Christian professors have unique opportunities to share Christ’s grace and truth. Sometimes, those opportunities happen in the classroom. Sometimes, though, they happen over a bowl of soup. I was so encouraged by this recent update from John and Laura about how a bowl of soup helped Marie find a personal relationship with Jesus:
In Fall 2019, Marie arrived at our school from Georgia (the country, not the U.S. state). She was in my history course, where I learned that she was a quiet and thoughtful young woman, as well as a huge fan of Marvel movies. She also began attending the Bible study that Laura and I hosted in one of the residence halls at noon on Fridays. In addition to Bible study, we provided soup. Some students may have come more for the soup than for Jesus, but they still stayed for the Bible study. At that time, Marie probably would have identified as a Christian, since she is Georgian and that’s part of the country’s cultural identity. But while she was curious about the Bible then, her faith wasn’t real in any meaningful sense.
What a difference four years have made! Since fall 2019, she’s taken the two required Bible courses, along with several other theology courses as electives. A number of other faculty and staff have invested in her life in significant ways. She graduated this spring with a degree in psychology. And during these years, she has learned what it really means to be a Christian and wants to follow God.
Last spring, many of us on campus gathered for the final chapel service of the academic year. The chaplain asked several graduating seniors to share about how God had been at work in their lives during their time at college. One of those who spoke was Marie, who talked about how her faith has become real during her time here. Of course, we see many arrive as first-year students and graduate four years later with no apparent change in their faith convictions. In those cases, we trust that God is still at work. But it is immensely encouraging when we hear students like Marie professing faith in Christ.
Thank you for investing in students like Marie around the world. You are making a difference – one lecture, one faculty meeting, and one bowl of soup at a time.
Italicized names have been changed to protect privacy.
My guest in this episode of the College Faith podcast is Timothee Joset, author of The Priesthood of All Students. He has been a student leader in campus ministry in Switzerland and internationally, including serving on the International Fellowship for Evangelical Students (or IFES) governing Board for four years. We discuss why the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is important for understanding how campus ministries should operate.
For those of us not currently connected to the academic world, the idea of furthering our education as Christians can be daunting. Where do you start? What should you consider before taking on this experience? Is it worth it even if it doesn’t increase your earning potential? In this episode of the Thinking Christianly podcast, JP Moreland and I share practical advice and wisdom for evaluating the costs and benefits of going beyond learning in an informal setting; specifically as it relates to masters and doctoral degrees in philosophy and ministry.
Our October prayer calendar is posted on our website. We invite you to download the calendar and pray for Global Scholars professors, university students, our partners, and current needs in higher education. Find the October calendar here.
