College Faith

My guest in this episode is Scott Phelps, Executive Director of the Abstinence & Marriage Education Partnership. For many years now Scott has spoken to students about the great, long-term benefits of saving sex for marriage, and so I’ve invited him onto the show to share some of what he has learned, and how others have found his insights helpful.    In this podcast we discuss: How he got interested in the relationship between living life well, flourishing, and sex Principles, or the successful pathway that most often leads to a good life Habit formation for life-long intimate relationships Hope for students who have already been sexually active Other benefits of waiting for sex until marriage The example of Joseph, Potiphar’s wife, and Joseph’s future wife (Genesis 37-50) The disbelief some have about the possibility of abstinence until marriage, yet their interest How to swim against the alternative cultural narrative of “free sex,” which saturates all   media How his approach differs from most sex education programs The personal value and apologetic force of the biblical view of sex and marriage The biggest challenges students face to following the successful pathway to sex, marriage, and the good life The acceleration and shift in the cultural narrative about sex since the COVID pandemic How parents might tackle this topic with their children Simplifying the issue with one simple question Sex as fire in a firepit or as a forest fire Living together, sex, future marriage, and divorce   Resources mentioned during our conversation: Abstinence & Marriage Education Partnership Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives Scott Phelps, Excel Curriculum and Workbook Glenn Stanton, The Ring Makes All The Difference: The Hidden Consequences of Cohabitation and the Strong Benefits of Marriage Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier and Better Off Financially Rick Mattson and Stan Wallace, “Finding the Middle Way in the LGBTQ+ Conversation,” a College Faith podcast Stan Wallace’s Summary of Virtue Ethics

My guest today is Rick Mattson, a national apologetics specialist and evangelism coach with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He often does open “Q and A” sessions on college campuses in which he is asked for insights on how to understand LGBTQ+ issues in ways that embody both truth and love. We discuss some of what he shares on this important topic.   In this podcast we discuss: How LGBTQ issues come up in his conversations, and why it’s close to his heart The importance of the larger narrative of Scripture in understanding human sexuality and flourishing The relation of this issue to the Trinity How both the physical and spiritual ramifications of the Fall are often neglected in this conversation How to understand the idea that “God made me this way” How to understand the idea of a “gay Christian” Advice for Christian students with same-sex attraction The modern shift toward “expressive Individualism” underlying much of this conversation Finding the “middle way” between extreme views of human sexuality The centrality of spiritual disciplines in healthy friendships and sexuality How we frame conversations to open further LGBTQ discussions The importance of having appropriate expectations for our relationships How to not be bullied, or be bullies, in LGBTQ conversations What the loving thing to do is in specific situations regarding roommates or gender non-conforming dorms How to think about attending a gay friend’s wedding How to think about the use of preferred pronouns A strategy to think through various other LGBTQ-related issues How the church can better prepare students to think through these issues How parents can better prepare students to think through these issues The hardest question he gets on this question on campus   Resources mentioned during our conversation: Rick Mattson’s website Rick Mattson, Faith is Like Skydiving: And Other Memorable Images for Dialogue with Seekers and Skeptics Rick Mattson, Witness in the Academy: A Guide for Graduate Students, Faculty, and Those Who Minister With Them Rick’s blog posts on “LGBT+” Carl Trueman, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to the Sexual Revolution Summit Ministries “A Practical Guide to Navigating University Culture,” John Stonestreet on the College Faith podcast World View Academy “Why Christian Students Must Understand Their and Other’s Worldviews,” Mike Schutt on the College Faith podcast “How to Choose a College,” David Wunder on the College Faith podcast Impact 360

