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c o v e r p h o t o : Julian Nunally (left) and Daniel Yue, members of Christian Union’s leadership development ministry at Harvard.
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“Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved.” (1 Thess. 2:15. 16a)
T What hope is there for anyone, except for what God has provided through the Savior of the world?
Yours in Christ, summer
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he Apostle Paul writes to Christians in Thessalonica, giving them perspective on the centrality of the Gospel for mankind. He points the finger at those “hindering” the spread of the Gospel, and declares that they are not only displeasing God, but that they are in opposition to “all mankind.” Because the only hope for humanity is forgiveness through Christ and reconciliation to God, anything that obstructs that possibility is to be gravely regarded. What hope is there for anyone, except for what God has provided through the Savior of the world? No amount of self-effort or any other religion can pave the way for restoration of humanity except for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To hinder the spread of the glorious Gospel is obviously displeasing to God, who made an incredible sacrifice through His Son in order that it would be effectual. Hindering the spread of the Gospel is working against God, who desires all people to be saved through its power. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is humanity’s only hope for restoration in every sense of the word. Hindering this message brings more harm to people than anything else one could imagine. When businesses, governments, media outlets, and educational institutions
hinder or sabotage the Gospel message, how is a Christian to respond? Of course, we should never respond in hatred or revenge; but neither should we respond passively. At a minimum, efforts to obstruct or hinder the Gospel should be identified for what they are: 1) displeasing to God and 2) harmful and in opposition to all mankind. Additionally, it may be appropriate to take strategic action, led by the Spirit of God, to remove obstructions to the spread of the only teaching that can restore humanity. This takes courage, wisdom, perseverance, and faith, and, unfortunately, sometimes entails fellow Christians telling you not to make a fuss over it all. However, we all must answer the question for ourselves on whether we are to obey God or man. As we engage our culture, we can be confident that God is with us, loves us, and will lead us as we submit our lives to Him.
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feature section :: summer 2015 Influencing Government for Good / 6 Religious Freedom at Risk / 10 Q and A with Robert George / 12
Christians, Government, and Religious Freedom You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (matthew 5:13-16) summer
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In this special section, Christian Union: The Magazine presents commentaries by theologian Wayne Grudem and author Ryan Anderson that call Christians to be salt and light and positively impact culture and public policy. The third article, a Q and A with Princeton professor Robert George, examines religious freedom in the United States and abroad.
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feature section | government and religious freedom
Influencing Government for Good by wayne grudem
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believe that Christians should seek to influence civil government according to God’s moral standards and God’s purposes for government as revealed in the Bible (when rightly understood). But while Christians exercise this influence, they must simultaneously insist on protecting freedom of religion for all citizens, a right that is rightfully embedded in our First Amendment.
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1. Old Testament support for significant Christian influence The Bible shows several examples of believers in God who influenced secular governments. For instance, the Jewish prophet Daniel exercised a strong influence on the secular government in Babylon. Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar: Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity (Dan. 4:27). Daniel’s approach is bold and clear. It is the opposite of a modern, multicultural approach that might say something like this: O King Nebuchadnezzar, I am a Jewish prophet, but I would not presume to impose my Jewish moral standards on your Babylonian kingdom. Ask your astronomers and your soothsayers! They will guide you in your own traditions. Then follow your own heart! It would not be my place to speak to you about right and wrong. No, Daniel boldly told the king, “Break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to
the oppressed.” At that time, Daniel was a high official in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. He was “ruler over the whole province of Babylon” and “chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon” (Dan. 2:48). He was regularly “at the king’s court” (v. 49). Therefore, it seems that Daniel had a significant advisory role to the king. This leads to a reasonable assumption that, though it is not specified in the text, Daniel’s summary statement
about “sins” and “iniquities” and “showing mercy to the oppressed” (Dan. 4:27) was followed by a longer conversation in which Daniel named specific policies and actions of the king that were either good or evil in the eyes of God. The counsel that Jeremiah proclaimed to the Jewish exiles in Babylon also supports
the idea of believers having influence on laws and government. Jeremiah told these exiles, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer. 29:7). But if believers are to seek to bring good to such a pagan society, that must include seeking to bring good to its government (as Daniel did). The true “welfare” of such a city will be advanced through governmental laws and policies that are consistent with God’s teaching in the Bible, not by those that are contrary to the Bible’s teachings. Other believers in God also had high positions of governmental influence in non-Jewish nations. Joseph was the highest official after Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and had great influence in the decisions of Pharaoh (see Gen. 41:37-45; 42:6; 45:8-9, 26). Later, Moses boldly stood before the Pharaoh and demanded freedom for the people of Israel, saying, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go’” (Exod. 8:1). Nehemiah was “cupbearer to the king” (Neh. 1:11), a position of high responsibility before King Artaxerxes of Persia. Mordecai “was second in rank to King Ahasuerus” of Persia (Esth. 10:3; see also 9:4). Queen Esther also had significant influence on the decisions of Ahasuerus (see Esth. 5:1-8; 7:1-6; 8:3-13; 9:12-15, 29-32). In addition, there are several passages in the Old Testament that address the sins of foreign nations around Israel: see Isaiah 13-23; Ezekiel 25-32; Amos 1-2; Obadiah (addressed to Edom); Jonah (sent to Nineveh); Nahum (addressed to Nineveh); Habakkuk 2; Zephaniah 2. These prophets could speak to nations outside of Israel because the God who is revealed in the Bible is the God of all
moral standards of right and wrong and the ways in which Felix, as an official of the Roman Empire, had obligations to live up to the standards that are given by God. Paul no doubt told Felix that he would be accountable for his actions at “the coming judgment” and that this was what led Felix to be “alarmed.” When Luke tells us that Paul “reasoned” with Felix about these things, the word (Greek dialegomai) indicates a back-and-forth conversation or discussion. It is not difficult to suppose that
peoples and all nations of the earth. Therefore, the moral standards of God as revealed in the Bible are the moral standards to which God will hold all people accountable. This includes more than the way people conduct themselves in their marriages and families, in their neighborhoods and schools, and in their jobs and businesses. It also concerns the way people conduct themselves in government offices. Believers have a responsibility to bear witness to the moral standards of the Bible by which God will hold all people accountable, including those people in public office.
him for all of them. He boldly spoke to officials of the empire about the moral right and wrong of their governmental policies. In doing this, John was following in the steps of Daniel and many Old Testament prophets. The New Testament portrays John the Baptist’s actions as those of “a righteous and holy man” (Mark 6:20). He is an excellent example of a believer who had what I call “significant influence” on the policies of a government (though it cost him his life: see Mark 6:21-29).
2. New Testament support for significant Christian influence A New Testament example of influence on government is found in the life of John the Baptist. During his lifetime, the ruler of Galilee (from 4 BC to AD 39) was Herod Antipas, a “tetrarch” who had been appointed by the Roman emperor and was subject to the authority of the Roman Empire. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that John the Baptist rebuked Herod for a specific personal sin in his life: For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Phillip’s wife, because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her” (Matt. 14:3-4). But Luke’s Gospel adds more detail: [John the Baptist] preached good news to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison (Luke 3:18-20). Certainly “all the evil things that Herod had done” included evil actions that he had carried out as a governing official in the Roman Empire. John the Baptist rebuked
are not minor or confined to obscure portions of the Bible, but
Clearly, examples of godly believers’ influence on governments are found in Old Testament history from Genesis all the way to Esther (the last historical book), in the canonical writing prophets from Isaiah to Zephaniah, and in the New Testament in both the Gospels and Acts.
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Felix asked Paul, “What about this decision that I made? What about this policy? What about this ruling?” It would be an artificial restriction on the meaning of the text to suppose that Paul only spoke with Felix about his “private” life and not about his actions as a Roman governor. Paul is thus another example of attempting to exercise “significant Christian influence” on civil government. Clearly, examples of godly believers’ influence on governments are not minor or confined to obscure portions of the Bible, but are found in Old Testament history from Genesis all the way to Esther (the last historical book), in the canonical writing prophets from Isaiah to Zephaniah, and in the New Testament in both the Gospels and Acts. And those are just the examples of
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Another example is the apostle Paul. While Paul was in prison in Caesarea, he stood trial before the Roman governor Felix. Here is what happened: After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you” (Acts 24:24-25). While Luke does not give us any more details, the fact that Felix was “alarmed” and that Paul reasoned with him about “righteousness” and “the coming judgment” indicates that Paul was talking about
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God’s servants bringing “significant influence” to pagan kings who gave no allegiance to the God of Israel or to Jesus in the New Testament times. If we add to this list the many stories of Old Testament prophets bringing counsel and encouragement and rebuke to the good and evil kings of Israel as well, then we would include the histories of all the kings and the writings of all the prophets—nearly every book of the Old Testament. And we could add in several passages from Psalms and Proverbs that speak of good and evil rulers. Influencing government for good on the basis of the wisdom found in God’s own words is a theme that runs through the entire Bible.
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3. Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 In addition to these examples, specific Bible passages that teach about government present an argument for “significant Christian influence.” Why do we think God put Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-14 and other related passages (as in Psalms and Proverbs) in the Bible? Are they in the Bible simply as a matter of intellectual curiosity for Christians who will read them privately, but never use them to speak to government officials about how God understands their roles and responsibilities? Does God intend this material to be concealed from people in government and kept secret by Christians who read it and silently moan about “how far government has strayed from what God wants it to be”? Certainly, God put such passages there not only to inform Christians about how they should relate to civil government, but also in order that people with governmental responsibilities could know what God Himself expects from them. This also pertains to other passages in the Bible that instruct us about God’s moral standards, about the nature and purpose of human beings made in God’s image, about God’s purposes for the earth, and about principles concerning
good and bad governments. All of these teachings are relevant for those who serve in governmental office, and we should speak and teach about them when we have opportunity to do so. 4. The responsibility of citizens in a democracy to understand the Bible’s teaching There is still another argument for “significant Christian influence” on government that applies to anyone who lives in a democracy, because in a democracy, a significant portion of the ruling power of government is entrusted to the citizens, generally, through the ballot box. Therefore, all citizens who are old enough to vote have a responsibility before God to know what God expects of civil government and what kind of moral and legal standards He wants government to follow. But how can citizens learn what kind of government God is seeking? They can learn this only if churches teach about government and politics from the Bible. I realize that pastors will differ in the degree of detail they wish to teach with regard to specific political issues facing a nation (for example, whether to teach about issues such as abortion, euthanasia, care for the poor, the military and national defense, use and care of the environment, or the nature of marriage). But surely it is a responsibility of pastors to teach on some of these specific policies in ways that go beyond the mere statement, “You have a responsibility to vote intelligently.” After all, who else is going to teach these Christians about exactly how the Bible applies to specific political issues? Would pastors think it right to leave their congregations with such vague guidance in other areas of life? Would we say, “You have a responsibility to bring up your children according to Christian principles,” and then never explain to them what those Christian
principles are? Would we think it right to say to people in the business world, “You have a responsibility to work in the business world according to Christian principles,” and then never give them any details about what these Christian principles are? No, the responsibility of pastors is to give wise biblical teaching, explaining exactly how the teachings of the Bible apply to various specific situations in life, and that should certainly include instruction about some policy matters in government and politics. 5. Christians have influenced governments positively throughout history Historian Alvin Schmidt points out how the spread of Christianity and Christian influence on government was primarily responsible for outlawing infanticide, child abandonment, and abortion in the Roman Empire (in AD 374); outlawing the brutal battles-to-the-death in which thousands of gladiators had died (in 404); granting of property rights and other protections to women; banning polygamy (which is still practiced in some Muslim nations today); prohibiting the burning alive of widows in India (in 1829); outlawing the painful and crippling practice of binding young women’s feet in China (in 1912); persuading government officials to begin a system of public schools in Germany (in the sixteenth century); and advancing the idea of compulsory education of all children in a number of European countries. During the history of the church, Christians had a decisive influence in opposing and often abolishing slavery in the Roman Empire, in Ireland, and in most of Europe (though Schmidt frankly notes that a minority of “erring” Christian teachers have supported slavery in various centuries). In England, William Wilberforce, a devout Christian, led the successful effort to abolish the slave trade and then slavery itself throughout the British Empire by 1840.
and small, have had significant impact for good on laws and governments around the world. When I look over that list of changes in governments and laws that Christians incited, I think God did call the church and thousands of Christians within the church to work to bring about these momentous improvements in human society throughout the world. Or should we say that Christians who brought about these changes were not doing so out of obedience to God? That these changes made no difference to God? This cannot be true.
In England, William Wilberforce, a devout Christian, led the successful effort to abolish the slave
alized that if they could influence laws and governments for good, they would be obeying the command of their Lord, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). They influenced governments for good because they knew that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). This article is adapted from Wayne Grudem’s book, Politics – According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010). Wayne Grudem is research professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. He received a B.A. from Harvard University (’70), an M.Div. and a D.D. from Westminster Seminary, Philadelphia, and a Ph.D. (in New Testament) from the University of Cambridge, England. | cu
trade and then slavery itself throughout the British Empire by 1840.
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I believe those changes listed above were important to the God who declares, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24). God cares how people treat one another here on earth, and these changes in government listed above do have eternal value in God’s sight. If the Christian church had adopted a position that said the church should “do evangelism, not politics” throughout its history, it would never have brought about these immeasurably valuable changes among the nations of the world. But these changes did happen because Christians re-
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In the United States, though there were vocal defenders of slavery among Christians in the South, they lost the argument, and they were vastly outnumbered by the many Christians who were ardent abolitionists, speaking, writing, and agitating constantly for the abolition of slavery in the United States. Schmidt notes that two-thirds of the American abolitionists in the mid-1830s were Christian clergymen who were preaching “politics” from the pulpit, saying that slavery should be abolished. The American civil rights movement that resulted in the outlawing of racial segregation and discrimination was led by Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist pastor, and supported by many Christian churches and groups. There was also strong influence from Christian ideas and influential Christians in the formulation of the Magna Carta in England (1215) and of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Constitution (1787) in the United States. These are three of the most significant documents in the history of governments on earth, and all three show the marks of significant Christian influence in the foundational ideas of how governments should function. These foundations for British and American government did not come about as a result of the “do evangelism, not politics” view. Schmidt also argues that several specific components of modern views of government had strong Christian influence in their origin and influence, such as individual human rights, individual freedom, the equality of individuals before the law, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. As for the present time, the late Charles Colson’s insightful book, God and Government (previously published as Kingdoms in Conflict), reports dozens of encouraging narratives of courageous, real-life Christians who in recent years, in causes large
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feature section | government and religious freedom
Religious Freedom at Risk
Three Historical Developments That Explain How We Got Here by ryan t. anderson
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n recent political memory, religious liberty was a value that brought together conservatives, libertarians, and progressives. As recently as 1993, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act was passed by a nearly unanimous Congress and signed by a Democratic president. Today, the same value is a political liability. Bakers, photographers, and florists are being ruined, adoption agencies shuttered, and schools threatened with loss of accreditation and nonprofit status. So what happened? Why is religious liberty now losing so much ground? As I explain in my just-released book, Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom, three historical developments explain our current predicament: a change in the scope of our government, a change in our sexual values, and a change in our political leaders’ vision of religious liberty. An adequate response will need to address each of these changes. First, government has changed. The progressive movement gave us the administrative state. Limited government and the rule of law were replaced by the nearly unlimited reach of technocrats in governmental agencies. As government assumes responsibility for more areas of life, the likelihood of its infringing on religious liberty increases. Why should government be telling bakers and florists which weddings to serve in the first place? Why should it tell charities and religious schools how to operate and which values to teach? Only a swollen sense of unaccountable government authority can explain these changes. Second, sexual values have changed. At the time of the American Revolu-
tion, religion and liberty were so closely linked that Thomas Jefferson could affirm, “The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.” Meanwhile, his French contemporary Denis Diderot, expressing sentiments that would culminate in a very different revolution, declared that man “will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.” In our own time, however, the sexual revolution has shattered the American synthesis of faith and freedom, setting religion at odds with “liberty”—or more accurately, license. Now bakers, florists, adoption agencies, and schools that uphold what Americans have always believed about marriage find themselves at odds with the law. Third, religious liberty has changed. Our Constitution protects the natural right to the free exercise of religion. But some are trying to drastically narrow that right by redefining it as the mere “freedom of worship.” If they succeed, the robust religious freedom that made American civil society the envy of the world will be reduced to Sunday morning piety confined within the four walls of a chapel. They have even gone so far as to rewrite the U.S. immigration exam to say that the First Amendment protects “freedom of worship,” rather than the “free exercise of religion.” True religious liberty entails the freedom to live consistently with one’s beliefs seven days a week—in the chapel, in the marketplace, and in the public square. These three changes represent a rejec-
tion of the American Founding. Progressive politics and a radical view of human sexuality are combining to coerce compliance at the expense of a bedrock human right. And of course, much of this has been enabled by judicial activism, as in Obergefell v. Hodges. So how do we fight against this onslaught? We start by fighting for courts to interpret and apply our laws fairly. Without a sound judiciary, no amount of public debate can ensure sound policy on issues like marriage and religious liberty, for the courts will always be able to refashion or discard what the people (through their representatives) have achieved. This is why the work of groups such as the Federalist Society, which opposes such judicial activism, is so important. Outside the courtroom, our best strategy for fighting governmental overreach is to fight for more limited government. The less power government has, the less room there is for abuses of power. The alliance between social and economic conservatives is not just a marriage of convenience. They share important principles, and they face a common enemy—the expansion of government beyond its proper scope. This is why the work of an organization such as the Heritage Foundation, which opposes ever-expanding government, is so important. Limited government and religious liberty are best served when human laws reflect the “laws of nature and of nature’s God,” as the Declaration of Indepen-
So the three steps that have undone core elements of the American Founding—progressive government and the administrative state, the sexual revolution’s elevation of desire, and the whittling of religious free exercise down to the freedom to worship—all need to be countered. Political organizations, religious and civic organizations, and legal organizations will have to play their roles
Why should government be telling bakers and florists which weddings to serve in the first place? Why should it tell charities and religious schools how to operate and which values to teach? Only a swollen sense of unaccountable government authority can explain these changes.
