How to Stay Christian in College

“In college, [Christian students] are assaulted by secular relativism, and if we don’t prepare them, they will be like lambs led to slaughter.” – Charles Colson (AZ Quotes Web). College can be a difficult time for Christian students. There are many temptations throughout the college career that can draw someone away from Christ. If one is not tempted, then they are shamed by others for having their faith. J. Budziszewski’s book is a great guide to help said college students stand strong in their faith and to encourage them to trust God with their struggles, for “…without God, everything goes wrong” (Budziszewski 19).

This book contains many points, but it narrows its information down into three topics:

1. “Worldviews”,
2. “Campus Myths”, and
3. “How to Cope”.

“Worldviews” will cover what God says the world is, what the world thinks of itself, and how to talk amongst non-Christian companions. “Campus Myths” will cover the many false truths of the search for knowledge, sex, and politics.

Lastly, the topic of “How to Cope” will cover the many areas a college student will need hold one’s own. These include their social life, their religious life, and the classroom.

The first topic in the book brings up many points on worldviews. First, “Worldviews” lays out “the basics of the Christian faith all over again – but at an adult level” (Budziszewski 35). It first presents the idea that God made the world out of nothing, and that He did not create the world because He needed something. He created the world on a gift-based love.

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It secondly presents the idea that He created humans in His image, but they are not a “part” of God. They are merely mirroring His glory and love. The third idea it presents is that God made people so that they could turn away from Him, for He did not want mindless machines to worship Him. The last idea it brings up is that God paid the debt that humans owed because of their sin. Because of this, people can be transformed by Him and live a life of faith.

Second, “Worldviews” lays out the foundation of how non-Christians find the “ultimate reality”. This is broken up into three groups. The first group is the Naturalist, who believes that the physical world is all there is. The second group is the Postmodernist, who believes that there is no universal truth about the universe.

Lastly is the Do-it-yourself Spirituality group, who believes that everyone has their own truth about reality. Many people fit into all these groups, so the truth of ultimate reality is confused. In the end, Christians need to look to Jesus for truth and stability in this world of uncertainty.

Lastly, “Worldviews” gives points on how to have discussions with non-Christian peers and how to share one’s faith in college. There are three questions a non-believer may ask a Christian. They may ask “plain questions”, which give insight on general curiosity of the religion. Then there are “objections”, which reveal the doubts and concerns one may have concerning the Christian faith. The last question expressed is the “smoke screen”, which is not a question but merely a way of hiding from the truth of God. All these questions can be interpreted as the other, which can lead to anger from the person asking the question. It is the job of the Christian to recognize which question is being asked so that he can give the correct response. The main point across the topic of worldviews is that Satan can use any aspect of doubt or confusion to turn a believer away from God. It is then the believer’s job to seek out God when confusion or doubt riddles their mind.

The second topic in the book, “Campus Myths”, explains the many myths that will be presented while at college. Truth can be scary for some, which is where the myths come into play. It gets to the point that it “scares some people so badly that they don’t even want to search for it” (Budziszewski 81). This is where Christians must discern the truth from the myth.

First, the book talks about the search for knowledge. Budziszewski gives three classes of falsehood that are most prominent on campus: general, skeptical, and relativistic. All these claim that either faith is a hinderance to finding the truth, or that the truth is what you believe. This is a difficult topic on Christians in the college setting. They are constantly at war with the fear of destruction reigning chaos. The most important thing to do for this conundrum is to put on the armor of God and to never turn one’s back on the enemy.

Second, this topic talks about the truth on sex.

This category is sectioned into three areas:

1. general myths,
2. girl myths, and
3. guy myths.

All of these myths express uncertainty and selfishness in relationships. Love is not a feeling, it is a commitment made to be used for after marriage. Having the “experience” of sex before marriage does not determine understanding, compatibility, or commitment to the other person. It makes one understand sex worse, it pulls relationships apart, and it murders the intimacy that could have been shared with the spouse. The main purpose of sex is to symbolize the unity of oneself and God. One should be intimate with their spouse just as Jesus was intimate with the church. Having sex outside of marriage destroys that unity and ruins the symbolism that made it special in the first place.

The last category of “Campus Myths” is on the myths of politics.

There are three groups that cover this category:

1. general myths,
2. liberal myths, and
3. conservative myths.

General myths cover the basis of what almost anyone will believe, such as the idea that God belongs to one party, or that the ends justify the means. The answers to these statements are simple. One, God does not serve people, and two, if the ends justify the means, then eventually the truth will be lost from telling so many lies. Liberal myths encompass the ideas that the government needs to reform everything, and that faith and politics should be separate. Like the statements for General Myths, there are simple answers to these as well. One is that the government cannot solve every problem there is; only God has that power.

The other answer is that there is no “wall” separating the church and the state. If there were, there would be protests about it. Conservative myths are almost the exact opposite of the liberal myths. Conservative myths state that the job of the government is to keep everything the same, and that the value of faith lies in its social results. Sometimes, if people do not agree with the idea that the government needs to change everything, they believe the other lie that it is supposed to keep everything the same. This then defends a liberal injustice with a conservative myth. Another answer to these myths is that if people value religion because they do less crime, then there should be no need for religion at all because the practice of good deeds could be replicated. The main point of politics overall is that people are to live as fellow citizens and to honor God. The deepest cause should be to represent the Lord and not which side to represent.

The last topic the book brings up is “How to Cope”. This section of the book shows Christians “how to put all these things into practice…” (Budziszewski 31). There are three places a Christian needs to learn to live in: campus social life, campus religious life, and in the classroom. In the social life, there are many options that can potentially lead someone away from God. Friendships sometimes develop and sometimes they diminish. A Christian should learn to love all people just the same. Being in college means there are many activities to join. A Christian should remember to avoid anything that might draw him further from God.

In the campus religious life, Christians should be involved in a church group. The church is not a building but is Christ’s body, and the people are the parts of the body. No child of God should ever be convicted of joining a church group because it is not “cool”. The point of going to church is for worship and fellowship. There are things a Christian should avoid when looking for a church. Some churches twist the meaning of the Bible, while others idolize the church leader. A believer needs to find a church that follows the Lord’s command and has a strong fellowship.

The last point is coping in the classroom. This point in the book gives the reader points on how to shape his mind to hear and discern God’s will, how to defend the faith without becoming too harsh, and finding Christian mentors to talk with. To summarize these points, a Christian needs to submit to God’s will so that in doing so, the path to discernment will be clear. To develop discernment, one needs to have a spirit of obedience and needs to ask God for discernment. Once a believer is sure about their faith, they need to learn how to handle an argument without reacting harshly. The best way to avoid this is to recognize that the argument does not have to be won. The main reason is to plant a seed so that they have the opportunity to grow to learn Christ. When getting to college, the most help a Christian will receive is from a Christian mentor. It will help tremendously to have someone who has the same beliefs and that will carry on a conversation about Christ. There are multiple options of great mentors. One only needs to ask God to help them find their right mentor.

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” –C.S. Lewis (3 Boys and a Dog Web). In conclusion, the life of a college student can be difficult at times. There are times when one’s faith may be holding on by a string. These are the moments that a believer needs to search for Jesus. College can make that difficult. Budziszewski gives three circumstances in how to keep the faith while surrounded by new experiences. He gives the worldviews one might find in college, the many myths one might hear from non-believers, and he gives points on how to put everything from the book into practice in the campus life. This book is not a substitute for the Bible. It is merely a guide to help college students direct their focus on the Bible and on God’s plan for them when they might be faltering or have the fear of doing so. After reading this book, many college Christian students should have a stronger sense of how to stay Christian in college.