Confused about Christian universities in America: public or private?

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I am new to America but despite many years speaking English I am confused by terms I thought I knew. For example, I thought Christian universities and Bible colleges were not funded by government in USA. But the Christian schools in USA call themselves private which in my previous experience meant government funding and public meant funding by public donations. Please explain.
 
Your confusion is perfectly understandable. The terms "public" and "private", when applied to schools, have a completely different meaning in the U.S. than in most other English-speaking countries.

In the United States, a "public school" is one that is funded mainly by the government. A "private school" is one that is funded by anyone else, which includes private individuals, religious groups, and other organizations. Thus, a Christian university in the U.S. would be considered a "private school", since American law prohibits the government from supporting any religious group or enterprise.
 
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