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table of contents

volume xvii issue iv

Christian Union

the maga zine :: winter 2020 4

in e ach issue Letter from the CEO / 3 Q and A / 9

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Stewardship News / 35

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4 The Power of Christian Unity

win t er 2 0 2 0 fe at ure sec t ion Edwards’ Call to United, Extraordinary Prayer / 6 Q and A with Dr. Walter Kim / 9 The Urgent Need for Church Unity / 10

14 From the University to the City and Beyond

on the web

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cover photo: Harvard alumni Devan Peterson ’19 and Calvin Marambo ’19 at a Christian Union Bible Course during the 2018-19 academic year.

Photo credit: Sarah Beth Turner

36 The Spiritual Climate on Campus

updat e s fr om l e ading univer si t ie s

“In God We Hope?” (Brown) :: When Dr. King Inspired Columbia :: Faith and Reason Conversations (Dartmouth) :: The Newman Legacy (Penn) :: Ancient Wisdom, Dating, and the Academy (Stanford) :: News-in-Brief from each university, and more

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This magazine is published by Christian Union, an independent Christian ministry.

2020

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“Go Therefore and Make Disciples” (Princeton) / 16

“I Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills” (Yale) / 18

An International Scholar (Brown) / 20 chris tian union univer sities

Columbia / 22 Stanford / 24 Harvard Law / 25 Cornell / 27 Dartmouth / 28 Harvard / 29 Penn / 31

chris tian union cities

New York Christian Union / 32

c h r i s t i a n u n i o n d ay a n d n i g h t

Introduction to Fasting / 34

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Christian Union T H E

M A G A Z I N E

volume xvii issue iv winter 2020 editor-in-chief

executive editor

managing editor

staff writer

field reporters

Matthew Bennett

Patrick Dennis Tom Campisi Catherine Elvy Jon Garaffa

Grace Choi Zachary Lee Francine Barchett Kayla Bartsch Nathan Barlow Shelby Brainard Luke Brown

INVEST IN TOMORROW’S LEADERS.

Avery Johnston Pam Traeger

photo editor

contributing writer

Laura Valentino

contributing editor

Sarah Camp

proofreader

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art director

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production

Bethany Wakeley

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letter from the founder and ceo

Unity and Revival

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fail to forgive, we fail to understand the mercy shown to us in Christ (Matthew 18:21-35).

Third, Christians are to refrain from negative speech of others such as slander, gossip, or derogatory language of all kinds.

Instead, Christians are to bless, encourage, and speak well of others.

Christians can assemble together with mass events to help the cause of Christian unity, but without the heart work mentioned in the three steps above, not much is gained in the spiritual realm. When a mass event is held that reflects the true heart of unity among Christians, God is pleased and blessing comes to a community.

I encourage you to join me and join others in seeking God for true Christian unity among His people in the United States. To the extent we are unified together under the Lordship of Christ, we can expect great favor and blessing − and we can expect Him to be pleased as we reflect the love and unity emblematic of His own nature.

Yours in Christ,

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In addition to pleasing God, by reflecting the unity of the Godhead and fostering a spirit of peace, Christian unity also has tremendous spiritual power.

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Matthew W. Bennett matt bennett is the founder and CEO of Christian Union. He earned undergraduate and MBA degrees from Cornell, and launched Christian Union in 2002 in Princeton, New Jersey.

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herever there is a revival, there is also some measure of unity among Christians. There is never perfect unity, but a large degree of Christian unity does much in the spiritual realm to usher in the presence of God to a community.

In addition to pleasing God, by reflecting the unity of the Godhead and fostering a spirit of peace, Christian unity also has tremendous spiritual power. Deuteronomy 32:30 says, “one [has] chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight,” reflecting the inherent spiritual power of standing together. When Christians come together, the spiritual realm shifts and they put to flight the enemies of God! Christian unity doesn’t mean Christians have to be part of the same denomination, have the same doctrines, or same style of ministry. Rather, it means something deeper and more profound. It means a unity of minds, hearts, and souls with fellow Christians, despite various differences.

How does this kind of unity happen?

First, we need to put to death all jealousy or pride. If there is a competitive spirit or rivalry, or envy, then unity is not present.

Instead, Christians are to accept and show kindness to each other as Christ has accepted us.

Second, we need to put to death all malice, including hatred, rejection, and judgmentalism of every kind. Instead, there needs to be full forgiveness of all wrongs committed. Forgiveness is one of the most powerful forces in the universe; When we

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feature section :: winter 2020 Edwards’ Call to United, Extraordinary Prayer / 6 Q and A with Dr. Walter Kim / 9 The Urgent Need for Church Unity / 10

The Power of Christian Unity I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

– John 17:22-23

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– Revelation 7:9-10

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After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

5 artwork by alex tsuper, istock

feature section | christian unity

The Ongoing Impact of Jonathan Edwards’ Call to United, Extraordinary Prayer by david bryant

Editor’s note: The following article is adapted from David Bryant’s essay in the 2004 updated edition of Jonathan Edwards’ influential book on prayer. It was marked by a thirty-six word title that began with three famous words: An Humble Attempt. The modern version’s title is A Call to United, Extraordinary Prayer…An Humble Attempt.

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societies already functioning in Scotland around 1740, especially among young people. By 1744, a committee of ministers determined it was time to do more. They decided to try a two-year “experiment,” uniting all prayer groups and praying Christians in their nation into a common

ike waves of incense, over the past forty years prayer for revival (or as many often call it, a “Christ Awakening”) has ascended across America in ways never experienced before. In many places, the youth are leading the way, including on college campuses from coast to coast. Often these gatherings are called “Concerts of Prayer,” a term taken from a book on prayer by one of our nation’s greatest spiritual leaders, Jonathan Edwards.

But interestingly, this book was Jonathan Edwards, Yale Class of 1720 really not about prayer. Edwards (Yale, Class of 1720) knew the true secret to igniting and sustaining a work of prayer strategy. They called for focused prayer—individually or unitedly—was to revival prayer on every Saturday evening make much of the greatness of Christ. and Sunday morning, as well as on the first Prayer was the means to the end of a fullTuesday of each quarter. er awakening to the wonders of Christ for By 1746, these Scottish intercessors ALL He is today. were so gratified by the impact of their Nothing could be more relevant to experiment that they composed a call to where we Jesus followers find ourselves in prayer to the church worldwide, especialthis critical hour. ly in the colonies. However, this time the Here’s the backstory: “concert of prayer” was to be for seven Initially, Edward’s treatise on prayer, years!

An Humble Attempt, had a practical misFive hundred copies of Memorial were sion. It was his response to a document sent to Boston for distribution. One fell from Scottish pastors called a Memorial. in Edwards’ hands, who at the time was Memorial rose out of scores of prayer the pastor of the second largest congrega-

tion in all of New England.

Initially he was attracted to it, he says, because it was anonymous – none of the ministers promoted themselves in the effort. He was also taken with their methodology, with its potential for mobilization, and its inherent value for holding Christians accountable to the work of prayer.

Edwards mentions all of this in the opening pages of An Humble Attempt. But Edwards also felt he could assist the initiative by providing additional theological foundations for the Memorial’s vision and by answering a variety of objections he was sure it would face. No one else was better qualified to do so.

What Was Edwards Trying to Say? In 1712, when British Christians called for intensified prayer for a Protestant, not Catholic, king to succeed Queen Anne, their foundational text was Zechariah 8:20-22.

Edwards returned to this passage to anchor his endorsement of a Concert of Prayer. And for good reason. It underscored, as well as any other biblical text, the attitude, agenda, impact, and ignition of any prayer movement. Despite where one might place the passage on an eschatological timetable, in principle it describes exactly what Edwards knew it would take to sustain and quicken the fruits of the Great Awakening.

What is so amazing is that over the past two hundred and fifty years, the church has experienced “intermediate fulfillments” of Zechariah 8, just as Edwards predicted we would: There shall be given much of a spirit of prayer to God’s people, in many

places, disposing them to come into an express agreement, unitedly to pray to God in an extraordinary manner, that he would appear for the help of his church, and in mercy to mankind, and pour out his Spirit, revive his work, and advance his spiritual kingdom in the world, as he has promised.

This disposition to prayer, and union in it, will gradually spread more and more, and increase to greater degrees; with which at length will gradually be introduced a revival of religion and disposition to greater engagedness in the worship and service of God, amongst his professing people... In this manner religion shall be propagated, till the awakening reaches those that are in the highest stations, and till whole nations be awakened.

Such being the state of things in this future promised glorious day of the church’s prosperity, surely it is worth praying for. Nor is there any one thing whatsoever, if we view things aright, for which a regard to the glory of God, a concern for the kingdom and honour of our Redeemer, a love to his people, a pity to perishing sinners… would dispose us to be so much in prayer, as for the dawning of this happy day, and the accomplishment of this glorious event?

An Humble Attempt met with meager success in Edwards’ lifetime. Three years after he wrote it, he was dismissed from

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Were Edwards’ Labors in Vain?

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For, undoubtedly, that which God abundantly makes the subject of his promises, God’s people should abundantly make the subject of their prayers.

It also affords them the strongest assurances that their prayers shall be successful (italics his).

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With such a comprehensive vision, Edwards argued that prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, with all the ramifications that biblical promises suggest, was by far the highest prayer agenda Christians could wage in this present age. In that direction, he urged, lies every reason to expect great success in any Concert of Prayer. As he concludes at one point:

Among the motives for concerted prayer, Edwards reasoned quite clearly that unity in prayer is both God’s means to the Consummation, as well as an end in itself.

In other words, although praying unitedly furthers Christ’s reign, it also forges the very result for which God calls us to be joined in prayer—to foster the visible unity that can convince the world Christ is who he says he is.

To that end, Edwards was open to all theological camps to come together–even those who opposed the Great Awakening– as long as their shared passion was for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom through all of Christ’s church in answer to our united prayers.

Interestingly, many of the objections Edwards anticipated I have watched surface repeatedly in modern prayer movements.

That’s why his responses are so relevant for us. For example, he confronted charges that the Concert of Prayer was merely a form of superstition; or that it was an encouragement to pharisaicalism; or that it misrepresented God’s timing, making the effort premature and unnecessary; or simply that it revealed the predisposition of some towards novel, and dangerous, addition. There were extended sections where Edwards tried to answer various eschatological controversies that had the potential of derailing the movement.

Bottom line: An Humble Attempt warns us that mobilizing united, Christ-exalting prayer will come at a price.

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Towards this vision, An Humble Attempt breaks into four major sections: Part I: Response to the Memorial itself; Part II: Discussion of promises for latter-day glory; Part III: Review of motives for united prayer; and Part IV: Answering objections to the call to prayer.

Of all the contributions that the book makes to individual and corporate prayer life, however, nothing can surpass how Edwards built his strongest case based on the hope one is praying towards. He knew this to be the key for igniting and sustaining the work of prayer.

Without necessarily agreeing with his postmillennial eschatology, one cannot ignore his apologetic that “it is natural and reasonable to suppose, that the whole world should finally be given to Christ as one whose right it is to reign.” Thus, Christians

must not permit themselves, pleads Edwards, ever to pray for less than this as the goal of all intercession, and of every single prayer. In fact, if we forego millennial discussions altogether for the moment, and simply concentrate on what might better be termed “the Consummation,” can any of us fail to embrace Edwards’ appeal to pray prayers wrapped up in the great hope before us, when he writes:

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his church (over debates about administering the Lord’s Supper) and sent to a little congregation in Stockbridge, on the colonial frontier. Seven years later, trustees at Princeton University prevailed on him to take over its presidency, where he died five weeks after coming into office (due to complications from an experimental smallpox vaccination, taken to help scientists test it for use with the larger population).

Interestingly, in that same year (1757) a Concert of Prayer was raised up by Princeton students, and resurfaced repeatedly during the next one hundred years on that campus, resulting in multiple student awakenings.

However, it wasn’t until it was republished in England in 1789, that Edwards’ “attempt” began to bear real fruit. Embraced by the fledgling prayer movement across the land, and adopted and promoted by William Carey and his little prayer band in England, it eventually became a major manifesto for the Second Great Awakening.

Space does not allow a thorough report on how An Humble Attempt was reissued in subsequent generations, and the impact it had on other awakenings (including the Third, beginning around 1857–exactly one hundred years after Edwards’s death).

This happened not only on the home fronts, however, but throughout many mission fields. For example, in 1897, upon returning from a nine-month trip to visit chapters of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions in nearly forty nations, the general director, John R. Mott, made a curious notation in his journal. He wrote that the vitality of each chapter could only be explained “by the Concert of Prayer going on in each one.” From those student prayer initiatives came nearly 20,000 missionary recruits, with another 70,000 joining the Laymen’s Missionary Society to send them. Edwards’ vision was at the core of the focus, the commitment, the sacrifice,

the harvest, and the intercession behind this unprecedented story in 2,000 years of missionary advance.

So how did Edwards handle heaven’s delays in his lifetime? When Edwards’ initial “attempt” seemed to stall, would he have been discouraged? As the years passed without another glorious visitation of Christ upon his church, would he have despaired over unanswered prayer? Seeing so little visible unity, or extraordinary praying, or passion for the Consummation, would he have been embittered in his last years?

Not if he heeded his own concluding words in An Humble Attempt. All of us would do well to listen to this man “abounding in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). Reflecting, in his final paragraph, on what should happen if, at the close of the seven-year experiment, there would still be little change, he admonishes: But let it be considered whether it will not be a poor business, if our faith and patience is so short-winded that we cannot be willing to wait upon God for seven years, in a way of taking this little pains, in seeking a mercy so infinitely vast. For my part, I sincerely wish and hope that there may not be an end of extraordinary united prayer, among God’s people, for the effusions of the blessed Spirit… and that extraordinary united prayer for such a mercy will be further propagated and extended…God has not said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain… But whatever our hopes may be in this respect, we must be content to be ignorant of the times and seasons, which the Father hath put in his power; and must be willing that God should answer prayer, and fulfil his own glorious promises, in his own time.

For you see, as I said at the top, in the end this treatise is really not about prayer.

Its major focus is on CHRIST. On the

exaltation of Christ, the reign of Christ, the kingdom of Christ. It was about how our hope in Christ should drive us to “explicit agreement and visible union in extraordinary prayer for the revival of the church and the advancement of Christ’s kingdom on earth,” as Edward’s put it in the original title of the book.

Edwards knew that the ultimate answer to every prayer for revival (or to any other prayer, for that matter) was that the Father, by the Spirit, gives us more of the fullness of the Son—infuses us with a greater revelation of Christ, unleashing among us fresh, proactive triumphs of Christ—all of it beginning with the reintroduction of God’s people to the majesty and glory and supremacy of Christ.

Bottom line: It is the person of Christ that is the source, substance, and summit of all believing prayer. True revival is all about Christ.

Today across our nation, Edward’s vision is being restated as a humble attempt to foster and serve nationwide “Christ Awakening” movements (revival) in answer to over four, unparalleled decades of concerted prayer in our land for nothing less.

Have you become a part of it? | cu Often called the “father of the modern prayer movement,” david bryant has been a pastor, minister-at-large for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, founder of Concerts of Prayer International and chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee. Today, he leads Proclaim Hope!, a ministry designed “to foster and serve a nationwide Christ Awakening movement.” His books, podcast, resource materials, and video training (most of it offered for free) are available at ChristNow.com.

National Association of Evangelicals’ President Seeks Increased Unity, Fresh Work of the Spirit Q and A with Dr. Walter Kim

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n January, Dr. Walter Kim began his inaugural term as the president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

He also serves as pastor for leadership at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, after ministering for fifteen years at Boston’s historic Park Street Church.

Kim, Harvard Ph.D. ’07, is considered an expert on the theology of race and often addresses other key cultural issues.

CHRISTIAN UNION: How does your

extensive background in race issues shape your view of what true Christian unity should look like?

CU: What are some of the biggest obstacles facing the church today when it comes to unity? How can we overcome them?

WK: The biggest problems today are the

biggest problems of yesterday. While our obstacles take modern forms due to technology or socially specific contexts, they are really rooted in the fundamental problems of a broken world damaged by sin.

The misuse of power, the impulse of tribes to vilify others, and the tendency to self-justification have been the root of many evils over the years. Yet, believers throughout

WK: To a community polarized along

theological and ethnic lines, Paul gave inspired advice that seems very relevant today: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:9-14).

I can’t do better than that.

CU: You have said that the National As-

WALTER KIM: My

sociation of Evangelicals (NAE) seeks to unite the “many voices of evangelicals together to be more effective for Jesus Christ and His cause.” What are some practical ways this can happen?

Photo credit: JeffreyGrounds Photography

Editor’s note: dr. kim is also featured in our Harvard University section on page 50.

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strife before and after the last national election, what advice would you give to pastors and church leaders for keeping unity in this election year?

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CU: Considering the polarization and

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history bear witness to the Gospel that brings profound reconciliation. We must discover more deeply our identity in Christ, not simply as individuals, but within community. Only then will we have the necessary grounding and resources to make unity possible.

WK: We can seek to create relational proximity. Get close to others. Rather than waiting for people who are different to initiate with you, make the first move toward them.

And when you get together, develop a posture of humility and listen with patience and curiosity. Wonderful things can happen.

It is my experience that the NAE is a gathering place where Pentecostals and Presbyterians pray together, where Baptists and Brethren, Congregationalists and Methodists convene as partners, where Christian colleges and mission organizations do not see each other as competitors, but as collaborators in the work of the Gospel. This gives me hope. | cu

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thoughts turn to the very inception of the church.

After pouring out the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, God was free to give birth to the church in any number of ways, but chose to produce a particular type of change: “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language” (Acts 2:5-11). Pentecost is the reversal of the Tower of Babel. Humanity in its hubris sought to maintain one language at the Tower of Babel and ended up with the judgment of many languages. The church proclaims the gospel in many languages and ends up with a common people in Christ. My prayer is for a fresh work of the Spirit today.

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The Urgent Need for Church Unity A 35-Year Reflection from New York City by dr. mac pier

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hen my wife Marya and I arrived in New York City in 1984 I used three adjectives to describe the city. The Big Apple was broke, violent, and under-churched in many communities. The front page of the October 30, 1975, Daily News read: “Ford to City: Drop Dead” after President Ford denied federal assistance to spare New York from bankruptcy.

In 1984, a decade of racial violence began when Bernard Goetz, a German, shot five unarmed African-American men on the subway. In

1994, the murder rate spiked at twenty-four hundred murders, or eight a day for a year. According to Jeffrey Burke, the NYPD chief forensic dentist, the city morgue simply ran out of room.

