“Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.” – Simone Weil

“Behind all our fun and games at Christmas time, we should not try to escape a sense of awe, almost a sense of fright, at what God has done. We must never allow anything to blind us to the true significance of what happened at Bethlehem so long ago. Nothing can alter the fact that we live on a visited planet.” – J.B. Phillips

“Christ came to us as Jesus of Nazareth, wholly human and wholly divine, to show us what it means to be made in God’s image.” – Madeleine L’Engle

“Truly it is marvelous in our eyes that God should place a little child in the lap of a virgin and that all our blessedness should lie in him… God feeds the whole world through a babe nursing at Mary’s breast.”          – Martin Luther

“We sometimes wonder why God doesn’t just end suffering. But we know that whatever the reason, it isn’t one of indifference or remoteness. God so hates suffering and evil that he was willing to come into it and become enmeshed in it… The gift of Christmas gives you a resource—a comfort and consolation—for dealing with suffering, because in it we see God’s willingness to enter this world of suffering to suffer with us and for us.” – Timothy Keller

“What God did when he sent his Son into the world is an absolute guarantee that he will do everything he has ever promised to do.” – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“The great enquiry of the world in general in all ages of it, is after happiness. Yet there is scarce anything that the world is more deceived about. And thus therefore was no inconsiderable part of the errand of Jesus Christ, the great teacher of mankind, into the world, to instruct men wherein their true happiness consisted.” – Jonathan Edwards

“This is often the way God loves us: with gifts we thought we didn’t need, which transform us into people we don’t necessarily want to be.” – William Willimon

“It is no use saying that we are born two thousand years too late to give room to Christ. Nor will those who live at the end of the world have been born too late. Christ is always with us, always asking for room in our hearts.” – Dorothy Day

As part of my day-job, I help put together Engage: The E-Journal of Youth Culture from CPYU. The December issue is now available and is quite good, I must say. The article for the College Transition Initiative features an adapted chapter from Drew Dyck’s book Generation Ex-Christian: Why Young Adults Are Leaving the Faith and How to Bring Them Back (Moody Publishers, 2010). What follow is my introductory note followed by a link to download the full article. Enjoy!

“According to author Drew Dyck, young people aren’t walking away from the church—they’re sprinting. A recent study by Ranier Research revealed that 70 percent of youth leave church by the time they are 22 years old. Barna Group estimates that 80 percent of those reared in the church will be ‘disengaged’ by the time they are 29 years old. Unlike earlier generations of church dropouts, Dyck believes that these ‘leavers’ are unlikely to seek out alternative forms of Christian community such as home churches and small groups. ‘When they leave church, many leave the faith as well.’ Drawing on recent research and in-depth interviews with young leavers, Dyck’s newly published book, Generation Ex-Christian: Why Young Adults Are Leaving the Faith and How to Bring Them Back (Moody Publishers, 2010), shines a light on the crisis and proposes effective responses that go beyond slick services or edgy outreach events.”

Download (.pdf) an article adapted from the first chapter of Generation Ex-Christian.

What students should do to make college count:

1.  Spend time with good books. Reading good books helps you become a better thinker, which helps you become a better writer. Observe how good writers craft their argument, how they tell a story, how they construct a sentence, how they begin, how they end. Good writers are first good readers (of good books). I’m convinced of that.

2.  Don’t rule out any options. Be careful of honing in on one college too early on as you’re exploring options. Be careful of choosing a major too early on. Don’t rule out a professor or a course because you heard they were or it was hard. And, as you get near the end of the degree, don’t rule out options for graduate work. Throw the net wide. 

3.  Consider playing a sport. If you can do this it could help you develop some personal disciplines. You’ll certainly develop some deep bonds. I recently practiced along side our cross country team and the coach said something he had learned in the Army. (Side Note: beware of coaches who were in the Army; they have a different definition of pain than most people.) He said you bond the most with those you suffer with. 

 4.  Be proactive in getting to know your professors. Take advantage of office hours to see your professors. Invite them to lunch or ask them to have a cup of coffee. Have some questions ready for them, thoughtful questions. And be sure to ask them about their college experience and the choices they made and what advice they may have for you. If you take the initiative most professors, even the busy ones, will make some time for you.

5.  Remember the words of James: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13). 

Stephen J. Nichols is research professor of Christianity & culture at Lancaster Bible College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is the author of many books and lives in an apple orchard.  

More college student advice from: Gideon Strauss, Ned Bustard, Kara Powell, Roger Steer, J. Mark Bertrand, Rick Ostrander, Timothy Edris and Steve Miller

The spring calendar is filling up fast… Request a College Transition Seminar today!

I am currently re-reading Jim Belcher’s excellent book Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional (IVP) for a Doctor of Ministry course I am taking at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. It reminded me of two things. First, I was reminded of how good the book is! Belcher helpfully articulates many of my own concerns with the emerging church in a way that both affirms the strengths of the emergent movement and points out the movement’s potential weaknesses. Belcher’s plea for a “deep church” is one we all need to take seriously.

I was also reminded of an interview I did with Belcher on CPYU’s Bookshelf blog last year. As I re-read the interview, I realized how many of Belcher’s comments would be helpful to readers of this blog as well. Belcher has much to offer parents and students getting ready for, or already in, college. Enjoy the interview!

Melleby: Tell us a bit about your story. What led you to write Deep Church?

Belcher: What led me to write Deep Church? A moment of insanity! Honestly, I thought it would help the church. I knew it would be risky to try to stand in the middle of two camps arguing but I really thought I could bring them together. As someone who has had a foot in both the emerging and traditional wings of the evangelical church, with deep friendships on both sides, I felt compelled help both sides listen to each other.

