the tip of the iceberg of what is revealed in this eye-opening, inspiring book.
Without quoting the entire book to you (which I would love to do), I will just highly suggest that you read this book. I am not just speaking to parents of soon to be college students nor just to the students themselves. All of us would benefit from reading this, as it is a true revelation of not only the state of our Christian education institutions but also of our churches. our leadership, and even ourselves.
Subtle changes in thinking over time have damaged us in ways we do not even realize.
It is time for us to wake up!
We need to rediscover the Truth of God as revealed in His holy, inspired, inerrant, infallible Word. That Word is Truth and Life. That Word is His Son. We cannot compromise it nor Him any longer.
It is time to stand and fight for the Truth...for ourselves and our posterity.
Stand with me.
Stand with our Father.
Stand for the Truth.
No more compromise!
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from New Leaf Publishing Group. No other compensation was received. The fact that I received a complimentary product does not guarantee a favorable review.
That is exactly what I want to do in order to share with you all of the eye-opening, sometimes shocking, sometimes confirming things I learned when reading this book.
Already Compromised by Ken Ham and Greg Hall is the clever and thorough presentation of the results of a survey conducted by the authors.
They surveyed over 300 people who are in one of four different positions in several Christian colleges and universities throughout the United States. The positions the surveyed people hold are one of the following: the president of the university, the academic dean/vice president, the head of the science department, or the head of the theology/religion/Bible department.
Let me just say that the results are quite revealing of the major disconnect between the leaders within these institutions as well as the disconnect between what Christian parents expect they are paying for when sending their grown children to a Christian college versus the often dis-unified, non-Biblical instruction and support the students are actually receiving at a high monetary and spiritual cost.
As a matter of fact, did you realize that when these leaders of Christian education were asked what their institution teaches about the Bible, only 35.3% of them said that they teach it is true and only 25% of them teach that it is inspired by God?! Are you saying, "WOW!" along with me? Seriously, that is just the tip of the iceberg of what is revealed in this eye-opening, inspiring book.
Without quoting the entire book to you (which I would love to do), I will just highly suggest that you read this book. I am not just speaking to parents of soon to be college students nor just to the students themselves. All of us would benefit from reading this, as it is a true revelation of not only the state of our Christian education institutions but also of our churches. our leadership, and even ourselves.
Subtle changes in thinking over time have damaged us in ways we do not even realize.
It is time for us to wake up!
We need to rediscover the Truth of God as revealed in His holy, inspired, inerrant, infallible Word. That Word is Truth and Life. That Word is His Son. We cannot compromise it nor Him any longer.
It is time to stand and fight for the Truth...for ourselves and our posterity.
Stand with me.
Stand with our Father.
Stand for the Truth.
No more compromise!
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from New Leaf Publishing Group. No other compensation was received. The fact that I received a complimentary product does not guarantee a favorable review.
January 10, 2017
This book started out strongly and then dove into the weeds. Maybe I'm not smart enough to fully understand the argument but here's my synopsis: anyone who has done missionary work around the world has wasted their time if those people haven't both accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior AND believe that the Earth is 6,000 years old. If you've lead someone to Christ, you better be sure they believe dinosaurs were wiped out by Noah's flood or they're not a real believer. If they were in a car wreck afterwards and die before accepting the notion of a Young Earth, are they doomed? I wonder if Paul ever explicitly spoke about the age of the Earth when he was spreading the word? And I don't mean implicitly by using Socratic Method starting with Jesus and working backwards to Genesis, I mean language like "and when God the Father created the Earth 4,821 years ago". I'm far from a Biblical scholar but I'll guess that for the Greeks (or anyone else) who had no prior knowledge of "The Law", Paul didn't waste a lot of time with how old the Earth really is. Granted, it wouldn't be the same argument as it would today given advances in technology & probably never came up. But if it was THAT important, wouldn't The Holy Spirit have compelled Paul or any of the other Apostles to put that hard number down in stone?
Maybe I'm just in a cantankerous mood but I think that the arguments in this book are presented from a Pharisaic, holier-than-thou attitude. It's the only "religious" material I've ever read that has left that taste in my mouth...and I've read a few books from MacArthur & Sproul. Leading a movement that profits from separating Believers by bringing to the forefront arguable technicalities and interpretations seems to be at best a grab for power and/or recognition. Either that or when I read The Gospels, I missed Jesus + Young Earth = Salvation.
Maybe I'm just in a cantankerous mood but I think that the arguments in this book are presented from a Pharisaic, holier-than-thou attitude. It's the only "religious" material I've ever read that has left that taste in my mouth...and I've read a few books from MacArthur & Sproul. Leading a movement that profits from separating Believers by bringing to the forefront arguable technicalities and interpretations seems to be at best a grab for power and/or recognition. Either that or when I read The Gospels, I missed Jesus + Young Earth = Salvation.
December 16, 2012
Very eye opening. Sometimes it's easy to overlook the importance of teaching Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Not just teaching it, but believing and defending the very work of God and the truths that are represented in the history book. Highly recommend this for anyone in a church leadership position, and even parents.
February 8, 2013
this was a good read. the authors did a good job with the definitions of words that may of the survey takers responses. the main point is that it does not matter how old you believe the earth is it will not affect your salvation but does open the door to other interpretations of the bible. one point I found good was to not go from man's word on the bible but to study for yourself.
