June 14, 2015
Book Study Empowers Students to Reach Out
by Catherine Elvy, Staff WriterStudent believers desiring to reflect Christ on college campuses often encounter barriers when it comes to sharing their faith with classmates who struggle with homosexual desires.That issue can be especially magnified at Yale University, which has been dubbed for decades as the "Gay Ivy."Given the issues evangelicals may face when interacting with peers who grapple with same-sex attractions, a Christian Union intern hosted a book study on the subject throughout the spring semester.
June 14, 2015
Scholar debunks modern conspiracies, explains history
by Catherine Elvy, Staff WriterSome scholars argue politics, rather than divine guidance, determined the 27 books of the New Testament and the 39 texts of the Old Testament.That is not so, according to theologian Craig Blomberg.The New Testament scholar debunked such claims surrounding the canon of Scripture during an appearance at Cornell University.It is simply untrue that the formation of either testament was "brought about because of ideological conniving, such that a winning party in a political process had the opportunity to suppress or rewrite or even chose unilaterally in a totalitarian fashion what should go in either the Old or New Testaments," said Blomberg.
June 14, 2015
Princeton University Fellow Examines Key Questions
by Catherine Elvy, Staff WriterAll humans possess a right to life, which forms the basis for the related principles of freedom and safety.Philosophers seem uniformly to embrace that moral fundamental, but they continue to debate vigorously just when the right to life actually begins. Many ethical philosophers claim it begins during the later stages of pregnancy, while a minority point to conception.During an appearance for Princeton Pro-Life, a visiting fellow at Princeton University did his part to probe some of the key questions in the ongoing debate over the timing and conditions that establish the right to life.
June 14, 2015
Global Trends Bring Major Shifts
by Catherine Elvy, Staff WriterAs the United States is growing increasingly secular, other corners of the globe are becoming distinctly more spiritual.
June 4, 2015
The Lord your God is in your midst,a mighty one who will save;he will rejoice over you with gladness;he will quiet you by his love;he will exult over you with loud singing.— Zephaniah 3:17
Old Saints
By Stephen G. Mackereth From The Harvard Crimson
Harvard Crimson columnist Stephen G. Mackereth, a student heavily involved in Christian Union's ministry at Harvard, graduated last Thursday. In his final column in the Crimson, he reflects on his time at Harvard, on the future, and on the wisdom of old saints... Read More Here >
May 20, 2015
Seek the LORD and his strength; Seek his face continually. — 1 Chronicles 16:11
Chosen for the Sake of the World
By Nick Nowalk From Princeton Faith and Action YouTube Channel
What does it mean to be a part of God's chosen people? Harvard Ministry Fellow Nick Nowalk challenges the common debate surrounding the doctrine of election. Watch the Video Here >
May 6, 2015
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
Christian Union Adds Hutz Hertzberg to its Senior Leadership Team
By Christian Union From ChristianUnion.org
Christian Union and its Board of Trustees today announce that Dr. Hutz H. Hertzberg has been named to the organization’s senior leadership team as president, and the ministry's founder, Matt Bennett, has been named CEO. Hertzberg brings a wealth of leadership experience, having spent the entirety of his career in church ministries, Christian agencies, and in higher education. Most recently, Hertzberg served... Read More Here >
April 22, 2015
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18
The Two Shall Become One Flesh: Reclaiming Marriage
By Evangelicals and Catholics Together From First Things
In the Gospel of St. Mark, the Lord Jesus teaches that “from the beginning of creation ‘God made them male and female.’” He then declares a great and beautiful truth inscribed in creation: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh” (Mark 10:6–8). Read More Here >
April 9, 2015
What Every Christian Can Practice in Order to Impact the Culture of Today
Author and philosopher Paul Gould has written a number of successful books, and his latest work, The Outrageous Idea of the Missional Professor, is both an excellent examination of what it means to be a Christian academic, as well as a helpful resource for those who are looking to deepen their faith and impact their surroundings. In the book, he explains that professors and teachers hold a valuable position of influence over their students and contemporaries, and urges them to view themselves more like missionaries in order to transform their particular disciplines.April 9, 2015
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations... — Deuteronomy 7:9
Christ Follower, Bridge Builder
By Christian Union From ChristianUnion.org
Princeton alumnus, Cambridge University MPhil, and current California Berkeley PhD student Dave Kurz grew up in a Christian home, but faith was not the center of his life until he went to college and began attending Christian Union Bible courses. Hear how these experiences helped shape his beliefs and led him to earnestly seek God. Watch the Video Here >
March 25, 2015
"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... all things were created by him and for him" — Col 1:16
The Drop Box
By Madison Peace From The Federalist
A poignant, profoundly moving new documentary "tells the story of 'The Drop Box,' where image-conscious South Koreans leave disabled babies to a welcoming pastor and his family." Read More Here >
March 11, 2015
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Renaissance: the Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times