:: christianunion.org
ryan t. anderson is the William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation and author of the just-released book, Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom, from which this essay is adapted.
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in empowering the citizenry to reclaim their government and culture. I offer a roadmap for these groups to follow in Truth Overruled. Without a return to the principles of the American Founding—ordered liberty based on faith and reason, natural rights and morality, limited government and civil society—Americans will continue to face serious and perplexing challenges. The dilemmas faced by bakers and florists and charities and schools are only the beginning. | cu
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dence puts it. All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with a right to life. Mankind is created male and female, and marriage, by nature, is the union of man and woman. Only by redefining these concepts according to desire rather than nature, is it possible to concoct a “right to choose” that extends even to the killing of an unborn child or an endlessly malleable concept of “marriage.” Restoring a sound understanding of human nature and the laws of nature will be the work of the many organizations and groups—churches and synagogues, primary schools and universities, for example—that constitute civil society. Among them, public interest law firms such as the Alliance Defending Freedom have an important role. We need groups like this to push back on the sexual revolution and remind people of the law written on their hearts—a law that points the way to true, ordered liberty, not license, when it comes to human sexuality and the family. Both the Bible’s moral principles and reason require us to conform our desires to transcendent moral truths grounded in our nature as human beings, rational animals. The followers of postmodernism seek to re-create nature in accord with their desires, while the followers of progressivism use the power of government to make everyone else conform to the desires of elites, who know best. These ideologies promote the satisfaction of desire even while trampling true natural rights and liberties like the free exercise of religion. And that’s where the work of groups like the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty proves so crucial. They insist against limiting religion to worship, and they defend its free exercise against encroachment in the name of untrammeled desire.
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feature section | government and religious freedom
Q and A with Robert George: “The Situation Is Worsening”
Princeton Professor Talks about Threats to Religious Freedom Editor’s note: The following interview appeared in WORLD Magazine (www. worldmag.com). Reprinted with permission.
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obert George is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University. That’s one of the most prestigious academic appointments in the nation, a chair once held by Woodrow Wilson. George is not afraid to get his hands dirty in the rough-and-tumble world of politics and public debate. He founded the American Principles Project, a grassroots movement designed to make pro-life and pro-family ideas and founding values part of the ongoing political conversation. He’s a member and current chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). On June 11, George received the 2015 William Wilberforce award from the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. That’s where we had this conversation.
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WARREN SMITH: Freedom House was fond of saying the 20th century was the century of freedom. If you look at the number of people living in freedom in the year 1900 versus the year 1990, many more millions of people ended the century living in freedom. Has that trend continued since then? ROBERT GEORGE: Not on the religious freedom front, no. Remember, freedom is a variegated thing. There’s economic freedom, there’s political freedom, there’s freedom of speech. There are lots of different freedoms. They’re all important.
On the religious freedom front, the news is simply not good... The Pew Foundation’s data shows that something very close to three-quarters of the world’s population … is living under regimes that … systematically and frequently violate the religious freedom of some substantial percentage of their people. It may be the majority of people; it may be a particular minority. Or, [the regimes] stand by as private actors—terrorists, thugs, mobs—persecute and abuse people based on their religious faith or their beliefs. WS: Clearly, in the United States, we’re not facing the kind of religious oppression that Christians are facing in the Middle East under ISIS, for example, or Boko Haram in Nigeria. But I think a lot of people would say things are not getting better. Christians in particular, but all people of faith, are facing some pretty serious challenges related to same-sex marriage and other issues. RG: You’re absolutely right, the situation is deteriorating here in the United States. Now, of course, I’m offering my personal opinion; I’m not speaking as the chairman of USCIRF or even in my capacity as a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Our
by warren cole smith
authority and jurisdiction extends only to international religious freedom issues, not to domestic issues. Yes, the situation is worsening in the United States. It’s worsening throughout the country. The Democratic Party has gotten itself on the wrong side of the religious freedom issue, and there are some in the Republican Party who are getting themselves on the wrong side of the religious
freedom issue. The situation is deteriorating. Thank God it is nothing like the kind of repression under which the Egyptian Copts are suffering.Or the Chaldean Christians in Iraq. Or the Uyghur Muslims in China. Or people of every faith in Vietnam. Still, it’s a bad situation. There’s increasing pressure on healthcare professionals, physicians, for example, to perform abortions or nurses or other
healthcare workers to participate in abortion. This attack on our religious freedom should be denounced by all Americans, and yet, in significant corridors of power, it’s not only not denounced, it is promoted. You will see the same phenomenon when it comes to the use of so-called SOGI laws, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity laws, especially in the context of the effort to redefine marriage. These laws [are] now being used to undermine the religious freedom of Catholics, evangelical Protestants, Mormons, Orthodox Jews, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and Muslims who hold fast to the belief that you and I share, that marriage is the conjugal union of husband and wife. For example, Catholic adoption agencies have been driven out of operation in Connecticut, Washington, D.C., and Illinois because, consistent with their religious beliefs and their conscience, they seek to place children in homes where they will have a mother and father and not in homes that are headed by same-sex partners. And we see the same thing with people who serve the wedding industry—bakers, florists, and people who provide photography.
By the grace of God and with His help, it is our obligation to exemplify the courage to set the example for others of being willing to stand up, even when it’s culturally unpopular… denominations join something called the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights, going all the way back into the ’70s. Fortunately, the largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, which was originally part of that pro-abortion coalition, got out of it. And of course, the Southern Baptists today are in the forefront of the pro-life cause. Nobody’s stronger in favor of the pro-life position than the Southern Baptists.
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WS: Bottom line: Are you hopeful or not? RG: Hopeful. But I’m not thinking that history is going to go along by itself. When I say I’m hopeful, we don’t have a guarantee in the short term. We do have a guarantee in the long run. As you say, we’ve all read the last page of the Book. We know who wins. But whether the darkness will be 70 years, like the darkness of the Soviet Union, or only seven years or 700 years—that is
what is up to us. And by the grace of God and with His help, it is our obligation to exemplify the courage to set the example for others of being willing to stand up, even when it’s culturally unpopular, even when we have to risk our career prospects, our financial situation, the status and prestige we may enjoy, even if we have to put friendships or even familial relationships at risk to stand up for the truth about the infinite worth of the child in the womb, about the dignity of marriage as the union of husband and wife. This is going to be costly. Christians are going to have to go into self-sacrificial, Christ-like mode if we’re to defend these values. I have hope because I know the Lord is with us, and I know He will give us the grace to be able to behave courageously when we’re called to do it. But, still, at the end of the day, whether we are willing to do it or not is up to us. | cu
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WS: Let’s stipulate for the record that I’ve read the last page of the Book, and God wins. In other words, we know the ultimate outcome is going to be a positive one for these issues, but will the winners be Americans who come to their senses, or will it be the civilization that replaces the one that we are in right now? RG: It’s an excellent question, and the answer is up to us. It depends on whether people of faith are willing to stand up to those who would intimidate them and bully them, try to make them either go silent or acquiesce. It depends on whether we’re going to have the courage to stand up. You already see people, including [leaders]—the most recent example is Tony Campolo, the
evangelical thinker—caving in, just caving in to secularist ideals, trying to baptize them, trying to Christianize them. Embracing something like same-sex marriage. You’ve had the same thing when it comes to abortion. You’ve had entire Christian
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Mentoring the Next
from the university to the city
culture will be transformed for god’s glory as the lives of our future leaders and the educational institutions they attend are transformed by His grace. Specifically, as students who are wellpositioned to ascend to roles of influence learn to seek God, grow in their faith, and develop a thoughtful, Christ-centered worldview, they will blossom and be prepared to engage culture effectively. This is at the heart of University Christian Union’s work at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale.
Generation of Leaders as these students graduate, christian union’s ministry to its alumni and their peers, City Christian Union, will help them
the early 1800s. Pray that God will bring similar change to the U.S. as new networks of leaders emerge and engage today’s culture.
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to England through William Wilberforce and the Clapham Circle in
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multiplied. This model was used by the Lord to bring sweeping change
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in key cultural centers, starting in New York City, their impact will be
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take the next step. By developing networks of like-minded believers
15 Matt Woodard (center), Christian Union’s ministry director at Brown, meets with sophomores Ayisha Jackson and Kylen Soriano.
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Bulldog Faith Javier Duren ’15 to Play in Dutch Basketball League by tom campisi, managing editor
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Javier Duren, the starting point guard at Yale for the past three years, led his team to a historic season last winter as the Bulldogs earned a share of the Ivy League title with Harvard before falling to the Crimson in a thrilling NCAA Tournament play-in game. With Christian Union’s leadership development ministry at Yale, Duren ’15 was also a “point” man. The St. Louis, Missouri native met a Christian Union ministry fellow a few days after arriving on campus as a freshman and was all in for the next four years, emerging as a key leader
16 Javier Duren ’15 scored 1,134 points at Yale.
both on and off the court. Duren recently signed a contract to play professional basketball with Aris Leeuwarden in the Dutch league. As he looked back over his time at Yale, he was thankful to have been part of a leadership development ministry and the Christian community it fostered. “My experience with Christian Union over the past four years has played a very important role in shaping me into the person I am today,” he said. “Christian Union taught me what it means to be not only a believer, but also a follower of Jesus. Through Bible courses and Rooted (the ministry’s leadership lecture series), I was able to grow deeper in my faith.” In addition to attending Bible courses regularly, Duren also served as an assistant Bible course leader with Christian Union’s ministry. During his sophomore year, he co-founded TeamSober with teammate Brandon Sherrod ’16. TeamSober was launched to promote a non-drinking alternative to the social scene at Yale. The movement was written about in the Yale Daily News and also spread to Columbia University. “Javier modeled Christian conviction for the entire university and Ivy League,” said Steven Harris, who served as a Christian Union ministry fellow at Yale before being hired by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission this summer. Harris, Yale Divinity School ’15, noted Duren’s consistency in serving and being a role model: “A student-athlete, Javier has had to balance the demands of a busy schedule. Yet, his consistent presence and willing spirit demonstrated his priorities. Simply put, he loves God and he loves people.” Duren said Christian Union taught him how to be a better leader, “most notably by having us constantly challenge the ‘sacred-secular’ divide— the notion that our faith is separate from our vocation.”
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gracious in the post-game in“I’ve had the chance to listerviews. ten and learn from amazing “Yale fell short of clinching speakers (during Rooted) who a berth in the NCAA Tourney, all were involved in different but in the face of a disappointvocations. What was amazed campus, Javier publicly gave ing and encouraging was how glory to God for all that He these individuals invoked their had done in his life,” Harris faith in Christ in terms of how said. they performed their everyday Yale, which has not been to jobs.” the NCAA Tournament since This winter, Duren per1962, finished the season with formed before a nationwide a 22-10 record. The Ivy League audience when his Yale team title was the fifth in school hisfaced rival Harvard during the tory and the first since 2002. NCAA play-in game televised Highlights of the regular seaby the American Sports Net- Javier Duren ’15 co-founded Team Sober at Yale. son included beating Harvard work and ESPN3. A seesaw in Cambridge and a huge upset battle, Duren was able to keep over the University of Connecticut, the defending his team alive by hitting clutch free throws down national champions at the time. the stretch. At one point, the announcer (quoting “It did not end the way we wanted it to, but I the late ESPN announcer Stuart Scott) said Duwas still blessed for being able “My experience with Christian Union over the to be a part of such a tremendous season,” Duren said. past four years has played a very important Duren averaged 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists role in shaping me into the person I am per game. For his Yale career, today. Through Bible courses and Rooted (the he scored 1,134 points. “As an athlete in college, I ministry’s leadership lecture series), I was knew that I would have a platable to grow deeper in my faith.” form, and I wanted people to see how my faith impacted the way that I played the game of basketball,” he ren was “as cool as the other side of the pillow,” in said. “Christian Union has undoubtedly helped reference to his poise under pressure. me reach that goal.” | cu The game, held at Penn’s Palestra, was tied late at 51-51 before Harvard’s Steve Moundou-Missi ’15 hit a jump shot with seven seconds left. Duren took the ensuing inbound pass and drove the length of the court, but his layup in traffic rolled off the rim and Yale’s exciting and memorable season was over. Despite the heartbreaking defeat, Duren was
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Seeking God after Harvard Christian Union Hosts Senior Sendoff
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by catherine elvy, staff writer
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As the class of 2015 prepared to gradglobal health research, assist with a hospital in uate, Don Weiss, Christian Union’s Kisuma, and apply to medical school. ministry director at Harvard College, While Edwards’ aspirations will take him across emphasized the need for seniors to keep Christ as the globe, the senior also expressed confidence that their foundation in their new ventures. Harvard believers will remain close in the coming “There’s nothing that compares to being able years. “We will remain in contact as a community, to say ‘It is well with my soul,’” Weiss told stueven when we are not in physical proximity, as we dents during the ministry’s gathering to honor sehave been for the last four years,” he said. niors on May 1. “Your house Haris Domond ’15, a govis going to stand with Jesus ernment major from Florida, underneath.” echoed those comments. Weiss also told members “The conference helped of the class of 2015 to dedime realize that there are praccate themselves to prayer and tical steps I can take to help scriptural study as they embolster my spiritual well-bebark upon new careers, ading when entering the workventures, or advanced studies. force,” said Domond, who “Study the Word and use plans to seek opportunities in it as a mirror to reveal things,” Washington, D.C. and New said Weiss during the event in York City. Yenching Auditorium. “Never “It also cemented the sadforsake time in God’s Word… ness I feel about leaving this Pursue God. Let nothing steal community and my amazing that away from you.” brothers and sisters in Christ, In addition to dedicating all the while being excited for one of the ministry’s weekly everybody’s next steps.” Jeffrey Edwards ’15 appreciated the lectures to appreciating seAlong those lines, the panniors, Christian Union’s min- conference for seniors hosted by el discussions covered topics istry at Harvard also hosted a Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard. including: selecting churches, conference for them in Upplugging into Christian serstate New York. vice, navigating romantic relationships, and tackSome 51 seniors attended the getaway, which ling practical chores. Based upon input from rewas held May 18 to 20 near picturesque Lake cent alumni, the major takeaway points centered George in the Adirondack Mountains. Highlights on techniques for new grads to immerse themof the event included two question-and-answer selves in Christian communities as they relocate sessions and a talk from Christian Union Teachinto new cities and roles. ing Fellow Nick Nowalk on transitions. Scott Crosby, director of New York City Chris“Going on senior retreat definitely helped sotian Union, was on hand to offer his expertise to lidify my confidence that God will provide during seniors. Crosby heads Christian Union’s ministry this time of uncertainty,” said Jeffrey Edwards ’15. to alumni and their peers in the Big Apple. The neurobiology concentrator from Texas plans In addition, Harvard seniors set aside time to spend a year in Kenya, where he will conduct to exchange handwritten notes with one another
and to hold worship and intercessory prayer sessions. They also enjoyed recreational opportunities, including canoeing and hiking. Ministry Fellow Branden Brooks described the conference as a bittersweet event. “We all love them so much and have invested so much time in them,” Brooks said. “They had a last opportunity to get together, to be commissioned out, and to think through the issues of going out in the world.” Likewise, Ministry Fellow Teal McGarvey de-
scribed the group’s final lecture and subsequent conference as a “really sweet opportunity to wrap up what has been four years in the making.” While members of Christian Union’s ministry team were saddened to watch the seniors graduate, they also took advantage of opportunities to offer appreciation for the personal and corporate victories that have become part of the group’s legacy. “It’s really gratifying to see what the Lord has done,” McGarvey said. | cu
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Editor-In-Chief Brown Student Is Ready for Challenging Role by eileen scott, senior writer
and leave with some answered, but even more to ponder over.” Likewise, the meetings have been a blessing for Doyle as well.
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“I recently told him that, whether he knew it or not, he continually challenges me in my own pursuit of Christ in the way he tenaciously devotes himself to growing in his relationship with Jesus,” said Doyle. As a result of his Christian worldview and deeper knowledge of the Bible, Chuan is ready
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Nick Chuan ’17 is the new editor of The Cornerstone Magazine.
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In the fall semester, Brown sophomore Nicholas Chuan will take over as editor-in-chief of The Cornerstone Magazine, a student-run, Christian literary and arts magazine. According to the Singapore native, the Bible teaching and leadership development provided by Christian Union’s ministry on campus has helped shape his worldview and equip him for his new leadership role. “The in-depth and rational look Christian Union takes toward various issues, such as sex and spirituality, has given me a model to think about issues within the Christian worldview,” said Chuan. “Christian Union Bible Courses have given me a deeper understanding of the Gospel and how to live it out as a student.” That kind of spiritual growth will prepare him to address the types of issues that Cornerstone will explore, according to Justin Doyle, a Christian Union ministry fellow at Brown. Chuan, a former soldier with the Singaporean military, values the weekly one-on-one mentoring he receives from Doyle. “The [discussions with Justin] keep me thinking about my faith and continually challenge me to hunger for the Word,” said Chuan. “I often bring many questions from my Bible course and events that happen over the week to the session
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to make informed editorial decisions regarding the magazine’s content. The mission of Cornerstone is to provide a platform that is both evangelistic and ministerial. “We seek to reach the pre-believer by provoking spiritual responses to the pieces we produce,” said Chuan. “Secondly, we hope to minister to the believer who can relate to the artistic and spiritual outlets we provide”
“Christian Union Bible Courses have given me a deeper understanding of the Gospel and how to live it out as a student.” Chuan said he is seeking to have Cornerstone help reconcile misperceptions about Christianity and the Bible. “I hope that the magazine can undo any negative, preconceived notions that other Brown students have of the Christian faith,” he said. Additionally, Chuan wants the publication— with staff from Brown and nearby Rhode Island
School of Design—to serve as a source of unity and encouragement to believers, demonstrating that despite what they may feel, they are not alone in their faith on campus. “I feel that Cornerstone is a unique ministry in that it brings together people from diverse backgrounds, as we welcome student contributors of all denominations. This allows me to have fellowship with Christian students of various backgrounds and understand the different perspectives each of them bring,” said Chuan. According to Chuan, the leadership training he receives through Christian Union will also help him manage the staff and initiate discussions. Doyle agrees. “Rarely do you see a young man in his early 20s who is so devoted to Christ, so disciplined and passionate in the way he chases after his Savior,” said Doyle. “When you add to this passion and devotion a pure and honest humility, you have a mature servant of Christ. There is no question in my mind that he will serve Cornerstone well as editor-in-chief.” | cu
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Stepping up to the Plate Bob Muzikowski ’79 Challenges Columbia Students
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Being open to the Holy Spirit’s leading can open doors to shape countless souls. As a fledgling believer, Bob Muzikowski felt led to launch a baseball program for Chicago’s underprivileged youths, a venture that eventually propelled the Columbia University grad into the national spotlight and prompted a 2001 movie starring Keanu Reeves. “If Christians would really unleash obedience, we would get our country back,” said Muzikowski, Columbia ’79, MPA ’82. In April, Muzikowski shared his compelling testimony – including his battle with drug and alcohol abuse and subsequent spiritual transformation – when he appeared at a lecture series host-
ed by Christian Union’s leadership development ministry at Columbia. The Chicagoan delivered a message entitled Just Do to the students in Lerner Hall. Muzikowski wants believers, especially young ones, to know they explicitly are called both to minister and to fund service efforts. “It’s just obedience to the Scriptures,” said Muzikowski, pointing to the command not to store up treasure on earth (Matthew 6:19-21). “It’s not a choice.” Muzikowski, regarded as the inspiration for the film Hardball, is the father of seven children, including Columbia alumni Isaiah “Ike” Muzikowski ’15 and Robert “Bo” Muzikowski ’14. Both boys were members of Christian Union’s ministry at Columbia.
