Harvard, Yale and Princeton Founded to Train Pastors

Harvard College was founded in 1638 with a special view to training pastors. Up till 1700 more than half of its graduates went into the ministry. But by 1869, spiritual Harvard lay on its deathbed. Yale, from its 1701 beginning, was more conservative. Its president addressed students on subjects as “The Bible is the Word of God.” A Yale gospel group traveled about the country in evangelistic ministry. But Yale’s once-evangelical stance has since disappeared. Out of 400 graduating students, 54 percent said they have no belief in any God. Darmouth College was founded to train missionaries to the Indians. Princeton, in its early days, insisted the faculty be “convinced of the necessity of a religious experience for salvation.” Yet both left their orthodox paths and secularized. Other well known schools had like beginnings. (George Sweeting).