Do You Encourage Students to Wrestle With God & Scripture?

By guy.chmieleski@gmail.comSpiritual Formation

 

It may seem like a dumb question, but I wonder…

Do we really encourage our students to wrestle with their understanding of a good God in the midst of a hurting world?

Do we challenge our students to sit with some of the difficult passages in the Bible that seem to paint a picture of God that is hard, harsh or even unfair?

Or, out of well-intended but possibly mis-guided compassion, do we seek to give them the “answers” — attempt to explain away or steer students away from difficult texts in the Bible — and ultimately re-cast God in a more palatable way?

In a post last week I began to explore the idea of the College Years as Desert Experience [?].

And I find myself wondering how God might really want to utilize these formative college years in the lives of our students.

What if it’s not just about helping them to keep their faith during these years of transition?

What if it’s not about reinforcing the answers that make up the inherited faith they come to campus with?

What if it’s not about helping them to feel good, comfortable and ok with the current state of their spiritual life?

I’ve been reminded recently of the power and purpose of the desert.

It is a place where people used to go to meet God — to wrestle with their unanswered questions — to grow, mature and develop.

I’m starting to believe that the college experience might be one of the most natural deserts our youth might encounter — and that we, as shepherds in this land, have the chance to come alongside and assist them — not in giving them the “right answers” or telling them it’s going to be OK; but through encouraging them to stay and to fight!

What if we began to see ourselves as “managers” in the corner of a fighter?

What if we began to view our work as that of providing hope, inspiration and courage to the one(s) doing battle “in the ring?”

What if we became known for cheering on the one(s) fighting for their faith — knowing that students will come out transformed as a result?

I’m not talking about the testosterone-filled faith that some are in the habit of preaching these days…

Nor am I talking about being reckless with the faith and lives of our students.

But I am challenged by the very nature of the college experience, the formative potential of these years, and the need for our young students to claim ownership of their faith — whatever the cost.

I’m still working on this… but I’d love to know: What do you think?

 

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One thought on “Do You Encourage Students to Wrestle With God & Scripture?”

  1. I love going back to check out all of these great blogs I missed.

    One of my biggest criticisms of church these days is that in one breath we exclaim the wonders of the “mystery of God,” and in the next we are explaining away the mystery as if we are putting ourselves in the holy shoes of God. 

    When I raise questions that scholars have debated for centuries, I get the WWE, not real wrestling.  The process is an entertaining, choreographed explanation which often steals away the spirit and is full of proof-texting rather than a true struggle with questions that reflect our views on the nature of God.

    All of that to say, thanks for the post.  I hope it encourages people to encourage the process of seeking God in the desert.

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