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After relocating to Chicago in 1988, MuzAt Columbia, Muzikowski referenced James ikowski formed an insurance, investment, and 1:22: “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so estate-planning business. While jogging near his deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” new urban neighborhood, Muzikowski was struck Jim Black, Christian Union’s ministry director by the need for a sports program inside the infaat Columbia, called the text appropriate, noting mous Cabrini-Green housing project. He turned Muzikowski does not merely talk about his faith. to his growing roster of business contacts for help, Rather, the elder Muzikowski sacrificially lives but insisted he wanted both financial and practiit out to “make a difference among the needy,” cal assistance. He asked assoBlack said. ciates both to fund and coach In the 1990s, Muzikowa team. Many of the men, also ski gained notoriety after he former athletes, accepted the launched two urban Little challenge. League programs in Chicago In 2004, Muzikowski told and one in New York City. Philanthropy magazine the Muzikowski, a Point of Light boys needed the presence of recipient for his philanthropstable men. “…Good men, ic work, also penned Safe At married men, need to be there Home: The True and Inspirand set the examples. We have ing Story of Chicago’s Field of men that succeeded that I Dreams. coached 13 years ago who are As well, a decade ago, now back, married, with kids. Muzikowski drew upon his These are the models,” Muzibusiness background and community contacts to launch In April, Bob Muzikowski (Columbia ’79, kowski said. Along the way, MuzikowChicago Hope Academy, an MPA ’82) shared his powerful testimony ski also provided temporary affordable Christian second- with Christian Union’s ministry at housing to some boys or enary school in an inner-city Columbia University. listed other families to help neighborhood. To help fund with emergency situations. daily operations, area banks donate foreclosed In addition to providing a glimpse of sacrifiproperties that students and their parents help recial service, Muzikowski’s appearance at Columhab for sale on behalf of the academy. bia allowed undergraduates involved with ChrisMuzikowski’s philosophy behind the school tian Union to celebrate the spiritual heritage of is simple and mirrors his beliefs about access to one of their key seniors, namely Ike Muzikowski. sporting programs. “Should Christian schools be “It’s always good to see what a heritage of faith only for rich kids?” Muzikowski asked. “Should looks like,” said Black. they be racially segregated, almost all-white, for Following the lecture, Muzikowski signed and rich kids?” distributed free copies of Safe At Home. Behind In his younger years, the Irish Catholic son of his efforts, Muzikowski simply wants to see young a factory worker in New Jersey embraced the valbelievers walk out lives of practical Christian ue of sports when he played football and rugby at faithfulness and watch as God responds. Columbia. Today’s Christians tend to “overemphasize However, following college, Muzikowski calling and not obedience,” he said. abused alcohol and drugs. Not surprisingly, he “You can only be three things: passionate was arrested after a bar fight and nearly lost conabout doing ministry, passionate about funding trol of his life. Muzikowski recovered with the ministry, or disobedient.” | cu help of Alcoholics Anonymous, his wife Tina, and a revived faith in the Wonderful Counselor.
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Empowering Others to Lead Christian Union Launches Student-Led Bible Study at Cornell by eileen scott, senior writer
During the past academic year at Cornell, Christian Union leveraged its distinctive leadership development and rigorous scriptural engagement programs to create student-led Bible studies for freshmen. The Cornell ministry was selected for the debut of the hybrid studies this academic year due to its ability to reach a significant number of students, according to Ministry Director Jim Thomforde. Cornell, with a 745-acre campus in Ithaca, New York, has an undergraduate enrollment of more than 14,000.
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Gaired Jordan ’16 (right) and freshman Jeremy Gartland ’18 stepped up as leaders this past year with Christian Union’s ministry at Cornell.
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At Cornell, all available Bible courses were fully-subscribed, with still more students interested in studying Scripture, paving the way for the new approach. Because theologically sound and academically rich Scripture study is a hallmark of Christian Union, Thomforde worked to maintain that distinctive through the hybrid Bible studies. “Hybrid” refers to the blending of student leadership under the coaching and oversight of Christian Union faculty. The hybrid studies followed the same themes and content as the regular Bible courses. Christian Union faculty worked with student leaders
to ensure the curriculum was well taught and the participants were engaged and growing. “We were very involved in outlining the studies and coaching the student study leaders as we launched this program,” said Thomforde, who oversees the program and developed outlines to assist with the lessons. Additionally, the student leaders remain committed to their own spiritual development by attending other Bible courses, meeting as a group with Thomforde, and participating in one-on-one mentoring with Christian Union faculty members. Selecting the right student leaders to work in pairs as co-leaders is key, said Thomforde. Among the characteristics he looks for: teaching ability, interpersonal skills, energy, and capacity for vision casting. In addition to managing the studies, leaders also foster relationships and encourage fellowship. One student who embodies those leadership traits is North Carolina native Gaired Jordan ’16. “I enjoy teaching the Word and sharing with freshmen the wisdom I’ve gained,” said Jordan. “When we dive into Scripture by ourselves we can form misconceptions,” said the environmental engineering major. “But, in a group, someone with more wisdom can tell you what you’re missing.” In addition to understanding Scripture better, Jordan learned to be diligent in pursuing the Word. “When I’m tired from study and don’t want to teach, I persevere knowing we are all going to benefit,” he said. One freshman who benefited from that perseverance is Jeremy Gartland ’18, a government major who hails from Madison, Wisconsin. “Through my Bible studies, I have been able to wrestle with the Bible and keep my faith strong, even on a campus that is pretty devoid of religion,”
said Gartland. “Being able to go through passages of the Bible with other people is immensely beneficial for me. Open discussion is how I learn and understand best.” He also appreciates being guided by someone who has been in his shoes. “Gaired did a great job leading our course,” said Gartland. “He didn’t shy away from the tough questions and always has thoughtful things to say.” Gartland admits he did not consistently read Scripture growing up, and said even now, academic demands tend to take precedence. He credits the Christian Union Bible studies with helping him stay on track. Engaging in the study has “given me a struc-
ture and concrete purpose to read the Bible during the week and, just as importantly, a community to support me,” said Gartland. In general, that structure means attending the Bible study each week for roughly 90 minutes, plus spending one to two additional hours reading Bible verses and going through the study manual. “I will never have all the answers to every question that comes up, but it helps to be around others who are similarly looking for answers and strong in their faith, regardless,” said Gartland. “Christian Union keeps me grounded and helps me continue pursuing a relationship with Christ.” | cu
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Eclectic Energy Christian Union Ministry Hosts Art Showcase by eileen scott, senior writer
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ent part of his personality that I hadn’t yet come to know just by talking with him. It was quite a thrill,” he said. The event also encouraged boldness and reliance upon prayer and faith to step out in front of others, even while experiencing anxiety. “The practice of taking risks and being vulnerable is incredibly important in how we relate to God,” said Chaffin. “Understanding and being open with what’s inside us is essential to allowing God to work in us.” Although all performers and artists were members of Christian Union and other campus ministries, the works were not explicitly spiritually themed. “I emphasized with students that genuine creativity is more glorifying to God than just stamping a Christian label on something,” said Zach Albanese, Christian Union’s ministry director at Dartmouth. Albanese explained that art doesn’t need to be overtly Christian or evangelistic to be an expression of love for the Lord. Shefali Gladson, a junior from Mumbai, India, beatboxed her way through a rap song with
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Christian Union’s ministry at Dartmouth sponsored an eclectic art showcase on campus this spring. Students expressed their talents through a variety of forms, including visual arts, rap, and dance. With each brush stroke, dance step, and beatbox rhythm, God’s creativity was expressed as the students shared their gifts. “I believe that God is an artist,” said Ian Chaffin ’15. Along with a friend, Chaffin performed an original song about lost love and how humans can be blinded to the good things in life. “The power of art is that it speaks directly to the human spirit, which is something God is always trying to do,” he said. The showcase gave students a chance to show lesser-known sides of themselves by sharing artistic passions and expressions. For example, Chaffin said he was particularly surprised by a textured nightscape painted by a freshman. “I would have pegged him as a realist, but I was blown away by the fluidity of his work. Experiencing his art allowed me to understand a differ-
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Late Night Walk, by Kevin P. Soraci ’18, was one of the paintings at the Art Showcase sponsored by Christian Union’s ministry at Dartmouth.
her friend Gricelda Ramos ’18. She said the showcase helped her think about what it means to worship God and demonstrated that worship is more
than singing with a band at a church service. “I was so blessed by the dancers who worshipped the Lord with their movement, and the artists who worshipped with their painting,” she said. According to Gladson, people have a responsibility to use their gifts and talents for God’s glory, even if it means stepping out of a comfort zone. “If one person was blessed by it, that makes it worth it,” she said. Both Chaffin and Gladson said they received positive feedback from the event, and some students are already setting their sights on next year’s show. As students looked back on this year’s event, they remembered more than the accolades and applause. Instead, they remembered the significance of sharing their talents with others, and many expressed a deeper appreciation for the ultimate Creator of all beauty. “It was wonderful seeing the different talents the Lord has given to each of us,” said Gladson. “I can only imagine what this world would be like if everyone used their abilities to glorify Him.” | cu
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A Radical Transformation Discipleship, Bible Courses Help Young Leader Emerge
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Barrett Block ’16 was living what he describes as a shallow life, enjoying the trappings of success. However, through Christian Union’s ministry at Penn, Block has learned to recognize that worldliness and pride are spiritually toxic. Instead, he is learning to use his God-given gifts for servant leadership. The turnaround is so dramatic, he says, “Christian Union saved my life.” The ministry’s core principles of embodying a seeking God lifestyle, in-depth study of the Bible, and leadership development are often the means by which students like Block engage Christ and have their lives transformed. The Lexington, Kentucky native entered Penn with good looks, academic success, and charisma.
He lived a life as large as his megawatt smile and believed that God intended greatness for him— hard work and success were all part of the plan. That success included placing second in the Jeopardy! Teen Challenge where, as a high school student, he earned $35,000. He was also accepted at the Wharton School, where he is majoring in finance and real estate. He secured an internship with Goldman Sachs, and he was recently listed in The Daily Pennsylvanian as one of the university’s most eligible bachelors. Today, after nearly two years participating in the campus ministry, Block now defines his life through a biblical lens, radically different from his previous standard. Before attending Christian Union’s Bible
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risma of a natural leader and is incredibly gifted, but he needed help adopting a servant leader’s heart. One of the ways Christian Union ministries help develop Christian leaders is to give students hands-on leadership experience. For Block, that meant being the director of the ministry’s weekly leadership lecture series. That experience helped him learn what it means to lead with grace and to listen to the opinions of others. “My confidence is overbearing and causes people not to share their good ideas,” said Block. “I have to rely on prayer to make me a better listener and facilitator and to be more gentle and kind with my words.” Block learned that being a leader is not about commanding attention; it’s about humility, serving others, and submitting to authority. “I’ve never had as much fun working with people,” Block said. “It’s not the dull drudgery I thought teamwork was. Barrett Block ’16 had his life I love it.” transformed through participation Block credits God in Christian Union’s leadership and sound leadership development ministry at Penn. training for his transformation. “If it weren’t for prayer and God allowing me to listen and making me shut up, it wouldn’t be possible. I’m grateful for the experience that taught me leadership in a way I never heard it taught before,” he said. It’s not that Block has lost his sense of self or has lost his confidence; rather, he now recognizes that all he has comes from Christ and that those blessings have greater value when aligned with God’s greatness, not his own. Ultimately, Barrett said, “I rely on God and behave a certain way not because it’s a law; it’s what a good human life looks like.” | cu
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courses, Block had never encountered the Scriptures in a rigorous, academic way. “It was just an old book,” he said. “Now every page is relevant and instructional. It made a huge impact and caused me to reevaluate and re-characterize myself.” In this process, Block realized the trajectory of his life, increasingly that of a party boy, wouldn’t lead him to a life of purpose. With the help of Christian Union faculty, he began a spiritual journey, one that would change the course of his life. Justin Mills, Christian Union ministry director at Penn, says Block was one of the first people who regularly attended Bible courses and committed to regular daily prayer after the ministry was launched in 2014. Additionally, Block met with Christian Union Ministry Fellow John Cunningham every Wednesday since his freshman year. The two bonded early on. Despite the student’s self-described overconfident nature, Cunningham accepted him in a non-judgmental way and walked alongside him toward Christian maturity. “I valued myself in wrong ways,” said Block, recalling his susceptibility to a very secular lifestyle. “John met me there, but he didn’t make me feel guilty.” Immersing himself in the Bible and Christian Union ministry activities, Block began to perceive that his overall lifestyle wasn’t reflective of his growing faith. He still had inappropriate relationships, and he was arrogant, prideful, and materialistic. One day, during a car ride with some non-Christian classmates, the problem came into focus for Block. He took a hard look at these friends, and himself, and saw that his habits and lifestyle appeared no different from theirs. “My life should look differently,” Block concluded. “If I am going to be a good witness for Christ and a person who can deliver strong testimony, then it’s my duty to live my life in a Christian manner so people can see the work God has done in me.” That meant viewing women and success differently, humbling himself, and becoming a team player. Mills pointed out that Block has the cha-
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university christian union
In Humble Admiration of God’s Creation Dr. Armstrong ’85 Speaks at Reunions Event
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by catherine elvy, staff writer
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The handiwork and precision of the retired investment banker, and Mo Chen, Princuniverse point to the artistry and imageton ’80, a community and team builder and ination of its architect and maker. Princeton volunteer. That was one of the themes from Michael As for Armstrong, just as the biology major Armstrong when the physician and Princeton marveled during his studies at Princeton at the exUniversity alumnus spoke on May 31 during a worship service at Nassau Christian Center. Christian Union hosted the service featuring alumni testimonies to coincide with Princeton’s Reunions 2015. “How does a Christian respond to science? I, ultimately, respond with humble admiration for the beauty of God’s creation,” Armstrong ’85 told the congregation, which packed its historic edifice on Nassau Street for the annual Reunions service. “Science tries to explain how certain events occurred in history. Only [the Bible] explains Dr. Michael Armstrong, Princeton ’85 why it exists in the first place.” Two of Armstrong’s children have ties to Princeton University and had key roles with Christian Union’s leadership depanding nature of the universe and the way subvelopment ministry there. Michael ’14, a worship atomic particles form the basic building blocks of leader for the ministry, plans to pursue medithe universe, he also embraced key fundamental cal school in the fall. Daughter Meredith ’15, a spiritual truths as a young man. “I simply knew that God created the world,” Practicing medicine allows Armstrong said Armstrong, medical director of Richmond ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) in Virginia. to marvel at the intricacies of the human During his undergraduate studies, Armstrong body. Some of the complexities also accepted Christ as his personal savior, and he divided his spiritual training between the Aquinas suggest sophistication far beyond the end Institute and Nassau Presbyterian Church, a nod result of random mutations coincidentally to the religious heritage of his parents. While participating in Princeton’s Roman Catholic chapemerging from primordial soup. laincy, Armstrong also served as a Holy Eucharisformer vice president, graduated in June. Armtic minister. strong’s youngest son, James, is in high school. “The product of both of my parents, I never Also during the Reunions service, Nassau really worried about the differences between the Christian Center heard the testimonies of Clif Catholic and Presbyterian churches,” Armstrong Fenton, Princeton ’65, Columbia MBA ’70, a noted.