In 1989, research indicated that the percentage of people living in Manhattan and attending Bible-believing churches was 1 percent. For a population of 1.5 million people, that equates to only 15,000 people.

One contributing factor to limited church impact is church disunity.

As we look across the global landscape,

church disunity manifests in so many ways.

Churches in the same community often do not know each other, let alone work together. Efforts to impact a city are often limited and uncoordinated.

Disunity in the church breeds atheism in the world. One of the manifestations of this disunity, according to the report “The Great Opportunity” (www.thegreatopportunity.org), is an estimated exodus of 1 million young adults leaving the U.S. church every year since 2008 for a total of 42 million by 2050.

What practically every faith community in every city lacks globally is muscularity.

Muscularity, in this context, is the ability

of the faith community to come together in such a powerful expression of unity that it can address the greatest challenges of their city. Unity leads to muscularity.

The Call to United Prayer – February 1988

were, gathering as a multilingual community of intercessors in perhaps the most multilingual city in human history. New York City speaks eight hundred languages.

By 1995, other prayer initiatives had begun to accelerate the prayer movement.

In 1990, leaders began to pray together at Pastor’s Concerts of Prayer; the first gathering attracted four hundred pastors at Brooklyn Tabernacle.

In the early 1990s, the Pastor’s Prayer Summit began in Metro New York City.

cy to pray. Beginning in February 1995, thirty-five churches adopted a day a month to pray patterned after the eighteenth-century Moravian Movement’s The Lord’s Watch. Nicolas Count Von Zinzendorf motivated a group of German refugees to pray twenty-four hours a day for a century, patterned after the call to prayer of Isaiah 62:6-7. The Moravian Movement birthed three hundred missionaries who traveled the world, many of whom came to the United States. We cannot understand American Protestantism today apart from the Moravian Movement.

By the Year 2000 in New York City, the murder rate had declined from its peak of 1994 by 70 percent; by the year 2019, the murder rate declined by 90 percent. This was one of the tangible expressions of prayer.

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By the late 1980s, God was stirring, locally and globally. The Pastor’s Prayer Summit had begun in the Northwest under the leadership of Joe Aldrich from Multnomah Bible College. He brought pastors together to spend three to four days praying together and building unity.

David Bryant from InterVarsity Missions began to speak on the vision of Jonathan Edwards from his 1747 treatise entitled An Humble Attempt. Edwards’ vision was to see churches coming together in prayer in visible unity and explicit agreeThe Call to Learn – ment. It was a powerful accelerant March 1995 for revival in New England.

In 1995, Dr. Ray Bakke, the Photo courtesy of Movement.org.

At the First Baptist Church of imminent urbanologist, hosted our Flushing, New York, on February 5, Tim Keller, speaking at Movement Day New York City in 2019. first consultation with ninety-five 1988, we hosted our first Concert of Keller and the Church Multiplication Alliance have been a leaders. Bakke came to teach leaders catalyst for the establishment of new congregations in the city.

Prayer. The gathering had been deabout an urban theology—how the signed by Ted Gandy and Aida Force theme of city runs from Genesis to Over the past thirty years, six thousand of Here’s Life, along with myself. The plan Revelation. The final metaphor for the leaders have gathered for forty-eight hours was to invite sixteen churches to pray tochurch in Revelation 21 is a city. of prayer, communion, worship, and gether on a Friday night. It was not coinciIn the next eight years, we had three folfriendship. This event has become the sindental that First Baptist had congregants low-up consultations. What began to develgle most important gathering of the year speaking sixty languages and that Flushing op was an intellectual rigor regarding the for spiritual leaders. We have discovered speaks over a hundred languages. needs of the city, seeing best practices, and that the greatest challenge to a movement On that evening, we were stunned to scaling best practices to impact more people. of unity is not money, space, or a program. see seventy-five churches participate. David In 2003, along with Tim Keller, we It is always trust. We have learned that the Bryant led us in a beautifully orchestrated co-birthed the Church Multiplication Alway you build trust is to love others deepevening of united prayer. Given the interliance. Research has indicated that churchly. The way we spell love is T-I-M-E. national nature of the audience, it was like es ten years and younger are eight times Coming out of the murder pandemic sitting in the front row experiencing the more effective in reaching new people. of 1994, there was a fresh sense of urgenprayer gathering in Revelation 5. There we When Keller invited us to marry our pray-

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ing church network with Redeemer’s church-planting expertise, he said, “We need all kinds of new churches, not just Presbyterian churches.” The Church Multiplication Alliance (CMA) brought ten denominations together to assist each other in planting churches, ranging from Southern Baptist to Assemblies of God, and everything in between.

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The Research that Changed Everything – 2009

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Day over the past decade.

The philosophy behind Movement Day is described well in Tim Keller’s Gospel Ecosystem diagram. Keller’s thesis is that every city has a community of Gospel-preaching churches, nonprofits, and Christian marketplace leaders. This represents an ecosystem. The greater the depth of unity between diverse members of the same ecosystem, the more robust is the expression of the Gospel in the same city.

Movement Day is an ecosystem gathering that brings leaders together from the pastorate, nonprofit, marketplace, and civic communities.

largest missions gathering of its type in a hundred years in New York City. At that point, we had seen Movement Day birthed in Dallas, Pretoria, and Port au Prince. In the three years since Movement Day Global Cities, we have seen interest emerge in two hundred cities globally across six continents.

Some of the highlights of the past three years have included:

• Movement Day Africa in Nairobi for 50 African cities. These cities are poised After the CMA had been functioning to address the issues of poverty and for six years, we invited Tony Carnes from employment in the name of the Gospel. the Values Research Institute to measure The average African is ten years its progress. We were stunned to younger than the average perlearn that evangelical Christianson on every other continent. ity had grown 300 percent in • Movement Day United KingManhattan in twenty years. There dom with leaders from ninewere thirty thousand more people ty-five denominations gathering. attending church in Manhattan Cities like Teeside are addressing than in 1989. the need to unite the church for We were so stunned by the resocial concerns in the city. This search findings that we decided to is providing Gospel-sharing opgather leaders to discuss what we portunities. were learning in New York City Photo courtesy of Movement.org.

• Movement Day India. In cities with other cities. This led to the like Chennai, Mumbai, and inaugural Movement Day in Sep- Bishop Roderick Caesar preaches at the Pastor's Prayer Summit.

Kolkota, new churches have tember 2010 at Calvary Baptist been planted. In one slum, Movement We attempt to answer three questions Church in Manhattan.

Day volunteers have provided educaas we gather at Movement Day: tional materials for one thousand chilMovement Day Is Birthed – 2010 dren.

Research: What is the current reality On September 30, 2010, we hosted • Movement Day South Pacific. As many facing us and our greatest challenges?

Movement Day. We anticipated that leadas fifty cities across Australia and the region Vision: What do we want to see ers would come primarily from New York are being mobilized. The largest MoveGod do in a decade? (E.g., we wanted City, with a few visitors. We were stunned ment Day gathering to date has taken to see 10% of Manhattan attend evanwhen eight hundred leaders came from place in Port Moresby with two thousand gelical churches) thirty-four states and fourteen countries. in attendance.

Tactical: What do we need to do in What God was stirring in New York City • Movement Day Dubai. Nearly four the next year to move the needle in our He was stirring in cities around the globe. hundred leaders gathered at the first city?

Christian Union and its founder Matt meeting in the Middle East. A member Bennett have played an important role in of the royal family came to acknowledge Movement Day. Christian Union has modMovement Day Global the impact of the church on Dubai for eled what prayer and evangelism can look Cities – 2016 the first time in forty years. We paid like on college campuses. It has been inIn October 2016, we convened three tribute to the first missionary hospital teresting to see the parallels between the thousand leaders from four hundred cities in the region. In 2020, the meeting is growth of Christian Union and Movement in ninety-five nations. I believe it was the

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are three words that John uses leading up expanding to all seven of the United The Fruit of Unity to the crescendo of this prayer: Father, sent, Arab Emirates.

In the book, Why Cities Matter, the and glory.

• Movement Day Canada. Plans are unauthors contend that there was a commuJesus prayed that our unity will give a derway to have thirty gatherings in the nity of twenty-five thousand followers of manifestation of the Fatherhood of God largest cities across Canada. There is a Jesus at the ascension. In the year 312, to the world. Jesus is on a mission; As He desperate need to bring the church towhen Constantine declared Himself to be gether in this secular nation. a Christian, the community had • Movement Day Balkan Cities. We grown to twenty million. The church gathered in Athens in November had grown eight hundred times in three 2019 with leaders from fourteen hundred years. countries in Europe and North The factors for this growth are America. The city of Skopje has many—including the unity of the one thousand believers in a popuchurch, the power of prayer, a comlation of 1 million. In Belgrade, mitment to the marginalized, and there are one thousand believers urban church planting. among 2.5 million people. Greece In New York City, we have seen has become the epicenter of the abundant fruitfulness from our uniPhoto courtesy of Movement.org. refugee movement from the Middle ty—churches being planted, the poor The parade of nations at Movement Day Global Cities in East into Europe. are being served, and cross cultural New York in 2016. and cross denominational partnerBack to New York City ships are being birthed. The influence was sent, so He sends us. The glory, or the In the 2014 research conducted by of New York City is being exported globreputation of God, is at stake in the unity Redeemer City to City, the evangelical ally to hundreds of cities. or disunity of the church. population grew from 3 percent to 5 perIn His final appearance to the disciples cent over a period of five years. This upCelebrating Unity – in Acts, Jesus gave one command in 1:4— dated data represents sixty thousand more September 2020 simply to wait in Jerusalem for the prompeople attending church than in 1989. God On September 23, 2020, a gathering ise that He had for them. The question is has used these themes of unity expressed of leaders for Movement Day X will join this: why wait? in prayer, knowledge, and mission to make to pray together. This date is significant.

There was so much to do—to preach, a tangible, measurable difference.

It is the 163rd anniversary of the Fulton to baptize, to heal, to challenge the Roman Unity in New York City among churchStreet Revival begun near Wall Street that authorities. I believe that the reason Jesus es is perhaps the most strategic missional ushered in a great awakening. Movement commanded this community to wait was effort on the planet. Whatever God does Day X will be attended by leaders from to address the issue of division they had in New York City will reverberate around three hundred cities. with one another. Peter had denied the Lord. the world.

As we gather, we are asking God to give Thomas had doubted the Lord. And the us His vision for 2030. What could God women had been abandoned by the disciThe Importance of Unity do through a community of united, prayerples. One commentator said that if there in the Mind of Jesus ful, and missional leaders, city by city, was ever a group that hated each other it Jesus’ final prayer in John 17, less than around the globe? Jonathan Edwards has was this group. Waiting is what allowed the twenty-four hours before His death, consaid that “revival is the approximation of group to do the hard work of reconciling, centrated on the unity of the church. It the Consummation.” In no other city, and praying, and asking God to move. speaks to the primacy and urgency for at no other time, do we get to experience The fruit of this waiting in unity was unity to create the aroma of belief in a city. this than right now in the church of GreatPentecost. In Acts 2, God brought fifteen Jesus makes the great prayer that we all er New York City. nations to Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit fell, may be one, as He and the Father are one, and the church was birthed out of the so that the world might believe. In a dr. mac pier is the founder of Movement.org womb of that waiting. thoughtful reading of John’s Gospel there and Lausanne Co-Catalyst for Cities.

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from the university to the city and beyond

Developing Bold Christian Leaders by god’s grace, future leaders and the influential universities they

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attend are being transformed each day through Christian Union Bible Courses,

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personal mentoring, coaching, the Leadership Lecture Series and other events,

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and engaging outreach. As these students grow in grace by seeking the Lord

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diligently, they will be equipped to engage culture effectively. This is at the heart of Christian Union’s work at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard,

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Penn, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale.

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christian union’s ministry to its alumni and their peers, christian union

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Cities, develops networks of young professionals in key cultural centers, starting

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Circle in the early 1800s. Pray that God will bring similar change to the U.S.

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vibrant nation. To this end, Christian Union Day & Night calls on believers to seek God wholeheartedly and to pray and fast for our nation.

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at the heart of christian union’s work is a desire to see a spiritually

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sweeping change to England through William Wilberforce and the Clapham

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in New York City and Washington, D.C. This model was used by the Lord to bring

15 Yale students Sherry Ann Morgenstern (’19), Vivian Armitage (’20), and Julie Tran (’21) photo credit: sara beth turner

christian union universities

‘Go Therefore and Make Disciples’ Nova’s Upperclassmen Enjoy Mentoring Roles

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by tom campisi, managing editor

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ful, hard work bear fruit has been satisfying for the Andrew Lin is committed to the biblical native of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. mandate of making disciples.

“My favorite aspect of being on the discipleship Lin is a member of Nova, Christian team is probably witnessing some of the pairs that Union’s ministry at Princeton. The computer science we have matched as they meet throughout campus,” major from Dallas, Texas, serves as a co-leader of said Noonan, a member of the Princeton women's Nova’s discipleship team, a group of upperclassmen soccer team. “For example, it’s so special to walk who regularly meet with younger students to study into a coffee shop and see a pair meeting, whether the Bible, pray, and serve as mentors. they’ve just been paired or have been meeting for An attacker on the Princeton water polo team, years. Whatever the relationLin is passionate about “helpship is, I love knowing that ing to lead others in their our work is more than just walk with Christ” and has pairing two names on a Gooalso started a Bible study for gle sheet, but that it reaches teammates. He recalled the far beyond that, impacting the impact discipleship made on real lives of students.” him when he was a freshman.

“Caroline is helping us “As a first year student, I increase a culture of disciplehad an incredible senior who ship in our ministry,” said walked me through my faith Reed. transition into college,” Lin Emma Hopkins ’20, an said. “As I’ve gotten older, the English major (with a certifishift of coming alongside cate in Urban Studies) from younger guys and reading Stillwater, New York, apprescripture with them has ciates being part of the discihelped my faith grow in a pleship team and Nova’s different way.” seeking God culture.

Ryan Reed, a Christian “Being part of the disciUnion teaching fellow at Kendall Elfstrum, Princeton ’22, has a pleship team has challenged Princeton, oversees the discime to be more intentional pleship team and has been passion for studying the Word of God and discipleship. with the people God has impressed with the leadership placed in my life,” said Hopand initiative that has been kins, a member of the women's lightweight rowing evident. Over the summer, the team reached out team. “I am still learning what it means to disciple to all the students in Nova, asking them about meetand mentor faithfully. Over the last two years, God ing with another student to study the Bible and pray has shown me the importance of prayer within distogether. They also wrote a curriculum based on 2nd cipleship, and of relying on His wisdom, not on Timothy for use in discipleship meetings. myself alone. I’ve also become much more comfort“The team has shown strong energy and convicable asking tough questions and talking openly about tion in fulfilling these different tasks,” Reed said. my spiritual life, which is an area where I am hoping Caroline Noonan, a sophomore who is studying for continued growth.”

Operations Research and Financial Engineering, “Emma is an incredible leader for our team,” helped write the curriculum. Seeing the team’s prayer-

tian leader by providing the community I need in the midst of a campus like Princeton,” Noonan said.

“Often, it can be hard to stay strong when others don’t believe like you do, but Christian Union provides a supportive family for me to fall back on.

Whether it’s the girls and leader in my Bible course, the worship leaders at the Encounter Leadership Lecture Series, the people praying for me at 12:1 (the ministry’s daily prayer hour), my discipleship

Members of the Nova Discipleship Team: Gabriela Oseguera Serra (left), Andrew Lin, and Emma Hopkins.

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mentor, or just the day to day friends that I’ve met through Nova, I always have a place to go when I have questions, need help, or just want to have fun with others in ways that glorify God.” Noonan and other members of the discipleship team are enjoying the dual responsibility of serving as mentors while they grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and seek to be disciples, themselves. Hopkins, a senior, said Nova has made a big difference in her life.

“I’ve been challenged and stretched in a lot of ways at Princeton,” said Hopkins. “Christian Union ministry fellows—through Bible courses, prayer, discipleship, etc.—have consistently been there to speak God’s Word to me and remind me of the necessity of Christian community.” | cu

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Reed said. “She is always willing to take on new challenges. She is very passionate about discipleship and seeing students study Scripture together. God has used her to strengthen our ministry.”

For Kendall Elfstrum, significant spiritual strengthening occurred last summer when he took Christian Union’s “Passages: Experience Israel” trip with students from other leading universities and Christian Union ministry fellows. Elfstrum returned from the Holy Land with a strong desire to study the Bible.

“It is an experience I will never forget. Meeting believers from other schools and seeing the sites where Jesus walked was incredible,” he said.

Elfstrum ’22, a wrestler from Monroe, New York, is currently taking a “gray shirt” year off from classes for wrestling purposes. In the 2018-2019 season for Princeton, he moved up from the 184-pound weight class to heavyweight to help fill a void due to injuries. As a high school senior, Elfstrum won the 195-pound New York state title.

Although he is not enrolled in classes this year, the Public and International Affairs major is active in Nova. In addition to serving as a key leader on the discipleship team, Elfstrum is an assistant Bible course leader and meets weekly with Reed to study the Word.

“Kendall is taking his faith very seriously,” said Reed. “He has a desire to study the Bible and is excited to disciple other students. He is stepping into leadership.”

“Christian Union has given me numerous opportunities to grow,” Elfstrum said. “I have been involved in Bible courses, which allowed me to develop strong relationships with other believers and grow in fellowship. Being on the discipleship team has given me the chance to cultivate skills that allow me to help and encourage others on their journey.”

Likewise, Noonan is appreciative of the growth opportunities provided by Christian Union and the chance to flourish in a Christian community.

“Christian Union has helped me grow as a Chris-

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“I Lift up My Eyes to the Hills” Strong Roots Help Sharla Moody ’22 Find Her Place at Yale

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by kayla bartsch, yale

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While the rural hills of southern Ohio may seem a world away from the ivory towers of Yale University, Sharla Moody ’22 bridges the two with thoughtfulness and grace.

When she came to campus as a first-year in 2018, Moody’s transition to college life was starker than that of most Yale undergraduates. Her hometown, Gallipolis, Ohio, is nestled on the northern banks of the Ohio River, facing the shores of West Virginia to the south. Gallipolis is something of a quintessential Appalachian town, home to picturesque river valley views, a charming Main Street, and about 3,500 residents. However, having experienced a slow and steady decline in its population since the 1960s, Gallipolis faces the same trials as other Appalachian towns in contemporary American life. From this quiet, tight-knit community, Moody was thrown into a loud, heterogenous, and opulent campus.

