I want to spend more time in the Scriptures…getting to know the story of Israel which Jesus fulfills, immersing myself in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ story, exploring the early church’s “acts” of gospeling, and even digging out my old church history texts from seminary by Gonzalez and studying the ways in which the church carried on the gospeling from then until now.

I’m more compelled than ever to engage the Word in the context of community and incorporate the Christian calendar, daily prayer, and other spiritual disciplines in order to more faithfully live out my role as a member of the People of God.

What McKnight lays out here really challenges a reductionist (soterian) approach to the Gospel and makes you think deeply about evangelism as well. For such a brief, easy-to-read book it really packs a punch!

During my 15 years of working with high school students as a youth pastor, I know that I was often guilty of making a statement like this: “Be careful not to lose your faith on the big bad campus of ___________.” Beware of Babylon!

And unfortunately, many of our Christian/churched kids enter their college years with an unhealthy temptation to disengage from the campus and culture.

Jeremiah 29 contains a letter written to the exiles who found themselves in a situation somewhat similar to that of a college student. Diversity, pluralism, humanism, a hedonistic culture…there are plenty of forces which seem to work against the fragile faith and worldview of many young Christians. But the surprising word to those exiles via the prophet Jeremiah included these verses:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But 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.”

God intended for the exiles to have an impact on the culture around them…to engage it. Instead of fearing the new environment and assuming an isolated and antagonistic posture towards it, the mission of God included prayerfully investing their lives (building houses, families, relationship, influence, etc) in the place where God had positioned them for this season.

I believe God has equal concern for the habitat of college students…universities, dorms, fraternity houses, classrooms, etc.

“We can’t look at college as a rest stop on the way to the rest of our lives. God wants us to engage our mission field.” (Lutz, 57 of College Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture)

Especially when I observe many Christian students at college, I see that they tend towards a couple of mistakes:

• Seeing the campus environment as something to avoid and by which not to be spiritually tainted
• Missing God’s mission for their time on campus because they see college simply as the means to their own personal success in life

There’s another way to live and invest the resources of Christ (Gospel, faith, your life) in such a way that our sent-ness results in the welfare of the city/campus.

For those engaged in the field of campus ministry who want to press in a little more on this missional approach, I highly recommend Steve Lutz’ book on the subject. Check this out for a more comprehensive review of Steve’s book from fellow campus minister Guy Chmieleski.

Although it’s always been a natural time for young Christians to explore and leave the reservation, so to speak, the numbers seem to indicate now that more Christians are walking away and staying away longer than ever before.

Coming from the president of the Barna Group, these observations certainly deserve our attention. In chapter two of the book, he argues that three key words characterize the ways in which current culture has made major shifts: Access, Alienation, and Authority.

But what I find supremely interesting are the images which are used to illustrate three main categories of young church dropouts: Nomads, Prodigals, and Exiles.

In the discussion of Nomads, Kinnaman describes “the most common category of dropout—the spiritual nomad, the wanderer. For these young adults, faith is nomadic, seasonal, or may appear to be an optional peripheral part of life. At some point during their teen or young adult years, nomads disengage from attending church or significantly distance themselves from the Christian community.”

For many in this category, leaving the church wasn’t so much an intentional decision but more of a “slow fade.”  (The title of another good book on the subject by Chuck Bomar, Reggie Joiner, & Abbie Smith).

Prodigals are the most deliberately non-Christian group but also represent the smallest category. Many of these claim to have “moved on” from Christianity or see their de-conversion as an experience of freedom.

The last group Kinnaman describes are the Exiles. As the biblical metaphor implies, these young Christians are struggling to live out their faith within the context of a new cultural landscape. They may feel alienated or isolated from the Christian community (church) they grew up with but are hopeful about finding new ways of Christ-following which make sense to their communities and careers. They often feel a little lost, not sure where they fit in terms of the traditional church.

In my own context of ministry (the University of Cincinnati), I encounter quite a few  Prodigals and enjoy conversations with that group but I find the Exiles particularly interesting and most willing to integrate their faith and leverage their lives for the good of others (service, evangelism, etc.) In my mind, “You Lost Me” is such a critical book to read and respond to because these Nomads and Exiles, in particular, can play a critical missional role in reaching others.

One of the chapters discussed maturity from the context of Colossians 1:28 and I was reminded of the significance of my own calling to disciple college students. Some scholars believe that Paul was addressing an early form of Gnostic heresy in his letter to the believers in Colossae. The problem was manifesting itself in a false dichotomy between average and elite Christians. (Get a quick overview of Gnosticism here).

I find that this particular heresy continues to be quite rampant in Christianity today. Many believe that there are varying degrees of Christian commitment which are acceptable to God and He doesn’t actually require holiness or “perfection” from everyone. But Paul sends a kill shot right into the heart of this heresy when he reminds the Colossian Christians what he is all about:

“Him we proclaim, warning EVERYONE and teaching EVERYONE with ALL wisdom, that we may present EVERYONE mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”   Colossians 1:28-29 (ESV)

The Greek word for maturity or perfection is teleios and shows up 19 times in the New Testament. Whenever it is used, there’s a comparative not an absolute sense of the word which is in play. A mature/perfect disciple is NOT absolutely mature/perfect without any further room for growth but mature/perfect in comparison to a newborn…or a spiritual infant. So the implication is that Christian maturity is an expectation of a disciple (“radical” as Stott points out in the root sense of the word).