Today, Armstrong’s medical endeavors allow the Virginia native to reflect on the genius of his Heavenly Father. He shuns the notion that humans and their terrestrial wonderland emerged through mere happenstance. “Are we an accident? Don’t bet your eternal life on it,” Armstrong said. Likewise, the otolaryngologist noted it takes considerable presumption to believe that an ex-
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2015 :: christianunion.org
Armstrong devotes one week of vacation per year to medical missionary work, most notably serving at the Mission of Hope in Bolivia and the Africa Inland Church – CURE Children’s Hospital in Kenya. Likewise, in 2013, Armstrong traveled to Honduras to teach facial plastic and sinus surgery to residents at Hospital Escuela via a medical ministry. While abroad, Armstrong often takes on cases involving deformities with the goal of helping children and adults realize better lives and even experience basic acceptance in some cases. Back in Virginia, Armstrong routinely offers to pray before surgery. “I want to feel comfortable before I start,” Armstrong said. “Why is it that Americans are so afraid of prayer in the workplace?” After undergraduate studies, Armstrong attended Duke University Medical School and married Princeton classmate Ellen Horner. In 2001, Armstrong founded Richmond ENT in his hometown. At a personal level, the former EaDr. Michael Armstrong, Princeton ’85, prays with one of his gle Scout also volunteers as a Boy Scout patients before surgery. leader and as a children’s Sunday school teacher to Third Church. As for his appearance at Nassau Christian traordinary planet, teaming with rich biological Center, Armstrong left the congregation with a diversity across stunning landscapes and splendid sense of his profound admiration for the Great seascapes, ultimately emerged out of vast emptiPhysician. ness and purposelessness. “The more I learn about the human body, the “Doesn’t it take as much faith to believe that more I learn about God’s design,” he said. “God the infinite universe arose out of nothing as to behad an idea, and He saw that it was good.” | cu lieve that God created it?” Armstrong asked. Practicing medicine allows Armstrong to mar...................................... vel at the intricacies of the human body. Some of the complexities also suggest sophistication far Please follow beyond the end result of random mutations coincidentally emerging from primordial soup. Christian Union socially: “There are simply too many parts, too many enzymes, too many interrelated systems for each to have evolved purely by small incremental Twitter.com/ChristianUnion steps,” Armstrong said. As well, utilizing his medical training allows Armstrong to demonstrate his faith in tangible Facebook.com/Christian.Union ways.
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Hearts for Justice and Renewal Couple Seeks to Impact the Field of Law
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by eileen scott, senior writer
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It was more than the prestigious reputation of its nearly two-hundred-year-old law school that attracted Andrew and Kayla Ferguson to Harvard University. The newlyweds were primarily drawn by the Christian legacy of the historic campus. “There’s so much history of revival and the Lord’s work in Boston,” said Kayla. The Fergusons subsequently joined Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard Law School and are exploring the intersection of law, justice, and faith. After learning about Christian Union, they aligned their passion with the ministry’s vision and are seeking to help ignite spiritual renewal at Harvard. Kayla and Andrew Ferguson Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard Law School offers Bible courses, Christian leadership training, mentorship, and lectures by high-profile Christians who are connected to law. Additionally, the ministry strategically meets the needs of the mature and highly engaged law students through fellowship opportunities. The Fergusons found a community of strong believers who are filled with genuine joy because they know Christ. Additionally, they describe the Bible course on the book of Hebrews and the subsequent discussion of Scripture with like-minded peers as invaluable experiences. However, the young couple is at Harvard Law for more than their own personal edification, success, and community. Their desire to inspire spiritual passion within the law school remains a driving force behind their personal and professional decisions. “Andrew and Kayla are very centered in their relationship with God through Christ,” said Jim Garretson, Christian Union’s ministry director at Harvard Law School. “They recognize God’s providence in
their dual admission to Harvard Law and are eager to use every opportunity to speak God’s Word into the field of law.” The Fergusons met at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia, where they were surrounded by strong Christians and received an education centered on a Christian worldview. According to Garretson, that background, coupled with the leadership training they are receiving through Christian Union, will help them to speak to the intersection of faith and justice in the future. “Andrew and Kayla are processing their learning at Harvard Law School, having reflected on these subjects before arriving here,” said Garretson. As a result, they have an “interactional edge” on how to engage others in the mechanics of law and God-honoring legal practices. “Their perspective helps put definitions of law into a historical context once shaped predominantly by Christian values,” said Garretson. This summer, the Fergusons are interns with the Blackstone Legal Fellowship. The internship is sponsored by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a justice organization that is dedicated to protecting religious liberty, and the sanctity of life and marriage and family. The couple has a strong sense of responsibility toward the welfare and rights of others, and a mutual desire to explore policy issues and ways to approach developing underserved communities. Looking ahead to their post-graduation careers, they are considering constitutional law and would eventually like to work in Washington, D.C. on religious freedom issues. In the meantime, the two remain focused on bringing Christ to a spiritually-impoverished campus and living out their faith in ways that represent Him, while ensuring justice for all God’s people. “We want to be available for whatever God has for us,” said Andrew. “We don’t know exactly what we will be doing three years from now, but we will be pursuing excellence in everything we do. We are aiming high and trusting God to open the doors.” | cu
M.Div?
Can’t move to a residential campus for your M.Div.? The RTS Distance M.Div. Degree Program is for you!
The RTS Distance M.Div allows you to take 2/3 of your courses where you are located and then one and two week courses in Orlando. summer
2015
For more information visit www.rts.edu/hybrid or call the Orlando Admissions Department at 800.752.4382
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ATLANTA | CHARLOTTE | HOUSTON | JACKSON | MEMPHIS | NEW YORK CITY | ORLANDO | WASHINGTON DC | GLOBAL
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A mind for truth. A heart for God.®
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donor spotlight
An Inspiring Businessman, A Missionary Heart In Grateful Memory of Bob Stover by sarah camp
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ob Stover, a friend and generous supporter of numerous Christian organizations, including Christian Union, went to be with the Lord after 93 years of life and more than 60 years of dedicated Christian philanthropy. Bob leaves behind a rich legacy that encompasses family, church, ministry, education, and business. When Bob began to support Christian Union in 2011, he brought to bear six decades of fruitful, even visionary, Christian philanthropy in assessing the aims and methods of the ministry. He was passionate about young people and education, and he encouraged bold visions of cultural transformation. Not only did Bob relish being generous, he was discerning and highly willing to commit himself to Christian movements aimed at young people. Even newly launched endeavors he supported would prove to have bright futures serving the kingdom. Willard Robert (Bob) Stover was born to Jane and Robert William Stover in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 26, 1921. He spent his early childhood in Strasburg and Winchester, Virginia, until the family moved to Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, where Bob Stover he spent the rest of his youth. The effective businessman and philanthropist emerged from some of the humblest of circumstances. Bob’s father died when he was just four, leaving his mother to raise two children in the middle of the Depression. They were “dirt poor.” Still, in recalling his childhood, the warmth of his mother’s love, family picnics, and his grandfather’s farm, “I considered I was a very rich little boy.” Although in those times, few high school graduates went on to college, Bob hitchhiked to Waynesburg College in Pennsylvania. He had $1.25 in his pocket. Living in the basement, Bob washed dishes for his meals, shoveled coal to stock furnaces, and worked other odd jobs as he earned a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science. Bob pressed on; he studied at the University of Illinois and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylva-
nia, where he obtained a Masters of Business Administration. With the U.S. engaged in World War II, Bob shifted gears, serving as a Navy officer in the Pacific. By the end of the war, he was serving as the commander of a flotilla of 36 ships in the Marshall Islands. The war ended, and Bob turned a new page, moving to the San Francisco Bay area. Here, life took its most significant turn while he was walking the streets of Berkeley, California. Coming upon a church, Bob paused for the music pouring from the front doors. He hadn’t been to church in some time, and Robert Munger, a well-known evangelical Presbyterian, was preaching. Years later, Bob could still recall the impact of the sermon preached that day: “No matter where you were in that sanctuary, Munger had the ability to speak to each person individually. He explained that Jesus Christ lived and died for me. He talked about the resurrection … all of the wonderful qualities and opportunities that we come by in accepting Christ.” Bob described his conversion “like coming into a room, a room that was dark and the light comes on.” The year was 1948, and Bob, with his entrepreneurial spirit, had also decided to start his own business, Western Employers Service. After several name changes, the company became Westaff. It was the first staffing agency to appear on the West Coast. Actually, the company was pioneering the temporary help services industry; initially, it found jobs for Australian war brides. From the outset, Bob made a remarkable commitment to tithe the earnings of Westaff. But his fledgling company ran into trouble. The $800 he had saved while in the Navy was all the working capital he had, and he was soon overdrawn. When bank officers met with him to review his books, they noted the tithe and suggested he could improve the cash flow by ending, or at least postponing, this payment. Bob insisted he could not “default on his commitment to God.” Remarkably, a week later, the bank extended him a $25,000 line of credit. They reasoned, as they told him, that any person
Founding Era and from Christianity to bear in the contemporary public square. Although he preferred to work behind the scenes, Bob was as much a visionary in Christian efforts as he was in business. His generous support helped Christian Union launch its Christian leadership development program to a seventh campus, the University of Pennsylvania. In its second year, the ministry engaged 77 undergraduate students at Penn in weekly Bible courses and leadership development. In February, at age 93, Bob slipped away peacefully at his home in Piedmont, California, with Joan, his wife of 60 years, by his side.
“Mr. Stover was a great leader. He had a profoundly deep faith that always focused on Jesus...”
—Lloyd Lunceford
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In his final year, Bob decided to provide the seed funding for Christian Union’s next anticipated ministry launch at Stanford and said he hoped to inspire others to join in making that a reality. He said the number of students involved at the previously launched campuses was for him evidence the ministry was executing well on its vision. A fellow board member of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, Lloyd Lunceford, offered this commendation: “Mr. Stover was a great leader. He had a profoundly deep faith that always focused on Jesus, which he coupled with exceptional people skills and extraordinary business acumen.” “He was the complete package.” Bob is survived by his wife Joan, his son Stephen Stover, his daughters Susan Stover (husband Art Stella) and Amy Newton (husband Ron Newton), and six grandchildren: Matthew, Beth, and Katie Stella and Riley, Emma, and Clara Newton. Christian Union celebrates the legacy of this faithful servant of Jesus Christ who began with just $1.25 in hand as he made his way into the world, persevered, lived generously, and was in time entrusted with more with which to make wise use. He bears witness to the Lord’s teaching that “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (Luke 16:10). Bob channeled intelligence, boldness, and a missionary heart into all his ventures. May his inspiring example be reflected in the lives of the men and women he championed and supported as emerging, godly leaders. | cu
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who was that faithful in his commitment to God would be worth the risk of a loan. With the loan, Bob would fortify a business that, over the years, would grow and grow. Under Bob’s leadership as chairman and chief executive officer, Westaff diversified to provide non-clerical temporary help services in the marketing, medical, industrial, and technical fields through more than 300 offices in the U.S. and overseas. The company went public in 1996. Bob’s reputation as a Christian and excellent businessman was widely known, although he was quick to point out that the company was not his first passion; that was reserved for making known the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After committing his life to Jesus Christ, Bob’s life was marked by the generous giving of his time, talents, and treasure, which he explained began when the first collection plate came to him. “I think all of us have sound barriers,” he said. For him, the watershed moment was putting in his $5. From that moment on, he noted, it was “exciting” to see how much he could give. It was a “joyous kind of thing.” Bob was one of the earliest supporter of the fledgling ministry of Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), serving as one of its first board members. He held a similar distinction of early support and board membership with Fuller Theological Seminary and Young Life. Bob was instrumental in starting the Presbyterian Lay Committee and served on the boards of Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center, Boy Scouts of America, Claremont Institute, the Luis Palau Association, and Billy Graham Crusade Oakland. His alma mater, Waynesburg University, was particularly close to his heart, and he was an active supporter. During his college days, Bob later noted, there was a prevailing attitude that “all Americans were Christians.” At school, this translated into a lack of emphasis on the need for a personal relationship with Christ. As a result, Bob graduated from a Christian college “without experiencing who Christ was.” In the years since, Waynesburg, extraordinarily, bucked the trend in higher education toward secularization. Bob was active in seeing that the school strengthened its Christian identity, while improving its academic excellence and enrollment. In 2006, concerned about the direction in which he saw the United States moving, Bob approached Waynesburg with the idea for a program in moral leadership development that would prepare students for success as lawyers, elected officials, and leaders in society, grounded in a thorough understanding of the Constitution and its role in shaping the nation. Today, Waynesburg’s Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership brings insights from the U.S. Constitution’s
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Impacting the City NYCU Is Helping Young Alumni Thrive by eileen scott, senior writer
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hristian Union is strategically reaching out to urban proCrosby pointed out three key areas that challenge urban fessionals and helping them put their faith into action in professionals. The first is finding a community of Christian the workplace and in their communities. believers; the second is developing a vocational mindset that Every year, many alumni of Christian Union’s leadership makes faith integral to professional life; and third, young development ministries at some of the nation’s leading unialumni need mentors. versities find employment in major cities. However, even NYCU offers programs and events that meet the needs of among a dense population, many find themselves without urbanites at various stages of their work lives, including Bible the Christian community they had on campus. studies, fellowship meetings, forums, and salons. New York City Christian Union (NYCU) is seeking to de“Scott has done a fantastic job building and shaping the velop a network of strong Christian NYCU program to cater to the vast leaders to impact one of the nation’s “Living on my own for the first array of spiritual and personal needs most influential cities from within. that NYC residents face,” said Caltime has brought the challenge In addition to New York City, urban lahan. “I have found immense valministries are also forming in Boston ue in the quarterly forums. Hearof finding community.” and Houston, according to Scott ing global leaders discuss both —Kent Tolland, Harvard ’14 Crosby, ministry director of NYCU. their challenges and successes in Kent Tolland, Harvard ’14, is faith and business has given me inpart of the fledgling ministry in Houston. creased confidence in my efforts to walk in faith in “Living on my own for the first time has brought professional settings.” the challenge of finding community,” he said. “In Callahan’s twin brother, Matthew, Princeton college, Christian Union at Harvard sought me out ’11, also lives and works in New York City. and actively made me feel included. But this kind of “I find New York to be quite transient and imatmosphere is difficult to create post-college when personal, so fully engaging with like-minded beyou are not taking classes and participating in stulievers at church can be tough. Christian Union dent organizations with friends.” and its program offerings solve this problem,” he said. “While For Tolland, being among like-minded Christians, many ritualized church devotion is essential for me, Christian of whom he knew at Harvard, has given him a sense of camaUnion also helps to strengthen my beliefs by facilitating chalraderie, as well as accountability. lenging and thought-provoking conversations about what it During each academic year, Crosby contacts seniors intruly means to be a Christian in life and work.” volved with Christian Union campus ministries prior to gradMatthew Callahan said he finds meeting weekly with feluation to help integrate them into urban areas through a netlow Christians who are involved with NYCU is particularly work of Christian professionals and Christian Union alumni. encouraging and edifying. But reaching professionals where they live and work is The Callahans and Tolland credit their involvement with only part of the challenge. The programs, teaching, and netChristian Union’s ministries in college with helping them esworking offered must also be relevant to a diverse group of tablish strong disciplines that keep them dedicated to Chrisyoung adults living fast-paced and high pressure lives. tian leadership development in the professional world. And Peter Callahan, Princeton ’11, works for Deutsche Bank each young man is equally motivated to live in accountabilin New York and is part of NYCU. ity among a community of believers fostered by Christian “My NYCU experience has been about applying my beUnion’s urban ministries. liefs in the various professional and social settings and chalAs Matthew Callahan summed it up, “NYCU’s presence lenges that living in an environment like New York City presand outreach helps to keep me balanced and centered on my ents,” he said. values in a career full of ups and downs.” | cu
What’s Next... Please pray for upcoming Christian Union events
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november
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december
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january
Dallas, Texas Benefit Event An evening of celebration in Dallas, Texas to support the ministry of Christian Union in developing Christian leaders to transform culture.
New York City Benefit Event An evening of celebration in New York City to support the ministry of Christian Union in developing Christian leaders to transform culture.
Prayer and Fasting Initiative Christian Union and DOXA invite believers across the nation to pray and fast for 40 days. For more information, visit www.ChristianUnion.org/40 days. summer
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Nexus, the Christian Union Conference on Faith & Action (formerly the Ivy League Congress on Faith & Action) will be held April 1-3 in New Haven, Connecticut.
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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. ...................................................................................... A LL I VY | On Campus
Commencement Exhortations
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look back on it as four years of sitting, talking, and laughing with friends, with the occasional lecture and problem set thrown into the mix.” Church and campus ministries also offered blessings and poignant advice to members of the class of 2015. At Dartmouth College, Roger and Debra Amato, leaders with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, paused to reflect on how graduation
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lievers especially voiced appreciation for the seasons of camaraderie they enjoyed with their collegiate faith peers. Among them, Alex Liu ’15 of Columbia University captured his sentiments in a blog for The Columbia Crown & Cross, a student-run Christian journal. “When I came to college, I thought of it as four years of classes,” Liu penned in his senior farewell. “Now that I’m finishing, I
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raduation provides a natural opportunity to reflect upon the memories of the past, accomplishments of the present, and the promise of the future. Across some of the leading universities in the east, seniors, along with their spiritual mentors and family members, paused to celebrate the milestone and express gratitude to the Eternal God who orchestrates life’s plans. Likewise, scores of student be-
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CL A S S OF 2015 LO OK S BACK , LO OK S AHE AD By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
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translated into a bittersweet season. “We grow to love these students, spending time with them in a group or individually, praying with them, listening to them, mentoring them, socializing with them, and having them in our home,” said Debra Amato, a campus director.
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Karl Johnson, the director of Chesterton House at Cornell, exhorted graduates to pursue character.
