College Faith

Do you ever feel you can’t really be honest with God when you are upset, angry, or grieving? My guest in this episode believes you don’t need to filter your prayers, and has the biblical evidence to back him up. I’m joined by Dr. Keith Campbell, author of Of Heroes and Villains, which explores prayers of lament in the New Testament. Keith received his Ph.D. in New Testament from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Global Scholars. In this podcast we discuss:   Why it’s okay to wrestle with God when things go wrong, not filtering our prayers The biblical basis for questioning God, wrestling with God, and crying out to God (lament prayer) Why we don’t hear much about this type of prayer, and what we lose as a result How filter-free praying helped him in his walk with Christ while at college Isn’t this childish, just throwing a temper tantrum because we are immature and unable to accept God’s will? Where trust comes in during a filtered or lament prayer The role of others when we are in dark days New Testament examples, including Jesus’s example of praying an unfiltered prayer Does this type of prayer really change anything? Doesn’t this type of prayer contradict commands to “consider it all joy” and assurances that God will ultimately make all right? How college students can help revive the practice of filter-free praying Resources mentioned during our conversation:   D. Keith Campbell, Of Heroes and Villains: The Influence of the Psalmic Lament on Synoptic Characterization C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God “Why Pray?”, Thinking Christianly podcast #10 May Young, Walking With God Through The Valley: Recovering the Purpose of Biblical Lament

Scott Rae, a Christian ethicist and professor at Biola University, shares insights on navigating ethical dilemmas. He explains how to approach issues like unwanted pregnancy and academic integrity using a practical decision-making model. Scott emphasizes the importance of finding common ground in moral discussions and critiques the idea that inner peace is a reliable guide in ethics. The conversation also touches on the challenges of loyalty versus confidentiality in professional settings, offering valuable frameworks for students facing tough choices.

Scott Smith, a Professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, dives into the complex world of postmodernism and its implications on campuses and in churches. He unpacks how postmodernism emerged from modernity and explains the concept of nominalism as its foundation. The discussion highlights concerns over expressive individualism and offers strategies for engaging with those influenced by postmodern thought. Smith emphasizes the need for discernment in Christian settings while recognizing the enriching perspectives postmodernism can provide.

In this episode, we discuss how to transition well after college. My guest is Jon Steele, host of the After IV podcast, where he interviews guests on this very topic. So I’ve invited him to summarize what he is learning from his guests on this important life transition.    In this podcast we discuss: How Jon became interested in helping students transition from college to their careers The important distinction between change and transition from college to after college The three general phases of any transition How to navigate well the inevitable transitions in relationships How the phases of transition play out as you move into your new career The trap of needing to always “live out your passion” and the danger of comparison The balance between valuing work too much or too little Transitioning in our relationship to money: budgeting, saving, giving, credit card use, debt Finding a community to help make wise financial decisions Navigating the inevitable spiritual transition well Finding a good church after college A final word of encouragement to college graduates for the tough times in your transition   Resources mentioned during our conversation: Jon’s podcast on life after college: After IV (see below for mor specific suggestions) Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges Meet Up app Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential by Gordon T. Smith Save My Cents website by Shang Saavedra InterVarsity World Changers podcast The Apostles’ Creed The Nicene Creed The Chalcedonian Creed After College: Navigating Transitions, Relationships, and Faith by Erica Young Reitz The Gap Decade: When You’re Technically an Adult but Really Don’t Feel Like It Yet by Katie Schnack Analog Chrisitan: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age by Jay Y. Kim Specific After IV podcasts by topic: Stages of Transition E75: Finding Your Footing in Transition Pt 1 (Apple, Spotify) E76: Finding Your Footing in Transition Pt 2 (Apple, Spotify) Relational Transition E102: Ending Well With My Friends on Campus (Apple, Spotify) E103: Making (and Keeping) Friends After Graduation (Apple, Spotify) Work Transition E112: A Foundation for Vocational Transition (Apple, Spotify) E37: How to be the Post-College G.O.A.T. – Nail the Interview (Apple, Spotify) E38: How to be the Post-College G.O.A.T. – Win Employee of the Month (Apple, Spotify) E142: Understanding Your Financial Narrative (Apple, Spotify) E143: Understanding the Biblical Financial Narrative (Apple, Spotify) E151: What’s My Financial Finish Line? (Apple, Spotify) Faith Transition E80: I’m so Tired of Church Hopping – Finding Your Footing in a New Church (Apple, Spotify) E122: A Foundation for Healthy Rhythms of Rest (Apple, Spotify) E126: Finding Rest in Familiar Faith Practices (Apple, Spotify) Other Resources E140: Level Up Your 20s (Revisit) (Apple, Spotify) After College: Navigating Transitions, Relationships, and Faith (IVP) E83: A Companion for Transition – Finding Your Footing in the Gap Decade (Apple, Spotify) E91: Joy Instead of Comparison: Anchored in God’s Goodness with Jay Kim (Apple, Spotify) E92: Self-Control Instead of Reckless Indulgence: Beyond Willpower and Positive Thinking (Apple, Spotify) Follow us on Instagram @afterivpod

