Tertullian once famously asked, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” noting the apparent divide between academics and the church.

According to two distinguished authors from two universities associated with Churches of Christ, Tertullian’s question is no easier to answer nearly two millennia later.

In their books “The Malibu Miracle” and “Soaring On Wings Like Eagles: A History of Oklahoma Christian University” William S. Banowsky and Stafford North show their universities struggling, at key points in their histories, with Tertullian’s query.

More often than not, this paradox is at the heart of the significant decisions and central conflicts that play out in the pages of the two books.