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“Letting them go is quite difficult. While we are truly excited to work with the rising student leaders, and look forward to seeing who God will bring into our midst in the upcoming year, we know we will miss deeply some of the students who move on.” At Nassau Christian Center in Princeton, Campus Pastor Nate Johnson encouraged this year’s seniors to plug into local churches as they relocate into new regions. “Be intentional about seeking out [Christian] community,” John-
son said. “You really have to own it.” Many Christian students leave behind tight-knit groups of spiritual companions as they graduate. “It’s hard when you leave college. You’ve had such deep relationships and suddenly you’re out there,” Johnson said. “Developing community takes so much work.” Johnson and his wife Valerie put extra efforts into preparing seniors for many of the normal reactions they are likely to encounter as they move into adulthood, including loneliness. “Don’t be blindsided by the transition,” said Johnson. “It’s just a new phase.” Likewise, Sonja Lee Chen, a campus minister at the University of Pennsylvania, emphasized the importance of preparation for one of young adulthood’s major passages. “A lot of them have been sobered by the transition, but in the appropriate ways,” said Chen, Columbia ’03, who is on staff at City Church Philadelphia. During discussions on how the Gospel calls believers to engage with life, Chen asked seniors to consider how to take what they have “gained here and translate that into the next season.” At Chesterton House, a Christian study center at Cornell University, director Karl Johnson noted new graduates should prize the lasting value of developing exemplary character traits over the temporal goal of pursuing achievements. “Put differently, what will be said about you in your eulogy?” Karl Johnson asked. In a blog on graduation for Chesterton, the founding director explained that résumés typically showcase accomplishments,
while eulogies capture character. Likewise, while today’s young adults are part of a highly mobile and transient generation, they should pause to remember the worth of commitments to life’s institutions, including church, marriage, and family. As well, they should embrace the benefits of community and avoid the pitfalls of a wandering lifestyle. “Perhaps, it is one of the strangest achievements of modernity that wandering has become a virtue,” wrote Karl Johnson, Cornell ’89, Ph.D. ’11. Seniors expressed both joyful anticipation and bittersweet sentiments as they prepared to depart their collegiate nests. “One thing I’ve learned is the wealth of return that comes when you invest in relationships,” Aleyna Mason ’15 wrote for The Cornerstone Magazine.. Mason’s colleagues on the student journal have “lifted me up and cracked me up. Friends are my Brown experience – they are what I love about this place, what I will miss, and what I will take with me.” Being part of a vibrant faith community, including the Christian a cappella group Jubilee, also was a big part of Liu’s college experience. “Classes will change, semester by semester, but your friends will stay through it all,” Liu noted for the Crown & Cross. Ultimately, Christ stands ready to offer guidance, direction, and encouragement to the new grads for the journey ahead, ministers noted. “Hopefully, it’s upward, onward, and deeper with Jesus,” said Johnson of Nassau Christian Center. “There comes a point when you are the leader.” | cu
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Ministering to China’s Future Leaders
RHO DE IS L AN D CHURCH E XPAN D S OFFE RIN GS TO B ROWN S TUDE NT S By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
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also hosts weekly gatherings and dinners on Friday evenings, aimed at undergraduates from Johnson & Wales University and other area institutions, inside the church’s headquarters on Roosevelt Avenue. “It’s very pivotal for this age group,” said Estrada. “They will definitely be the future leaders back
Nelson Estrada is the pastor of CityLight, the English ministry of Chinese Christian Church of Rhode Island.
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in China. We want them to spearhead some change.” Dubbed Living in Faith and Encouragement, or L.I.F.E., the Friday events feature meals, Bible studies, and prayer. The collegiate ministry also hosts spring and fall retreats. At Brown, CCCRI hopes to “present something unique and new” by offering ministry in Mandarin Chinese, Estrada said. While Asian-American students typically
feel comfortable in American campus and church ministries, students from East Asia crave ties to their homelands and welcome spiritual instruction in their mother tongue. Altogether, about 50 students from more than a handful of area colleges, including about 10 from Brown, attend CCCRI’s Sunday services in Chinese and English. As for Brown, its international community features about 2,400 foreign students, scholars, and family members, altogether representing 100-plus countries. In fall 2014, about 8,850 students enrolled in the leading university, including nearly 2,100 graduate students and about 500 medical students. Regular faculty, not including visiting scholars, clinical staff and the like, total 700-plus. Reaching Rhode Island’s noticeable surge of students and scholars from East Asia is part of the church’s strategic mission. “China is not a country that promotes religion,” Estrada said. “We want them to know Christ so that when they go back, they can share the Gospel.” A native of the Philippines, Estrada earned a doctorate in Biblical studies from England’s University of Sheffield, and he previously pastored in California and Canada. Enoch Wong, who leads the church’s Chinese ministry, pastored earlier in Hong Kong and Canada. As Rhode Island’s only Chinese church, CCCRI offers a refuge of familiar language, culture,
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hode Island’s only evangelical Chinese church is serving the wave of students from East Asia who are arriving for collegiate education in the Ocean State, including at world-renowned Brown University, and neighboring portions of Massachusetts. “The influx of students from mainland China in Massachusetts and Rhode Island is just tremendous,” said Nelson Estrada, pastor of CityLight, the English ministry of Chinese Christian Church of Rhode Island (CCCRI). “We see the need to reach out to them.” As such, CCCRI is gearing up to expand its service to Brown University’s community, where a Brown medical professor launched the church some 38 years ago as a ministry to a cluster of students in the Warren Alpert Medical School. Over the years, the Chinese church had emerged as a regional house of worship. Today, from its base five miles away in Pawtucket, CCCRI serves nearly 300 worshippers, including a growing number of the region’s undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting scholars with ties to mainland China. Along those lines, the church is exploring plans to launch a Bible study in Mandarin Chinese at Brown similar to the ones it offers in English at both the University of Rhode Island and the Community College of Rhode Island. It
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and lunch on Sundays. The church holds services in English and Mandarin Chinese. About 75 worshippers attend the English service, while more than 200 participate in the Chinese service. As for the congregation’s Asian students, some hail from atheistic backgrounds and many arrive unchurched. However, they embrace CCCRI for the opportunity to interact with fellow parishioners in Mandarin Chinese and to share traditional Chinese dishes. “The thing that attracts them to
come to church is their peer group,” said Estrada. “This is Chinatown. It’s the church.” Along those lines, CCCRI coordinates with local Chinese organizations to stage an annual celebration for the Chinese New Year, which falls in January or February, and some of the church’s deacons help run Rhode Island’s annual Chinese Dragon Boat Races and Taiwan Day Festival in September. As part of its outreach to foreign students and academics, the church serves an annual Thanksgiving din-
ner to 300-plus participants, and aims to provide host families to international students. Occasionally, the parents of students visit, and they often express heartfelt gratitude for the church’s collegiate outreach. “For students who come from faraway places, we can offer them a place to have fellowship and meet new friends,” said Kevin Yiu, youth pastor and a CityLight minister. “They can make instant connections and learn and grow in their faith. It’s a welcoming place.” | cu
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Invited to Care By Matthew Harrison
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ditor’s note: The following article first appeared in The Cornerstone Magazine, a literary arts journal produced by students at Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design. Reprinted with permission. Matthew Harrison is an assistant professor of Applied Mathematics at Brown. John hurried to the chalkboard at the front of the room as soon as class was dismissed. He had only a minute, but he wouldn’t waste the opportunity to learn something about exponential functions that had confused him in a textbook. As the other students left the classroom, I quickly answered his question and was rewarded with his “Aha” moment. What could be more satisfying to a professor than seeing an eager student finally grasp a difficult concept! In that moment, I would have gladly spent hours with John, explaining exponential
functions, drawing connections to what we were learning in class, sharing with him the beauty and splendor of mathematics. And then John was gone, hurrying away with the rest of the students, leaving me alone in the windowless classroom with the odd but now familiar smell. I quickly erased the board, collected my belongings, and left the room. My first impression of John was a bit sinister—something about the way he trimmed his beard, I suppose—but he was delightful in class. John was by far the best student. He was tutoring many of his classmates (a role that he relished) and was working through several textbooks that were far more advanced than ours. Those brief questions from John at the end of class always came from these advanced texts. I often had a secret desire to
ignore the other students in the room and give a great lecture aimed at John. But I stuck to the curriculum, and eager John was pushed to the margins, those fleeting moments of transition between classes. Those were the only times I ever interacted with John. As with most students, I never saw him outside of class, never got to know him, don’t know where he came from, nor where life has taken him. Well, that last bit, although true for most of my students, is not technically true for John. I know exactly where John is. He is within 200 feet or so of the classroom where I always taught him: somewhere within the state’s maximum security prison. John (that is not his real name) is serving a life sentence for brutally murdering a stranger just for the fun of it. When I first felt called to teach inside prisons, I assumed that my
I had taught John for a month or two before I learned the details of his crime. There is a difference between knowing that someone likely committed a violent crime and reading about the details of the crime—seeing the picture of the beautiful life so senselessly ended. It changed the way I thought about John... until I was back teaching him again. Face to face, discussing math, it didn’t matter. And John was not unique in that way. Ten of his classmates were serving sentences for murder. I cared about each of them. And I began to feel very guilty for caring about them. The victims came from all walks of life: rich, poor, male, female, adults, and children. Those victims had
questions when I first began teaching in prison, particularly as I began to face the stark reality of many of my students’ crimes. I questioned whether it was appropriate for me to be teaching there. Was it even just? I prayed for answers, searched Scripture for answers, read many books, surfed the Web, attended talks and panel discussions, had conversations with experts and ex-prisoners, watched movies, and even role-played in some image theater. But I found no answers to how society should balance punishment and rehabilitation. I did not figure out if teaching in prison was the best use of my time and talents. I still do not know. These questions no longer tor-
Loving these students was easy. I didn’t need reminders from the Bible that I was supposed to love them. They didn’t feel like my enemies. But I knew they were somebody’s enemy…
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ment me, though. I do not feel guilty or ashamed for caring about my students in prison, even the ones, like John, who have done horrific things. I have found my peace. I found it in my Christian faith, as I had always expected, but not in the way that I expected. I expected it to be difficult to care for these students. It was not. It was easy to care for them. Instead, it was difficult to rationalize caring for them. I expected that Christ’s call to love my enemies would motivate me to try harder. Instead, it liberated me to embrace what came naturally. Christ’s call to love my enemies liberated me to embrace what came naturally.
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families who loved them, who undoubtedly still love them and still grieve daily. I felt ashamed to care about men and women who had caused so much pain. I wondered how I would explain myself to a heartbroken mother: I’m the one teaching and caring about the man who killed your son. I still hope I never have that conversation. There is a tension in the criminal justice system between punishment and rehabilitation. Is it proper justice to educate murderers? Or is it better to let them languish in prison? What about those convicted of lesser crimes? Shouldn’t we first provide education for everyone else? I struggled greatly with these
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Christian faith would be what kept me going. Christ’s challenge to love my enemies and to visit the least of His brethren in prison would be the mantras that enabled me to persevere in this difficult calling that would have me interacting with intimidating people in a dangerous place. I assumed that the intellectual knowledge of what Christ called me to do would help me overcome my emotional aversion to the people and situations I would certainly encounter. These assumptions were only partly correct. My faith has kept me going, but not for the reason I expected—in fact, for very nearly the opposite reason. I discovered that higher education inside a prison is, for the most part, just like higher education anywhere else. The men and women that I have taught in prison seem remarkably normal. The variation in personalities and abilities is about the same as in any college classroom. Some are engaged in the material; some are not. Some struggle valiantly; others master the content with ease. Most worry about grades. Many are friendly and appreciative; a few, entitled or adversarial. Many succeed, but some do not. And I discovered that, just like all the other students I have taught, I cared deeply about the ones I was teaching in prison. I wanted them to master the material, to succeed in the course, to grow in intellect and in confidence, to move on to new challenges and new possibilities. Loving these students was easy. I didn’t need reminders from the Bible that I was supposed to love them. They didn’t feel like my enemies. But I knew they were somebody’s enemy. And that began to torment me.
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Like in the criminal justice system, there is a similar tension in Christianity between justice and mercy, between judgment and forgiveness. But unlike the criminal justice system, where we must collectively struggle to find an impossible balance, in matters of our own hearts Christ does not ask us to find this balance. We are not invited to partake in God’s perfect judgment. In fact, we are expressly forbidden from it. We are, instead, invited to partake in God’s infinite mercy. We are completely free to love and care for the people around
us, even those who may not deserve our love. To be clear, I think John should be in prison. There must be consequences for murder. I do not think that putting someone in prison is violating Christ’s prohibition of judgment. Prison is not a judgment of one’s soul. It is a punishment for crime. The great injustices of America’s current criminal justice system notwithstanding, punishment is an integral part of a just society. Jesus did not reproach prison guards or judges or policemen. Jesus did not even reproach prisoners for their crimes. Society
had already done that. Instead, Jesus reproached those who refused to care for people at the margins of society, who refused to care for the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned. Jesus reproached those who refused the invitation to partake in God’s infinite mercy. I do not know why God called me to teach in prisons. But I do know that God loves the men and women in prison just as God loves me. I also know that I am free to partake in this love. And that has made all the difference. | cu
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Rising Senior Named Newman Civic Fellow
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Olugbenga Joseph ’16 was named Brown’s 2015 Newman Civic Fellow for Campus Compact. Joseph has been a volunteer bi-lingual tutor with the Swearer Center for Public Service, a member of the a cappella group Shades of Brown, and involved with other service organizations. Joseph was among 250 students from as many campuses nationwide selected for the honor based upon photo: Emma Dickson their demonstrated Newman Civic Fellow civic leadership on Olugbenja Joseph, and off campus, Brown ’16 and for their
commitment to understanding the root causes of social issues. The Newman Fellowship is offered by Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities dedicated to the “public purposes of higher education.”
Scott Haltzman ’82, MD ’85, discussed how positive relationships are powerful determinants for an individual’s sense of well-being. Lifetime relationships, including marriage, are associated with higher happiness levels, as well as improved physical and mental health. Dr. Haltzman ’82 Religious and family advocates Discusses the Power have long cited Haltzman’s work, of Relationships including The Secrets An alumnus of Happy Families. In and pro-family May, the former Brown expert highlighted professor and prolific the importance of author appeared relationships during one during a plethora of of a series of forums events Brown staged held in conjunction to coincide with with Brown University’s Scott Haltzman, commencement and 250th anniversary reunions activities. Brown ’82 celebration.
COLU M B I A | On Campus
Ethics and the Good Life T I M K E L L E R S P E A K S AT V E R I TA S F O R U M E V E N T By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
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a savior. “In the Christian doctrine, there is something wrong with me,” Keller said. “That’s kind of confrontive.” Keller is the founding pastor of New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and the author of several
Tim Keller, founding pastor of New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church, spoke at the Veritas Forum this spring.
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bestsellers, including: The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism and The Prodigal God. In 1989, Keller launched Redeemer alongside his wife and three young sons. Today the diverse congregation of young professionals has blossomed into a network of three congregations with combined weekly attendance of more than 5,000 worshippers. For its campus ministry, Redeemer supports the local chapter of Reformed University Fellowship (see
sidebar). RUF’s chapter at Columbia gathers on Wednesday nights at Redeemer’s offices on Broadway. As for his appearance in the Veritas Forum, Keller noted that spirituallyminded priorities can help believers realize lives marked by peace and contentment. However, sin ushers consequences, especially when lusts for money and success top concerns for the needs and worth of others. “Sin is disordered love,” said Keller, paraphrasing Augustine of Hippo, the early Christian theologian. At the same time, Christians possess spiritual resources, including forgiveness and self-control, to aid them as they encounter some of life’s biggest challenges. “We live in a society of self-assertion,” Keller said. “A society of self-assertion will likely respond more often with vengeance.” For his part, Kitcher expressed concerns about the oppressive nature of some religions, highlighting the suffering that results from various dogmas across the globe. Kitcher also voiced worries over whether some faiths interfere with the full, free, and autonomous development of individuals. Keller responded by suggesting some personal choices, including the decision to marry, essentially result in voluntary “strategic liberty losses,” but Christ never used force as He recruited followers. Another key issue emerged when the men tackled philosophies tied to individual worth.
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he unsurpassed resource Christians bring to the quest for a good life is an understanding of the profound, transformative significance of a blameless Savior dying to pay the price for their sins. That was one of the messages from Tim Keller when the best-selling author, apologist, and pastor appeared at Columbia University during a Veritas Forum entitled Ethics and the Good Life. Sponsors of the Veritas event included: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Korean Campus Crusade, Columbia Catholic Ministry, University Bible Fellowship, Compass Christian Koinonia, Atheist Agnostic Students Society, Remnant Christian Fellowship, RUF City Campus Ministry, and Christian Union’s leadership development ministry at Columbia. On April 6, Keller faced renowned Columbia Philosopher Philip Kitcher in Low Library’s Rotunda to probe the principles of Christianity versus secular humanism in the pursuit of the so-called good life. Columbia Philosopher Michele Moody-Adams, Harvard Ph.D. ’86, served as moderator of the 70-minute event, which also featured student queries. “At the heart of my understanding of the world is a man dying for his enemies, a man saying, ‘Father, forgive them,’” said Keller. “He’s not responding to violence with violence.” Still, some people take offense at the Gospel message because Christ’s crucifixion points to the sinful nature of mankind and its inherent need for
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Keller highlighted how humans are made in the image of God, which affirms their value. As for Kitcher, the academic’s brand of humanism embraces the importance of human beings apart from worth bestowed by a deity; he noted how lives matter when they are connected to others. “We need to be in community with others,” Kitcher told Columbia students. The British-born scholar is known for pointing to secular humanism as a potential replacement for religion.
