Open Letter to Christian Students Starting Secular University

Congratulations! After years of training, work, and preparation, you’re standing on the edge of an unforgettable adventure—that great unknown called higher education. God has brought you a long way, and he’s not about to let you go now.

Still, if you’re anything like me, you may be wrestling with a swarm of apprehensions about what awaits. Will I be able to manage the workload? Are my professors and classmates going to be hard on me for believing the Bible? What if college rattles my faith?

It’s true that higher education likely won’t be easy. You may well face a barrage of unbiblical teachings, on top of a hostile climate towards Christianity, on top of an impressive workload. But don’t be shaken. God has a purpose and plan for your life, and if he’s called you to higher education as part of that purpose, then he will be faithful to complete the work he began (Philippians 1:6).

With that in mind, I’d love to take a few minutes to share some practical encouragement for the journey. Drawing on biblical principles, personal experience from my time studying science at secular university, and insights from other Christian students I’ve spoken with around the world, here are some tips for the road ahead.

Turn the challenges you’ll face into opportunities to draw closer to God.

First, I’d encourage you to turn the challenges you’ll face into opportunities to draw closer to God. I can’t tell you all the times I prayed for help to tackle assignments, understand concepts, or answer exam questions. Doing so also reminded me to approach school as a way of serving God, remembering that everyday tasks are acts of worship when we do them out of love for Jesus (Colossians 3:23). He cares about all the details of our lives. And if we belong to him, our worries become his to handle (Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7). That’s the adventure of a surrendered life.

Second, by way of a heads-up, be aware that the unbiblical messages you’ll hear in class may sound unexpectedly convincing. Even though you know they’re false, messages that oppose God’s Word can begin to sound true just because they’re repeated often from eloquent professors in an environment where everyone seems to agree. All of this can make a message seem persuasive, but none of it makes a message true. I found it helpful to sidestep these types of illogical persuasion by asking, “Is this message true or false because . . . ?” (For instance, is a message true because many people believe it? Not necessarily.)

Along the way, you’ll almost certainly run into some faith-challenging messages you’ve never heard before. But don’t panic. God’s Word is true, and—as one saying which I love goes—truth fears no questions. God’s Word will ultimately stand up to scrutiny, while messages which contradict God’s Word will ultimately fall apart.

Truth fears no questions.

Until you have a chance to investigate how they fall apart, here are a couple of tips for when you hear new faith-challenging information. First, put the information in “quotation marks” if you’re taking notes in class. This reminds you that you’re not writing down a fact; you’re just noting what a professor said. Second, if you flip to the back of your notebook and write down any questions immediately, that record lets you follow up on your questions later when you have an opportunity.

Ways to follow up on questions include applying biblical critical thinking, consulting apologetics resources, asking mentors, and praying for wisdom. You may still have some unresolved questions afterward, but that’s okay. Faith crises don’t begin when we start asking questions; they begin when we stop seeking answers. Even so, we’ll never understand everything as finite humans. But as I heard a student in Holland point out, the fact that we’re not all-knowing doesn’t change the truth that God is. We can trust he knows the answer, even if he doesn’t reveal it to us on earth.

Faith crises don’t begin when we start asking questions; they begin when we stop seeking answers.

When I’d be stuck on a tough question, I found it helpful to remember Peter’s words when Jesus’s teachings became so difficult that many disciples walked away: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”1 These words repeatedly reminded me that the weight of evidence for my faith far surpassed the uncertainty of my remaining questions.

Third, I can’t encourage you enough to keep building and maintaining the foundations Christians need to thrive in their faith at college—and beyond. My time at university, conversations with students, and multiple studies2 confirm there are three such foundations. Hopefully, you’ve already been focusing on these three areas, but here’s a reminder of what they are to give you a game plan for growing even stronger:

For starters, you’ll need solid spiritual foundations—a close, personal walk with God fueled through Scripture study, worship, and prayer. Prayer includes both set-apart time to meet with God and an ongoing attitude of communication with him. This involves bringing God our thoughts, feelings, and concerns throughout the day.3 It might be tempting to slack on daily prayer or Scripture reading as homework stacks up. But like the renowned preacher Oswald Chambers wrote, “You no more need a holiday from spiritual concentration than your heart needs a holiday from beating.”4 When we guard our time with God, we often end up with even “more” time as he gives us wisdom to tackle the day’s demands.

Next, you’ll need intellectual foundations: apologetics training and critical thinking skills to defend your biblical worldview. By knowing apologetics answers to the top questions Christians encounter, you’ll be equipped to overcome common objections to Christianity in classrooms and culture, but you’re always bound to have new questions because there will always be new information.5 That’s why biblical critical thinking skills are a must-have for processing messages you’ve never heard before. (You can find the top critical thinking tools that helped me at secular university here.)

Finally, you’ll need interpersonal foundations—a support network of other Christians to encourage your faith, answer questions, and remind you that you’re not alone in your beliefs. Many students I spoke with extolled the value of joining campus ministries—so long as the groups aren’t compromised. You can gauge potential compromise by asking, “Are there doctrinal issues in the leadership? How will being here affect my spiritual health? Will spending time with this group likely lead me to compromise on biblical standards I’ve set?”6

Not attending church is the biggest mistake students make.

Even if you don’t find many Christian friends on campus (I didn’t in my first two years!), you can still build a solid support network through two indispensable connection points: local church and mentorship.7 As I once heard a retired Christian professor remark, “Not attending church is the biggest mistake students make.” Students who don’t connect to a church within the first month of moving to a new town are more likely to stop attending church altogether during university.8 So, it’s wise to find a church early. When looking for a church, remember the most important criterion isn’t a fancy building or flashy band, but a community that teaches, believes, and lives out the Bible.

By sticking around after church services, you can forge connections with prospective mentors—godly adults who will support, equip, and encourage you to walk with God along the path to which he’s called you. Mentorship emerged as one of the top themes from my conversations with students around the world!9 Making friends with Christians outside your age group, seeking opportunities to serve alongside older adults, or simply contacting someone you want to emulate and asking if they’d be willing to meet are all practical ways to find mentors.10 Pray for God to connect you to the right mentors, church, and friends, and he’ll be faithful to provide the contacts you need.

Guard your heart, mind, and relationship with God in the little things.

By way of a few final encouragements, remember to draw biblical boundaries ahead of time (Daniel 1:8), so you’ll have a plan for responding to pressure to compromise your biblical convictions. Guard your heart, mind, and relationship with God in the little things. Take care of yourself spiritually, mentally, and physically to combat the “brainwashing” conditions on campus by doing the following:

• Take breaks
• Get outside
• Eat well
• Sleep well
• Exercise
• Play an instrument
• Spend time with people
• Spend time with God

Be faithful to each little task God gives you, remembering that by doing so, you may be learning slingshot skills you’ll one day use to slay a giant.

There’s much more to say, but I hope these tips help you launch off to a solid start! (You can also check out these Scriptures of encouragement for Christian students, as God’s words will equip you most powerfully of all.)

Know that our Creator, Jesus, is with you. And his people are around you, cheering you on as you follow him into this new adventure. To God, there is no great unknown.

You are not alone!

With love in Christ,
Patricia

For more practical encouragement for Christian students, stay tuned for the student survival book, Prepare to Thrive, planned for release in Fall 2021.