College can be a confusing time—figuring out what we are, what we want to do, and most importantly, who we want to marry.
Okay, maybe not most importantly.
I’ve previously written a post about marrying “The One” and whether or not only one actually existed.
I created this video post for those wondering how to tell whether your current “one” is actually The One. I’m sure you get that question all the time from your students.
The digital age has completely changed any conversation relating to sex. Statistics tell us that by the time a college student arrives on campus, they have been exposed to sexually explicit material for an average of seven years.
Those of us who work with students on a regular basis recognize the emotional and spiritual toll this takes on those on our campuses. We see the numbness, the apathy and the brokenness that often accompanies this saturation of explicit material.
Increasingly, I am becoming more aware of the physical manifestations of a sexual identity formed in the digital age. There is a growing amount of research relating to the actual neurological changes caused by long-term exposure to explicit material. The scientific term for this is neuroplasticity. Neurologically speaking, route behaviors we participate in have the ability to wire our brain to respond in certain ways and to specific stimuli.
The primary reason that college students leave their faith in college is their personal desire for sexual freedom and its incompatibility with religious morality.
Approximately 65% of all college students have had sex.
25% of college women’s first encounter with sex was unwanted or forced.
Less than 30% of college students have had a healthy conversation with their parents about the “birds and the bees”
GK Chesterton says, “The guy knocking on the brothel door is knocking for God”
I’m not sure I’m in the best position to make a contribution to this blogathon, given its topic, Sex and the Soul. I have grown long in the tooth and I find myself sounding like my parents.
But, I must be honest: I think the topic looms huge, the veritable 500-pound gorilla always there in the corner of the room.
Maybe a story from my own college experience will help to frame my concern.
I’m excited to announce that as a part of next week’s Sex & the Soul Blogathon, we will be giving away 5 copies of Abbie Smith’s forthcoming book Celibate Sex: Musings on Being Loved, Single, Twisted, and Holy.
Make sure to read all the way to the bottom to learn the context rules!
Preparation for the next blogathon is now underway!
As you very well know, today’s college students are more wounded than ever. They’ve been exposed to, or personally experienced, a lot of pain and hurt in relation to sex, issues of sexuality, and their intersection with the Christian faith.
And what they need most are women and men who are willing to “get dirty” with them in order to understand the depths of their hurts.
They need someone like you and like me to come alongside them — suspending judgment — and journey with them towards healing, reconciliation, and redemption.
The 3rd Annual Sex & the Soul Blogathon…
Right about now collegiate leaders all around the country are having a severe dose of reality. Pure pandemonium is about to commence because we’ve realized that in just over four short weeks we’ve got students arriving back on campus and our Fall Semesters will be in full swing.
Dang that was a short summer!
All of our well thought out plans and strategies are about to be tested with a vengeance. We’re hoping our student leadership teams are prepared and have brought their A-Games. And we ourselves are screaming like banshees praying like mad that we haven’t forgotten anything because before we realize it we’re going to have incoming freshman crawling out of the woodwork all over our campus.
“Luke just finished a 10 lb burrito!” exclaimed his friend Colin rushing back from one of our local Mexican restaurants.
Gluttony: to gulp down or swallow; a serious failure in self-discipline. Always the words you want to start the semester with.
I work with two campuses that have the same problem in opposite directions. Campus A is a denominational school that requires chapel twice a week, often bonus chapels, has only one strong Christian organization that many attend, and service opportunities around the school.
Campus B is…
Have you ever felt like the only tree in the forest that wasn’t like the others? Like all of the trees around you have roots that suck water through huge PVC pipe while your roots are trying to suck through a coffee stirrer?
At some point I am sure each of us have felt this way.
This awkwardness is felt by many when entering a discipleship group on a week night in the dorm.
You know what I mean–you are so envious when the person next to you starts spouting off quotes from last week’s reading. They eloquently recite half the book of James while you struggle to stay focused and wade through the material in order to participate.
Faith ON Campus is excited to announce the next Blogathon:
Back to School | August 7-9, 2012!
I know it probably feels like the summer just started — but the reality is that the new school year is just around the corner — so with that in mind, it’s time to make plans and preparations for this upcoming opportunity to come together for some collective thinking and sharing about how to make the most of this critical time of the year!
That’s what the Back to School Blogathon is all about!