December 2009 CMU

 

The Ivy Jungle Network

Campus Ministry Update

December 2009

                                                     

 

Whether you are at a Christmas Conference, Urbana, Christmas retreat, or at home with friends and loved ones, we pray that these next few weeks provide a quiet moment or two to rest in the presence of the King of Kings, born a babe that we might be adopted into the family of God.

 

We celebrate this good news of great joy!

 

Merry Christmas from the Ivy Jungle Network!

 

 

Trends in Campus Ministry, Culture and Higher Education:

 

American Religion:  Statistically, the vast majority of people in the US call themselves Christians.  However, a report by the Pew Research Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that nearly a quarter of all Americans worship outside their faith.  The results indicate a tendency among Americans to blend together beliefs from multiple sources.  Nearly a quarter of those surveyed express beliefs in New Age or Eastern religious ideas such as reincarnation.  Over the last 13 years, the percentage who claim to have interacted with a  ghost has doubled from 9% to 18%.  65% also expressed belief in or experience with some sort of supernatural phenomena like astrology or consulting a psychic.  Paul Lichterman, professor of sociology and religion at USC refers to this religious individualism as the "American Religion."  (LA Times December 10, 2009)

Supreme Court and Christian Groups on Campus:  The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case between the University of California's Hastings College of Law and the Christian Legal Society.  The dispute arose from the school's decision to ban the group because of what it sees as a violation of the school's non-discrimination policy toward sexual orientation.   The Christian group says all are welcome to attend its meetings and participate, but only those who adhere to the group's statement of faith may vote and hold officer positions.  The group requires officers to abstain from any sex outside of heterosexual marriage.   The group claims that they are now being discriminated against by the university because of their beliefs.   (Inside Higher Ed December 8, 2009)

Christmas Ads for Atheists:   The American Humanist Association has started an ad campaign in five US cities with billboards, bus and train ads that say, "No God?  . .  . No problem!"  The group says they want to build awareness that people can be good without God.  The group is bolstered by recent statistics that show the fastest growing belief group in the US is those who do not believe in any religion, a number that nearly doubled between 1990 and 2000.  (Christian Post  November 24, 2009)

Humanist Chaplains:  This year, Tufts University joins Harvard and Adelphi Universities as schools which have a "humanist chaplain." At Tufts, the "minister" serves the Tufts Free Thought Society, a student group of 150 members representing the atheist and agnostic population on campus.  The goal of such a chaplain is to help non-religious students find places where they can experience community and compassion on campus.  (Inside Higher Ed November 12, 2009)

Campus Ministries Involved in Social Justice:  Many campus ministries are forgoing the pizza parties and fun events and seeking to reach out to students on campus through opportunities to serve the poor, address HIV/AIDS, or human trafficking issues.  InterVarsity Chirstain Fellowship reports that more than 2/3 of its campus chapters have focused more on social causes in the last few years.  Unlinke previous generations, many students see a clear tie between evangelism and social action, between proclaiming the good news and engaging in good works (Christianity Today, Decmeber 2009 p. 18)   For more on students at social action see http://www.ivyjungle.org/converted-to-the-kingdom-social-action-among-college-students-today

Campus Ministry and Theology:  Last year, the officers for the InterVarsity Chapter at George Washington University resigned and began a separate campus ministry.  At issue was the theology of justification, upon which the gospel hinges.  Believing that the statement of faith they read from InterVarsity did not adhere to justification by faith alone, the students feared that their ministry no longer held to the historically Protestant position.   In November, Christianity Today ran an article about the group, called "Not All Evangelicals and Catholics Together."   This month, InterVarsity President, Alec Hill published a response to the article, affirming InterVarsity's commitment to the doctrine of justification by faith alone.  Read the articles at http://www.ivyjungle.org/converted-to-the-kingdom-social-action-among-college-students-today  (Christianity Today December 2009 p. 59)

Hook-Up Gender Gap:  That men and women pursue sex for different reasons is not a new discovery – women are looking for love and men are looking for, well, sex.  In the current hook up culture, however, the benefit is clearly for the guys – sex without relationship.  Some sociologists suggest that the current love affair with the Twilight series among young women may in fact be a reaction to the hook up culture; a fantasy of love without sex.  Kaltheene Bogle, author of Hooking Up: Sex, Dating, and Relationships on Campus states that most students perceive the hook up culture on campus to be even worse than it is.  Nationally, about 25% of college students remain virgins.  Among the 78% of students who reported hook ups at one university in the study, only 38% included intercourse.   For many college women today, they feel that without a level of easy sexual activity, they may never find a boyfriend.  Guys are ok with that, often enjoying the hook up and not calling back.  Given the 5:4 ratio of women to men on campus, the competition favors the guys as well.   (Chicago Tribune November 29, 2009)

Feminism and the Hook Up Culture:   A group at Harvard called the True Love Revolution has called into question the idea that today's sexual hook up culture empowers women.  These students believe that the "new feminism" which states a woman can have sex with whomever and whenever she wants may actually be demeaning to women.  A study of 4,000 students at five campuses shows that the average college student has 6.9 hook-ups by the end of their senior year, the vast majority of which come after a "good bit of drinking."  Nearly a quarter of students report never having a hook-up. However, 28% report more than 10 different partners.  The culture still benefits men who are seen as conquerors in their sexual exploits while women may be labeled "sluts" for the same activity.  Critics say the current culture only promotes a further sexual objectification of a person, which is ultimately harmful to both men and women.  Still, for most students, the belief exists that so long as the sex is protected from pregnancy or disease, it largely takes place without impact. (ABC News.com November 12, 2009)

