We are just two weeks away from the start of the spring semester at Cornell, and we are looking forward to all that our faithful Savior is going to do through our students in Ithaca in this new year. I was so encouraged by a recent conversation with one of our students, a member of the Cornell wrestling team. After battling back from a serious injury last year, he recently began wrestling again with great success, only to injure himself again a couple of weeks ago. And this injury could end his wrestling career. But even in the face of this disappointment, his faith is strong, trusting in God’s plan and providence. As we talked together over lunch, we rejoiced in the goodness of God and the amazing gift of eternal life through Christ, which put everything in perspective. Seeing the faith of this student in the midst of trials and challenges reminded me that God is surely with us and He is faithful to preserve and sanctify His people at Cornell.
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. — Hebrews 12:28,29
Greetings from Penn!
Hope this finds you well!
As we look to the year ahead we have a few exciting things on the horizon, particularly our winter retreat, Bible courses, and prayer workshops.
Ignoring Religion Fails To Prepare Students
Anne Kerhoulas
While it may not be surprising to hear that Christianity is declining in America, religion as a whole is actually growing throughout the world. China is on track to have more Christians than America in the next decade in spite of being an openly atheistic country. In the Middle East, the Islamic revival is producing more pilgrimages to Mecca than ever before. In Latin America, a once predominately Roman Catholic region, pentecostalism is booming. Even in America, though Christianity is waning, new-age spirituality is increasingly popular, and more and more people are religiously unaffiliated but interested and open to spirituality.
Can A Christian Nurse Participate In Gender Reassignment?
By Anne Kerhoulas
It’s becoming a question more and more believers in healthcare will have to face: can a Christian doctor or nurse assist in gender reassignment surgery?
In this article for Desiring God, John Piper addresses the question from a biblical perspective to help believers understand the gravity of their actions as well as their responsibility to God and his creation.
Start Your Year Off With A Great Book
By Anne Kerhoulas
Our 2023 book recommendation list includes an array of Christian books. From classic theology to leadership development to biography, there is sure to be something that will encourage your spirit this new year.
God in the Dock is a collection of essays and speeches from C.S. Lewis. Its title implies "God on Trial" and the title is based on an analogy made by Lewis suggesting that modern human beings, rather than seeing themselves as standing before God in judgment, prefer to place God on trial while acting as his judge.
Recommended by Chris Coppernoll, Ministry Director, CU Nova
Orthodoxy’s Commitment To Truth and Love
By Anne Kerhoulas
Truth and love often seem at odds in our culture today. Everyone has their own truth and wants the freedom to believe what they want. So to hold fast to the truth and conviction of orthodox Christian faith is challenging. All too often believers settle for bland acceptance of everyone’s truth as being valid in the name of loving them. But as Trevin Wax argues in this article for The Gospel Coalition, this radically opposes the pursuit of sound theology and doctrine as presented in the gospels and New Testament.
Why the Practices Are Both Challenging and Invaluable
By Anne Kerhoulas
Silence and solitude are unpopular disciplines. In our fast-paced, technologically connected, over-worked world, who could possibly have the time and energy to prioritize being alone in silence? And if we had the time, who would choose it?
A Jazz Musician Found His Way In CU Lumine
By Isabella Campolatarro
There’s a Christian aphorism, often attributed to St. Teresa of Avila, that “God draws straight with crooked lines.” Christian Union Lumine student Michael Manasseh ’23 has experienced this truth first-hand.
A Network Helping Alumni Connect and Flourish
By Anne Kerhoulas
Christian Union has served undergraduate and graduate students at some of the most influential universities in the country for decades. But what happens to these students after they graduate? The transition from college to the working world is not only challenging on a personal level, but it is also one of the times individuals are more likely to walk away from their faith.
Author and Scholar Joseph Laconte Discusses C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien Projects
This article was originally published in the Tristate Voice. Blake Whitmer ’23 is a Dartmouth student.
