Cultural Engagement

School of Public Health at Brown Helps to Host Drag Performance

By erin conner

 
The emblematic statement that introduces the School of Public Health’s page on Brown University’s website reads, “Standing at the forefront of today's most important public health issues, Brown is spearheading vital initiatives that will shape the future of the field.” 

On October 20-21, 2023, the School of Public Health at Brown University helped to host an event entitled “Decolonize Drag with Professor Kareem Khubchandani.” The poster advertising this event for students shows the professor lying down in a provocative manner. 

CU Fire Retreats Continue to Blaze Across America

By erin conner

“Once again CU Fire Retreats Delivered! Amazing!,” claimed one participant following the past Christian Union America Retreat held on October 13-14.  CU Fire Retreats are multi-site, two-day simulcast retreats focusing on spiritual strengthening through prayer, fasting, repentance, and seeking the Lord. CU Fire Retreats are a part of Christian Union America’s efforts to bring sweeping change to our nation for God’s glory through the development and connection of transformative Christian leaders.    

The Debate of Cessationism v. Continuationism 

By erin conner

Are the miraculous gifts for today? Dr. Michael Brown argues a compelling “yes” in his article entitled “The Reformed of the Lord Say No to Cessationism,” published on October 9 in Christianity Today.  

“The cessationist debate is back, although in some ways, it’s never left,” Brown writes, in light of the recently scheduled 2024 Cessationist Conference led, in part, by Pastor John MacArthur. This conference is timed to coincide with the release of the Cessationist movie, “bringing an age-old topic back to the forefront of trending conversations, especially among Reformed believers.” 

Prayerful Penn Students Are Making a Difference

By Anne Kerhoulas 

The following article was actually written in 2021, when the universities where Christian Union works were beginning to come out of the COVID lockdown.

While most college students spend their Saturday mornings sleeping in, recovering from a week of late nights and coursework, a group of students from Christian Union Martus at the University of Pennsylvania participate in sidewalk abortion ministry with Quakers For Life, a pro-life organization founded by Martus alumnus, Eric Hoover ’19.

Tim Keller's Final Articles

By Chuck Hetzler

Two of Tim Keller’s final written pieces, published just weeks before his passing on May 19, 2023, were on the subject of revival. One such article was directed to the church at The Gospel Coalition (March 17, 2023) and the other offered to all Americans in The Atlantic(February 5, 2023).

Robert P. George Remarks on Pro-Life Heroes

On April 29, 2023, Robert P. George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, delivered an address upon receiving the 2023 Evangelium Vitae Medal from the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. He spoke on the pro-life movement and twelve of its heroes.

How One Doctor Was Converted From Abortion To Life-Affirming Medicine

By Anne Kerhoulas

In this gut-wrenching and eye-opening conversation for Public Discourse, Leah Sargeant interviews Dr. John Bruchalski, a OB/GYN who performed abortions for years before converting to life-affirming medicine. 

Christian Union Board Member Explores A Life of Signs and Wonders in New Book

By Anne Kerhoulas

Ken Fish wants believers to know that God is not in theory. So often in the western church, Christians read the stories of the Bible and assume that signs and wonders were events that occurred in biblical times and simply don’t happen today. Fish is here to tell you otherwise in his upcoming book, On the Road with The Holy Spirit: A Modern Day Diary of Signs and Wonders. 

Judge Heckled and Insulted For Unpopular Views

By Anne Kerhoulas

On March 9, 2023, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan was invited to speak at Standford Law School. Duncan, a conservative judge who has opposed the right to same-sex marriage, ruled to restrict abortion, and held other views deemed unacceptable by Stanford students, was the recipient of heckling, threats, and insults during his talk. When Duncan asked for the moderator to intervene, the Stanford administrator took the side of the students, stating that his work had caused many of them harm. 

Downplaying Sexual Sin Won’t Win the Next Generation

By Anne Kerhoulas

Sexuality and sexual ethics have been at the forefront of our culture for the past few decades. Since the sexual revolution in the 60s, the way our nation thinks about what sex is for, how we use our bodies, and what it means to be male or female has rapidly changed.

