Student Testimonials

It's been nearly a decade since I participated in a residential academic fellowship under the direction of Alan Crippen. In retrospect, it was a seminal event in my academic, professional, and spiritual life. It provided for me and my classmates the kind of intellectual excitement and community that many of us were looking for at college but had difficulty finding there. The sustained reflection and fellowship helped me to clarify my calling to public life, and provided the basis for enduring friendships."

The secular left largely has succeeded in subverting the practice of law to achieve its ends, while evangelical Christians remain surprisingly underrepresented in the profession and unprepared to turn the instrument of law toward more worthwhile goals. After spurring hundreds of undergraduates (myself among them) to consider carefully how to live out their salvation in this world, Alan Crippen is turning his attention to the law. The student body of my alma mater (Yale Law School), and the legal profession as a whole, would benefit greatly from Christians who understood law's function in our society and its Judeo-Christian history. Thankfully, the John Jay Institute is answering that call by equipping smart Christians to advocate wisely."

Alan Crippen has been one of the pivotal influences in my life. During my undergraduate career, he directed me to professors at the University of Notre Dame who became crucial in my intellectual and spiritual formation. During a grace-filled summer in Washington D.C., he provided me and a devoted cadre of young students with a singular discipleship in the intellectually rigorous and faithful pursuit of Truth. During my discernment of where to attend law school, he gave wise Christian counsel that turned out to be decisive. Mr. Crippen is a man who knows his vocation and lives it with verve. Thankfully for all of those who have had the benefit of his tutelage, that vocation centers on the preparation of young Christians for an uncompromised Christian life that retreats neither from orthodoxy nor the intellectual challenges posed by a secular age. In my view, a residential fellowship at the John Jay Institute is among the best training available for a young Christian committed to truly engaging our culture with a vibrant and compelling Christian witness. To a young person presented with the opportunity to participate in such a fellowship, my unqualified advice is: seize it!"

We are in great need of the hope and renewal that stem from a thoughtful, Christian engagement of the public square. The John Jay Institute seeks to prepare recent college graduates who have a passion for such civic engagement with the habits of heart and mind necessary for sustained impact in their chosen vocations. I had the great fortune to study under John Jay Institute President Alan Crippen prior to my entrance into the University of Virginia School of Law's Joint-Degree Program in Legal History. The time I spent under his tutelage had an ongoing, transformational impact on both my education at Virginia and my vocational calling after graduation. I can think of no greater formative opportunity for Christian men and women who aspire to vocations in law, divinity, or public policy."

As the years have passed I am more thankful than ever for the blessing of have studied under Alan Crippen. The ideas and vision he taught me are not novelties, but rather represent the timeless essence of the western and American social tradition captured in the thought and lives not only of the Institute's namesake, John Jay, but of many of the other American founders as well. Yet for Mr. Crippen this is only recent history. The roots of American culture and its political institutions stretch back long before 1776. Indeed, the John Jay Institute explores the influence of ideas and cultures that include Athens, Jerusalem, Rome, and London. For the student who is serious about integrating his knowledge of political philosophy, religion, history, and culture into a coherent prescription for effective public influence in today's world, I cannot recommend the John Jay Institute highly enough."

Alan Crippen's singular contribution is to provide young public-spirited Christians a bracing and encompassing understanding of the deep philosophical and political heritage of their faith. Christianity and its traditions have a great deal to say about the nature of a "just society" and our duties as citizens in a democratic republic. As his student for three short months, I was gifted with an understanding of over two millennia of Judeo-Christian thought on the nature of our lives in the public square, and a profound appreciation for the sweat and tears that were spent developing and advancing that thought through centuries. From the maintenance of civilization after the fall of Rome to the abolition of slavery, Mr. Crippen demonstrates the paramount importance that Christian ideas can have when applied with great effort. He inspires young men and women to try. His efforts with the John Jay Institute in the years ahead will be a great contribution to the tradition of a public spirited, thoughtful Christian voice in American democracy. More importantly, Mr. Crippen is sure to be a powerful promoter of the continued strength and impact of that Christian voice. Quite simply, the John Jay Institute is good for America - and it deserves hearty support."

Participating in a residential academic fellowship of Mr. Crippen's design and making was, by far, the most positively powerful intellectual Christian experience in my life to date. The program focused on understanding public vocation, building a Christian intellectual community, and nurturing our desire for a public faith. My view of Christianity was changed and my professional aspirations were completely reoriented as a result. The field studies led by Mr. Crippen were a highlight of my experience under his mentorship. Our diverse group of Christian students did not just spend a semester in the classroom discussing ideas and philosophies. Rather, we were given exciting and intellectually challenging opportunities to see how different ideas take shape in the real world. Putting theory into practice is at the heart of Mr. Crippen's educational pedagogy. His insights and our many conversations taught me how being a follower of Christ should change how I look at everything, even civic architecture and the design of public space. This opportunity was an influential source of my personal inspiration for pursuing further studies in urban/regional planning and design."

