How would America change if the majority of its citizens no longer had a working knowledge of the Christian faith? For the first time in American history the church is shrinking so fast that less than half the population will be Protestant (The Catholic Church is shrinking even faster). The reason for this is not imigration or the growth of atheism (Only 1% of the population are atheist). Each generation must be reached as though it were a new unreached people group. If not, then knowledge of the faith will wither. As campus missionaries, we are working to turn the tide.
The Difficulty“When I give my students the religious-literacy quiz that’s in my book, I find Catholics who don’t know the Seven Sacraments, Protestants who can’t name any of the four Gospels and Jews who can’t name the first book in their Bible. That doesn’t make them pseudo-religious. It just makes them believers who don’t really know what they believe in. The problem is not hypocrisy so much as ignorance.” Stephen Prothero Most of the students on our campus have not merely rejected Christianity. They have not had the faith offered to them in a way that truly describes Jesus' call or makes any sense of it. There are few of our professors today that overtly attack Christianity. Instead, this new generation of professors grew up in an environment where Jesus seemed irrelevant. Less than 50% of Americans can name the first book of the Bible. Gallup Poll |
The OpportunityThe generation that has just hit the campus has some unique strengths. They are builders. They realize that many things around them are broken and they want to work to fix them. They need a faith that has real hope and can make a real difference. Vision makes a difference. This generation is not a group of protesters. You don’t see them marching down the streets with signs. Instead, they are willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty if the cause is right. This group of students is less cynical. They don’t necessarily believe in utopias, but they do believe a difference can be made. They are smart and deserve answers that are well thought through and complete. Pat answers are not enough Any group of people is difficult to reach. A lot of love and patience has to be invested. A lot of pain must be endured. But the kingdom of God is still an active promise and its realization, although limited in this life, still needs to be established. Nothing comes without a personal investment. If we don’t see the hope that Jesus offers through our youth, then we have merely adopted the cynicism of this world. To know Christ is to know the possibilities. We have found Jesus’ work of changing the lives of college students worth the investment. |