Kitcher’s book, Life after Faith: The Case for Secular Humanism, reflects a series of lectures he delivered at Yale University and his efforts to offer secular humanism as a beneficial alternative to religion. “Secular humanism has to offer a positive conception of how people live without faith,” said Kitcher, who earned a doctorate from Princeton University in 1974 in the history and philosophy of science. Still, secular humanists need to think through ways to respond to some of the shortcom-
ings of human nature, Kitcher noted. In other topics, areas of agreement for both men centered on the role of technology in “the good life,” the limitations of science, and the blessing of family. Ultimately, for Keller, the key to achieving the good life is focusing on eternal investments. “Christianity provides a meaning for life that says you can invest in something and know it counts forever,” he said. “If I love God supremely, then I can love others.”| cu
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New Growth at Columbia REFORME D UNIVER SIT Y FELLOWSHIP L AUN CHE S MINIS TRY By Luke Foster, Columbia ’15
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twenty Columbians have made the thirty-block trek on foot to worship at Redeemer. And for the past year, Redeemer has resourced a student ministry on campus, a chapter of the Presbyterian Church in America’s Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). RUF has formed a dynamic community of students regularly engaged in Bible study, earned recognition as an official student organization, and conducted innovative outreach events (including, memorably, a Krispy Kreme donut giveaway that attracted over 400 students). Eric Lipscomb, an ordained Presbyterian Pastor Eric Lipscomb (top row, middle) leads the Reformed Church in America University Fellowship at Columbia University. pastor and ministry
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or years, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, pastored by bestselling author Timothy Keller, has been a spiritual home to Christian students at Columbia. Ever since Redeemer’s Upper West Side location opened three years ago, upwards of
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leader of RUF, describes his own spiritual journey as providential preparation for his task at Columbia. The pre-professional, competitive culture of undergraduate life valorizes stress and fosters insecurity. Lipscomb says, “Columbia is a uniquely difficult place to find community, with all the pressures to achieve being acutely placed upon your shoulders at an Ivy League school within New York City.” In his mentorship of students, Lipscomb underscores “the wonderful hope and freedom that come from knowing and being known by Jesus Christ.” Grace is powerful to overcome insecurities and give believers a new identity about the idolatry of success. Lipscomb narrates his own struggle against idolatry, an experience that he sees as fundamental to his ability to serve Columbia students. As
an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, his main priority was to build the skillset to excel in the business world and become wealthy. But he felt “constantly anxious and unfulfilled,” deeply discontented with the path his life was taking. The RUF chapter at the University of Virginia became a channel of blessing to him in the same way that he hopes Columbia’s RUF will bless students: “I got involved with RUF at Virginia and was constantly reminded of God’s grace within that community during my college years. I was a Christian before coming to college, but with the pressures to achieve and be ‘omni-competent’ that were so prevalent at the university, I had forgotten that my identity is anchored
in the finished work of Christ.” That discovery of the joy of freedom in Christ became Lipscomb’s driving motivation throughout his years of
of tackling objections to Christianity common among young people can only be a second stage. “If you start developing relationships and getting
“Columbia is a uniquely difficult place to find community, with all the pressures to achieve being acutely placed upon your shoulders at an Ivy League school within New York City.” seminary and his move to New York City with his wife Brittany. Timothy Keller’s bestselling apologetics book, The Reason for God, has fundamentally shaped Lipscomb’s approach to evangelism on campus. Yet, Lipscomb finds that Keller’s strategy
to know those folks, though, you start gaining the relational capital necessary to ask more probing questions and speak the truth of the Gospel into their lives,” Lipscomb explains. And truth takes root in a soil of trust.| cu
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University Clarifies Quote about President Obama’s Return in ’17
Catholic Ministry Joins Community Outreach Effort
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Students involved with Columbia Catholic Ministry recently took part in Columbia Community Outreach’s annual service day. On April 12, the students were among approximately 750 or so participants who volunteered. Each year, hundreds of Columbia students, alumni, and faculty gather throughout New York City to assist in 30-plus projects. Many of the service opportunities center around beautifying parks, serving meals in soup kitchens, and performing chores for homeless shelters and schools.
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Recent comments by Columbia President Lee Bollinger were misinterpreted by the mainstream media and led to reports that President Barack Obama, Columbia ’83, would work at his alma mater after leaving the White House. At Columbia’s Convocation, Bollinger said he was looking forward to “welcoming back our most famous alumnus…in 2017,” according to the Columbia Daily Spectator. Later, CNN reported that Bollinger was referring to a component of the Obama
presidential center that was announced in May. The Barack Obama Foundation announced then it would “maintain a presence at Columbia University for the purpose of exploring and developing opportunities for a long term association.” The main library and presidential center will be located on Chicago’s South Side. In a statement issued to Polico.com, White House deputy press secretary Jen Friedman said, “The President has long talked about his respect for Columbia University and his desire to continue working with them. However, at this point no decisions have been finalized about his post-Presidency plans.”
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COR N E LL | On Campus
A Biblical Response to Catastrophe CORNELL CHRISTIAN GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP HOSTS ROUNDTABLE By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer
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hy does God allow suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? These are among the most gut-wrenching questions asked during times of tragedy. In his presentation
Why Have You Forsaken Me? A Biblical Response to Loss and Catastrophe. On New Year’s Eve 2012, Brady’s eight-year-old son, Mack, died unexpectedly from a blood infection. This left the grieving father with firsthand
Ph.D. candidates Daniel Miller (left) and William Pennock received a deeper understanding of suffering through a lecture presented by Dr. Chris Brady, Cornell ’92.
knowledge of the sorrow that shadows loss. Brady told students he disagrees with those who assume suffering is part of God’s plan. Rather, he contends God’s intent was for a harmonious heaven and earth where there was “pleasure and joy, purpose and fulfillment.” “It’s humanity that has turned from God’s plan,” “The message of Job is not one of said Brady. And the result is a broken world where comfort and consolation…” there is pain and suffering, —Chris Brady, Cornell ’92 even for the believer. Thus, “The questions to ask now classics and ancient Mediterranean are from a biblical perspective: how are studies and Jewish studies at Penn State we to understand our suffering, where University. His address title for the it comes from, and what do we do with CGCF Roundtable was based upon it once it arrives in our lives?” Brady cited various Old Testayet another anguished question asked during suffering: My God, my God, ment passages from Lamentations,
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to the Cornell Graduate Christian Fellowship (CGCF), alumnus Chris Brady ’92 spoke from his own heartbreaking experience. He said that while there is no comforting explanation for why trials happen, there is comfort available as we journey through them. Brady, who earned a Ph.D. from Oxford, is an associate professor of
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Ecclesiastes, and Job. In the process, he analyzed common assumptions Christians make in attempting to find meaning and purpose in suffering. Brady offered students no pat answers to explain the unexplainable. He noted that God did not really answer Job’s question of why he suffered; rather, God gave a strong reminder that Job was not God and offered no further justification. “The message of Job is not one of comfort and consolation,” said Brady, who writes a personal “Targuman” blog (http://targuman. org/blog). “There is no answer, no explanation, from Job’s perspective, of why his children were killed, his wealth and property destroyed, and his own body ruined. There is simply the knowledge that God spoke.” Ultimately, Brady concluded that, in most cases, God has not sent our suffering, and that “the presence of God is found, not in the infliction of our suffering, but in the grace and peace to bear it.” That message resonated with Ph.D. candidate Daniel Miller, president of the GCF Roundtable. “At a younger age, I wanted to come up with a philosophical reason for suffering, especially when talking with someone who had experienced it,” he said. Now, Miller realizes the best response to another’s tragedy is emotional availability and not trying to find answers. “The only answer is God, not an argument or reasoning,” said Miller. Fellow doctoral candidate William
Pennock agrees. “[Brady’s] advice on comforting those who are suffering was insightful,” said Pennock. “He emphasized that it is good to be available to listen, to let the person who is grieving guide the conversation, and to ‘weep with those who weep.’” Miller and Pennock said the topic of the roundtable, which was co-spon-
sored by Chesterton House at Cornell, is an important one for young people. “Suffering can be particularly life-changing at this critical stage in life, and it can be hard to find hope in the midst of an intense and competitive academic setting,” said Pennock. “Students can be particularly vulnerable; being able both to bear
personal suffering and to assist those who are grieving are very important abilities for students.” “For the sufferings I have had, it was helpful to be reminded of God’s faithfulness and to remember that He was and is good throughout my suffering, and that He will be good, whatever life may bring,” said Pennock. | cu
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A New Season CAMPUS RENEWAL LAUNCHES AT CORNELL By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer
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are deeply rooted in prayer and eager to see the Lord move mightily on campus. Some examples of the prayer and unity movement there include
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the Cornell House of Prayer and the long-time efforts of Campus on a Hill, an umbrella organization. “My goal is to come alongside
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Heather Hocking, director of Campus Renewal Ministries at Cornell.
these groups and encourage and support them in what they are doing,” said Hocking. This year, Campus Renewal sponsored a survey that was distributed through the various ministries. Information gathered from students focused on trends, demographics, and spiritual disciplines: how much time they spend in prayer for their friends, how much time they spend sharing the Gospel, etc. The data helped ministry leaders on campus identify strengths and weaknesses and assess areas that may need more focus. One finding showed a gap between the percentage of students praying for non-Christian friends and the number engaging in conversations about the Gospel on a regular basis. “There is obviously a desire, since they are praying,” said Hocking, “but they are not able to have the conversations.” The survey information was also used to enhance the Summer Christian Fellowship for students who stay on campus. The first meeting of the group was held in June, and a local
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ampus Renewal, which seeks to foster unity and mission at the nation’s colleges and universities, launched a ministry at Cornell during the past academic year. In addition to serving at Cornell, the Campus Renewal staff is also available to assist nearby colleges, and serves as a regional hub in Ithaca, New York. The ministry also has a regional hub at the University of Pennsylvania. “God blesses where brothers dwell together in unity,” noted Heather Hocking, the director of Campus Renewal Ministries at Cornell. At the root of Renewal’s campus efforts is the establishment of FUSION groups, which invite ministry leaders together for weekly prayer. According to Hocking, relationships grow in the process of praying with others. “Getting people to pray together overcomes challenges,” she said. However, while ministries at most campuses experience challenges in various aspects of unity, Cornell is somewhat unique in that it has a fairly strong cadre of Christians who
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pastor talked about sharing the Gospel and gave tangible ways to begin talking about God’s Word, having
In addition to fostering unity, Hocking also led some meetings at the Cornell House of Prayer and en-
While ministries at most campuses experience challenges in various aspects of unity, Cornell is somewhat unique in that it has a fairly strong cadre of Christians who are deeply rooted in prayer and eager to see the Lord move mightily on campus. disciplined prayer for lost friends, and starting conversations about faith. Hocking says Campus Renewal intends to conduct a similar survey next year to measure the results of any new initiatives.
couraged students along those lines. She suggested praying for their peers in their respective fields of study, praying for academic departments, and interceding for people of diverse backgrounds.
One challenge in dealing with students, according to Hocking, is that they tend to over commit themselves, and may even belong to multiple ministries. As a ministry director, she hopes to work with other Christian leaders on campus to help students focus their energies. Ideally, she said, students should pursue academic excellence as they share the Gospel and participate in Bible study. “These students are so capable,” she said. And while Campus Renewal is new at Cornell, her work with fellow ministry leaders is building on an already strong foundation there. “People have been faithful witnesses here,” she said. “There is a lot to work with.” | cu
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Chesterton House Celebrates 15 Years
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As Cornell celebrated its 150th anniversary this year, Chesterton House recognized its own 15 years of serving the Ithaca campus with a Charter Day Weekend Open House. Chesterton House, a center for Christian Studies on campus that partners with Cornell ministries,
offers courses, lectures, and other events. The open house was geared toward educating visitors about Christian living and learning at Cornell.
Ministries Unite for Prayer Tent Campus On A Hill at Cornell hosted a 24/7 prayer tent on the Quad this spring. One of the year’s largest ministry initiatives, the prayer tent was open from April 15-17. It served as a central place of worship, prayer, and evangelism, and helped build unity among campus ministries. The weekend was capped off by a presentation by Christian apologist
Nabeel Qureshi, a former Muslim. The lecture was held in Call Auditorium. The vision of Campus On A Hill (campusonahill.org) is “the ongoing process of mobilizing the whole Body of Christ at Cornell and in Ithaca to strategically Nabeel Qureshi focus all of its resources on reaching the whole campus with the whole Gospel, resulting in the redemption of society and the transformation of the community.”
D A R T M OU T H | On Campus
The Ultimate Spoiler Alert DAVID BROOK S E XHORTS DARTMOUTH CL A SS OF ’15 By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer
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mility at Yale in 2014. However, a fulfilling life doesn’t come from exploring freedom and open-ended living. Rather, Brooks contended, fulfillment comes from relinquishing self-serving freedom and honoring commitment to family, vocation, faith, and community.
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advocate for workplace safety and employee rights and was later named U.S. Labor Secretary. “People with vocations don’t ask: ‘What do I want from life?’ They ask: ‘What is life demanding me to do?’ ” said Brooks. In the Dartmouth address, Brooks championed commitment to moral acts at a time when many are committed to self-advancement. “The moral world is not structured like the market world,” Brooks revealed. “It has an inverse logic.” Brooks, who is Jewish, used words David Brooks gave a memorable commencement of wisdom that address at Dartmouth. seemed inspired by the Golden Rule and other Bible passages. Brooks spoke of commitment in His speech gave graduates more to covenantal terms. “Making a com- contemplate than financial gains, mitment simply means falling in love scholarly recognition, or even designer with something, and then building a wedding gowns. structure of behavior around it that “You have to give to receive,” will carry you through when your love Brooks said. “You have to surrenfalters,” he said. der to something outside yourself to Regarding vocation, Brooks said gain strength within yourself. You it’s not about a career, but rather have to conquer your desire to get “something that summons you.” He what you crave. Success leads to the spoke of his hero, Frances Perkins, a greatest failure, which is arrogance Columbia alumna (class of 1910) who and pride. Failure can lead to the was active in the Episcopal church. greatest success, which is humility As a young adult, Perkins witnessed and learning. In order to fulfill yourthe Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire self, you have to forget yourself. In in New York City and the horrific order to find yourself, you have to deaths that resulted. She went on to lose yourself.” | cu
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ew York Times columnist and Yale lecturer David Brooks chose to buck tradition when he addressed the Dartmouth graduating class in May. Instead of waxing eloquent about the value of failure and the pursuit of passion, Brooks opted for realism in a speech he described as “the ultimate spoiler alert,” challenging graduates to make commitments and lose themselves for the sake of another. Avoiding platitudes, Brooks, author of the recent bestseller, The Road to Character, articulated the value of love—love of vocation, love of family—that is tested over time, and a belief system that sets the path for moral integrity. He spoke of “agency moments” when each graduate will independently define themselves and judge success by their own internalized standards, rather than rely upon the opinions of others. “Once you have achieved your agency moments, you can begin to make commitments,” said Brooks, a senior fellow at Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. The social commentator said commitment is often elusive in a digital world where people are constantly distracted by e-mails, tweets, and newsfeeds. “We are not a society that nurtures commitment making. We live in a culture that puts a lot of emphasis on individual liberty and freedom of choice. Ivy League student culture is built around keeping your options open and fear of missing out,” said Brooks, who taught a course on hu-
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D A R T M OU T H | On Campus
Grace in a Competitive World WHEELO CK SO CIET Y HOS TS SIX TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
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Stephenson ’82, a board director for Opportunity International. On April 25, the Eleazar Wheelock Society hosted its yearly conference to encourage Dartmouth students to
spring 2007 to showcase intellectual perspectives reflecting Christianity. The organization was named after Dartmouth’s patriarch, Eleazer Wheelock, a Puritan minister and a Yale College alumnus of 1733 who envisioned Dartmouth as an institution to train missionaries to Native Americans. As for the discussion on grace in the business world, the panelists also probed a quote by longtime RCA executive David Sarnoff. Namely, the late consumer television pioneer opined, “Competition brings out the best in products A trio of Dartmouth College alumni probed the issue of faith in the business world during a panel discussion for the sixth annual Wheelock Conference on Integrating Faith, Reason and Vocation. and the worst in men.” In response, Stephenson encouraged students to emrecent panel discussion at Dartmouth consider a biblical worldview in their brace the opportunities that readily College on the concept of grace for studies and vocations. The theme for emerge with commercial rivalry. Sibelievers who labor in commercial 2015 centered on the intersection of multaneously, they should mentally faith, identify and vocation. separate the evil practices associated ventures. In fall 2009, a group of students, with man’s sinful nature from the “We’re uniquely qualified to function in the marketplace,” said panelist staff, and alumni established the overall notion of competition. Hans Helmerich, Dartmouth ’81. Helmerich was one of three DartMore than 335 students, alumni, scholars, and leaders mouth alumni who participated in the panel discussion entitled Grace in attended the Wheelock conference, which was held at a Competitive World/Business for the sixth annual Wheelock Conference Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. on Integrating Faith, Reason and Vocation. “We need to delink those,” SteCatalina Gorla ’09, founding Wheelock Society as a non-profit chief operating officer of Informulary, organization to support Christian phenson said. Students should view served as the moderator for the pan- efforts on campus, including The competition as a “motivator and as a el that also featured Jonathan Crane Dartmouth Apologia: A Journal of positive,” not as an excuse for question’71, former executive vice president Christian Thought. Students published able behavior in commercial settings. Helmerick echoed those comwith MCI, Inc., and Beth Johnston the inaugural issue of the Apologia in hen grounded in their faith, Christians can be especially suited to navigate the rough-andtumble waters of the business world. That was one of the themes from a
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The History of Doctrine This spring, the Waterman Institute at Dartmouth held the second part of its class entitled The History of Doctrine: Middle Ages and Reformation. The class, held in Reed Hall, was conducted by Rev. Don Willeman, pastor of Christ Redeemer Church in Hanover. Daniel Jung ’17 and Hallie Reichel ’17 served as assistant teachers.
Reed Hall was the site of the Waterman Institute’s class, The History of Doctrine: Middle Ages and Reformation.
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The course covered an overview of church history during the medieval period and the Reformation. The Waterman Institute, an independent organization, is dedicated to the integration of “spiritual understanding and biblical study with academic rigor and scholarly discourse.”
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As for the panel on grace, Helmerick reminded Dartmouth students that their coworkers and colleagues will be watching their lives as they interact in work settings. “They want to know if we care,” said Helmerick. “They want to work some place that cares.” Likewise, investors and clients are looking for enhanced values and trust. As well, believers in the corporate world need to be prepared to encounter challenges. Crane shared a compelling account with students of how he once was pressured to reflect a $750,000 or so billing error in his employer’s favor. After Crane steadfastly refused to boost falsely his company’s quarterly results, he notified the outside vendor of the staggering error and suggested it resubmit a bill for full reimbursement. Instead, the vendor was “so stunned,” it eliminated the extra charges it could have readily collected. “You understand what a marvelous lesson that was…,” Crane said. “When you do the right thing, there are great things that occur.” Conference panelists reminded students that Christians are suited to occupy the commanding heights of the business arena, where they also need to weigh the quest for profit with Scripture’s call to store up treasures in heaven. Ultimately, such labor can be a divine commission. After all, the mandates of Genesis include callings to be productive and use the earth’s resources to support its population, Stephenson said. | cu
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ments, noting the concept of marketplace rivalry is not a “quiet license to do what it takes to get your numbers and cut corners...” However, the end result of economic rivalry can be beneficial to a community and beyond. “Our job, if we are in the marketplace, is to bring a value proposition to the customer,” Helmerick said. “Competition is a great grace that hones the best skills and brings out creativity.” While the sinful nature of man can lead to cheating and boasting, the redeeming nature of the Gospel can change an individual, shaping the behaviors and philosophies that emerge in the workplace. “The Gospel changes us and we are new creatures,” Helmerick said. For believers, competition motivates Christians to “work hard” for the Lord and it helps prevent laziness, Stephenson said. More than 335 students, alumni, scholars, and leaders attended the Wheelock conference, which was held in Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Since its inception, the conference has aimed to generate dialogues across campus and across the generations on ways Dartmouth students can reflect spirituality and intellect within the academy and work world. Eric Metaxas, author, radio host, and Yale alumnus of 1984, served as the keynote speaker. Likewise, alumni executives and academicians took part in six panel discussions as well as open-formatted roundtable meetings.
