May 11, 2019
Students Glorify God in Off-Campus Community
There are certainly plenty of groups of college men who choose to live together. But the men of the “ManS1on” at the 20 South 39th Street apartments in Philadelphia are not bonded by a love of FIFA or beer, or even a major or club they have in common. They are bonded by a commitment to serve God in community—and by a constitution.
Members of Penn’s ManS1on are committed to live in community, serve one another, and challenge each other to faithfully follow Christ.
In 2010, six University of Pennsylvania students involved with Penn Cru founded an off-campus community specifically for Christian men. Since then, the group has doubled in size and now includes Penn students who are involved in various ministries on campus and churches.
May 10, 2019
Croston ’81 Is a National Director for Lifeway Resources
University of Pennsylvania alumnus is using his dynamic ministerial skills to help pastors thrive as they meet the needs of African-American congregants.
Mark Croston ’81 serves as national director for Black and Western Church Partnerships of LifeWay Christian Resources. The Tennessee-based organization ranks among the world’s top Christian resource providers, though it recently announced plans to shift from brick and mortar stores to online operations. LifeWay, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, continues to stock major retailers with inspirational materials.'
In 2013, Croston left a lengthy pastoral career to join the LifeWay team, where he heads efforts to support and resource African-American churches.
May 9, 2019
Suffering: God's Workroom of Grace; Texts-4-Toasties at Harvard; Righteousness and Compassion; Are Christians Privileged or Persecuted?; The Growth of Christianity in Africa; You are Invited and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?— Psalm 27:1
May 9, 2019
Breakfast with N.T. Wright
On Thursday, 9 May, Christian Union New York was delighted to host Professor N.T. Wright for a breakfast discussion on Vocation and the Kingdom of God. Drawing from his Gifford Lectures (delivered at the University of Aberdeen in 2018) and ideas penned in several of his books (primarily Surprised by Hope and Simply Christian), Professor Wright gave an insightful call to all Christians to advance the Kingdom of God through our vocations by enacting justice, creating beauty and “standing at the dangerous intersection of Heaven and Earth.”May 9, 2019
Kennedy School Professor Recalls being Surprised by Grace
Editor’s note: The following story was reprinted with permission from The Veritas Forum (www.veritas.org).
Harvard University is special for me because it is where I first came to know Jesus Christ. Perhaps this should not be surprising. Harvard is a place that reveres truth (Veritas), and Jesus says He is the truth. But most people when they hear this about me are surprised, since they see the university as a secular place. Let me share my story and a few of the surprises it has entailed.
May 8, 2019
Symposium Explores Arguments for Virtue, Chastity, and Sexual Ethics
The Harvard Anscombe Society recently paid tribute to the the remarkable contributions of its namesake while celebrating the 100th anniversary of her birth.
In March, about 50 students, alumni, and other associates attended the 2019 Harvard Anscombe Symposium to honor the life of British intellect Gertrude Elizabeth Anscombe. At the gathering on March 16 in Adams House, participants explored Anscombe’s writings on the philosophy of mind, action, and intention, plus her modern arguments on behalf of virtue, chastity, and sexual ethics.
In March, the Harvard Anscombe Society celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of its namesake.
May 7, 2019
Salon with Paul Glader
Twenty-four attendees gathered on Tuesday night to hear from Paul Glader at Christian Union New York’s latest salon. Glader, Associate Professor of Journalism, Media and Entrepreneurship at The King's College, spoke on God and the Newsroom, highlighting both the current tensions between the media and religion and the potential that exists for a mutually beneficial relationship.May 7, 2019
Esteemed TV Host Gave ’02 Commencement Address
For nearly 35 years, Fred Rogers invited young viewers to be part of his neighborhood.
An upcoming film from Sony Pictures will take a closer look at the kindness behind the life of the beloved children’s television host who attended Dartmouth College for two years before transferring to Rollins College. Dartmouth awarded Rogers an honorary degree in 2002 when he gave the commencement address.
An upcoming film from Sony Pictures will highlight the life of Fred Rogers, the iconic children’s television host.
May 6, 2019
Local Ministries, Musicians Unite for Worthy ’19
Loud echoes of worship could be heard from Barnes Hall on Saturday, March 9, as a crowd gathered for Worthy ’19, a campus and community-wide effort that drew musicians, singers, artists, and performers from Cornell University, Ithaca College, local churches, and community organizations during the Lent season.
Jazz musician and visiting lecturer Joe Salzano organized the unique, multimedia worship night.
This year’s event, titled “Song of Salvation,” featured a mini-orchestra, a brass ensemble, members of Christian Union and Cru’s worship teams, and two of Cornell’s a cappella groups: Measureless A Cappella and Baraka Kwa Wimbo Gospel Ensemble. The event was sponsored by Campus On A Hill, Cornell Worship Workshop, and the Cornell Department of Music and was well attended by students.
May 6, 2019
MINISTRY DIRECTOR
CHRISTIAN UNION NEW YORK & Christian Union Washington, DC
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” - Jonah 1:1, 2
"The Trinity," Andrei Rublev (1370-1430), Moscow, Russia
This passage shows God’s righteousness and compassion entwined throughout Scripture.
God acknowledges Ninevah’s dignity (“that great city”) and seeks its repentance.
God sees Ninevah’s great evil and is angered and saddened by it.