This episode continues my sporadic series on the various fields students may choose to study while in college. My guest is Dr. Hannah Eagleson studied the great books at St. John’s College (Annapolis, MD) during her Masters degree, then went on to earn a PhD in Renaissance literature at the University of Delaware. She has written study guides to The Lord of the Rings and to works by C. S. Lewis and Dorothy L. Sayers. Dr. Eagleson also develops programming to support Christian scholars as they follow Christ and love their neighbors, including work with Global Scholars, Chesterton House (a Christian study center at Cornell University), and the American Scientific Affiliation (a scholarly and professional society for Christians in the sciences).   In this podcast we discuss: What the “Great Books” are What “Great Books” university programs are and why they were formed Difference between Great Books programs at pluralistic and Christian universities Defining the important literary term “canon” How Hannah got interested in the Great Books and these university programs The value of understanding the classical modes of education: grammar, logic, and rhetoric and Classical Christian Education How the classical model of education contributed to interest in Great Book programs Hannah’s perspective on the medieval period of intellectual history, as a corrective to our current negative perspectives Details of specific Great Books programs How Hannah benefitted from being in a Great Books program The “seminar” approach to coursework in a Great Books program Why “new” is not necessarily “better,” especially concerning books How a Great Books program does and does not help you get a job and make a living, and strategies to better your chances What a “liberal arts” education is and is not      Strengths and weaknesses of Great Books programs Suggestions if you want to use a Great Books program to prepare you for graduate studies How Hannah’s Great Books program continues to shape her today, and will into the future The positives and negatives of how social media encourages us to engage texts Defining “literary criticism”   Resources mentioned during our conversation: Britannica’s Great Books of the Western World series, compiled by Mortimer Adler and Robert Hutchins of the University of Chicago Baylor Great Texts Program, an honors program within a Christian university setting with many different majors Biola Torrey Honors College an honors program within a Christian university setting with many different majors Columbia University Core Curriculum (a program within a secular Ivy League university that engages with great books) Notre Dame Program of Liberal Studies Great Books Seminars, a program within a Catholic university setting with many different majors St. John’s College, Annapolis and Santa Fe (the whole program is Great Books) Thomas Aquinas College, Catholic (the whole program is Great Books) Dorothy Sayers, “The Lost Tools of Learning” C. S. Lewis, “On The Reading of Old Books”  George Herbert’s poetry John Donne’s poetry Chesterton House, the Christian Study Center at Cornell University “Why You Need to Join the Great Conversation About the Great Books,” The Art of Manliness Podcast #430 The New Yorker article “What’s So Great About Great-Books Courses?”

My guest in this edition of the College Faith Podcast is Dr. Ted Turnau, co-author of The Pop-Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ. Ted has spent many years thinking about how to help children (from the early years through young adulthood) understand, evaluate, and flourish in pop culture that is all around us. He shares some of his insights from his study, how his parents helped and didn’t help him, and lessons learned from raising his own children.   In this podcast we discuss: What “pop culture” is conceptually and biblically The two ways Christians tend to respond to popular culture, and a better “middle way”  Daniel and his colleagues as examples of a healthy posture toward  popular culture The goal of the Christian parent in the midst of pop culture How various parenting styles tend to influence a student’s decisions once at college The five questions that can help you and your children evaluate things in pop culture A case study: Evaluating the extremely popular Baldur’s Gate 3 video game Six things to keep in mind when we talk with our children about pop culture   Resources mentioned during our conversation: Ted Turnau’s website Ted Turnau, E. Stephen Burnett, and Jared Moore, The Pop-Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ Ted Turnau, Popologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Perspective Ted Turnau, Oasis of Imagination: Engaging Our World Through a Better Creativity Ted Turnau and Ruth Naomi Floyd, Imagination Manifesto: A Call to Plant Oases of Imagination Andy Crouch, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling Christ and Pop Culture (an online magazine and podcast) Love Thy Nerd (a website thinking Christianly about pop culture) Ask About Games (a website by Andrew Robertson providing a Christian perspective and evaluation of video games) Hollywood Jesus: Your Bridge to Pop Culture (a website evaluating streaming shows, movies, and much more from a biblical perspective) “A Guide to Majoring in the Arts,” College Faith podcast #34 with Cam Anderson, M.F.A.

