Why Christian colleges need to break up with federal student aid

The debate over federal control of higher education has once again exposed a deeper question many conservatives have avoided asking: Why is the federal government involved in financing colleges and universities at all? The recent controversy surrounding proposed federal regulations affecting Christian colleges reveals the danger of dependency. Under a new Department of Education proposal, programs whose graduates do not meet government-defined earnings thresholds could lose access to federal loans and grants. Christian colleges are warning that ministry and theology programs could be devastated because pastors and missionaries rarely enter high-paying careers. But perhaps conservatives should ask a more fundamental...