Denominational Higher Education during World War II, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2018

This book examines how World War II affected denominational colleges who faced a national crisis in relationship to their Christian tenets and particular religious communities and student bodies. With denominational positions ranging from justifying the war in light of the existential threat that the United States faced to maintaining long-held beliefs of nonviolence, the multitude of institutional positions taken during World War II speaks to the scope of religious diversity within Christian higher education and the central issues of faith and service to God and country. Ultimately, Laukitis provides a particular lens to analyze the history of higher education during World War II through an examination of denominational institutions. The relationship between higher education, faith, and war offers depth to understanding the role of denominational colleges in articulating theological interpretations of war and their sense of responsibility as Christian liberal arts institutions in theUnited States. 

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Staying “On the Beam”: Pepperdine College During World War II.- Chapter 3. “In War as in Peace, Culture for Service”: Sioux Falls College and the Successive Crises of Depression and War.- Chapter 4. “The Charity of Christ Urges Us”: Women, War, and the Four Freedoms at the College of Mount St. Joseph.- Chapter 5. Service, Faith, and Race: North Park College During World War II.- Chapter 6. “Bulwark of Democracy”: Optimism and Identity at Sterling College in the War Years.- Chapter 7. Noncombatancy and Patriotism: Walla Walla College in World War II.- Chapter 8. Huntington College, Liberal Education, and the Struggle for “Christian Democracy” in the World War II Era.- Chapter 9. More Than One Kind of Blitzkrieg to Resist: Houghton College’s Response to World War II.- Chapter 10. World War II Comes to Whitworth College.- Chapter 11. Spiritual Values of a New Civilization: World War II and the Transformation of Mississippi College.- Chapter 12. Struggling for Survival: Louisiana College in World War II.- Chapter 13. The World at our Gate: Wartime Sanctuary and Foreign Detention at Montreat College. 

John J. Laukaitis is Assistant Professor of Education at North Park University, USA.

Provides a broad range of historical treatments examining distinct theological perspectives and institutional identities Examines the characteristic mission and identity of over one hundred fifty Christian liberal arts colleges and universities that represent some thirty five denominations Fills a critical gap in the history of higher education useful to scholars interested in telling the complete story of how higher education institutions dealt with the horrors of war