Brigham Young University President C. Shane Reese and Taylor University President D. Michael Lindsay — each leading a faith-based institution of higher education — agree on the power of faith and inspired learning.
Both leaders and both universities were featured in recent three-part BYUtv documentary under that title: “Higher Ed: The Power of Faith-inspired Learning.” The documentary highlights both BYU and Taylor University — and other colleges — and shows how their leaders are using faith to encourage learning.
And on Tuesday, May 19, the two university presidents were featured in a BYU forum discussing the topic of faith and higher education. The event was held at the Marriott Center on the Provo, Utah, campus.
Following a video comprised of clips from the documentary, President Reese talked about the challenges and scrutiny that some religious universities face. He advised students to make the most of receiving both an academic and religious education, encouraging them to “lean into it.”
“I think those two things can happen simultaneously, even though people might tell you otherwise,” he said.
President Lindsay said two bell towers stand at the center of Taylor University, an evangelical, interdenominational Christian liberal arts university located in Upland, Indiana. It has a similar mission to BYU: to encourage its students to put Christ at the center of their lives.
At night, each tower has a beam of light shooting upwards into the air, President Lindsay said, adding that instead of going their own courses, the two light beams intersect.
“One represents faith, the other represents learning,” he said. “That’s really what we are trying to do at Taylor, encourage students to integrate faith and learning.”
In the video shown, President Lindsay emphasized that as students discover who they are to God, their understanding of themselves will grow. This knowledge gives students power in their personal and academic lives.
“We don’t know who we are until we realize Whose we are,” he said in the video.
President Lindsay and President Reese both agreed that seeking to grow academically as well as spiritually is ultimately a joyful pursuit.
The conversation then shifted towards how religious institutions can maintain respect for those who disagree with them.
President Lindsay referred back to one of the foundational principles of Christianity — to love one’s neighbor (see Matthew 22:39).
Following that commandment, Taylor University has raised close to $100 million to help support local businesses in the small town of Upland, where the university is located.
President Reese, in turn, spoke about maintaining humility while interacting with those who disagree with the approach of pursuing faith and inspired learning.
“I hope that we as faith-based institutions have a healthy sense of humility. I think it’s a commandment and we need to observe that,” he said.
Taylor University’s exemplar of faith and humility, said President Lindsay, was a man named Samuel Morris, who came to Taylor in the late 19th century.
Formerly a Liberian prince, he fled his homeland because of a coup. After making his way to Indiana, he converted to Christianity. The university’s first student of color and first international student, Morris became known for holding strong to his faith as he sought understanding.
It is that attitude of being faithful in the pursuit of truth that President Lindsay said inspires him to this day, “We are willing to tackle the big questions, because we believe that all truth is God’s truth.”
When asked how he has seen faith strengthen scholarship, President Reese said: “I firmly believe that those two things [faith and scholarship] are not mutually exclusive but rather mutually reinforcing.
“We believe that study amplifies faith and that belief enhances inquiry and that revelation leads to deeper understanding.”
Citing Church President Spencer W. Kimball, President Reese said that students must become bilingual in both the language of God — faith — and in the language of disciplines — scholarship.
This dual understanding enables students at religious universities to ask bigger questions and find answers to those questions, he said, whereas, secular schools wouldn’t be able to ask the same questions and seek answers to those questions.
Asked to share his final thoughts to BYU students and other students at religious universities, President Lindsay first touched on how BYU has impacted him on a personal level, mentioning his daughter, who has a severe intellectual disability.
President Lindsay told how she loves to listen to music, specifically Noteworthy and Vocal Point, two a cappella groups formed by BYU students. Their music has brought comfort to both him and his daughter, he said.
First joking that they are “BYU groupies,” he expressed his gratitude for BYU and its mission. “It’s amazing to see the way in which your ministry reaches out and touches the life of my daughter,” he said. “Our family has been so blessed by the ministry of this place.”
As his final thought, President Lindsay encouraged all in attendance to seek to be like Jesus Christ.
“That’s my encouragement and admonition for all of us, to embody grace and truth to a world in need,” he said.