October 12, 2011
How do Christian colleges stack up when it comes to teaching Biblical truths? How many actually teach what the Bible says? What impact does this have on those entering and leaving Christian colleges? Ken Ham, Greg Hall and research data from Britt Beemer give the facts in the book Already Compromised.
With the passing of time, I’m getting very close to having a student that will be looking at attending college. I really can’t keep burying my head in the sand. I requested to review this book from New Leaf Publishing and they graciously sent me a copy.
Many know who Ken Ham is (and many may know who Greg Hall is as well- I didn’t) and his affiliation with Answers in Genesis. The philosophy behind AiG is that if you can’t believe, and have faith in, the first book of the Bible (in its entirety- as written) then you will have trouble with the remainder of the Bible as well. That is why when researching Christian colleges many of the questions were dealing with belief and teachings about and from the first book of the Bible. Of course, there are other questions that veer from the book of Genesis (such as “do you believe the Bible is literally true?” and “what does your institution teach about the Bible?”) but it is interspersed throughout the book. Personally, I felt it ‘got old’ that they kept coming back to the “young earth/old earth” debate BUT I understand that it is something that is important to distinguish.
I did like a statement made by Ken Ham on page 129 in chapter 8 (The High Stakes of Good Thinking: The Age of the Earth):
I am sometimes belittled and cut down by professors at “respected” Christian universities because I don’t have the academic credentials that some of these people do. They think that because they have the credentials, they have the truth. They say, “How dare Ken Ham question us, because he is not trained in biblical languages; he didn’t go to Bible college; he didn’t go to seminary; etc.” In some ways I’m glad that I don’t have those credentials, because I might have ended up like some of them: compromising the truth clearly laid forth by Scripture in the midst of a bunch of academic mumble jumble created to accommodate secular scientific ideas.
I agree that it seems that much of the debate about Christianity is because the ‘educated’ are ‘in the know’. And the only ones. He goes on to say:
Or worse than that, they might actually believe that since they teach it, that makes it true—that they are the ones who actually determine the truth.
There is a chapter geared toward college students- chapter 10- that gives many scriptures and advice to help students stay true to their beliefs. The final chapter- chapter 11- calls for unity but not as it has been requested by many:
We are often told we should be concentrating on our unity in Christ alone. The accusations usually sound like this: “Only Christ should matter and those elements of the gospel message essential for salvation—and differing interpretations in Genesis should be acceptable and tolerated.
But this view ignores a larger question—can we separate the centrality of Christ from the authority of [God’s] Word? Surely we should agree that our unity should be centered around Christ. After all, it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that one can be saved…If the Word of God is not an authoritative document, then how can we know that the message of Jesus and the gospel is reliable?
Well, it was a lot to read (not that it is a large book but it is full of numbers and statistics) and take in. But it definitely made me think.
I received this book from New Leaf Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way.
With the passing of time, I’m getting very close to having a student that will be looking at attending college. I really can’t keep burying my head in the sand. I requested to review this book from New Leaf Publishing and they graciously sent me a copy.
Many know who Ken Ham is (and many may know who Greg Hall is as well- I didn’t) and his affiliation with Answers in Genesis. The philosophy behind AiG is that if you can’t believe, and have faith in, the first book of the Bible (in its entirety- as written) then you will have trouble with the remainder of the Bible as well. That is why when researching Christian colleges many of the questions were dealing with belief and teachings about and from the first book of the Bible. Of course, there are other questions that veer from the book of Genesis (such as “do you believe the Bible is literally true?” and “what does your institution teach about the Bible?”) but it is interspersed throughout the book. Personally, I felt it ‘got old’ that they kept coming back to the “young earth/old earth” debate BUT I understand that it is something that is important to distinguish.
I did like a statement made by Ken Ham on page 129 in chapter 8 (The High Stakes of Good Thinking: The Age of the Earth):
I am sometimes belittled and cut down by professors at “respected” Christian universities because I don’t have the academic credentials that some of these people do. They think that because they have the credentials, they have the truth. They say, “How dare Ken Ham question us, because he is not trained in biblical languages; he didn’t go to Bible college; he didn’t go to seminary; etc.” In some ways I’m glad that I don’t have those credentials, because I might have ended up like some of them: compromising the truth clearly laid forth by Scripture in the midst of a bunch of academic mumble jumble created to accommodate secular scientific ideas.
I agree that it seems that much of the debate about Christianity is because the ‘educated’ are ‘in the know’. And the only ones. He goes on to say:
Or worse than that, they might actually believe that since they teach it, that makes it true—that they are the ones who actually determine the truth.
There is a chapter geared toward college students- chapter 10- that gives many scriptures and advice to help students stay true to their beliefs. The final chapter- chapter 11- calls for unity but not as it has been requested by many:
We are often told we should be concentrating on our unity in Christ alone. The accusations usually sound like this: “Only Christ should matter and those elements of the gospel message essential for salvation—and differing interpretations in Genesis should be acceptable and tolerated.
But this view ignores a larger question—can we separate the centrality of Christ from the authority of [God’s] Word? Surely we should agree that our unity should be centered around Christ. After all, it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that one can be saved…If the Word of God is not an authoritative document, then how can we know that the message of Jesus and the gospel is reliable?
