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2024 Bible Course Engagement Explodes
by erin conner, writer and communications associate
In 2021, Christian Union Gloria Law and other ministries at Harvard Law School (HLS) were featured on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). The report, seen on major television stations and online, highlighted a strong Christian presence and a unified desire to see God move mightily at HLS.
Speaking and Living Boldly for the Lord in a Pluralistic Society
by erin conner, writer and communications associate
The Book of Acts shows a people living boldly.
In regard to the church in the Book of Acts, Author Jonathan Parnell in his article, "Why Boldness Matters Now" writes, "The bewildering reality at work in Peter’s and John’s testimony in Acts 4 is what they say about Jesus. These two fishermen had become messengers of God’s salvation, heralds for a new age in human history. They were now spokesmen of the risen and reigning Lord over all. So yes, they spoke with passion. But the point Luke drives home is not their style, but their substance. Not their homiletics, but their hermeneutics. It was all centered on Christ — how he is the One to whom the whole Old Testament points, how his work has changed the world forever. The heart of Peter’s and John’s boldness was how they spoke clearly about the identity and significance of Jesus. The picture Luke gives us of the early Christian mission is that the church was not without words when it came to the question of their King."
Parnell further notes that perhaps when we look at the church in the Book of Acts, "it sounds like the bar is set too high for us. Maybe this sounds like some kind of unrealistic expectation about lay-level theological education. Maybe. But my unshakable impression from reading our brother Luke is that he envisions the people of Jesus as a people who know Jesus. That the people of Jesus can see him in their Book. That the people of Jesus know what to say if someone were to ask, “About whom, I ask you, is the prophet talking about in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah?” (Acts 8:34–35). Luke has written a theological narrative for the church to drink up, and when we do, he’s convinced me that it means we imbibe this kind of boldness for our day — that we know whom we have believed amid a culture of confusion."
It seems abundantly clear from Scripture that the natural by-product of encountering and knowing Christ is to testify about Him wherever we go.
Parnell continues, "This vision of Christian boldness — of speaking clearly about the identity and significance of Jesus — is increasingly relevant in the day in which we live. This is worth highlighting, and there are two reasons why. First, the pluralism around us means inevitable indoctrination. Second, the more we’re marginalized, the greater the risk is that what’s important will muffle what’s the most important. A pluralistic world is like a raging river of clashing currents. The currents are the vast array of competing metanarratives, which as Richard Bauckham explains, is “an attempt to grasp the meaning and destiny of human history as a whole by telling a single story about it” (Bible and Mission, 4). The point is that, in our world, everybody’s got a story. Everybody lives by some story that tries to make sense of it all, whether cultural, religious, or ideological."
Furthermore, Parnell writes, "There are several rushing currents in this river of our world, and they’re always leading somewhere. Toss in this river the glut of communication channels around us, and it means that we can’t really do anything without stepping through those tumultuous waters. And if our steps are not intentional — if we don’t know where we want to go — we’ll just drift along with the strongest pull. The idea of not being pulled somewhere is impossible. “One’s life is moving in one direction or another, taking one kind of shape or another,” writes Kevin Vanhoozer in The Drama of Doctrine.
So, as Parnell rightly contends, "It is essential that we get clear on who Jesus is and what his work means for the world, as the Bible shows us. Bauckham points out that only the Bible 'tells a story that in some sense encompasses all other human stories [and] draws them into the meaning that God’s story with the world gives them' (5). The truth of Jesus in God’s story must be our navigating force. If it’s not, we’ll simply be tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every other current’s pull. Vanhoozer says, 'To the extent that we are always following some direction or other, our very lives are indoctrinated. The only question is whether the doctrine that informs one’s life is governed by the Christian gospel or by some other story, some other script' (Drama, 105). We’re either bold about Jesus, or we’re adrift with no anchor."
Bold about Jesus or adrift with no anchor. This is not an example of bifurcation. This is truth in a culture of deception that dilutes the power of the gospel and the clarity of God's Word.
