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Christian Scholarship and Apologetics
Tennent Media is a partnership between Christian Union and students on various campuses with the purpose of publicizing the remarkable life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.Tennent Media is named after William Tennent, who led a school for itinerant evangelists during the first Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s. He trained students in Neshaminy, Pennsylvania, and his death and the subsequent closing of his school led to the founding of Princeton University.
At different times, the students involved have created Web sites for other students, and have created and placed ads in student newspapers.
Ads for—and by—Students
Here are ten examples of ads placed in the Cornell student paper, written by Cornell University students. Similar ads, written by Yale, Harvard and Princeton students, have been run in their respective newspapers:- Life: God made us and gave us life to know and enjoy him
- Life 2: A love that lasts, a purpose to life, eternity in our hearts... because God made us for a relationship in Him
- Death: We have forsaken our relationship with God by rejecting Him, resulting in spiritual death
- Death 2: Loneliness, war, addiction, grief, despair, racism, death... the experience of separation from God
- New Life: God's loving initiative in his son Jesus Christ offers us new life in a renewed relationship with God
- New Life: God became human in Jesus Christ
- New Life: Jesus died the death we deserve to offer us forgiveness and new life
- New Life: Reconciled, freed, healed, accepted, made whole, given new life... because Jesus took what was mine and gave me what was His
- Life or Death: We must choose to trust in Jesus in order to receive new life from God
- Life or Death: Two ways to respond to Jesus
A Free Online Publication
Welcome to The Magazine, Christian Union's online publication of ministry updates, feature stories, and news. Christian Union orignially launched a quarterly magazine, the Ivy League Christian Observer to report on what God was doing at the eight schools that make up the Ivy League. As the scope of Christian Union's ministry grew, the quarterly publication was re-named Christian Union: The Magazine. As Christian Union has continued to evolve and grow so has our desire to provide content to readers and ministry partners in a more current manner, leading us to the launch of our current online publication.Some readers may be disappointed that the print version has ceased to exist, but many have written expressing their desire for online content that is both more easily accessible and sustainable. An archive of past issues is available and can be found in the left column of this page.
The goals of The Magazine are unchanged: to inform Christian alumni, staff, faculty, students, parents, community members, supporters, and friends about the spiritual state of America's most influential universities from a Christian perspective, to encourage followers of Christ to seek God wholeheartedly, and to keep friends of the ministry updated about Christian Union's work to develop Christian leaders to transform culture.
The newly-reimagined The Magazine will feature new articles, features, and updates in an ongoing manner each week. Best articles will be highlighted in our bi-weekly eNewsletter and the ministry emails to subscribers.
If you do not currently subscribe to the eNewsletter, please subscribe here to receive a digest of encouraging and challenging content from a wide range of sources as well as from The Magazine. Alternatively, visit The Magazine's new front page, here.
Protection of Human Life
In virtue of being created in the image of God, human life is sacred. We furthermore affirm that human life begins at conception. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.
Opposition to Racial Discrimination
In virtue of being created in the image of God, people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and races are of equal worth. Furthermore, the diversity of human cultures, languages, experiences, and individual makeup is intended by God and showcases his creativity and diversity. Jesus has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, uniting them in himself in a glorious display of God’s love and unity. Therefore Christians have the responsibility to oppose any form of ethnic, national, or racial discrimination.
Care for the Poor
In virtue of being created in the image of God, people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and statuses are of equal worth. Furthermore, God defends the cause of the fatherless, the widow, the alien, and the poor, and Christ rescued us when we were poor and helpless. Those who have been made new in Christ and who seek to serve God will likewise defend the cause of the oppressed and show compassion to the poor. Therefore Christians have the responsibility to aid the poor and needy.
Stewardship of the Environment
In virtue of the earth being created by God and graciously given to humanity as its habitat and physical means of sustenance for the purposes of human flourishing, Christians have the responsibility to steward the environment in a way that brings glory to God and shows love to others.
Justice and Integrity in Government
In virtue of God’s governance of world affairs, his desire for justice, and the Christian’s call to pray for government leaders for the sake of peaceful and just societies, Christians have the responsibility to seek integrity among government officials and that they would promote justice in broader society.
Financial Generosity
In virtue of God’s generosity and the biblical call to love God more than money, to be generous, and to steward resources wisely, Christians have the responsibility to avoid greed, consumerism, and materialism and to give generously and sacrificially for the sake of making disciples of Jesus Christ, relieving human suffering, and blessing others.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich, became poor for our sake, that through his poverty we might become rich. These riches––physical, spiritual, relational, and otherwise––Christ gives to his church in part even now and in their fullness in the life to come. When we sow these riches bountifully, using the varied abundance God has given each of us to supply the needs of others, we will also reap bountifully. God will multiply our seed for sowing and increase the harvest of our righteousness, enriching us to be generous in every way. We therefore joyfully affirm God’s principle that we reap what we sow, for our joy and good and for his glory, and we thank God for this inexpressible gift!