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H A RVA RD | On Campus
A Missional Design A R C H I T E C T U R E S T U D E N T H A S A H E A R T F O R C L A S S M AT E S By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
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ith an evangelist’s heart and an eclectic background, Christian Gonzalez-Alberti is not your typical Harvard student. Nonetheless, the graduate student in Harvard University’s architecture program is using his involvement on campus as a platform for missional service. Namely, Gonzalez-Alberti is fo-
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Christian Gonzalez-Alberti is using his involvement in Harvard University’s architecture program as a platform for missional service to his classmates.
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cused on reaching students via personal conversations and acts of hospitality. “I prioritize the hearts of my classmates above anything else,” said Gonzalez-Alberti, 33, who worked in the arts, apologetics, and social justice prior to arriving in Massachusetts. “Before that, I prioritize my time with the Lord.” Many of Gonzalez-Alberti’s efforts to serve students center upon building relationships and understanding individual needs, skills that require drawing from his diverse experiences, as well as his spiritual devotion.
Gonzalez-Alberti staged a tea on April 29 for fellow students in Harvard’s Graduate School of Design that included an assortment of refreshments and live instrumental music. During the prior winter and spring exams, Gonzalez-Alberti also put together similar teas for weary students. Those events caught the attention of the design school’s administration, and the directors provided resources for this spring’s tea. Among other efforts, Gonzalez-Alberti often plays worship music on his acoustical guitar for students – immersed in the intensities of scholarship – as a means of sharing about the importance of Sabbath rest. “My classmates really enjoy it,” said Gonzalez-Alberti. “I felt like the Lord said, ‘I want you to bring Sabbath into this campus.’” As for his journey to Harvard, Gonzalez-Alberti said he received a divine calling while lingering for prayer one late evening inside the International House of Prayer (IHOP) near Kansas City, Missouri. In 2012, Gonzalez-Alberti worked for an organization affiliated with the church when he ventured to IHOP’s prayer room. While singing the verses, “Put me anywhere, just put Your glory in me/I’ll serve anywhere, just let me see Your beauty,” Gonzalez-Alberti said he heard the Lord’s voice. Specifically, Gonzalez-Alberti recalled hearing, “Will you go back to the Ivy League?” In 2010, Gonzalez-Alberti briefly attended Yale University’s graduate architectural program, but left
to pursue an internship with IHOP, noting his affection for the church’s centrality of worship and prayer. During the pivotal encounter in 2012, Gonzalez-Alberti said he sensed the Lord impressing that he possesses favor among intellectuals and college students. Furthermore, Gonzalez-Alberti recalled the Lord telling him, “You have been uniquely equipped and prepared for this mission field, which few are able to enter.” In fall 2013, Gonzalez-Alberti arrived at Harvard, where the New Jersey native is scheduled to complete a master of architecture in 2017. To fulfill his spiritual assignment inside the so-called Crimson Bubble, Gonzalez-Alberti concentrates on “just listening” to his classmates’ concerns. Many students express stress over perceptions that the Ivy League defines them by what they produce and accomplish. As such, Gonzalez-Alberti approaches student interactions with patience and care. “The most effective thing is to listen to people. Jesus always responded to the needs of the heart. The desire of Jesus is relational,” said Gonzalez-Alberti. Likewise, girlfriend Christina Ho, Harvard Law ’14, noted Gonzalez-Alberti remains sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit to minister, despite the “soul-crushing” pressures of graduate studies at Harvard. “Many of his classmates look up to him and come to him for wisdom and advice, even though they aren’t believers themselves,” said Ho. “They see him as
someone who has somehow learned to be at peace amidst the stress of school, and they crave that for themselves.” Despite an intense course load, Gonzalez-Alberti said he considers seeking God to be his top priority. “There’s an understanding that things don’t work without constantly being before the face of the Father,” Gonzalez-Alberti said. To supplement his spiritual nourishment, Gonzalez-Alberti also is involved with Graduate School of Design Christian Fellowship (a ministry of InterVarsity) and he attends Hilltop Church. As well, Gonzalez-Alberti travels about three times per year to lecture on apologetics for Youth With
A Mission’s University of the Nations. Through about 600 branches, the University of the Nations offers spiritual, cultural, intellectual, and professional development. Jim Orred, a leadership development coach with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), noted Gonzalez-Alberti’s teachings are a “rare blend of biblical values and content” in vocabulary that communicates to both Christian and secular audiences. Likewise, Andrew York, a leader with YWAM’s Awaken Discipleship Training School, said Gonzalez-Alberti stands out for the way he “more intentionally seeks to lead the students into a personal encounter with God.”
Before pursuing a degree in architecture, he was the founder of Splinter, a theatre group that ministered in the spoken Word and performed for over 70,000 people and trained over 200 students. At Harvard, Gonzalez-Alberti pulls from his passions for apologetics and architecture to minister to his colleagues. But, Gonzalez-Alberti’s main focus centers on creating a sense of community for fellow believers at Harvard. “We always talk about the kingdom family,” he said. Students “need to see what love looks like. That’s really my philosophy about being here.” | cu
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Celebrating in Style
K U U M B A S I N G E R S H O S T C O N C E R T, R E U N I O N E V E N T S By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
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graduate and graduate students from Harvard, students from area colleges, and community members. During the group’s spring tour in March, it performed in Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee, including an appearance at the National Civil Rights Museum. For Sowell, the annual spring concert was especially meaningful as Kuumba performed a song from the group’s original repertoire. Likewise, Sowell noted the choir has historically provided a spiritual support system for Harvard students, a major factor in its survival over the decades. The choir provides a “grounding for students in their faith, so that they can use their gifts in a positive way,” Sowell said.
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us,” said Sowell, noting the choir has 1,000-plus alumni. “It’s truly about service.” In addition to the annual spring concert, reunion events included era dinners at Harvard Square restaurants, an alumni sing, and a post-concert social. Though not a religious organization, the Kuumba Singers perform a range of African-centric music, including Negro spirituals, anthems, African folksongs, and contemporary gospel. The celebrated choir has harmonized in cities across the United States and abroad, even performing for dignitaries such as Desmond Tutu and the late Nelson Mandela. About 70 people participate in Kuumba Singers, including under-
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n April, the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College celebrated their 45th anniversary with a high-energy performance inside Memorial Hall and a weekend of spirited reunion activities. “The torch has been passed to 10 generations,” said Linda Jackson Sowell ’73, a charter member of the choir. On April 11, Kuumba presented a concert entitled Arise inside Sanders Theatre in Harvard Yard. About 150 alumni attended the performance, which also featured spoken word and dance. Per tradition, the alumni gathered with the students on stage to conclude the evening by singing, “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” “This journey is larger than any one singer. It’s bigger than any of
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As students, “we came to learn and experience the power of the Holy Spirit through what we sang…,” Sowell said. Also, Kuumba created a “safe
birthed in the shadow of the Civil Rights Movement, quickly emerging as a source of spiritual inspiration and community among a small but
past and offer hope for its future. Today, Sheldon X. K. Reid, Harvard ’96, GSE ’98, serves as director, only the third in the group’s storied history. Robert Winfrey, who holds a master of arts from Columbia University, led the choir for 25 years, making him the longest-standing director. At its core, the mission remains for Kuumba, a multi-cultural group, to provide a platform for audience members to dialogue as they “appreciate cultural differences and sing together,” Sowell said. Participants also seek to reflect the spiritual strength that has been key to the survival of people of African heritage in the United States. | cu
growing number of African-American students at Harvard. Inspired by a History of Black Music class in spring 1970, Dennis Wiley ’72 and Fred Lucas ’72 developed the idea for the choir during the following summer. In November 1970, the Kuumba Singers officially formed when students gathered one evening inside the Freshman Union, now the Barker Center. Retired Boston College Professor Hubert Walters, then a Harvard lecturer, assumed responsibility as the group’s first director. The students presented their first concert in Sanders Theatre in the spring. The group chose the name Kuumba – Swahili for creativity – because it best captured the choir’s intent to reflect the creative genius of African Americans through the rich diversity of Diasporic music and cultural expressions such as dance and poetry. “Never did I imagine that the group would not only survive, but thrive, some 45 years later,” said Wiley. The choir sought to remind the African-American community of its
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The Kuumba Singers
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place” for newcomers to Harvard, which felt like a foreign environment to some students. The choir is among the oldest African-American organizations operating on campus. “We wanted to be able to sing music that meant something to us and our history,” Sowell said. “The goal was to sing to the glory of the Lord and to be able to fortify ourselves.” As significantly, Sowell noted her vantage point as the original president of Kuumba Singers Alumni has allowed her to witness history and the “sustainable impact” of the vocalists. “It’s exhilarating,” she said. “Not only do I have connections with the people of the choir from my generation, I have connections to current students.” The former ranks of the choir include Loretta Lynch ’81, Harvard Law ’84, who recently took over the top law enforcement job in the United States. With that title, Lynch, also the daughter of a retired fourth-generation Baptist minister, became the first African-American woman to serve as the nation’s attorney general. Not surprisingly, Kuumba was
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Commencement Bells Harvard University recently celebrated its 364th commencement with traditions tied to its rich spiritual heritage. Among them, the exercises on May 28 featured the joyous sounds of bells from neighboring worship houses and Harvard institutions, including Memorial Church. Bells were part of Harvard’s landscape in 1643 when a publication outlined the rules for the first college in colonial North America. Namely, “Every Schollar shall be present in his tutor’s chambers at the 7th houre in the morning, immediately after the sound of the bell … opening the Scripture and prayer.” Although Harvard’s first commencement took place in 1642, the university omitted exercises during some troubled years.
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P E N N | On Campus
Further Consideration G R A D U AT I N G S E N I O R P U T S H I S T R U S T I N C H R I S T By Rosalie Doerksen, Penn ’17
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ebastian van Oudenallen ’15 first arrived at Penn grieving and in shock, just two months after his father unexpectedly passed away after a bout with cancer. As a coping mechanism, he threw his identity into a succession of activities that included varsity track (freshman year) and internships at Philadelphia’s City Hall and the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence. “I was just so busy. I was so distracted that I didn’t give myself any time to think about religion, about God,” he recalled. Alone with his thoughts and forced to confront the brevity of his own existence, he pondered just how inconsequential his life was in the context of time and the size of the universe. However, Van Oudenallen’s cousin (by marriage), a Christian, often peppered him with pointed questions like “How is your soul?” “Every time he asked that, I didn’t want to answer him. I would give him some non-straightforward answer,” he said. His cousin, a mentor, was almost finished with medical school, on the path to becoming an anesthesiologist. “When I asked him how he dealt with the pressure, he would say ‘Jesus Christ,’ and I would look at him like he was nuts,” van Oudenallen said. During his junior year, he went to his cousin’s house for Thanksgiving. “As soon as you walk in, there’s a picture of Jesus,” said van Oudenallen, who did not grow up in a home where Christ was worshipped. “For
non-believers, it’s awkward. There is someone who died for your salvation. It’s like when someone does you a really good favor and you’re not willing to be thankful.” Being thankful to God requires a sense of humility, he adds, an ability to recognize that you need to be for-
Sebastian van Oudenallen ’15 came to Christ at Penn after some soul searching.
given, which implies that something is wrong with you. And this was not easy to accept. “Again, my cousin brought up Jesus and I literally just left the room,” he said. Prior to his senior year at Penn, van Oudenallen decided his new focus would be attending an elite law school. He studied for the LSAT, working harder than ever before. And he failed, miserably, although he had been taught that he could do anything he set his mind to. “That is a total lie,” he says. “But
I believed that. I followed it like a mantra. When I failed, I had no other alternative. God let me fail, let me see the limit of the value that I could take from the exam, just so I could see that He offers something better.” “It was a long process, but after the LSAT, I knew that I couldn’t move forward. I needed something and I knew that there was nothing that could be offered in this world.” That something was God. He dug deeper into theological literature, ever building up more doubts and questions. Every time he sought to answer those questions, he consistently came to the conclusion that trusting God was the best choice. The works of C.S. Lewis were especially helpful. Van Oudenallen recalled the famous passage in Mere Christianity that states, “Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You must make your choice.” He also digested the four Gospels and began to arrive at a realization: “I can’t quite describe it, but Jesus was almost too good to be true. I really felt like I knew Him. How could He be crazy? How could He care so much about people? I just knew that He wasn’t crazy. And if He wasn’t crazy, then He is the Son of God…” And at that moment, he stopped, mid-sentence, having come to the same conclusion as Lewis. “It really scared me. Because that made me realize that life was not a game. There is some greater purpose.” And everything changed.
“When I could hear myself saying, ‘I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ,’ I was seeing how much I needed to be forgiven,” he said. “Everything has gotten better. Everything. The more I have given myself to God, the more I have found that my fractured relationships have healed.” At Penn, van Oudenallen was a
member of Tenth College Fellowship, a ministry of Tenth Presbyterian Church. “My heart has become fuller, my anxieties are lessened, and it is all because of Him. You pause, and when you take in the significance of it, it’s overwhelming,” he said. When Christ entered into his life, he realized the weakness of worldly
philosophical teaching. In particular, he noticed that those in academia have a strong tendency to cling to certain beliefs as absolute truths, despite the fact that even these required some leap of faith. “We disregard the argument for God so often that we forget what the stakes are,” van Oudenallen said. | cu
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Whitefield, Franklin, and Penn
LONGTIME FRIENDS, COLONIAL FIGURE S AGREED TO DISAGREE By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
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While overall pleased with the penned a lengthy response to Franklin plans and supportive of utilization highlighting his own vision for Chrisof the so-called New Building when tian liberal arts education. Whitefield not in use for evangelistic crusades, also called out Franklin for only inWhitefield expressed concern that serting a passing reference to religious Christianity seemed to be an afterthought in the scholarly endeavor, according to Kidd, who has extensively researched both Whitefield’s and Franklin’s imprint upon the foundation of the United States. On page 22 of a 32-page pamphlet, Franklin noted stu- Statues of George Whitefield (left) and Benjamin Franklin at Penn dents would receive instruction in the value of public and private religion, instruction in the academy’s proposal. “As we are all creatures of a day, as “and the excellency of the Christian our whole life is but one small point religion above all others.” However, that reference inside between two eternities, it is reasonable Proposals Relating to the Education of to suppose that the grand end of evYouth in Pennsylvania appeared too ery Christian institution for forming brief and too tardy for the comfort tender minds should be to convince them of their natural depravity, of the of the celebrated revivalist. In February 1750, Whitefield means of recovering out of it, and
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n 18th-century evangelist whose legendary oratory skills helped ignite the Great Awakening across two continents also played a role in the creation of the University of Pennsylvania. George Whitefield, one of the most touted spiritual figures of the U.S. colonial period, preached to as many as 10 million spectators across North America and the British Isles, according to Christianity Today. Along the way, Whitefield enlisted Benjamin Franklin as his printer and publicist in the colonies in the early 1740s. Collaboration between the longtime pals helped birth a forerunner to Penn a decade later, though the pair differed on the role of faith in early American higher education. A telling exchange between the gentlemen occurred in 1750 when the itinerant clergyman replied to Franklin’s rousing proposal for an academy to debut inside an assembly hall that Whitefield’s supporters erected for his Philadelphia appearances, according to Thomas Kidd, a Baylor University historian.
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of the necessity of preparing for the enjoyment of the Supreme Being in a future state,” Whitefield wrote to Franklin, the rising statesman, printer, and inventor. Whitefield envisioned a secondary school that offered solid grounding in core doctrinal principles. “Arts and sciences may be built on this, and serve to embellish the superstructure, but without this there cannot be any good foundation.” Ultimately, Franklin’s vision prevailed, establishing a forerunner of Penn with a mixture of pragmatic and classical studies, rather than a predominant focus on seminary training, according to Kidd. Nonetheless, the pages of Whitefield’s reply contained an almost prophetic warning, one with implications for modern believers in the academy. Namely, Whitefield noted God would bless an institution based upon integrity and piety. “But, without these, the most promising schemes will prove abortive, and the most flourishing structures turn out
Babels.” Whitefield ended his letter with a prayer for the Lord to direct Franklin to the “best means to promote the best end, I mean the glory of God and the welfare of your fellow creatures.” In 1751, the Academy and Charitable School in the Province of Pennsylvania opened to Philadelphia youth, and Franklin served as president of the institution until 1755. Whitefield and Franklin shared a deep, intense friendship but differed on a slate of spiritual matters until Whitefield’s death in 1770. Franklin noted Whitefield prayed for his conversion but never had the “satisfaction” of hearing such a testimony, according to Kidd. While Franklin identified as a Deist as an adult, Kidd noted the remarkable figure’s beliefs were dynamic, especially in the years preceding his death in 1790. “He ends up thinking that Christ’s moral teachings are invaluable and a sure guide. He’s still not sure of Christ’s divinity, but something has
happened by the end of his life,” said Kidd, who is writing The Faith of Benjamin Franklin for Yale University Press. Perhaps, some of that respect for faith dates back to Franklin’s robust friendship with Whitefield. Whitefield was a “bigger deal in his time than Billy Graham,” Kidd said. “Whitefield was, by far, the most famous person in prerevolutionary America.” In 2014, Yale released Kidd’s title, George Whitefield: America’s Spiritual Founding Father, to coincide with the evangelist’s 300th birthday. A heartfelt friendship remained at the center of the gentlemen’s relationship, and Franklin admired Whitefield’s unreserved commitment to faith. “I, who was intimately acquainted with him never had the least Suspicion of his Integrity, but am to this day decidedly of Opinion that he was in all his Conduct a perfectly honest Man,” Franklin wrote of the preacher notorious for electrifying colonial audiences. | cu
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Summer Study in the City
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City Church, a spiritual home to many Penn students, hosted a Summer Study for College Students. The study, held May 31 through July 16, was designed around the theme of how various callings fit into God’s plan for the whole of His creation. City Church, which is located in Philadelphia, is a worshipping community to urban professionals, students, and faculty.