Today we are talking about how to manage the deluge of college recruiting materials to help choose the best college or university. My guest today is Dr. Shirley Roels. She has been a career counselor and a marketing professor focusing on nonprofit marketing.  She also speaks from her experience as someone who made mistakes when she was selecting a college and did a better job helping her two sons in their selection process. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the International Network for Christian Higher Education.    In this podcast we discuss: Her terrible decision-making process when choosing her college  Experiences that helped her understand how best to wade through college marketing materials The dangers of not being careful in the college selection process Tips to effectively sort through the many college recruitment materials Types of college recruitment media that are more helpful than others How to view and “position” recruitment media The timing and value of talking with real people in the process The timing and role of making campus visits Some red flags to watch for in recruitment media The problem with only focusing on the costs of a college or university Ways colleges and universities hide the actual costs of their schools The challenges of online media recruitment materials, and how to manage these materials How to make the most of a campus visit The importance of taking classes in person early on (freshman and sophomore years)  What if you aren’t sure you made the right college choice after your first semester? How to find Christian support at public universities–Christian study centers A word for first-generation and ethnic-minority college students   Resources mentioned during our conversation: David Wunder, “How to Choose a College” on the College Faith podcast Council for Christian Colleges & Universities – CCCU The Council of Independent Colleges Consortium of Christian Study Centers Karl Johnson, “How Christian Study Centers Minister to University Students” on the College Faith podcast Robert L. Peters, Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student’s Guide to Earning a Master’s or Ph.D.

My guest on this episode of the College Faith podcast is my colleague Dr. Stephen Garrett, Vice-President of Curriculum at Global Scholars. Steve is uniquely qualified to help us understand the benefits and challenges of students taking a semester or year to study abroad, having taught in Lithuania as a “receiving” professor of study abroad students and being a “sending” parent of a son who studied abroad. In this podcast we discuss: Steve’s perspective as a “sending” parent: How Steve and his wife first began considering with his son the possibility of studying abroad The value of studying abroad How much parents should be involved in the process The importance of realizing that every school offers different study-abroad programs  Three different models or ways to study abroad  Benefits and cautions about third-party study abroad companies  Who might studying abroad not be for Other considerations such as the language of the host university and country, the status of the host university, the weather, etc. What he wishes he knew as a parent before sending his son off to study abroad Allaying parent’s fears of security and safety for students studying abroad The importance of registering with the US Embassy in the host country Concerns about connecting and making friends in the host country The value of the inevitable “failures” while studying abroad Steve’s perspective as a “receiving” professor: What helps students have a good study abroad experience The role understanding different cultures plays in a good experience What will ensure the student has a very bad study abroad experience Resources mentioned during our conversation: Your university’s Study Abroad Office (or similar title) US State Department’s website The Red Cross T. S. Eliot, Christianity and Culture: Essays The Culture Company’s Country Comparison Tool Andy Crouch, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling

In this edition, I continue my sporadic series on various college majors students may choose. To discuss the field of Sociology, my guest is Dr. Kevin Dougherty, Associate Professor of Sociology at Baylor University.   In this podcast we discuss: How Kevin got interested in sociology What sociologists study Career paths open to those with a degree in sociology Traits that make a person a good sociologist How sociology has been a help and a challenge to his faith His research into the sociology of the local church His recent research into the sociology of religious tattoos Current conversations at the center of sociology, including sexual orientation and gender, and tensions this creates Christian professional associations for sociologists His advice to his younger self about studying sociology The value of going to a Christian university, and church attendance during the college years   Resources mentioned during our conversation: Christian Sociological Association Christian Smith, Soul Searching and Souls in Transition Perry Glanzer, Identity in Action and Christian Higher Education Perry Glanzer, “The Art and Science of Being an Excellent Student,” College Faith podcast Episode #12 Stan Wallace, Have We Lost our Minds? Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing

My guest in this episode is Brian Mann, National Director of InterVarsity’s ministry among students in fraternities and sororities. As many students are on campuses with Greek houses, I’ve asked Brian to help us understand what the “Greek System” is, and the pros and cons of “going Greek” at college.   In this podcast we discuss: What is a fraternity or sorority? Why Greek letters are identified with fraternities and sororities (and therefore are referred to as “Greek houses,” which are all part of the “Greek system” on campus,  and to join is to “go Greek”) Why Greek societies often foster leadership development Why some universities do or do not have a Greek system, and roughly how many campuses do  Brian’s experiences in a fraternity as a believer–some negative, some positive Greek life and the “third way” of engaging the campus culture The difference between a Greek House and a Greek house The overall advantages and disadvantages of joining a fraternity or sorority How to identify healthy and unhealthy fraternities and sororities before joining Defining important terms such as “rush,” “bid,” “house,” “chapter,” “pledge,” “active,” etc. Should you go Greek as a freshman, or wait until your sophomore year? The advantages and disadvantages of joining a fraternity or sorority as a believer The number one factor to help determine whether you should go Greek How InterVarsity’s Greek Ministry serves students in fraternities and sororities   Resources mentioned during our conversation: Greek InterVarsity Stan Wallace, “Are You An Artist, a Cheerleader, or a Demolition Engineer? Three Ways Christians Relate to Culture”