In this episode we are discussing an idea every student is sure to encounter early and repeatedly during the college years-- the idea of “relativism.” My guest is Greg Koukl, co-author of Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air and the Founder/President of Stand to Reason, a great apologetics ministry. In this podcast we discuss: The prevalence of relativism on campus today (often seen as “expressive individualism”) Some different forms of relativism students will encounter Greg’s “inside/outside” distinction, which goes back to the Garden of Eden and the Fall How relativism is related to the idea of “truth” Why Christians should not talk about “their faith” Why we can know “that” something is true without knowing “how” it is true Why no one is actually a relativist, and how to help a “relativist” see this How to ask good questions as a way to engage in conversations about relativism (and everything else--”gardening” vs. “harvesting”) Understanding and discussing the new/current definition of “tolerance” Responding to relativism on campus (with friends, in classes, in papers, etc.) The importance of finding common ground in conversations The value of using this dialogical approach to defend all Christian truth claims Resources mentioned during our conversation: Greg Kokhl, Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Chrisitanity’s Toughest Challenges J. Warner Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels Greg Kokhl, The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between Greg Kokhl, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions Francis Schaeffer’s Trilogy C.S. Lewis, Perelandra Randy Newman, Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did Stand to Reason, Greg’s organization Greg’s podcasts Related College Faith Resources: The Reasonableness of Faith: Why Students Should Study Apologetics with Paul Copan (College Faith podcast #25) How Asking Good Questions Helps Us Succeed with Randy Newman (College Faith podcast 10) Stan Wallace, “When it Comes to Weinstein et al., No One is a Moral Relativist--And That’s a Good Thing!”

My guest today is Timothee Joset, author of The Priesthood of All Students. He has been a student leader in campus ministry in Switzerland and internationally, including serving on the International Fellowship for Evangelical Students (or IFES) governing Board for four years. Timothée holds a Master of Arts with majors in Literature and History from the Universities of NOO - ka - tel Neuchâtel, Switzerland and Berlin, Germany, a Master of Theological Studies from Tyndale Seminary, Toronto and a PhD in theology from the University of Durham. For several years he has also helped give leadership to “Dialogue and Truth,” an initiative to support undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students in integrating their faith and their academic disciplines. Finally, he’s the incoming IFES Engaging the Universty Coordinator. In this podcast we discuss:Timothee’s long experience in campus ministry as a student, staff, senior leader, and IFES historian, and a brief summary of IFES’s campus ministryWhy the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is an important way to understand how campus ministries should operate -- “Immediacy, Mediation, and Participation”The importance of treating students as studentsUnderstanding the university as a “foreign land” as a way to discern, value, and engage appropriately in the university contextWhat we can learn about flourishing in the university from the Nation of Israel’s exile (cf. Daniel chapter 1)The importance of engaging the university in all its dimensions (as a complete “ecosystem”)Why the term “parachurch” is a problematic way to identify campus ministriesA better missiological understanding of the relationship between campus ministries and local churchesHow pastors can encourage the students (and scholars) in their congregationsSome challenges and opportunities when campus ministries are independent and contextualizedThe close connection between campus ministries and a “missional ecclesiology”Thimotee’s three-fold summary of what a campus ministry should encourage students to do: Value, Listen, and Engage Resources mentioned during our conversation:Timothee Joset, The Priesthood of All Students: Historical, Theological, and Missiological Foundations of a University Ministry: The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES)Ralph Winter, “The Two Sructures of God’s Redemptive Mission” in Perspectives in the World Christian MovementIFES’s Engage the University projectNicholas Wolterstorff, Religion in the University