Christian Union Embarks On Second Massive Evangelism Initiative 

By Anne Kerhoulas

Last spring, Christian Union launched CU Rise, an evangelism campaign designed to share the gospel with students at ten of the nation’s most influential universities more boldly, strategically, and frequently than ever before. This week, Christian Union is at it again as CU Rise takes form for its second iteration.

Submitting To God’s Word Aligns Us With Reality

By Anne Kerhoulas

Authority is a difficult word for modern ears to process. It often makes us want to push against it, rebel, and assert our own authority. But when it comes to the authority of Scripture, John Mark Comer argues that it is a different kind of authority altogether. 

Jesus Revolution Brings The Jesus Movement To Life

By Anne Kerhoulas

Jesus Revolution, a new film released at the end of February, depicts the Southern California Jesus Movement in a thoughtful and engaging way. Featuring Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in The Chosen, and Kelsey Grammar from Frasier, the film dives into the personal lives of some of the Jesus Movements' central characters: Chuck Smith and Lonnie Frisbee.

CU Gloria Social Action Team Explores Environmentalism and the Gospel

By Anne Kerhoulas

What does climate change have to do with Jesus? For many people, the answer is nothing. But as environmental activism and climate policy become more central to the world stage, Christians are speaking into the conversation with a simple but profound truth: environmental stewardship is a call placed on every Christian. 

Secular Authors Criticize Modern Sexual Ideology

By Anne Kerhoulas

Two recently released books by secular authors argue that the sexual revolution has not brought the sexual freedom and empowerment that it promised. Rather, it has created identity crises, rampant assault and abuse, the degradation of women through pornography, and the disintegration of marriage.

While Christians who believe in the biblical sexual ethic may not be surprised by these findings, it’s important that secular thinkers are beginning to re-evaluate what sex and sexuality are for and what it means to flourish in sexual relationships.

CU Alumna and Hamilton Cast Member Finds Identity in Christ

By Ashley LaLonde

Growing up in the heart of New York City, I often struggled to connect with other believers. Though my parents were both faithful Christians, and we attended church nearly every Sunday, almost all my close friends were people of other faiths or no faith at all. I often felt like the oddball. I loved Jesus and knew I had a relationship with him, but I would frequently downplay it with others just to fit in. 

ChatGPT Just Transformed Education

By Anne Kerhoulas

Chat GPT arrived at the end of 2022, bringing with it a slew of problems—both ethical and practical—to the university setting. The AI program is capable of producing high-quality written content and is adept enough to imitate specific voices, styles of writing, and even well-known authors. This powerful tool is now posing an unprecedented threat to education, and educators from middle school to the university setting are scrambling to adjust to a new world. 

CU New York Hosts Dr. Ryan T. Anderson

Christian Union New York invited Christian Union Alumni, CU New York participants, and friends of Christian Union to gather on November 29, 2022, for a virtual forum with Dr. Ryan T. Anderson. Drawing on the best insights from biology, psychology, and philosophy, Dr. Anderson offered a nuanced view of human embodiment, a balanced approach to public policy on gender identity, and a sober assessment of the human costs of getting human nature wrong. 

Ignoring Religion Fails To Prepare Students

Anne Kerhoulas

While it may not be surprising to hear that Christianity is declining in America, religion as a whole is actually growing throughout the world. China is on track to have more Christians than America in the next decade in spite of being an openly atheistic country. In the Middle East, the Islamic revival is producing more pilgrimages to Mecca than ever before. In Latin America, a once predominately Roman Catholic region, pentecostalism is booming. Even in America, though Christianity is waning, new-age spirituality is increasingly popular, and more and more people are religiously unaffiliated but interested and open to spirituality. 

Can A Christian Nurse Participate In Gender Reassignment?

By Anne Kerhoulas

It’s becoming a question more and more believers in healthcare will have to face: can a Christian doctor or nurse assist in gender reassignment surgery? 

In this article for Desiring God, John Piper addresses the question from a biblical perspective to help believers understand the gravity of their actions as well as their responsibility to God and his creation.