Yet, even if unconventional, Moody’s path to Yale from small-town Ohio seems providential. In her junior year of high school, she read Hillbilly Elegy – a memoir written by J. D. Vance, a Yale Law school graduate from a small town in Ohio similar to Moody’s. The book, lauded for its raw Sharla Moody depiction of the cultural and economic decay faced by the rural, white working class, became a near-instant best-seller.

Moody’s English teacher encouraged her to apply to Yale—if Vance could do it, why couldn’t she?

The summer before her senior year, Moody visited New Haven and fell in love with Yale’s campus. A distant dream was starting to become a tangible reality. A wonderful writer herself, Moody compiled her application, sent in her transcript, and the rest is history.

While the hurdle of getting into Yale had been cleared, Moody faced new challenges of a less quantifiable kind: assimilating to campus life.

During first-year orientation (lovingly referred to as “Camp Yale”), Moody noted that she “was really homesick.” However, she soon found other students with backgrounds similar to hers, which

helped ease the homesickness. Through Christian Union Lux, she was able to connect with other Christian students from rural environments. For Moody, “it was really good to have people who understood that and welcomed me immediately.”

Moody, having grown up in the church that her father went to as a child, had received much in the way of community and spiritual formation from her home congregation. She credits her Southern

very few can enjoy. This separation of knowledge from utility, and the resulting combination of knowledge and exclusivity, has caused Moody to think deeply about different orientations towards education. It is an absolute blessing to go to Yale, yet, with a gift so great, how is one to give back? What is a Yale degree for, really?

Moody recently published an op-ed in the Yale Daily News on this topic, titled “What’s the point of a Yale education?” A burgeoning writer at the Yale Daily News, she hopes to explore paths in writing, journalism, or education as potential vocations after college. Other than her work for the campus

Through Christian Union Lux, Moody was able to connect with other Christian students from rural environments. “It was really good to have people who understood that and welcomed me immediately,” she said.

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daily, Moody is an Assistant Bible Course Leader for Christian Union at Yale; a member of the Federalist Party, a debating society within the Yale Political Union; and a staff writer for Logos: Yale’s Journal of Christian Thought.

Moody is still seeking to understand how she fits into the tapestry of Yale and how she should spend her undergraduate years. While she has made a home for herself on campus, her Appalachian roots remain fresh in her mind. Moody confessed, “I feel like I don’t really fit in either place now.”

But she remains graceful and hopeful through the change. Where the campus does not, her faith provides direction. “Looking at what Yale does offer, not only in the name, but in the time I have here, I want to use it to serve God in a greater capacity.”

From the banks of the Ohio River to the steeples of New Haven, Moody’s faith will continue to guide her journey between these two worlds. | cu

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Methodist home church, and especially her youth group, as providing her with “a good foundation in the faith, a strong faith.” Even though she didn’t possess “the ecclesiastical lexicon many Yalies do,” she knew connecting with Christian community on campus would be an important way to feel grounded in her new home.

For Moody, part of the challenge of transitioning to life at Yale was the novelty of it all. Neither of her parents went to college – her older brother was the first in the family to attend. But even though her parents never received a robust education themselves, they recognized its importance, doing their utmost to ensure that their children would have the opportunities they did not.

Moody noted that her parents, like her community at large, understood college as a way to get ahead – a way to gain financial security and social stability. While this is undeniably true, her peers and professors at Yale were telling her a different story – that perhaps education, particularly in the humanities, can be its own end, rather than a means to some other end.

As a prospective English major, Moody dove into humanities courses her first year on campus.

Through these learned forums, she became exposed to philosophies of education which varied greatly from the one she had inherited. “Coming here, seeing how different people view education as a good in itself, education for education’s sake, and not for some future self ’s prosperity, has been really interesting.” Moody was inspired by the passion her fellow students had for their work, a legitimate love for their course material.

In her own academic pursuits, Moody loves to analyze how literature, art, and faith inform each other. She maintains a special love for authors like Flannery O’Connor and Emily Dickinson, who had a knack for infusing their work with spiritual weight.

While it is wonderful to be granted the time and opportunity to engage with these texts, Moody has acknowledged that it is simultaneously a luxury that

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An International Scholar Pascut Has a Passion for Mentoring by catherine elvy, staff writer

extremely excited finally to learn about Christianity. He is so invested in the lives of others.”

Such interaction is truly rewarding for Pascut, an award-winning lecturer with international teachcalling. ing and ministry experience. As he works with stuRomanian-born Ben Pascut is quick to explain dents, the husband and father of partial Jewish how the translation of his first name, Beniamin, heritage especially relishes opportunities for spiriinvolves the concept of advisory service to a king. tual formation, preaching, and social activism.

“I really think it’s my destiny to form leaders and Pascut brings impressive credentials, including be an advisor to people in high places,” said Pascut, a doctorate in the philosophy of religion from the who joined Christian Union’s faculty at Brown in University of Cambridge and a master of theology the summer. from Dallas Theological Seminary. His portfolio also includes a wealth of background in campus and church ministry.

Pascut’s path to higher education took a remarkable route, especially after preaching his first sermon as an early adolescent. His father, a pastor who spent time in a labor camp under the Communist regime as punishment for embracing his faith, visited Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in the late 1990s. While there, he prayed that his son would someday attend the storied Bible college and add the Romanian flag to the banners flying outside The George Sweeting Center for World Evangelization.

Scholar Ben Pascut, who joined Christian Union’s team at Brown University Later, a Romanian businessman during summer 2019, is relishing opportunities to lead Bible courses and heard the youthful Pascut deliver a momentor students. tivational talk and stepped forward to enable the financially-strapped teen to attend Moody. In 2006, Pascut completed a bachIndeed, the opportunity to mentor aspiring acelor of arts in Bible and theology. ademics and to disciple some of the nation’s brightWhile at Cambridge, Pascut appreciated opporest students played a role in the interdisciplinary tunities for academic partnership and interdisciplinscholar’s decision to relocate his family to Rhode ary approaches to research. “I have never had the Island to serve with Christian Union. privilege of taking things for granted,” said Pascut, During the fall semester, Pascut marveled at how who worked part-time jobs throughout his undermany of his students, including one zealous freshman graduate and graduate studies. from East Asia, have stepped up to encourage their Such dedication has paid off for Pascut’s endeavpeers to consider Christianity. “This particular freshors on behalf of God’s kingdom. Among his notable man just stands out,” said Pascut. “He has been

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Christian Union’s newest ministry fellow at Brown University likes to reflect upon how his name resonates with his divine

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achievements, he seized a prized opportunity to serve as a researcher on behalf of the National Geographic Channel.

In 2011, Pascut worked as a consultant for Jesus: Rise to Power, a documentary that used historical documents, artifacts, and reenactments to describe the life of Christ and highlight the rise of Christianity. The three-part documentary explored the early years of Christianity within the Roman Empire.

It also recounted how Christianity moved from being a persecuted movement to the empire’s official religion.

While providing research for the documentary, Pascut relished interaction with historians, including those who lacked a background in religion. “I be-

hosted by Princeton Theological Seminary in 2018.

This spring, he will return to Princeton during the World Christianity event to deliver a talk entitled “Interreligious Activity and the Science of Identity.”

The presentation reflects his work on his forthcoming book entitled Next Christians: How College Life is Shaping the Future of American Christianity.

The book explores the fascinating journey of identity formation and deformation of Christian students on secular campuses in the United States. It reveals stories of how academic life can oppress or erase Christian identity for some students, and inspire and mature it for others.

As for the latest chapter in his service with Christian Union at Brown, the multi-talented Pascut is

During the fall semester, Pascut marveled at how many of his students, including one zealous freshman from East Asia, have stepped up to encourage their peers to consider Christianity. “This particular freshman just stands out,” said Pascut. “He has been extremely excited finally to learn about Christianity. He is so invested in the lives of others.”

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focused upon providing mentorship to aspiring leaders at secular colleges, while while incorporating options for scholarly research and speaking engagements. The ministry provides an “outstanding platform” for Pascut to share the fruit of his seasoned, wide-ranging gifts.

“I’ve always tried to reach as high as possible,” he said. | cu

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came very passionate about interdisciplinary work, engagement, and building leaders in those kinds of fields,” he said.

In 2017, Pascut’s Cambridge doctoral dissertation, Re-describing Jesus’ Divinity through a Social Science Theory, was published as part of Mohr Siebeck’s WUNT international series. The 254-page monograph took the fresh approach of employing identity theory to the study of Jewish monotheism and Christology.

Pascut, a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the American Academy of Religion Society, and the Society of Christian Ethics, welcomes opportunities to submit scholarly papers for publication and lecture at conferences. He presented a talk entitled “World Christianity and the Globalization of America’s Colleges” at the Currents, Perspectives, and Methodologies in World Christianity conference,

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Blessed to Be a Blessing Jade Thompson ’21 Leads Outreach Team by tom campisi, managing editor

For Jade Thompson, co-directing a Text-4-Toasties outreach for Christian Union at Columbia this fall was just one of the many ways she has been challenged to grow as a leader.

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Jade Thompson, Columbia ’21, is majoring in Economics and Sustainability.

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Thompson, an Economics and Sustainability major from Westchester, New York, called her involvement with Lumine, Christian Union’s ministry at Columbia, “the best part of my college experience.”

“Christian Union Lumine has helped me tremendously in my development as a leader,” she said.

“Through the knowledge I gain in my Bible course with Ministry Fellow Yolanda Solomon, to the encouragement I receive through mentorship from her and Ministry Fellow Jesse Peterson, our outreach director, to the practical experience I gain from planning and executing events, I have stepped more deeply and confidently into my role as a disciple of Jesus and a fisher of men.”

With Text-4-Toasties, Thompson, Barnard ’21, and Kyra Dawkins ’20 led the outreach efforts. The concept was simple, Christian Union Lumine spread the word that it would deliver grilled cheese sandwiches to any student who texted in a question about Christianity. As the Outreach Team assembled sandwiches in the Christian Union Ministry Center, students sent in questions.

“Text-4-Toasties was received quite well on campus,” Thompson said. “Students are always excited for free food and we are always surprised by how deep and thought-provoking the questions are.”

Thompson said some of the more challenging questions dealt with topics such as biblical views of “homosexuality,” abortion, the validity of other religions, etc.

“These questions are challenging because they are sensitive topics which have the potential to turn students away from Christianity. But truly, answering the tough questions is the purpose of Text-4-Toasties,” she said. “The Outreach Team leaders believe that a student receiving an honest, empathetic response to his or her specific concerns can do a great deal of good in moving their hearts closer to a position of understanding and reconciliation.”

The Outreach Team was not caught off guard by such tough questions. Through coaching from ministry fellows and small group discussions during the event, the students were able to deliver answers, in addition to some comfort food. Thompson loved the process that combined intellectual readiness and food preparation.

“In buttering bread, stacking cheese slices, and flipping sandwiches, student volunteers bond over many laughs and loud conversation,” she said. “I pooled all the questions into a shared Google document and the volunteers formed small groups to talk through strategies and key points. It was like a mini apologetics training. For me, this is the best part because I learn so much from other students’ perspectives and I know the same is true for others in Christian Union Lumine. It is always a blessing

to have my Christian peers brainstorm thoughtful answers to questions I may have struggled with in the past or may be searching for currently.”

Participation in the sandwich delivery outreach encouraged students to be more vocal about sharing their faith and the conversations increased their understanding, and, in turn, strengthened them spiritually.

“Based on the smiles of accomplishment and exciting stories volunteers had when they returned to the Ministry Center, I could tell that all students were blessed by the encounters and may feel more comfortable sharing their faith with friends in the future,” Thompson said.

“Jade has been in my Bible course since her freshman year and is a huge part of our community. She has volunteered on just about every ministry team that we have,” said Solomon. “Jade has a burden to

lumbia’s Christian a cappella group. In December, Jubilation! hosted its winter concert, “The Little Prince,” and shared the Gospel message with the Columbia community via music.

“Christian Union leaders and peers reassure me

“Christian Union Lumine has helped me tremendously in my development as a leader… I have stepped more deeply and confidently into my role as a disciple of Jesus and a fisher of men.”

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of my value in ways that encourage me to assume larger roles in other organizations because I have a sense of worth and feel that my voice, input, and contributions truly matter,” she said.

Last summer, Thompson joined students from other leading universities and ministry fellows for Christian Union’s “Passages: Experience Israel” trip. She credited the Holy Land tour and study time with helping her experience significant faith growth.

“The trip to Israel gave me a greater understanding of biblical history and a certainty in my faith that fuels much of my work today,” she said.

And that work includes serving, singing, and studying Students with Christian Union Illumine manage the Text-4-Toasties outreach. and shining Christ’s light in her junior year at Columbia. As for the future, those aspirations are best summed up on share the love of Christ and the Gospel on campus. her Jubilation! Web site profile: “Build tiny homes In every semester that she has been involved with for homeless people and ex-veterans; travel to every Christian Union, she has brought new students to country as a missionary; and be significant for the our Bible course.” furthering of God’s kingdom.” | cu In addition to serving with Christian Union, Thompson is also a member of Jubilation!—Co-

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Caritas, Veritas, and Gravitas Carreon Is New Christian Union Ministry Fellow

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by tom campisi, managing editor

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In the past decade, she worked in a wide range of Abigail Carreon has a passion to help capacities, from humanitarian project management, some of the nation’s brightest young social work, crisis counseling, and human rights minds explore questions of faith and grow research, to itinerant speaking, academy moderation, deeper in their walk with Jesus Christ. and organizational liaisonship.

A new ministry fellow at Stanford University In 2015, Carreon developed and co-facilitated a with Caritas, Christian Union’s ministry on that comparative worldviews course, “Faith and Reasons,” campus, Carreon also serves as leader with the Verat Berkeley. For three years, she worked with students itas Forum at Stanford and the University of Caliacross academic disciplines, and across the faith specfornia-Berkeley. With Caritas, she leads Bible trum, to start an accredited course through the college’s courses and mentors students with one-on-one Democratic Education Prodiscipleship and life coachgram. ing. In her role as Veritas “Students were crazy Host, she focuses on orgaabout having content prenizing teams and supporting sented that challenged forums, discussions, and them to think about what long-term projects. they believe and why they “While there is a heavier believe it, and to hear from emphasis on discipleship and professors and peers and deep Christian conversations ministers who demonstrathappening all the time with ed the balance, rather than Christian Union Bible CoursAbigail Carreon, a new ministry fellow with contradiction, between es, and Veritas Forum entails Caritas, and her husband, Dr. David Carreon faith and reasoning,” she dealing with the gritty quessaid. tions of faith and doubt with Carreon is currently working with some students believers and non-believers, the heart of the work in to re-launch the course in fall 2020 at Berkeley. both ministries remains the same,” she said. “I genAdditionally, she designs and leads workshops aduinely care for each of the students I have the honor dressing philosophies of human flourishing and of getting to know, so walking alongside them while mental health at Stanford alongside her husband, they wrestle with how to live life, and why and how Dr. David Carreon. to trust Jesus Christ, and experience all of the comWith Caritas, Abigail Carreon served as a volplexities of life is the whole point.” unteer last spring before being hired as a ministry Formerly the West Coast Regional Director for fellow in the summer. She has enjoyed the opporThe Veritas Forum, Carreon’s resume and work extunity to develop relationships with students. “Beperiences are extensive. She graduated with a BA in ing able to delve into weekly coffee sessions and English, Psychology, and Political Science from Bible study, going on pre-retreat and Freshmen Fall Purdue University, with further visiting studies at retreat, and grabbing deep dish pizza with everyone Oxford University. She earned an MA in Apologetwith CU Caritas has been amazing!” she said. ics and MA in Counseling from Luther Rice UniOne of the highlights of the fall semester, she versity and Seminary, specializing in the Problem said, was a four-hour discussion after a Bible course. of Evil and Suffering. Currently, she’s studying for “Four of us examined the nuances of sovereigna Master’s of Dispute Resolution from the Straus ty and free will, and searched the Scriptures along Institute in Pepperdine University’s School of Law.

the way,” she said.

Carreon pointed out the progress of two young women in her Bible courses. Rachel, a sophomore who serves as an assistant Bible course leader, credited Caritas with empowering her as a leader.

“Rachel has a way of making everyone feel welcome, has a heart eager to learn the Word, and encourages the focus to be on spiritual topics, while doing so humbly and naturally,” Carreon said. “She’s growing in boldness and demonstrates faithfulness.”

Bailey, a freshman who is studying theatre, has impressed Carreon with her engaging nature.

“Many of her friends outside of Caritas are not believers, so she’s working alongside me, through through Caritas and Veritas Forum projects, to lead and launch conversations among friends about faith and art,” she said.

Garrett Brown, Christian Union Caritas’ ministry director, said Carreon’s natural exuberance, mixed with her depth of knowledge, “has already made a great impact on our ministry at Stanford.”

“With Abigail joining our team part-time, we

have been able to double our efforts meeting with and serving female students. For the past couple of years, my wife Susan has done an above-and-beyond job as a volunteer, but with Abigail and Susan working together, we’ve been able to add more Bible courses, and give the women the same amount of individual discipling effort that the guys get.”

Additionally, having someone on the Caritas faculty with Carreon’s background with Veritas “gives us a natural partnership with a very vital ministry on campus and great opportunity for us to look ahead at some joint outreach events,” Brown said.

Whether it is with Caritas or Veritas, or joint efforts of the two ministries, Carreon is poised to lead with a listening ear.

“Interestingly, many of the hardest questions overlap between groups of believers and nonbelievers,” she said. “There’s never a lack of need for patience, intellectual preparedness and humility, and a heart of compassion to serve students in the formative years in which we get to have an impact.” | cu

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Law, Grace, and Mercy Christian Union Is Helping Moore ’20 to Thrive

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Moore expressed profound appreciation to Christian Union for its ministry to students at Harvard Law School. The Georgetown University alumnus of 2016 especially is grateful for the faithfulness of Ministry Director Justin Yim. In addition to participating in a Bible course focused upon First Corinthians, Moore also meets with Yim for regular discipleship sessions. “He is definitely a mentor of mine,” said Moore. “He is the real deal.”

Given the pressures of legal studies at Harvard Law School, Yim’s support makes a difference for Moore and his collegiate peers. “Justin has such

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One year ago, T. Preston Moore ’20 returned to the faith of his youth after rededicating his life to Christ. The Atlanta-area native was a devout believer until his early teen years but “fell and fell and fell.” After experiencing intense spiritual hunger as a young man, “I went around looking everywhere,” he said.

