Can Christian Kids go to 'Secular' Universities?

As campus ministers, Jen and I work hard to help young Christians make the transition from high school and living at home to life in the university world, and ultimately into the infamous 'real world'. Many of you have probably heard the sordid statistics regarding the diminution of active faith among college age Americans. You may have heard wild numbers thrown around, like 80 or 90% of young Christians who attend secular colleges or universities leave the faith of their youth. Thankfully, these numbers are a bit exaggerated, but the fact remains that far too many young people are jettisoning Jesus on the way to their college diploma. This grieves me in many ways.

I have lots of ideas about how and why this occurs, as well as some statistics to show that the culprit is not the secular university, as 18-22 year olds who never attend university are the most likely group to walk away from faith of any kind*. I also, have lots of ideas regarding how we, as the Church, can move forward in this area (some of these will be discussed in my next installment of the unchristian response).

However, I don't want to bore you with all of that. But, I do want to draw your attention to an open letter from my fellow campus minister, Glen Davis, to the Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Dr. George O. Wood. This letter attempts to paint a clearer picture of the relationship between faith and the secular campus, and to encourage the Assemblies of God to be bold in sending young people to the secular campuses - these young people can not only survive with their faith intact, but thrive as witnesses to the Good News about Jesus!

If this is a topic that piques your interest, I highly recommend reading the whole letter.

As a Bible College graduate, I understand the value of a Christian college experience.
As a campus minister, and state college attender, I understand the value of living in the university world while not being of it.
From my perspective and experiences, I want to encourage everyone to honestly consider the specific direction of the Holy Spirit when considering where to study, or where to encourage a young person to study. Bible college is not for everyone. Secular college is not for everyone. College is not for everyone. The direction and purpose of Almighty God is for everyone.

Link to the letter.

*Losing My Religion: The Social Sources of Religious Decline in Early Adulthood by Uecker, Ragnerus, and Vaaler

Meeting the Superintendent and A whole lot more

Wow, March has been a whirlwind of activity so far, and it continues tomorrow morning, as we take off with 6 students to our nation's capital where we will visit Georgetown Chi Alpha, and then partner with American U Chi Alpha for campus outreach. Please keep us, and our team in prayer.

Last week, we helped host a team from American U Chi Alpha during their spring break. They spent a day doing outreach with us at Tulane, and half a day with us at UNO. It was fun, and an exciting, bold move for our students, as we pushed past some fears and d

iscomforts to engage people in discussions about faith, spirituality, religion, and Jesus. The AU team spent the rest of their stay in New Orleans doing rebuilding work in the city with HisHands2Go, a ministry out of our church.

Speaking of our church, here are some pictures from our Palm Sunday weekend: Jen participated in Saturday's clean-up day, and then their are pictures from Sunday's service.

Also, there are some pictures of us with Rev. Doug Fulenwider, who is the Superintendent of the  Louisiana District of the Assemblies of God, and with Dr. George Wood, Superintendent of the General (national) Council of the Assemblies of God. It was fun to meet them, and share with them a little of what God is doing at St. Luke Assembly of God, and in Chi Alpha New Orleans.

Our Church

Hey friends, I thought I'd share a few pics from our home church here in New Orleans: St. Luke Assembly of God. Because of travel to family, travel to speak at other churches, and upcoming Chi Alpha events, we only get to be there for 1 Sunday out of 6 for a stretch we're in the middle of right now. We already miss our church family.

The first pic is Sister Carol, and behind her, her husband Tom in our kitchen for a fellowship meal.

Next is some of the rest of the group at the table. And finally, a random pic Jen snapped from the front of the church on a Sunday morning while making an announcement.