Co-ed Dorms Sex and Drinking:  In what might be called a rather "unshocking" report, a study in the Journal of American College Health shows that students in co-ed dorms are 2.5 times more likely to binge drink every week and tend to have more sexual partners than those in single sex dorms.  A study of 500 students from five campuses showed that 42% of those in a co-ed dorm reported weekly binge drinking, compared with 18% in single sex dorms.   The study helps dispel the myth that binge drinking is a "Greek" problem located in fraternity and sorority houses.   90% of dorms are now co-ed.  (Sciencelive.com November 17, 2009)

Pro-Family Campus Group:  The Anscome Society at Princeton University is a student organization "dedicated to affirming the importance of family, marriage, and a proper understanding for the role of sex and sexuality."  Named for Elizabeth Anscome, a Cambridge philosopher and dedicated mother of seven children, the group claims a two-fold purpose:  to provide "social support and voice for those who share its values" and to generate "intellectual engagement with others on Princeton's campus and in the broader community."   (Salvo Autumn 09)

High Incidence of STD's:   A new government report shows that nearly 1 in 4 teenage girls has an STD.  Most became infected within a year of becoming sexually active.  The report, which is published in the December issue of Pediatrics, shows that 24% of all of the girls ages 14-19 were infected with an STD.  Of those who were sexually active, that number was almost 38%.  Girls 15-19 account for the largest number of the nation's 1.5 million reported cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea.  Women ages 20-24 are the next highest group of infections.  (US News and World Report November 23, 2009)

Racial Gaps in Graduation Rates on College Bowl Teams:  Among the 68 Bowl bound college football programs, 31% (21 schools) graduate less than 50% of their African American players, compared with only 2 schools who graduate less than 50% of their white players.   No team in this year's bowl games graduate less than 40% of their white players, while 10% (7 schools) graduate less than 40% of their African-American players.  More than half of the teams have a graduation rate for African-American players 20% lower or worse than the graduation rate of their white players.   (Inside Higher Ed December 8, 2009)

High Cost Colleges:  58 colleges and universities now boast a price tag of greater than $50K a year for tuition, room, board and other fees according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.  A year ago, only five schools had such a hefty price tag.  Most of these schools are quick to point out that with the "generous aid packages" available, few students pay the sticker price.   However, a number of critics have begun to question not only the affordability of a college education, but also if the long term benefit truly warrants such high costs.  (New York Times, November 3, 2009)

Required Weight Loss:   A Lincoln University plan to require obese students to either shed a few pounds or take a semester fitness and nutrition class in order to graduate has met with some opposition and may be revoked.  A body mass index graduation requirement (obese is defined as a BMI of 30 or greater) is among the more extreme steps schools have taken to boost student health.  Schools are working with food service companies to provide healthier options, pushing exercise, and hoping education will help students make better choices.  In 1993 about 5% of college students were obese.  In 2008, a National College Health Assessment survey found 10% of students fell in the obese category.  (Inside Higher Ed December 1, 2009)

Collision:  Last year, renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens (God is not Great) and Pastor Douglas Wilson toured the country debating the topic, "Is Christianity good for the world?"   Their debates and travels have now become a documentary film, Collision.  At the core of the debate is not only whether humans can be moral without religion, but also the nature of faith and why, if God exists, He would reveal himself at all.  (NPR.org October 26, 2009)

Online Church:  Among the dozens of varieties of churches that exist in the US today, a growing segment lies in the fully interactive, online, virtual church of the internet.   An internet "campus" for several churches has become one more way to engage people with the good news of Jesus Christ.  Some critics claim that the church cannot exist without live community.  Proponents claim that authentic engagement happens in the online environment.  These new "churches" require some new thinking in theology, tradition, and culture.   An exact count of online churches does not exist.  However, Leadership Network says they know of at least 40 churches with a virtual campus.  (AP November 1, 2009)

Bible for X-Box:  just in time for Christmas, B&H Publishing has released Bible Navigator X, an application for the X-Box with the complete text of the Holman Christian Standard Bible.  Downloadable through Indie Games, the group thinks that this will allow people to turn their video game units into useful Bible study tools.   In addition to standard search functions, the application will allow users to customize the look of the Bible.  (B&H Press Release November 10, 2009)

*** Jobs, Resources and Events ***

*** Jobs: ***

Campus Minister Positions:  InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the Rio Grande Area (NM and El Paso, TX) of the Rocky Mountain Region is looking for potential staff candidates for its ministry among Latino students at the University of Texas at El Paso.  The successful candidate will be a person of godly character who has a passion for reaching college students with the gospel of Jesus Christ, is excited about living in Latino culture and ministering among Latino students, understands and values InterVarsity's ministry ethos, is capable of raising 100% of a ministry budget, wants to live in a border city and is willing to commit at least five years to growing an IV chapter at UTEP.  Men and women of all ethnic backgrounds are welcomed as applicants and men of Latino heritage are especially encouraged to apply.  Completed applications, along with references, must be received by February 1, 2010.  For more information, including an application packet, please contact Rod Pauls, Area Director, either by e-mail at rioad_tatm@qwestoffice.net or by phone at (505) 710-4823.   

 

*** Resources: ***

 

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***Events ***

Pray for the Christmas conferences, student retreats and URBANA that are all happening over this Christmas break!

 

 

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