Well, it was a lot to read (not that it is a large book but it is full of numbers and statistics) and take in. But it definitely made me think.
I received this book from New Leaf Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way.
July 19, 2011
After reading Already Gone, I thought I would enjoy this book just as much, if not more.
However, the language in this book is just so highly emotional that it's almost distracting. It does not flow well from data to interpretation to practical steps on what to do next; and the book as a whole seems somewhat disconnected. They talk about all these "Christian" colleges that are compromising with the secular worldview assumptions, yet they fail to name names or specifics (except in one of the appendices, which turned out to be very interesting and helpful - but it was only an appendix).
With this book the data and the questions they asked didn't seem as compelling as in 'Already Gone,' and you feel like you're only getting one side of the argument. This seems to be atypical for AiG, because when it comes to the secular arena, they're always very on top of what the opponents' arguments are and can refute them ably. But when it comes to the other Christian views, they seem to just assume (in this book anyway) that the reader already knows why Gap theory, day-age theory, theistic evolution, etc. are wrong; and so it's difficult to follow the flow at times. (AiG is very capable of refuting those theories, and they've done so in several venues; but in this book they seem to just assume the reader already knows the right answer.)
On the other hand, (since I've read some of their other works and am acquainted with their arguments against these), it was very refreshing to see them repeatedly show the importance of trusting God's Word as your starting point for all of life and thought instead of man's ideas. This one conviction is brought out over and over again throughout the book (some ways better than others), and it is a great call for students at colleges as well as parents to understand the importance of this doctrine. That being said, I think that doctrine specifically can be found better articulated and formatted in the book 'Always Ready' by Greg Bahnsen.
The chapter and appendix on "Newspeak" were probably the most helpful in the entire book - and maybe even worth the price of the book by themselves (but I would also recommend exploring the option of borrowing it or getting the electronic edition).
Another interesting insight was the data on how college presidents and vice presidents see the college differently. And I imagine this would be the same in the secular colleges as well. What was disturbing in the data was the answers each gave as to what makes Christian colleges different than secular colleges. What also was interesting to me as a six-day creationist was the fact that "millions of years" was being taught more by the theology departments rather than the science departments. ... Interesting...
All in all, I was slightly disappointed with the argumentation, the flow, and the overall content of this book. And the overly emotive language did not help (it was more distracting than anything). But I certainly appreciate the intent of the book and the authors' attempt to get the church to see that the Bible must always be our starting point lest we put ourselves on a slippery slope and leave a downward spiraling legacy to the next generation. The colleges that are on this slippery slope need to be very carefully examined before you send your kids there, etc. And the book does give a web address to see the Christian colleges that were part of this study.
However, the language in this book is just so highly emotional that it's almost distracting. It does not flow well from data to interpretation to practical steps on what to do next; and the book as a whole seems somewhat disconnected. They talk about all these "Christian" colleges that are compromising with the secular worldview assumptions, yet they fail to name names or specifics (except in one of the appendices, which turned out to be very interesting and helpful - but it was only an appendix).
With this book the data and the questions they asked didn't seem as compelling as in 'Already Gone,' and you feel like you're only getting one side of the argument. This seems to be atypical for AiG, because when it comes to the secular arena, they're always very on top of what the opponents' arguments are and can refute them ably. But when it comes to the other Christian views, they seem to just assume (in this book anyway) that the reader already knows why Gap theory, day-age theory, theistic evolution, etc. are wrong; and so it's difficult to follow the flow at times. (AiG is very capable of refuting those theories, and they've done so in several venues; but in this book they seem to just assume the reader already knows the right answer.)
On the other hand, (since I've read some of their other works and am acquainted with their arguments against these), it was very refreshing to see them repeatedly show the importance of trusting God's Word as your starting point for all of life and thought instead of man's ideas. This one conviction is brought out over and over again throughout the book (some ways better than others), and it is a great call for students at colleges as well as parents to understand the importance of this doctrine. That being said, I think that doctrine specifically can be found better articulated and formatted in the book 'Always Ready' by Greg Bahnsen.
The chapter and appendix on "Newspeak" were probably the most helpful in the entire book - and maybe even worth the price of the book by themselves (but I would also recommend exploring the option of borrowing it or getting the electronic edition).
Another interesting insight was the data on how college presidents and vice presidents see the college differently. And I imagine this would be the same in the secular colleges as well. What was disturbing in the data was the answers each gave as to what makes Christian colleges different than secular colleges. What also was interesting to me as a six-day creationist was the fact that "millions of years" was being taught more by the theology departments rather than the science departments. ... Interesting...
All in all, I was slightly disappointed with the argumentation, the flow, and the overall content of this book. And the overly emotive language did not help (it was more distracting than anything). But I certainly appreciate the intent of the book and the authors' attempt to get the church to see that the Bible must always be our starting point lest we put ourselves on a slippery slope and leave a downward spiraling legacy to the next generation. The colleges that are on this slippery slope need to be very carefully examined before you send your kids there, etc. And the book does give a web address to see the Christian colleges that were part of this study.