My guest in this episode is Dr. Martine Audeoud, Academic Dean of Bakke Graduate University and author of Research as Worship in the Company of God. In this recent book she shares much wisdom for students doing research for term papers.   In this podcast we discuss: How Martine began thinking about research as worship Why she believes “God is a God of research” How Research as Worship can help students doing term papers Why Africans have a “competative edge” in integrating faith and research and what we can learn from them Why she chose the metaphor of the Jewish tabernacle to illustrate how research is worship A few examples of how the tabernacle metaphor relates to research as study Integrity in research as a reflection of the holiness of God How understanding research as worship guards us against plagiarism, relying on ChatGPT to write papers, the temptation to only hear what we want to hear, etc. How to balance being open to new ideas with affirming what we know biblically, as illustrated by Nehimiah The non-negotiable values a Christian student should maintain while doing research The importance of being part of a faith community to help in research How to find other believers on your campus in general and in your major in particular How to find a mentor(s) to help you as a Christian in your research The importance of selecting the best research approach for your term papers A helpful checklist to writing a good research paper The role of journaling in doing research as worship Sabbath-keeping as a part of research and worship How all of our lives include research, well beyond just writing term papers   Resources mentioned during our conversation: Martine Audeoud, Research as Worship in the Company of God Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences “A Case Study in Thinking Christianly and Making a Difference: Edmund Husserl,” Episode 21 of the the Thinking Christianly podcast IFES/The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students and InterVarsity/USA Christian professional societies (see also here)

My guest in this edition is Cam Anderson, author of The Faithful Artist: A Vision for Evangelicalism and the Arts. Cam holds a Masters of Fine Arts (the highest degree in the field) from Cranbrook Academy of Art, works as an artist (among other things), and is past president of CIVA--Christians in the Visual Arts. I know of no one better to help us think about majoring in the arts than Cam.  In this podcast we discuss: How Cam first became interested in the arts His journey toward introducing himself as an artist, especially in the Christian community Why the church tends to devalue a calling to the arts The various fields within the broader category of “the arts” Career opportunities in the arts Shifts in university art departments over the past 50 years How an undergraduate degree in the arts positions one to work in other career fields Character traits and other indicators that you may flourish as an artist What a day in the life of an artist looks like What is often not taught in History of Art courses Cam’s journey to unite faith and art, and some ways this benefitted his faith and life Challenges Cam faced as he worked to unite faith and art How beauty helps us enter the presence of God The current state of the teaching and practice of art in universities (in general) How the crafts display beauty in interesting ways Advice to students considering or in art programs at secular universities What to do if you find your arts program is antagonistic to the Christian faith How to choose a good university art program Thinking Christianly about modern and contemporary art, and the other half of the story  How campus ministers and youth pastors can best reach students in the arts Imagining a world without art as a way to understand the value of art Resources mentioned during our conversation: Cameron Anderson, The Faithful Artist: A Vision for Evangelicalism and the Arts Cameron Anderson and G. Walter Hansen, eds., God in the Modern Wing: Viewing Art with Eyes of Faith Makoto Fujimura, Art and Faith: A Theology of Making Makoto Fujimura, Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life Upper House podcast with Cam Anderson and Majoto Fujimura: Art + Faith Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art Christians in the Visual Arts (ceased programming in April 2023)--see especially their “Find Your Fit” page for links to many other faith and art communities The Brehm Center at Fuller Seminary Duke Initiatives in Theology & the Arts Image Journal The Rabbit Room Square Halo Books