I also was saddened by the rhetorical shouting match going on between the two sides. I wanted to call for a “time out” and demonstrate in the book what it looks like to take the other side seriously, even when you disagree. My goal is to get both the emerging and traditional churches to first agree on what they have in common before they jump to what they disagree over. At the same time, I thought that both camps were missing some important truths. So my goal was to put forth a third way that transcends the limitations in both perspectives.

Melleby: What do you think is the biggest misunderstanding that the traditional church has with the emerging church and vice versa?

Belcher: I think the biggest misunderstanding by the traditional church is over postmodernism. Because they define it so differently, they assume that the emerging church is embracing relativism, which is not true. The biggest misunderstanding by the emerging church, I would contend, is their view that because the traditional church values belief that they don’t see the importance of belonging in coming to faith. I think it is more complicated than this and I point out a “third way” in the book.

Melleby: Explain what you mean by a “third way”?

Belcher: In Deep Church I take up the seven most common protests of the emerging church has against the traditional church. I dedicate one chapter for each protest. After laying out the problems the emerging church has with the traditional church on each of these topics, I give the traditional church a chance to “push back”, to challenge the thinking of the emerging church. Then after looking at the positions of both sides, I demonstrate how both camps are missing something vital in the discussion. I propose an alternative to thinking about the standoff, what I call a third way. So there really are seven different third ways that I describe in Deep Church.

Melleby: Many of our readers are parents and youth workers. How would they benefit from reading Deep Church?

Belcher: One of the great challenges facing kids today who grow up in the faith is their failure to remain in the body of Christ when they go off to college. Sadly, many Christian kids fall away in college and drop out of church. What could prevent this exodus? According to sociologist Christian Smith, when kids grow up in a church that is multi-generational and where their parents model for them a discipline of Scripture reading, they have a much higher chance of remaining in the faith and in church. I think Deep Church can be a great encouragement to parents and youth workers, painting a picture for what this kind of church can look like. I know one high school teacher in Ohio that has assigned Deep Church for her Christian students. Not only is she trying to disciple them but she is attempting to safeguard them from falling away from the church when they go off to college. She reported to me how receptive her students are to the book, especially the stories of individual transformation.

Melleby: What do you think college students would gain from reading your book?

Belcher: Studies show that most young people lack purpose and meaning in life beyond getting a job, making lots of money and buying tons of toys. They lack something bigger than themselves to attach their lonely selves to. Thus they are often depressed. What they need is a vision for the church and the Kingdom to inspire them to greatness. It is my prayer that Deep Church will provide a big, bold, exciting vision for the Bride of Christ and how amazing it is to be part of it. If young people want to be where the action is, to be at the center of what God is doing in his world, bringing truth and justice to broken people and institutions, it is most likely happening in the church and God’s Kingdom. I try to show this in my book. As a former college professor, I strongly believe that this is a big enough vision for college students to build their life around and provide enough meaning and purpose to last a lifetime.

Melleby: The book has gotten many positive reviews. What has surprised you the most about how the book has been received?

Belcher: I think what has surprised me the most is the fact that people have NOT lost their love for God’s church. They may be cynical about it, jaded by its failings, and just discouraged about how anemic it has become but they have not given up on it or failed to see how vital it is to God’s plan in the world. They long to see it renewed. They have been waiting for an excuse to get excited about it again. I think in a small way Deep Church has been the gasoline poured on the dying embers. And for many, this has ignited their passions and excitement for Christ’s body. I get emails every day from tired pastors who have been re-energized, laypeople who were ready to give up but now are using the book in study groups at their church, and even people giving it to non-believers and saying, “this is what Christianity is all about; not what you have heard in the media.” To the extent that God is using this book to engender a greater love for His church, I could not be more thrilled and humbled. May He receive all the glory and praise.

What students should do to make college count:

1. My freshman year in college I asked a lot of seniors, “If you were to start over again, what would you do differently or do the same to get the most out of your college experience?” I got lots of good advice. You might do the same.

2. Connect with good people – professors, students, staff, etc. Don’t just leave college with knowledge and a degree, leave it with some relationships intact. Connect with them on LinkedIn and Facebook; otherwise, you may never find them again. Your edge in getting great jobs will often come from who you know. With LinkedIn you’ll stay connected with people working at hundreds of places who might put in a good word for you when you send in an application.

3. Visit lots of Christian groups on campus. Even if your church group back home didn’t wow you, it can be very different in college; more real, more life-changing, since students attend because they want to go rather than “because mamma makes me go.” 

4. Visit lots of churches in the campus community. When some people reject church, they’re really rejecting a certain form of church that they didn’t like – too high class, too shallow, too stiff, too whatever. By visiting many different churches, you see the many cool forms that worship can take on.

5. Get to know people in the career center and counseling department. After all, a big part of why you’re in college is to get a great job once you get out. But interestingly, college doesn’t tend to teach you how to get a job. Learn from these folks and ask them, “what can I do during these college years to be more likely to get a good job after I leave?”

J. Steve Miller is the President of Legacy Educational Resources and author of Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It (“The money book for people who hate money books”). Read an interview with Steve Miller about his book: “College and Crippling Debt: The Growing Need for Financial Wisdom“

More college student advice from: Gideon Strauss, Ned Bustard, Kara Powell, Roger Steer, J. Mark Bertrand, Rick Ostrander, and Timothy Edris