July 8, 2011
I'm not quite sure what I had expected when I started reading, "Already Compromised" by Ken Ham and Greg Hall with Britt Beemer of America's Research Group, but as I finished reading,"Already Compromised", not only was I surprised by the results of the reading, but found myself, actually, discovering information that I had not previously known about.
Without giving away too much of what, "Already Compromised" is about, first here's a basic publisher's description of the book:
A shocking look at the state of higher education - secular and Christian! The book serves a vital resource, engaging parents who are looking for a college for their child. Tips for parents when looking at a Christian college to find out what they really believe and teach about the authority of Scripture are included...focused on a powerful question: are they going to build your child's faith or tear it down.
Reading, "Already Compromised", the focus seems to be primarily on Christian colleges and the arguments that were laid out, was well-written, in that this book isn't telling parents or students, for that matter, what to choose, where to go, but rather, arming them with the best information possible, about discerning what is the best school for them, both education and faith wise, and how to discern what is being taught.
This book is not an easy, over the night, or over the weekend, book, but it's worth the time it took, to read and to carefully go over the information and the statistics that were shared.
With a section that is addressed for students to think about when attending any college, what caught my eye about "Already Compromised" is that it really helps lay an apologetic foundation of the importance for followers of Christ to understand and be able to defend why and what it is that they believe in.
The statistics were both shocking and eye opening and with the use of the visuals, helps the readers, get an idea of the results of the survey that had been done, along with personal ancedotes, that help bring insight into the views and commentary that was shared.
As the authors bring their case of the importance of both parents and students to understand what is being taught, to understand why and what they believe in, "Already Compromised" also teaches a vital message of the importance of not just accepting things at face value as well, but also to take the time to think for themselves and to weigh what they are being told and taught.
If you have read the book, "Already Gone", the book, "Already Compromised" is a continuation of the book, but if you haven't had the opportunity to read, "Already Gone", no fear, for "Already Compromised" is focused on the college years, and works as a standalone.
This is a great companion for parents and students who are considering going to Christian colleges and to help address questions about where and how does, the chosen college, stand on basic doctrines and more.
For many, in today's age, where finding a college that follows the Bible, "Already Compromised" is a wonderful resource to recommend and to read.
Without giving away too much of what, "Already Compromised" is about, first here's a basic publisher's description of the book:
A shocking look at the state of higher education - secular and Christian! The book serves a vital resource, engaging parents who are looking for a college for their child. Tips for parents when looking at a Christian college to find out what they really believe and teach about the authority of Scripture are included...focused on a powerful question: are they going to build your child's faith or tear it down.
Reading, "Already Compromised", the focus seems to be primarily on Christian colleges and the arguments that were laid out, was well-written, in that this book isn't telling parents or students, for that matter, what to choose, where to go, but rather, arming them with the best information possible, about discerning what is the best school for them, both education and faith wise, and how to discern what is being taught.
This book is not an easy, over the night, or over the weekend, book, but it's worth the time it took, to read and to carefully go over the information and the statistics that were shared.
With a section that is addressed for students to think about when attending any college, what caught my eye about "Already Compromised" is that it really helps lay an apologetic foundation of the importance for followers of Christ to understand and be able to defend why and what it is that they believe in.
The statistics were both shocking and eye opening and with the use of the visuals, helps the readers, get an idea of the results of the survey that had been done, along with personal ancedotes, that help bring insight into the views and commentary that was shared.
As the authors bring their case of the importance of both parents and students to understand what is being taught, to understand why and what they believe in, "Already Compromised" also teaches a vital message of the importance of not just accepting things at face value as well, but also to take the time to think for themselves and to weigh what they are being told and taught.
If you have read the book, "Already Gone", the book, "Already Compromised" is a continuation of the book, but if you haven't had the opportunity to read, "Already Gone", no fear, for "Already Compromised" is focused on the college years, and works as a standalone.
This is a great companion for parents and students who are considering going to Christian colleges and to help address questions about where and how does, the chosen college, stand on basic doctrines and more.
For many, in today's age, where finding a college that follows the Bible, "Already Compromised" is a wonderful resource to recommend and to read.
June 21, 2011
Let me start this review by saying that I am not the type to recommend just any book to people. Nor do I usually say that a book is a must-read. However, in the case of Already Compromised by Ken Ham and Greg Hall, that is exactly what I am doing. Already Compromised is based on a survey from 2010, conducted by Britt Beemer's America's Research Group. ARG interviewed presidents, vice presidents, head of science, and head of religion departments at 200 Christian colleges and universities in the US.
Authors Ken Ham and Greg Hall took off with the information that was gathered, and this book is the result. And what a result it is! While I am not under any delusions that even our so-called Christian colleges are, for the most part, standing on the authority of God's Word, I was shocked and appalled at the answers from some of these Christian university leaders!! For instance, to the question Do you believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, 22.8% responded No! Excuse me, but how on earth can you even pretend to be a Christian college, and not believe that God's Word is inerrant?! The whole Christian faith is based on God's Word!! Needless to say, there are many questions regarding areas from creation to the inspiration of Scripture. Other chapters show the difference between what the presidents and vice presidents think is going on in their colleges. For example, to the question If your faculty teach something contrary to the Bible, is there a consequence? 96.2% of the presidents answered yes-but only 53.2% of the vice presidents said yes! That concerns me on 2 accounts-first, because obviously either the president or the vice president is unaware of what is really happening on a day-to-day basis at the school. And, secondly, if the vice presidents answers are correct-then why are so many colleges seemingly unconcerned with faulty teaching?
