|
Many of us know from experience that when a young person
leaves home and heads off to college or university, they quickly find themselves
in the midst of a culture that espouses a variety of world views. Sometimes, it
is extremely difficult to maintain Christian beliefs in such an environment.
After a year or two many young people from a churched background turn from the
faith. Some who turn away were never there in the first place; others who
abandon their Christian faith have done so because they were not prepared or
equipped to deal with the challenges of different worldviews present on most
campuses.
Budziszewski is a
university professor and has been involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship,
Campus Crusade, and other student ministries. He believes that “Higher education
doesn’t have to be a wasteland.” How to Stay Christian in College is
written for three audiences: students who plan to go to college, students
already in college, and parents of students in both groups. He talks about the
experience of aloneness which, added to typical homesickness, devastates many
college freshman. What can they do in such a situation? This book will help
students navigate this crucial time.
Budziszewski is on target
when he says that many Christians never get beyond a child’s understanding of
the Christian faith; hence they are not equipped to combat the ideologies of
non-Christian worldviews. Surviving spiritually in college, where they have to
begin to function like adults is difficult.
In one chapter,
Budziszewski discusses nine myths about truth and reality. In class students
hear claims like: “The only truth is that with which the immediate community
agrees,” or “Reality has to be constructed sociologically,” or “Truth is
whatever works.” This is a good chapter because it deals with arrogance, doubt,
and humility as they relate to truth. Another chapter addresses myths about love
and sex—issues that often confuse young college students and must be dealt with
in the right way. Other chapters discuss coping with social life, religious
life, classroom life, friendship, dating, and marriage. Drawing on his
experience as a college student and university professor, Budziszewski equips
Christian young people to survive spiritually, as well as intellectually, in
that setting. Any reader will benefit from this book, especially students and
parents.
|