Spring 2016 Christian Union The Magazine

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Growing In Grace

Christian Union the magazine :: spring 2016

“You are more than a brain on a stick.”

Dr. James K. A. Smith Exhorts Students at Nexus 2016. page 8

Q and A: John Seel, senior fellow at Cardus New York City Christian Union: Robert Louis Wilken Speaks at Forum The Spiritual Climate on Campus The latest from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton & Yale

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table of contents

volume xv issue ii

Christian Union

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in e ach issue Letter from the President / 3 Q and A / 10 What’s Next / 30 Donor Profile / 32 4

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4 Nexus 2016

spring 2 016 fe at ure sec t ion Conference Overview / 6 The Spiritual Power of Habit / 8 Q and A with John Seel / 10

12 From the University to the City

This magazine is published by Christian Union, an independent Christian ministry.

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cover photo credit : 47 Moments Photography

cit y chris tian union New York City Christian Union / 29

34 The Spiritual Climate on Campus

updat e s fr om l e ading univer si t ie s Advocating in Education (Brown) :: Unhooked Ministry Launch (Columbia) :: Neuroscience and Free Will (Dartmouth) :: Justice Scalia Remembered (Harvard Law) :: Yale Logos :: News-in-Brief from each university, and more

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Refugee Rescue (Yale) / 14 A Future and a Hope (Cornell) / 16 univer si t y chris t ian union updat e s Columbia / 18 Harvard Law / 20 Harvard / 21 Dartmouth / 24 Brown / 26 Penn / 27 Princeton / 23

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volume xv issue ii spring 2016 editor-in-chief

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letter from the founder and ceo

Faithful to Jesus

2016

—1 Peter 5:8-10

can’t I join with them in my faithfulness to Christ? An incredible passage from the Scriptures comes to mind: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:8-10) I invite you to join me in recommitting yourself to suffering for our Savior Jesus no matter the inconvenience, struggle, or persecution. There is such comfort in knowing we are not suffering alone, but with fellow believers making similar sacrifices. If our sisters and brothers around the world can stay faithful to Christ, given their extraordinary circumstances, then, by the grace of God, we can do the same.

Yours in Christ,

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And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

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Matthew W. Bennett matt bennett is the founder and CEO of Christian Union. He earned undergraduate and MBA degrees from Cornell, and launched Christian Union in 2002 in Princeton, New Jersey.

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great privilege of the Christian faith is the honor of testifying to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, no matter what the circumstances. The Scriptures relate the situation of Paul the Apostle after his appearance before the council of Sadducees and Pharisees in Jerusalem: “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Take courage for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.’” (Acts 23:11) He had just been in danger of being torn limb from limb, and the Lord tells him to take courage, because he would also testify in the great city of Rome!

Like no other time in history, Christians around the world today are testifying to the life of Jesus Christ at great personal cost. At Christian Union’s recent Nexus conference, author Lela Gilbert (Saturday People, Sunday People) relayed the current persecution of Jews and Christians in the Middle East. Additionally, Baroness Caroline Cox regaled us with stories of valiant Christians around the world remaining faithful to Jesus in dire circumstances. Perhaps the most moving part of her presentation was when she passed along the request for prayers from the persecuted, as well as the request that we, as Christians in the West, “would not compromise the faith that [they] are living and dying for.”

Hearing the stories of courage and great faith of fellow saints is very motivational for me in my own walk with the Lord. If others can pay such a price,

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feature section :: spring 2016 Nexus Conference / 6 The Spiritual Power of Habit / 8 Q and A with John Seel / 10

Seeking First The Kingdom At Nexus 2016 spring

2016 :: christianunion.org

On April 1-3 in New Haven, Connecticut, Nexus 2016: The Christian Union Conference on Faith and Action gathered 317 undergraduates from leading universities for a weekend of inspiring speakers, thought-provoking vocational panels, in-depth seminars, and dynamic worship. Held simultaneously with the student conference, Nexus 2016: The Christian Union Conference for Professionals explored what it means to engage and transform culture, biblically and intellectually. This special section looks at some of the highlights of a memorable and impactful time for students and Christians in the marketplace.

5 photo credit: 47 Moments Photography

feature section | nexus 2016

Nexus Conference Networks, Inspires Students and Professionals by eileen scott, senior writer

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culture in the nation’s most influential exus: The Christian Union say you were made to do that [vocation]. cities.

Nexus provides one avenue of Conference on Faith and AcThey should see the handprint of the bringing together those like-minded intion explored the convergence Creator upon you as you do what you dividuals. of culture, career, and Christianity for 317 do.”

At the Nexus student conference, students from some of the nation’s most “I loved his energy and charisma,” plenary speakers exhorted attendees to influential universities. said Julia Zhu, Penn ’17. “It was reaslive with extraordinary faith by encourThe Omni Hotel in New Haven, Consuring to hear about how God has a plan aging them to dance with destiny, recalinecticut, just a couple of blocks from Yale for us and that we won’t fail as long as we University, was home to a follow [that plan]. That really weekend of vibrant worship, hit me.” continuous and intercessory On Saturday morning, prayer, and engaging messages James K.A. Smith, professor from powerful plenary speakof philosophy at Calvin Colers on April 1-3. lege, challenged students with Students from Brown, Coa presentation entitled, “You lumbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Are What You Love: The SpirHarvard, Penn, Princeton, itual Power of Habit.” The and Yale attended the conferscholar and author explained ence, which offered insight, that humans are shaped more inspiration, networking, and by what their hearts love and practical advice on discerning long for, rather than by what God’s purpose for life, camthey think or believe. pus, and career. A variety of According to Smith, “Our vocational panels were led by most fundamental orientation Dr. Jack Deere led a seminar entitled “Supernatural Experience and Our highly qualified Christians in to the world is love; love is one Daily Lives.” fields such as the arts, comway of naming our deepest puter science and technololongings and cravings.” The brate their hearts, run with their eyes on gy, education, finance, government, law, heart, he said, is like a compass which Christ, and seek social justice. media, medicine, and science and engineeds to recalibrate throughout life to Opening speaker Bishop Harry Jackneering. ensure it is always set toward the Kingson, who earned his MBA from Harvard Running concurrently with the studom of God. in 1980, brought a message of peace and dent conference was Nexus 2016: The “We need to orient our desires to encouragement to students. Jackson, one Christian Union Conference for ProGod and what He desires for His creof the chief conveners of The Reconciled fessionals. Here, recent graduates and ation,” Smith said.

Church Initiative and the founder and believers in the marketplace were ofThe philosopher told the students chairman of the High Impact Leaderfered compelling ideas about faith and that loving God with one’s mind was ship Coalition, spoke to students about its relevance to work and the broader not enough.

“Dancing with Destiny.” culture. City Christian Union, the host “Wow, I never really thought of it “There is a purpose for your life,” he of the event, is developing networks of that way,” said Madison Sabol, Dartsaid. “When people see you, they should Christian leaders who seek to transform mouth ’18 “I have always thought that

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The Baroness encouraged the audience the race with fellow believers when she by pursuing more knowledge, I would to pray earnestly for their persecuted enters the workforce. be a better Christian. But [Smith] really brothers and sisters.

“You need to engrain yourself in the challenges that. You do need knowledge, As with every Christian Union concommunity and begin to serve almost but he is saying, ‘you need to surpass this ference, prayer was paramount. A 24immediately,” Drago noted. “That’s how knowledge, and that’s something I never hour prayer room—with lights dimmed, you find that cloud of witnesses.” even considered.” candles glowing, and pillows, Brandon Thompson, Cornell maps, and musical instruments ’16, also took heed of what both scattered about—invited interSmith and Jackson had to say, cession and worship. Students and believes it is applicable to his from each campus took turns remaining time at Cornell and praying throughout the conferhis future career as an attorney. ence, continually calling upon “I have to be really intentionthe Holy Spirit’s presence and al about moving on from here Christ’s mercy. Saturday mornand about seeking after God,” ing, Christian Union Vice Presihe said. “But knowing that He Sebastian Traeger (left), John Hart, and Jessica Kim were part of dent Lorri Bentch led the packed sought after me first and has me the Entrepreneurship Panel at Nexus. ballroom in prayer at the plenary in His hand is really comforting.” session. Even before Nexus beAs for living out his Christigan, members of the Christian Union Baroness Caroline Cox, a member of anity in the field of law, Thompson said, faculty embarked on a prayer walk the House of Lords and chief executive “I’m cognizant of doing what’s right, not around the hotel. of Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust, gave only in the world’s eyes, but in God’s Another highlight of the weekend the final plenary address, a compelling eyes, and relying on Him in all things.” was The Spoken Word Competition. presentation about “Heroes on the Front On Saturday evening, Jim Black, Teams and individuals from represented Line of Faith and Freedom.” The advocate Christian Union’s ministry director at universities memorized large volumes of for the persecuted church brought her Columbia University, spoke from HeScripture, interweaving dramatic, poetic audience on a pictorial journey through brews 11-12 and exhorted students to presentations. oppressed lands in Burma and the Sudan, return to their campuses and be preChristian Union Founder and CEO sharing images of smiling brothers and pared to spiritually “run” on Monday Matthew Bennett, Cornell ’88, MBA ’89, sisters in Christ who were gaunt with morning. Acknowledging that distance closed the the conference by saying, “It’s starvation and suffering for their faith. running is not easy, he encouraged them an honor to consider the question: How The vibrant 79-year-old also shared to lean upon the “great cloud of witnesscan we bless others with what God has firsthand accounts of bringing aid by way es” that surrounded them at the confergiven us?” of harrowing truck rides on the edges of ence and to look unto Jesus, the author Students, like Lauren K. Smith of cliffs in the dark and frigid region of Burand finisher of their faith.

Cornell, said that question would rema. “But it was all worth it,” she said.

“Where you look when you run demain with them as they returned to The presentation was a profoundtermines where you end up,” Black said. their schools. Smith, a senior who plans ly disturbing, yet encouraging story of The message resonated with Renee to conduct research with wildlife upon hope and perseverance. It was also a clear Drago, Cornell ’16, a biomedical engraduation, is excited to consider future reminder that to whom much is given, gineering major. Drago, a member of possibilities. much is expected.

Christian Union’s leadership develop“There are great ways to serve the “William Wilberforce’s work is not ment ministry at Cornell, is happy to Lord and live out our callings as Chrisdone,” Cox told her audience. “Wilberhave a caring community of believers tians,” she said. “It’s really comforting to force did his job in his day (by working at her school who are quick to encourknow that God has a plan.” | cu to abolish the slave trade in England) age and pray for her. At Nexus, she also and we have to do our job in our day.” learned the importance of continuing

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feature section | nexus 2016

The Spiritual Power of Habit Philosopher James K. A. Smith Speaks at Nexus by tom campisi, managing editor

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r. James K. A. Smith went right to the heart of the matter when he spoke to a large crowd of high-achieving, academically accomplished students at Christian Union’s Nexus 2016 Conference in New Haven, Connecticut.

“You are more than a brain on a stick,” said Smith, professor of philosophy at Calvin College. “You are not just a mind.”

Smith’s lecture, entitled “The Spiritual Power of Habit,” captured the imaginations of the 317 young people who gathered in April for The Christian Union Conference on Faith and Action at the Omni Hotel. The students came primarily from eight schools: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and (nearby) Yale.

At Calvin College, Smith holds the Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Ap-

attempts to transform culture often fail because “we are underequipped regarding how Christ wants to shape us and form us.”

And the spiritual power of habit, he said, bridges the difference between what we know to be true and what we actually do. The gap exists because we have overestimated the power of knowledge in relation to discipleship.

“Knowledge does not transform us,” he said. “You can’t think your way to holiness. And you are all pretty good at thinking. That’s why you are where you are. Don’t get me wrong. I am all for thinking. I am a philosopher. I get paid to think.”

However, “What if Descartes was wrong and we have been hoodwinked?

What if we are not ‘thinking things’ first and foremost?”

“I am not saying we need less knowledge. I am saying that we

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need more than knowledge.”

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plied Reformed Theology and Worldview. The editor of Comment magazine, he has authored or edited several books, including his latest release, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (Brazos Press, April 2016).

Smith’s 40-minute, Saturday morning plenary session at Nexus focused on “spiritual formation and the sent Church—what spirituality looks like for those who are called to transform culture and pursue justice.” He warned the crowd—many of whom will hold key positions as leaders in various sectors of society—that our spiritual pursuits and

Smith said we need a more holistic, biblical model of who we are as God’s creation, “one that situates our thinking and knowledge in relation to other, more fundamental, aspects of the human person.”

“I am not saying we need less knowledge. I am saying that we need more than knowledge.”

The philosopher said we need to recognize the power of habit and how it relates to our hearts. He cited the heartfelt questions Jesus posed in the Gospel of John (“Will you also leave?” “Do you love me?”)—especially the first question

He asked two would-be disciples: “What do you want?”

“First and foremost, we are lovers. We are defined not by what we know, but by what we desire,” Smith said. “Our wants shape us and form us. Our wants, longings, and desires are at the core of our identity—the wellspring from which our actions flow.”

The key, Smith said, is to align our lives and longings and desires with what God loves and desires. “If we love God with our minds only, we will not be the Christ followers we are called to be.”

And this is no easy task in a culture that is diametrically opposed to Kingdom principles on so many levels.

“Our desires are often captured by rival visions of what it means to flourish,” Smith said. “We are being trained to love a rival vision of the Kingdom by cultural liturgies.”

Each human being was created to desire something ultimate, to desire God. But if our hearts are not set on Him, we will end up loving the wrong things.

Smith quoted St. Augustine, who said, “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.”

“The heart is the fulcrum of the human person,” the professor said. “The longings of the heart point us toward a certain direction, and the heart also propels us toward it. To be human is to be on a quest.”

And if our heart is the center of our actions and desires, we need re-calibration. This principle is applicable for discipleship if we understand that love is less a conscious choice, and more of

a baseline inclination, a default orientation that generates the choices we make, Smith said. “This is a very ancient and biblical way of thinking about love.”

In Colossians 3:12-14, Paul instructs us to “put on love” to bind together the virtues of forgiveness, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

“To understand that love is a virtue, is to understand that love is a habit,” Smith

toward imitating exemplars and models that show us how to be like Christ Himself. In the New Testament, Paul said, ‘Follow me, as I follow Christ.’ This is virtue language.”

In The Spiritual Power of Habit, Smith states the importance of worship and the embrace of ancient, tested practices. Liturgical worship is transformative: “Repetition is how God re-habituates

Dr. James K. A. Smith is a professor of philosophy at Calvin College.

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us,” Smith says. “Virtue formation takes practice and there is no practice that isn’t repetitive. We willingly embrace repetition in other pursuits: to hone our golf swing, our piano prowess, and mathematical abilities.”

However, just as great habits can be learned through imitation and repetition, Smith warned the teenagers and young adults at Nexus that the same principles are also true for negative influences—especially as these students enter the marketplace.

“When you get out into cultural spaces—whether it’s Wall Street, the arts, the university, etc.—these are not neutral places and not just containers for ideas. They have their own liturgy, their own rituals.”

“I’m not saying don’t go to Wall Street. By all means, go to Wall Street.

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said. “Virtues are good moral habits, internal dispositions to the good.”

“The goal in becoming Christ-like is becoming the kind of person for whom compassion is like breathing. You do it without thinking about it. Paul is saying love is a virtue. Love is a habit.”

So how does our love get aimed toward the things of God? “If you are what you love and love is a habit, then discipleship is the re-habituation of our loves, re-learning new habits in Christ.”

“It’s re-formation versus information,” Smith said. “We need to orient our desires to God and what He desires for His creation.”

“Therefore, we must regularly re-calibrate our hearts and tune them to be directed to the Creator… Because love is a habit, our hearts must be oriented

But be aware of the liturgies that are there…These liturgies are trying to capture your heart and will teach you to love rival gods. If you are not aware of what will happen, you will march in there with your worldview-equipped vision of how you are going to transform culture and you are missing the fact that Wall Street is trying to get a hold of your gut.”

“Temptation is not always out there where you are looking for it. It’s not just out there in bad ideas. It is also found in seemingly benign practices that carry a disordered vision of the good life.”

To keep ourselves from worshiping false gods and pursuing rival kingdoms, we must be immersed in true worship, according to Smith.

“Our gracious Lord knows we are creatures of habit,” he said. “He has given us the gift of worship—not just a song service, but formative worship, the complete narrative project that is the church’s worship.”

Christian worship can be a love-shaping practice and a way to unlearn the negative influences we have absorbed from cultural practices.

“When we appreciate the true spiritual power of habit, we will then re-appreciate why worship is the heart of discipleship.”

Smith admitted that it may be an unpopular notion in today’s culture, but he boldly declared that the Church needs to be the center of the Christian life.

“The future of Christian witness is staked on us recovering the Church as the center of the Christian life—the hub from which our culture-transforming work is sent. The gift of the Church calibrates our hearts in the direction of His kingdom.”

“Sanctification is that re-habituation, and the Church is the place where Christ’s healing power flows.” | cu

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feature section | nexus 2016

Q & A with John Seel The Challenge of Cultural Engagement

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hristian Union: The Magazine recently interviewed Dr. John Seel, a “cultural renewal entrepreneur.”