“Everything was vacant compared to Christ.”

While a student at Harvard Law School, Moore had a radical encounter with Jesus Christ and came away awestruck by His grace and unmerited mercy.

“I came back to faith in a huge way,” he said. “It was such a powerful experience.”

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training and experience in the Word,” said Moore.

“I can just reach out to him. He is always a phone call away.”

In turn, Yim expressed admiration for Moore’s dynamic testimony. “The way that God is trans-

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Harvard law student T. Preston Moore ’20 hopes to reflect his faith throughout future career pursuits.

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forming him in front of everyone’s eyes is nothing short of amazing,” said Yim. “His devotion to Jesus is contagious, and he doesn’t hesitate in sharing Christ with anyone who would have time to listen.”

As well, Yim marvels at Moore’s appetite for biblical training. “One of the things that I appreciate about Preston is his humility and teachability,” Yim said. “If the Word teaches him something, he wants to wrap his life around it. He is a true disciple in the making.”

Shaping the lives of aspiring lawyers is a source of tangible joy and fulfillment for Yim. In November 2018, the long-time pastor stepped into the role of the director of Christian Union’s leadership development ministry for Harvard law students. In his role with Christian Union, Yim oversees intellectually rigorous Bible courses, hosts fellowship opportunities, and arranges outreaches and events with guest speakers.

Since 2013, Christian Union has offered in-depth

scriptural study, Christian leadership training, and support to students at one of the world’s most influential centers of legal education. Notably, Harvard Law School has a long list of highly distinguished alumni, including U.S. presidents, U.S. Supreme Court justices, U.S. senators, other political leaders, and legal scholars.

At Harvard, Yim wants student believers to learn to “apply God’s Word in real time.” He also desires for aspiring lawyers to approach the judicial realm as persons of faith.

With that in mind, Yim celebrates Moore’s spiritual zest. “There is a hunger for the presence of God in his life that is contagious,” said Yim. “His love of God’s Word is voracious, and he constantly wants to know more and more about what God is like.”

Moore credits the core of his zeal to the spiritual nurturing he receives from Christian Union faculty and student leadership. As he looks ahead to a career in law, Moore wants to reflect his Christian worldview as he labors on behalf of clients. The philosophy major, who plans to return to Atlanta after graduation, hopes to pursue a career centered around litigation and trial work. Notably, Moore is interested in team-based advocacy, especially on behalf of small businesses and individuals, plus complex analysis and public presentation.

As captain of Harvard Law School’s mock trial team, Moore will enter the legal field with formidable credentials. He also served as one of six representatives for Harvard in the 2019 National Trial Competition, and he picked up a “best advocate” award in the 2019 Lone Star Classic Championship.

Moore expressed profound appreciation to Christian Union for its ministry to students at Harvard Law School.

Once he exits Harvard’s iconic gates, Moore looks forward to showcasing his deep appreciation for God’s grace. As an aspiring lawyer, he has been deeply touched by the concept of divine mercy.

After all, the mercy seat is the place where justice and mercy meet, he said. | cu

The Sky’s the Limit Pole Vaulter Pursues Christ at Cornell by grace choi, cornell

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for Alumni Connections. In the future, she would Maria Siciliano, a sophomore pole vaultlike to attend graduate school and pursue a career er on the Cornell track and field team, as an English professor, but said she is open to any has a deep faith that helps her soar in path on which the Lord leads her. competition and as a leader on campus with FelPresently, that path and pursuit of the Lord has lowship of Christian Athletes and Christian Union. her involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes Siciliano, an English major with a concentration and Christian Union, where she is a participant in in literary theory and a minor in comparative litera women athletes’ Bible course. In the fall, the womature, seeks to give God glory each time she comen studied Colossians, and, in the spring, they will petes. In 2019, she entered the Cornell record books go through a Bible study that examines vocations. with vaults during the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Christian Union Ministry Fellow Liz Thomforde She ranks tenth all-time indoors (11-feet-11.75 stated, “Maria is a faithful leader in our athletes’ inches) and seventh all-time outdoors (12-feet-2.5 inches).

“Pole vaulting is an opportunity for me to glorify the Lord and feel Jesus’ presence whether I’m training or competing,” she said. “When competing at a high level, with so many stresses and pressures coming your way, having faith in an unchanging God who will love me no matter how I compete allows me to realize what a blessing it is each and every time I step on the runway.”

Originally from West Lafayette, Indiana, Siciliano was a competitive gymnast before focusing on pole vault- Maria Siciliano is a leader with Christian Union and Fellowship of Christian ing in high school. As a senior, she Athletes at Cornell. claimed a top spot on Indiana pole vault leaderboards, finishing third in Bible course, and a constant source of encouragement the state meet for West Lafayette High School. to her friends in our group. Her biblical insight and Siciliano’s work ethic and witness have made an willingness to share makes a huge impact on our impression on her teammates. Fellow pole vaulter girls and their growth in Christ.”

Miya Kuramoto ’22 commented, “Maria is one of Siciliano is thankful for the opportunity to study the most driven people I know. She puts 100 percent the Bible and be immersed in Christian communieffort into every workout and competition, while ties like FCA and Christian Union. maintaining a positive attitude even on tough days.

“Having fellowship with other Christian athletes She has definitely made me a better athlete and I at Cornell gives me such a great support system,” she am lucky to be her sophomore vault buddy!” said. “I couldn’t imagine competing without it.” | cu At Cornell, Siciliano’s extracurricular activities include serving as an Arts & Sciences Peer Advisor and as a member of the Track Leadership E-board

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Thanksgiving and Praise Freshmen Organize Annual Dinner Event by luke brown, dartmouth

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optional community fast.

Two freshmen students gave testimonies during the dinner, boldly sharing how God has worked in their lives. There were also times of worship, opporin 2012. tunities to laugh, and occasions to share the blessing Each fall, the ministry’s freshmen are encouraged of good food with friends. The schedule also includto organize the event as an opportunity to develop ed a time of quiet reflection. Emcee Caroline Wong leadership skills and become more integrated with ’23 appreciated this special time. the larger Christian Union community. “[Thanksgiving Dinner] was an action-packed Robert Moore ’20, co-student president of Chrisevent with a lot of speakers and activities, so I realtian Union Vox, was impressed by the leadership of ly enjoyed the few minutes of quiet time after the the freshmen and their boldness in getting people second testimony and before the second worship outside of the ministry to attend. set… It was nice to take a few minutes of personal time to give thanks and pray and reflect and be still before God.” At the beginning of the semester, Chad Moore was named Christian Union’s new ministry director at Dartmouth. Previously, Moore served as senior pastor at Bookcliff Baptist Church and as an administrator at Bookcliff Christian School in Grand Junction, Colorado. His move to Dartmouth was driven by a lifelong joy in serving students as he had done in Colorado and as a church planter in Miami, Ohio.

“A college campus is not a random Thanksgiving Dinner has been prepared by the freshmen since the annual tradition began in 2012. point on the planet, but has a massive influence on the world,” says Moore, “Dartmouth has access to the nations by the nature “Some big things to come out of [Thanksgiving of who walks across the sidewalks of our campus.”

Dinner] were the successful outreach and the amount Moore sees ministering to students as a great of ownership taken by the ’23s [first years],” he said. opportunity to work toward fulfilling the Great Earlier in the fall, the freshmen who wanted to Commission found in Matthew 24:14. help plan the event were organized into five depart“My prayer is that our students see the Gospel ments: emcees, worship, decorations/lights, outreach, storyline of the Bible and never get over it, and that and devotionals/testimonies. Each department was they see the gift that God is giving them through led by a freshman who was paired with an upperthis education to be part of the mission of the kingclassman mentor. dom of heaven…”

In the week leading up to the dinner, Christian At Dartmouth, Moore has enjoyed digging into Union Vox students received devotionals (written the Word during Bible courses and building relaby freshmen) via e-mail, encouraging them to pretionships through one-on-one mentoring. Engaging pare their hearts for a meaningful and Christ-centered with students this way, Moore says, has already been evening. Many students also participated in an

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A bountiful Thanksgiving meal has been a Christian Union Vox at Dartmouth tradition since the ministry was founded

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“a time to stand in awe of God.” Ministry Fellow L’Tonya Johnson joined the Christian Union Vox faculty this summer. Johnson has an extensive background in serving diverse communities. With previous experience in social and missions work, she has ministered to youth, teen mothers, refugees, and persons with mental health or physical disabilities. This work has taken her around the world in locations such as Africa, Central America, and China.

“Working with diverse people groups has proven to really bless my journey here with students,” she said. “It helps me connect with our students, as I can compassionately enter into their worldview without a complete lack of knowledge.”

The practical application of this passion means not only leading a freshmen Bible course and mentoring American and international students, but she

and her husband also enjoy inviting them to their house for a meal.

“We are fortunate as we share our home and lives on mission with the Gospel in tow!” says Johnson.

“It reminds me of the day our God promises when all of heaven will be present and all the nations and languages will be represented…”

Two freshmen students gave testimonies during the Thanksgiving dinner, boldly sharing how God has worked in their lives.

Even in the midst of moving to New Hampshire, building new relationships, and adjusting to the fast-paced Dartmouth schedule, Johnson “thanks God daily for small glimpses of heaven through the eyes of my students!” | cu

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Leadership Lectures Christian Union at Harvard Hosts Compelling Speakers by catherine elvy, staff writer

2020 :: christianunion.org

messages from Job’s unrivaled ordeal points to the concept that life is indeed beautiful. “It’s not a safe world, but it’s good,” Nowalk said. “You should celebrate. Praise Him that He created you and that He created the world.”

A ferocious storm may have wiped out the lives of Job’s children, but the Almighty later spoke to the Old Testament figure out of a whirlwind. In the longest recorded passages of commentary from God, the Creator rhetorically described His unmatched power, genius, and creativity, especially as reflected in the wonders of the universe and animal kingdom.

“Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine,” the Lord said in Job 41:11. The lengthy, enlightening exchange caused Job to reply, “. . . now my eyes have seen.”

Despite the frailty of human life, creation points

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One of the surprising lessons that emerges from the book of Job is a sincere appreciation for life.

“All things being equal, you should be glad that God created the world, and you should be glad that you are alive,” said Nick Nowalk, a Christian Union teaching fellow.

Nowalk probed some of the complex conclusions of Job in October when he spoke at the Leadership Lecture Series hosted by Christian Union at Harvard.

The message was entitled: Out of the Whirlwind: Job’s Suffering and the Faithfulness of God. Throughout the fall semester, Christian Union’s ministry to Harvard undergraduates offered a variety of speakers and spiritual truths, including those articulated by Nowalk.

Despite unbearable hardships, one of the key

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build a high-rise primarily focused on self aggranto the hope of God’s faithfulness. Believers should dizement. “glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” Nowalk said.

The account in Genesis 11:4, Yim said, points The Heavenly Father causes sun and rain to fall upon to pride as the motivational root behind the proposed both the righteous and the wicked. superstructure. “Come, let us build ourselves a city, In the account’s epilogue, Job, who once cursed with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we the day of his birth, eventually received abundant may make a name for ourselves.” blessings in his latter years, includThe Old Testament account of ing 10 additional children. “Ultithe thwarted construction project mately, love is the final word in the has implications for modern stuuniverse,” Nowalk said. dent believers, especially given In September, Ministry Fellow enduring human tendencies toTeal Wojcicki delivered a thoughtward forms of arrogance, idolatry, provoking message entitled: Rise and paganism.

Up: Resurrection and Embodiment.

The team behind the edifice esWojcicki asked students to consentially wanted God to fit into their sider the nature of how Jesus came plans. “This is a very low view of to earth in a body of flesh and how God’s role and our role,” Yim said. that body was resurrected. Wojcic“If we are honest, there is a little paki probed the implications for Chrisganism in all of us.” tians who presently operate within Vince Vitale, regional director for More importantly, in the subthe limits of human bodies, but the Americas with Ravi Zacharias sequent chapters of Genesis, God carry the embodiment of their SavInternational Ministries, was one began to make Himself known ior and hope of His glorious return. of the speakers for the Leadership through covenants that point skyRomans 8 says, “For we know Lecture Series hosted by Christian ward toward His divine vision of that the whole creation has been Union at Harvard this fall. establishing Jesus as the mediator groaning together in the pains of of a new Covenant. childbirth until now. And not only In November, Christian Union’s ministry at the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first Harvard welcomed Vince Vitale, the regional direcfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagertor for the Americas with Ravi Zacharias Internaly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodtional Ministries, as part of a major outreach event. ies. For in this hope, we were saved.”

The Oxford-educated philosopher delivered a talk entitled Life’s Deepest Questions. He offered a Despite unbearable hardships, one of framework for considering origin, meaning, moralthe key messages from Job’s unrivaled ity, and destiny in light of Christ. ordeal points to the concept that life is Vitale, Princeton ’04, explained to students how he combed through Scriptures and “began to fall in indeed beautiful. love with the person of Jesus” during his undergraduate days. He also asked Harvard students to conWojcicki reminded students to consider their lives sider whether their lives are the result of a random as temporary sacrifices, but ones destined for glory. collection of genetic material or a poem masterfulIn October, leadership lecture series speakers ly crafted by God as an extravagant display of love. included Justin Yim, who explored some of the les“Jesus loves us in full. He knows you in full and sons from the biblical account of the tower of Babel loves you in full,” said Vitale. “We just do live in a during a lecture entitled: A Parallel Problem to Sin: miraculous universe.” | cu Redefining Our View of YHWH. The director for Christian Union’s ministry at Harvard Law School explained how the ancient people who desired to

Campus Kindness Students Warm Locust Walk with Cider Outreach by eileen scott, contributing writer

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Union took time to research the Jehovah’s Witness Christian Union at the University of theology to equip themselves better to engage in Pennsylvania put “campus kindness” into meaningful dialogue. action this fall by giving away hot cider Tucker Else, Christian Union’s ministry director to students on their way to class on Locust Walk, a at the University of Pennsylvania, said these types centrally located pathway. of outreach initiatives demonstrate that the ministry There were no strings attached to receive the hot “is unafraid to engage others with tough questions beverage. Yet, if students chose to sip their drink of life such as ‘Why am I and discuss faith, leaders here?’ ‘What is my purwere there to engage. The pose?’ and ‘Where is this outreach was part of the all going?’” ministry’s on-going campus Additionally, Else said kindness effort, which also the campus community is includes book giveaways served well by even briefly and welcoming bags for considering such questions freshmen. of faith and meaning.

Benjamin Zeisloft ’22, The acts of campus a leader with Christian kindness also challenge the Union at Penn, often Christian students to maserved with the cider giveture in their faith and away, which was held for demonstrate courage and two hours on Tuesday afboldness. ternoons. Having recom“It requires them to mitted his life to Christ in declare, ‘I am a Christian, April of 2019, Zeisloft was Locust Walk is the main walkway through campus.

I identify with Christ and inspired to share the Goswith Christian Union.’ It pel with unreached sturequires boldness. It requires readiness to share the dents on Penn’s campus.

Gospel, or at least to give an answer as to why they “As I rapidly grew in my walk this summer and have this hope in Christ,” Else said. digested sermons, books, and other resources, I Ministry fellow Fuji Kim is thankful for the opquickly felt a conviction about the importance of portunity to engage the Penn community through evangelism,” he said. evangelism. He is prayerful that, by sowing seeds The sophomore has had several conversations along Locust Walk, the campus will be impacted with individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Some and student leaders will grow in grace. of those conversations were sparked by a large white“The outreach opportunities are tangible ways board that asked, “Who Is Jesus?” Zeisloft recalled they can care for people as they engage, listen to several exchanges with a Muslim student during the others’ doubts and concerns, and offer the hope that outreach. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for students only the Gospel can give,” said Kim. “I pray that to return for cider and conversation on a weekly they will continue to grow in conversing and buildbasis, allowing ongoing relationships to be formed. ing relationships…not just during their time at Penn, Another evangelism highlight was an outreach to but long into their discipleship.” | cu Jehovah’s Witnesses who stationed themselves near Penn’s campus. The students involved with Christian

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Finance and Faith Christian Union Co-hosts Forum with Business Leaders by catherine elvy, staff writer

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Attendees at the Finance and Faith Forum

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hristians who labor in the financial services industry are blessed with far-reaching opportunities, including Christ’s call for His followers to serve as salt and light in the world.

That was one of the themes that emerged from the Finance and Faith Forum hosted on October 24 by Christian Union New York, Gordon College, and The King’s College. The forum was held at The King’s College in Manhattan.

Scott Crosby, ministry director of Christian Union New York, was pleased with the extraordinary caliber of the event’s speakers and content.

Crosby also was grateful for the enriching material that emerged when panelists and audience members probed ways to integrate faith and work in business and investment arenas.

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“That’s the essence of what it means to pursue our calling,” said Crosby.

The Finance and Faith Forum featured a panel discussion showcasing five executives with decades of experience. Most of the panelists were quick to point to dynamic collegial interaction as one of the major perks of working on Wall Street.

“It’s people. It’s all about how you are able to

have an impact,” said Catherine Flax, managing director at CRA, Inc. Flax, who earned a graduate degree in economics from Brown University in 1987, has enjoyed a distinguished career in financial services, fintech, and commodities.

In addition to Flax, the panelists included Scott Amyx, chair and managing partner at Amyx Ventures; Torry Berntsen, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Corporate & Institutional Banking of Standard Chartered Bank, Americas; Tom Cole, cohead of Citigroup Global Markets’ U.S. leveraged finance business; and Michael Luciano, managing director and chief operating officer of DWS Alternatives.

Among their myriad comments, the panelists readily noted how they find fulfillment from laboring alongside exceptionally intelligent, engaged colleagues.

“You are around a wide variety of people in this industry. A lot of them are very smart.

It’s an opportunity to mix with some very interesting people from all backgrounds and walks of life and values,” said Cole. “Things don’t get boring when you are in that environment.”

Such opportunities also serve to promote career excellence. “My learning curve continues to be very, very steep,” said Cole. “I enjoy coming to work every day because I am learning something new every single day.”

For Berntsen, about forty years of immersion in banking and financial services have allowed the New Jersey resident to broaden his global perspective. Such experiences have “allowed me to see parts of the world I could have never seen,” he said.

From his base in New York City, Berntsen oversees the bank’s businesses in North America and Latin America. With multi-dimensional responsibilities, Berntsen described the team aspect of his

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part of your day-to-day activities,” said Berntsen. career field as energizing. “It’s highly motivational,” “Conduct and culture are such a big part of the he said. workplace right now.”

