Now you are at College

Most College/University Christian groups, in my experience of a number of university Christian groups, fails to reach above the level of a middling church 'youth group'.

While doing graduate studies at on of the world's leading such institutions I avoided the evangelical group, and found the young Catholics group much more adult as well as more interested in discussion of any ideas: to expose, test and reflect on from a Catholic perspective.

It was enthralling and enjoyable. Similar to going to the Philosophy Club and disagreeing with all the poorly read opinion merchants. 

Let's start with who is at university: some of the brightest young minds on the planet!!!

So let's work at their intellectual level and rhetorical vigour.

Firstly the reading lists

Bible

Ideally read the Bible through once a year: that's 4 chapters a day, or 2 pd during semester, and more between.

As an alternative, read the New Testament through once a year, and the Old Testament once during your undergraduate period. 

Books

This list covers all three or four years, not just 'this' year. 

Lewis, C. S.

Mere Christianity, The Great Divorce, The Abolition of Man, and Problem of Pain.

Schaeffer, F. A.

His trilogy plus:

The God Who is There

He is There and is not Silent

Escape from Reason

Genesis is Space and Time.

Pearcey, N.

Total Truth (with an annual seminar on this for the newbies)

Finding Truth.

Moreland, J.P. (ed)

The Creation Hypothesis.

This is an older book (1994) but contains a good range of contributors and topics.

A more updated set of texts might be recent volumes by Dembski and Meyer.

Philosophical Foundations for a Christian World View (with William Lane Craig)

Turek, F.

I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist 

 

Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case

Trueman, C.

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.

You might want to add similar studies by Charles Taylor. 

Watkin, C.

Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life. 

Seminars

An annual seminar based on Pearcey's Total Truth.

Reading groups for each author through the year, over a 3 year cycle.

One ad-hoc seminar each year on some cultural issue considered through the lens of the Christian world-view.

Training

Personal evangelism dealing with the basic questions of Christians, and by Muslims, in pursuit of 1 Peter 3:15.

Action

On-campus permanent discussion stands, and training visits to discussion stands of other religious and of political groups.

Then we'd see a growing cadre of young scholars able to confidently help others made critical sense of modern life in a corrupt world.

Current rating for this on common current performance? ZERO! 

And, naturally Bible discussion groups meeting at various paces: weekly, fortnightly, monthly to accommodate differing study routines.

Hosting an 'enquirers' group for those interested in Christianity and/or discussing it. This should be hosted by students in their 3rd or 4th year of study, or in post-graduate studies.