Seel is a senior fellow at Cardus, a think tank focused on North American social architecture. The former director of cultural engagement at the John Templeton Foundation, he is also principal of John Seel Consulting LLC, a cultural impact consulting firm specializing on millennials.

At Christian Union’s recent Nexus Professional Conference in New Haven, Connecticut, Seel was a keynote speaker.

His two messages were entitled Evangelical Exiles and the Challenge of Culture Engagement and Faithful Presence in American Babylon.

As a cultural renewal entrepreneur, what are some projects you have worked on that come to mind when you think about engaging culture? christian union:

Here are three: the Williamsburg Charter; the founding of the Institute for the Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia; and the Walden Media film, Amazing Grace.

The Williamsburg Charter was a national hearts and mind campaign that was a reaffirmation of the religious liberty clauses of the First Amendment.

At the University of Virginia, I was involved in the founding of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. The Institute was started to explore the collapse of the modern project, what its collapse portends for society, and what might emerge to replace it. And finally, I worked on the film team that released Amazing Grace (2006), the historical bi-

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opic about abolitionist William Wilberforce. I have learned a number of valuable lessons from all my past endeavors in cultural engagement.

CU: At the Nexus Professional Conference, you said, “Until recently, we tended to practice a civil religion American dream with Christian language wrapped around it. This is no more, and it’s a good thing.” Why is this a good thing?

CU: Despite an increasingly hostile

attitude towards Christianity, why we must we resist the temptations to “circle the wagons,” or “turn inward,” in the words of American sociologist James Davison Hunter?

JS: The problem with this approach is that it reflects an attitude of resentment—a presumed entitlement to a lost majority status. It is counterproductive to a constructive witness in society.

Any “we/they” attitude does JS: Because of America’s not reflect the sacrificial love unique history and because of Jesus. Hunter says that Dr. John Seel of the semi-establishment the way some Christians act of Protestantism for the first within this framing of cul150 years of our history, tural engagement is a kind there has been the easy temptation to of “functional Nietzcheanism”—power conflate the flag and the cross, to talk politics for me and mine. This is hardly too quickly about a “Christian nation.”

Christ-like. It is to repeat the ConstanAmerican civil religion, even when at its tinian heresy. Hunter writes of this herstrongest, is not the gospel and it is not esy, “Rather than challenging the princithe good news of the immediate availpalities and powers, the people of God ability of the kingdom of God. Assumbecame united with the powers; rather ing an easy civil religion has tended to than proclaiming the peace, the church weaken the gospel and set up in its place embraced an ethic of coercion, power an idol. “Seeking first his kingdom and and, thus, violence; rather than resisting his righteousness” is not the same thing the power of the state, the church proas chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” The convided divine legitimation for the state, flation of conservative religion with conwhich has invariably led to the hubris of servative politics in the last twenty years empire, conquest, and persecution; rathhas, in fact, turned many young people er than modeling a new kind of society, away from Jesus. That Christendom has the church imitated the social structures collapsed is a good thing. We can get on of hierarchy and administration; rather learning how to be genuine Christians than being a servant to the poor and opin a post-Christian society. This new pressed, the church has been complicit cultural situation where Christians are in wielding economic and political powa contested minority helps followers of er over the poor and oppressed.”

Jesus keep first things the first thing.

For some, “turn inward” is a further

retreat into the evangelical subculture, which only further reinforces the church’s cultural marginalization. The Amish are quaint, but they are not influential.

CU: How can professionals who are believers be like Daniel and Esther in the workplace and in society?

JS: Daniel and Esther embraced their

nally had to demonstrate with their lives that they were willing, whatever the cost, to put first God and His kingdom. They would not bow down to idols or cease their habit of prayer, even when their lives were at stake.

When push came to shove, God always came first. And while they counted on the reality of the supernatural presence of God, they did not presume on God in some sort of simplistic assumption that everything always works out easily for his followers. Their gospel was not a prosperity gospel. They were saved from death, but they did not presume that outcome. The outcome of faith can lead equally to remaining untouched by lions and being bitten in two, life or death, Corrie ten Boom or Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Hebrews 11:3238). The common element in both outcomes is a faithful commitment to God that leaves the outcome up to God alone.

We are no longer living in a culture where casual adherence to Americanized Christianity will suffice. In today’s world the stakes are high: the contestability of belief assumed, the professional risks to public faith real, the global instant scrutiny of personal hypocrisy afforded by the Internet and Gawker omnipresent.

Ours is a day that calls for Special Forces in kingdom service.

us that our actions evidence sacrificial love. When others recognize the spiritual presence of God in us. And finally, when there is a consistent effort at working toward human flourishing (shalom) and the common good in all situations. | cu

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JS: When acknowledged by those around

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CU: What are some signs that we are

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status as exiles as a missional calling from the Lord. They followed the admonition to exiles by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:1-7).

Their exile country became their home.

We learn seven characteristics of Daniel in exile.

1. Cosmopolitan: Daniel no longer lived in the Jewish ghetto. He moved to the center of cultural influence. For three years he was taught in the king’s court the language and literature of the Babylonians. Daniel’s relationship to his new country was not adversarial; his new home became his new, God-ordained missional platform, his “On earth as it is in heaven.” He was committed to making Babylon great for God, and he dedicated his life to this task.

2. Conscious: Daniel never lost sight of where or whose he was. He developed daily practices that reminded him of his distinctiveness from his surrounding culture. This started with refusing the royal food and wine, sticking instead with a vegan diet that proved to be healthier. He also had a conscious pattern of prayer—getting on his knees three times throughout the day.

He remembered whose he was right where he was.

3. Conversational: He had an ongoing conversation with God that dealt with all the affairs of his public and professional life. There was no compartmentalization in Daniel’s life—

secular/sacred or faith/work—all was brought daily into a conversational relationship with his God. Daniel was an ambassador of heaven in the midst of Babylon.

4. Companioned: Daniel was not a loner. He surrounded himself with three close friends whose professionalism, values, and calling matched his own.

These four compatriots distinguished themselves. Almost more than any other choice we make, we reveal our heart’s orientation by the close friends we choose. In an alien world, Daniel had trusted companions who served as his accountability partners. We all need a “soul friend.”

5. Competent: We also see that Daniel and his friends excelled in their studies and professional work. “In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them 10 times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom” (Dan. 1:20).

This is not commonly observed about contemporary Christians in a cosmopolitan world. They often lack the education, social graces, innovative creativity, or professional acumen of their non-believing peers.

6. Clear: Daniel was not a closeted Christian. It was widely known that Daniel was a follower of the “God of heaven.” In a pluralistic and spiritually hostile environment, it is often easier to keep one’s faith under wraps as a purely private matter. This was not the policy of Daniel or his female counterpart in the Persian court, Esther. Like Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin, Daniel was known equally for his faith and his humility. We do not need to be obnoxious about our faith, but we do need to be authentic.

7. Committed: Daniel and his friends fi-

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from the university to the city

Investing in Tomorrow’s Leaders society will be transformed for god’s glory as the lives of our

universit y

future leaders and the universities they attend are impacted by the Gospel of

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Jesus Christ. As students who are well-positioned to assume roles of influence

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learn to seek God, grow in their faith, and develop a thoughtful, Christ-

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centered worldview, they will be prepared to engage culture in a powerful

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way. This is at the heart of Christian Union’s work at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale.

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next step. By developing networks of like-minded believers in key cultural

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centers, starting in New York City, their impact will be multiplied. This

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model was used by the Lord to bring sweeping change to England through

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God will bring similar change to the U.S. as new networks of leaders emerge and engage today’s culture.

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William Wilberforce and the Clapham Circle in the early 1800s. Pray that

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alumni and their peers—City Christian Union—will help them take the

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as these students graduate, christian union’s ministry to its

13 John Cunningham (left), a Christian Union ministry fellow, with Reuben Abraham ’17 at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Refugee Rescue Drexel ’16 Has a Heart of Compassion for Immigrants by catherine elvy, staff writer

A student leader with Christian Union’s ministry at Yale University is pursuing plans to utilize his passion for the underprivileged to assist on the frontlines of the refugee crisis in Europe.

Bill Drexel ’16, who has been aiding refugees in Connecticut since he arrived at Yale, is formalizing plans to spend the summer in Southern Europe to serve the wave of refugees arriving from Syria and other countries.

“God’s people are meant to look out for the oppressed, those who are struggling and those who have been forced from their homes,” said Drexel, who served as president of Christian Union’s leadership development ministry at Yale from winter 2015 to winter 2016. “It’s a pretty strong biblical mandate.”

“Bill has the extraordinary ability to communicate the deep and hard implications of the Gospel, while simultaneously extending warmth and generosity that draws others towards the cross of Christ.”

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—Jon Yeager

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The native of Houston is targeting opportunities on the Greek island of Lesbos, west of Turkey and in the Aegean Sea, but may have to adjust his plans, depending on developments in the crisis.

Drexel served on a rescue crew for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute while attending a boarding school in Wales, and plans to help man a rescue boat in an effort to mitigate the frequent drownings that have come to characterize the crisis.

“There are smugglers who migrate refugees on unsafe vessels,” he said.

This spring, news agencies reported that refugee boats continue to arrive on Greece’s islands in the eastern Mediterranean, despite a recent deal

between the European Union and Turkey.

The majority of the refugees are from Syria, fleeing years of bombardments and rocket attacks.

The arrivals hope to make their way to mainland Europe to pursue a better life or reunite with family members who journeyed ahead. The second largest group of asylum seekers hails from wartorn Afghanistan.

Given the European Union-Turkey deal that took place on March 20 to halt the flow of migrants streaming from Turkey into the Greek islands, Drexel may shift his base of operation, possibly to sections of Romania along the Black Sea. Since matriculating at Yale, Drexel has volunteered with the Yale Refugee Project and served as president of the student organization. As a family resettlement volunteer, he aided an Iraqi family of six during its adjustment to New Haven.

Such efforts are not surprising given the humanities major’s plans to pursue a career in administration.

While at the helm of the Yale Refugee Project, Drexel restructured the organization to feature an enhanced collaboration with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, particularly in providing language support for client medical and legal endeavors, as well as with refugee advocacy and awareness. The senior coordinated about 60 Yale volunteers who interfaced with about 45 refugee families and individuals in Connecticut.

Drexel credited the training he received from Christian Union as an asset during his administration of the Yale Refugee Project.

“The leadership training from Christian Union was quite formative in helping me restructure and revitalize the Yale Refugee Project,” Drexel said.

Likewise, Christian Union Ministry Fellow Jon Yeager praised Drexel for his ability to foster authentic community and discipleship.

“Bill has been an integral part of shaping [Christian Union’s ministry at Yale] into a community of disciples, rather than mere individuals who happen

Bill Drexel ’16 plans to spend his summer on the frontlines of the refugee crisis in Europe.

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reports that about 4,000 people, including children, drowned as 1 million-plus refugees crossed the treacherous waters of the Aegean Sea in 2015.

As for his plans to join the rescue efforts in Southern Europe, Drexel said he felt compelled to journey overseas after hearing the accounts of refugees drowning in their quest for better conditions “I thought to myself, ‘This is something I’ve got to do.’ I’ve got a specific set of skills; life hangs in the balance,” Drexel said.

More importantly, from a biblical view, “we’re all exiles on this earth,” Drexel said. “Our ultimate home is in Heaven. As sojourners in a foreign land, we ought to look out for other sojourners.” | cu

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to study the Bible together,” said Yeager. “Bill has the extraordinary ability to communicate the deep and hard implications of the Gospel, while simultaneously extending such warmth and generosity that draws others towards the cross of Christ.”

The Yale Refugee Project, a volunteer organization, assists about 200 refugees, many who hail from Afghanistan, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, and Sudan.

Given the crisis in Europe, Drexel, who senses a calling overseas, is focused for now on pursuing grants and other funding to enable him to depart for Europe in late May and stay for the summer, minus a quick trip back to Texas to serve as best man in his brother’s wedding.

While abroad, Drexel plans to work for Refugee Rescue, a United Kingdom-based initiative that formed in response to the crisis in Greece. It

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A Future and a Hope Senior Was a Key Leader for Christian Union by eileen scott, senior writer

Gini also sees his involvement in helping to establish Christian Union’s ministry at Cornell— which launched just prior to his arrival—as a God-given opportunity. Once he learned about Christian Union’s mission to develop leaders of character to serve God and engage the culture, Gini knew it was the place for him.

“It excited me to be able to be part of this new organization,” says Gini. “That [mission] was something I think is so valuable on our campuses, in our country, and around the world.”

Trusting God and saying yes to opportunities became a way of life for this computer science major with an easy smile. Gini said yes to becoming president of the Christian Union ministry and yes to serving as its worship leader.

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When Donovan Gini ’16 began his college search, he didn’t even know where Cornell was. Today, the senior from Sacramento, California, is standing at the threshold of graduation from Cornell and preparing to start a career in his field of choice.

Looking back, Gini can see God’s hand guiding him to where he is today.

“God seemed to be saying, ‘I want you there,’” says Gini, who admits he never intended to leave California for Upstate New York. However, multiple factors – such as Cornell’s quality computer science program, rich alumni network, and a generous financial aid package – helped make the decision to attend the prestigious school a “no-brainer.”

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Jim Thomforde, Christian Union’s ministry director at Cornell (right), said Donovan Gini ’16 “is prepared to serve Christ as a leader wherever life takes him.”

istry, build up leaders so that when we do leave new people are going to step up. It’s in really good hands.”

Thomforde agrees, saying Gini “has also taken very seriously his leadership example to the younger members of the ministry, so his impact will continue to be felt for years to come.”

Once he learned about Christian Union’s mission to develop leaders of character to serve God and engage the culture, Gini knew it was the place for him.

“He is also prepared to serve Christ as a leader wherever life takes him.”

As he moves into the next phase of his life, Gini trusts in God’s providence and faces the future with hope.

“My relationship with Christ and seeking God have been the glue that held everything together,” he said. “God’s got me. I feel like I’m exactly where He wants me to be.” | cu

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“From the very first days of founding our ministry at Cornell, Donovan Gini has been our most consistent, vital, and impactful leader,” notes Jim Thomforde, Christian Union’s ministry director at Cornell. “Donovan came to Cornell as a freshman with a maturity beyond his years and a profound desire to serve his friends and the broader community for the sake of Christ and the Gospel.”

Exploring the Word of God through Christian Union’s rigorous Bible courses has had a profound impact on Gini’s understanding of the truth.

“The Bible says to worship in spirit and truth,” explains Gini. “I did a lot of worshiping in spirit, but never really got into what I actually believe.”

Today, after unpacking scriptural truths, Gini says, “I’m not just saying I’m a Christian, but I truly believe what I say that I believe. That was a huge shift in making it real for me.”

Even as he worked as a sushi chef in the campus dining hall, Gini saw it as an opportunity God had provided. He chose to be the sushi chef so he could interact with other people, rather than be confined to the kitchen, and learned lessons in humility and godly service.

“I’m going to really work and humble myself to glorify God,” was the vision Gini used to keep himself focused on the holiness of everyday moments and interactions. “I fed people in the name of Jesus Christ.”

In addition to receiving a premier education and quality leadership development at Cornell, Gini also took advantage of a golden career opportunity. Last summer, he was an intern with Workday, a cloud-based financial management and human capital management firm in Silicon Valley. The company was founded by Cornell alumnus Dave Duffield ’62. After his internship, Gini was offered a permanent position once he graduates.

With Christian Union at Cornell, Gini is ready to pass the leadership baton to the next crop of seniors. He says, “I feel that we all, as a min-

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The Arts and the Gospel Christian Union Ministry Hosts Panel Discussion by catherine elvy, staff writer

As a reflection of His exquisitely artistic nature, God fashioned humans to showcase creativity while crafting paintings, poetry, music, and other expressions.

That was one the fascinating topics that emerged during a recent panel discussion on Christians and the arts on behalf of Christian Union’s ministry at Columbia University.

On January 28, dozens of students gathered in a lecture hall inside Columbia’s Mathematics building to hear four artists from New York City probe the crossroads of their faith and the creative realm.

“The students also came away with a greater appreciation of how the arts can be an evangelistic tool because human beings are naturally attracted to what is beautiful.”

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—Yolanda Solomon, Christian Union ministry fellow

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“The vision behind this panel discussion was to create a space for students to discuss the intersections of art and culture, ways that art reflects the gospel of Jesus Christ, and how we can use various art mediums to infiltrate and influence culture,” said Yolanda Solomon, a Christian Union ministry fellow at Columbia.

Joining Solomon in organizing the event was Migueyli Rivera ’18.

“The Lord is a creative being,” she said. “When people create, it’s beautiful because it puts the language of the Gospel into a language that can be received without words.”

The panelists for the event included Andy Mineo, a Christian hip-hop artist, producer, and video director who hails from Manhattan’s Washington Heights; Suleky Roman, a lifelong New Yorker and event planner who enjoys combining her twin passions for the Gospel and music, in-

cluding hip-hop; Elias Popa, a mixed-media artist who also serves as assistant curator of New York’s Waterfall Mansion and Gallery; and Ben Cowan, an artist with credentials from Indiana University, Italy’s International School of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

During the discussion, the panelists touched upon a wide range of topics, including the roles of Christian and secular art, how faith shapes and limits artistic expression, and the challenges of being a believer in one of the creative fields.

