Summer 2016
Christian Union: The Magazine
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October 4, 2016
Van Oss Writes about Wheaton Case for Harvard Law Review
By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
Religious liberties are woven into the fabric of the United States.With deep admiration for that principle, a Harvard Law School student addressed concerns over the status of such freedoms when he penned an article for the Harvard Law Review exploring some of the key issues in the recent Wheaton College v. Burwell case.
Given his concerns for government interference in the operations of faith-based entities, Trenton Van Oss took on the complex topic for an article that appeared in January.
The Wheaton alumnus of 2013 is an active participant in Christian Union's ministry at Harvard Law School.
October 4, 2016
Ministry Hosts Lecture by Christian Counseling Professional
by Eileen Scott, Senior WriterDepression is an unwanted intruder into the lives of millions of Americans, including students at top universities. Many of these young people attempt to hide their pain while coping with competing demands and lofty expectations.
A recent lecture sponsored by Christian Union's ministry at Dartmouth took aim at this often-misunderstood malady, creating awareness and empowering one student to take a life-altering step.
September 6, 2016
Christian Union Ministry Director Publishes Third Book
by Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
Youth ministry involves far more than staging fun-filled retreats and offering frightful warnings against teen vices.Rather, God calls youth pastors to develop students who will embrace missional purposes throughout their lifetimes.
With such principles in mind, Jon Nielson co-edited and co-wrote Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry: A Practical Guide. Crossway, part of Good News Publishers, released the 224-page paperback in February, about seven months after the longtime youth and college minister became the director of Christian Union's ministry at Princeton University.
September 6, 2016
New York City Salon Features Seth Ward
by Eileen Scott, Senior Writer
At a salon sponsored by Christian Union New York City, musician Seth Ward countered the philosophical notion that man's ability to think uniquely defines his existence. In his presentation, "The Mark of the Maker: The Musical Soul," Ward contended that humans have God's rhythmic signature engraved upon their souls, marking them as His beloved.The pianist's love of music and deep Christian faith were evident during a discussion that ranged from historical to whimsical. Ward, the music director at Central Presbyterian Church in New York, discussed the ancient chords and rhythms uncovered by archeologists and noted how these early songs and chants have been interwoven into timeless classical, contemporary, and iconic works.
August 23, 2016
Students Seek to Support Friends Who Are Struggling, Suffering
By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer
Students involved with Christian Union's ministry at the University of Pennsylvania devoted a chunk of their summer to a reading group aimed at prepping them on the basics of peer counseling."We want our students to know that they can help their friends," said John Cunningham, a Christian Union ministry fellow at Penn. "There are more people struggling than they think."
August 23, 2016
Hickman '16 Credits Christian Union Ministry for Turnaround
By Eileen Scott, Senior Writer
When Peter Hickman '16 arrived at Harvard College four years ago from Bonne Terre, Missouri, he was barely hanging on to his Christianity.Today, as a recent alumnus, he has a firm understanding of the Bible and is living a life of overflowing faith and service. The applied mathematics major credits Christian Union's leadership development ministry at Harvard with helping him go from "almost agnostic to a Christian leader."
"When I came to college, I knew I was not putting Jesus at the center of my life, and I was not sure Christianity was true," Hickman said. "Christian Union provided the intellectual resources to understand better the reasonableness of the Christian faith."
August 23, 2016
Keys to Unlocking the Bible
Christian Union: The Magazine recently interviewed Rev. Colin Smith, the senior pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Smith, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, received his Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Master of Philosophy from London Bible College. He is the author of several books, including Unlocking the Bible Story, a four volume series. Through his teaching, daily radio program, and Web site (unlockingthebible.org), Smith challenges people to believe that their lives can be transformed by personal study of God's Word through "the power of the open book."
Christian Union: When did your passion for the Word of God begin?
Colin Smith: I was blessed to be brought up