Ken Ham and Greg Hall do an excellent job of pointing out errors and inconsistencies in these Christian colleges. And, as always, they not only show us the problem, but they give us solutions and a call to stand up for God's Word. Methods for determining a college's stance on core doctrinal issues are shown, as well as how to choose the right college/university for you or your child. I would honestly say that every Christian should read this book. Obviously it is directly aimed at those with children heading to college, or those who are preparing for college themselves. However, I think it deals with such a critical issue that we all need to be informed on the subject. We aren't just talking a couple differences, a few standard/conviction issues. We are talking about God's Holy Word! It is of utmost importance that we realize how many of our "Christian leaders" have already compromised with the world. We need to wake up and do something about the compromise before it is too late!
Authors Ken Ham and Greg Hall took off with the information that was gathered, and this book is the result. And what a result it is! While I am not under any delusions that even our so-called Christian colleges are, for the most part, standing on the authority of God's Word, I was shocked and appalled at the answers from some of these Christian university leaders!! For instance, to the question Do you believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, 22.8% responded No! Excuse me, but how on earth can you even pretend to be a Christian college, and not believe that God's Word is inerrant?! The whole Christian faith is based on God's Word!! Needless to say, there are many questions regarding areas from creation to the inspiration of Scripture. Other chapters show the difference between what the presidents and vice presidents think is going on in their colleges. For example, to the question If your faculty teach something contrary to the Bible, is there a consequence? 96.2% of the presidents answered yes-but only 53.2% of the vice presidents said yes! That concerns me on 2 accounts-first, because obviously either the president or the vice president is unaware of what is really happening on a day-to-day basis at the school. And, secondly, if the vice presidents answers are correct-then why are so many colleges seemingly unconcerned with faulty teaching?
Ken Ham and Greg Hall do an excellent job of pointing out errors and inconsistencies in these Christian colleges. And, as always, they not only show us the problem, but they give us solutions and a call to stand up for God's Word. Methods for determining a college's stance on core doctrinal issues are shown, as well as how to choose the right college/university for you or your child. I would honestly say that every Christian should read this book. Obviously it is directly aimed at those with children heading to college, or those who are preparing for college themselves. However, I think it deals with such a critical issue that we all need to be informed on the subject. We aren't just talking a couple differences, a few standard/conviction issues. We are talking about God's Holy Word! It is of utmost importance that we realize how many of our "Christian leaders" have already compromised with the world. We need to wake up and do something about the compromise before it is too late!
September 5, 2011
Just how Christian is the the Christian college that you are considering going to, or sending your kids to? That's what Ken Ham, Greg Hall and Britt Beemer want to know. And through extensive research they find their answer. And it's probably not the answer you want to hear! These gentlemen did a study of the Christian schools in our nation and found shocking results. Read this book to find how schools are Already Compromised and what you can do to protect your children, or yourself from an Already Compromised college.
My Review: I was so excited to get a chance to review this book, because I am a huge fan of Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis. I have read many books by him and enjoyed them all. This book was no exception. Since I'm at the age where I'm starting to think about college and where I want to go, I was so happy to been so well informed before I make a huge decision. But the thing is the truth is really sobering, and I am so blessed to have read this book BEFORE I go to college. I was shocked to learn how compromised Christian colleges have become in the last few years, it just blew me away.
The research was well done, and you can tell that it was very thorough. I was pleased with how they interpreted the statistics, not adding anything that wasn't there or making the results look a certain way. They were very open and honest about how they had ideas about why they might have gotten the results they did, but they admitted that they really don't know why certain people answered questions they way they did. Not only did they ask questions, they asked the same basic questions multiple times with different wording, and the results were drastically changed! This is the way statistics should be done!
Not only did this book warn parents and students about the sorry state of colleges these days it also, talked about finding a good college, and how you can't expect perfection from any college. There was also a special chapter for students, that was very encouraging, saying that no matter where you go to college the most important thing is the strength and stability of your faith. No matter where you go to college.
The appendix of this book was jam-packed full of goodies! And definitely worth reading. Such as an article on the new world of "Newspeak" the scary new double talk that is taking over our culture. And ones about understanding worldview and another affirming that Moses really did write the books that he is traditionally credited with.
In all this is a must read, no matter your age, we must all be aware of the radical changes in the culture around us so that we can fight against it and win!
ISBN 13: 978-0-89051-607-2
Buy it HERE
Thanks to New Leaf Publishing, who provided this book for review in return for an honest review. Thanks!
My Review: I was so excited to get a chance to review this book, because I am a huge fan of Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis. I have read many books by him and enjoyed them all. This book was no exception. Since I'm at the age where I'm starting to think about college and where I want to go, I was so happy to been so well informed before I make a huge decision. But the thing is the truth is really sobering, and I am so blessed to have read this book BEFORE I go to college. I was shocked to learn how compromised Christian colleges have become in the last few years, it just blew me away.