By Dr. Os Guinness From New York City Christian Union
On January 13, 2015, acclaimed author and social critic Dr. Os Guinness was the special guest speaker at the January New York City Christian Union Forum. Watch the video here >
March 5, 2015
Why Harvard is Anything But Godless
Many Harvard professors and students are oblivious to the level of religious devotion that exists at their university. In fact, most people, Harvard affiliated or not, are unaware of the profound faith that can be found on campus, erroneously considering the school to be fairly “irreligious.” However, according to Stephen G. Mackereth – a talented new writer for The Harvard Crimson, and a Christian Union ministry member – Harvard is anything but godless. Mackereth highlights his own faith experiences at Harvard and explains how this precipitated a close relationship with God. “Though I came from an Anglican family, it was here that the old creeds and old hymns to God in the Highest first really came to life for me. Since then, I have been an active member of the Christian student community on campus,” he writes.March 1, 2015
Dartmouth Student Leads 24-Hour Prayer Time
On October 31, students at Dartmouth united their Christian peers to pray without ceasing for 24 hours.The effort was led by Zachary Schmidt '15, who is active with Christian Union's leadership development ministry at Dartmouth and possesses a profound devotion to Christ and a passion for living a life of prayer.Schmidt, who transferred to Dartmouth as a junior from the U.S. Naval Academy, helped organize a 24-hour concert of prayer, which both encouraged students to seek God wholeheartedly and also united the body of Christ on campus."We saw [this prayer initiative] as a great way to get the whole Christian community involved and united in one body to glorify the Lord," said Schmidt.February 23, 2015
Making Sense of True Paradoxes
Christian Union: The Magazine recently interviewed David Skeel, the S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Pennsylvania. A speaker at Veritas Forums on various college campuses, Skeel is the author of several books on law. He recently wrote his first apologetics book, True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of Our Complex World.How would you define apologetics?At bottom, I think the Apostle Peter defined apologetics best, at least for Christians, when he admonished his readers to "always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). That's how I see apologetics, as trying to explain why I believe Christianity is true, especially for those who think an ancient religion like Christianity can't possibly make sense of the complexities of our contemporary world.February 22, 2015
Mwangi Thuita '17 Has a Passion for Serving
The Community Service Team with Christian Union at Cornell is working to share the Gospel in Ithaca, New York, and their acts of service are conveying what words alone cannot.The team serves the university's neighboring community through a variety of volunteer works, quietly modeling Christ's compassion for all people."Our students formed the Community Service Team because they wanted tangible ways to communicate the love of Christ," said Anna Shea, a Christian Union ministry fellow at Cornell. "They want others to experience, through their actions, that Jesus is alive—not just on the Cornell campus, but throughout Ithaca as well."February 21, 2015
Scholar Exhorts Attendees at Harvard Catholic Center Event
Exercising the constitutional right to "authentic worship" at Harvard was heralded this fall with a lecture from noted scholar Father Peter Stravinskas.The Harvard Catholic Center sponsored the event, entitled "Give Me Freedom (Religious) or Give Me Death." Stravinskas, editor of The Catholic Answer magazine and books such as The Catholic Response and The Catholic Church and the Bible, exhorted attendees to refute the bifurcation of religious freedom by a secular culture.Stravinskas spoke about how society is seeking to replace authentic Christian worship and expression with a more politically correct and passive version of religion.The right to assemble is tolerated, but the freedom to live out your faith with actionable belief and works is disallowed.February 20, 2015
Cornell Alumnus Joe Holland Challenges Students to Walk by Faith
For believers, God's calling is not an isolated event. Rather, it often plays out as part of an amazing personal movement.Activist, attorney, and football legend Joe Holland offered that spiritual insight during an appearance on October 16 at his alma mater of Cornell University. The All-American football player spoke about the stages of fulfilling a divine commission during a public lecture in Friends Hall."It's not just something that happens, and that's the end," said Holland, Cornell '78, MA '79, Harvard Law '82. "It's a movement that God executes in your life."February 19, 2015
Considering Nietzsche and Jesus of Nazareth
by Jesse PetersonAt the risk of an absurd reductionism, I'd like to propose an audacious thesis: that in Western history there have been only two distinct ethical philosophies. Every other ethic ultimately falls under the banner of one of these two. The two stances are represented by two teachers: Friedrich Nietzsche and Jesus of Nazareth. Their fundamental disagreement? What it means to be human, and what it means to love. The Ethics of Nature There could hardly have been a more fitting philosopher to follow on the heels of Darwin's mid-19th-century discoveries than Nietzsche. Nietzsche translated into ethical-prescriptive terms ("ought") what for Darwin had merely been biological-historical description ("is"). Darwin's "survival of the fittest" in the war of nature became Nietzsche's "will to power":February 18, 2015
