By David Davies ’01

We’ve all heard the jokes, “How do you get a liberal arts graduate off your porch?  Pay him for the pizza!”  or “I don’t know why people say that no employer will be interested in your liberal arts degree; I would love to hire someone who has clearly shown they don’t care how much money they make!” Or perhaps you’ve heard comments like, “I’m going to get my ‘Gen Eds’ out of the way so I can focus on my major, which is what I’m really here to study anyway.”

Jokes and comments like these are nothing new in higher education. On the one hand, I understand this perspective. Students looking to become graphic designers may feel that their natural science courses are distracting. Similarly, students looking to major in Criminal Justice may feel that their time could be better spent on something other than a course on Art History or Writing in the Liberal Arts. However, I believe this perspective reveals two fundamental misunderstandings, the first concerning the essential benefits of receiving an education and the second concerning the fundamentally Biblical character of the liberal arts.

So, what are the liberal arts anyway? The term “liberal arts” is typically used to describe traditional general education requirements associated with undergraduate degrees, with “Liberal” derived from the Latin word liberalis, meaning “freedom,” and “arts” from the Latin ars, which can be translated as “art” or “skill.” Thus, a liberal arts education is one in which students are equipped with the diverse skills necessary to thrive as free and productive citizens. The term dates back to antiquity when an ideal education was believed to consist of the seven liberal arts: rhetoric, grammar, and logic forming the trivium, and astronomy, arithmetic, geometry, and music forming the quadrivium.

While the specifics of what comprises a liberal education have changed through the intervening centuries, the essential underlying concept has remained remarkably consistent. On the shelf in my office, I have a 1918 catalog from Houghton Seminary, which lists required courses in Bible, rhetoric, mathematics, foreign language, literature, science, history, and psychology. Those required courses combined to comprise a third of a Houghton student’s studies, with the remaining two-thirds labeled simply “elective studies” (“majors” were not typical at liberal arts colleges in those days). Today, Houghton’s general education curriculum still comprises a third of our students’ coursework. It includes many of the same broad categories as it did in 1918, with the addition of courses in art/music and wellness. Unlike in 1918, however, the remaining two-thirds of today’s students’ coursework is divided between elective studies and their chosen major. The introduction of a “major” into liberal arts institutions was a significant development in 20th-century American higher education and reflects the comprehensive nature of contemporary liberal arts institutions, offering an education committed to both breadth and depth.  Houghton has excelled at this blend of focused, pre-professional training within the context of a rich liberal arts curriculum throughout its 140-year history, awarding its first Bachelor of Arts degree in 1925 and the first Bachelor of Science in 1931. Its first Bachelor of Music degree was awarded in 1946. In the 21st century, Houghton added to more degrees: graduate degrees in music were first awarded in 2005, and the first Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2013.

“That’s all well and good,” you may be saying, “but how is any of that going to help a graduate earn a solid income to support their family and repay their student loans?”  Though the conversation around the debt-to-earnings ratio has become much more prominent in recent years, the question “What am I ever going to do with this?” is certainly not new for students (and their professors) at liberal arts institutions. While I believe that an education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences is the best pathway toward fulfillment and success in various professions throughout a lifetime, I respectfully submit that we’ve gotten the question somewhat backward when we say, “What will I do with it?” Arthur Holmes puts it perfectly in his classic book, The Idea of a Christian College, when he writes, “The right question is rather ‘What can it do to me?’” To unpack that a bit – the usefulness of a liberal arts education rests less on the information or skills it imparts and more on the creativity, flexibility, curiosity, deep thinking, and discipline it engenders. These “marketable” skills are as necessary and valuable today as ever, and I’ll explore their implications in just a bit.

