Dartmouth Christian History

I have been studying the Christian History of Dartmouth College since 1993, when my friend John Murray came to Hanover to begin studies toward a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS).   Exploring the Christian roots of the early American Eastern Colleges, John’s Master’s Thesis took on the form of a documentary script entitled, THE CROSS IN THE IVY, which has yet to be produced. 

I helped John with some of his research and photography - together we discovered things about the Christian origins of the college that remain, in my opinion, unknown by most in the Dartmouth community, and are in many cases, sadly misrepresented...

John and I have often talked over the years about publishing our work on a wider basis, his emphasis on the broader aspects of the Christian roots of higher education in America, and mine strictly on Dartmouth, where I served as a campus minister for 17 years.

Dartmouth College is the 9th oldest college in America, and is the first missionary college to reach out to Native Americans for the gospel.   The lessons learned have profound implications today, especially as we think about “missions” or service in the developing world, and/or about how we respond to global “terrorism.”    These issues were faced directly by the founders of the College.

This is still in draft form.   I am not yet publishing it widely on the web. I welcome comments and critique.

I hope it is of benefit to you.

Craig Parker

craig.parker@mac.com