Why do universities require students to take classes in the humanities during their first few years? Dr. David Horner, who has taught these classes for many years, helps us see the wisdom of requiring these courses, in light of the value they bring to the student who takes them seriously. Dave earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in philosophy at Oxford University, is a professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, and is the author of (among other books) the popular Mind Your Faith: A Student’s Guide to Thinking and Living Well. In this podcast we discuss: How Dave got interested in studying the humanities How apologetics (defenses of the faith) helped him overcome a crisis of faith in college What the “humanities” are and how they relate to humans, being “humane,” and being a “humanist” Understanding a “College of Liberal Arts,” what a “liberal education” is, and how this relates to the humanities The structure of classical education, on which the “core curriculum” was historically based, and on which contemporary classical Christian education is based The interesting “border-line” cases of law and psychology How the “arts” and the “sciences” differ (it’s not what most people think) Why students should be required to take core courses in the humanities The importance, in all fields, of learning to make good distinctions How to discern whether or not a specific humanities course is worth taking The connections between the humanities and wisdom An argument against the humanities–“They are so “impractical!” The critical distinction between “ends” and “means” in evaluating the value of the humanities The valuable role of the humanities in providing us with “cultural literacy” Why Christians should study non-Christians in literature, philosophy, and the other humanities Other practical benefits of studying the humanities, according to the CEO of a major corporation How to get the most out of your core curriculum courses The role a healthy campus ministry can play in your studies Why you shouldn’t just learn about the humanities, but rather learn to engage in the humanities Resources mentioned during our conversation: David Horner, Mind Your Faith: A Student’s Guide to Thinking and Living Well Stan Wallace, Have We Lost Our Minds? Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human Flourishing Dorothy Sayers, The Lost Tools of Learning John Terrill, College Faith Podcast Interview #47, “A Guide to Majoring in the Professions (Business, Law, Medicine, etc.)” Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, “Enough with trashing the liberal arts. Stop being stupid” Edmund Husserl, The Crisis of European Humanities and Transcendental Phenomenology: An Introduction to Phenomenological Philosophy E. D. Hirsh, The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know Edgar Bronfman, Insider Ed.com, “Business and the Liberal Arts” George Anders, Forbes.com, “That ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket” Kery Murakami, Inside Higher Ed, “Liberal Arts Pay Off in the Long Run: A liberal arts education may not have the highest returns in the short run, but a study finds that after 40 years, liberal arts institutions bring a higher return than most colleges” Gene C. Fant, Jr., The Liberal Arts: A Student’s Guide (Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition) Joseph M. Keegan, Breaking Ground, “Toward the Renewal of Humanistic Education in America” Nathaniel Peters, Public Discourse, “Why Should a Christian Study the Humanities?” Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, “Unlocking The Power: Why You Should Consider Hiring Philosophy Graduates” Wendell Berry, “The Loss of the University,” in Home Economics: Fourteen Essays

This edition of the College Faith podcast welcomes Dr. Robbie Castleman, emeritus professor of Biblical Studies at John Brown University. She has studied, ministered to students, and taught at a number of very different types of schools. As a result, she is a helpful guide to understanding the similarities and differences between different types of colleges and universities. In this podcast we discuss: The fundamental importance of considering who will be your professors The importance of the core curriculum in finding what you are most interested in majoring in When it might be best to transfer to another university to finish your degree Why you should look for schools that encourage professors to “push” you What to look for in professors beyond their understanding of the subject matter How to do research on professors to find the best ones Other very important but non-academic considerations when choosing a college Surprising insights into financial aid, including at private, faith-based institutions, and how to access these funds (illustrated by her personal success in financing almost all her education) Differences she noticed when attending a public university for her masters degree The benefits she sees of studying at an explicitly Christian school (her answer may surprise you–often the opposite of what we hear!) The unique challenges of various types of colleges and universities The necessity of finding good fellowship with other believers while a student How she dealt with isolation and loneliness at one college she attended Resources mentioned during our conversation: Words of Wisdom from a Christian Professor at a Public University — Ken Elzinga on College Faith The Every Campus Coalition — a College Faith Interview How Christian Study Centers Minister to Students — a College Faith Interview How The Navigators Minister to Students — a College Faith Interview How CRU Minister to Students — a College Faith Interview How InterVarsity/USA Minister to Students — a College Faith Interview Robbie Castleman, True Love in a World of False Hope: Sex, Romance, & Real People Robbie Castleman, New Testament Essentials: Father, Son, Spirit and Kingdom (Various authors), Rest of Essentials book set Robbie Castleman, Interpreting the God-Breathed Word: How to Read and Study the Bible