For Popa, artistic endeavors can represent a divine calling. Essentially, God gave mankind dominion over the earth, and that includes lordship over the arts.

“For us, when we look at Scripture, it gives us permission to be able to create good work. It doesn’t have to be Christ-centric,” Popa said.

From a Christian perspective, “Redemption is both for the body and the spirit. Art is included in that redemption,” Popa told students. “Our job is to bring a small amount of redemption back into creation through art.”

Likewise, the panelists described how they become storytellers through their various media.

“In my work, I’m trying to tell a plethora of stories. Those themes just keep popping up in my stories,” said Mineo of his hip-hop material.

At the same time, Christian artwork often does not necessarily equate to family-friendly materials, as evidenced by how the Bible describes wars and other violent events. Likewise, some audiences appreciate materials that reflect realistic contemplations and challenges.

“So often, Christian artists feel like they have to put a nice, happy bow on everything they create,” Mineo said. “Life is not super clean. It’s messy, tricky, and uncomfortable.”

Not surprisingly, Rivera noted she was pleased with the wealth of conversations that emerged during the panel discussion. She went on to de-

The panel discussion included (left to right) Suleky Roman, Elias Popa, Ben Cowan, Andy Mineo, and Migueyli Rivera ’18 (panel moderator).

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excuse for mediocrity.”

More importantly, the panelists acknowledged that Christian artists should not shrink back from sharing their worldviews, Solomon said.

“What I’m passionate about most deeply is impacted by my relationship with God,” said Mineo.

“As a Christian, that permeates everything.” | cu

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scribe the tapestry of the evening as rich, heavy, insightful, and dynamic.

As well, Solomon welcomed the insights from the panelists about some of the issues arising from the intersection of faith and the arts.

“The students were encouraged to hear from Christian professionals how the Gospel informs and influences their worldview, decisions, and their creative process,” Solomon said. “The students also came away with a greater appreciation of how the arts can be an evangelistic tool because human beings are naturally attracted to what is beautiful.”

Likewise, the panelists were honest about the “difficulties of appealing to Christian and secular audiences and feeling misunderstood by both,” Solomon noted. “They stressed the importance of excellence and not using the Christian label as an

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Law and Order Christian Union’s Ministry Is a Blessing for Future Attorney by eileen scott, senior writer

For Joshua Craddock, becoming an attorney is about more than studying and understanding the law. The first-year student at Harvard Law School (HLS) is seeking to integrate a biblical worldview and the practice of litigation.

Craddock, a 2013 alumnus of The King’s College in New York City, said participating in Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard Law School is helping him reach that goal.

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Josh Craddock is a member of Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard Law School.

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“I joined Christian Union at Harvard Law as soon as I arrived in Cambridge,” he said. “I quickly gravitated toward [the ministry] because of the welcoming atmosphere that offered both purposeful Bible study and discussions about faith in the legal profession.”

Through mentorship and rigorous engagement with Scripture, Jim Garretson, Christian Union’s ministry director at Harvard Law School, and Jared Wortman, a ministry fellow, help students like Craddock navigate complex issues and competing demands on time and resources.

Craddock said his interactions with fellow Christian students have also served to better form

his own viewpoints.

Craddock noted how Christian Union has helped him see that the Gospel could be compared to a courtroom drama. “God is the highest law-giver and judge, while Christ is our advocate attorney,” he said. “Thinking of God in those lawyerly roles has helped me understand that a lawyer’s calling is a calling to imitate Christ in that way.”

As a result, the future attorney is building a strong spiritual foundation from which to handle the ambiguity and inconsistencies of law and life.

For example, Craddock observes that “lawyers can become so accustomed to switch-side advocacy that they essentially become a hired gun, regardless of the moral implications of their arguments. I think that’s a huge pitfall that can confuse many lawyers into no longer knowing right from wrong.”

“Instead of creating a false separation between church on Sunday and work the rest of the week, Christians in the legal profession need to be thinking spiritually in all of advocacy, applying biblical principles to legal problems.”

The Christian Union ministry team at HLS continues to encourage Craddock to engage such spiritual thinking and Biblical applications.

“I’ve frequently been struck by Josh’s ability to discuss faith and law,” said Wortman. “I’ve witnessed an incredible degree of maturity and humility, coupled with a decidedly engaged voice.”

Craddock said, “Jared and Jim have been really great mentors for provoking thoughtful conversation and helping me think about what it means to be a Christian student and lawyer. I really appreciate their prayers for us as students, too.”

In addition to the mentoring and provocative discussions, the Christian Union Bible course on the Gospel of Mark also provided wisdom and guidance for Craddock.

“Mark’s eager presentation of Jesus’ life emphasizes a call to discipleship among people of all walks of life that has resonated with me as a

student and changed some of the ways I organize my time and priorities,” Craddock said. “We’ve also had some great discussions about justice and mercy and the role of each in law.”

Craddock also notes the relationship between law and God’s righteousness. “Human laws are instruments of God’s righteousness and justice when they accord with His commands. When Christian lawyers shape and influence laws so that they reflect God’s design for human society, that’s a great service for the Kingdom,” he said.

Ultimately, Craddock’s positive and engaging view of his role as a student and future attorney has been an encouragement to Wortman.

“In working alongside students like Josh, I’m deeply optimistic about the next generation of Christian leaders,” said Wortman. “Josh is a shining example of a student who is aware of the complex challenges facing future legal professionals, and he’s remarkably fit to shoulder the good burden of living out his faith before God and neighbor without compromise.” | cu

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‘You Are More than Your Work’ Lecture Series Warns about Unrealistic Expectations by catherine elvy, staff writer

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as a golden ticket to advancement, it also comes with inherent, at times overwhelming, pressures.

In many circles, “you have to prove that you belong and impress people. Only geniuses are respected here. You have to be exceptional,” Weiss said. “That’s an enormous amount of pressure. It’s a bit of a burden.”

Given the ultra-competitive culture, Weiss speculated some undergraduates actually wish they attended college elsewhere, one offering a climate with “less pressure, less spotlight.” At Harvard, “it can be ‘succeed or else.’ There’s no room to fail here,” said Weiss.

Likewise, some students enter Harvard without having experienced failure, essentially an impossible quest to maintain.

As a result, the pervasive, insidious pressures to thrive can become the “cruelest of task masters,” ones that are never satisfied, Weiss said. The trauma of failing to meet personal, familial, and societal expectations can even haunt some students for the rest of their lives.

Given such concerns, student leaders with Christian Union’s Harvard ministry developed the idea for the You Are More campaign during the fall semester and launched it during their winter conference in February. Ministry Fellow Jon Yeager also presented a companion message during the

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Expectations can be both motivational and dangerous.

At a recent lecture, Christian Union’s ministry director at Harvard College told students to be aware of some of the emotional pitfalls associated with attendance at a top-tier university.

Here, “expectations fly through the roof,” Don Weiss told students involved in Christian Union’s undergraduate ministry at Harvard. “Unrealistic expectations can set us up for disappointment.”

Namely, students tend to idolize their performance, and that causes them to put success ahead of relationships and even personal well-being, Weiss told students on March 4 during the ministry’s weekly leadership lecture series in Yenching Auditorium.

Weiss’ talk, entitled You Are More than Your Work, dovetailed with the ministry’s recent You Are More campaign, which aimed to encourage students to avoid the emotional perils that lurk with defining themselves by academic achievements or external measures of status.

About 170 students, including about 40 newcomers, attended the lecture, where Weiss expressed a father’s heart in cautioning against inclinations to intertwine personal value with outward, sometimes fleeting, success.

While admittance to Harvard can be viewed

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ministry’s lecture series on February 26.

Essentially, Christ offers students a deep-rooted sense of security and the peace to walk free from personal idolatries. As well, He empowers them to minister into the lives of their friends and share in their burdens, especially when they receive ample nourishment via spiritual rest, worship, and discipleship training.

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During the spring semester, Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard University put together a campaign to encourage students to avoid the emotional perils that lurk with defining themselves by academic achievements or external measures of status.

“It’s hard even for the strongest of mature Christians to walk free from this feeling that they are their work,” Yeager said. “Christ both gives us our identity, in which we can rest, and the empowerment to actually live and work, while not equating our identity with our work.”

Such input via the recent weekly lecture series is a sliver of the leadership training and ministry Christian Union offers at Harvard. As well, the

ministry provides discipleship and mentorship for student believers, most notably through in-depth study of Scriptures, plus resources to introduce non-Christian students to Christianity.

As for Weiss, the seasoned ministry director, husband, and father of two teenage boys, cautioned Harvard students that success can be a seductive trap, one that can easily become an idol.

People have a tendency to “worship just about anything and everything but God. Worshipping success is an easy one,” Weiss said. “There’s a measure of satisfaction in pursuing it, and off we go.”

He asked students to ponder how they would cope if they lost the core elements of their personal identities. “What if your intelligence diminished? What if your identity as a Harvard student was taken away? What would happen if something we prized a lot was removed?” Weiss asked rhetorically.

As individuals celebrate accomplishments and, in turn, receive affirmation and respect, they begin to make faulty assumptions about their lives.

Likewise, some people become experts in one field and then mistakenly believe they are knowledgeable in all realms.

“It isn’t long until something comes and sets us back,” Weiss said. “We don’t deal well with setbacks.”

As a whole, people have a leaning to “just think too much about ourselves” and “really too much about what people think about us.” In contrast, the Lord calls people to use their gifts and talents, but with more transcendent perspectives and goals.

“There’s value in work. We have been entrusted by God with abilities and gifts to be used,” Weiss said.

Ultimately, the Lord cares deeply about His children and wants them to serve Him via their giftings. “Everything we have is from God,” Weiss said. “We cannot take credit for anything.”

As they move forward, students should remember, “God very much wants to be part of our lives and part of the decisions about where we will go and what we will do,” Weiss said. | cu

Celebrating Black History Month Princeton Faith and Action Hosts Distinguished Guest by catherine elvy, staff writer

2016 :: christianunion.org

In addition, Bingham said his family’s heritage of faith played a role in his decision to accept Christ as his personal savior and to dedicate his life to ministry. “I wanted the same power and confidence in God that my parents and grandparents had,” said Bingham.

As such, Bingham received biblical training at Boyce College and Simmons College, and holds three honorary doctorate of divinity degrees.

Despite feeling stigmatized by his backcountry roots, Bingham told students that Christ gave him a new identity. “I realized I was as good as anybody else,” he said. “I could achieve the goals I set for my life.”

As part of Princeton Faith and Bingham told Prince- Action’s recognition of Black ton undergraduates that his History Month, Rev. Lincoln Heavenly Father is a champi- Bingham shared with students on of justice. Exodus captures how his grandfather and father the dramatic account of how maintained their faith, despite the Almighty answered the living through some of the darkest cries of Israelites while they chapters of American history. were in bondage in Egypt.

“He had a plan and a man,” Bingham said. “He is the one that brings deliverance.”

As believers confront racial inequalities besetting the Twenty-First Century, they need to recall the Lord’s ancient, but still poignant, instructions to “fear not” and “be still.”

Bingham, who was active in the Civil Rights Movement, said Christians should be aware of the spiritual components of their efforts and pray for God to open doors and provide opportunities to usher in change.

“Teach people not to surrender to injustices,” said Bingham, whose message at Princeton was entitled The Role of the Church during the Civil

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God will supply for His beloved servants, even in the midst of forbidding circumstances.

Rev. Lincoln Bingham offered that inspiration when the longtime pastor and grandson of a slave spoke as part of Princeton Faith and Action’s commemoration of Black History Month.

The Kentucky minister told students who attended a TruThursday series how both his grandfather and father, a sharecropper, maintained their faith, despite living through some of the darkest chapters of American history.

“They really did put their faith in God, and God really did supply sufficiently,” Bingham said during his appearance on February 11 in Guyot Hall. “They kept telling me I would be OK and to put my faith in God. The rewards would come at the appropriate time.”

Bingham’s grandfather, who eventually owned a small business, reached 100 years old, while his grandmother lived to 96 years old. “They were peaceful and happy,” he said.

Remarkably, Bingham once spoke at a racial-reconciliation conference in Dallas, not far from where his grandfather was sold on an auction block. While preaching, he was struck by God’s redemption in his family’s story. “Here I am proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ,” said Bingham, highlighting the reversal of his family’s narrative to one of liberty.

Indeed, the Bingham family chronology crisscrosses key chapters of the quest for racial equality on the American landscape.

Most notably for Bingham, the Louisville resident made national headlines as a race-relations pioneer in 2009 when his predominantly African-American church, St. Paul Missionary Baptist, merged with the mostly Caucasian church, Shively Heights Baptist. Today, Bingham, who has held numerous positions within statewide Baptist organizations, serves as pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church at Shively Heights in Louisville.

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Rights Movement and Today.

At the core of the Christian message, “every life matters. There should never be any suggestion or acceptance that black lives don’t matter,” Bingham said. “In our own churches and community, sometimes we treat each other as if lives don’t matter.”

When confronting overt mistreatment or subtle vestiges of discrimination, believers need to practice measured responses. Still, “it’s hard to be mature and always respond appropriately,” Bingham said. “Don’t try to reciprocate the same type of thing upon the oppressor. Be a Christian and trust God.” Also during February, Princeton students gath-

ered for extensive prayer for the African-American community, and they staged a forum to probe the place of Christianity in the quest for racial justice.

James Fields, a Christian Union ministry fellow, was impressed with how students with Princeton Faith and Action coordinated the Black History Month events and “showed the campus how inclusive the Gospel can be.”

Ultimately, the Bible calls believers to “go against racial injustice,” Fields said.

Bingham echoed those comments, noting the tentacles of injustice are overcome by “the power of God and the participation of believers.”

At 84, Bingham said he simply wants members of younger generations, the flower of their forebears’ dreams and struggles, to embrace faith and confidence in God throughout the pursuit of racial equality. “He will deliver us out of injustice,” Bingham said. “God will give you protection and deliverance.”

And Bingham continues to share the spiritual and cultural lessons he gleaned from his elders.

Namely, “when you do the right thing in the right way, it pays off,” Bingham said. “God has been good to me.” | cu

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Growing in Grace Dartmouth Sophomore Has Been Transformed by the Word

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When Madison Sabol ’18 attended her first Christian Union Bible course at Dartmouth, she needed help finding chapters and verses. Today, a year and a half after joining the ministry, Sabol easily navigates the Word and lives in a way that inspires others toward a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ.

“Sometimes I can’t really believe how much God has transformed my heart and mind over the past year,” said Sabol, who is majoring in French and environmental studies. “Now I’m always in the Word and seeking Him.” Sabol credits the patience and mentoring of

Christian Union Ministry Fellow Julia Carlisle with attracting her to the ministry where she welcomed Jesus Christ into her life. “I knew there was something different about Christian Union.

I felt very loved at their events, so I kept going,” said Sabol. “At the time, I didn’t realize that being a Christian transforms the way you view the world and treat those who are in it.”

Sabol went on to serve on the ministry’s Socials Team. Additionally, the ministry’s winter conference had a profound impact as she spent time bonding with other young women and became aware of the need to “pursue the Lord every

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said Sabol. “By encouraging discussion, openness day, all day long.” and accountability, we hope to create a welcom“I started to see why others loved the Lord so ing and introspective space devoted to communimuch as I learned about everything He’s done for ty, spiritual growth, and fellowship.” us, and it made me want to love and follow Him Additionally, the women participate in comwith my whole heart.” munity service projects like Carlisle said of SabStudents Fighting Hunger, ol, “She has gone through which was sponsored by a losignificant growth and cal church. The women gathtransformation by being a ered groceries and helped part of Christian Union at cook a taco meal for hungry Dartmouth.” Through conpeople in Hanover, New sistently attending Bible Hampshire. These womcourse and continually asken also host a Sunday night ing questions, Carlisle said study open to anyone who the young seeker became a “desires to explore faith, spirbeliever in Jesus and “has ituality, and reflection.” been growing by leaps and “It’s been really beaubounds ever since.” tiful to see how the Lord Sabol is now an assistant has strengthened relationBible course leader with ships between sisters on this Christian Union and has trefloor, as well as how He has mendous influence on othhelped create a space where ers. girls feel very comfortable “She has led through vulMadison Sabol ’18 finds delight in the Word and safe,” said Sabol. “This nerability, which has opened of God. loving and supportive enviup the group in new and ronment has been one of the needed ways,” said Carlisle. biggest blessings of my sophomore year.”

“I’m thankful to get to witness the Holy Spirit Those are words Sabol might not have anticido such powerful work in this beautiful young pated stating when she first arrived at Dartmouth, woman, and I look forward to seeing how much feeling skeptical about attending a Bible course more she’ll grow over these next two years at and understanding little about the Christian faith.

Dartmouth.”