The research was well done, and you can tell that it was very thorough. I was pleased with how they interpreted the statistics, not adding anything that wasn't there or making the results look a certain way. They were very open and honest about how they had ideas about why they might have gotten the results they did, but they admitted that they really don't know why certain people answered questions they way they did. Not only did they ask questions, they asked the same basic questions multiple times with different wording, and the results were drastically changed! This is the way statistics should be done!
Not only did this book warn parents and students about the sorry state of colleges these days it also, talked about finding a good college, and how you can't expect perfection from any college. There was also a special chapter for students, that was very encouraging, saying that no matter where you go to college the most important thing is the strength and stability of your faith. No matter where you go to college.
The appendix of this book was jam-packed full of goodies! And definitely worth reading. Such as an article on the new world of "Newspeak" the scary new double talk that is taking over our culture. And ones about understanding worldview and another affirming that Moses really did write the books that he is traditionally credited with.
In all this is a must read, no matter your age, we must all be aware of the radical changes in the culture around us so that we can fight against it and win!
ISBN 13: 978-0-89051-607-2
Buy it HERE
Thanks to New Leaf Publishing, who provided this book for review in return for an honest review. Thanks!
June 3, 2011
"Already Compromised" by Ken Ham and Greg Hall
The authors begin their work by citing that the early institutions of higher learning in America were predominantly Christian and held solid core values. Over time, all of them slipped away from their Christian roots and became more and more secular. They write of the spiritual decline of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth. Is history repeating itself in many Christian institutions today? One can surmise their opinion from the title of the book, but how bad is it?
If you go to the website provided in the book, www.creationcolleges.org, you will find that they endorse very few schools. In fact, there are currently only eight schools listed. There are no seminaries that made the grade. In order to be listed, the president or some authority representing the school has to endorse the Answers in Genesis statement of faith annually. This may seem a bit harsh to many people, but given the severity of the problem, it makes sense. They even offer a questionnaire to be given to potential colleges and include the key to the test. It's a little humorous to imagine hundreds of Christian parents taking a questionnaire to university staff and administrators. I can imagine their responses. Parents are encouraged to research the institution to which they plan to send their children and their money.
Ken Ham is the founder and President/CEO of Answers in Genesis, and Greg Hall is the President of Warner University. So, it is no surprise that Warner University made the list. They say that they hope this book will be a guide and a defense for the truth as children enter an educational system that is Already Compromised. This is a bit of a sequel to Ken Ham's Already Gone, and I suggest that parents and students read this book as well to get the full picture.
I have several of Ken Ham’s books, and I appreciate his fervor. He sees the teaching of evolution as the foundation for the devil’s attack on the Bible. He and Greg Hall are sounding the warning, and the message is clear. Humanistic teaching has infiltrated almost every area of higher education, but this book deals specifically with schools that claim to be Christian and Bible believing. A great deal of research went into the production of this book and some of the results of the polling are surprising. If you are a Christian parent or a grandparent about to send your child or grandchild off to college, I strongly suggest that you read this book. Too many young people go off to college and lose their faith. This book is a must read. Why should parents pay hundreds and thousands of dollars to destroy the faith of their children?
The authors begin their work by citing that the early institutions of higher learning in America were predominantly Christian and held solid core values. Over time, all of them slipped away from their Christian roots and became more and more secular. They write of the spiritual decline of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth. Is history repeating itself in many Christian institutions today? One can surmise their opinion from the title of the book, but how bad is it?
If you go to the website provided in the book, www.creationcolleges.org, you will find that they endorse very few schools. In fact, there are currently only eight schools listed. There are no seminaries that made the grade. In order to be listed, the president or some authority representing the school has to endorse the Answers in Genesis statement of faith annually. This may seem a bit harsh to many people, but given the severity of the problem, it makes sense. They even offer a questionnaire to be given to potential colleges and include the key to the test. It's a little humorous to imagine hundreds of Christian parents taking a questionnaire to university staff and administrators. I can imagine their responses. Parents are encouraged to research the institution to which they plan to send their children and their money.
Ken Ham is the founder and President/CEO of Answers in Genesis, and Greg Hall is the President of Warner University. So, it is no surprise that Warner University made the list. They say that they hope this book will be a guide and a defense for the truth as children enter an educational system that is Already Compromised. This is a bit of a sequel to Ken Ham's Already Gone, and I suggest that parents and students read this book as well to get the full picture.
I have several of Ken Ham’s books, and I appreciate his fervor. He sees the teaching of evolution as the foundation for the devil’s attack on the Bible. He and Greg Hall are sounding the warning, and the message is clear. Humanistic teaching has infiltrated almost every area of higher education, but this book deals specifically with schools that claim to be Christian and Bible believing. A great deal of research went into the production of this book and some of the results of the polling are surprising. If you are a Christian parent or a grandparent about to send your child or grandchild off to college, I strongly suggest that you read this book. Too many young people go off to college and lose their faith. This book is a must read. Why should parents pay hundreds and thousands of dollars to destroy the faith of their children?
July 10, 2011
I’ve had the pleasure of reading Already Compromised by Ken Ham and Greg Hall regarding the state of Christian colleges and what they are teaching the children who go there. As a home educator who is doing what I can in bringing up my children to know and love the Lord – I want to make sure that they don’t loose their faith by going to a compromising college.