However, God makes his grace and gifts abound to us not so that we may serve our remaining selfishness or greed, but so that we may abound in good works and increase the harvest of our righteousness. We also recognize that the Holy Spirit distributes the varied gifts and riches of God through Christ’s merit, not our own, and sovereignly, as he wills and not necessarily as we will. Furthermore, we will nevertheless face trouble in this world until our Lord comes again to renew it. The chief and only assured blessing among these riches is restored fellowship God, now and forever. We therefore deny any teaching that offers blessings of our choosing––health, wealth, or any other––as God’s assured promises in this life.
Affirmation of the Image of God in Male and Female
In virtue of all people being created uniquely, distinctly, and equally in the image of God as male and female and being called to live holy lives with respect to sexuality, Christians have the responsibility to affirm marriage, legally and morally as exclusively between one man and one woman as the only place for legitimate expression of God’s gift of sexuality. Christian ministers are obligated to teach and defend God’s truth in these matters. They have no recourse to allow other Christians or Christian ministers to hold views different than those stated above, without refuting them. Furthermore, all Christians have the responsibility to flee all manner of sexual immorality, including fornication, pornography, adultery, and homosexuality in their personal lives and romantic relationships.
See also our Statement of Faith
An Effective Way to Meet an Urgent Need
Christian Union was founded in 2002 to develop and connect transformative Christian leaders. This video (4:00) explains the strategic importance of focusing considerable attention and effort on spiritual renewal at some of the nation's most influential universities.Christian Union focuses its energy on developing Christian leaders at the leading universities in America and select cities because of their extraordinary influence on our culture and society. For instance, out of the 3,039 four-year colleges and universities in the country, 68 percent of the most influential leaders in our nation come from the top one percent of schools. Graduates from these schools also have an extraordinary influence on the international scene.
Although some leading universities were founded on Christian conviction, they have become intensely secular. {tweetme}While students are academically bright, they know little about Jesus Christ. Fewer than 10 percent will experience any Christian ministry regularly during their student years.{/tweetme} Even with the help of local churches and national campus ministries, the proportion of Christian involvement and impact on these campuses has not changed in 50 years.
New approaches and energy are urgently needed.
A Strategic Approach
Christian Union takes a unique approach, employing highly qualified ministry faculty and producing an exceptional curriculum to develop Christian leaders. The ministry helps students and professionals discover the intellectual validity of Christian faith, the profound joy of seeking God wholeheartedly, and the practical skills to become significantly more impactful in their spheres of influence. Currently, Christian Union works with students at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard College, Harvard Law School, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale.The second part of Christian Union's strategy, beyond working at these key universities, is to develop networks of Christian leaders—alumni from Christian Union ministries and graduate students and professionals—in key cities, including New York City. The pages of history reveal that even small groups of committed, passionate Christian leaders have impacted their respective cultures in different eras.
If you are interested in strengthening Christian influence in the United States, please consider becoming a financial partner, praying, or connecting like-minded friends and colleagues to the ministry.
Learn More
Christian Union is:
Developing Leaders >
With Spiritual Depth >
In Strategic Places >
For Cultural Engagement >
Developing Christian Leaders. Sharing the Vision.
Please select from the following teams to learn about those who lead Christian Union for organizational excellence; those who develop Christian leaders; and those who share the vision for culture change with supporters.
Email any member of the Christian Union team by using the following convention: Firstname.Lastname@ChristianUnion.org.
Christian Union: The Magazine
Read past issues of Christian Union: The Magazine (formerly the Ivy League Christian Observer).
Information to help you through the process.
Thank you for considering a gift of real estate to Christian Union.Christian Union welcomes gifts of real estate, including land or buildings. These gifts may provide significant benefits for the donor as well as for the ministry. Depending on the type of gift, a donor may enjoy tax savings, lifetime payments and freedom from carrying costs, once the real estate is sold. Real estate gifts require more planning than gifts of cash or marketable securities. The ministry will need some time to gather necessary information and to evaluate legal and financial issues before making a decision with respect to accepting a gift of real estate. If the ministry does decide to accept a gift of real estate, donors should be aware that the sale of donated property requires patience and realistic pricing. Please review the following information with your tax and legal advisors.
Talk to a member of Christian Union's development team
We will need to know the type of property you are thinking of donating as well as the method of making the gift.For example:
- An outright gift of your real estate.
- A gift of real estate into a trust that provides payments to you or beneficiaries you designate. This is called a charitable remainder trust.
- A gift of real estate wherein you retain certain interests, such as the right to live in your home for the duration of your life, and give the remainder to the ministry.
The Office of Gift Planning can give you further information about the tax and financial benefits of these and other gift methods.
Provide Information and Documents to Christian Union
Because legal restrictions may limit the ability of the ministry to own or sell a parcel of real estate, the ministry must review all relevant information before deciding whether to accept a gift of real estate.Information and documents required for review include:
- Copy of the deed to the property.
- Copy of any condominium agreements, restrictive covenants, leases and/or management agreements.
- Copy of a current real estate appraisal by a qualified real estate appraiser. (See below)
- Copy of any property tax statements and insurance policies.