In the context of campus ministry, this goal or calling can be quite challenging because of the complexities, transitions, competitive demands which characterize the average college student or young adult. However, that could be said of high school students and senior citizens just depending on the day. The deeper challenge is helping a student have a grander vision for their own spiritual journey than occasional church attendance or participating in a weekly fellowship/bible study. Following Christ demands a singular focus and commitment which leaves many Christians occasionally saying “Lord, Lord…” but mostly living for “Me, Me…” (Matthew 25:44)

Occasionally, we like to incorporate some great food with our conversations together and the idea of “make your own sushi” occurred to me as a simple kind of food to launch us into this study of simplicity.

So we had a great time rolling up sticky rice in sheets of nori (seaweed) with slices of cucumber, raw fish, & wasabi. One of the first lessons for me, however, was making a distinction between simple and easy. Sure, sushi is a pretty simple food as a concept, but preparing and rolling the ingredients (not to mention FINDING all the right ingredients) proved to be quite challenging.

As we studied Matthew 6 that first week and chewed on the implications of trusting God with our basic needs and “seeking first” the Kingdom, we learned a similar lesson. Following Christ can be a simple concept but quite a challenging proposition in terms of daily practice.

On the second week of this study, we learned a few more lessons from Luke 18:18-25 (the rich young ruler) and Luke 10:38-42 (the story of Mary & Martha).

• The rich young ruler had grown so attached to material things, that the simplicity of Jesus’ call became too sacrificial
• The “one thing” which was lacking became the “everything” that was missing
• For Martha, distractions and obligations became the “main thing” instead of prioritizing the “one thing” which was all important.
• There’s often a big difference between “serving” Jesus and actually sitting at the feet of Jesus

The complexity and chaos of our lives truly demands a counter-cultural pursuit of simplicity. That has implications for the way we spend our time, our money, and our lives.

As I had lunch with one young freshman girl and her parents, I was reminded of all the little questions and concerns that parents have in the process. And for many parents who have raised their children in a particular faith environment, one of their greatest concerns is whether their student’s faith will grow or be dismantled during these all-important course-setting years of campus life.

I often try to encourage parents. There’s a healthy and natural process that most college students go through which usually involves deconstructing the faith & value system they were raised with in order to reconstruct the faith and worldview which they can own from this point forward.

That’s why I believe my calling is so significant…to come alongside of college students and walk with them through this process. It’s not my intention to prevent students from asking the tough questions or even laying down their faith for a time. I’m sure it can unnerve parents a little to hear me say that (which is why I usually don’t say it quite like that), but in the long run, the journey towards a fully integrated life and faith is just as important as the destination.

That’s what I’m doing whether I disciple students one-one-one or facilitate a similar experience in community (Journey 2.8). If I can help a student engage that process and plug into a healthy faith community (church) during their years at UC, I believe they will actually be transformed by Christ and prepared to transform the world.

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.

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.

This past weekend, I spent about 3 days in the beautiful knob country of Nelson County Kentucky in the monastery of Gethsemani. It’s located about 12 miles south of Bardstown, KY on about 12,000 acres of beautiful land. After talking about a pilgrimmage to Gethsemani for several years, I finally made it down there.

Usually, retreatants spend either Monday thru Friday or Friday to Monday at the retreat house. You need to call several months in advance to schedule a spot in the retreat house. Or if you’re a dude and don’t plan quite that far ahead, you can stay in the “south wing” which is part of the monastic area where they’ve designated a couple of floors for male retreatants. Accomodations (including meals on the weekends only I believe) are offered for a free-will donation which you can tuck in an envelope and leave on your way out or mail to the Abbey.

The monks gather in the Abbey Church 7 times a day for prayers which begins with vigils at 3:15 am. I never actually joined them that early, but I did make it for Lauds at 5:45 am both mornings. The prayer liturgy combined with the sense of sacred space added much to my experience.

During the morning I set off on a couple of hikes and enjoyed absolutely perfect weather for the whole weekend.

As my retreat time came to a close, I sensed that God was teaching me about my need for contemplation, silence, prayer, and a more disciplined life/schedule in general. Returning to the world of common daily tasks, obligations, and routines…I hope to implement a kind of monastic “Rule” for living this Fall. Two days into the new routine, I can say that I’m batting a thousand! 

A View of the Abbey/Monastery from Monks Road

But whether or not a particular schedule is sustainable or not doesn’t change the fact that I need to be much more disciplined and intentional about my daily times of prayer, reading scripture, contemplation, worship, service, etc. With a new quarter of ministry to college students at UC right around the corner of the calendar, I know that my best hope of impacting and influencing college students will be to model a life of faith that demonstrates intimacy with God, compassion for those around me, and authenticity  with students.