At a core spiritual level, the panelists pointed to Luciano agreed. “We, as Christians, need to be the paramount role of Christian community, prayer, grounded in what’s right... and not just what’s legal.” and Bible study in strengthening their professional Likewise, Cole commented that “this is a business lives. “Surround yourself in community,” said Flax. of trust.”

She urged attendees to schedule time proactively for prayer sessions, Bible studies, and church services. “Unless you set those boundaries for yourself, no one will set them,” she said.

Luciano, a financial services executive, consultant, and minister, agreed. “You have to be very, very intentional about getting in the Word. You want to hear from God... Prayer is what transforms everything.”

Amyx, who possesses a rich history of lay ministry, including leading small groups, echoed those comments. “God wants that fellowship for all of you,” he said.

It is especially common for men to withdraw and be isolated, noted Amyx, Members of the Finance and Faith Forum panel included: (left to right) Torry a multi-credentialed speaker, author, and Berntsen, Tom Cole, Michael Luciano, and Scott Amyx. business expert. But with the right spiritual setting, business leaders “open up Ultimately, the panelists expressed gratitude for and they can actually confide,” he said. “It’s just a plethora of ways they are able to fulfill their callings incredible the amount of burden and pressure that in their individual careers, including interaction with all of us carry regardless of age or trajectory.” results-oriented achievers. “I love the business beIn addition, the panelists noted how professioncause it’s super creative. You are solving problems ally-minded believers can benefit from mentorship all of the time,” said Flax. “It’s all about how you throughout a range of career stages. “There is always are able to have an impact.” | cu stuff to learn,” Flax said. “There is always someone who knows more and is further along in their walk.”

In fall 2012, Christian Union began ministering to young leaders and professionals via Christian Union New York. Crosby oversees Bible courses, mentoring and networking opportunities, forums, and other thought-provoking events.

The panelists at the forum highlighted the need to maintain righteousness amidst the pressures and intensities of Wall Street. “Make integrity a very key

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What I Learned about Fasting that Made Me Want to Try It by chuck hetzler, ph.d.

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I

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first learned about fasting through the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. It was 1996, and I was sixteen years old and a new Christian. The mere idea of going without food was intimidating, but I also didn’t get why fasting would help my walk with God, despite Foster’s capable writing. I tried to fast in small ways here and there at that time, but because of my lack of understanding, fasting did not become a regular part of my walk with God until much later in life when I joined Christian Union.

I joined Christian Union in 2008 and immediately began learning a lot about fasting, among other things.

Even though I had already been to seminary and just completed my Ph.D. in New Testament studies, Christian Union supplemented my institutional learning with expertise in teaching Christians how to seek God through fasting and other means. Matt Bennett, founder and CEO of the ministry, was well versed in both the biblical passages on the essential nature of fasting, as well as the key role that fasting played in the history of Christianity.

Expanding my grasp on fasting inspired me to begin fasting myself. There were two primary lessons that jump-started my commitment to fast. First, the many stories of God’s powerful response to fasting and prayer were incredible. Second, I learned the various ways that God’s people have fasted. The second of these lessons—the “how-to” question—is the one that I find most Christians ask when they consider fasting.

To my surprise, fasting was not as intense as I had assumed. I realized, for example, that most early Christians fasted twice per week, but only until 3 p.m. in the afternoon. John Wesley and early Methodists followed the same practice of fasting two days per week until 3 p.m. Yes, the spiritual impact of early Christians and of Wesley

inspired me, but the limited nature of their fasting placed it within my reach. I also learned about other ways of fasting from African Christians who sometimes fast from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., essentially skipping one meal at lunchtime. I learned that there is no set time for fasting. Each person can determine how to spend dedicated time to refrain from eating, and, instead, seek God more earnestly.

I also learned that fasting could take different forms with regards to abstinence from food and/or drink.

Only rarely have believers refrained from both food and drink, which is commonly referred to as a “dry fast” (e.g., Esther 4:16). Usually, God’s people have fasted from food alone. That means that you can drink during the fast. And there is freedom to choose whether to drink non-caloric drinks like water, tea, and coffee, or caloric drinks like juice.

When it came to fasting, knowledge was power.

One of the reasons that I never fasted previously was because I had been intimidated by the prospect of eating and drinking nothing all day long. Of course, there are times for intense fasts for whole days and even multiple days in a row, but that’s not where I needed to start. The more that I understood the different ways to fast, the more I wanted to try it for myself. And I’m glad I did. Fasting isn’t the most important practice of following Jesus, but it’s certainly a central one (Matthew 6:1-18) and one that has changed history and my own life at times, all by the grace of God. | cu dr. chuck hetzler is the lead pastor at Bethesda Grace

Church in Manhattan and a senior associate with Christian Union Day and Night (www.dayandnight. org).

stewardship news

With Gratitude for Your Faithful Support

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ow to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21

With Appreciation, Cheryl Ennis Self, ACFRE Vice President of Development To learn more about the many ways to support Christian Union, please visit www.christianunion.org/ get-involved/donors/ways-to-give.

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Warmest greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

As 2019 has come and gone, seemingly in an instant, I have taken some time to reflect prayerfully on all that the Lord has done for and through the ministry of Christian Union in the past year. In keeping with His gracious character, God has done abundantly more than we asked.

The ministry is now in the second year of a bold four-year initiative which seeks to draw current Cheryl Ennis Self and new friends of the ministry together in partnership to create an even more robust model for the future. This, in God’s wisdom, will hinge on the spiritual vision and sacrificial giving of faithful partners, volunteers, and leaders whose hearts and minds align with the audacious goals of Christian Union – seeing every single sector of society permeated with the saving message of the Gospel.

During the past year, over 1,300 students were involved in Bible courses at our ten university ministries and, in the fall, an additional 513 freshmen made the decision to enroll in Bible courses. Young professionals in New York City and Washington, D.C., engaged in monthly salons and forums which encourage participants to think creatively on how to bring their faith into the workplace. Christian Union Day & Night expanded its social media network to over 110,000, and enlisted thousands to pray for sweeping spiritual revival in our nation.

In the coming months and years, through a co-

hesive national direct marketing and digital advertising acquisition campaign, we pray for a great influx of new friends who will help spur us on to excel still more. As we labor in the kingdom work God has called us to, we are ever-mindful that the gifts of God’s people to Christian Union are transforming the next generation of devout Christian leaders at some of the nation’s most culturally-influential universities and in cities that exert disproportionate influence on society. Thank you!

It is truly a privilege and blessing to co-labor with each of you, and I am confident that God, who has blessed Christian Union since 2002, will work mightily to achieve His purposes. May you all experience the joy and favor of the Holy Spirit in this new year. | cu

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the spiritual climate on campus

brown 37 columbia 41 cornell 4 4 dar tmouth 47 harvard 5 0

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Brown University photo: sara beth turner

reports from some of america’s most influential universities

The Spiritual Climate on Campus The following articles were written to keep readers informed about the spiritual atmosphere at some of America’s leading universities. Some stories will encourage you by highlighting ways God is working through other (non-Christian Union) ministries and alumni. Other articles— on news, trends, and events—are included to help motivate you to pray for these institutions, their students, faculty, and staff, and for all of the Christian ministries that work at these schools. ......................................................................................

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Instilling a Love of Learning christianunion.org

ment for the young people. “At the most basic level, the tutors, including myself, all want to give the kids inspiration and hope to reach for higher education in their future,” says Austen Sundara (Brown ’22), the program’s lead tutor.

“Although I can’t fix the structural problems that these kids face or the problems they face that I can’t see, I can make a little difference by setting them on the path to higher education,

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ministry is run by student volunteers.

Many of the children in the program are behind in meeting the curriculum standards in American schools. For some, the civil war in Liberia caused them to miss years of school; for others, their parents’ absence because of work means a lack of a helping hand when it comes to homework.

Love in Action hopes to instill a desire for education and provide practical help along the path to achieve-

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tudents from Reformed University Fellowship at Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design are putting “love in action” through a tutoring program for Liberian immigrants and Liberian-American children in the inner city.

Based out of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Providence, Rhode Island, the Love in Action tutoring program strives to “instill a love of learning in students to the glory of God.” The

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STUDENTS SERVE AS TUTORS IN PROVIDENCE

By Luke Brown, Dartmouth ’18

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which could lead to an even greater change in their lives.”

Indeed, students from Love in Action have gone on to study at Syracuse University and the University of Rhode Island. To work toward this goal, tutors encourage students to see

you see the improvements in a student’s mathematics proficiency or see that a student wants to become a football player or actress,” says Sundara. “But what is even more rewarding is the relationships I established with the kids.”

under less fortunate circumstances and shown me a path to loving them.”

Because the Love in Action program is sponsored by Trinity Presbyterian Church, tutors are able to love their students, not only by helping them with schoolwork, but also by

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Love in Action hopes to instill a desire for education and provide practical help along the path to achievement.

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education not as a series of tedious tasks, but rather as an avenue to help themselves and others. And whether this message is vocalized directly or communicated by example, tutors are changing students’ perspectives. Merely working through homework or having an enjoyable conversation with a student can have an impact that reaches beyond education and past the present moment.

To inspire and educate further, Love in Action also facilitates field trips to Brown and RISD. As with all acts of service, those who are served are not the only ones to receive. The program’s fifteen tutors are rewarded in many ways, whether it is seeing students make progress in math, science, reading, or writing, or simply by making friendships.

“Tutoring is very rewarding once

Additionally, working with students and building relationships challenges tutors to become more like Christ. Sundara says, “Tutoring has helped me to develop a distinct type of love that Jesus talks about in John 15:12-13: ‘My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’ ” Serving can also reframe the tutors’ perspectives of their own lives, according to Jeremy Wang, Brown ’22.

“My experiences as a tutor have underscored my privilege and made me infinitely more grateful for and aware of the many undeserved material and spiritual blessings that God has granted to my family and to me,” he said.

“Further, it has helped me develop a genuine heart for those born

teaching them about faith by imbuing Bible stories and themes into assignments or academic exercises, or by sharing biblical truths.

“Many of the students attend Trinity Presbyterian out of pure obligation, rather than an actual desire to understand God and Christianity,” Wang said. “As such, we can provide for them both knowledge of the Gospel and an experience of the love and community that is possible under Christ.”

Wang spoke about a moment when he had the opportunity to share the Gospel. The student was surprised that salvation is not reached through good works, but by belief in Christ Jesus. And that is the most important lesson of all. | cu

BROW N | On Campus

‘In God We Hope?’

C A M P U S N E W S PA P E R E D I T O R I A L S E E K S C H A N G E T O M O T T O

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

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dents identified as atheist, 19 percent as agnostic, 3 percent as Buddhist, and 2 percent as Hindu.

“Nearly half of the students did not identify with a monotheistic religion,” she stated.

A few days after Aman’s article was published, fellow Opinions Editor James Flynn wrote a column that said Brown should not change its motto, if only for purely historical reasons.

“Like Brown’s seal, the motto is an indelible artifact of the university’s history, rather than a reflection of Brown’s values in 2019,” he wrote. “It contributes to Brown’s identity by reminding us of this history. For this reason, it is worth preserving.”

Flynn, who said he counts himself among the nineteen percent of Brown students who identify as atheist, said “I have no particular attachment to this ‘Deo’—but does “appreciate institutional history.”

“I cannot ignore the integral role that God used to play at Brown, both at its founding and at the time when the university adopted its motto and seal…Fortunately, Brown can retain the Christian imagery and language in its motto as historical artifacts and not as reflections of the community’s values today,” he wrote.

Flynn compared Brown’s seal and

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n the fall, two opinion articles in seal, which also included a red cross.

Aman writes that “the university’s The Brown Daily Herald discussed adoption of the seal and motto in the school’s motto: In Deo Speramus, which means “In God We Hope” or 1834 was antithetical to our founding “In God Is Our Hope.” The student values of religious inclusion and freewriters took opposite stances—one dom.”

Although the university did not for changing it, the other for keeping it intact—yet both columns revealed use one’s faith as a litmus test for admuch in regards to the paper’s per- mission, Brown's founders would probably take issue with Aman’s statespective of Christianity and the general spiritual climate at Brown.

In her article on November 14, “Brown should change its motto,” Opinions Editor Rebecca Aman says the phrase is in conflict with Brown University’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, published in 2016. Aman suggests that the emphasis should be shifted from hoping in God to simply just hoping.

“In order to demonstrate our commitment to religious acceptance, and to honor our institution’s history, the university Brown’s motto means ‘In God We Hope’ should change our official motto to ‘Speramus,’ ment. The college was established in meaning ‘We hope,’ she wrote.

Aman cites Rhode Island Founder 1764 “following a motion by Baptist Roger Williams and the state’s history leaders in Philadelphia…who made as a place of religious freedom. She also a motion for the establishment of a points out that the original seal did Baptist college in New England,” acnot include In Deo Speramus. The cording to Brown.edu.

Aman’s argument is also based on phrase was added in 1834 when President Francis Wayland, the son of a a 2013 Brown Daily Herald poll, Baptist minister, commissioned a new which found that 19 percent of stu-

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Latin motto to those at Princeton (Dei Sub Numine Viget—”Under God’s Power She Flourishes”) and Yale (Lux et Veritas—“Light and Truth”).

“These institutions are no less secular than Brown,” he wrote. “The point is that such insignia inform us

about the institutions’ past, not their present, and for that reason they are valuable.”

Although no students commented on the two editorials, there is a host of ministry leaders and believers at Brown that are seeking God and

inviting His presence and intervention on their campus. They are hoping in God, despite Flynn’s premise: “I do not think that God contributes anything to Brown’s community and values anymore, nor that He ought to.” | cu

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Brennan ’69 Installed as Bishop in West Virginia

Professor Receives Grant for Star Kids Program The Kraft family and New England Patriots Foundation honored a Brown University medical professor with a prestigious award and grant.

In 2019, infectious diseases specialist Timothy Flanigan received a Myra Kraft Community MVP Award and $10,000 grant at Gillette Stadium. Flanigan

is the founder of the Star Kids Scholarship Program, which provides educational opportunities to disadvantaged children. The Dartmouth College alumnus of 1979 and Cornell Medical College alumnus of 1983 founded the Star Kids Scholarship Program twenty years ago after caring for incarcerated substance abusers and listening to them express concerns for the future of their children.

At Brown, Flanigan also coteaches a popular upperclassman course, Beyond Narnia, which is discussion-based and centered on the literature of C.S. Lewis and its relation to the present day.

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In August, a Brown University alumnus was installed as the bishop of the Diocese of WheelingCharleston in West Virginia.

Bishop Mark Brennan ’69 now heads the diocese of about 78,000 Catholics who make up approximately four percent of the population of West Virginia. The diocese is home to twenty-five primary and secondary Catholic schools, a Catholic university, and a Catholic hospital.

Brennan acknowledged that part of his ministry involves fostering healing as the prior

bishop resigned amid allegations of sexual and financial misconduct.

Most recently, Brennan served as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

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Photo credit: David Navedah

Brown University

COLU M B I A | On Campus

Jubilation! at Columbia A C APPELL A GROUP HOS TS WINTER CONCERT

By Lauren Curiotto, Contributing Writer

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where I can be myself.” Additionally, she noted the prayerful support she receives, and “invaluable lessons in collaboration, empathy, and being a bold witness for Christ, which I will carry with me beyond college.”

In the fall semester, Jube! members spent countless hours preparing for their winter concert themed The Lit-

ly source: “After the concert, I was pleasantly surprised when one of the Lerner tech staff came up to me and told me that he, too, was a Christian, and that our performance of “Forgiven and Loved” encouraged him to continue approaching the throne of grace with confidence, no matter how badly he thought he had messed up.”

Jubilation! at the group's winter concert.

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This kind of love and compassion seems to be synonymous with Jubilation’s reputation. Not only has the group encouraged the singers’ faith in Jesus, but it has also provided a way to use their talents for more than just entertainment.

“Jubilation! has come to be part of my identity as a Christian at Columbia,” said Ordoñez. “Being part of the group has opened me up to sharing the love of Jesus with those around me… and pushes me to continue using the gifts that I’ve been given for the service of others’ peace.” | cu

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tle Prince, held December 8 in Albert Lerner Hall. The title was based on “the Little Prince in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s story,” Choi explained.

“Jesus came as a little boy to our faraway planet, befriending us, and accepting us for who we were. In doing so, He gave us the greatest gift of all: unconditional love.”

Both Christians and non-Christians attended the a cappella concert, with many from various campus ministries showing their support. But Choi revealed that perhaps the greatest compliment came from an unlike-

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or Columbia’s Christian a cappella group, Jubilation!, the heart of its mission is found in Psalm 98:4, “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.”

Melissa Choi and Jordan Ordoñez, co-presidents of Jubilation!, recently expressed joy and gratitude for having a Christ-centered community on a secular campus and the opportunity to spread the Gospel via music.

“I wanted to use the gift and love for music that God had given me to glorify His name across campus,” said Ordoñez. “I was excited to meet a group of people that shared this desire and grow in faith and friendship with them all.”

Choi transparently shared that being a student at a top university like Columbia can lead to crushing stress and depression.

“At times, we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Jubilation! seeks to share the unconditional love we’ve experienced with the larger Columbia community, both Christian and not, and let our schoolmates know that there is a greater purpose to our being alive,” she said.

This cohort of Jube! members has a special dynamic that has fueled the singers with the loving support they need in a high-demand environment and challenged them to be mindful of what deserves their attention beyond academics.

Choi said Jubilation! has “gifted me with kind friends and mentors who look out for me, a community

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COLU M B I A | On Campus

When Dr. King Inspired Columbia C I V I L R I G H T S L E A D E R D E L I V E R E D PA S S I O N AT E S P E E C H I N 19 61

By Paul Hond Editor’s note: The following article was adapted from a feature story in Columbia Magazine (https://magazine.columbia.edu). Reprinted with permission.

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speaking at Northern colleges, where he inspired white students to join in protest of racial segregation.

His Columbia talk was part of a series of fundraisers sponsored by The Owl, the weekly newspaper of the School of General Studies. The Owl had hosted performances by folk singers and comedians to benefit the SCLC and help students in the South

talk at Columbia’s McMillin Theatre (now Miller Theatre). All the schools sold tickets to ensure a robust, citywide turnout.

At Columbia, students and administrators feted King at a reception in Faculty House, then joined him at the theater at Broadway and 116th.

