We’re at a defining moment in higher education, one that will reshape the landscape for decades to come.
I’m a mathematician living through the rise of AI. I’ve seen a technological disruption change my discipline once before, with the calculator, and I now consult with Christian institutions navigating their future. What’s happening with AI feels familiar, but the stakes are higher.
The Calculator Disruption
When calculators became mainstream, math educators had to decide what still mattered. Should we keep teaching students how to compute things a calculator could do instantly?
Some said no. A graduate school professor of mine once told me, “If a calculus problem doesn’t have an application, it’s a waste of time because a calculator can already solve it faster than you.” On the other hand, my mentor, Dr. David Weinberg, asked a question that still lingers in my mind:
“If there were a machine that could give you the answer to any problem, would you take the time to learn anything at all?”
That question matters now more than ever.
As mathematicians, we adjusted. We stopped teaching some things, like computing logarithms by hand, but kept others like long division. Why? Not because long division is practically useful in adulthood, but because it trains algorithmic thinking. It teaches students how to process problems in steps, to think clearly and rationally.
We didn’t stop teaching math. But, we taught it differently.
AI Is a New Kind of Calculator
Now there’s a new calculator, one that doesn’t just do math. It writes essays. It drafts research. It generates marketing campaigns and architectural plans. It’s entering every discipline.
In short, AI is the calculator for the humanities and beyond.
This time, it’s not just the math department that has to adapt. Every discipline must now grapple with this tool. The way they respond will determine which institutions thrive and which slowly fade.
The Academy’s Habitual Resistance
Here’s my concern: many academic disciplines won’t adapt fast enough.
They’re comfortable. Professors love the lecture format. Research papers are still considered the gold standard of student work. But the world has changed. ChatGPT can write better papers than most undergrads and it’s always available to help. The lecture is losing relevance. Students will soon learn more from interactive AI tutors than they do in the back row of a classroom.
We’re not just watching the old model bend. We’re watching it break.
This Seems Bad, But It’s Not the End
So, is this the end of Christian higher education? Only if we forget what makes it distinct.
Education has never just been about transferring knowledge. Oral storytelling, books, radio, television, and now the internet have all served that purpose. But formation of habits, character, and spirit has always been something deeper.
And formation is relational.
Think about elite athletes. They don’t just download training programs, they have personal coaches. Why? Because sustained excellence requires accountability, rhythm, encouragement, and correction. Those are relational, not informational, forces.
The same is true for students. They don’t just need knowledge. They need mentors, guides, and models. They need to be challenged to grow not just in what they know, but in how they live.
Christian Higher Ed’s Strategic Opportunity
Here lies the opportunity: Christian colleges aren’t in danger because students can get information elsewhere. They’re in danger when they forget that their greatest asset is transformational community rooted in faith.
What sets Christian higher education apart?
- Personal discipleship
- Spiritual formation
- Academic coaching rooted in Christian worldview
- Habit formation in community
- Mission-aligned relationships
AI cannot replicate any of that.
Final Thought: Adapt the Model, Not the Mission
The calculator didn’t kill math, it made us teach it differently. AI won’t kill the academy. But it will expose which institutions were too focused on content delivery and too slow to adapt.
Christian higher education will survive, and even thrive, if it leans into what it’s best at: forming students through relationships, community, and calling.
So let’s rethink the lecture. Let’s redesign the paper. Let’s double down on mentorship. And let’s remember:
If a machine can give every answer, then what students truly need is someone to show them how to live.
–Nick Willis is a partner at TG Three, mathematician, and builder leader with over 25 years of experience in Christian higher education. TG Three is a values-driven strategy company dedicated to serving Christian institutions to help get them from where they are to where they want to be.