
The Well-Trained Mind podcast Should Christians Attend Secular Universities? W/ Dr. Karen Swallow Prior
Mar 25, 2026
57:06
In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett are joined by Karen Swallow Prior to discuss selecting university education, particularly for Christians homeschool graduates.
- Dr. Prior’s substack
- Dr. Prior’s website
- You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful by Karen Swallow Prior
- The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis by Karen Swallow Prior
- (00:00) - Intro with Dr. Karen Swallow Prior
- (00:35) - The purpose of this conversation
- (02:47) - Susan and Karen's backgrounds
- (05:48) - Personal experiences
- (12:34) - How to evaluate universities with your student
- (17:26) - Differences between secondary and university Christian roles
- (20:48) - Education being "safe"
- (25:06) - The four-year degree and the readiness of a student
- (27:29) - The college litmus test
- (29:54) - Break
- (30:55) - The fear of indoctrination
- (44:54) - How to ensure a vigorous education
- (49:16) - "The search for truth" as a basis for education
- (51:13) - Looping back around to Karen's tenure as a principal
- (53:13) - Going back to teaching at an institution?
- (54:42) - What Karen's up to now
- (56:18) - Outro