Parnell concludes, "There is nothing more counter-cultural than telling the world that the crucified Messiah is raised and reigning, and that therefore now 'God commands all people everywhere to repent'" (Acts 17:30).
Bold faith has been one of Christian Union's core values since its inception in 2002. As a Christian leadership development ministry that seeks to transform culture for God's glory, Christian Union undertands that faith in Jesus Christ is not meant to be hidden, for “no one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light" ( Luke 11:33).
May we speak and go boldly to prepare the way for God, making a straight path for Him to enter into the hearts and lives of those we have been entrusted to love and lead.
Read Parnell's full article, "Why Boldness Matters Now."
Learn more about how Christian Union is developing bold Christian leaders with spiritual depth at strategic places for cultural engagement to change the world.
from Christian Union America's National Fast, August 2024
by christine foster, director of mentoring
"Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’" -Jeremiah 7:3-4
I grew up in a family with roots in the military. My father worked as an engineer on satellite systems for the Air Force during the Vietnam War, and his father spent his whole career in the service, flying B-52 bombers over the Aleutian Islands during World War II and then commanding a wing of C-130 cargo planes during Vietnam. When troops do their own thing, people die. We are, as a result, fundamentally rule-following people.
But I have also raised my children in the 21st-century—a time when so much of the culture says that anything goes. The idea of authority and limits and rules seems foreign in so many places now. It is fundamentally countercultural to put aside what we want to do and do what God asks of us. So much of our world actively works against this notion, spewing “deceptive words” about who is King and how we can stay connected to Him.
God promises the most amazing of blessings. In Genesis 12:1-3, He says to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
What an amazing gift that is, to not only be blessed, but to be able to be a vessel to bless so many others—“all the families of the earth.” But Scripture is crystal clear that God also expects obedience. This relationship is not a one way street. Like troops recognizing that safety comes from following our leader, we must turn fully to God and obey Him. In our passage from Jeremiah, we are told to “amend our ways and deeds”—to shift the pattern of our lives to honor God—to not just say the right things, but to do them. It is that obedience that opens the doorway to all God wants for us.
Gracious God, we give You thanks for the opportunity to simply obey You—to have our ways and deeds reflect Your calling and Your glory. We know that this is how you pave the way for us to experience Your abundant blessings and to be in a position to bless others. In a world that says what matters most is what we want, may we find strength in knowing that what You want for us is so much better. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Religious Engagement on the Rise at Yale
by Erin conner, writer & communications associate
Christian Union's leadership development ministry serving students at Yale University was recently featured in a Yale Daily News article written by Ada Perlman. In the article, Perman reported that, "according to a Yale Daily News’ survey distributed to the class of 2028, on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being “extremely religious,” 4 percent of the 535 respondents said 5, 12 percent responded 4 and 22 percent responded 3. Last year, University Chaplain Maytal Saltiel told the News that she has seen a considerable increase in interest in religious communities at Yale."
Sua Lee ’26, vice president of Christian Union, told the News that, "before the school year started, she and other leaders in the Christian Union went on a pre-term retreat to pray for the incoming class and plan events to make sure that anyone who wanted to find Christian community or was exploring faith had the opportunity to do so. As part of welcoming all first years, the Christian Union organized a “dorm drop” where they dropped off goodie bags to every first-year suite and invited them to their annual block party. Lee herself went to the block party during her first year and subsequently became involved with Christian Union."
“I saw what Christian Union was doing and I saw how passionate our students are about pursuing the Lord and making time for him despite our busy schedules at Yale,” said Lee. “I wanted to really serve in this way so that I could create more opportunities for people to meet him and that’s what I’m still doing now.”
How Does Jesus Teach Us to Compute?
by Erin conner, writer & communications associate
In a recent article entitled "To Gain the World and Lose Your Soul," published by Desiring God, writer Greg Morse powerfully illustrates the problem of ignoring the soul as a result of the distractions and deceptions of our modern world.
