September 27, 2019
Ministry Director at HLS Has High Expectations
Christian Union’s ministry director at Harvard Law School anticipates a season of fruitful expansion.
“I’m looking towards the 2019-2020 academic year with hopes for growth, both in numbers and impact,” said Justin Yim.
September 26, 2019
Vocation and Faithful Discipleship; Brush & Nib v. City of Phoenix; Are Christians Called to Be Tolerant?; With Sacrifice Comes Change; What Does It Mean to Be Human? and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. — Matthew 5:14-16
September 25, 2019
Chesterton House Hosts Speaker from Open Doors
Vaughn LeMoss, the vice president of Open Doors International, a non-profit organization that supports persecuted Christians in over 60 countries, was the featured speaker when the Chesterton House at Cornell hosted its Friday Conversation Series on April 19. The theme of the evening was “Solidarity with the Persecuted Church.” LeMoss exhorted the audience to use their college degrees and future influence to aid global missions. He weaved practical advice in between touching anecdotes from his testimony, all the while expanding the students’ vision of God’s kingdom. LeMoss hit the ground running by demystifying the fallacy that missions work is set apart solely for those in vocational ministry or “super Christians.” Open Doors International supports the persecuted church around the world. “You can serve the Lord in whatever capacity you’re in,” he said. “So often we say to ourselves, ‘I need to become a pastor first’ or ‘I should go to seminary.’ There is nothing wrong with those paths, but do not discount the place where God has you now.”September 24, 2019
While most people completely understand what it means to make adjustments for personal change, make proposals for widespread change, or boycott and strike for social change, few appreciate the value a sacrifice to God has for guaranteed change. Yet, fasting and praying has been and continues to be the most effective way to demonstrate a confidence and consciousness in the presence and power of God, which always yields results.A decision to sacrifice food or pleasure in order to get God’s attention is a demonstration of faith and assurance in the God who sees, hears, and answers the cry of His people. I’m reminded of Cornelius in the book of Acts, chapter 10. He was a devout centurion of the Italian regiment who always prayed and gave generous alms to the poor; yet, after a time of fasting, God instructed Peter to share the Gospel with him, so that, in the end, Cornelius’ whole family and friends heard the Gospel, received the Holy Spirit, and were baptized! Theirs was an unlikely meeting that ushered change for and within both men.
September 24, 2019
Scott Jones, a pastor and former Christian Union faculty member at Princeton, returned to the university and gave this outstanding talk at a Christian Union leadership lecture series event last spring. In this talk he takes a look at what it means to be distinctly Christian in the midst of one's vocational pursuit.
September 20, 2019
Christian Journal Adopts New Name, Refines Mandate
The staff at The Columbia Witness, a Christian thought journal formerly known as Crown and Cross. The Columbia Witness, the university’s Christian thought journal formerly known as Crown and Cross, will debut its first issue under a new name in fall 2019. The upcoming edition will directly address the campus community and introduce its new identity with the apt title, Dear Columbia.September 18, 2019
In Memoriam: John Aroutiounian
Credit: Big Think John Aroutiounian was remembered as a Christian who made an impact on campus. The first time I met John Aroutiounian was at an alumni reunion for the Federalist Party, my debating society within the Yale Political Union. He gallivanted into our makeshift debate hall wearing a black cloak, his signature horn-rimmed spectacles, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. On the debate floor, he commanded attention by his unmatched eloquence and exuberance. With a coy smile and the gargantuan lexicon of an accomplished polyglot, he ravaged the position of his opponents, nonchalantly weaving in historical anecdotes about the bygone Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia to accentuate his point. John, however, wreaked destruction in a manner so charismatic and so kind, that his opposition often found themselves conceding with a smile.September 17, 2019
Dalrymple ’98 Is New President of Christianity Today
As he settles into his new role as president and chief executive officer, a Stanford University alumnus has expansive dreams for Christianity Today. In May, Timothy Dalrymple ’98 assumed the helm of the global media organization founded by the late evangelist Billy Graham. Among his aspirations for the magazine are commitments to rich storytelling and thought leadership. Dalrymple envisions Christianity Today sharing the “most powerful stories of our age” while expanding its global reach and better reflecting the diversity of the American church. Dalrymple described the legacy of the publication as extraordinary, but the future as even more dynamic.September 12, 2019
Engaging the Cityl The Worship Song I Can't Bring Myself to Sing; Why Suffering?; Esteemed Yale Professor Rejects Darwinism, Argues Intelligent Design is a 'Serious' Theory; The Full Aim of Love and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. — John 16:33
September 9, 2019
Ministry Fellow
Christian Union Caritas
As a novice parent trying to figure out how to raise three young children (and making many more mistakes than I thought I would!), I often find myself saying inside my head, “What matters most in my relationship with my kids is that I love them, and that they know it.” Until recently, I found myself focusing on that first element: that I love my kids. After all, that’s the element in my control, right? But as my children grow and parenting gets more complex, I find myself focusing more and more on that second element: that my kids know I love them.