From this passage we see that:A. Compassion requires a recognition of who we are: both our depravity and our dignity. Our tendency, however,
May 5, 2019
Veritas Forum Features Volf, Dean of Students
In March, the Veritas Forum at Cornell University posed the question Can Truth and Tolerance Co-Exist?
Dr. Miroslav Volf, director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, and Dr. Vijay Pendakur, Dean of Students at Cornell, addressed that imposing inquiry, while Dr. Ludmilla Aristilde, an associate professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, facilitated the discussion.
Dr. Miroslav Volf, director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture (right), and Vijay Pendakur, Cornell Dean of Students, tackled the question of whether truth and tolerance can co-exist.
May 4, 2019
Tam Smith ’09 Is Helping to Break the Cycle of Poverty
A Columbia University alumna is proving that a business model that uplifts those who feel unworthy and overlooked can operate sustainably at the intersection of compassion, good food, and God’s love.
“Think of the worst thing you’ve ever done in your life and being forever known for that,” says April Tam Smith, as she explains why P.S. Kitchen, the restaurant she founded in Manhattan, gives those marginalized by their past a new beginning. The people whom Smith has chosen to serve and rehabilitate are often treated like afterthoughts, but P.S. Kitchen wants to make them feel as valued as they are in God's sight.
May 3, 2019
Keeping in Step with the Spirit of the Crucified Son
How do I know when the Holy Spirit is active and present in my life? What must I do to engage in the Spirit-filled life? What sorts of criteria may I employ to recognize and discern the leading of the Spirit as I follow Jesus in faith? Such questions are no less crucial for being so prevalent among earnest Christians who desire to please the Lord and experience His grace in power.Throughout the New Testament an unbreakable, indelible link connects the cross-shaped story of Jesus for the people of God to the empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the people of God.May 3, 2019
Former Astronaut Was Starstruck by God’s Creation
On March 7, Columbia’s Catholic Ministry hosted engineering professor and former astronaut Mike Massimino at the 41st annual Thomas Merton Lecture. Dr. Massimino spoke about his journey, outer space, and what his adventures taught him about faith.
Columbia’s Catholic Ministry hosted former astronaut Mike Massimino to speak on what his journeys into outer space taught him about God.
May 2, 2019
Spanish Language Ministry Debuts at Brown
For many Christian students, their faith is deeply rooted in culture and language; a sudden transition away from their ethnic community can become an additional challenge in maintaining their faith while in college. With this in mind, the Brown Rhode Island School of Design Catholic Community (BRCC) has launched a Spanish ministry on campus to reach out to Hispanic students.
(From left to right) Giovanna Milano, '22, Maria Cortinez, '22, Cecilia Menendez, first-year FOCUS missionary, Alejandra Roca, '19, Ingrid Mader, '20, Vanesa Mora, '21, and Ayleen Sanchez, '19
May 1, 2019
Attendees Experience Gold Dust at Gospel of the Kingdom Conference
In February, Christian Union hosted the Gospel of the Kingdom Winter Conference in Manhattan with guest speaker Ken Fish. The theme of the conference was “Personal Evangelism: Rediscovering the Fun and Joy of Leading People to Christ through Signs and Wonders.” Fish, Princeton ’82, is the founder of Kingdom Fire Ministries, which seeks “to train and equip Christian leaders to engage substantively with culture in order to transform it according to the values and practices of the Kingdom of God.”April 30, 2019
Calderon-Payne ’89 Directs BronxConnect
Editor’s note: The following story was reprinted with permission from Brown Alumni Magazine (www.brownalumnimagazine.com). As executive director of BronxConnect, a New York City–based nonprofit that helps at-risk teens, Rev. Wendy Calderon-Payne ’89 has a simple mantra: “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Rev. Wendy Calderon-Payne ’89 and the staff at BronxConnect The quote is from the Gospel of Luke, and when she came across the verse one day during her freshman year at Brown, it struck a deep chord. “Jesus’ solution to poverty just made sense to me,” she says. “We have to act when we see injustice or need.”April 24, 2019
"Unplanned": How Abby Johnson's Story Exposes Both Abortion and Complicit Silence; Bathed in Prayer; There’s No Place Like Heimat: How the Culture We Consume Reflects Our Desires; No Mere Superman; What It Means to Worship a Man Crucified as a Criminal and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.— Psalm 139:13-14
April 22, 2019
When Jesus was a baby, did he soil his undergarments? As an adolescent, did he cry? When he was full-grown, was he ever angry? No disrespect is meant by these questions, but they do point out the full humanity of Jesus, without in any way reducing his full divinity. And they show that it was entirely fitting for the second person of the Trinity to enter our world as a baby, who developed physically into a mature man. Such an entrance shows us that Jesus really was “one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He cried, he got dirty, and he grew, even as we do, and yet he alone did so without any moral defect: sinless and perfect was our Lord even from his birth.Hollywood does a nice job depicting the preternatural hero. For example, in a memorable scene from The Man of Steel, Superman descends from the clouds and hovers above a gathering of mere, but powerful, mortals who are awed by his presence. The movie opens with his special birth. He is depicted throughout as apparently perfect. The messianic overtones are clear.
April 18, 2019
On Thursday 18 April, Christian Union New York invited Chuck Stetson to speak on Biblical Literacy. With George Barna’s research showing that only 7 percent of Americans have a biblical worldview (whereby the Bible is the primary resource through which one understands the world), Stetson took the evening to tell his audience what can be done to see that number increase and why this endeavor is so important.