“I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted to Beyond Christian Union, Sabol helped estabpursue in college,” said Sabol. “Before last year, lish a Living Learning Community on campus I didn’t see my faith as a relationship with God, called Empowering Women through Faith, Spirirather I believed that God was somewhere far tuality and Reflection. away and maybe He wasn’t really listening to me These residence communities are initiated by at all.” like-minded students wanting to explore comToday, Sabol is ever aware of God’s presence mon beliefs, areas of study, lifestyles, etc. Dartin her life. And although once slow to find Bible mouth touts them as “providing an opportunity verses, she has since found one she claims for for reflection and learning in everyday life.” In herself—Colossians 3:12-17. “I love these verses their Living Learning Community, Sabol and just because they remind me of how I want to live over a dozen other women live, pray, and engage out my life in relatively specific ways. In whatevtheir faith on the same residence floor. er I do, I want it to be ‘in the name of the Lord “We strive to create an environment where Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through women of faith may come together to explore and Him.’” | cu solidify their identities within a college campus,”

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Developing Students of the Word CU Adds Experienced Women’s Bible Course Leader by eileen scott, senior writer

Jill Doyle is once again enjoying the opportunity to lead and disciple college-aged women.

In the fall, Doyle, the wife of Christian Union ministry fellow Justin Doyle, was hired to direct a Christian Union Bible course at Brown Universi-

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Justin and Jill Doyle and their children, Hudson and Graham

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ty. The leadership development ministry launched there in the summer of 2014.

“As the ministry at Brown continued to grow beyond its first year, the need for a female presence became increasingly clear,” said Justin Doyle.

Working with teen and young adult women is nothing new for Jill Doyle, who grew up in a Christian home in northeast Ohio and earned degrees in youth ministry from Moody Bible Institute and clinical counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary. She has always had a passion for mentoring women and helping them find their identity and freedom in Christ. Since graduate

school, she has served in several counseling positions and as a resident director at Moody Bible Institute, where she supervised 11 female resident assistants who, in turn, provided leadership on their dormitory floors.

“Working with the women at Brown just made sense,” Jill Doyle said. “A female perspective is certainly something I can offer that Justin and (ministry director) Matt Woodard cannot. Each of us has our own areas of strength…and I believe I offer to the women my ability to connect with and care for them.”

In addition to teaching Christian Union Bible courses, Jill Doyle meets regularly with individual students. These women are interested in exploring various issues, from relationships to the roles of women within the home and church. She has also noticed students expressing difficulty living out their faith in such a secular environment.

“Brown students are busy,” said Jill Doyle. “I often see students struggling to figure out how and when to create time to be intentional in prayer, the Word, and community.”

Doyle is also seeking to give the students in her Bible course a proper perspective for reading and studying Scripture.

“Several of the students in my course expressed that they come to the Word seeking an emotional experience or to have some sort of problem fixed,” she said. “They acknowledged that they often lose the view of the Bible as the story of God and His relationship with humanity.”

Subsequently, the women have shared a desire to study Scripture in pursuit of understanding the larger story of the Bible more than their momentary concerns. “I encourage the women in my Bible course to be students of the Word,” said Jill Doyle, “to be committed to studying it

and understanding it accurately within the entire framework of the Bible.”

As for being the wife of a ministry fellow, she said, “Justin has been an invaluable resource for me as I started working with the women. It has been so fun for me to feel more connected to the work that he is doing day in and day out and to get to share in a small part of that.”

However, she is quick to point out, “We both always want to respect the relationships we have with students and honor their trust in confiding in us as individuals, not as a couple.”

And with two young boys at home, ages 1 and 3,

there isn’t a whole lot of time to talk shop, anyway.

Jill Doyle notes that as she teaches, she is also learning: “Most recently, as my Bible course has been going through the Seeking God course, I have felt a renewed sense of desire to seek God with more fervor. In working with the women in Christian Union, I’ve also sensed the Lord continuing to confirm His calling on my life to lead women toward Him.” She concludes, “For me, I walk away from my time with the women knowing I’m doing something that He has designed me to do, to love women and lead them to Him.” | cu

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A Passion for Prayer Penn Junior Embodies a Seeking God Lifestyle by catherine elvy, staff writer

spring

2016 :: christianunion.org

A University of Pennsylvania uppertent, as well as a temporary coffeehouse on Stiteler classman is heeding a calling to help Plaza. promote prayer among his peers.

Each spring, the event’s proximity to Easter As students involved with Christian Union’s and prominent location provide an ideal opporministry at Penn prepared for a series of events tunity to share the Gospel at Penn. “It’s an aweduring the spring, Tucker Hutchinson ’17 ensome chance for people to pray at a public place couraged them to bolster prayer efforts, both inon campus,” Hutchinson said. dividually and corporately.

Also during March, Ed Crenshaw, the pastor “We’ve had a chance to reflect on why we’re of nearby Victory Church, spoke on spiritual gifts here in mission and vision,” during Christian Union’s said Hutchinson, a finance leadership lecture series. As and accounting major and well, the students particiclassical studies minor. pated in the Collegiate Day With a renewed focus on of Prayer on February 25. prayer, the students aspire At the core of his efforts, to become “more of a JeHutchinson, who has served sus-centered community.” on the ministry’s executive Among its slate of spring team since its inception activities, students involved during his inaugural semeswith Christian Union took ter at Penn, wants his peers part in the annual Resurto experience the transforrection Week as part of a mative power of intercesmajor inter-ministry effort Tucker Hutchinson ’17 is a key leader when it sion. on campus. At the heart of comes to mobilizing a prayer movement at “Prayer can refocus you the initiative, Penn for Jesus the University of Pennsylvania. and help you to understand organized a 24-hour prayer what you have in your life

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and what you’ve been given,” said Hutchinson, who noted how other students, including Matt Dong ’17 and Briana Haggerty ’18, also have helped champion the ministry’s prayer initiatives.

Given academic loads, it can be hard for undergraduates to maintain dedicated prayer lives.

“We are focusing, not so much on numbers, as on actually praying and establishing good structure for our prayer lives,” said Hutchinson, who is attending Penn on an ROTC scholarship via the U.S. Air Force.

During this academic year, Hutchinson and other student leaders have hosted a series of prayer sessions, taking advantage of breaks in student schedules. These meetings, which include times of intercession in residence halls and early-morning prayer walks, supplement the ministry’s established weekday prayer sessions at 4:30 p.m. in Houston Hall.

As for the prayer walks, Hutchinson began organizing those during the fall for students to intercede on Friday mornings after a 30-minute hike to the Schuylkill River. In an effort to quiet their souls, the students walk in silence for about a half an hour to the historic waterway, where they pray as a group before returning to campus.

“We find a bench on the river, pray together, and reflect. Then, we walk back and talk,” said

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With a renewed focus on prayer, the students aspire to become “more of a Jesus-centered community.”

Hutchinson. “I really enjoy it, just to get off campus, walk, and pray.”

John Cunningham, a Christian Union ministry fellow, credited Hutchinson for being “intentional in promoting communal prayer at Penn.”

Likewise, the emphasis on prayer “comes directly from a desire for Jesus,” Cunningham said. “We want to engage with Jesus and be a part of His work in the world.”

Hutchinson, a native of Virginia and Oregon, notes he has found his ministry niche in supporting prayer. “Since my freshman year, I’ve invested a lot of time with Christian Union’s Seeking God Lifestyle Team. I’ve been involved with mentoring, coaching, and helping to lead that team,” said Hutchinson, who will serve as an assistant Bible course leader in the fall.

Indeed, the opportunity to assume a spiritual leadership role was part of what attracted this young man to Christian Union’s nascent Penn ministry.

“There were a few things about the ministry that immediately grabbed me,” said Hutchinson, who noted the ministry’s offerings of daily prayer sessions and intellectually rich Bible courses also resonated with him. His experiences at the ministry’s inaugural winter retreat in 2014 in Pennsylvania’s Amish Country also impressed Hutchinson.

Today, as fellow classmates navigate the tumultuous waters of college life, Hutchinson desires for them to trust their Heavenly Father and develop a devotion to prayer. The junior is proud of how the ministry members have bonded over a plethora of gatherings, conferences, and prayer events. | cu

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If you enjoy Christian Union: The Magazine, and would like updates between issues, please subscribe to the ministry’s eNewsletter, Christian Union News, here:

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city christian union

Truth that Sets Free Robert Louis Wilken Speaks at NYCU Forum by catherine elvy, staff writer

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piritual freedom allows Christians to flourish, good, evil is right there with me. For in my injust as they were designed to do. ner being I delight in God’s law; but I see anRobert Louis Wilken offered that insight other law at work in me, waging war against when the University of Virginia professor emerthe law of my mind and making me a prisoner itus appeared at a New York City Christian of the law of sin at work within me. What a Union Forum in January. The prolific author wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from spoke on Spiritual Freedom: Freedom Nourished this body that is subject to death?” from Within on January 19 at ScanNonetheless, Paul offers hope in dinavia House in Manhattan. verse 25. “Thanks be to God, who Wilken told attendees the chaldelivers me through Jesus Christ lenge to pursue freedom should inour Lord!” volve a quest for a divine-centered life.

Likewise, Wilken told the crowd Despite the cultural tendency simply to seek a life of freedom “for,” rather to seek external freedom for the sake than one involving freedom “from.” of happiness, believers should instead During the Exodus, the Israelites focus on the type of internal freedom cherished the goal of reaching the found in the Scriptures.

Promised Land. “They were not “There is another kind of free- Author and scholar Robert Louis Wilken simply seeking to be free from slavdom, another dimension to free- encouraged participants in New York City ery,” Wilken told participants in Christian Union that freedom is best found dom. That is what I’m calling New York City Christian Union, a through the truth of the Gospel. spiritual freedom,” Wilken said. ministry that aims to develop a net“It’s the freedom to live as we were work of leaders to impact influencreated to be, to have our minds and hearts set on what tial cities, starting with New York City. is good, true, and beautiful.”

As well, Wilken pointed to key Scriptures to illusThe longtime scholar is an elected fellow of the Amertrate a series of related points. Among them, in John ican Academy of Arts and Sciences, a former president 8:31 and 32, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, of the American Academy of Religion, and chairman of you are really my disciples. Then, you will know the The Institute on Religion and Public Life. As well, Wilktruth, and the truth will set you free.” en has authored more than a dozen books, including The For Wilken, the aim to possess life and enjoy it abunSpirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God; dantly involves the pursuit of a “life oriented toward a The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity; transcendent good that orders our desires and gives purand The Christians as the Romans Saw Them. pose and direction to one’s life. That means to live without When most people consider the concept of freedom, fear, to discipline our passions and unruly desires… This they envision relief from unjust laws, domineering indikind of freedom begins within and is nourished within.” viduals, slavery, cruelty, and such. Instead, Wilken sugPeople are able to draw near to God when the inner gested his audience consider a broader concept of freeself is free of distractions and unruly desires. “Spiritual dom, one that incorporates elevated spiritual parameters. freedom is a matter and affair of seeing and knowing What stands in the way of human flourishing is “not where to look, away from distractions,” said Wilken. what subjugates us from without, but rules within.”

After all, the spiritual heart serves as a guide and faThe Apostle Paul’s writings in Romans 7:21-24 ilcilitator. “Love is unitive. Love is what drives our heart lustrate the struggle: and mind for all of us,” Wilken said. “With the heart, “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do we come face to face with God.” | cu

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What’s Next...

Please pray for upcoming Christian Union events

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Gospel of the Kingdom Conference Christian Union presents The Gospel of the Kingdom Conference, May 24-26, at Armenian Evangelical Church in New York. This conference, with special guest Ken Fish, will explore how the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes our mindset, ethics, lifestyle and authority, with a special emphasis on the power that flows for today’s Christian as a fruit of the Gospel.

Registration required. Visit www.christianunion.org/city/news.

Uganda Summer Internship Christian Union and ROWAN (Rural Orphans and Widows AIDS Network) have partnered to offer students a two-week internship opportunity to study community development as it is occurring in the rural East Ugandan village of Mawanga. See www.cuthissummer.org.

Summer Getaway Christian Union will host a Summer Getaway at Camp-ofthe-Woods in Speculator, New York from June 25 through July 2. See www.christianunion.org/summergetaway for registration information.

Christian Worldview Summer Session Christian Union presents its annual Christian Worldview Summer Session for students, August 14-25, in Lake George, New York. See www.cuthissummer.org.

Prayer and Fasting Initiative Christian Union Day and Night invites believers across the nation to pray and fast for 40 days. August 15 through September 23. See www.CUDayandNight.org to learn more.

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A mind for truth. A heart for God 速 ATLANTA | CHARLOTTE | HOUSTON | JACKSON | MEMPHIS | NEW YORK CITY | ORLANDO | WASHINGTON DC | GLOBAL

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donor spotlight

Alumni Advocates Couple Is Thankful for the Impact of Leadership Development by sarah camp

the very beginning, they loved Christian Union’s explicit focus on building up leaders. lumni of Christian Union’s ministry program at David and Ana dug deeply into every facet of the Princeton, David Leyva III, Princeton ’11, and Ana ministry’s offerings. They studied Scripture in weekly (Gonzalez) Leyva, Princeton ’11, truly have the insider’s Bible courses. They participated in the weekly lecture perspective on what it means to develop Christian leaders series, delighting in the fusion of worship and “amazat an influential, but secular, university. You might say ing Christian leaders that were walking the walk in that if you want to know what Christian Union is all their various lines of work.” Having launched their proabout, spend an afternoon with the Leyvas; they embody fessional careers, David and Ana recall the high-caliber the mission. You will find Christians who follow God speakers as “truly inspirational.” with joyful energy, are intellectuThe two were provided many ally curious and highly engaged, other ministry-related opportuand dedicated to godliness in every nities to grow and connect, insphere of influence–from church, cluding highly-anticipated Ski to family, to career.

Safaris. Over their four years, David and Ana are also excepDavid and Ana took advantage tionally faithful financial partof these and countless other ners to Christian Union. These opportunities to read, discuss, alumni advocates are making it pray, and share their faith. possible for another generation In many ways, David and of students to learn and adopt a Ana grew spiritually in paralseeking God lifestyle. lel to each other. At Princeton, For college, David went East, “our faith became our own. from his home in Medford, OrWe learned about seeking God, egon, to attend Princeton. SimAna and David Leyva III, alumni of Princeton something that we’d never done ilarly, Ana, who was born and quite like that.” raised in San Francisco, made the University’s Class of 2011, with their son, David IV. David and Ana met through move East. As undergraduates, the ministry and began dating the two West Coasters quickly as students. They married within the first couple of plugged into Princeton Faith and Action, the student years after graduation and both found work in tech. organization that Christian Union staffs and resources Now the couple lives in Los Angeles where David is at Princeton. completing his first year at UCLA Law School and Ana David majored in politics and Ana in internationis in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) sales. al relations and public policy at the Woodrow Wilson As students, David and Ana each assumed leaderSchool of Public and International Affairs. Both were ship roles with the ministry. One year, Ana served as Christians when they arrived at the university and say, the director of operations. She was also tasked with the upon learning about Christian Union’s ministry, they challenging role of assistant Bible course leader, helping resonated with its goals and strategy. As the ministry a ministry fellow facilitate Bible courses and caring for sought to permeate campus with an engaged, Christian her peers in the course. David was co-chair of the team presence, it was reaching out to many who might not charged with fostering a greater commitment among otherwise be reached by Christian ministries and makstudents to pursue God. He, too, served as an assistant ing connections through Princeton’s array of academic, Bible course leader. athletic, and social groups. The Levyas recall that, from

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to the San Francisco Bay Area after David completes law school, they follow their own advice to connect and are involved in a church in L.A. They say the spiritual lessons they learned as undergraduates inform how they approach their faith communities. “We take major lessons we learned there and try to encourage a devotion to prayer and seeking God especially!”

When asked why they began supporting the ministry financially as soon as they graduated, and today are members of Christian Union’s Monthly Sustainers program, they note, “Giving back to Christian Union was a no-brainer for us. Giving back really flows from both our gratitude for the impact the ministry had on us and also from a longing to continue to be involved in what God is doing at Princeton.”

That longing to be involved in what God is doing at Princeton points to their sincere love for the Princeton community. The Levyas are deeply hopeful for their alma mater. “Our hope is that God would bring revival to Princeton, that God would reach hearts and bring hope to the hopeless.”

David and Ana are living examples of what is possible when students at the nation’s leading universities connect with a Christian leadership development ministry rooted in the passionate pursuit of the Lord. They explain their continuing advocacy for the ministry this way: “You have the opportunity to participate in incredibly powerful work that is transforming lives.” By giving to Christian Union, your money “couldn’t be better spent… The return is real and priceless.” | cu

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Monthly Sustainers

2016

A spotlight on Christian Union’s

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Automatically recurring monthly gifts are easy to set up. Monthly Sustainers make a life-long difference in the lives of students and equip them for lives of godly leadership. Sign up today.

ChristianUnion.org/GiveMonthly

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By the time they were seniors, the cumulative effect of David and Ana’s commitments to grow spiritually and learn the dimensions of Christian leadership was profound. “We learned to long for God and to desire Him above all things.” The Levyas appreciated the intellectual dimension of the ministry, as well. “We also learned from thought leaders like C.S. Lewis and Spurgeon…and learned to explore the intellectual aspects of spirituality in a way we hadn’t before.”

While some students struggle in their faith during college, the couple each describes significant growth in their faith in Jesus Christ. “It was such a sweet time for us, particularly learning to walk closer to God.” Their growth, in turn, produced in them greater discernment and confidence to engage their peers in conversations about faith.