This episode is the first in an intermittent series on majoring in the various academic fields (broadly speaking). My hope is to help you understand more of what is involved in various areas of study, how these fields relate to the Christian faith, and practical advice as you major in this area. My guest for each episode in this series will be someone with many years experience in the field, as well as a robust faith in Christ, and has learned to flourish both academically and spiritually in this field of study. We begin today with a focus on majors in the hard sciences. My guest in this episode is Dr. Bob Kaita, emeritus Senior Physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, where he has conducted nuclear fusion energy research for nearly four decades. Bob has also been the thesis advisor for students who have pursued careers in government and industry as well as academia, mentoring students through their studies in plasma physics. He is a fellow of the American Physics Society, and a recipient of the Kaul Prize for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research and Technology Development for pioneering work in components for fusion devices. Bob is also a fellow and past president of the American Scientific Affiliation, one of the largest organization of Christians in science and engineering. In this podcast we discuss: How Bob first got interested in a career in the sciences How Bob’s coming to faith in Christ in high school connected with his love of science The role Bob’s parents played in helping his pursue a career in science A scientist who followed God’s call that serves as a role model for Bob Career opportunities open to those with degrees in the sciences The importance of having a servant’s heart as a scientist Signs you may be called to be a scientist How Bob’s faith helped him in his studies of physics, rather than be a hindrance Some areas of overlap between faith and physics How Bob thinks about areas of alleged conflict between science and faith The centrality of one’s worldview in interpreting scientific data The exciting future for research in the sciences The grounding of a Christian’s worth as a scientist The valuable role of humility and spiritual formation in the life of a Christian scientist Books and professional societies that help connect faith and science The importance of understanding the relationship between science and the philosophy of science Doing science vs. faith-science integration Why there are so many Christians in the hard sciences The role of imagination in the practice of science The importance of being a good writer as a scientist Why scientists need to understand truth from other disciplines, and vice-versa Limitations of science that believers should be aware of Balancing “follow the science” with complete and blind faith in science The new “priesthood” of scientists, and the resulting backlash against science A final word of encouragement to budding scientists Resources mentioned during our conversation and later suggested by Bob: The American Scientific Affiliation Walter R. Hearn, Being a Christian in Science Other InterVarsity Press books on faith and science P. Moreland and Garrett DeWeese, Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions Robert Wuthnow, The Struggle for America’s Soul: Evangelicals, Liberals, & Secularism Hannah Eagleson (ed.), Science and Faith: Student Questions Explored Elaine Howard Ecklund, Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values that Move Us Beyond Fear Textbook: The Crossroads of Science and Faith: Astronomy Through a Christian Worldview Textbook: The Crossroads of Science and Faith: An Introduction to the Science & Faith Dialogue

Intro: My guest in this episode is Dr. Rob Bowman, an expert on cults and heretical Christian sects. He is also a biblical scholar who has, since 1984, written 14 books and dozens of articles defending the truth of Christianity against error. In this podcast we discuss: How Rob got interested in cults while in college How his background as a biblical scholar helps him evaluate cults Secular and religious cults (or ‘heretical sects’) and some examples The warning signs that a group may be a cult The importance of distinguishing between sociological and theological definitions of a cult Mormonism as a case study theologically (especially how they define “God”) and sociologically  The biblical, global, and historic understanding of what constitutes the essentials of the Christian faith An example of a cult becoming a legitimate, biblically grounded denomination and vice-versa Distinguishing strong leadership/authority from cultic leadership/authority How the prophets and Apostles in Scripture model strong but not cultic leadership/authority Good questions to ask to determine if a group is a cult (including the one question you should always start with) How all cults deviate on the nature of Jesus Different things cults mean when they affirm “Jesus is the Son of God” What cults mean by “We only go by the teachings of the Bible”--the role other authoritative texts or unique bible translations in cults Examples of cultic beliefs and practices from Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, and Christian Scientism How most modern-day cults are just repackaged heresies of past centuries Why the three large U.S. cults (Christian heretical sects) arose in the same time and region, the dark side of Revivalism in the Second Great Awakening, and the lesson we should learn How “Restorationism” (the desire to restore the first-century church) lead to the establishment of many cults in the 19th century How “Rationalism” (the desire to only accept what we can fully understand) lead to the establishment of other cults in the 19th century If you discover you are in a cult, how do you get out? The “win-win” question you should ask if you think you are in a cult Websites to help you identify and understand groups that are cults (see websites below) The relationship between biblical illiteracy and a train wreck for your faith The importance of understanding the proper principles of biblical interpretation (hermeneutics) to identify and avoid the errors of cults Resources mentioned during our conversation: Institute for Religion Research - resources on cults, apologetic issues, and how to study the Bible Watchman Fellowship - a comprehensive index of cults Bible.org - helpful for resources for studying the Bible