The John Jay Institute is dedicated to equipping graduate students with the tools to engage and impact American culture and society. After completing my B.A. degree I had the opportunity to study under the John Jay Institute president Alan Crippen. In hindsight, I can affirm that this short period in my life was just as informative as my undergraduate education or the two M.A. degrees I have completed since then. Alan Crippen is a truly gifted leader, scholar, and teacher whose vision to transform the world is contagious. I heartily recommend the John Jay Institute to those of all vocations who desire to have a better philosophical and theological understanding of American history and wish to gain the means to better engage the world with a Christian worldview."

In law school today even the most mature Christian risks a serious case of moral vertigo. Fortunately I entered law school better equipped than many because of my prior residential fellowship experience. A solid background in the best of Christian thought about politics, law, and society enabled me to face the hail of ideas I encountered with a confidence in the permanent things and the solace and comfort that I wasn't alone. I cherish the formation that I received in relationship with like-minded Christians who share my calling to public life.

The college experience often leaves public-minded Christians with an unsolved puzzle: how do the intellectual, spiritual, and moral dimensions of a one's life fit together as a coherent whole? How does one engage culture in a principled and practical fashion? Having sat under the tutelage of Alan Crippen as a Witherspoon Fellow, I can testify to the way in which an academic, residential fellowship uniquely contributes to putting the puzzle pieces together: through life together as a community of faith, diligent study of classic Christian writings, and hands-on experience in public policy. The newly formed John Jay Institute is a welcome addition to a growing family of fellowship programs that prepare Christians for a life of meaningful, effective civic leadership.

Several years ago I participated in a residential academic fellowship under Alan Crippen's leadership. In stark contrast to the mainstream culture around us, which so often focuses solely on the efforts and accomplishments of the individual - and in so doing threatens to cultivate in each of us the seed of selfish ambition, pride, and arrogance - this fellowship challenged me to live, to work, and to struggle along with other students in authentic Christian community. Through this experience, I not only grew in my own faith and in my understanding of its relevance to law and public policy, but also came to more fully appreciate the potential of committed Christian communities - from the smallest group to the Church universal - to engage and positively impact culture and public discourse. I am confident that the John Jay Institute will continue this tradition of equipping young Christian leaders to work together to find and fulfill their respective callings in the public square.

My experience in a residential fellowship under Alan Crippen's tutelage was truly life-changing. I wanted to be a lawyer and was committed to the Christian faith when I arrived, but I was unsure of how to uphold its principles while working in the legal profession. Mr. Crippen equipped me with the intellectual foundation for a life of convicted service wherever my calling to the law might take me.

In this brief statement, it is impossible to express the singular impact my experience in a residential fellowship had on my life. Under the direction of Mr. Alan Crippen, I was exposed to a wealth of Christian philosophical and political thought. These concepts were constantly reinforced in the uniquely edifying context of a Christian community. The fellowship provided me with an invaluable framework with which to address the intellectual and spiritual rigors of law school. More importantly, it equipped me with a tool that is essential for any Christian seeking to engage the public sphere - the ability to provide a respectful, reasoned argument for why I believe what I believe.

I consider my time under the tutorship of Mr. Crippen in a residential fellowship to be foremost in shaping my intellectual, spiritual, and moral attitudes. What I learned in my studies of the 'Greeks,' Mr. Crippen helped me to bring under a deeper rationality in the Christian faith. Our citizenship in the City of God ought to be lived in the City of Man, held together by the tension of the Trinity. Without Mr. Crippen's vision and influence I would not have enrolled at Yale Divinity School. Furthermore, my undergraduate education and Mr. Crippen's influence coupled with time spent abroad, spanning four continents and countless weeks on trains, has helped me to shape a vision for the Church as the last vestige of cultural hope for America and Western Civilization. The Church is the only institution capable of bringing what began with the Greek and Hebrew cultures and was fulfilled in the incarnation under the authority of the Kingship of Christ. Mr. Crippen and the John Jay Institute are in an ideal position to pursue the true end of our dual citizenship: 'to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.'"

My experience in a residential academic fellowship under Alan Crippen's direction truly offered a rare opportunity to engage the culture and ideas of modern philosophy within a secure and loving brotherhood of peers. Subjects discussed in class were then further evaluated and debated in our living and dining rooms, and sometimes even put into practice. Lasting friendships were forged, and our fellowship continues to edify one another in our daily vocations. For me, I met my best friend, and now my beautiful wife. The Lord clearly used the residential academic fellowship to bless our lives!"

Living in an academic fellowship with other students and scholars enabled me not only to thrive intellectually but also to learn to love my spiritual brothers and sisters. This kind of community serves to enrich the mind and awaken the heart to the social and public callings of the Christian. I can think of no better way to research, think, and study than in a community of fellow disciples of Christ, eager to know God and his will for their lives. I will cherish my time in the fellowship as one of the most spiritually maturing and intellectually rigorous seasons of my life."