David and Ana give the ministry credit for encouraging them to make an impact in the world for God and for the good of others. Also, “we learned how to be accountable for our walk with the Lord. We learned how to pray and how to seek God earnestly and how to do so in community.”

Their advice for graduating college students is delivered in a series of practical charges: “Find a church! Let God use you powerfully wherever He sends you. Give everything back to God, and always believe that the impossible is possible in Him. Trust Him.” David and Ana call their fellow alumni of the ministry at Princeton, “our best friends.” They enjoy mini-reunions at each other’s weddings, including their own. In addition to their peers, Ana and David name Christian Union ministry faculty who changed their lives. Ana shares that, “The impact Ministry Fellow Lorri Bentch [now Christian Union’s vice president of operations] had is immeasurable. She will be a lifetime friend and mentor.” David chimes in that, “Dan Knapke [now Christian Union’s chief operating and development officer] really left a lasting impact. Dan and his wife Laurie invested their lives for the ministry and were like second parents.” As they recall several other ministry fellows, their teaching, coaching, and compassion, they concede, “Their lessons have stayed with us… and we love them!”

Now life has taken on a wonderful new dimension for David and Ana: as parents. Baby boy David Leyva IV recently turned one year old, and “he fills our days with so much joy!” Although they hope to move back

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the spiritual climate on campus

brown 35 columbia 39 cornell 4 2

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harvard 4 8 penn 51 prince ton 5 4 ya l e 5 7

Students at Columbia University

reports from some of america’s most influential universities

The Spiritual Climate on Campus The following articles were written to keep readers informed about the spiritual atmosphere at some of America’s leading universities. Some stories will encourage you by highlighting ways God is working through other (non-Christian Union) ministries and alumni. Other articles— on news, trends, and events—are included to help motivate you to pray for these institutions, their students, faculty, and staff, and for all of the Christian ministries that work at these schools. ......................................................................................

BROW N | On Campus

The Elements of a Remarkable Educator

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Wayland as one of its five finest educational mavericks. On the picturesque campus, the Wayland Arch, Wayland House, and Wayland Collegium for Liberal Learning help to perpetuate the longtime administrator’s memory. The Rhode Island-based research university marked its anniversary from March 2014 to May 2015 with a series of exhibits, including one honoring Wayland.

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ident helped usher in a more open curriculum at the top-tier institution. That same month, Family Bible Films also noted the sesquicentennial anniversary of the scholar and Baptist minister’s passage and commemorated his legacy as a renowned educator in both academic and faith circles.

More importantly, during Brown’s 250th anniversary celebration, the university recognized

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t’s been more than 150 years since The New York Times paid tribute to the remarkable life of Francis Wayland, and the former president of Brown University is still touted for his lingering imprint upon New England, educational philosophy, and ministerial training.

In September, Brown’s undergraduate admissions office paused to remind students via Facebook of how the university’s fourth pres-

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B ROWN UNIVE R S IT Y CE LE B R ATE S FR AN CIS WAYL AN D

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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Wayland, who was born in 1796 in New York City and was the son of a Baptist clergyman of English heritage, devoted his life to advancing learning, literacy, and Baptist convictions.

Among his best-known accomplishments, the professor of natural philosophy penned a manual on moral philosophy that became one of the leading American textbooks of the 19th century, according to Harvard University Press. Wayland also crafted books on intellectual philosophy and political economy during his tenure at the helm of Brown, which ran from 1827 to 1855.

Because of its eminence, The Elements of Moral Science helped set the tone and structure for educational literature. The book was originally published in 1835, went through several revisions and translations, and sold about 100,000 copies by the end of the 19th century.

As such, Wayland earned distinction as a “central figure in the first great movement for reform of education in the United States,” according to Joseph Blau, Columbia ’31, Ph.D. ’44. The former chairman of Columbia’s religion depart-

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riculum during a period when academics centered on the classics.

In 2013, Brown President Christina Paxson, Columbia Ph.D. ’87,

ident of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary after finishing his studies at Brown in 1847.

Mohler described Wayland as one of the “most significant educators in antebellum America, a man of tremendous gifts and very definite convictions concerning the educational enterprise.”

Specifically, Wayland was concerned with boosting the moral vision of students, Mohler wrote in a 1995 commentary for The Founders Journal.

Wayland’s pragmatic view on ministerial education left an impact Former Brown University President Francis upon Boyce. The former Wayland left a remarkable imprint on America’s pastor of the First Baptist educational philosophy and Baptist ministerial Church of Boston and training. the First Baptist Church of America insisted ministry should be open to referenced Wayland’s vision in a let- individuals with divine callings, ter she composed for Brown Alumni regardless of academic credentials, Magazine. Paxson, a former Prince- Mohler wrote.

As the Baptist movement spread ton University dean, paid homage to Wayland’s educational ideals across the young nation, Wayland during her 2012 inauguration and asserted churches were capable of calling upon members to serve as pastors, especially as frontier congregations were unlikely to have members possessing classical secondary education or formal higher education.

Along related lines, Wayland helped found the Newton TheologBrown’s 2014 convocation.

Earlier, Rev. Albert Mohler, ical Institution, which later merged president of the Southern Baptist to form the Andover Newton TheoTheological Seminary, paused to logical School. Likewise, the author note how Wayland molded one and intellectual was a dedicated particular Brown undergraduate’s advocate for libraries, as well as a proponent of foreign missions. In vision of higher education.

That pupil, James Boyce, went 1851, Wayland’s donation to the on to become the founder and pres- town of Wayland, Massachusetts

Francis Wayland earned distinction as a central figure in the first great movement for reform of education in the United States. ment edited Harvard’s 1963 reprint of The Elements of Moral Science.

In addition, Wayland published The Elements of Political Economy in 1837 and The Elements of Intellectual Philosophy in 1854.

As for higher education, Wayland was a proponent of a wider, more liberal, more practical cur-

helped establish a public library that became a catalyst for legislation allowing Bay State towns to create libraries.

Incidentally, scholars continue to argue over the origin of the moniker for the municipality of Wayland, but some point to the library’s benefactor as the namesake.

As for undisputed matters, Provi-

dence’s Wayland Square is named for the Baptist minister as is Wayland Arch, a favorite spot for campus vocal groups. Likewise, his legacy is entrenched in Brown’s academic fabric with the Francis Wayland Prizes and the Francis Wayland professorship.

In 1867, Wayland was instrumental in establishing Brown’s first global partnership. Come May 15,

Keio University will mark Francis Wayland Day, which the Japanese institution has commemorated since 1957.

Indeed, upon his unexpected passage in October 1865 at the age of 69, The New York Times noted Wayland’s life was “one of very great and very practical usefulness.” | cu

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BROW N | On Campus

Advocating in Education B ROWN S E NI OR RE CE IVE S NE WMAN FE LLOWS HIP

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

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2016 :: christianunion.org

As a youngster, Joseph received Latino, from furthering their edan academic scholarship to La Sal- ucation in a knowledgeable way,” le Academy, a Catholic school in said Joseph.

For example, one student made Providence. The attention he received there helped set the course a huge impact on Joseph when she for his mission to empower all chil- asked him what a high school trandren with the knowledge they need script was.

“I learned that the lack of knowlfor aspiring to higher education.

Joseph capitalized on the wealth of resources offered at La Salle. “Effectively, I had four guidance counselors, given the amount of time I spent in the office senior year,” he said. However, he didn’t realize how crucial a role those counselors played in preparing him for college until he walked into Providence public schools as a future educator and volunteer.

“The mere lack of guidance in the college application process was Olugbenga Joseph ’16 is a champion for disenfranchising my stu- educational justice. dents, largely Black and

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hat happens when a passion for education, service, and faith are combined with an amazing opportunity? You get Olugbenga Joseph ’16, a first-generation college student who grabbed the brass ring and is determined to inspire other less-privileged young people to do the same.

Joseph, who is majoring in Education Studies, is inspired by the mentors and advisors who have guided him. The senior is an advocate in the Providence, Rhode Island school system, where he works as a tutor, AmeriCorps member, and mentor as he prepares students for college. He also has an eye on public policies that affect all people, regardless of income or race.

“I interrogate the people, pedagogy, and policies that inform K-12 education in the United States,” said Joseph. This serious passion for social justice was formed by educational opportunities that were beyond the reach of many of his neighborhood peers.

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edge these students had about college was a problem I needed to address,” he said. As a result, he launched Forward Charge, a social media initiative where he answers college-related questions through videos, links, and inspirational images.

For his dedication to educational justice, Joseph recently received The Newman Fellowship, which is awarded to 250 undergraduate students who have made civic engagement an integral part of their college experiences. Students from campuses nationwide received nominations for the award; Joseph represented Brown.

“I am one of many,” Joseph said.

“To receive special recognition for the little I’ve done is the hand of God.” By receiving the award, Joseph now has the opportunity to apply for additional grants and fellowships. “I have also been introduced to an awesome community of other-oriented civil servants,” he said.

The educational opportunities, the ability to volunteer in a meaningful way, and the recognition he has received have left this advocate

feeling “favored” and “blessed.”

“Some of the most articulate, erudite, and influential people I have been blessed with in my lifetime have been my educators,” said Joseph, noting that someday, “I’d like to be described in those terms, too.”

Joseph gains an inner joy from the simple acts of caring and serving Christ by serving others.

gives Joseph the ability to manage his studies, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities, like singing in the Shades of Brown a cappella group. He quoted Psalm 32:8 as a key verse in his life: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way I will go, I will guide you with my eye.”

“To this day, God is showing me what balance in this life looks

“The mere lack of guidance in the college application process was disenfranchising my students from furthering their education in a knowledgeable way.”

—Olugbenga Joseph, Brown ’16

“I love the smile that bursts from a family’s face after I help them fill out financial aid forms. I love working with and learning from students who are from where I am from, and look like I look. And I derive joy from knowing that, in every act of service, I am fulfilling Christ’s purpose in my life,” he said.

The sufficiency of Christ is what

like for me. Junior year, I learned saying ‘no’ to things that, while noble, turn me away from God. I find that I am able to oscillate between singing, volunteering and classes, as long as God is my equilibrium.”

He concluded, “What keeps me moving? More than anything, I want to see the Father someday, and have Him say, ‘Well done.’” | cu

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Catholic Community Celebrates Holy Week Students involved with Brown University’s Catholic community (brownrisdcatholic. org) celebrated Holy Week with several special gatherings. Among them, they marked Palm Sunday during the morning service with a processional beginning at Brown’s Van Wickle Gates, the ornamental entrance to the main campus at College and Prospect streets. As

well, students also observed Holy Thursday with an evening mass of the Lord’s Supper, and participated in a liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday.

Harvard Minister Speaks at MLK Event Jonathan Walton, the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard University and the Pusey Minister in Memorial Church, was the guest speaker for Brown

University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture this winter. Entitled “Love, Power, and Empathy in an iLife Era,” Walton discussed the relationship between a highlydigitized culture, distractions, meaningless, and anxiety. Walton said spending high volumes of time online reduces the ability to “radically empathize with others, which could be detrimental to social justice movements,” according to Brown Alumni Magazine.

COLU M B I A | On Campus

The Psychology of Hope U N H O O K E D M I N I S T RY H O S T S VA L E N T I N E ’ S E V E N T

By Luke Foster, Columbia ’15

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findings, he recommended students think of healthy relationships as a multi-step sequence: Know, Trust, Rely, Commit, Touch. Only after a commitment is in place can physical intimacy deepen the relationship and not distort it. Van Epp

complete with the memorable “Relationship Attachment Model” in chart form.

Debreu believes that the status quo of campus sexual culture is deeply broken, noting that the normalcy of hookups creates “gray

Dr. Jonathan Van Epp and Columbia Unhooked at the organization’s event in February

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areas,” misunderstandings that lead to manipulation and betrayal. Caitlin La Ruffa, director of the Love and Fidelity Network, a national organization that resources student groups like Unhooked, appreciated both the content and the approach of the event. “I think the data-driven content was a perfect complement to the theme as Dr. Van Epp wove personal anecdotes that really brought the data to life and reminded the audience of the realities of love and navigating relationships,” she observed.

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is a Christian, but tailored his social-scientific approach to be credible to non-Christian students.

Eleanor Debreu, a senior at Barnard College and the president of Unhooked, said she planned the event to make two very large-scale points. First, “that the choices we make in our relationships today will become the patterns for our relationships tomorrow.” Second, “That it isn’t about living for the moment, but living for the experience you’ll have in your future”— in an accessible and applicable way,

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t. Valentine’s Day can be a discouraging time at Columbia University. The barrage of romantic tropes forces many students to confront loneliness, even as residential advisers distribute free condoms in an attempt to foster fun and free sexual encounters. It becomes an occasion both tawdry and sentimentalized, far from a celebration of the profundities of love—much less a commemoration of the ancient saint whose name the day still bears.

At Columbia, the renamed Anscombe Society, now Columbia Unhooked, continues its work of offering students a critique of hookup culture and a vision of authentic romance as inextricable from self-sacrificial love, marriage, and family. In March, Unhooked received recognition as an official student organization after two years of making its case to the Student Governance Board. That success partly resulted from a well-received, pre-Valentine’s Day event featuring Dr. Jonathan Van Epp’s talk, “How to Follow Your Heart without Losing Your Mind.”

On February 12, Van Epp, a counselor and psychologist who has authored How to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk and founded the educational non-profit Love Thinks, lectured about his “Relationship Attachment Model” to an eager audience of 30 Columbians, who all seemed to feel the pertinence of the topic. Distilling his social scientific and psychological

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Maryam Badran, Barnard ’19, covered the event for www.theblueandwhite.org, a student blog, and wittily summarized her takeaway: “We have more freedom in our romantic relationships than any other generation in history—but with

great power comes great responsibility, and we’re throwing that away by choosing jerks. It comes down to us, and only us, to choose the normal person.”

La Ruffa, Princeton ’09, saw signs of both brokenness and hope in the

students’ responses: “It’s clear that Columbia has its share of broken hearts, but students have real hope for something better.” And Columbia Unhooked intends to build on its successes to continue to be a counter-cultural witness to hope. | cu

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COLU M B I A | On Campus

Growing in Faith by Growing in Reason T H E V E R I TA S F O R U M P R O V O K E S , C H A L L E N G E S C O L U M B I A N S

By Luke Foster, Columbia ’15

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he Veritas Forum chapter at Columbia University is known for consistent excellence in hosting speaker events for all of campus, inviting a Christian scholar into conversation with a secular thinker on a topic of common concern. Recent Veritas speakers have included Pastor Tim Keller on human flourishing, Satyan Devadoss (Williams College) on faith and the scientific method, and Professor John Lennox (Oxford) on the meaning of suffering.

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soil for evangelism: “It is easy for [Christian] students to become jaded or intimidated, and as a result, they fail to engage with other students of different faith backgrounds on campus for fear of what the resulting debate will look like,” Naquin said. “Veritas Forum speakers demonstrate to students that these conversations both can and should be had in a meaningful way, and I have found that these events have encouraged

“Veritas Forum speakers demonstrate to students that these conversations both can and should be had in a meaningful way…”

—Cadie Naquin, Columbia ’16 Veritas has modeled humane engagement on the deepest questions of our existence and, in the process, introduced hundreds of Columbians to the Gospel. Cadie Naquin, a graduating senior and the president of Columbia Catholic Ministry, testifies that Veritas has played a crucial role in opening up fertile

both me and other students of faith to be courageous and comfortable in speaking the faith.”

In addition to this broad impact across campus, Veritas has also deeply shaped the Christian formation of the students who dedicate themselves to leading it. Phil Jeffrey ’17, the current president of Veri-

tas, and Lingzi Zhuang ’16, who has served for two years as director of content, both testify that working with Veritas has been essential to their spiritual formation.

Jeffrey says that he has found reason and faith not just to be compatible, but to be essentially co-dependent.

“Christ has redeemed the whole self, so if my faith isn’t engaging my reason as well as my emotions, something is wrong,” he said. “The Gospel is a piece of news, containing propositions about historical events. I need to engage these propositions first, with my reason, to understand what they say about me and my fallen state, and about God and His grace, and then my emotions and other faculties come into play as a reaction to what God has done.”

Zhuang concurs, adding that Veritas’ “mission of engaging human reason with issues pertaining to faith” has to be grounded in the humility of the recognition that God is sovereign over the hearts of all. Both have challenged their Christian peers on campus to deep-

en their faith through asking hard questions in community.

A Chinese international student, Zhuang noted the role of Veritas in modeling for him authentic engagement across cultural lines.

“To tell the worldview narratives and to engage with them together in community must underlie our efforts to understand each other,” he explains, precisely because the rhetoric of “diversity” on campus often neglects the spiritual and moral assumptions that underlie cultural difference.

Jeffrey sees this difficult, yet re-

warding enterprise as a means of sifting the eternal truths of the faith from the fads and prejudices of contemporary culture: “Christian college students ought to be exposed to the fact that the Gospel speaks Truth—beyond the particular concerns of our time and our place— and cultivate a genuine openness of mind, while being even more firmly rooted in the faith.”