Morse writes, "One great feature of modernity, from Satan’s standpoint, is the sheer rejection of the soul. We live in a world stupefied by the material. Ask ten people on the street about their souls — if they don’t wonder aloud, 'What does this babbler wish to say?' (Acts 17:18), they will tell you that if they do have a soul, they have not thought much about it. Even ancient pagan philosophers wrote dense treatises on the soul, but the mass of men today live as though they are soulless. And yet these same people investigate the silliest things under the sun. If anything is worth thought, is it not your soul? 'Claiming to be wise, they became fools'” (Romans 1:22).
Reaching Freshmen at Our Nation's Most Secular Schools with the Love of Christ
by Erin conner, writer & communications associate
Student leaders at Christian Union such as Foster Cardinale and Teddy Taylor, seniors at Cornell University, are generously and joyfully giving their time and effort to warmly welcome the incoming class of students on their campus. Cardinale and Taylor were both involved in Christian Union Bible Courses last year and will be leading freshman Bible Courses this upcoming academic year. Both had the idea to take pizzas to the freshman quad during the first week of classes, as Cornell's dining staff members were on strike and students were only being served bagged meals. Both are selflessly serving others as higher than themselves.
A Closer Look at Episodes 2 and 3 of a Newly Launched Christian Podcast
By Erin conner, writer and communications associate
51 million Americans listen to podcasts at least once a month, making it a powerful platform for Matt Bennett, Founder and President of Christian Union and the Heritage Pastors Association, to use to deliver messages about national revival and reformation.
In two episodes of his newly launched podcast, Bennett explores ideas in Megan Basham's best selling book Shepherds for Sale; a book that investigates how deeply secular billionaires have infiltrated America’s churches. Shepherds for Sale "documents how progressive powerbrokers set out to change the American church… and warns of what happens when the church trusts the world’s wisdom instead of Scripture" (Amazon.com). In review of the book, Os Guinness shares, "Some will quibble over details, but no one should miss the powerful warning in this book. We face a gathering storm, as Winston Churchill warned a century ago, but this time the enemy is inside as well as outside the gates. Every convinced and unashamed Evangelical should read, ponder, and pray over this important book."
Christian Union National Fast: America Returning to God, August 1-14, 2024
by peter ahlin, coo/CFO at christian union
“But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” -Luke 15:17-20
Jesus loved to tell stories of heaven’s rejoicing at the salvation of lost souls. He depicted a widow exulting over a found coin or a shepherd delighting as he held a recovered sheep; He spoke in terms that resonated with all. But no story ever became as iconic as that of a loving father whose son rejected him, plundered him, and left him, and how that father watched for him, waited for him, and wept for him. The story captured perfectly how great the father’s love and how hopeful those may be who trust wholly in it.
Many of us also watch, wait, and weep for beloved children or others who wander without hope and without God in the world. We want to follow Scripture’s clarion call to “pour out [our] hearts like water to the Lord, [to] lift up [our] hands to him in prayer, pleading for [our] children” (Lamentations 2:19). So how do we pray for the prodigal?
Host a CU Fire Retreat This October in Your Own Home or Church
by Christian union america
"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord."-Romans 12:11
Over ten thousand people joined Christian Union to fast and pray for America to Return to God through the CU National Fast this August. As Americans continue to seek God for the nation's return, Christian Union is offering an opportunity for believers across the country to host an in-home retreat this fall to keep the fire of our faith burning.
Join Christian Union for a powerful simulcast retreat on October 4-5 to build on the spiritual momentum from the fast, strengthen your walk with the Lord and deepen your friendships with others who are passionate about revival in your own lives, as well as in the lives of your families, churches, and communities.
Mentorship Pair Shares Insight into Christian Union's Alumni Program
by Christian union america
Part of Christian Union’s mission is to transition alumni into the workforce or into graduate school well, linking them with a broad Christian network to support and sustain their faith for life through a meaningful mentorship program. In this program, mentors and mentees, paired largely based on common career paths, meet monthly to discuss topics such as seeking God, developing a bold faith, connecting to a local church, and navigating the workplace as a believer.
Ann Brooks is among the dozens of accomplished and faithful mentors with whom Christian Union America collaborates. After joyfully attending her mentee's wedding, she and her mentee, Delaney Thull, sat down to share some insights in the interview below:
