Category: Student Culture, Trends & Issues

Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Hyper-Connected Life

Just saw this new infographic and wanted to share it with you.

With a high percentage of our student population being described within these stats, what do you think about what you see here?

What are you most troubled by?

For me, it’s the section describing the impact of being hyper-connected. I’m not sure how you look at the two set of possibilities and not believe that the negative far outweighs the positive — but maybe that just me.

Where, within all of these stats, do you see opportunity for ministry and/or meaningful conversation?

Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Problem With Tolerance

The problem with tolerance is both simple and complex — and has everything to do with how we understand it and attempt to live it out.

It’s simple in the sense that this cultural call to create space for those who don’t believe exactly like you speaks to the kind of charity and hospitality that we see exemplified by Christ.

This is good. And something that many of us as Christians have struggled with for a long time now.

I believe that Christians should be a living definition of charity and hospitality.

But it’s complex in that — for far too many followers of Jesus — we understand it to mean that we need to keep our beliefs and opinions to our selves.

Big Ideas & 'Best Of', Student Culture, Trends & Issues, The Campus Minister

BREAKING NEWS Regarding the 2013 Faith ON Campus Summer Institute

I am thrilled to announce that do to the generous gifts of some great organizations we will now be able to offer tickets to the 2013 Faith ON Campus Summer Institute for just $139!

Events like this could not happen without the generous support of many!

I encourage you to check out these great organizations — and get your ticket now for the 2013 Faith ON Campus Summer Institute!

Blogathons, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Cost of Being a Bridge Builder between LGBTs and the Church

I feel the costs of the corporate LGBT and Church disconnect have been well documented for what this culture war has left in its wake.

The broader LGBT community’s retelling of this story, in most cases, has the Bride acting more like Bridezilla than the Bride who, when the doors swing open for the first time, is standing in her gown, looking as beautiful as she has ever looked, ready to walk down the aisle and be sacramentally joined with God to the person she loves more than any other on the face of the earth.

And the Church’s retelling of this disconnect, at its core, is in most cases one of denominational and congregations division—separating what many thought was once one of the three unbreakable cords tied to the Lord for good works.

Blogathons, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

Nice Christians Don’t Talk About Sex

“It seems that more than ever the compulsion today is to identify, to reduce someone to what is on the label. To identify is to control, to limit. To love is to call by name and so open the wide gates of creativity. But we forget names and turn to labels.” –Madeline L’Engle

LGBTQ is the latest in a long list of labels used to identify people with sexual orientations that differ from the heterosexual norm.

Blogathons, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Future Consequences of Present Actions

As a pastor of students, and father of five small children, I am deeply troubled by the statistics describing the sexual practices of today’s young people.

Sometimes I wish I had the ability to sit down with students and allow them to look 5 years, 10 years, or maybe even 15 years into the future — so they could see how their present actions will have a direct impact on their future.

I honestly believe that if more students knew how their choices today would impact their lives in the years to come, they’d make changes in their lives.

At least I hope they would.