Huntsville may soon see the establishment of a new Christian liberal arts college dedicated to preparing students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Jason Cherry, the board chairman of New Trinity Foundation, discussed the need for New Trinity College during a recent episode of “1819 News: The Podcast.”
Cherry emphasized the importance of a STEM-focused education for young people, particularly noting that children of engineers often pursue similar paths. “As nice as it would be to send our kids off to get a Christian humanities education, that just won’t work for these students,” Cherry said. “They need a STEM degree if they’re going to work in STEM fields.”
Cherry pointed out that many young adults are leaving the church, and he attributed this trend partly to the lack of options for students seeking a Christian education in STEM disciplines. “You start looking around, and you realize that there aren’t really many options for those who want a Christian STEM education,” he said, highlighting that nearly two out of three church-going teenagers drop out of the church as young adults, often citing college as the contributing factor.
He raised concerns about the “spiritual cost” and “strategic cost” for young Christians attending secular universities. “It doesn’t matter if the students get a STEM degree or a humanities degree,” he said. The formative years of 18 to 22 are crucial, and exposure to a secular worldview during this time can have lasting effects, according to Cherry.
Each year, the U.S. produces approximately 350,000 new scientists and engineers with undergraduate degrees, of which around 200,000 are raised in Christian homes but graduate from secular institutions, Cherry stated. He criticized this dynamic for allowing secular influences to dominate key scientific and engineering fields. “The church has ceded the commanding heights of science to a distinctly secular point of view,” he remarked. “The people who set the direction of research and what is considered knowledge are overwhelmingly formed in a worldview that has no place for God.”
Cherry expressed optimism about Huntsville as a potential site for this initiative, believing it could be a starting point to reclaim a Christian presence in STEM disciplines. Currently, the New Trinity Foundation is working on securing authorization from the Alabama Community College System and is in the process of seeking accreditation for New Trinity College. No specific timeline for the college’s launch has been released yet.