Overall, Veritas has been warmly received by secular Columbians, overcoming many of the ugly stereotypes that can marginalize Christian organizations. Yet, Jeffrey

notes that the current cultural climate of profound moral disagreement is changing his approach to answering non-Christians’ questions. For his peers, “Obergefell and Hobby Lobby have replaced Darwin and Dawkins as signs that Christianity is antiquated… We really need to tailor the conversations to the ethical questions Columbia students are asking.” Yet the Veritas team, equipped with faith, reason, and a lot of love for their campus, are prepared to exhibit even difficult Christian moral teaching as liberating and life-giving. | cu

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Ministries Unite for Easter Celebrations, Observances

president Lee Bollinger told the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Nutter has been a long-time member of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in West Philadelphia.

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Michael Nutter, Wharton ’79

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Michael Nutter, Wharton ’79, is one of the newest members of the Columbia University faculty. Nutter, a former mayor of Philadelphia, is a professor of professional practice in urban policy in the university’s School of International and Public Affairs.

“We know that Mayor Nutter’s respected leadership both in the City of Philadelphia and among the nation’s mayors will make a major contribution, not only to our School of International and Public Affairs, but to the broad and growing work on urban issues that Columbia faculty and students are doing across the university, both locally and globally,” Columbia

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Campus ministries at Columbia University united to celebrate Easter, hosting a series of events from March 21 to 27.

Among the activities, students gathered for an inter-ministry prayer night, a worship night, a dinner and open mic event, and a service project. Participating ministries included Adventist Christian Fellowship (columbia. edu/cu/sda), Columbia Catholic Ministry (columbiacatholic.org), InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (blogs.cuit.columbia.edu/ivcf ), Jubliation! (jube.org), and Korean Campus Crusade for Christ (columbiakccc.tumblr.com).

Former Philadelphia Mayor Joins Faculty

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COR N E LL | On Campus

An Off-Campus Oasis LOCAL CHURCH IS CONNECTED TO CORNELL COMMUNITY

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

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historical icon for more than 150 years, Bethel Grove Bible Church has ministered to the Ithaca community for generations. Despite its age, however, this church is young at heart. Led by a former youth pastor and infused with the energy of roughly 125 Cornell students, plus faculty and local families, the church continues its legacy of building the Kingdom of God with vitality, intel-

elders who oversee their ‘flock’ and administer baptism and the Lord’s Table,” said Libby Nolan ’17. The Nutritional Sciences major from Hershey, Pennsylvania first heard about BGBC as a freshman.

Since then, she said, “Bethel Grove has helped strengthen my faith in many ways: by hearing the Word of God preached each week, worshiping with other believers,

Photo courtesy of Bethel Grove Church

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Bethel Grove Church welcomes Cornell students and supports local campus ministries.

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lectual engagement, and hearts set on Christ.

Located three miles from Cornell University, Bethel Grove Bible Church (BGBC) also supports many Christian organizations at the university. From providing a location for retreats and special events, to church pastors speaking at ministry gatherings, BGBC works in tandem with campus ministers to meet the needs of Cornell students.

“Scripture endorses church membership—even if you’re in campus ministry—because it is a covenant-bound community with

building relationships with people of all ages, learning about opportunities to serve, and being encouraged through the testimonies of others.”

The church provides bus transportation from campus to the church every Sunday. Additionally, a college student breakfast is held prior the service, further encouraging relationship building and fellowship.

Lead Pastor Eric Hause was BGBC’s youth pastor for more than a decade. Today, he brings that same energy and programmatic approach

to his new leadership role. However, he is quick to credit his dynamic predecessors, like Rev. Chuck Thompkins, with establishing a standard that incorporates a mix of intellectual engagement with uncompromising faith and Gospel truth. There is also a diversity among the membership that impacts the students.

Nolan observed, “The church body has a greater range in age than campus ministry, which allows students not only to build relationships with mentors, but also to be mentors for younger kids in the church.”

Several Cornell faculty members and campus ministers also attend BGBC. Former Provost Ken Fox was a regular member, and the students particularly enjoyed the opportunity to speak informally with him and other faculty about living out faith and work issues, Hause noted.

Additionally, Bethel Grove also provides a vibrant ministry to the diverse international community at Cornell. The International Student Ministry (ISM) welcomes graduate students from regions such as Africa, Singapore, and China. Although not all are believers, together they learn about American culture and Christianity. For some, ISM has even been transformational; five non-Christians recently accepted Jesus Christ into their lives.

According to Edith Johnson, a member of Bethel Grove who has

served with ISM for several years, the Bible studies and events hosted by the ministry strengthen students’ faith and friendships and often serve as a home away from home.

For example, some foreign students didn’t realize that local businesses close during Christmas.

Some found themselves without food during the holiday. Volunteers from BGBC opened their homes, providing a Christmas dinner and ensuring students had all they needed during the break.

As a result, students received an introduction to everyday American life and traditions, as well as witnessing the heart of love of Chris-

tian believers.

Angel Liu, a Ph.D. candidate from Taiwan, has particularly appreciated the influence ISM has had on her faith and her Cornell experience.

“Being an international student in this country, wondering how to fit in this culture, was already hard.

I couldn’t imagine how much time and energy I would have had to put in to make friends with people from every different country,” she said. However, by participating in ISM at Bethel Grove and the Cornell International Christian Fellowship at Cornell, Liu has been able to embrace the new culture and grow

in her understanding of Christ.

“Every one of us is created by God in His own image,” she continued. “We are different, yet all represent a piece of God. [These international fellowships] helped me to believe that unity in Christ is possible and it is the only solution to the cross-cultural problems the society has nowadays.”

“I feel blessed that I could be part of this ministry and Bethel Grove Church. These are the first places where God showed me unity is possible and how I could replicate this experience at any other place where God leads me.” | cu

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COR N E LL | On Campus

Authority and Vulnerability ANDY CROUCH’S NEW BOOK EXPLORES THE PARADOX

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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bility than any other creature.”

At the March 2 installment of Pepperdine’s Moral Sense in Politics

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and Policy series, Crouch told listeners that one of life’s greatest mysteries is how humans, both individually and collectively, can act with more authority and more vulnerability than other species.

Virtually all other living beings merely inhabit one ecological niche. While such creatures act in limited ways, humans are able to devise ways to flourish and act meaningfully in most ecoAuthor Andy Crouch, Cornell ’89, is inspiring systems, according to readers with his newest book, Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing. Crouch.

As well, no other

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ndy Crouch, a noted author and Cornell University alumnus of 1989, appeared at the National Press Club in March to discuss his newest book, Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing.

God intended for authority to characterize each person made in His image – even the most vulnerable, said Crouch during a lecture series for Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy in partnership with Trinity Forum.

“The human condition is that we have, far more than any other creatures, two things that you might not think would go together,” Crouch said. “We have far more authority than any other creature, and we also have far more vulnera-

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created being ponders the history and destiny of the planet or universe, nor do other living things demonstrate pronounced responsibility for other species, he noted.

Indeed, Genesis 1:26 reflects mankind’s divine stewardship: “Then, God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’”

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“No human being ever embodied the concept of flourishing more than Jesus of Nazareth.”

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As such, “this authority, uniquely ours as the image bearers of God, is a gift in every way,” Crouch wrote in Strong and Weak.

Crouch, who holds a master of divinity from Boston University, is the executive editor of Christianity Today and is on the editorial board for Books & Culture. His several books include: Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling and Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power.

At Cornell, Crouch serves on the advisory board to the Chesterton House and mentions the Christian study center and its founder, Karl Johnson (Cornell ’89, Ph.D. ’11), in Strong and Weak. He also sits on the governing boards of Fuller Theological Seminary and Equitas Group, and is a senior fellow with the International Justice Mission’s IJM Institute.

Additionally, the resident of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania spent a

decade as a campus minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Harvard University.

During his appearance in Washington, D.C., Crouch paused to highlight the central tenets of his newest book, namely that flourishing people are both strong and weak despite temptations either to strive for power or withdraw into safety.

Indeed, Christ possessed supreme power, yet allowed Himself to experience mockery, affliction, and death, Crouch noted. Yet, Christ’s miraculous resurrection points to God’s victorious nature.

In his newest endeavor, he wants believers to know that healthy communities offer dignity and authority even to their weakest members.

The central idea is that flourishing, either at a personal or corporate level, occurs when people determine to live with both authority and vulnerability. Rather than being opposites, individuals blossom when authority and vulnerability work in tandem. The paradox of flourishing is that it requires weakness as well as strength, Crouch noted.

“No human being ever embodied the concept of flourishing more than Jesus of Nazareth,” Crouch wrote. The Savior was “born an infant, utterly dependent like every other human.” Later, His life – and tortured death – unleashed divine flourishing for others.

Just as Christ engaged in redemptive suffering, a sacrificial death to bless others with abundant and eternal life, real leaders often assume the stresses that accompany vulnerability. Essentially, they take on such risks and related costs so

their communities can act with authority, according to Crouch.

“To be a human being is to experience risk,” Crouch told his audience.

On a lighter note, Crouch recounted a personal experience with risk in Strong and Weak, namely when he took his family, along with Cornell pal Johnson, to check out the ropes course the latter built a short drive from Big Red’s picturesque campus.

“Judging by the smiles on all of our faces, and the endless retelling of the stories of our triumphs, falls, and failures over the weeks after our visit to the ropes course, what Karl [Johnson] led us into was flourishing,” Crouch wrote.

After all, when humans live fully, they participate in the glory of God. Mankind is meant not just to survive, but thrive, “not just to exist, but to explore and expand,” Crouch wrote. | cu

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Alpha Course Hosted

by Graduate Christian Fellowship Cornell Graduate Christian Fellowship launched a new Alpha Course in February. The course is specifically designed for those who are exploring Christianity and for new believers. An open and informal environment around a meal helps students learn the tenets of the faith. The elevenweek program is held on Tuesday evenings and includes fellowship, music, a video on a specific topic, and discussion groups.

D A R T M OU T H | On Campus

Neuroscience and Free Will INTEGRARE MINISTRY HOSTS DARTMOUTH ROUNDTABLE

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

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anover, New Hampshire-based opening remarks about free will and for free will has important theoprofessors and community his research triggered rich and often logical implications because the leaders gathered in February for the personal conversations around the topic is central to our beliefs,” said Dartmouth Roundtable Winter Din- dinner tables about how we under- Dahlberg. “Biblical teaching about ner, where invitation-only participants stand the incredible privilege and responsibility for our moral and explored the impact of neuroscience burden that free will implies.” behavioral choices each day hinges upon free will. Despite the on free will being real, as opspeaker’s secular worldview, posed to merely an illusion.” the dinner was an outreach Dahlberg further expandsuccess, because, according to ed upon the ability of Tse’s its host, these events are less work to prompt thoughtabout what a speaker presents, ful discussion, noting that and more about the discussion “Peter’s research implicitly at each table. augments a central tenet of These roundtables, which Judeo-Christian faith, which are dedicated to the explois that God has endowed ration of contemporary acaeach of us with free will. Our demic and cultural thought, brain, body, and psyche are are hosted by the campus intricately organized to supministry Integrare at Dartport and enable us to make mouth and spearheaded by real choices in life, for which Kent Dahlberg, the executive each of us will give account Professor Dr. Peter Tse ’84 was the keynote speaker director of the organization. to God.” at the recent Dartmouth Roundtable.

A key distinctive of the Dahlberg said guests Dartmouth Roundtable forgreatly value the opportuHe also said that Tse’s descrip- nity to talk about significant issues mat is its mix of believers and nonbelievers who discuss the evening’s tion of the neurological processes like this despite coming from vartopic over a leisurely meal. Further, behind decision making and learn- ious backgrounds and worldviews. according to Dahlberg, carefully ing resonated with attendees, who “We are trying to build bridges chosen presenters can precipitate identified with aspects of how they of understanding, friendship, and fascinating discussions about im- have gradually learned, by trial and trust,” he said. “It opens natural portant subjects that are central to error, to problem solve in their doors of connection and ministry faith. Such was the case in this most own lives. “There were a number of among leaders who might seem far those kind of simple yet profound from the Gospel and difficult to recent event.

Peter Tse (Dartmouth ’84, Har- ‘a-ha’ moments for people.” reach.”

Tse’s message, while not religious vard PhD ’98), professor of psychoAdditionally, Dahlberg noted, logical and brain sciences at Dart- in nature, still spoke to Christians attendees often leave the dinner mouth, posed the question, “What within the group as they discussed with a “keen interest in one anothis neuroscience teaching us about and contemplated God-given hu- er” and a plan to meet for coffee to man freedom. human freedom?” continue the conversation.

“Finding a neurological basis According to Dahlberg, “Peter’s Dahlberg concluded, “Bottom

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line, these discussions display the richness and beauty of our faith and what it claims to be true. [They] show

Christians how much substance there is to our beliefs and experiences of faith, and show non-Christians how

classic biblical teaching speaks to profound, as well as practical matters in our lives.” | cu

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D A R T M OU T H | On Campus

Faith, Reason, and Influence DARTMOUTH APOLOGIA CELEBRATES 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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s students and alumni with ties to The Dartmouth Apologia: A Journal of Christian Thought began celebrating the 10th anniversary of operations, they paused to reflect on the publication’s ever-expanding influence.

In 2006, “we set out to reinvigorate thoughtful discussion about faith on campus, to put faith and reason back together,” said Andrew Schuman ’10, founding editor-in-chief. “We had no idea at the time that so many people – students, faculty, alumni, and staff would join the conversation or that so many other schools would start journals of their own.”

With that as a framework, students involved with the award-winning journal (www.dartmouthapologia.org) began marking the publication’s anniversary in April with a series of events.

Among them, the periodical held a launch party on April 30 to look back at its first decade of issues and to gaze ahead to Apologia’s potential to bolster its impact across Dartmouth College and beyond.

“I’m extremely excited for our new leadership team and our renewed focus on outreach and campus engagement,” said Joshua Tseng-Tham ’17, managing editor.

Alumna Hilary Johnson ’15, who mentors the staff and formerly directed The Eleazar Wheelock Society for Intellectual Discourse, Service and Vocation, noted she is especially proud of the extraordinary efforts throughout the years behind the Apologia’s success. “The journal is all about developing people,” said Johnson.

Likewise, leaders of the Eleazer Wheelock Society also highlighted the founding of the Apologia in 2006 during the organization’s recent conference at Dartmouth. To coincide with the annual Wheelock Conference in late April, Apologia’s editorial team put together a 10th-anniversary issue.

Such efforts served as a poignant reminder for current editors of the publication’s remarkable legacy of teamwork and influence.

“I felt awe because it reminded me that the Apologia is an institution – one with the vitality, longevity and vision that transcends any one leadership group,” said Tseng-Tham.

In spring 2007, undergraduates published the journal’s premier issue to showcase intellectual perspectives reflecting Christianity.

Three springs later, they hosted the first Wheelock Conference to promote robust discourse on issues of

faith, reason, and vocation.

The 2016 conference, which was held on April 23 at Dartmouth, also provided an opportunity for the publication’s staff to highlight their newest leadership team and to mingle with Schuman, a graduate student at Yale University, and former editor-in-chief Peter Blair ’12.

Among his extensive credentials, Schuman helped found the Augustine Collective, a growing, national network of Christian student journals. Likewise, in response to a flurry of queries from students across the nation wanting to launch their own publications, Apologia leaders released The Apologia Toolkit during the fall to provide direction to aspiring editorial teams.

“It’s a pretty exciting year for us,” said Johnson, a fellow within Dartmouth’s engineering school.

“Many student organizations have a challenge of passing along leadership, legacy and heritage... We’re really proud of how we’ve grown.”

Earlier in 2016, students involved with Apologia also staged a formal evening as the precursor to a symbolic year for the journal. The theme for the dinner and dance centered on The Chronicles of Narnia as a nod to the publication’s founding editor-in-chief ’s appreci-

ation of the inspirational nature of the classic novels by English author C.S. Lewis.

For the event, which was held February 20 at the nearby Aquinas House, students created a makeshift wardrobe for their guests to pass through before entering a Narnia-themed wonderland. In the beloved, Christian-themed series, a wardrobe served as a magical portal linking earth and the World of Narnia.

“We picked Narnia because many of the staff had been inspired

by the work of C.S. Lewis, and, indeed, our founding editor-in-chief, Andrew Schuman, credited C.S. Lewis to revitalizing his faith,” said Tseng-Tham. “We felt it apt to make the theme of the formal around Narnia, since that was the book series that really brought C.S. Lewis to secular audiences worldwide.”

Leaders of the Apologia began hosting the formal in recent years on behalf of staff members and Christian communities at Dartmouth. The festivities even feature

swing dancing.

More importantly, during this season of commemoration for the intellectually and spiritually rich journal, student leaders affirmed their commitment to the publication’s core goal of offering a Christian worldview at Dartmouth and beyond.

“In many ways, Apologia has been successful in cultivating a respected image on campus, but there is still ways to go in terms of changing campus discourse,” said TsengTham. | cu

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Celebrating Dr. King’s Legacy A Center for Christian Studies

Cornell Reunion Saturday, June 11

4-5:30pm

Open House 115 The Knoll

7pm

Evening Worship Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel

Reception Anabel Taylor Founders Room

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Dartmouth College commemorated the life and heritage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a two-week long, multi-faith celebration that included the presentation of social justice awards named in the civil rights leader’s honor.