Nearly four hundred people filled the auditorium to hear King and three

n October 27, 1961, Martin Luther King, Jr., the chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, arrived at Columbia University to give a speech. Espousing Christian love and Gandhian nonviolence, insisting that America live up to its promise of equal rights for all, King, at thirty-two, was the nation’s preeminent civil rights leader. He had steered the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956 and made the cover of TIME. He had been punched, Martin Luther King, Jr., with Wally Wood (’88 GS), editor of “The Owl,” and other students.

Photo by Lawrence H. Howell, courtesy of Wally Wood. kicked, spat upon, threatened, and jailed.

His house had been bombed. At a book who were being jailed for taking part other speakers: William Fitts Ryan signing in Harlem in 1958, a mental- in sit-ins. The shows had gone so well ’49LAW, a Democratic congressman ly ill woman had plunged a letter open- that an SCLC leader in Harlem ap- from the Upper West Side; Pauline proached Owl editor Wally Wood Knight, a Black student at Tennessee er into his chest, nearly killing him.

But King, spiritually armored, was ’88GS and told him that if he could State University who tested the Suundeterred. By 1961, the civil rights put together a large event, Dr. King preme Court’s 1960 ruling against segregation in interstate travel facilimovement had evolved to encompass would come to Columbia.

Wood got to work. He contacted ties, and, like many Freedom Riders, the civil disobedience of Freedom Rides and lunch-counter sit-ins. King other New York City schools — City was jailed and expelled from school; was a guiding force, addressing rallies, College, Hunter College, the New and Barnard economics instructor leading protests, getting arrested, School, Pace University, and others James O’Connor ’55GS, ’64GSAS, meeting with the president, and — and organized an intercollegiate a white Freedom Rider who got ar-

rested in a Florida bus station after his cohorts tried to integrate the whites-only cafeteria.

When it was King’s turn to speak, Wood introduced the vice-president of the University, John Krout ’25GSAS, ’63HON, and Krout introduced King.

“I was on stage during King’s talk,” Wood recalls, “and he brought the audience to its feet. The electricity in the room was extraordinary.”

King discussed two initiatives that night: a voter registration drive in Mississippi, and a “Second Emancipation Proclamation” – a proposed executive order to outlaw segregation, which King had brought to President John F. Kennedy two weeks earlier.

The Columbia Daily Spectator summarized King’s talk in an article

titled “King Urges Kennedy to End Segregation”: Dr. King said that [African Americans] now “stand on the border of the promised land of integration.” He asked Americans

notions of racial superiority or inferiority, and engage in a “creative protest” to break down racial barriers, he said.

King’s proposal to Kennedy, unveiled in 1961, would be embedded

King discussed two initiatives that night: a voter registration drive in Mississippi, and a “Second Emancipation Proclamation” — a proposed executive order to outlaw segregation... to face the “concomitant challenges of the emerging new order” of human dignity and freedom. They must work for international brotherhood, get rid of any remaining

in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed

by President Lyndon B. Johnson with Dr. King beside him. | cu

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An Introduction to John Henry Newman

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In 2019, several Christian media outlets and academics honored the remarkable life of Cain Felder (Ph.D. ’82), a groundbreaking biblical scholar who highlighted the overlooked presence of people of color throughout Scriptures. Felder, 76, passed away at his home in Alabama in October.

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Biblical Scholar Cain Felder Remembered

The longtime Howard University School of Divinity professor and former dean made a case that Eurocentric interpretations erased paramount elements of diversity from the Bible. The professor, preacher, and author taught at Howard for 35 years until his retirement in 2016.

Among his extensive credentials, Felder, who earned a doctorate in biblical languages and literature from Columbia University, published The Original African Heritage Study Bible in 1993.

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In November, the Thomistic Institute Chapter at Columbia University presented a lecture by acclaimed professor Michael Pakaluk entitled: “An Introduction to John Henry Newman.”

Pakaluk, Ordinary Professor of Ethics and Social Philosophy at the Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business, is a recognized authority on classical philosophy, especially Aristotle’s ethics. He studied philosophy at Harvard College

and the University of Edinburgh on a Marshall Scholarship before getting his Ph.D. at Harvard.

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COR N E LL | On Campus

Celebrating Chesterton House S AY E R S C O N F E R E N C E D R AW S A L U M N I , S T U D E N T S

By Zachary Lee, Cornell ’20

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he weekend of October 4th was a momentous one for the Chesterton House as the Cornell University ministry celebrated its 20th anniversary, commemorated the life and work of its founder Karl Johnson, and dedicated a newly-purchased woman’s residence. The festivities were showcased at the Sayers Conference.

The conference featured a variety of panels on vocation, a keynote address from author Andy Crouch, Cornell ’90, and a smorgasbord of food from the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Alumni traveled from far and wide to reflect upon the blessings of Chesterton House.

The conference’s namesake, Dorothy Sayers, was an English scholar, writer, poet, playwright, and translator. The Chesterton House staff recognized her because of how she “fought against the lie that work is an act divorced from the reality and ordering of Christ.” Karl Johnson explained how Sayers encouraged her community and the Church to be a “a people in pursuit of excellence in all ways.”

The Sayers Conference featured panels from alumni and/or experts who were pursuing excellence in their given field of study. Topics ranged from law and economics, entrepreneurship, vocational ministry, technology, and science, to more universal ones such as how to bounce back from failure and move on with purpose.

Sophia Jeon, a junior majoring in physics and minoring in education, moderated the science panel where

Dr. Catherine Crouch, a professor in the Department of Physics at Swarthmore College, spoke. Dr. Crouch is the wife of Andy Crouch.

Jeon recalled one of the many

Chesterton House celebrated its 20th anniversary with a two-day conference named for scholar, poet, and playwright Dorothy Sayers. The organization also welcomed its new executive director Vivek Mathew and highlighted the purchase of its women’s residence.

revelations that still resonate with her from the panel: “The study of science, which often consists of difficult and mysterious concepts, allows us to embrace our intellectual humility. As I study physics and try to wrap my head around challenging equations and theories, I now remember to face these intellectually difficult moments with a sense of humility that can only come from God, whom I seek to rely on and worship in my studies.”

In his address on Friday evening,

Andy Crouch spoke broadly on institutions and how it takes three generations for systems to get “institutionalized.” He noted how God identifies Himself as the God of “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” To think truly about long-lasting impact is thus “to think unto the third generation.”

“We have to have a long obedience in the same direction,” he stated. “It is tempting to think that the things that change the world happen overnight. But this is not where true impact lies.”

Crouch, partner for theology and culture at Praxis, challenged individuals to think about “their children’s children” and for the Chesterton House, to think about the future with expectation, while being grateful for the work of the past 20 years.

On Saturday, Vivek Mathew, the new director of Chesterton House, mused on taking on the new position and on the impact of Johnson, who received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Cornell University. Johnson is now the organization’s director of student graduate ministries.

“When I first encountered Chesterton House, I was amazed at what the founder, Karl Johnson, and other early supporters had created. Their residential ministry really feels like a Christian college presence smack within the Ivy League… The ministry’s culture is centered around a comprehensive discipleship to Jesus Christ, one that involves both our lived practices as well as our minds,

with a special focus on the Christian intellectual tradition that is unique among campus ministries.

“Inspired by G.K. Chesterton’s enormous breadth of interests, their

incredibly wide range of programming shows the depth of Christian engagement in all fields… Most of all, Karl infused it all with Chesterton’s legendary sense of humor, wit, and fun.

I am dumbfounded at my providentially good fortune in becoming part of this organization,” he said. | cu

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COR N E LL | On Campus

A Distinctive Voice C L A R I TA S C E L E B R AT E S F I V E -Y E A R A N N I V E R S A R Y

By Francine Barchett, Cornell ’20

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introduced to Claritas there. Eschliman has since worked in a number of roles at Claritas, including helping to kick-start its blog series on how students’ majors intertwine with their faith. Students from each of Cornell’s seven colleges contributed.

and in any context, including in the talk around climate change. “Claritas seeks to start conversations about faith, and also to show that Christians think,” Bezrutczyk reflected.

Throughout its five years of circulation, Claritas has not only proven

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that Christians think, but has also been a means to reach students from various viewpoints. Bezrutczyk explained it like this: “We like to imagine our audience is the middle of the bell curve of people who have probably heard of Christianity, but may have some misconceptions about the faith—instead of seeking to convert those who are very opposed to reli-

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For Bezrutczyk, Christianity’s intersection with her academic life was a major reason she became passionate about the journal. As an environmental science major, she is bothered by the assumed dissonance between faith and environmental stewardship. For a Claritas article last year, she addressed those concerns head-on, showing that faith can apply anywhere

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Latinlexicon.org defines Claritas as “clearness” or “distinctness.” The word has become an apt name for Cornell’s lone Christian journal, because, from day one, it has sought to give a clear message on Christianity and the importance of faith.

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ach year, Cornell student organizations publish hundreds of magazines and journals. Yet there is only one Christian publication. Its title is Claritas.

Latinlexicon.org defines Claritas as “clearness” or “distinctness.” The word has become an apt name for Cornell’s lone Christian journal, because, from day one, it has sought to give a clear message on Christianity and the importance of faith.

In the spring semester, Claritas will reach its biggest milestone yet: the spring issue will commemorate the journal’s five-year anniversary. Seniors Abby Bezrutczyk and Carley Eschliman, past and present chief editors, recently reflected on the magazine’s achievement.

“Before college, I hadn’t been challenged to think much about the intersection of faith with everyday life,” said Eschliman, a double major in atmospheric science and communication. She became involved in Chesterton House as a freshman, and was

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gion, or catering only towards those who are already Christians.”

Looking back on the last five years, Claritas has made many positive strides. Among Cornell’s Christian community, Claritas has become an academically-respected symbol of excellence, a known presence at events, and a rigorous recruiter of student writers across ministries.

These days, it boasts a dynamic team of ten to twelve students, distributes 600-800 print copies each semester, and sees that its publication is found widely across campus, from libraries to eateries. Eschliman and Bezrutczyk each noted the appreciation of support from Chesterton House and Christian Union.

In Claritas’ next five years, the goal

is to attract students to the journal, not through touting the magazine’s Christian-ness, but rather by demonstrating its intellectual excellence and highlighting attractive visuals, according to Eschliman and Bezrutczyk.

“We want the barrier to reading to be as small as possible,” Eschliman stated, noting that many Cornellians are less likely to pick up their journal when they find out it is Christian-based. To make Claritas more appealing, they introduced color printing last year and Bezrutczyk is optimistic about Claritas’ multimedia potential, like introducing podcasts and more art and design.

Another item on Claritas’ list is to strengthen its partnerships across and beyond Cornell. The Augustine Col-

lective is the highlight of many Claritas writers’ experience, as the conference allows them to exchange ideas with representatives from thirty other universities’ Christian journals.

“This event really opens us up to ideas and resources that we can then turn around and apply to our Cornell audience,” Eschliman remarked.

As Claritas edges toward its next milestone, Bezrutczyk insisted that one thing will not change: her simple gesture of giving a friend a print issue.

Bezrutczyk loves handing her friends a new copy of Claritas. “There’s no pressure for them to read and respond to it, but they might read at least the article I’ve written.” She added: “If it can spark some later conversation or thought, that’s a bonus.” | cu

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Public Reading of Scripture

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In 2020, the Chesterton House is partnering with The Grace and Mercy Foundation to bring “Public Reading of Scripture” to its programming and residences.

The Public Reading of Scripture, hosted regularly by The Grace and Mercy Foundation at its New York City headquarters, consists of listening to a recording of Scripture, praying, and then having time for discussion.

“As Chesterton House seeks to exist faithfully in an academic context, scripture will always serve as the most vital orienting story and corrective,” said Chesterton House Program and Operations Manager Billy Riley. “Engaging in this way connects us to the historic

church, invites a diverse presence of Christ followers, and deepens the foundation of unity in the body here at Cornell.”

Katie Brown ’85 ‘Dares to See’ with New Book In her latest book, do-it-yourself expert Katie Brown, Cornell ’85, writes about sensing God’s presence in life’s mundane, good, and bad times. Dare to See: Discovering God in the Everyday (2019) contains thirty of her personal essays, each accompanied with a Bible verse.

The television personality, who has previously published books on subjects such as cooking, gardening, crafting, and decorating, is the host of Lifetime’s “Next Door with Katie Brown” and PBS’s “Katie Brown Workshop.” Brown

has created over one-thousand products for her home brand and has been a regular guest on many national shows including: Live with Kelly and Ryan, GMA, The Today Show, and Oprah. People Magazine has hailed her as “TV’s meat-andpotatoes Martha Stewart.”

D A R T M OU T H | On Campus

Finding Home AQUINAS HOUSE HOSTS FALL RETREAT

By Luke Brown, Dartmouth ’18

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nurture a greater understanding of the why and how of Catholic sacraments and devotions.

“All the spiritual and religious practices, along with their explanations, were primarily to aid the retreatants’ deepening of their relationship with God. (We introduced) them to rich treasures of the faith that

and I appreciate attending Mass more.”

Another highlight for the six freshmen who attended the retreat were the witness talks given by two upperclassmen leaders; Victoria Nedder ’20 and Michael Carlowicz, Jr. ’22 shared experiential wisdom they had gleaned at Dartmouth revolving around the theme of belonging.

Aquinas House at Dartmouth hosted a fall retreat for freshmen.

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According to Miloscia, Nedder discussed “how Aquinas House was a place of homecoming and acceptance for her after having been away for several months and going through a rough patch in her faith.” Carlowicz, an Aquinas House regular, talked about finding home “primarily in God’s love.”

Carlowicz summarized his witness, saying, “In the format of a story, I conveyed two different conceptualizations of home, first as a physical location, then as among friends and family. But these two conceptualizations are im-

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have nourished Christians worldwide for centuries,” said Miloscia.

A first-year attendee, Rachael Williams, has found new faith at Dartmouth. Before the retreat, she had not encountered many of the Catholic spiritual practices, so she appreciated participating in and learning about each one.

“I had attended my first Mass ever during the first week of classes. I felt like a leaf in the river: lost but going along for the ride,” she said. “Learning more about the parts of Mass and its significance helped demystify it for me

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artmouth students were encouraged to find belonging in Christ through a fellowship-focused fall retreat.

The Aquinas House, nestled on the edge of Dartmouth’s campus near the quaint Occom Pond and the gently flowing Connecticut River, is home to flowering trees in springtime, cozy and quiet libraries, and a tightknit Catholic community.

The Aquinas House, which acts as the Dartmouth Catholic student center and a local parish, was the site of the ministry’s annual fall retreat.

Centered on the themes of home and belonging, the on-campus retreat offered freshmen an opportunity to experience the Aquinas House as a place to which they can belong and through which they can find a home in the Lord. Jesus’ statement in Luke 2:49—”Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”—informed the theme of the retreat.

Retreat attendees shared fellowship during meals, a movies-andgames oriented family night, and spiritual practices. Maria Miloscia, the new Aquinas House campus minister, said, “The activities of the retreat were grounded in practices that our community traditionally shares together, whether social or spiritual—it was like introducing the retreatants to the ‘family’ that is Aquinas House.”

Students gathered for Mass in the chapel, prayed the rosary while walking around Occom Pond, and met for Eucharistic Adoration. An explanation accompanied each practice to

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perfect, because neither is permanent, nor are they perfectly peaceful and restful as our true home is. The reality is that God is our Home.”

Preparing his talk and pondering his own message was powerful for Carlowicz. It allowed him to understand more of his own ultimate dissatisfaction with worldly things and challenged him to move beyond distractions and toward Christ. And while he still

is learning to live out fully this idea of home, he yearns for younger students to experience true Christian belonging.

“But sometimes, I remember that Christ is the true source of peace and happiness,” he says, “and hopefully the freshmen will remember that as well, especially as they try to find their place at Dartmouth.”

These testimonies informed and encouraged first year Catholic stu-

dents in pursuing their faith at Dartmouth. The witnesses, combined with the practice of spiritual disciplines, as well as lighthearted community activities, made for a robust retreat. And the theme, home, was intertwined through it all. As all freshmen are attempting to belong somewhere, Christian communities such as Aquinas House willingly offer them a place they can call home. | cu

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D A R T M OU T H | On Campus

Conversations of Faith and Reason

SCHUMAN ’10 NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF VERITAS FORUM

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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he new head of the Veritas Forum is passionate about his role overseeing an organization that strategically engages university students with life’s most compelling questions.

“I’m really excited for what the Lord has ahead,” said Andrew Schuman, Dartmouth ’10, Yale MBA/ MAR ’16.

In July, Schuman took over as executive director of the Veritas Forum. Schuman replaced David Hobbet, who joined the Veritas Forum in 2013 as executive director and served as senior advisor and executive director emeritus through 2019.

“We have an incredible team at Veritas,” said Schuman.

In May, the organization’s board of directors voted to promote Schuman to its top leadership post after Hobbet expressed a desire to return to the Pacific Northwest.

Schuman, who began serving as director of Veritas Labs in 2016, is thrilled about the Massachusetts-based ministry’s growth, including its flour-

As the new head of The Veritas Forum, Andrew Schuman, Dartmouth ’10, is excited about his role overseeing the growing organization that engages university students with life’s most compelling questions.

ishing digital initiatives.

Since its initial event in 1992 at Harvard University, Veritas has hosted approximately 1,500 forums for combined audiences of 800,000-plus on 200 or so campuses in the United States and abroad. The nonprofit partners with Christian thought leaders, students,

professors, and campus ministers to engage universities and the broader public square with core life queries.

In the digital arena, Veritas continues to increase its ever-expanding footprint. Notably, the organization’s online content receives 3.1 million or so views annually. Likewise, Veritas launched a podcast in 2017 that now ranks in the top 10 percent of such format offerings.

“The last few years have been a great season of growth,” said Schuman.

Whether dialoguing with collegiate stakeholders via auditoriums or electronic settings, Veritas remains devoted to elevating thoughtful Christian perspectives and promoting meaningful discourse.

“Since the first Forum in 1992, Veritas has adapted to meet the needs of different generations of college students,” Schuman said. “We now live in a time when many people are beginning to question our fundamental assumptions. I cannot imagine another organization better positioned

to engage the leading ideas of our day with the Christian faith.”

In his earlier role as director of Veritas Labs, Schuman managed new initiatives to extend and deepen the ministry’s mission across university life. The multi-credentialed leader’s rich academic and faith background, bolstered by his remarkable entrepreneurial drive, made him the perfect candidate for that job.

On a personal note, the New Hampshire native’s parents are longtime Cru campus ministers. Schuman now resides in Somerville, Massachusetts, with his wife and toddler son.

