Intellectual Engagement

Penn Sophomore Became A Christian Through CU Martus 

By Anne Kerhoulas

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. -1 Corinthians 3:5-7

For every Christian, the Lord appoints servants whom he uses to bring about our faith. Whether you grew up in a Christian home or an atheist home, God, in his perfect plan and kindness, placed individuals in your life who would speak the gospel to you, embody the love of Christ, help solidify theology, and love you into the kingdom of God. 

For Stanley Liu, who grew up in Los Angeles in a secular household, the Lord appointed the Boy Scouts and a Catholic girlfriend to plant and Christian Union Martus to water. 

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. 

Start Your Year Off With A Great Book

By Anne Kerhoulas

 
Our 2023 book recommendation list includes an array of Christian books. From classic theology to leadership development to biography, there is sure to be something that will encourage your spirit this new year.

God in the Dock is a collection of essays and speeches from C.S. Lewis. Its title implies "God on Trial" and the title is based on an analogy made by Lewis suggesting that modern human beings, rather than seeing themselves as standing before God in judgment, prefer to place God on trial while acting as his judge.
Recommended by Chris Coppernoll, Ministry Director, CU Nova 

Author and Scholar Joseph Laconte Discusses C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien Projects

This article was originally published in the Tristate Voice. Blake Whitmer ’23 is a Dartmouth student.

Joseph Loconte, PhD., is an author, Senior Fellow in Christianity and Culture at The King’s College, and the Director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at the Heritage Foundation. In 2015, he wrote the New York Times bestseller A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War. In 2016, he wrote the award-winning op-ed “How J.R.R. Tolkien Found Mordor on the Western Front.” His most recent project is a documentary on Lewis and Tolkien, with an emphasis on the way that war shaped their friendship and writings. Tri-State Voice writer Blake Whitmer recently sat down to interview him about his work.

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. 

A Trio of Christian Union Bible Studies Explore the Psalter  

By Anne Kerhoulas

Christian Union seeks a spiritually vibrant nation marked by Christian values permeating every corner of society. This vision is being advanced through the launch of Christian Union Bible Studies that are available to anyone who seeks to know the Lord and his word better. 

Four Respected Leaders Explain The View

By Anne Kerhoulas

What is complementarianism and why is it important? This question is at the heart of this 2021 Gospel Coalition Conference discussion between Nancy Guthrie, Ligon Duncan, Melissa Kruger, and Kevin DeYoung. 

CU Gloria Law Student Argues For Biblical Precedent of Free Speech

By Jess Tong

The Nature, Purpose, and Manner of Speech 

The Bible reveals the nature of speech as something that belongs to both God and man. The Bible tells us that speech is something God does, for He spoke the world itself into existence.  God speaks to communicate with His people, for He spoke to the prophets, Jesus spoke to people on earth, and God speaks to us now through the Bible and His Holy Spirit. The Bible also tells us about our own speech – that it is something God can control and take away from us, as He did with Zechariah, that words have the “power of life and death,” and that our speech is a reflection of our heart.

How One Alumna Learned To See The Lord In All Things 

By Kate Lucky, Harvard ’15

In college, I spent many mornings talking about stories: analyzing characters and structures and metaphors, voicing my ideas about plot and motif. At the end of these classes, we closed our novels and ventured out into the cold. I was an English concentrator. 

Dr. Shenvi Discusses His Book on Apologetics

By Anne Kerhoulas

But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. - 1 Peter 3:14-15.

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”

By Anne Kerhoulas

Harry Truman said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” In our day, however, far too many people claim they don’t have time to read. It’s not high on their priority list, it's too time-consuming, and you can’t do it quickly. Reading is all too easy to forego, but as Carey Nieuwhof argues in his article, if you want to be a good leader, you must be a committed reader.

What The Fall of Ancient Rome Teaches Us About the Future of the Church

By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff WRITER
 

Much of the modern world operates with a total disregard for history. Where previous generations would look to the rich history of those who had gone before them and their collective wisdom to learn from them, our culture today operates as if we have no intellectual or historical inheritance. We believe, as Marx argued, that history is merely the story of oppressed vs oppressor, and rather than the past being a source of knowledge and insight, the future is where human good lies. 

Dr. Michael Brown and Pastor Doug Wilson explain the rationale behind the two views

By Anne Kerhoulas

Christian Union Hosts Impactful Student Conference

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

At the conclusion of the academic year, Christian Union hosted Spiritus, a two-week-long, invitation-only conference that introduced students to Daniel Spirituality and inspired them to be transformative Christian leaders. Spiritus, held at the D.L. Moody Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, featured doctrinal teaching with an emphasis on prayer, fasting, and repentance.

Establishing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination

As the West grows more and more post-Christian, engaging the predominant culture with the gospel in coherent, winsome, and theologically sound discourse has never been more important. Though apologetics have long been practiced as the way to argue for the plausibility of Christianity and its tenets, cultural apologetics takes those practices a step further to apply gospel and biblical principles to our culture so that we might actually engage people who are uninterested in Christianity.

The Key to a Longer, Healthier Life?

It turns out that quiet time every morning, dinner time prayers, and corporate singing are more than religious practices—they are scientifically proven to make you happier, healthier, and live longer. 

Yale Students Find Ways to Share their Faith Despite COVID-19

By Kelly Parks, Staff Writer

Editor's note: This Throwback Thursday article originally appeared on our site in January of 2021 as ministries like CU Lux at Yale were adapting to the challenges and restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Why do Christians believe what they believe?” It’s a question that has intrigued our world for centuries. While cultural Christianity may have sufficed as a reason for some to associate with the Church in years past, in our increasingly secular age, Christians must think more critically about what they believe, and more importantly, why they believe it.

Campaign Features Answers to Tough Questions

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

This spring, Christian Union is mobilizing students on its ten campuses to share the gospel more boldly, strategically, and frequently than ever.

Trinity Forum Conversations Feature James K.A. Smith

Augustine is one of the giants of Christian philosophy and theology, often compared to Paul for his contribution to the faith. But in spite of his enduring impression on how we understand Scripture and ourselves, Augustine offers us an honest and unashamed look at his own life—one that is marked by the struggle of sin and a dependence upon grace. 

Dr. Craig Keener Makes His Case

Science and faith are always in opposition, right? It’s a basic assumption that most modern people take for granted, but is it true? Dr. Craig Keener, in this article for Christianity Today, dives into one of the most misunderstood assumptions of our time—that science and faith are contradictory.