The six awards honored both local and Dartmouth community members who work to contribute to social and environmental justice.

In addition to the awards ceremony, Dartmouth also celebrated Dr. King’s life with a presentation by playwright and actor Rohina Malik and a slam poetry event with young writers.

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H A RVA RD | On Campus

A Transformative Life on the Bench

S C ALIA F O N D LY R E ME MB E R E D AT HARVAR D L AW S C H O O L

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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ollowing the unexpected passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Harvard Law School paused to commemorate the life of its famed, gregarious 1960 alumnus.

In addition to showcasing his extensive legal accomplishments, Dean Martha Minow reflected on Scalia’s personal touches at the iconic law school.

The faculty were “deeply grateful that he returned so often to meet with our students, to judge our moot court competitions, and – as he so loved to do – joust with law professors and students alike,” Minow wrote in a statement issued upon the news of Scalia’s death. “He will be greatly missed.”

The law school plans to continue to honor the justice via its annual Scalia lecture series. “We will honor his legacy in that way and others in the future,” said Minow, Harvard Ed. M. ’76, Yale Law ’79.

The legendary jurist, 79, died on February 13 at a ranch in West Texas, where he had traveled for a weekend retreat.

As a student at Harvard Law School, Scalia served on the Harvard Law Review, which he recalled with fondness during visits to the historic campus.

In turn, the publication called its note editor for volume 73 a “titan of modern American jurisprudence. His brilliant legal mind and forcible prose helped generations of students learn to love legal writing, reasoning, and debate, and his years

as a scholar, public servant, and jurist exemplify a life spent in dedication to the law.”

Likewise, a former managing editor of the Harvard Law Review, Chief Justice John Roberts, hailed

and a scholar who deeply influenced our legal culture.”

Alito, Princeton ’72, Yale Law ’75, also noted Scalia’s “intellect, learning, wit, and memorable writing will be sorely missed.”

Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Princeton ’81, Harvard Law ’86, offered admiration for Scalia’s “brilliance and erudition, his dedication and energy, and his peerless writing.”

Nearly a decade ago, when Harvard Law School hosted Scalia for a celebration of the 20th anniversary of his appointment to the nation’s highest court, Kagan, as dean of the prestigious school, paused to call her future colleague “transformative.”

Princeton University ProfesFellow Supreme Court justices and leaders sor Robert George met Scalia from academia paid tribute to Antonin in 1989 when he went to work Scalia, Harvard Law ’60, after his death in for then-Chief Justice William February.

Rehnquist (Harvard M.A. ’50) as a judicial fellow. his colleague as “an extraordinary As a friend, Scalia was “loyal and individual and jurist, admired and generous, rejoicing in one’s victories treasured by his colleagues.” Roberts, and sharing one’s sorrows in deHarvard ’76, Law ’79, called Scalia’s feats. I can never recall his refusing death a “great loss to the court and any request of mine, whether it was the country he so loyally served.” to lecture as my guest at Princeton, Not surprisingly, Scalia’s sudden host my students for visits to the death triggered a tidal wave of trib- Supreme Court, offer advice, make utes. recommendations — you name it,” Longtime colleague Justice Sam- George said. uel Alito called Scalia a “towering More importantly, as a believfigure who will be remembered as er, Scalia was “humble before Alone of the most important figures mighty God, of whose supreme auin the history of the Supreme Court thority he had not the slightest hint

of doubt. He recognized that he was, like all of us, a sinner in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness.”

George, Harvard Theology ’81, Law ’81, noted Scalia was unashamed of the Gospel. “He refused to hide his faith,” said George, who attended Scalia’s funeral and described it as “deeply prayerful” and “moving.”

Across the country, top news outlets also recalled Scalia for his large personality and tireless crusades for originalism, the theory of constitutional interpretation that seeks to apply the understanding of its drafters.

The New York Times’ account of Scalia’s passage highlighted how his “transformative legal theories, vivid writing, and outsize personality made him a leader of a conservative

intellectual renaissance in his three decades on the Supreme Court.”

With the retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens in June 2010, Scalia became the longest serving member of the current court.

Scalia, who was known to friends as “Nino,” was born in 1936 in Trenton, New Jersey. As an only child, he was showered with attention from his parents and their siblings.

Scalia and his wife Maureen, both devout Catholics, had nine children. At a Harvard lecture in 1989, Scalia once described how quibbles amongst his children shaped some of his legal philosophy, according to the Times.

Earlier, Scalia served as valedictorian of Xavier High School in Manhattan before attending

Georgetown University and graduating magna cum laude from Harvard. President Ronald Reagan appointed Scalia to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1982 and then to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986.

While away from the bench, Scalia enjoyed a variety of activities, including poker, hunting, and opera.

As for George, the longtime Princeton professor said he will cherish how his dear friend and fellow Harvard alumnus “lived in hope, confident in God’s mercy and Christ’s final victory over sin and death.”

Though his death was sudden, Scalia abided in the “sure and certain hope of the resurrection. He was a Jesus man,” George said. | cu

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H A RVA RD | On Campus

Verbum Dei G R A D U AT E S T U D E N T S , YO U N G P R O F E S S I O N A L S E N J O Y S T U D Y G R O U P

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attend mass at St. Paul’s.

“They don’t participate in the Eucharist at mass,” said Angstrom, “but they come to Verbum Dei because they are nourished, body and soul.”

Verbum Dei is not a formal Bible study, nor is it led by the parish priests. Each meeting begins with prayer and welcoming the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide the discussions. According to Angstrom, the absence of a designated leader or a formal study guide is a living testimony to the power of the Holy Spirit and individual gifts and talents bestowed by God. While small church communities are not found in all Catholic

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Binghamton graduate and former member of InterVarsity who wanted to encourage camaraderie and fellowship among his peers at St. Paul’s parish. The gathering started with four people and now consists of roughly 18 members.

Like Angstrom, who works in advertising, some of the members are young professionals who transferred to Boston for careers. Others are American graduate students. A few are international degree seekers at Harvard who hail from countries like Germany and the United Kingdom. Two of the members are affiliated with the Episcopal Church and the Church of England, yet still

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ach Sunday in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a small church community gathers at the Harvard Catholic Center after mass to grow in personal relationships with Jesus Christ through the intimacy and open dialogue of a group study.

Known as Verbum Dei, or Word of God, the group meets to reflect upon the Scriptures read during the mass. Comprised of both Harvard graduate students and young Boston professionals, Verbum Dei offers a forum for addressing the relevancy of the Old and New Testament readings to life and career.

The community was founded in 2012 by Alex Angstrom, a SUNY

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parishes, Angstrom said groups like Verbum Dei help people understand the value of studying God’s Word and what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Further, the small groups encourage fellowship and provide space for dialogue around shared opinions and differences.

For example, Angstrom and his roommate, Oliver Marjot, both participate in Verbum Dei. Marjot is a second-year graduate student from the United Kingdom and a member of the Church of England. Angstrom is Catholic. Despite their different religions and career paths, Verbum Dei has brought them closer through

some prayer and thought, I started going to St Paul’s on Sunday, instead.”

He also found that the wisdom and insights shared in Verbum Dei lined up with what he describes as his “charismatic-evangelic-Anglican background.” Additionally, it revealed a new way of seeing his Catholic brothers and sisters.

“I was very happily shocked when I checked out a copy of the Roman Catholic Catechism from the university library and found just how rich and biblically faithful the theological reflection and teaching in it was,” said Marjot.

Additionally, Marjot’s studies of the classics (specialty in Medieval

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While small church communities are not found in all Catholic parishes, Angstrom said groups like Verbum Dei help people understand the value of studying God’s Word and what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

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knowledge, shared experiences, and enlightened perspectives.

“A big part of my journey with the Lord over the past year-anda-half has been this wonderful discovery of faithful believers and vibrant theological engagement in Christian traditions outside of my own,” said Marjot. “I feel like my eyes have been opened to appreciate the intellectual diversity of the people of God and also to sharply question my own preconceptions that I bring to the Bible.”

Marjot had attended a non-denominational, charismatic church in Cambridge, but wanted “to be challenged by engagement with a different theological tradition; so, after

Latin, general knowledge, and theological insights) have added much to the conversations, said Angstrom.

While Angstrom currently plans to remain in Boston pursuing his career and continuing to guide Verbum Dei, Marjot will return to England after completing his degree. However, the insights, wisdom, and fellowship Verbum Dei provides has ignited a desire within the Englishman to bring his Boston experience home.

“I certainly think that a small group based on Bible study is an essential part of any Christian’s life,” said Marjot. “And I would hope to find and encourage this kind of prayerful group engagement with Scripture, wherever I end up.” | cu

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Buzz about Jeremy Lin As a point guard with the Charlotte Hornets, Jeremy Lin (Harvard ’10) seeks to distribute the ball to teammates and help them elevate their game. As a Christian, he is also seeking to share the Good News and be a powerful witness to the power of the Gospel.

The Christian Post recently highlighted his faith in an article entitled “Jeremy Lin Seeks Prayers for Teammates Who Don’t Believe in God.” In the story, Lin emphasized a desire for the Holy Spirit to “soften the hearts of my non-believing teammates.” He also leads a Bible study with some fellow players.

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Harvard Students Attend Augustine Collective Retreat Staff members of The Harvard Icthus were among the participants at the 8th Annual Augustine Collective Retreat, held in January at Park Street Church in Boston.

Students representing Christian journals on various campuses throughout the United States attended the Augustine Collective Retreat. The keynote speaker was James K. A. Smith, a philosophy professor at Calvin College and the author of several books, including: Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism? and Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation.

P E N N | On Campus

A Faithful Presence at Penn

TENTH COLLEGE FELLOWSHIP INTERN IS A WITNE SS ON C AMPUS

By Rosalie Doerksen, Penn ’17

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sider was difficult, Denney admits.

Initiative and creativity were needed to connect with students and establish a platform for ministry.

Denney has to work to find common ground with students; Hence, his frequent attendance at public lectures.

“I can sit down and listen to a lecture that was legitimately intrigu-

Matt Denney

2016 :: christianunion.org

ing to me. Just by being there, immediately there’s a common interest with the person next to me,” he said.

From there, that common interest jumps into further conversation and a newly established friendship. Spiritual conversations spring from that.

“The academic community is an often taken-for-granted opportunity to be a faithful presence for Christ,” said Denney, who will start a Ph.D. program in Political Science at Yale in the fall.

As a Christian, he has the rare

opportunity to speak into a sensitive part of people’s lives. He admits, however, to an initial struggle over how not to make the Gospel sound like a sales pitch for life insurance.

“I went to a Christian school and a Christian college. So I only learned how to bring up spiritual things with other Christians,” Denney said.

In the past year, he has learned to exercise wisdom, yet also maintain boldness when sharing his faith with non-believers. Denney knows that spiritual needs are important, but so are academic and physical needs, he says.

“I try to establish friendship and then to engage spiritual topics,” he said. “Genuine care demonstrates to people that they’re not just a checklist.”

At one lecture, Denney, true to form, sparked up a conversation with the Penn student sitting next to him.

“When he found out that I was a part of a church, he mentioned his spiritual background,” Denney said. Then he said, ‘Well, tell me about your story’ which, said to a Christian, is such an incredible opportunity.”

Denney was able to share his personal testimony, but was also able to share the greater story of Christ’s redemption of sin.

“Even at a (secular institution) like Penn, there’s a hunger deep inside a lot of people to talk about spiritual matters,” Denney said.” | cu

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ost people who intend to pursue a career in academia do not expect to enter a mission field.

For Matthew Denney, 21, though, the thought of being a professor who is immersed in the life and work of an academic institution is a unique evangelistic opportunity.

Denney, who grew up in a smalltown Michigan family, attended Wheaton College. In his third and final year, Denney was a resident advisor for 24 sophomore men which, at a Christian college like Wheaton, meant he also played the role of a spiritual coach.

“I developed a passion for ministry in the context of college students,” Denney said.

Despite having enjoyed a summer working with the FBI in Chicago, he wavered in his decision to pursue a law degree, and instead accepted an invitation to intern with Tenth College Fellowship (TCF), a ministry of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.

“Being the same age as the people I’m ministering to almost forces me to focus on the philosophy of ministry that I think is right – that is, ministering from the side – people partnering together, shoulder to shoulder, going at life together. I don’t want to frame myself as someone who is leading the charge,” he said.

TCF holds weekly Bible studies on almost every Philadelphia college campus, including at Penn, where Denney is actively involved.

Stepping onto campus as an out-

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P E N N | On Campus

From Miracles to Mindfulness?

PENN CLASS FOCUSES ON SCHOLARSHIP AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

By Rosalie Doerksen, Penn ’17

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n the spring semester, the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies offered a course entitled “From Miracles to Mindfulness: New Perspectives on Religious Experience.”

Steven Weitzmann, professor of religious studies, taught the seminar-style class, which featured discussions and lectures.

studies of religion that give her a well-rounded perspective. The lecture series, she says, enables students to think about religion from an intellectual perspective.

The first four lectures provided various lenses to use for the examination of religion. After that, the speakers focused on approaching

“If you think about the world religions, at the core of many of them, there is some kind of unusual experience.

It might be [the] experience of having seen Jesus resurrected or seeing God in a burning bush... And I realized, even though I have been a scholar of religion for a long time, I don’t know why people have those kinds of experiences.”

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—Professor Steven Weitzmann

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“If you think about the world religions, at the core of many of them, there is some kind of unusual experience. It might be [the] experiences of having seen Jesus resurrected or seeing God in a burning bush or having some kind of cosmic insight into the nature of the universe,” Weitzman told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “And I realized, even though I have been a scholar of religion for a long time, I don’t know why people have those kinds of experiences. So I wanted to see what scholarship today has to say.”

Jane Chen ’16, who attends church regularly, is particularly interested in interdisciplinary

religion from different perspectives: science, history, social science, and literature. Notably, none of the lecturers were Christians.

For Chen, broadening her religious perspectives is simply an extension of what she has always done in college.

“I’m studying chemistry and business with a minor in religious studies,” Chen said. “I think your undergraduate education should be about exposing yourself to different schools of thought.”

Her favorite lecture was the first one of the series. Dr. James Pawelski, director of education and senior scholar in the Positive Psychology

Center at Penn, who also holds an adjunct professorship in the Department of Religious Studies, gave an introduction to the work of psychologist and philosopher William James.

Understanding religious perspectives is useful for understanding human nature, Pawelski emphasized. As an example, in James’ book, The Varieties of Religious Experience, he discusses how Protestants engage in “moral behavior,” but not because they have to – it is a byproduct of their faith.

For students who are not religious, which was a majority of the class, the lectures could help give them a perspective into the lives of their religious friends, Chen says.

Dr. Kevin Nelson, a neurosurgeon and professor of neurology at the University of Kentucky, led a class debate about biological descriptions of religion. When people go through near-death experiences, for example, they all have similar symptoms, such as tunnel vision, a lack of blood flow to the eyes. In neurological studies, scientists used stimulation of temple parietal lobes to cause out-of-body experiences.

The class simultaneously discussed contrasting cultural and religious foundations that could explain those same symptoms.

For Chen, whose Chinese parents know little to nothing about Christianity, viewing religion objectively is a natural tendency. She is also interested in meditation and

yoga, a hallmark of Eastern religious experience.

“I want to understand the differences between Eastern and Western thought. When I look through these different lenses to analyze religious experiences, I can better draw comparisons between the two,” she said.

“Spirituality itself is isolatable, individual, and unexpected, which is why it’s difficult to study sociologically,” said Ken Koltun-Fromm, professor of religion at Haverford College.

Koltun-Fromm delivered a lecture on spirituality and language.

The individuality of spirituality and religious experience protects it from

critique, he emphasized.

In addition, the language used to describe such experiences creates, informs, and authenticates it.

We are used to seeing certain words used in standard religious discourse.

They could be translated into more accessible language.

“But what if words fail to evoke those experiences? Must all religious experience be expressible to count as religious experience?” he asked.

Koltun-Fromm disagreed with Nelson’s viewpoint.

“The scientific study of the brain is not proof of religious experience,” he said. “You can train the brain to react in certain ways. That kind of

training is enculturation.”

Such conflicting perspectives are what made the class frustrating, yet fulfilling, Chen said.

“I think I’ve become more critical, but I am able to distinguish better between my intellect and my spirituality/feelings,” said Chen. “So I realize there are all these contradictions and ways to look at things, but I also have learned that religious feelings are just as important as rational thought/logic in one’s faith.”

“College students can do well to think more about what spirituality is and what religion is. It gives you more perspective on thinking about the meanings and consequences of your actions.” | cu

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Full Measure Celebrates Anniversary

Fusion Prayer Meetings

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Penn for Jesus, under the auspices of Campus Renewal, held weekly Fusion Prayer Meetings from February through

April. The strategic prayer meetings, held for one hour each week for student leaders of various campus ministries, focused on evangelism, unity of Christians at Penn, and impacting the campus with the Gospel. Penn for Jesus (www.pennforjesus.org), an umbrella organization, seeks to “be a catalyst to mobilize the whole body of Christ at Penn to reach the whole campus with the whole Gospel to redeem and transform the Penn community upon a foundation of unity and prayer.”