Before addressing the relevance of the liberal arts in our contemporary world, though, I’d like to consider the Biblical foundations of a liberal arts education. Christopher Watkin provides an excellent framework for this as he explores the Bible’s wisdom literature, specifically the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, in his monumental book Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture. When read individually, the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes seem to present competing views on life. Proverbs gives us the impression that wise decisions lead to happiness and success. Ecclesiastes suggests that our decisions don’t ultimately matter because the wicked will prosper, the wise will suffer, and we’re all getting old and will die soon. What makes the Bible unique is its assertion that both of these perspectives are equally true and that they inform and enrich each other. In this, the Bible isn’t teaching that there are multiple realities but rather that reality is complex and requires viewing through multiple lenses. Watkins describes this framework as transperspectival, meaning “the way in which the same reality is experienced across and through different perspectives.” Theologian and philosopher Vern Poythress (father of Houghton biology professor Ransom Poythress) describes a similar phenomenon by calling the Bible’s interlocking and multifaceted themes “symphonic theology,” which I’ll admit is especially appealing to me as a musician.

Looking beyond the wisdom literature, one finds this transperspectival or symphonic approach throughout God’s word. From the parallels and variations found in the four gospels, as well as the historical accounts found in 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles, to the uniquely diverse collection of languages and genre woven together in the Bible to form a multifaceted presentation of irreducible truth. This Biblical approach to knowing God and His world is mirrored in the liberal arts. For Christians, a liberal arts education isn’t just a good idea; it’s an education that reflects how God designed us, how He works, and how He invites us to understand and engage with His world.

So, the liberal arts are grounded in history, useful for life, and consistent with a Biblical approach to truth – but what of their relevance for addressing the emerging challenges of our particular moment in history?  In a recent national survey by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, over 80% of employers preferred candidates educated in the liberal arts.  These employers cited these graduates’ creativity, flexibility, communication, and teamwork skills as essential for success in our rapidly changing marketplace. Interestingly, this percentage went up following the economic disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Another marketplace disruptor is the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence. In a recent statement on the value of a Houghton education in the age of AI, President Wayne Lewis makes a compelling point when he writes, “Houghton’s time-tested approach to spiritual and educational formation helps to anchor students in their Christian faith and prepare them to respond to a dynamic workforce and economy in the age of AI.” Our commitment to a rigorous liberal arts education grounded in God’s word offers our graduates the intellectual and moral skills necessary for meeting today’s challenges.

Finally, I believe the transperspectival approach of Christian liberal arts is instrumental in engaging with an increasingly polarized society. Grounded in the whole truth of God’s word, our graduates can see through the false dichotomies and demonization of “the other” that have become so prevalent in recent years and affirm with St. Augustine that “truth belongs to the Lord, wherever it is found.”

These guideposts have shaped Houghton’s approach to education for over 140 years, and they remain more than adequate for meeting today’s challenges as we continue equipping our students to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world.

Meet the Provost

Name: David Horace Davies

Degrees Awarded:

• Bachelor of Music, Piano Performance, Houghton University (2001)
• Masters of Music, Composition, University of Miami, (2004)
• Doctor of Musical Arts, Composition, University of Miami, (2007)

Favorite Course to Teach: I love teaching post-tonal music theory. It’s fun to give students the tools to grow their appreciation for music they didn’t know they could understand, or even (gasp!) enjoy.

Top Book Recommendation: This tough, at I enjoy reading many different genres. A little over a year ago I re-read Frank Herbert’s Dune, and was struck once again by its depth of setting complex characters. I also recently read Dane Ortlund’s Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers and found it deeply impactful.

Most Influential Composer: I would not have become a composer if it weren’t for influence of John Williams’ music on me as a young man, and he remains a favorite. In later years I became very influenced by the music of John Adams, the American post-minimalist composer.

Favorite Houghton Class (as an undergraduate student): I loved studying composition as an undergrad; I was a performance major and that was when I realized my real passion was for writing music, not playing it. I also discovered my love for history while at Houghton, and especially enjoyed taking “Recent American History: 1920-Present” as an elective.

Best Houghton Memory: All my best memories involve meeting and falling in love with my wife, Carrie (Hoffman ’01) Davies. One in particular involves me trying to impress Carrie in the dining hall, but instead falling out of my chair in front of her and most of our friends. Not my best moment!

Why Houghton?: When I visited Houghton, I found a place with a unique blend of intense academics, stellar music making, sincere faith, and almost no pretension. After only a few hours on campus I knew this was where God wanted me to be.