A Christian at college

Different people react differently to going to university. Some Christians have mixed feelings - it might be dangerous to their faith . . .

Others find the prospect very exciting, and can't wait to get stuck into it. Some try to be as cool as possible. For others the biggest question is what to wear on the first day.

A university student

So what is it like to be at university? The first thing a student fresh from school notices is the freedom. No one tells you what to wear. You choose what course you do. Then you notice that half the time you don't have scheduled classes and no one tells you what to do in the blank periods. Worse, no one notices or cares if you aren't in the scheduled classes. No one says anything, and if you end up with a 'fail' in that subject still no one cares.

The responsibility is very much with the student to figure out what the lecturer wants in terms of assessment. People fail because they can't organise and motivate themselves to do the required work.

However, don't go to the other extreme. Universities are not designed to be places where every waking hour is spent in a book. Universities themselves recognise this, and have poured a lot of money into providing for leisure and cultural activities on campus. Most universities have a system of support for student clubs and societies, which always includes religious clubs, as well as sporting and interest societies.

Too often Christian students fall into this trap - the Protestant work ethic and all that - and sadly this tends to lead into careerism (career worship) which in Britain is still the most common way that males leave Christianity.

The right path is obviously to avoid the extremes.

A Christian student

Many church leaders and Christian parents think of the Christian going to university as like a lamb going off with the wolves. It's dangerous; a matter for continual concern, needing constant monitoring. The chief danger in their minds is the effects of secular thinking: if non-Christian ways of thinking are allowed to impact on 'young' Christians they will lead them astray, if not out of Christianity completely.

There's some truth in this concern. There are courses where lecturers will teach ideas which are anti-Christian, and perhaps talk about Christianity in a dismissive and patronising tone. However, this is not the sort of thing that happens everyday. In fact, in most courses it never happens. The simple fact is that the far greater danger to the young Christian is the call of careerism, and also the temptation of peer pressure, which, of course, is not unique to university.

So how is the Christian to approach university? There are two approaches that I have seen. Both are promoted by churches to varying degrees, but I'm going to paint them as two extremes in order to bring out some important points.

Insulate

This means not getting too involved with non-Christian students or staff, but finding your friendships and support entirely within your church. It also means that you don't believe anything you hear, but learn about the relevant topic from the church leaders instead. Then you are supposed to believe this view as dogma, whether or not it seems to you to come to terms with the issues as raised at Uni.

Engage

This approach encourages students to get involved with other Christian students, with non-Christians, to engage with secular ideas and see university as an opportunity for evangelism.

This approach means firstly that you get involved with the Christian group on campus, and take the chance to study the Bible at a level appropriate to university. This inevitably will lead to a focus on evangelism, which in turn requires you to be involved with non-Christians.

Making friends requires effort. The temptation will be for you to stay close with your Christian friends: to always sit with them, have lunch with them, and so on. The great advantage of being a Christian - that you always have readymade friends - can work against you if it means you never make friends with non-Christians. Make the effort to get to class early, to say something to the person next to you. After all, you have a lot in common, being in the same course.

Engaging also leads to the need to think through the issues which challenge or apparently challenge Christianity, and can enable you to make a comment in class where appropriate. Here Christian books and older Christians such as Christian lecturers or pastors can help, but remember, you yourself are best placed to think about the issues.

Dangerous for whom?

As you might expect, 'Engage' is the approach encouraged by churches with a strong evangelistic thrust. They are right. University is a great time for evangelism. Students have time to attend meetings, much more than later in life, and it's so easy to turn up at a lecture room at lunch time that it's actually quite hard for them to think of an excuse not to come. And university is the time in life when people are forming their views about life, and they're prepared to listen to differing ideas, so the gospel needs to have a presence.

My experience is that students are much more likely to drop out of Christianity during their university days when they follow the first approach, Insulate, than when they follow the second approach, 'Engage'.

My view is that university is a much more dangerous place for non-Christians than for Christians. In my experience there are many more non-Christians who have become Christians, than Christians who have dropped out.

Some advice for Christians going to university

A university student

A Christian student

Insulate

Engage

Dangerous for whom?

Peter Woodcock

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