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Full Measure, a Christian a cappella group at the University of Pennsylvania, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

On April 9, a reception was held to bring together current

and former members of the group “to promote unity across generations.” The reception also served to inform alumni of how God has been moving at Penn during the past years and to encourage support of Full Measure’s ministry on campus.

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PR I N C E T O N | On Campus

Searching for Home

S E M I N A R Y P R E S I D E N T S P E A K S AT M A N N A E V E N T

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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As for Grandfather Barnes, “no s young believers forge their nourishment are crucial for develbudding identities in a society oping a healthy self-concept and one asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up,” Craig Barnes lacking in traditional roles and frame- spiritual grounding. works, they should focus on Christ’s In 2013, Barnes took over the said. While plowing acres of the immoveable purposes. helm of Princeton Theological dirt that made North Carolina’s coastal plain famous Craig Barnes, presifor tobacco, “it never dent of Princeton Theooccurred to him to ask logical Seminary, ofif that’s what he wanted fered that perspective to do,” Barnes said. on February 12 when “Mission and identihe met with Princeton ty came to him as an inUniversity students over heritance,” said Barnes, lunch during a lecture noting such concepts sponsored by Manna were distinctly disconChristian Fellowship nected from any notion (manna.princeton.edu). of fulfillment.

The subject of beThroughout history, longing has been close communities and famto Barnes’ heart for ilies essentially defined more than a decade a person and provided since the former pastor During an appearance at Manna Christian Fellowship, the an overwhelming sense penned Searching for president of Princeton Theological Seminary told Princeton of identity, even if disHome: Spirituality for University students to focus on Christ’s purposes as they liked.

Restless Souls. Essential- navigate the challenges of developing an identity.

A confluence of soly, Barnes wants young ciological factors began adults to know they can become pilgrims who actively base Seminary, where he earned a mas- ushering major shifts for the emergtheir sense of home around God, ter of divinity in 1981. The prolific ing adults of his father’s generation, rather than becoming transient no- author and New York native also se- Barnes noted. Namely, World mads. cured a doctorate in church history War II and its ensuing draft swept During his appearance at Mc- from the University of Chicago in thousands of young men off the nation’s farmlands. Later, the G.I. Cosh Hall, entitled The Meaning 1992. of Life: Achieving a Life or Receiving To explain the backstory behind bill allowed them to attend college, One, Barnes explained the modern his core concepts, Barnes took the helping to fuel growth in higher edtrend toward a so-called “self-con- students on a journey through his ucation.

Also following World War II, structed life” and some of the re- family’s history, which is deeply sulting issues with personal identity rooted in eastern North Carolina. multinational corporations opened and mission.

Namely, six generations of Barnes’ plants and other facilities that For believers forging a path in a ancestors, culminating with his spawned a surge of construction of transient, fast-paced world, Barnes grandparents, centered their lives sprawling suburbs.

Simultaneously, industrial and noted how worship and spiritual around a tobacco farm in Tarboro.

corporate opportunities played a role in luring young families from ethnic, urban enclaves, which, like their agrarian counterparts, provided a robust sense of collective identity.

Going home for the holidays meant piling into the station wagon and returning to the family farm or heavily immigrant community of origin. Despite relocating to the suburbs, young families maintained a sense of their roots.

After all, “home is a place of sanctuary, safety, and care,” Barnes said.

In contrast, contemporary emerging adults often lack a similar sense of home or strong compulsion to return to the communities of their formative years, Barnes said.

Instead of a geographic commitment, young professionals have a plethora of options as they attempt to construct an identity in a world of traditional anchors.

Today, youths graduate from high school with a societal mandate to go forth into the world and find their identity. As such, for the last two or so generations, young adults have faced the challenges of constructing their identities while also discovering themselves.

The culmination of such efforts can result in anxiety, especially given the dizzying pace of their ever complex, cyber-driven world.

“It’s all a la carte resources. You just go down the line and try. You’re on your own to self-construct who you want to be,” Barnes said.

Not surprisingly, emerging adults are “big on choice,” Barnes said. But, “because there is no sense of belonging, there is a lot of confusion.”

During his time as a pastor, Barnes watched driven individuals dart between metropolises, jobs,

and circles of friends, often lacking a bigger view of their life story and any sense of inheritance, he said.

Nonetheless, young believers do not need to feel rudderless as they forge ahead, even along an uncharted course.

When Christ issued the Great Commission, He did so with purpose. With that, Christians should remember there is “one organizing principle to my journey,” Barnes said.

For today’s generation of youthful believers, the challenge is to turn nomads into pilgrims. “The biblical goal of the New Testament is you stay on the move, but with purpose,” he said.

As such, Christians need to look to their Savior for an infusion of direction and destiny.

“You have a creator,” Barnes said.

“We have a whole new life in Christ.

We take on His identity.” | cu

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PR I N C E T O N | On Campus

Inventing American Religion?

P R I N C E T O N P R O F E S S O R Q U E S T I O N S VA L I D I T Y O F P O LL S

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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to reality checks.

“We should question, too, the religious findings pollsters have announced so confidently… Because elections actually happen, those polls can be criticized in terms of whether they made correct predictions,” Wuthnow wrote in his September commentary for First Things. Often, “religion does not provide the same benchmarks for recalibration.”

Today, 1,200-plus polling firms generate more than $1 billion

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of the issues associated with the overall and technical credibility of polling faith matters.

Given some of the mounting challenges of the polling industry, including the steep decline in responses to telephone surveys, Wuthnow questioned how much polls should play a role in characterizing America’s complex spiritual climate.

Likewise, religious polls are not the same species as political polls and do not lend themselves as easily

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Princeton University professor is generating headlines as he questions whether the polling industry provides a credible portrait of America’s faith landscape.

Robert Wuthnow delved heavily into the subject in his latest book, Inventing American Religion: Polls, Surveys, and the Tenuous Quest for a Nation’s Faith (Oxford University Press).

Likewise, the longtime Princeton sociologist penned a related article for First Things, probing some

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per year in revenues, according to Wuthnow, who joined Princeton’s faculty in 1976 and also serves as the director of the university’s Center for the Study of Religion.

Wuthnow’s book also captures the history of religious polling, including how George Gallup started taking surveys about faith in 1939 from his Princeton, New Jersey-based firm.

Today, however, contemporary pollsters feed a steady stream of statistics to media organizations that offer an often unchallenged voice in defining the country’s spiritual landscape. Such outlets “readily disseminate the information and offer airtime to prominent pollsters who speak authoritatively about the shape and trajectory of American religion,” Wuthnow posited for First Things.

However, “polling has taught us to think about religion in certain ways that happen to be convenient for conducting polls.” While the results suggest trends, they “rarely provide opportunities to hear what people actually think.”

Most religious polls depend on a single methodology, not upon multiple approaches or keen knowledge of core beliefs and teachings. More importantly, poll success is tied to willing respondents. This is a problem because response rates have plummeted as people have become unreachable or unwilling to participate, Wuthnow noted. Polls reflect what the cooperating American public says, rather than the views of the un-surveyed population.

As such, reports proclaiming the “collapse” of Christianity sometimes dominate headlines. However, polling participation can vary

widely, and readers need to know how such differentials may skew the results, said Wuthnow.

Likewise, Wuthnow’s data suggests about 90 million American adults attend services each week.

Others congregate several times per month, meaning that, most weeks, as many as 100 million people convene at worship houses.

In contrast, academic surveys, which aim for sizeable response rates and utilize finely tuned questions, suggest such estimates of weekly church participation are off base by about 30 million. “If political polling were off by that much, it would be scandalous,” Wuthnow wrote for First Things.

In response, pollsters are quick to blame respondents for stretching the truth and, essentially, wanting to appear more religious than they are.

In related news, Wuthnow also addressed questions about the rise of the so-called “nones,” people who purport to lack religious affiliation, during an interview with Religious Dispatches.

In September, Wuthnow told the online magazine that 90 percent of the individuals labeled as “nones” actually assert belief in God. “Many of them occasionally attend religious services; hardly any of them identify clearly as atheist,” Wuthnow said.

Likewise, some of the individuals actually identify as spiritual, but not religious.

Of key importance to campus ministries, Wuthnow noted individuals tend to change their minds with some frequency. “That seems to occur especially with people who are identified as ‘nones.’ One paper

identifies at least half of the ‘nones’ as ‘liminals,’ people who are trying to decide, on the cusp of making up their minds,” Wuthnow said.

In response to Wuthnow’s lengthy essay for First Things and a flurry of media reports on his newest book, pollsters with Pew Research Center countered that declining response rates do not make polls meaningless.

Still, Wuthnow urged caution when interpreting statistics aimed at providing a snapshot of America’s dynamic spiritual climate.

“From the beginning, polling was in the business to make headlines, and that is pretty much what it continues to do today,” Wuthnow said. | cu

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Women’s Wellness Conference On February 26, undergraduates and staff from Princeton University ministries convened at Whig Hall for the annual Women’s Wellness Conference. This year’s event, entitled Being Made New: Transforming our Ambitions for Life and Relationships, included music and teaching, followed by food and fellowship.

Manna Christian Fellowship (manna.mycpanel.princeton. edu) co-sponsored the two-hour session along with Athletes in Action (princeton.edu/~aia), Princeton Evangelical Fellowship (pef.mycpanel.princeton.edu), and Princeton Faith and Action (pfanda.com).

YA L E | On Campus

A Special Kitchen on Campus S T. T H O M A S M O R E C H A P E L S E R V E S T H E P O O R

By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer

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ust outside the gates of Yale, families of four live on less than $24,000 per year. That’s less than students pay in tuition for just one semester. While it can’t change the economic conditions in New Haven, Connecticut, one local organization is working to ease the hunger of the poor by running an on-campus soup kitchen.

For 32 years, the soup kitchen sponsored by Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center has served its neighbors. Operated by students, chapel staff, and community volunteers, the kitchen collects unused food from campus dining facilities to fill the stomachs and fuel the hope of those in need.

Inspired by Matthew 25:35-40, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…,” Ellen Jewett ’16 said seeing the dignity of each person is what it means to live like Jesus Christ.

a way to answer the Gospel’s challenge to feed the hungry.”

Up to 250 people visit each Wednesday. Some are homeless, but many are working poor. “The soup kitchen numbers are higher at the end of every month when food stamps run out,” said Jewett ’16, who admits that it is particularly hard to see children go through the line.

Jewett, a peer liaison with the University Chaplain’s Office, began serving others as a young girl in Portland, Oregon, where she worked with Catholic Charities and was encouraged by her parents to stay active in community service. Her job at the kitchen is to make the soup from scratch, and it takes about an hour to prepare. Additionally, she serves on the hot food line. Some guests she knows by name, others she gets to know in different ways.

For example, Jewett served a “lovely older Spanish woman,” who didn’t speak English and who didn’t

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know what was in one of the dishes.

Using the language skills she knows as a French major, Jewett was able to put enough words together to explain that the dish was applesauce— the woman’s favorite. “She was so ex-

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The kitchen is open every Wednesday for lunch at the Catholic Center dining hall. According to Assistant Chaplain Katie Byrnes, the locale gives students “an opportunity to serve without leaving campus and

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—Matthew 25:35-40

cited and her face lit up,” said Jewett.

Greg Pfeiffer, pastoral intern at Saint Thomas More, also sees caring for the poor as an extension of his faith. Pfeiffer, who is working toward a Masters in Public Health from Yale and a Masters of Arts in Religion from the Yale Divinity School, gets up at 7:30 a.m. on his day off from classes to volunteer at the kitchen.

“I spend a lot of time in the classroom exploring theological notions of justice and discussing solidarity with the poor,” said Pfeiffer. “I realized that while there were a lot of important conversations, I needed to stop talking about solidarity with the poor and actually live it.”

Pfeiffer, who has been impacted by Catholic social teaching,

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“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…”

Ellen Jewett ’16, a peer liaison with the University Chaplain’s Office, enjoys serving at the Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center’s soup kitchen.

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works wherever he is needed at the soup kitchen, including greeting.

“It seems many guests aren’t what you’d stereotypically think of the homeless. They’re people who were living paycheck to paycheck and hit a stroke of bad luck and need a little support until they can turn things around,” he said.

Even a Yale education wasn’t enough to put food on the table for one guest.

“He told me that many years ago, he studied at the Divinity School

and Margaret Farley, arguably one of the biggest names in the school’s history, was his thesis advisor,” said Pfeiffer. “This was pretty surprising.

Even someone with a graduate degree from Yale and a famous mentor could find themselves in this position. This went a long way toward breaking down stereotypes for me.”

“Every person has inherent worth,” said Jewett.

Pfeiffer adds, “We shouldn’t be pushing the university to get rid of them or hide them, but we should

be asking what Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital can do to lift them up. I think history shows us that if you can change student attitudes, you can change university attitudes.”

These volunteers hope one day to see a change in the community around them. “One thing we say about the soup kitchen is that we pray it reaches everyone who needs it, and we pray that it will close,” said Jewett. “We hope to live in a world where there is no poverty.” | cu

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YA L E | On Campus

A Renewed Witness THE YALE LO G O S R E S U M E S P U B L I C AT I O N

By Luke Foster, Columbia ’15

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he Yale Logos is an undergraduate the reborn publication. He is proud journal of Christian thought, a of having published two issues this member of the burgeoning Augus- academic year, one on the place tine Collective network of campus of reason in discovering the truth publications. The Logos avows an intention to be “relevant, accessible, and engaging” to the campus, aiming to publish issues consisting of a battery of approaches to a central theme of the Christian tradition that is also salient to the culture at large.

Yet, since a Fall 2013 issue on romance, The Logos went The staff at The Yale Logos. moribund for two years due to the high leadership turnover endemic to about revelation, and another on student organizations. Pedro En- the nature of justice. amorado ’17, a history major from Enamorado, a member of Yale Miami, is the new editor-in-chief of Faith and Action (http://yalefaith

andaction.org), is even prouder of putting together a diverse team, drawing key members from across Yale’s ministries. After bonding and training sessions and a retreat, he testifies that the group has shifted from seeing themselves as a “confederacy of people with only a common goal” to servants working together “for the sake of others.” He sees the journal as both a vehicle for outreach to non-Christians and a means of deepening the capacity of his team to reflect on their faith. Leadership is as much about recruiting and discipling younger teammates, as it is about ensuring editorial excellence.

Dinnie Ee, a sophomore and contributor to both of The Logos’ recent issues, is a member of Yale Students for Christ (www.yalestudentsforchrist.org). She describes the crucial formation in Christian character that working with the editorial team has given her: “My experience in Logos has also helped me learn to submit to the editorial choices of my fellow believers, which teaches me to trust the judgments of others, submit to them, and to prefer others above myself in times of disagreement in opinion.”

The discipline to eliminate Christian insider-speak and present the faith accessibly in print has translated to her everyday conversations, too: “I am not advertising a particular theological doctrine or a set of

fancy statements; I am sharing the person of Christ.”

New Zealander Keniel Yao ’19, a member of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship (www.xayale.com) and business manager of The Logos, has appreciated the deeply inter-ministry quality of the journal. He describes Logos as a “radical, yet unassuming idea…a platform for members of different ministries to work together as the body of Christ to combine their intellectual and spiritual capabilities into a resource for edifying and evangelizing” that reminds Christians of their unity and reminds the university as a whole that biblical ideas are vital to academic inquiry.

Though he is aware that many secular people at Yale see Christian-

ity as a relic, or even as an oppressive force, Yao reflects that the Logos has “motivated me to consider how my life reflects the person of Jesus in a modern world,” and taught him a deeper compassion for non-Christian Yalies. He and the team as a whole constantly ask, “What are the needs of our fellow students and how might Christian thought and ultimately, Jesus Christ, respond to heal them?”

The Logos team’s profound intellectual honesty is coupled with a profound faith that Christ has the answers to every question they can bring to Him. At a campus as visible as Yale, the journal’s leaders are wellplaced to shape the conversation between Christ and culture at large. | cu

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At the Harvard game, students wore the organization’s iconic, bright-orange Team Sober shirts and hosted an after party that provided a festive environment without the influence of alcohol.

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Team Sober, a student organization at Yale, held an “Orange Out” event in February when the Bulldogs played rival Harvard. The organization, founded by Yale basketball players Javier Duren ’15 and Brandon Sherrod ’16, seeks to promote “a safe and sober campus.” Both players were leaders with Christian Union’s ministry at Yale. Sherrod was a key player on this year’s Ivy League Championship team that beat Baylor in the NCAA tournament before losing to Duke in the second round.

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Several campus ministries came together this spring to sponsor a lecture by Lecrae, a popular hip-hop artist who uses music to communicate Christ-themed messages. The event, held on April 28, included a 45-minute presentation about faith and culture by Lecrae and Gospel presentations by students. The title of the event was “Knowledge Through Narrative: Bridging the Racial Divide in America.” The lecture was sponsored, in part, by a Christian Union grant.

2016

Team Sober Hosts ‘Orange Out’

spring

Ministries Host Lecrae Lecture

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pa rt ing shot

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The Princeton University Chapel

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Through your generous giving, Christian leaders are being developed to change culture.

Jeffrey Arango

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