While an undergraduate, the dual

Hanover, Schuman served as a pastoral intern for college and youth with Christ Redeemer Church.

Later, while seeking to earn dual graduate degrees at Yale University, Schuman helped to launch the Life Worth Living program at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. Among his academic credentials, Shuman earned a master of arts in religion in the theology and history of Christianity from the Yale Divinity School.

“In 2017, under Schuman’s leadership, the Augustine Collective, now a network of over 30 journals of Christian thought, was acquired by Veritas.”

The organization offers an annual

As part of its core mission, the Veritas Forum places the historic Christian faith in dialogue with other beliefs and invites students from all backgrounds to participate in stimulating conversations.

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Food Justice and Social Impact

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A group of twelve Dartmouth students traveled to Puerto Rico over winter break as part of a food justice and ecological sustainability-focused service and immersion trip. The program, sponsored by the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact, included stays at two farms, where the students helped out with planting, seed collection, and painting, among other service activities. The students engaged with and learned from locals, while they also worked closely with a farming collective, El Departamento de la Comida.

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conference, personal coaching plus online, and other resources.

“That has been such a joy,” said Schuman. The journals seek to invigorate thoughtful conversations about faith on campus via essays, reviews, art, and poetry that reflect the broader implications of the Gospel.

Also during his time at the helm of Veritas Labs, Schuman launched Veritas Academies, training sessions that prepare matriculating freshmen to engage life’s big questions on campuses. In addition, Schuman created the Veritas Summer Institute, a weeklong program that prepares undergraduate writers and thinkers to engage with national audiences.

As part of its core mission, the Veritas Forum places the historic Christian faith in dialogue with oth-

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engineering and philosophy major founded The Dartmouth Apologia: A Journal of Christian Thought and shepherded efforts to create the Eleazar Wheelock Society. As an outgrowth of the vibrant conversations taking place within the Apologia community, the newly formed society of Dartmouth students, faculty, and alumni hosted its first Wheelock Conference in 2010.

After graduation from Dartmouth, Schuman became the founding director of the Eleazar Wheelock Society. He also co-founded The Augustine Collective to serve an expanding network of student-led journals seeking to collaborate and propel their movement.

In addition to fostering student-focused initiatives during a three-year, post-graduation stint in

er beliefs and invites students from all backgrounds to participate in stimulating conversations.

Such a mission aligns perfectly with Schuman’s vocational passion for the pursuit of truth within university landscapes. “I’ve loved and respected Veritas as an organization for years and years since I was a student,” Schuman said. “I look forward to working with our partners in the years ahead.”

As he turns to 2020 and beyond, Schuman is ever-mindful of the needs and gifts of university communities and, more importantly, of the power of life-changing dialogues.

“Students at our best schools appreciate that faith and reason can be pursued together,” he said. “I hope there are many great years ahead.” | cu

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H A RVA RD | On Campus

‘A Compelling Call of Gospel Witness and Work’

K I M I S N E W P R E S I D E N T O F N AT I O N A L A S S O C I AT I O N O F E VA N G E L I C A L S

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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Harvard University alumnus recently took the helm of the influential National Association of Evangelicals.

Walter Kim, Harvard Ph.D. ’07, became president of the organization that serves 45,000 churches, schools, and ministries.

Kim said he was humbled to assume a key leadership role within the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).

“We have before us the compelling call of gospel witness and work,” he said.

In October, the board of directors for the Washington, D.C.-based organization tapped Kim to serve as its president. In 2013, Kim joined the board for the umbrella organization, which provides services to 40 denom­ inations representing millions of believers.

As for Kim, the Korean-American minister is considered an expert on the theology of race. In his new post with the evangelical association, Kim succeeds Leith Anderson, who became president in 2006.

Growing up as an immigrant helped Kim learn to bridge cultural divides. “My experience of America reflects the diversity of the country with its tensions and promise, and I believe this experience will be an asset to the NAE in a time of polarization,” Kim told Christianity Today.

Kim maintains his role as leadership pastor at Trinity Presbyterian

Church, a Charlottesville congregation affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America. The church, which operates in the shadow of the University of Virginia, has 1,000-plus members. In 2017, Kim took his post

on college campuses, retreats, and symposia, especially to address areas of biblical theology and cultural issues.

During high school, Kim came to faith during a “transformational experience of grace and forgiveness” at a student conference. “The impact was visceral, and quite unexpected. I had no categories for what happened in my encounter with Christ, and certainly not for its implications for my life,” he said.

Later, Kim’s involvement in campus ministry while attending Northwestern University fostered his personal discipleship and prompted a decision to serve In January, Walter Kim, Harvard Ph.D. in campus ministry at Yale Uni’07, became president of the National versity. “So, the decision to be a Association of Evangelicals. chaplain arose out of gratitude and a desire to pass along the with Trinity during the same month blessings that I received as a student,” as violence erupted in the college town he said. amid clashes between white nationDuring stints as a staffer with Yale’s alists and counter-protestors.

Cru (yalestudentsforchrist.org) and Previously, Kim ministered for 15 as a student leader in Harvard Gradyears at Boston’s historic Park Street uate School Christian Fellowship Church, a congregation that played a (hgscf.org), Kim encountered students key role in the founding of the Na- who “earnestly desired to explore the tional Association of Evangelicals in breadth of the Gospel’s implications 1942. for all of life.”

At Harvard, Kim’s doctorate foIn retrospect, those were “exciting cused upon Near Eastern languages years with inquiring students who and civilizations. The ordained PCA were surprised to discover the vibranminister also is a licensed minister in cy of the Christian faith,” he said. the Conservative Congregational “Ministry in the Ivy League provides Christian Conference. In addition to a remarkable opportunity to multiply his pulpit ministry, Kim has appeared the Gospel’s impact as students will

go on to provide significant influence in all sectors of society.”

Not surprisingly, Kim is quick to note how he was shaped by the deep curiosity and intellectual vitality he discovered during his studies and ministries at leading universities. The father of two teenagers also serves on the board of Christianity Today.

As a member of the NAE board, Kim has presented at organizational events, contributed to publications, and served on working groups. Some of his specialties include: ethics and church life, racial reconciliation, and

the politics of sexuality.

In his new role, Kim is focused upon coordinating resources and efforts to “present a generous witness to the reconciling power of the Gospel.”

The NAE seeks to unite the “many voices of evangelicals together to be more effective for Jesus Christ and His cause.”

Likewise, the association also is becoming more diverse to reflect the growth of evangelicalism in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

“The NAE is uniquely positioned to draw people together, and I am

eager to guide this labor,” Kim told Christianity Today. “We seek a Spirit-filled renewal that demonstrates a winsome, thoughtful evangelicalism showcasing the truth and beauty of the Gospel.”

In a blog, Kim expressed wonder at how God uses humble jars of clay to share the treasure of Christ’s Gospel with mankind, a desire that dovetails with his new role. “My prayer is that evangelicals may be known as jars of clay filled with the all-surpassing power of God, conveying grace and glory to the world,” he wrote. | cu

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H A RVA RD | On Campus

Love, JAMplified

U N D E R C O N S TR U C TI O N R E AC HE S O U T W ITH FALL C O N C E R T

By Luke Brown, Dartmouth ’18

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Christian perspective. The concert also included spoken word performances.

Spidell described an example of how a secular song fit into the overarching vision of the concert, saying, “One of the songs we sang this fall was ‘Human,’ which grapples with the vulnerabilities and painful parts of life. In our setlist, it served to remind us that it is okay to acknowledge our weaknesses, so that we can bring them to God and witness His strength becoming perfect in our weaknesses.”

Under Construction, performing

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around us.”

The twelve students in Under Construction put much thought into crafting a dynamic setlist that successfully took their audience on that journey. The group performed a mix of popular Christian songs such as “Drops in the Ocean” by Hawk Nelson and “Beloved” by Jordan Feliz, secular pieces like “Human” by Christina Perri, and classical hymns including “In Christ Alone.” Before each song, a member of Under Construction gave a brief description of what the song meant to the group from a

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n November 17, Harvard’s Christian a cappella group, Under Construction, hosted its annual fall concert, Love JAMplified.

Held in Yenching Auditorium, the concert theme reflected the group’s mission of communicating God’s love through music.

Jayla-Whitney Spidell ’22, a second-year singer and treasurer of Under Construction, said the theme was chosen to “let our audience know that the concert would take them on a journey of discovering God’s love and the vessels of love He has placed

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listen to us,” she said. “And individually, we take the spirit of our mission and our general efforts to honor Christ in our daily lives beyond rehearsal.”

During spring break in 2019, Under Construction went on tour in North Carolina.

The trip was valuable to the group, not only allowing them to spread their music and message to a wider audience, but also building greater group cohesion Under Construction is Harvard’s premier Christian a cappella group. and community through living “under construction” to become more together on the road. “This helped us achieve more unity in spirit,” Spidell like Christ.

Spidell sees Under Construction said, “which in turn improved our as a light on campus. “We aim to singing technically and in understandspread joy to and encourage those who ing and communicating the messages on Harvard’s campus since 1982, derives its name from Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” The name promotes the truth that every person is continually

of our setlist.”

After the recent fall concert, Under Construction concluded with its alumni song, “Peace of the Rock,” and students gathered for a reception with home-cooked food and some fellowship. The post-concert gathering provided a space for continued dialogue and reflection. Singers received positive feedback from students in attendance who were encouraged by the messages and renditions of the music.

After so much time practicing, preparing, and anticipating the concert, Spidell said the members of Under Construction “found it rewarding to share the fruits of [their] rehearsals and prayers with everyone.”

The welcoming reception, combined with meaningful music and a love-infused performance, ensured that the Love JAMplified Fall Concert was a blessing to the Harvard community. | cu

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Graduate School of Design Retreat

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Students at the Harvard Graduate School of Design Christian Fellowship joined with students from Yale Graduate School of Architecture for a winter retreat at the end of January at the Toah Nipi Retreat Center in New Hampshire. Retreat speakers included Kyle Dugdale, a professor at Yale School of Architecture, and Jeff Barneson, a Harvard chaplain.

The event not only enabled students to seek the Lord, but also generated discussions about the nature of faith and how it applies

to the disciplines of design and architecture. A Christian Union grant helped underwrite the retreat.

Phillip Johnson ’61, Influenced Intelligent Design Movement One of the fathers of the intelligent design movement, best known as the author of Darwin on Trial, died in November at age 79.

Phillip Johnson, Harvard ’61, spent much of his career as a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley. In the late

1980s, Johnson developed a side interest in evolutionary theory, and he used his legal and philosophical training to probe the subject.

In 1991, Johnson published his highly influential book, challenging the underpinnings of Darwinism. In 1996, he helped found the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture in Washington. During the formative years of the intelligent design movement, Johnson wrote extensively on the scientific, legal, and cultural dimensions of the debate between creation and Darwinism.

P E N N | On Campus

The Newman Legacy

C AT H O L I C C O M M U N I T Y C E L E B R AT E S S I G N I F I C A N T A N N I V E R S A R Y

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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Since its founding, the Newman Penn and across the United States. he Penn Catholic Newman com“It has been beautiful to see how munity celebrated its 125th anni- apostolate has provided ministry to versary with a conference, festivities, the University of Pennsylvania and many people for whom this place is and dedication of its new ministry offered Catholic students a commu- very special and has been like a home,” nity away from their home parishes. Travers told The Daily Pennsylvanian. home this fall.

On Oct. 4-6, 2019, the ministry Today, the center helps shape the Notably, alumni were quick to share highlighted its role as the first New- spiritual and social lives for the Cath- their affection for the Newman Cenman ministry in the country. Partic- olic communities at Drexel Univer- ter’s ministry with undergraduates.

In addition, the Newman Center ipants especially enjoyed learning sity, as well as Penn. celebrated its new home on about the early days of the South 38th Street with a organization, which ignited the spread of the Newman ribbon-cutting ceremony. mission throughout the In August, the St. AgUnited States. atha-St. James Parish fin“Several of [Newman’s] ished transforming a members and chaplains three-story, former school helped a local experience building into a vibrant fagrow into a national movecility for the Newman Cenment of helping build Cathter. It features a student olic community on secular lounge, chapel, meeting campuses all over the counrooms, and more. try,” said Patrick Travers, An earlier phase of the During the fall semester, the Penn Catholic Newman director of the Newman community dedicated its new ministry home during a redevelopment project inCenter. “That is the New- celebration of its 125th anniversary. cluded renovations to the man legacy, and we continlower level of the adjacent ue to see how important our St. Agatha-St. James church. mission is for young people at such a During 2019, the ministry (new- The plans also call for a park, courtcritical time in their lives.” man.upenn.edu) staged a series of yard, and a coffee kiosk within the The Penn Newman community commemorations of its 125th year, West Philadelphia property. was organized by medical student including the crowning celebration In 1970, the Newman Center Timothy Harrington in the winter of over the weekend of October 4-6, moved into its longtime base at 3720 1893 as a supportive collaboration which included panel discussions, Chestnut St. In 2018, the Archdiocese among classmates during an era when speakers, a mass, gala, and building of Philadelphia sold the building to Catholics were discouraged from dedication. Earlier, in February, stu- fund renovations for an upgraded studying in secular universities. He dents involved with the Newman student hub. named the club after Cardinal John Center marked the organization’s The October conference focused Henry Newman, the Catholic intel- annual Founder’s Night with a can- upon the importance of campus minlectual of the 19th century. Today dlelight dinner, program, and histor- istry in today’s culture. Among the there are 2,000-plus Newman min- ic cigar session. During the October events, a panel of former Newman istries at state and secular private gathering, students were eager to hear chaplains helped showcase the minuniversities. about the ministry’s legacy, both at istry’s rich history at Penn.

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Historian Jonathan Reyes delivered a talk entitled “Is Newman Relevant Today?” Reyes is the executive director of the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Acclaimed scholar, administrator, commentator, and author John Garvey delivered a keynote talk that reflected his commitment to strengthening Catholic life in higher education. Among his extensive professional and faith credentials, Garvey, Harvard Law ’74, is president of The Catholic University of America, a former dean of Boston College Law School, and a former assistant solicitor general for the United States.

In addition, conference organizers also took time to honor a pair of Penn dignitaries for their lifelong service to the university and the Catholic com-

munity. Professor John DiIulio (Penn ’80, Harvard Ph.D. ’86) is the founding faculty director of Penn’s Robert A. Fox Leadership Program. The political scientist and author served as the first director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Honoree Craig Carnaroli, Penn ’85, Stanford MBA ’90, is the executive vice president of Penn.

On October 6, the festivities centered around a blessing, celebration mass, and luncheon to mark the inauguration of the Newman Center’s new base. The Center partnered with the Collegium Institute for Catholic Thought & Culture for the event.

Drexel Newman Catholic Community, St. Agatha-St. James Parish, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia also served as sponsors.

Through the weekend, students,

alumni, faculty, and community members expressed appreciation for the ways St. Agatha-St. James serves its diverse parish in the heart of University City.

They also celebrated the new home for the Newman Center and paid tribute to the inspirational, far-reaching legacy of the ministry at Penn.

After all, Newman was a theologian whose works included The Idea of a University. The English-born scholar championed the need for rigorous education in the sciences and humanities, alongside the study and practice of faith.

Such ideas resonate with Gabrielle Ramos ’20, president of Penn’s Newman student leadership team. “The world may be dark. Penn may be stressful,” Ramos told The Pennsylvania Gazette. “But, God continues to delight in us.” | cu

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P E N N | On Campus

Loving Philadelphia PENN STUDENTS ARE SERVING THE CIT Y

By Avery Johnston, Penn ’23

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hree University of Pennsylvania students are taking their hearts for service into the underprivileged schools and communities of Philadelphia.

Isabella Pabon ’21 has been serving as a kindergarten through second grade teacher’s assistant and instructor at Benjamin B. Comegys Elementary School in West Philadelphia for the last year.

It’s been a rewarding experience. Not only does it underscore her studies as a public health major—as access to education is a facet of public health—but it also has provided her the opportunity to “do the work of Jesus.”

The school is not religiously affiliated, but Pabon finds joy in providing a safe space and genuine connection with her students. Her faith has led her to desire to “[love] people well.”

Previously, Comegys lacked sufficient staff to ensure that students had the necessary resources to learn strategies for calming down after an upsetting experience. During the summer of 2019, though, the school hired staff trained in social-emotional learning to deal with situations like this. It’s still difficult for Pabon to witness these incidents. It’s “hard if

kids are freaking out… you feel bad, because you’re like ‘I’m sorry you’re hurting. I know you don’t mean the words that you’re saying, because you’re just hurting.’”

Pabon feels that the Lord is calling her to serve in the Philadelphia community as a public health educator or policymaker, and her experience in the West Philadelphia school system has only further highlighted these aspirations.

“Having the mindset of a Christian leads me to serving positions,” she said.

Another Penn student, Catalina

Ruiz ’22, also serves at Comegys. The sophomore volunteered in a similar setting in high school, and was immediately drawn to the school as a college freshman. In the fall semester, she also started serving at Puentes de Salud (“Bridges of Health”), a clinic in Center City Philadelphia for mostly immigrant communities. Ruiz serves in a mentoring program for high schoolers.

Since she is interested in promoting literacy, Ruiz finds her work at Comegys especially gratifying. “You feel like you have a lot to give,” she said. “Once you start in the community… you don’t really feel like you can leave, because… you’ve seen how bad it is.”

The best part of being at Comegys is the tangible relationships she has had the opportunity to create and build, said Ruiz, who plans on pursuing educational policy. She wants to understand “the issues that are systemic in the educational system,” a career goal that she attributes entirely to her service experience.

Another Penn student and native

of the City of Brotherly Love, Jackson Flotz, is serving with The Philadelphia Project. It is an organization that started out doing home renovations for residents with either physical or financial barriers, but that now hosts youth groups and service trips that

Isabella Pabon ’21 serves in the Philadelphia public school system.

draw people from around the city and the Greater Philadelphia Area. Foltz participated in a youth group trip with the organization as a high school student and now as a direct volunteer at college.

Foltz has served with Broad Street Ministry and Philabundance, organizations that provide meals to homeless and food-insecure people in the city. He also belongs to Penn’s Disney Acapella group, which has won an award for the service they have done for the community.

“There is something about participating in work that is redemptive with other people that builds relationships like almost nothing else,” he said.

When Foltz thinks of service, he pictures the beatitudes and the way that Jesus’s teaching “flips our understanding of the world order and power dynamics… Jesus shifts what I think is the natural human perspective… the Son of Man came to serve.”