- A completed questionnaire (which we will provide to the donor) regarding environmental issues.
- Estimated or actual carrying costs for the real estate. These costs include property taxes, insurance and maintenance, and depending on the type of property, this may include utilities, grounds care, snow removal, caretaker fees and condominium fees. In addition, the ministry will conduct a title search at the ministry's expense.
Obtain a "Qualified Appraisal"
The donor will need to obtain a "qualified appraisal," as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and provide a copy to Christian Union for its review. The qualified appraisal is required by the IRS for the donor to substantiate the value of the gift and receive a charitable tax deduction. For IRS filing requirements the qualified appraisal must be dated not more than sixty days before the date of a gift. If more than sixty days elapse between the date of appraisal and the date of gift, the donor will need to have the qualified appraisal updated for tax filing purposes. The cost of the qualified appraisal is borne by the donor. In some cases this cost can be deducted.Give Christian Union Time to Review and Accept the Gift
Once the ministry has all the necessary information, the ministry's Committee for Gifts of Real Estate will conduct a due diligence review in order to decide whether to accept the gift. Typically, we will keep the donor informed about the timing and the process by phone and follow up with a confirmatory letter.Make Arrangements to Transfer The Property to the Ministry
Once the proposed gift has been approved, the ministry will coordinate with the donor and the donor's legal advisors to arrange the closing and transfer of title. The donor's legal advisors will prepare and record the deed and any related documents because of their knowledge of local law and procedures. The ministry will assist by providing draft language for the documents, particularly language with respect to retained life estates and charitable remainder trusts. The date of gift is usually the date on which title to the property is transferred to the ministry (except that in certain states the date of gift is the date the transfer is recorded).Consider Carrying Costs and Transfer Taxes
Just as the donor is responsible for carrying costs prior to the gift, carrying costs (see previous page) will generally continue to be the donor's responsibility until the property is sold by the ministry If the donor retains a life estate in the property, the donor will be responsible for carrying costs as long as the donor lives or until the donor releases the life estate. If a gift is to a charitable remainder trust, the donor will be responsible for making additional contributions to the trust to cover the carrying costs until the trust sells the property. Realty transfer taxes, assessed in many states and some local jurisdictions on the transfer of title, will be the donor's responsibility as well. If a gift is to a charitable remainder trust, realty transfer taxes may be payable on the initial gift and again on the sale of real estate by the trust. In such a case, the donor will be responsible for both realty transfer taxes. Note that the donor's gift to a charitable remainder trust to cover carrying costs and realty transfer taxes is considered an additional charitable contribution, a portion of which is generally deductible for tax purposes.Understand IRS Reporting Requirements
The ministry cannot provide tax advice but can assist the donor's tax advisors with the calculation of the donor's charitable tax deduction. Please bear in mind that gifts of remainder interests will limit the donor's deduction to a portion of the appraised value of the real estate. The donor is responsible for substantiating his/her charitable tax deduction for the gift of real estate by obtaining a qualified appraisal (described above). The appraisal is used to prepare IRS Form 8283, which the ministry will sign and the donor is required to file with his/her tax return for the year in which the deduction is claimed. The IRS may disallow a deduction if Form 8283 is not filed. If the ministry sells donated property within three years of the gift date, the ministry must disclose the sale price by filing IRS Form 8282. In such an event, the ministry would send a copy of the completed Form 8282 to the donor.For Assistance
If you need assistance with any of these giving opportunities, call a donor representative at: 1-609-688-1700 Option 2 or email giving@christianunion.org.Part 1
An informative lecture on Christianity in the Ivy League, the first of two videos (6:24).
Part 2
The conclusion of the lecture on Christianity in the Ivy League (7:26).
Lessons from History
Tim Keller has written that "over the last three centuries, revivals have had a great impact. Between 1730 and 1830 successive movements of the Holy Spirit brought a large proportion of the population into the churches. These awakenings are not ultimately the result of marketing or organization. They come, by God’s grace and in his time, in response to extraordinary prayer."
Christian Union, in addition to its work at nine strategic universities, in New York, and in Washington, DC, encourages believers to pursue extraordinary prayer, asking God to once again pour out His Spirit powerfully and to bring sweeping spiritual change to America. We do this through the ministry of Christian Union Day and Night (DayAndNight.org). We will also be publishing videos from time to time to encourage and inspire believers. We will highlight several talks by Dr. J. Edwin Orr over the coming months, to help remind the church about ways God has moved powerfully in the past.
Dr. Orr earned a PhD at Oxford University in 1948, authored numerous books, and wrote and spoke often on ways God has moved in history to bring about revivals and awakenings in different parts of the world. "Dr. J. Edwin Orr, in my opinion, is one of the greatest authorities on the history of religious revivals in the Protestant world," Billy Graham wrote, in an introduction to one of Dr. Orr's books.
The video above is a talk Dr. Orr gave on the First Great Awakening.
Click the image above to view Christian Union's 2012 Annual Report. If you do not see an image, download a .pdf version of the 2012 annual report.
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