by Alec Hill, president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
October 17, 2011
Non-Conformity
At age 89, John Stott penned his final book. Entitled The Radical Disciple (InterVarsity Press, 2010), “Uncle John” described nine characteristics of a serious disciple. His very first trait and highest priority — “nonconformity” — caught me by surprise.
Why would John Stott and Malcolm Muggeridge, quoted above, regard non-conformity as being so important? Why would they encourage believers to swim against prevailing cultural currents?
Historically, InterVarsity has always leaned into cultural engagement. We are not by temperament Christ against culture* kind of people. Rather, we seek cultural transformation under the lordship of Jesus. Hence the second part of our Vision Statement reads “to see campuses renewed.”
Brief Description:
Alec Hill asks: "Why would John Stott and Malcolm Muggeridge encourage believers to swim against prevailing cultural currents?"
At the beginning of the school year, when students consider the choice of a major and a career they may pursue after graduation, Hope College history professor Marc Baer offers guidance on how to follow God through our career choices.
To answer the question, “What is Calling?” recognizes two different types of calling for the Christian. All believers share a primary calling to love God and follow Him. I experienced that when I was 25, a few weeks after I had passed the comprehensive exams for my PhD program.
I had grown up in a non-believing family, completely outside the church.
Brief Description:
Vocations, careers, jobs, and work flow from the primary calling. Although our secular-minded friends, family, and neighbors wish it were not so, there is no calling without a Caller. Because there is a Caller, you have a calling.
Forty years ago the Beach Boys sang, “be true to your school.” As Christians, God would ask us to sing, “be true to the Kingdom of God.” While our time in college is brief, the Kingdom of God is everlasting.
It is in college that we amass knowledge about life and who we are; in this respect, the love for our campus can teach us much about love for God’s Kingdom. But the values we learn at school seem shallow compared with the deep truths that Jesus wants us to know about the Kingdom of God.
St. Olaf, where I went to school, prides itself on having a thriving campus community.
Brief Description:
The love for our campus can teach us much about love for God’s Kingdom.
For some of us it takes a long time to see our parents as only human, susceptible to the same brokenness that the rest of us suffer from, in need of the same grace that God offers to us all. For me, surviving my parents’ brokenness began my sophomore year in college, a few days before Easter.
I remember sitting in our family room with my youngest brother, the sun streaming in through the open windows warming our backs, and the contrast of the biting breeze that swished past us. My dad sat in front of us on the ottoman footstool, his head resting in his hands.
Brief Description:
Our parents’ brokenness wounds us, but we are all in need of God’s grace
In 2007, a student named Phill Grosser died in a motorcycle accident during an InterVarsity orientation for a summer mission trip to Liberia. He was heading into his fifth year at George Washington University and was a vibrant, lovable, and memorable character on campus and in his InterVarsity chapter.
_Dealing with death is sometimes a part of InterVarsity staff work. Phill’s death both challenged and strengthened the InterVarsity chapter.
Brief Description:
Death often comes as a surprise but God’s grace is always sufficient
Social networking websites such as Facebook and You Tube, the availability of information at our fingertips via the Internet, and an increasingly visual culture all contribute to the decline of reading across America. One of InterVarsity’s commitments is to the discipleship of the mind. Through resources from InterVarsity Press, staff train students in Christian discipleship and develop them as future leaders of the church and society.
InterVarsity Press began in the United States during the 1939-1940 academic year.
Brief Description:
Discipleship of the mind is a key contribution to our spiritual growth
I have a Police Officer friend who has theorized to me that in the next 10 years Madison, Wisconsin, will become a very different city. Already we see foreboding signs of change. Over the past several years there have seemingly been more crimes – from muggings to rapes to murders. All over the country we feel our grasp on safety slipping away from us. Every year seems to bring new forms of terror. We could become consumed by fear.
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he tells us not to be anxious about anything, but instead to pray with thanksgiving.
Brief Description:
The world is a terrifying place. With so much to be afraid of, as Christians, how then should we choose to live?
InterVarsity’s four camps and training centers are just a few of the locations where representatives from many of InterVarsity’s 864 chapters at colleges and universities across the country are meeting this month for Chapter Camp. Each of InterVarsity’s 14 regions has its own Chapter Camp location.
Brief Description:
Chapter Camp is often a crucial transition for InterVarsity students. It's not unusual to hear alumni reflect back and say it was at a camp experience of some type where their faith matured in a significant way. It's a sign post in the journey of their life; they can look back and see it.
This past Saturday I took a nine mile walk around the west side of Madison, Wisconsin, to do my errands. The fresh air along with the daffodils and tulips pushing their way up through the damp earth brought restoration to my soul. But scattered amidst the new life sprouting up was trash; litter tossed carelessly from car windows or other people strolling down the sidewalk. It saddened me. It also urged me to reflect about how God has asked us to care for the beauty surrounding us.
Brief Description:
The Earth is the Lord's but we have some responsibility too
When I was about 12 I knew that someday I would be a movie star. At the time I felt I was well on my way, having starred as the lead in theater productions of Annie and Sleeping Beauty. It wasn’t long before I let go of that dream, but for many years the world of celebrity held me firmly in its grasp.