Reason to Sing Penn’s Christian a cappella group, Full Measure (www.fullmeasure.org), released its sixth
CD this spring. Entitled Reason to Sing, the album has a redemption theme and focuses on moments of darkness, loneliness, and times of rejoicing before the Lord. While known for its premiere Christian concerts, Full Measure members see their CD as a means of reaching beyond the campus gates and sharing faith and encouragement with people everywhere.
PR I N C E T O N | On Campus
Contemporary Religion in America
F O R U M AT P R I N C E T O N R E U N I O N S E X A M I N E S S H I F T I N G T R E N D S By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
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United States continues to expand, even spreading across gender and age categories and racial backgrounds. However, Protestant evangelicals are maintaining their numbers, according to Pew Research Center.
Photo credit: San Francisco Theological Seminary
James McDonald, president of San Francisco Theological Seminary
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The organization’s massive 2014 study shows the so-called “nones” category – lingo for individuals who identify as atheists, agnostics, or nonreligious – constitutes about 23 percent of the domestic adult population, up from 16 percent in 2007. Overall, religiously unaffiliated people are more concentrated among young adults than other age groups. On a more encouraging note, the Pew study showed Protestants have slightly increased their counts. About 62 million Americans say they belong to an evangelical faith, up from about 60 million in 2007, according
to WORLD News Group. “Evangelicals stand out in terms of the ability to retain our own young people, including millennials,” Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, told WORLD News Group. “What’s disappearing is cultural Christianity. As happened in Europe, it will not collapse slowly—it’s likely to collapse very quickly.” Declines among American Christians are concentrated among mainline Protestant denominations and Roman Catholic parishes, according to Pew. At the same time, immigration patterns of the last 50 years have brought waves of Hispanics into the United States, providing a sustaining impact to some Catholic communities. Many practice charismatic forms of worship found in Pentecostal churches, McDonald noted. Another key theme influencing religion in contemporary America is the rise of Pentecostalism. Across the globe, as many as one out of four Christians is Pentecostal or charismatic, with such increases most dramatic in Asia and Latin America. The modern Pentecostal movement dates back to the Azusa Street Revival of Los Angeles, California, in 1906. “For a movement regarded as only about a century old, this is an astonishing religious development,” said McDonald. Among other major trends, the United States has become more politically polarized, and much of the divide reflects religious persuasions.
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s the United States is growing increasingly secular, other corners of the globe are becoming distinctly more spiritual. That was one of the themes that emerged from a recent forum during Princeton Reunions 2015 on contemporary religion in America. Five Princeton alumni reflected on some of the key faith trends shaping the United States and beyond during a panel discussion on May 29 in Frist Campus Center. Among them, James McDonald, president of San Francisco Theological Seminary, noted the overall Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, but sectors of the developing world are becoming strikingly more religious. “The religious landscape of the world – and the United States – is changing rapidly,” said McDonald. As for McDonald, the Princeton alumnus of 1970 highlighted how the world’s religious epicenters are shifting dramatically from north to south and from west to the east. Just 40 percent of the world’s contemporary Christians reside in North America and Europe compared with 80 percent a century ago, according to a recent commentary for The Washington Post. Also, the Christian communities in Latin America and Africa now account for 1 billion people, and the number of Christians in Asia is expected to swell by 100 million to reach 460 million by 2025, according to research cited by McDonald. Closer to home, the slice of religiously unaffiliated individuals in the
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Such polarization is obvious in another contemporary topic involving the intersection of politics and economics, namely the vulnerabilities of the working poor who battle structural impediments to mobility. For his portion of the panel discussion, Obery Hendricks, Jr. Ph.D. ’95, a visiting scholar at Columbia University, highlighted the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s plans to launch the so-called Poor People’s Campaign and the modern resistance to similar efforts. Shortly before he was assassinated in 1968, King sought to rally civil rights leaders to help impoverished
Americans, specifically to secure jobs, health care, and more equitable pay. “We, as a society blessed by God, have a responsibility to our neighbor,” Hendricks said. The theologian’s comments prompted a series of questions from Princeton alumni in Frist as to both the rights and responsibilities of the needy, especially in a spiritual context. In addition to McDonald and Hendricks, the panelists included: Hannah Clayson Smith ’95, senior counsel with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty; Joshua Davidson ’90, rabbi of Congregation Emanu-El
of the City of New York; and Thomas Coburn ’65, visiting scholar at Brown University. Princeton Religion Professor Eric Gregory, Harvard ’92, Yale Ph.D. ’02, served as moderator for the panel discussion. Ultimately, the changing religious landscape of the United States ushers both opportunities and challenges for its faith communities. “We need church leaders who are capable of bringing people together across the political, ideological, and cultural divides, and of bridging those gaps,” McDonald said. | cu
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Establishing the Right to Life
PRIN CETON UNIVER SIT Y FELLOW E X AMINE S KE Y QUE S TION S By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
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ll humans possess a right to life, which forms the basis for the related principles of freedom and safety. Philosophers seem uniformly to embrace that moral fundamental, but they continue to debate vigorously just when the right to life actually begins. Many ethical philosophers claim it begins during the later stages of pregnancy, while a minority point to conception. During a recent appearance for Princeton Pro-Life, a visiting fellow at Princeton University did his part to probe some of the key questions in the ongoing debate over the timing and conditions that establish the right to life. Christopher Kaczor delivered a thought-provoking lecture entitled The Ethics of Abortion: Women’s Rights, Human Life, and the Question of Justice and fielded a plethora of student
queries on April 30 in Guyot Hall. Kaczor, a professor at Loyola Marymount University and a frequent
article entitled “After-Birth Abortion: Why Should the Baby Live?” In the article for Journal of Medical Ethics, Professors Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva asserted newborn babies are not “actual persons” and do not hold a “moral right to life.” The pair postulated the moral status of an infant is “equivalent to that of a fetus in the sense that both lack those properties that justify the attribution of a In April, Christopher Kaczor, a visiting right to life to an individual.” fellow at Princeton University, delivered Giubilini and Minerva equate a lecture entitled The Ethics of Abortion: personhood with the capability Women’s Rights, Human Life, and the of sensing loss and an awareness Question of Justice. of existence. As such, the scholars assert no harm is done in a “paincommentator, spent a large percentage less and unanticipated death.” Kaczor told Princeton students that of his talk dissecting the arguments of the moral ethicists behind a 2012 Giubilini and Minerva, in their writ-
ings, declined to specify exactly when it begins to be wrong to kill a baby. From Kaczor’s perspective, what is relevant in determining whether someone has been wronged of a core right is not deprivation of desire, but rather, the denial or loss of something good and essential, such as life. A person is not merely his or her memories, beliefs, and desires. Rather, harming an individual’s body amounts to hurting the person as an entity, Kaczor said. Taking his arguments a step further, Kaczor noted killing can still be wrong if a victim does not desire to live. Likewise, harm still takes place even if a being does not experience momentary pain during a fatal event. For Kaczor, fundamental legal rights are not dependent upon desire. Rather, a person represents a moral category, a being with a right to life. “It is the loss of the good of life, not the interference with the desire for that good, that constitutes the harm and, hence, the wrong done,” Kaczor said. Also during his appearance with Princeton Pro-Life, Kaczor took aim at the writings of philosopher David
University of Colorado professor differentiates between active killing and withholding care. Kaczor spent much of the rest of the evening pointing to the weaknesses of some non-philosophical arguments by abortion advocates. In particular, history shows proponents of the ethics of exclusion are invariably proven wrong, especially when it comes to matters of race, heritage, gender, and faith. “Every single time we’ve practiced the ethics of exclusion, we’ve been wrong,” Kaczor said. Likewise, many of the justifications for abortion fall apart in light of the moral responsibilities parents have to their children, especially to protect, nurture, and support. “Biological mothers have very serious duties to their own children,” Kaczor said. “Do we have a duty, even in very challenging, trying situations, to avoid evil? I would say, ‘yes.’” Much of Kaczor’s reasoning resonated with the students who attended the lecture. “Many people who were unsure of how to defend their pro-life beliefs felt more at ease and confident
“Every single time we’ve practiced the ethics of
A Winning Sermon: ‘Worldly Fears and the Christian Hope’
Princeton doctoral student James Lee
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A doctoral student in politics recently won Princeton University’s sermon competition. James Lee won the Office of Religious Life’s contest for his sermon entitled Worldly Fears and the Christian Hope. With that distinction, Lee delivered his sermon on Student Recognition Sunday on May 10 in University Chapel. Princeton established the Rev. Dr. Joseph C. Williamson Sermon Competition in honor of its former dean of Religious Life. Williamson, Ph.D. Harvard ’68, was known for his love of language and poetic speaking abilities. Williamson, also a former senior pastor and social justice activist, served as Princeton’s dean of religious life and the chapel from 1989 to 2001.
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that they would be able to defend them in the future,” said Elly Brown ’18, president of Princeton Pro-Life. Likewise, there are a “number of philosophical, secular arguments for the defense of life. Knowing those arguments is essential to engaging others — especially on a campus like Princeton’s — and showing the soundness of a pro-life worldview.” Kaczor echoed that hopeful note,
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Boonin, who ties the right to life to any conscious desire. Boonin, the author of A Defense of Abortion, postulates conscious desires begin between 25 to 32 weeks after fertilization. Furthermore, Kaczor probed at Boonin’s assertions that the right to life is “not the same as the right to be kept alive by another person.” For Boonin, “disconnecting” the unborn by abortion is permissible, and the
—Christopher Kaczor
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exclusion, we’ve been wrong.”
noting he senses a shift in public opinions, especially among the young, on the morality of abortion, despite more than four decades of legalized abortion in the United States. “I see a lot of hope in the younger generation,” he said. | cu
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YA L E | On Campus
Mixing Sacred Music and Technology S T. T H O M A S M O R E C H A P E L L A U N C H E S W O R S H I P I N I T I AT I V E By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer
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t. Thomas More Chapel at Yale recently unveiled the Center for Music and Liturgy, an initiative that promises to renew sacred music, refresh liturgy, and creatively enhance worship services around the world. Through a mix of music, technology, and education, the Center for Music and Liturgy will offer original compositions, revised hymns, and apps for digital devices. Yale Divinity School alumnus Richard Gard (Ph.D. ’07) is the director of the center, a job he has “waited his whole life for.” Gard is also the director of Undergraduate and Graduate Music Lessons at Yale. Julian Revie (Yale ’02) serves as the composer in residence, and also holds a Master’s in Music from Cambridge University, where he directed the Robinson College Choir. Together, Gard and Revie seek to advance St. Thomas More Chapel’s mission to promote musical excellence. “With the Board of Trustees’ commitment to the new Center for Music and Liturgy, we are prepared to invigorate church music locally and throughout the entire world,” said Gard. “Through our work on campus and on the Web, we will share the great treasures of musical talent and training that we enjoy at Yale.” Of special significance is the ability to free works normally bound by copyright laws. This opens the door for recovering ancient hymns and liturgical music and allowing for new compositions that refresh the worship experience.
Additionally, there is a bounty of music created by new composers that goes unheard due to publishing restrictions and procedures. The Center for Music and Liturgy offers a home for these works where they can be shared, performed, and used to worship God. In addition to access to music, the Center also offers free workshops for church musicians at Yale and within the local archdiocese. Interns are sent to under-resourced local parishes to help infuse the liturgy through music. Gard and Revie share a common passion for raising the standard of worship music. Gard heads up the Center’s efforts to create digitized music scores Photo credit: Bob Handelman and education proRichard Gard, Yale Ph.D. ’07, is the director of the grams. Through their Center for Music and Liturgy. online resources and the Choir Prodigy app, to their original versions, which are music and practice tools are offered unbound under public domain. These free to church vocalists, choir direccompositions are then free to be cop- tors, and worship leaders. These tools ied and incorporated into liturgical include new music teaching, piano accompaniment for songs, and feedservices. “Bach doesn’t care about the royal- back on the vocal quality of singers. Revie is responsible for creating ties anymore,” said Richard Gard. “By getting rid of the money [issue] you new music for churches and edits get rid of the enterprise model,” and scholarly editions of public domain the result, he says, is a flourishing of works for publication by the Center the gift of music that God has given. for Music and Liturgy. These works The restrictions on music are often as complex as the pieces themselves. Once a song is printed in a hymnal, it cannot be copied or changed to suit the needs of the congregations. However, with access to the musical resources at Yale, the musicians and composers translate the works back
are made available to churches for free. Revie was also recently commissioned for a new concert version of the Mass using the newest English translation, a work entitled Mass of the Divine Shepherd. The work was the centerpiece for a performance at Carnegie Hall on June 29. Choirs from around the world donated their time and travelled to participate in the benefit concert. The group included 400 singers from
countries including Norway, the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Finland. Additionally, the National Children’s Choir performed, as did 250 musicians who played hand bells. “The logistics were scary,” said Gard, noting that the orchestra was positioned on stage, and the adult and children choirs were in the balconies. The result was music never before heard resonating around the hall, above and below the audience.
It is this kind of encompassing musical experience that is the heart of the Center for Music and Liturgy; one that unites congregations through the shared breaths of music and the movement of the Holy Spirit that is tangibly felt as the choir of God’s children sings praises to the Father. As Johann Sebastian Bach once said, “Where there is devotional music, God is always present with grace.” | cu
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Christ and Human Flourishing L E C T U R E AT S W I S S U N I V E R S I T Y F O C U S E S O N YA L E C O U R S E , M I R O S L AV V O L F By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer
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devoid of meaning on the Christian view, because at the end of the day, the ‘salvation’ decision or some equivalent
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Photo credit: Christopher Capozziello
Miroslav Volf
thereof is the only thing that matters,” said Croasmun. This interpretation, said Croas-
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findings from the Yale course, as well as insights into Volf ’s theology and writings regarding love, Christian community, and the dignity of all human persons. At Yale, Croasmun and Volf challenged students to explore the fundamental questions of life, such as What is the good life? and What makes life worth living? The questions were addressed from religious and non-religious perspectives. Croasmun, a New Testament scholar and pastor, told the Swiss audience that he found the unit on Christianity the most difficult. After reading the Gospel of Luke, the students concluded—because of its focus on salvation—the Christian vision of the good life lacked richness. “Regarding the Christian view, the students said nothing matters in life, save for whether you go to heaven or to hell. All the rest of life—colors, tastes, smells, joys, sorrows, justice and injustice, love and hate—all this is
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presentation by Matthew Croasmun at the University of Fribourg revealed stunning insights into how some Yale students view Christianity in relation to living fulfilling lives. Croasmun (Yale B.A. ’01, Ph.D. ’14) is the Director of Research and Publications at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and a lecturer in Theology and Humanities. He recently led the Life Worth Living course at Yale with theologian Miroslav Volf, the director of the Center for Faith and Culture. The University of Fribourg, in Switzerland, is implementing a similar course and asked Croasmun to share his experiences and provide an introduction to Volf’s work, since the renowned author was scheduled to be a keynote speaker during the college’s summer study session. Entitled Christ and Human Flourishing: An Introduction to the Thinking of Miroslav Volf, the lecture included
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mun, reflects more of the students’ cultural knowledge of Christianity than their comprehension of Luke. Additionally, he noted that the students had a negative perception of theism, in general, not only Christianity. “Theism, for these students, appeared to be world-denying. Belief in the transcendent, they feared, empties the mundane of its meaning,” said Croasmun. “This emphasis on ordinary life renders suspect most any appeal to the transcendent.” And that, he concludes, is a “deep and important problem for contemporary theology.” The Yale Center for Faith and Culture seeks to reveal these kinds of internalized cultural views and provide
students with a robust knowledge, discussion, and exploration of what a life of faith truly entails. This work is critical in engaging students regarding religion and what constitutes success and fulfillment. In discussing Volf ’s writing and systematic theology with the Fribourg audience, Croasmun shared that his colleague’s work is founded on the truths that God is love and God creates and redeems. Volf suggests a thesis that “attachment to God actually amplifies and deepens our enjoyment of the world.” It also enriches our relationships with others through godly compassion and healing of painful memories that
lead to reconciled lives with Christ and others. Thus, through relationship with God and with others, the tastes, smells, sorrows, and joys of the “mundane” life are shared and made richer. In effect, God’s love makes the ordinary life something extraordinary. At Fribourg, Croasmun spoke of a body of work that echoes the truth of the Gospel through its emphasis on a loving God who heals, forgives, and inspires others to do the same. Therefore, each individual, by God’s love and grace, is called to an abundant and rich life of purpose and meaning that is rooted in an eternal love that leads to human flourishing. | cu
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Scholars Examine History of Missionary Movement
Law School Alumnus Interviewed at Faith and Work Initiative
The annual meeting of the YaleEdinburgh Group was held at Yale University this summer. The theme of the meeting was the History of the Missionary Movement and World Christianity. The YaleEdinburgh Group is made up of scholars from varying backgrounds and viewpoints from a number of fields, including the political, social, and religious sectors. The location of the gathering alternates each year between Edinburgh, Scotland and New Haven, Connecticut.
Marc Allen, a Yale Law School alumnus, participated in the Faith and Work Initiative at Princeton this May. Allen is senior vice president of The Boeing Company and president of Boeing International. Previously, he worked at the Washington, D.C.-based firm, Kellogg Huber. During Reunions weekend at Princeton, Allen, Princeton ’95, was interviewed by David Miller, the director of the Faith and Work Initiative. Miller previously served as executive director of the Yale
Marc Allen
Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School, and as assistant professor (adjunct) of Business Ethics at Yale School of Management.
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