Joseph Loconte, PhD., is an author, Senior Fellow in Christianity and Culture at The King’s College, and the Director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at the Heritage Foundation. In 2015, he wrote the New York Times bestseller A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War. In 2016, he wrote the award-winning op-ed “How J.R.R. Tolkien Found Mordor on the Western Front.” His most recent project is a documentary on Lewis and Tolkien, with an emphasis on the way that war shaped their friendship and writings. Tri-State Voice writer Blake Whitmer recently sat down to interview him about his work.
Our Speech Is Part Of Our Witness
By Mike Vincent, Ministry Fellow at CU Nova
Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. – James 5:9
The world loves to complain about the Church. There's an abundance of negative words from non-Christians aimed at our beliefs, our moral values, how we talk, and how we live. Such negative speech and attacks can be discouraging. How much more so when they come from within the Church! We who are supposed to be united in Christ are sometimes just as guilty of complaining against His Bride. Nothing destroys unity more quickly than complaining against those with whom we are supposed to be united.
A Princeton Junior Shares First-hand Experience
By Cynthia Makachi
It’s been a little over two years since I started my freshman year at Princeton in fall of 2020, and, though it was anything but normal, I smile back at what the Lord has done.
My first year took place between the four walls of my childhood bedroom. If I wanted to get to know my classmates or become involved in extracurricular groups, I had to intentionally join a zoom meeting, unmute myself from time to time, and not run away from the awkwardness of silence as others decided if they felt brave enough to speak too.
CU New York Hosts Dr. Ryan T. Anderson
Christian Union New York invited Christian Union Alumni, CU New York participants, and friends of Christian Union to gather on November 29, 2022, for a virtual forum with Dr. Ryan T. Anderson. Drawing on the best insights from biology, psychology, and philosophy, Dr. Anderson offered a nuanced view of human embodiment, a balanced approach to public policy on gender identity, and a sober assessment of the human costs of getting human nature wrong.
Click the full screen icon to view Christian Union's 2021 Annual Report in full-screen mode, or download Christian Union's Annual Report for the 2021 fiscal year here.
CU Ministry Director Delivers Opening Prayer
By Anne Kerhoulas
Christian Union Martus Ministry Director Cory Lotspeich had the honor of delivering the invocation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Veteran’s Day commemoration service. Lotspeich, who is a US Marine Corps veteran, was asked by the University to pray for the gathering and was delighted to be able to serve and represent Christian Union at the event.
Faculty Who Disagree With Doctrinal Statement on LGBTQ Relationships Permitted To Teach
By Anne Kerhoulas
While it’s no surprise that universities nationwide reflect current sexual norms within our culture, many have been closely watching the hundreds of Christian colleges and universities as they draw a line in the sand. Will they accept our culture's sexual and gender revolution or will they adhere to biblical sexuality? Will our culture get the final word or will Scripture?
Practicing Intellectual Charity Leads To Productive Conversation
By Anne Kerhoulas
As the holidays approach, many find themselves growing tense at the thought of long meals across from people with whom they are permanently associated but could not disagree more politically, morally, or religiously. As our political climate continues to heat, perhaps we need to think more logically and practically about how to engage with those we disagree with; how we can listen, hear opposing viewpoints, and seek a greater understanding of a person rather than a personal victory in a private debate.
Tim Keller’s New Book Explores The Power and Challenge of Forgiveness
By Anne Kerhoulas
Forgiveness is hard. And for most people, it’s something we don’t do very well or often enough. Tim Keller wants to change that. Focusing on the power of Christ’s forgiveness for us that empowers us to forgive others, Keller invites us to walk faithfully in all that forgiveness is.
How Speaking Well Of Others Changes Us
By Liz Thomforde
Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. – Ephesians 4:29
Growing up you may have heard or even used the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” However, we know that this is not true. Words do hurt. In fact, I am sure it would not be hard for you to remember words that hurt or wounded you in a profound way. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