I know what can happen to those who go into public colleges, and it isn’t good, I know my time spent at the local community college was when I really started living life for me with no regard to my faith I had in childhood. Philosophy and other classes gave no frame work to build a faith except one of humanism, secularism and by all means atheism.
I’m glad that Ken Ham and Greg Hall want to let other parents know what they can expect as their children desire to go to college. I pray that mine will fore go college and do an apprenticeship, however, they are young and the Lord will guide them when the time comes. I’m glad to have authors who are staunchly Christian and can sound the warning call and don’t back down in the event of negative feed back. Unfortunately, too many parents send their children off to colleges who purport to be Christian but may be teaching the Bible is fallible, does not need to be taken literally and that the world really is millions or billions of years old.
This book is not something you’ll read in a day, or three or maybe even a week – it took me about two weeks to get through this book. There is so much information included that it takes time to really digest it and analyze it and pray over (especially if you’re the parent of a college bound child). There are numerous graphs that for the visual learner, will aid in showing the results from the survey conducted by Britt Beemer of the America’s Research Group.
Already Compromised is a book that should be read by every Christian parent whose child wants to go to college, whether to be a nurse or a lawyer. If you don’t compromise your beliefs of Biblical authority in your home then this book will help you in making sure your beliefs and the beliefs of your children aren’t compromised as they leave home to be taught by someone other than you. This book is not just for home educators but for any Christian parent who stands on the literal, infallible Word of God and wants to continue on in the Good Fight.
**I was provided a copy of this book from Master Books in exchange for my honest review, no other compensation was given.
I know what can happen to those who go into public colleges, and it isn’t good, I know my time spent at the local community college was when I really started living life for me with no regard to my faith I had in childhood. Philosophy and other classes gave no frame work to build a faith except one of humanism, secularism and by all means atheism.
I’m glad that Ken Ham and Greg Hall want to let other parents know what they can expect as their children desire to go to college. I pray that mine will fore go college and do an apprenticeship, however, they are young and the Lord will guide them when the time comes. I’m glad to have authors who are staunchly Christian and can sound the warning call and don’t back down in the event of negative feed back. Unfortunately, too many parents send their children off to colleges who purport to be Christian but may be teaching the Bible is fallible, does not need to be taken literally and that the world really is millions or billions of years old.
This book is not something you’ll read in a day, or three or maybe even a week – it took me about two weeks to get through this book. There is so much information included that it takes time to really digest it and analyze it and pray over (especially if you’re the parent of a college bound child). There are numerous graphs that for the visual learner, will aid in showing the results from the survey conducted by Britt Beemer of the America’s Research Group.
Already Compromised is a book that should be read by every Christian parent whose child wants to go to college, whether to be a nurse or a lawyer. If you don’t compromise your beliefs of Biblical authority in your home then this book will help you in making sure your beliefs and the beliefs of your children aren’t compromised as they leave home to be taught by someone other than you. This book is not just for home educators but for any Christian parent who stands on the literal, infallible Word of God and wants to continue on in the Good Fight.
**I was provided a copy of this book from Master Books in exchange for my honest review, no other compensation was given.
May 11, 2011
When I first saw that Ken Ham was coming out with a book on the current state of the Christian Universities I was counting down the days until it came available. With 2 teens on the tail end of high school I was hoping that this book would give me clear direction where to send my children to school. Just give me a list, and tell me which is best, I will move mountains to get them there. The book doesn't do that, it does much better than that in making parents and students think for themselves on what would be the best place for the student by aligning their own biblical worldview with a college who is following the literal Bible.
Ken Ham and Greg Hall teamed up with America's Research Group and Britt Beemer to study over 200 Christian universities and colleges by giving them a survey on core faith questions. The President, Vice President, Science Dept Head and Religion Dept Head were all given the survey. The book is very good at describing their findings from the survey from questions such as "Would you consider yourself to be a young-earth or old-earth Christian", "Do you believe in the inspiration of Scripture?", and "Do you believe of the Flood of Noah's Day?".
Taking the answers to these and many other questions, putting them in pie graphs for the reader to easily understand and then dissecting them and showing the many inconsistencies that were occuring. Lets just say that the majority of the people interviewed were not on the same page and they didn't even know it.
"Just because it is said to be 'Christian' does not mean it will teach a Christian worldview as it should." Learning to have a Christian worldview begins at home in the family, and within a church environment with like minded believers. There are colleges out there with a Christian worldview, but many have fallen prey to the Humanistic mindset and have given in to the ease of 'fitting in'.
Being armed with the truth of God's word, prayer and a biblical worldview is a must when setting out to find a college that is write for you.
Fantastic book, well worth the wait, and an answer to prayer for newbie parent on the college front.
Ken Ham and Greg Hall teamed up with America's Research Group and Britt Beemer to study over 200 Christian universities and colleges by giving them a survey on core faith questions. The President, Vice President, Science Dept Head and Religion Dept Head were all given the survey. The book is very good at describing their findings from the survey from questions such as "Would you consider yourself to be a young-earth or old-earth Christian", "Do you believe in the inspiration of Scripture?", and "Do you believe of the Flood of Noah's Day?".
Taking the answers to these and many other questions, putting them in pie graphs for the reader to easily understand and then dissecting them and showing the many inconsistencies that were occuring. Lets just say that the majority of the people interviewed were not on the same page and they didn't even know it.