For Foltz, Ruiz, and Pabon, serving in Philadelphia has been a blessing as they have been a blessing to school children and residents. And they don’t want to stop, despite the difficulties they may face.

Ruiz put it perfectly: “If you know that there’s something you can do [to help]… why wouldn’t you be doing that?” | cu

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On November 9, Fellowship of Christian Athletes/Athletes in Action (FCAIA) at the

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Penn Athletes Host Homecoming Event

University of Pennsylvania hosted its Homecoming Dinner at Huntsman Hall. Current FCAIA student-athletes and alumni attended the event, which featured testimonies from former and current Penn athletes. A Christian Union grant helped underwrite the Homecoming Dinner. During the academic year, FCAIA ministers to student athletes through weekly discipleship groups and large group meetings.

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The New Spirit of Penn Gospel Choir hosted its Fall Concert in early December at the Iron Gate Theatre in Philadelphia. The theme of the concert was “Heal Our Land,” based on Jeremiah 17:14. The New Spirit of Penn Gospel Choir, in its twenty-first year at Penn, reached out to college students and those in the Greater Philadelphia community with a variety of music in the

gospel genre, including original songs, medleys, and adaptations of traditional and contemporary hits. The songs were accompanied by alumni, praise dances, and testimonies, as well as a guest performance from the Christ Community Church praise band.

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PR I N C E T O N | On Campus

Sexuality, Integrity, and the University

C O N F E R E N C E H E L P S S T U D E N T S C H A L L E N G E P O P U L A R N A R R AT I V E S

By Jon Garaffa, Princeton ’20

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he 12th Annual Sexuality, Integ- and professor of sociology at the Uni- more conservative, viewpoint. In rerity, and the University Confer- versity of Virginia. Wilcox spoke sponse to her experience, she joined ence, held at Princeton University in about how married couples who pri- the Anscombe Society at Princeton, November, challenged the status quo oritize family are happier and more finding students who share her values.

This fall’s conference encouraged prevalent on college campuses. Host- likely to stay together. Meg McDoned by the Love and Fidelity Network nell, editor-in-chief of Verily Maga- students to dialogue and welcomed (http://loveandfidelity.org), the event zine, discussed the pros and cons of discussion across various cultural, philpromoted the institution of tradition- using online dating to find long-term osophical, and religious perspectives. al marriage, championed the value of partners. Brandon McGinley (Princ- Brandon Joa ’18, also a president emeritus of the Anscombe chastity, and highlightSociety, returned to the ed the social harms of Sexuality, Integrity, and pornography. the University ConferThe conference ence as an alumnus to brings together hunsee familiar faces and dreds of young adults, support the current stuscholars, and experts dents. from across the country “When I was pres“to equip the college ident, my vision was to students with the best model a community academic resources and that allowed people arguments they need to from different backbring the message of grounds to see what it love and fidelity back to was like to be chaste their campuses.”

Adam Carrington, assistant professor of politics at Hillsdale College, and in healthy relationThe 2019 event inspeaks at the Love and Fidelity conference. ships,” said Joa. “Learncluded a new feature: ing about different separate breakout sessions for men and women. David K. eton ’10), editor for EWTN Publish- cultures and their ideas of family is O’Connor, a faculty member in the ing and president emeritus of the all very valuable.”

At the conclusion of the conferdepartments of Philosophy and of Princeton Anscombe Society, gave ence, many students left feeling optiClassics at the University of Notre welcoming remarks and moderated mistic about voicing their values, Dame, encouraged men to overcome the conference.

The Sexuality, Integrity, and the despite the opposition on their camtheir fears of dating, while author Suzanne Venker gave women guid- University Conference presents a stark puses. “It’s challenging to address these ance in balancing career and family. contrast to many college freshman issues on campus, especially when Venker is a columnist at the Washing- orientation programs that focus on the people have such different backgrounds ton Examiner and a contributor at Fox hook-up culture narrative and leave and cultures, but I definitely think we marriage and family out of the picture. can dismantle the narratives surroundNews and The Federalist.

Other highlights included a mes- Abigail Anthony ’23 was surprised that ing pornography and the hook-up sage from W. Bradford Wilcox, direc- her freshman orientation at Princeton culture,” Anthony said. | cu tor of the National Marriage Project lacked opinions from a religious, or

PR I N C E T O N | On Campus

Worship House

C AMPUS MINIS TRY IS KN OWN FOR P OWERFUL PR AISE

By Shelby Brainard, Princeton ’22

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this was in His hands,” says Gardner, who now is involved with missional work in Franklin, Tennessee.

The leadership team of Worship House in the historic Murray-Dodge building at Princeton, where the ministry meets on Saturday nights.

Worship Church’s desire to start a campus ministry at Princeton soon meshed with the desire of students to create a new worship space. Worship

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House, or what was then called Revival Culture, began to meet on Saturday nights. At first, the meetings were led entirely by Worship Church volunteers and staff. Over time, how-

although church staff still attend most weekly worship meetings.

The ministry is characterized by powerful praise and worship sessions, which sometimes last for more than three hours. Every worship session includes a talk by a student leader or Worship Church staff member. The venue is a room in Murray-Dodge, the home of religious life organizations at Princeton. The room is usually dimly lit; chairs and comfortable pillows are scattered throughout. A grainy projector thrusts light and lyrics upon a beige wall. The worship team consists of a pianist and a gui-

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Worship House is “a multi-denominational Christian ministry seeking to experience and share the truth, freedom, power, and love of Christ in the context of close community,” ed at their attendance: the church had been praying about Princeton University earlier that week. “And then we show up on Sunday—this was a sweet confirmation from the Lord that

ever, leadership transitioned into students’ hands. Today, Worship House is nearly entirely student-led,

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aturday nights at Princeton University are like those found on most campuses: movies, parties, drinks, and late-night snack runs. But in Murray-Dodge Hall, one can hear sounds quite unexpected: the joyful singing and hallelujahs of Worship House’s weekly service.

Worship House is “a multi-denominational Christian ministry seeking to experience and share the truth, freedom, power, and love of Christ in the context of close community,” according to its description on Princeton’s Office of Religious Life Web site. The ministry desires “to seek the Lord through vibrant, contemporary worship to fulfill Jesus’ commission of His kingdom coming ‘on earth as it is in heaven!’”

The exuberant campus ministry was started in 2013 by a group of students, including Kate Gardner ’16 and Kristene Tadese ’16. In the fall of their sophomore year, Gardner and Tadese visited Worship Church, a local congregation that had been holding services for only a few months.

The Worship Church staff were elat-

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tarist, both of whom consult chords from their phones. Despite the simplicity of the set-up, the worship is powerful.

Unlike other campus ministries, Worship House is not part of a national college ministry organization.

“We always wanted to be a fam-

ily. It was really about the relationships that we shared with each other, more than an organization to plug into,” said Gardner.

Worship House is also grateful for the work of other Christian organizations and is “a place where students from other ministries can come and

worship the Lord and encounter the presence of God and the Holy Spirit in radical ways,” said Gardner. “If you want more of Jesus, more of the Holy Spirit, join us… be a radical expression of seeking God and cultivating fire and passion for God.” | cu

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Manna Begins 2020 with Praise and Prayer

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Participants in Manna Christian Fellowship kicked off the new year with a large group gathering January 11 at McCormick Hall that focused on praise and prayer.

Manna (manna.princeton.edu) enjoyed a fruitful autumn semester.

Among the highlights, female students assembled on December 9 in Spelman Hall for an evening of praise, prayer, testimony, and fellowship. In addition, the ministry staged a Thanksgiving potluck for students on campus over the holiday break. On

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October 25-27, Manna held its annual fall retreat at the Tuscarora Inn and Conference Center in Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania.

Arch Sings and A Christmas Jam Kindred Spirit, a Christian a cappella group at Princeton University, hosted its annual Christmas Jam in December.

The co-ed group sang holiday arrangements, including “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” on December 7 at Murray-Dodge Hall. Earlier in the semester,

the group held an open house and auditions, and staged its KS Newbie Arch to welcome incoming members. In November, Kindred Spirit held its Fall Arch under Blair Hall’s archway, where it performed songs from its recent weeklong tour in Atlanta.

Kindred Spirit (www.

PrincetonKindredSpirit.com) features students from Princeton and Westminster Choir College.

Since 1991, the group has offered inspirational music to the Princeton community via arch sings, gospel jams, community service, and more.

S TA N FORD | On Campus

Ancient Wisdom, Dating, and the Academy O ’ C O N N O R S P E A K S AT L O V E A N D F I D E L I T Y C O N F E R E N C E

By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer

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young men and women to establish loving, lifelong relationships, especially within the bubble of top-tier campuses. “The obstacles, from any historical and anthropological point of view, are extremely unusual,” O’Connor said.

student world,” O’Connor said. As leading universities assimilate models of corporate conduct and seriousness, shifts in behavioral norms have infiltrated interpersonal interaction among undergraduate and graduate students.

Essentially, colleges expect stu-

David O’Connor, a Stanford University-educated scholar, crisscrosses the nation to lecture on topics tied to his thought-provoking writings on modern love.

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dents to behave as “quasi-employees,” said O’Connor.

Likewise, a festering climate of fear across institutions of higher education has put a chill on human relationships, including those within the university dating scene. “This kind of fear is something that we assimilate into without ever choosing it,” said O’Connor.

As a recent phenomenon, growing counts of young men are hesitant even to express attraction to their female peers, in part because of a need to fit into a pervasive culture that puts a

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Still, contrary to contemporary assumptions about the culture at top secular academic institutions, many female students welcome dating opportunities. “They would like you to talk to them,” said O’Connor, the father of three daughters. “We live in such a distorted time that elite culture has coded as down-market, if not as explicitly white trash, the notion that a man would show respectful initiative in approaching a woman he finds attractive.”

Such collegiate cultural trends are playing out because the “standards of the corporate (world) have infected the

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Stanford University-educated scholar is in regular demand as he travels the nation to lecture on topics tied to his thought-provoking writings on modern love.

While much of David O’Connor’s research focuses upon ancient philosophy, aesthetics, ethics, and political philosophy, the University of Notre Dame professor’s online lectures and books on love and sexuality have generated widespread attention.

O’Connor, Stanford Ph.D. ’85, bases many of his lectures on his most recent books, namely Plato’s Bedroom: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Love, and Love is Barefoot Philosophy: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Love.

Among his extensive scholarly, teaching, and literary credentials, O’Connor may be best known for his award-winning Open Courseware productions. In 2007, O’Connor produced a series entitled Ancient Wisdom and Modern Love on behalf of Notre Dame. Oprah Magazine and SELF spotlighted the series, and a Chinese version from 2012 received 100,000-plus views.

In November, O’Connor appeared at the Love & Fidelity Network’s 2019 Sexuality, Integrity, and the University Conference, where he delivered a talk entitled Straight Talk for Men: Awe Not Fear – How a Real Man Looks at a Woman. During the annual conference at Princeton University, O’Connor spoke to collegiate men during a breakout session.

O’Connor warned his audience they are living in a challenging era for

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the spiritual climate on campus

premium upon self-censorship. “There is a spirit of fearfulness that penetrates everything that looks personal,” he said.

To blend into their campus settings and avoid possible offense or other risk, modern students tend to incorporate collegiate values and norms. “The way the elite university exercises itself on young men is to get you to bite your tongue so often that eventually, you’ll lose the power of speech,” O’Connor said.

In the interest of campus safety and correctness, “one of the things they want you to bite your tongue about is finding women attractive.”

Indeed, collegiate flings or partnerships of recent generations have resulted in unhealthy or manipulative behavior. Still, O’Connor told students not to shun outright dating rituals during their formative, campus years.

Christian teachings showcase the paramount importance of marriage and children, he said. Romantic love between a husband and wife reflects

the relationship between Christ and His beloved Church, and it often leads to procreation and dynamic intergenerational families.

Mutual attraction creates the spark that helps to launch the courtship process. Through marriage, “couples can imitate the creative power of God,” O’Connor said.

While colleges formerly served as a place to meet a future spouse, the scene has radically shifted at top higher-ed institutions. Today, a series of cultural taboos against the acknowledgement of romantic attraction “seems to put you in a space that is unprecedented in the whole history of human culture,” O’Connor said.

Male students often feel limited in ways to recognize the “natural human responsiveness that men and women have to one another.” As well, efforts from faith communities to promote a marriage culture among college students face formidable obstacles from value systems that are

both risk-averse and prize resume-building pursuits.

Such priorities “get in the way of the natural power of students to fall in love and make commitments.”

Despite palpable shifts in the dating world at top secular universities, O’Connor encouraged students to look ahead to the merits of marriage and family.

O’Connor then offered a concrete analogy. Namely, power saws are extremely dangerous, and misuse can result in loss of fingers and limbs.

“Who would ban power saws because someone was injured by them?”

O’Connor asked, rhetorically.

Even with the inherent risks and missteps associated with collegiate dating, men should stay open to the wonders and far-reaching rewards of falling in love with their future wives.

“Don’t throw away your power tools because occasionally, you are an idiot with one,” O’Connor said. | cu

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Ministering to International Students

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The International Students Christian Outreach at Stanford hosted a series of events in the fall semester. ISCO “is a caring community of Christfollowers committed to serve in community, promote social connections, and engage in spiritual conversations with international students.” Some of the highlights included: International Student Day at a park near the Golden Gate Bridge

and a fall campout. Both events brought together international students from Bay Area colleges.

During its Thanksgiving Exchange, ISCO helped Stanford’s international students enjoy a holiday dinner with local host families.

Stanford Students Attend RUF Conference In early January, members of Stanford Reformed University

Fellowship joined students from fifteen other colleges for the West Coast RUF Conference in San Diego. The conference “brings college students together at the beginning of the new year for relaxation, fellowship, and teaching on the beach” near Mission Bay in San Diego. Stanford RUF has a missions trip planned for March 20-28 in Southeast Asia.

In October, Reformed University Fellowship at Stanford hosted its Fall Getaway at Lake Tahoe, California.

the spiritual climate on campus

YA L E | On Campus

“Be Thou My Vision” A YA L E S T U D E N T ’ S M E D I TAT I O N

By Bella Gamboa, Yale ’22 Editor’s note: The following article was reprinted with permission from Yale Logos (www.yalelogos.com), a student journal.

E

ven in times when I feel farthest from God, hymns have had a singular ability to remind me of who He is and of His presence. The value of song has clear biblical precedent,

we are in Him and how we ought to relate to Him. With all that in mind, what follows is a brief meditation on several verses from one of my favorite hymns, “Be Thou My Vision.”

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art Thou my best Thought, by day or by night Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light God’s presence at the center of one’s life is essential to the Christian; He is not to be kept on the periphery, relevant only at certain times or in certain spheres, but He is intended always to be central. He ought to be primary in our sight, what we see and look to above all. And when God

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Bella Gamboa

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particularly in the Psalms (which themselves were designed to be sung!).

The psalmist frequently presents song as an imperative part of a relationship with God, such as in Psalm 98:4-5: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!”

Praise to God overflows in song, and singing also reminds us of who

as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). God is incomprehensibly, indescribably superior to anything else.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord Thou my great Father, I Thy true son Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one As undergraduates, we seem endlessly to pursue knowledge; whether compelled or enthused, we accrue information and skills in various classes, extracurriculars, and conversations with our peers. And knowledge is certainly valuable, but we must be careful to put the quest for it in context — the

As undergraduates, we seem endlessly to pursue knowledge; whether compelled or enthused, we accrue information and skills in various classes, extracurriculars, and conversations with our peers.

And knowledge is certainly valuable, but we must be careful to put the quest for it in context — the Bible makes a distinction between different sorts of wisdom or knowledge. occupies His appropriate place in our lives, He, in His overwhelming greatness and perfection, is sufficient for us and our needs. This verse recalls Paul, who said, “I count everything

Bible makes a distinction between different sorts of wisdom or knowledge.

In Matthew 11:25, Jesus thanks God that “[He has] hidden these things

from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.” Here, Jesus refers to the inability of His learned, worldly wise contemporaries, like the Pharisees, to appreciate who He is, while children can grasp it.

Yalies certainly occupy a position similar to that of “the wise and understanding”—we know a great deal about coding, or carbon compounds, or Caravaggio. But true, godly wisdom does not lie in these things, as “Be Thou My Vision” reminds us; indeed, David might call the wise of Matthew fools, for the “fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). God Himself is our wisdom.

Knowing Him provides deeper, truer fulfillment and wisdom than knowing all the material for any course. Fur-

thermore, we have the opportunity for continual companionship with God, as He is our Father, and, through the Holy Spirit, He dwells within us.

This continual presence enables God to be our vision and our wisdom, for He is unwaveringly present.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise Thou mine Inheritance, now and always Thou and Thou only, first in my heart High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art This verse is somewhat intimidating to me — I certainly value and hang onto the praise of my professors and peers, and could hardly say that I treat

it as if it is “empty.” But, as with Paul in Philippians, the hymn’s dismissal of earthly standards, of wealth and repute, are not arbitrary or melancholy. These are not inherently bad things, but they are so insignificant because God is so much greater. When He is first in our hearts and central in our sight, we have no need for worldly, and almost inevitably disappointing, means of raising up ourselves.

He alone is our Father, our Treasure, and our King, and He is eternally deserving of our song — let us join as the “heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). | cu bella gamboa is a Yale sophomore ma-

joring in the humanities.

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Professors Lament Lack of Ideological Diversity

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In October, Yale Divinity School hosted the International Jonathan Edwards Conference. More than 150 people from a dozen countries attended the event, which featured scholars affiliated with Yale’s Jonathan Edwards Center and Online Archive.

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YDS Presents Jonathan Edwards Conference

The Edwards Center features a collective of Edwards’ scholarly publications and materials, and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library houses some of the revivalist preacher’s original texts.

Yale is considered the goto place for serious students of the historical figure’s teachings.

Edwards, who graduated from Yale College in 1720, served as the third president of Princeton in 1758. He is best known as one of the chief fathers of the Great Awakening in the American colonies.

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In a December Yale Daily News article, several members of the university community expressed concerns at the college’s lack of political diversity.

The article, entitled “Faculty Call for Ideological Diversity,” included a quote from prominent history professor Carlos Eire GRD ’79, who said “Yale’s liberal bent can choke productive discussion.”

“Yale talks a lot of diversity, but basically all that diversity means here is skin color,” Eire said.

“There’s definitely no diversity here when it comes to politics. The liberal point of view is taken to be objective—not an opinion, not a set of beliefs.”

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