September 1, 2019
Grace to the Humble
Sunday, September 1, 2019
The last 21 days have been rich times for me, and I trust they have been for you as well. Whenever I fast, I receive more fillings of the Spirit, more revelation from the Lord, and I experience more of His power in my life. As part of the 21-day fast, 12 of us in New York City took five days to really press in hard to the Lord. The group consisted of several Christian Union associates, as well as friends who are transitioning to new positions and therefore had time to take off a week, including a lawyer, an investment banker, a surgeon, and a few entrepreneurs. We spent Monday through Friday from 6 am to 8 pm (14 hours per day) praying, reading the Scriptures, worshipping God and discussing Biblical matters. It was an incredibly rich time, and a few of us plan to do the same for four weeks (excepting weekends) in November.
August 31, 2019
Fasting As Mourning
Saturday, August 31, 2019
"Yet even now," declares the Lord,"return to me with all your heart,with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;and rend your hearts and not your garments."Return to the Lord your God,for he is gracious and merciful,slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;and he relents over disaster.— Joel 2:12-13
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.— Matthew 5:4
August 30, 2019
Driven to Revival on our Knees
Friday, August 30, 2019 The book of Esther reveals one of the most influential men of his era in the middle of an extended feast that was celebrated. King Xerxes requests that his queen parade her beauty before a council of over indulged men. She publicly refuses! Tempers and pride flare causing her to be publicly dethroned because of advice given by his council! Pride is a funny thing in that heart of a powerful person. King Xerxes is then placed in the position to find a new queen for his kingdom. Nestled in its pages of this drama, we find a hidden biblical narrative about two very intriguing people, Hadassah and Mordecai, who are the beginning of a beautifully woven together a message of hope for revival.August 29, 2019
Following Instructions
Thursday, August 29, 2019Yet they seek me dailyand delight to know my ways,as if they were a nation that did righteousnessand did not forsake the judgment of their God;they ask of me righteous judgments;they delight to draw near to God.‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,and oppress all your workers.Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fightand to hit with a wicked fist.Fasting like yours this daywill not make your voice to be heard on high.Is such the fast that I choose,a day for a person to humble himself?August 28, 2019
Biblical Values vs. Worldly Values; Go Fast to Slow Down; Huddle Up; 56 Tough Bible Passages (and How to Understand and Teach Them); Advice for Students: Think for Yourselves and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." — John 15:6
August 28, 2019
From Fasting To Feasting
Wednesday, August 28, 2019 “‘Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done so for so many years?’ Then the word of the Lord came to me…‘When you fasted and mourned, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?’…Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.” (Zechariah 7:3-6, 8:19) “[Fasting] is the most misunderstood of the Christian spiritual disciplines. Fasting is the natural, inevitable response of a person to a grievous sacred moment in life…People fasted in the Bible in response to some grievous event in life—like death or the realization of sin or when the nation was threatened.” (Scot McKnight, Fasting)August 27, 2019
Ministry Director Mentors Penn Football Players
Christian Union: The Magazine, Staff Writer Since fall 2017, Christian Union Ministry Director Tucker Else has been steadily gaining ground in his outreach to Quaker athletes, especially to members of the football team. Given their hectic training and academic schedules, Else offers flexible discipleship sessions to players. Penn quarterback Ryan Glover ’21 (left) celebrates with a teammate. “Time is such a commodity,” said Else. “It’s pretty easy for these guys to live and sleep football and academics.”August 27, 2019
Ready, Fire, Aim!
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.” — Ezra 8:21–23 (ESV)
August 26, 2019
When was the last time you couldn’t fall asleep because your mind was racing, and you couldn’t slow down your thoughts? Or you woke up in the middle of the night, shaken out of sleep because of something which had not gone right that day or because of some worry for the upcoming day? I often wonder, when all I need is to slow down and rest, why am I awake with my mind running so fast?When this happens, one trick my father taught me as a kid is to quote, in order, the Psalms (or, let’s be honest, maybe just remember a snippet from some of them) until you fall asleep. Granted, this is a lot easier to do if you grew up in a church tradition that sings the Psalms regularly. Nonetheless, the point of this trick is rest comes from being in God’s presence through His word and prayer.
August 26, 2019