"Just because it is said to be 'Christian' does not mean it will teach a Christian worldview as it should." Learning to have a Christian worldview begins at home in the family, and within a church environment with like minded believers. There are colleges out there with a Christian worldview, but many have fallen prey to the Humanistic mindset and have given in to the ease of 'fitting in'.
Being armed with the truth of God's word, prayer and a biblical worldview is a must when setting out to find a college that is write for you.
Fantastic book, well worth the wait, and an answer to prayer for newbie parent on the college front.
June 29, 2011
Ken Hams's Already Compromised sounds the warning that Christian colleges aren't always what they seem to be, or profess to be.
Ham and some of his associates did a survey of Christian colleges about their beliefs on the Creation. There was a wide range of responses, many of which were discouraging to them.
Many of the colleges surveyed professed to believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, yet were vague on their stance regarding Creation.
There was often a disconnect between what the administration believed and what the teachers and professors believed. Often there was a disconnect between what the president and vice-president believed. In fact, the disconnect was not only regarding the beliefs, but also about what the stance of the college was. There was also a large disconnect between the science and theology departments, with the science departments being more likely to believe in young earth Creationism.
Many colleges surveyed believe in an old earth Creation, or in theistic evolution. Others were vague.
It is clear that many Christian colleges do not adhere to a young earth view of Creation. For parents and students who do believe in YEC, this is certainly something to be aware of. Simply because a college is a Christian college doesn't mean that it will teach Genesis as parents have taught their children. In fact, Ham warns that many will not do so.
Ham warns parents and students to beware and carefully question the beliefs of colleges before committing to one.
This book is recommended to parents of college bound children, and those students who are college bound, as there is a need to know what one will be taught once they get to college.
Ham and some of his associates did a survey of Christian colleges about their beliefs on the Creation. There was a wide range of responses, many of which were discouraging to them.
Many of the colleges surveyed professed to believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, yet were vague on their stance regarding Creation.
There was often a disconnect between what the administration believed and what the teachers and professors believed. Often there was a disconnect between what the president and vice-president believed. In fact, the disconnect was not only regarding the beliefs, but also about what the stance of the college was. There was also a large disconnect between the science and theology departments, with the science departments being more likely to believe in young earth Creationism.
Many colleges surveyed believe in an old earth Creation, or in theistic evolution. Others were vague.
It is clear that many Christian colleges do not adhere to a young earth view of Creation. For parents and students who do believe in YEC, this is certainly something to be aware of. Simply because a college is a Christian college doesn't mean that it will teach Genesis as parents have taught their children. In fact, Ham warns that many will not do so.
Ham warns parents and students to beware and carefully question the beliefs of colleges before committing to one.
This book is recommended to parents of college bound children, and those students who are college bound, as there is a need to know what one will be taught once they get to college.
December 28, 2014
Another great book from Ken Ham on the alarming number of Christian Colleges/Universities that are teaching a false view of the book of Genesis. It is alarming to see the number of people who say they believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, yet do not believe in a literal creation. Obviously this cannot be, because if one believes the Bible to be true they will take Genesis for what it says. A must read book for those who are unaware of what is going on in our universities around the world.
April 16, 2018
Can a book that's more of a passionate warning be amazing and terrifying at the same time? This one is.
I've learned so much from Ken Hamm, it's insane, and most of what I've learned has come from this stellar book. I recommend this to everyone who's a believer.
Jesus loves you! He is the only way to Heaven, and if the world doesn't teach this, and the perfection of God's word, then we--as believers--MUST!
I've learned so much from Ken Hamm, it's insane, and most of what I've learned has come from this stellar book. I recommend this to everyone who's a believer.
Jesus loves you! He is the only way to Heaven, and if the world doesn't teach this, and the perfection of God's word, then we--as believers--MUST!
January 8, 2013
This book was interesting. It was interesting to see how so called Christian institutions interpreted the Christian tag there schools had. It helped me realize to never take things at there face value. Also, that I should research the facts before deciding. This was a good book, to me it was a little irrelevant though as I've already chosen a college
May 19, 2013
An incredibly insightful read on how much the faculty at today's Christian colleges have been corrupted and compromised by the secular world. The numbers shown from the studies will not simply baffle you but make you wonder how students in these institutions make it out with their faith in tact. A fascinating read.
December 20, 2015
This book really opens your eyes on the condition of Christian colleges. Just because they say they are for Christ, it doesn't mean they really are!!
Also, in the back of this book is a questionare that you send to colleges before you attend the college. Very helpful!!!
Also, in the back of this book is a questionare that you send to colleges before you attend the college. Very helpful!!!
May 17, 2012
Mind-Boggling at some points but still good!
May 16, 2013
Fascinating look at "christian" colleges! Very eyeopening and informative!
July 18, 2017
A sobering gut-check
October 18, 2019
Dont take. a collage that claims to be christian at its word. Unfortunately they are such as compromised as other collages. Can be as deadly to their faith. Please do your research before enrolling your sons and daughters.
November 6, 2020
This was a Great book ! Truth on every page!
January 28, 2021
10 out of 10!
February 5, 2021
Brilliant book and topic to write about.
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