Is student debt biblically wise?

I used to think that student debt was justifiable for the Christian but have begun to have my doubts. Here’s why.

Solomon cautioned against debt as a trap – ‘the borrower is the slave of the lender’ (Proverbs 22:7). Paul urged believers to avoid or escape it – ‘owe no one anything’ (Romans 13:8). But evangelicals have found exceptions to these biblical principles.

Christians generally view a mortgage as wise stewardship. Better to pay rent to a bank (mortgage interest) and be left with an asset than pay rent to a landlord and be left with nothing. Better to be in control by home ownership than in the power of the landlord.