Archive for the 'Campus Ministry' Category

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Radical Review

Published on September 9, 2011 by Chris Bean in Campus Ministry, discipleship, Faith and Gospel.

Just finished this easy-to-chew but hard-to-swallow book by David Platt. Check out this video for a brief overview of his message in the book.

 

First of all, he looks like he could be in one of my campus bible studies, right?! But that’s pretty exciting when you think about God’s ability to use anyone who is completely committed to the Gospel and pointing directly to the Glory of God.

There’s so many great things to extract from Platt’s challenge but I want to focus on one particular topic or issue within the context of campus ministry.

In Chapter 7 as he is discussing faith as a matter of truth rather than taste, Platt asserts “I think that each of us tends toward either intellectual or practical universalism.”

What does he mean by this?

If we are intellectual universalists, then we don’t really believe the truth claims of Christianity to the extent that they apply to all humankind. Therefore, someone’s faith is more about their own upbringing, culture, personal preferences, etc. The American notion of the equality of individuals has been applied in such a way that we treat truth claims equally as well. So perhaps the greatest enemy of the Gospel within our current context (in this country but especially on the university campus) is pluralism and religious tolerance.

(Photo: This is the image that pops up on Wikipedia when you search/explore Christian Universalism. I call it super-friendly Jesus)

The practical universalist may believe that the truth claims of Christ in Scripture are true…that Christ is indeed necessary for salvation, but live life on a daily basis as if that were not true. Instead of following Christ’s mandate to make disciples and take His message to “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the word” a posture and lifestyle of silence is assumed, never proclaiming the urgent Good News about Christ.

I am still processing some particular bits of theology, doctrine, and mission from Platt’s writing but the way in which he peels back some of the cultural veneer and varnish which we have added to the Gospel and Christianity is compelling. He ends the book with an invitation to conduction a one-year “Radical Experiment” and I am considering what that will look like for me, my family, as well as for some college students at the University of Cincinnati.

We shall see.

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Hospitality & Discipleship

Published on September 6, 2011 by Chris Bean in Calling, Campus Ministry, discipleship and Hospitality.

With only about two weeks until the Fall quarter classes begin again at UC, I find myself scrambling a bit mentally.

What’s the plan?

Should I do this event?

How can I engage more students?

What new strategy do I develop this year?

What night should that new bible study be on?

How do I get students plugged in to a local church?

Where are all the resources going to come from financially?

And the more I think about it…the more I could let my mind frantically wander along similar distracting trails.

But thankfully I’m revisited with a moment of clarity…what often seems like spiritual affirmation regarding my calling. I talk about it briefly in this video.

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College Students (and every other human) Need Balance

Published on August 25, 2011 by Chris Bean in Campus Ministry, discipleship, Faith and worldview.

Living well demands balance. (I prefer the image of the gyroscope over other static images because life involves motion…spinning…usually in multiple directions simultaneously).

For many college students, this is already their first or second week of classes. The University of Cincinnati perseveres with the quarter system for another year, so we have a few more weeks before the campus is fully inhabited and functional again.

My own collegiate years are not so far behind that I don’t still remember the excitement, hope, and anticipation I felt at the end of each summer. Of course, the first year of college was the most intense experience of freedom and apprehension. The following years it was more about the hope and determination to spread out the work load, keep up with the syllabus, generate enough income to survive, and take my “social game” to the next level.

Managing any season of life demands a balanced approach but the college student certainly has some unique challenges.

More and more, I see my role as a campus minister covering much more territory than just recruiting students for bible studies. Although I certainly want to get students into the Scriptures and charting a course for spiritual success, coaching them towards a fully integrated and holistic life of faith requires the ability to balance the many demands and expectations they live with daily.

Perhaps one of the best outcomes of my summer has been to recognize some of the imbalances in my own life and establish practices which keep me rooted and restored spiritually. When that rhythm is syncing up the moments of my day, all the other demands and expectations fall more cooperatively into place: relationship with my kids, ministry/work agenda, my own emotional wellness, financial stewardship/decisions, etc.

Apparently, Matthew 6:33 is as true as I’ve hoped it was all these years. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (ESV)

That verse/passage insists on an adjustment to my definition of “balance” however. And this is perhaps what separates the nominal Christian from one who passionately lives out of a Kingdom worldview. The “balance” I’m speaking of doesn’t mean that one distributes time equally between various compartmentalized segments of your day and time. Rather, seek the Kingdom of God so passionately and ruthlessly that even the combination of all other engagements and distractions fail to destabilize your “spiritual” core. With a strong core, it’s amazing how life becomes more blessing, opportunity, and adventure than curse, obstacle, and/or routine.

 

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