Tag Archives: Welcome to College

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The Barna Group Releases Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church

These are fleshed out in the new book You Lost Me by David Kinnaman. Here is one of the six reasons:

Reason #5 – They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.
“Younger Americans have been shaped by a culture that esteems open-mindedness, tolerance and acceptance. Today’s youth and young adults also are the most eclectic generation in American history in terms of race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, technological tools and sources of authority. Most young adults want to find areas of common ground with each other, sometimes even if that means glossing over real differences. Three out of ten young Christians (29%) said “churches are afraid of the beliefs of other faiths” and an identical proportion felt they are “forced to choose between my faith and my friends.” One-fifth of young adults with a Christian background said “church is like a country club, only for insiders” (22%).”

You can find the other 5 reasons here.
We need to do a better job of talking about truth in our churches. It is not enough to say that this is the right and answer and leave it at that. As Christian leaders we need to model the process of how to arrive at truth. What are the reasons we hold our views? Why are the slogans and soundbites like “that may be true for you but not for me” mistaken? Narrate the difference between false tolerance and true tolerance. We can no longer assume people (even Christians) accept the Bible as an authority; they don’t. In our feeling culture, we need to recover the ability to think well–dare I say Think Christianly–about the biggest questions in life. I offer some analysis and suggestions here.
I am grateful for the work of the Barna Group and David Kinnaman for helping clarify the assumptions and questions of this generation. Learn more here.

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How to Make College Count

I am passionate about college students making the most of those strategic years. I have written on the subject and speak on it often. But I am so glad that there are many other voices out there helping encourage and equip the next generation. It’s a team effort! That is why I want to tell you about a recent book by Derek Melleby called Make College Count. It is a quick read that is packed with vision and helpful tips for succeeding in college. Here is more information, check it out!

(From the Back Cover)
Discover the way to true success at college–and beyond

There’s more to college than classes, credits, and a nonstop social life. It’s more than getting a degree to improve your job prospects. College is a time where you develop into the person you will be for the rest of your life. Make College Count will help you make the most of your time in college. It encourages you to ask the big questions, like

Why am I going to college?
What kind of person do I want to be?
How do I want my life to influence others?
With whom will I surround myself?
What do I believe?

You want your college years to count. This book shows you how to make that a reality.

“For years I have been looking for the right book to give to Christian high school grads: readable, real, honest, grace-focused, Christ-centered, and practical. Finally, I’ve found just the ticket–Make College Count is that book.”–Chap Clark, author of Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers; professor of youth, family, and culture, Fuller Theological Seminary

“Christian college students hear a lot about what to avoid during their college years. So it’s refreshing to encounter a book that explains what students should embrace in college. It’s clear that Derek Melleby understands the world of today’s students.”–Joseph M. Stowell, president of Cornerstone University

“Make College Count is just right! What Derek Melleby has done is find a way to come alongside someone on the way to college and offer guidance about things that matter most.”–Steven Garber, director of The Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation & Culture; author of The Fabric of Faithfulness

“Make College Count offers an accurate preview of college life and encourages and equips students to thoughtfully make the most of college (and the rest of their lives) by embracing a real and vibrant faith that’s not an extracurricular add-on but a foundation for all of life. This could be the most important book students read during their college years.”―Walt Mueller, president, Center for Parent/Youth Understanding

Derek Melleby is the director of the College Transition Initiative, a ministry of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding and the Coalition for Christian Outreach. He is the coauthor of The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness.

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Why college students leave church – @washingtonpost @stickyfaith

Last friday I was interviewed for an article by Piet Levy that ran in the Washington Post. We had a great conversation about this important topic and I was grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts. Students walking away from their faith was a big reason that I wrote Welcome to College: A Christ-follower’s Guide for the Journey and it also prompted Sean McDowell and I to write Is God Just a Human Invention? to deal with the toughest intellectual objections to the Christian faith raised by the New Atheists. We must do a better job equipping the next generation so that they are prepared for the opportunities and challenges of college life and beyond.

“Millions of college freshmen are overwhelmed right now trying to make new friends, adjusting to more rigorous school work and learning to live away from home. Whether they also find time for church during their first two weeks on campus will set the mold for the rest of their college years, according to new research.

These findings come from a six-year study of approximately 500 Christian youth group members, conducted by Fuller Theological Seminary’s Fuller Youth Institute in Pasadena, Calif.

The study’s results will be released Sept. 17 in “Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids.” The book examines why, according to a 2006 report by Christian research firm Barna Group, 61 percent of 20-somethings who regularly attended church as teenagers later left the pews….” (Read the rest of this article)

In my forthcoming book Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture (October with Zondervan) I offer suggestions as to what we can do to reverse this trend among students and help them cultivate a mature faith. One thing we must do is help students realize that Christianity actually rises to the level of being of true or false. It is capable of being rationally investigated and defended (1 Pet. 3:15 cf. Jude 3).
To read more on the new research this article is based, see Sticky Faith by Kara Powell and Chap Clark:

When all is said and done, may we be like the Psalmist who prayed, “O God, You have taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:17-18). That’s as missional as it gets.