Why do you spend time
visiting college
campuses and talking to students about Jesus?
I was a college student myself when I first heard the gospel.
College is a special turning point in our lives, a time when many of us
are on our own for the very first time. Generally speaking, college is
an experience that goes beyond classes and job training. College is a
kind of plateau on our journey, a place where we wrestle with genuine
philosophical questions. People may hate philosophy classes. They may
find them dry and boring, but sooner or later everyone approaches
his/her life in a philosophical manner, asking questions such as;
“What am I doing here? What is the true meaning of
life?
What is truth? Where can I find peace?” When I
myself asked
such questions, I was looking for God without realizing it.
This
search eventually led me to an encounter with the Spirit of God. Prior
to this encounter, I was exposed to the gospel (“good
news”) of Jesus. I appreciated, very much, the
person who
took the time to explain Jesus to me. Ever since then, I have sought to
help others who may also be looking for God in their own way.
Often I am asked, “If so many people are looking for God, why
are
so few claiming to find Him? And why do they need people like
you? Couldn’t God just reach out Himself to seeking
souls?”
God does reach out. The Bible tells us that He rewards those who
genuinely seek Him. (Heb 11:6) But He also commands His followers to
share His message of love and forgiveness (Matt 28:19). God made us in
His spiritual image and He enjoys working with people, rather than
working in isolation.
As for the issue of few finding God, there are various reasons and
potent obstacles to point out.
One obstacle is the negative experience people may have had with
Christianity. Some were dragged to church reluctantly as kids. Others
are bothered by the hypocrisy of many organized religions. My own
people, the Jews, have been murdered in the name of Christianity and
called “Christ Killers.” It meant a lot
to me to meet
a loving Christian who told me that those who persecute in the name of
Jesus do not really understand Jesus and are misrepresenting His
name. He went on to point out that Jesus died for everybody
and
that technically we are all His killers because, if not for our own
sins, He would not have needed to die.
Ideologies get misrepresented all the time. Would we judge
other
beliefs by the same standard with which we judge Christianity?
“Is Abraham Lincoln responsible for the Watergate
Conspiracy?” I often ask.
“No, of course not.”
“Well why not? Follow the logic. Abraham Lincoln
and his
associates created the Republican Party. Nixon was also a
Republican. So Lincoln must be responsible for everything
Nixon
did.”
“Well Nixon lived a hundred years later.”
“And Jesus lived quite some time before the Crusades, the
Inquisition, the tele-evangelist scandals etc.”
Showing people the difference between the love of Jesus and the
hypocrites who sometimes misrepresent him is one of the reasons I enjoy
talking to college students.
I am also aware of the fact that generally (with some, but few.
exceptions) today’s universities foster a climate hostile
toward
Christianity. Observe the typical Religious Studies class. Boy, do I
feel sorry for any student, looking for God, who tries to find Him in a
Religious Studies class. In such an arena they will listen to their
instructor say,” Now we aren’t here to judge other
people’s religions because each religion is beautiful in its
own
way and we should learn to appreciate it.” What he means, of
course, is that we must be tolerant of all religions except
Christianity. While taking in Buddhism, Hinduism or Islam we will
simply hear what the religion teaches, without commentary. When
Christianity comes up, we will hear about how the Bible is full of
contradictions. We will also be told that the Bible is a
hateful
book and a chauvinistic book and a book that promotes genocide.
Of course the ultimate barrier between people and God are their own
sins. God does love you and does want to forgive you, but whether or
not you will admit that you are a sinner (a person guilty of
selfishness) is your own business. As for the barriers listed above,
the barriers imposed on students from other sources, these, I enjoy
challenging. And that is why I visit college campuses with the gospel
of Jesus.
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From the
column, "What About It, Bob?"
By Bob Siegel
© 2003 by Bob Siegel
This article is not to be reproduced without written permission from
the author.
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