Will the Faith of Your Kids Survive College?

As I shared in a previous post, I am passionate about preparing students for the challenges and opportunities facing them on campus. This past week I was honored to be on Breakpoint and Breakpoint this week talking about Welcome to College. Chuck Colson, the founder of Breakpoint, was one of my heroes and an example to all Christians everywhere. I felt a significant sense of responsibility to carry on his passion for worldview training in the kind words he used to endorse my book Think Christianly. John Stonestreet and Eric Metaxes are doing a phenomenal job picking up the torch of Breakpoint and I would highly encourage you to tune in daily and listen.

In the conversation I had on Breakpoint this week with John Stonestreet we talked about how to help students not only survive college but thrive there. We also talked about the crisis of knowledge that Christians are facing today.

“…contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” – Jude 3

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What do you think is the greatest challenge facing students today? Please share your perspective below.

How to Test a Worldview in 3 Easy Steps

There are so many different worldviews and belief systems out there…how can we make a wise choice? In this video, I share 3 tests you can apply to any worldview.

I just released a new podcast about preparing students for college, you can subscribe to the latest Think Christianly podcast here (iTunes)

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I’d love to hear what you think. For you, what is the most compelling thing about the Christian worldview?

How to Prepare Teenagers for College and Beyond – New Podcast

Click Here to Order Welcome to College

There’s a lot of confusion among teenagers today…

  • 72% of 18-29 year olds self identify as “Spiritual but not religious”
  • 54% of “conservative protestant” teenagers affirmed that there was more than one way to God
  • 32% of 13-17 year olds left their faith behind because of “intellectual skepticism”
  • Less than “one-half of one percent of adults in the Mosaic generation – i.e., those aged 18 to 23 – have a biblical worldview.”
  • 60% percent of young people who went to church as teens drop out or disengage after high school.

In light of these challenges, what can you do as a parent to prepare your teenager to flourish in college? To not just see them survive the challenges of college life, but to see them influence others for Jesus Christ? I talk about this and more in the latest Think Christianly podcast (iTunes / RSS).

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What do you think is the greatest challenge that today’s students face in college?

Think Christianly, Welcome to College, and My Interview on Stand to Reason

On Sunday I had the opportunity to be interviewed on Stand to Reason’s weekly radio show. I am a huge fan of Stand to Reason (they do wonderful work!). Here is a link to my interview where I offer biblical advice for engaging culture and how to help students make the most of college (My segment occurs in the final hour).

***Also, my publisher has generously made Welcome to College available for only $5 at Amazon until tomorrow night (May 25th). If you are a parent or have a teenager, you can gift it to them or buy yourself a copy. It’s a GREAT deal (72% off). My goal is to get Welcome to College in as many student’s hands as I can during the graduation season. If you like what you see can you help spread the word by sharing this link on Facebook and Twitter? http://amzn.to/mcPGCx Here’s what people are saying about the book:

“Wow! What a book! Quite frankly, this is the book I’ve been waiting for the last forty years to give to college students. It is the single best volume I have ever read for preparing students for how to follow Jesus and flourish as his disciple in college.” — J.P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

“Jonathan has both the intellectual resources as well as the practical experience to provide an effective students’ survival guide to university life. I’m impressed with the wide array of issues he discusses, from intellectual challenges to financial problems to sexual snares to getting enough sleep! All this is done in easily digestible bits for the student on the run.” — William Lane Craig, Theologian and author, Reasonable Faith

“Reading this book is like having your own personal mentor and friend to guide you through the rough rapids of college life. College is a great experience, but it can also be faith-shattering if you are not adequately prepared. This book is perfect for the high school senior who is curious about what college life will be like. It is also helpful to the college student who is dealing with the day-to-day challenges and questions faced both in and out of the classroom. — Mark Schmahl, Pastor of Student Ministries Believers’ Chapel

“This book will prepare anyone who is either enrolled in college or is planning to go to college for the daily challenges Christians deal with on campus. Jonathan Morrow is aware of the real college world and is dead-on with his excellent insight.” — Blake Smith, Junior, Texas Tech University

“Unpacking biblical truths, Welcome to College is a treasure book of wisdom that will literally save lives and help build a culture of life.” — Kelly Monroe Kullberg, Author, Finding God Beyond Harvard: The Quest for Veritas

“Whether you are an incoming freshman or upperclassman, Jonathan provides straightforward, practical insight for dealing with current issues regarding living the Christian life on campuses everywhere. Not only is this a great read, but you will find a place to turn to when questions or struggles show their face.” — Taylor McCabe, Junior, Baylor University

Think Christianly with Jonathan Morrow

Feelings Are Not A Good Foundation For Faithful Living

Feelings are great…in fact I have them all the time! But they are a lousy foundation for our faith. As our culture has shifted from a thinking culture to a feeling culture in the last 50 years, the under 30’s generation has been the most deeply effected. I think Nancy Pearcey is correct in her observation that “Young people whose faith is mostly emotional are likely to retain it only as long as it is making them happy. As soon as a difficult crisis comes along, it will evaporate” (Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning, 16-17). They need to be trained and challenged to think hard about their faith.

Learning to feel our emotions and be able to express them to others is vital for developing a healthy heart (and takes great courage! cf. Prov. 4:23). I’m not downplaying feelings and emotions. I just want to add reason to the equation as well. Imagine if students emerged from our churches equipped to understand what is going on in their hearts and able to use their minds to understand, defend, and commend a Christian worldview (Jude 3)? Why do we have to settle for one or the other? I don’t think we do. That is one of the reasons I wrote Welcome to College to help students (and those who love them) be prepared to walk with Jesus Christ during the exciting and challenging college years. Graduation is coming up and a new batch of students are heading off to college….are they ready? They can be…

Think Christianly with Jonathan Morrow