{"id":11414,"date":"2018-04-12T21:42:08","date_gmt":"2018-04-13T02:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=11414"},"modified":"2018-04-12T21:42:08","modified_gmt":"2018-04-13T02:42:08","slug":"book-review-10-things-every-christian-should-know-for-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=11414","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: 10 Things Every Christian Should Know for College"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I met Austin Gentry via email due to his friendship with an alum from my school\u2026a really awesome young man and one of my former Bible students! \u00a0There are lots of people who have written \u00a0books on the broad subject of\u00a0\u201cstaying Christian in college.\u201d\u00a0Many of them have been good, but\u00a0honestly most of them are sort of cheesy. \u00a0 Gentry\u2019s 10 Things Every Christian School Know for College<\/em><\/a> is a great resource for both students and parents! \u00a0The transition to college is a huge one\u2026and not just for the student. \u00a0I am excited to recommend this book to the families at my school because Gentry grew up in a Christian school very similar to ours. \u00a0And like many of my students will, he moved on to attend a secular university.<\/div>\n
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The books contains a lot of Scripture and valuable tips on what to expect and how to handle things as they come up.\u00a0 Gentry particularly focused on the areas of doubt, community, and identity.\u00a0 There is not a question of IF your faith will be\u00a0challenged in college, but rather WHEN and HOW it will be challenged. \u00a0I appreciated the way that Gentry provided\u00a0sound theology in a way that was warm and invited the reader to carefully consider the point that he was making. \u00a0I have a seminary degree and got a lot out of this book and know for sure that my high school students will as well.\u00a0 This book is easily readable and lends itself to great conversation.<\/div>\n
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I look forward to helping spread the word about this book. \u00a0I hope you will pick up a copy as well! \u00a0Even if you are past college, there are still some very valuable takeaways to consider when dealing with people in general. \u00a0I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below\u2026<\/div>\n
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    \n
  • How are you going to do the balancing act of being intellectually curious and yet religiously grounded at the same time? p. 21<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Do you quietly compromise your faith at the\u00a0expense of being\u00a0relatable, or do you boldly affirm your faith at the risk of being\u00a0\u2018holier than thou\u2019? How are you to do the balancing act of making the right decision and yet maintaining your friendships at the same time? p. 21<\/li>\n
  • A true Christian is not someone whose faith is never shaken, but instead, someone who knows how to faithfully respond\u00a0when they are shaken. p. 22<\/li>\n
  • The last thing I want is for any of you to go through college passively or defensively as a Christian. \u00a0Rather, I want you to live proactively and influentially as a Christian. \u00a0I don\u2019t want you to feel like you\u2019re always on your heels, pushing back against the force of new temptations and different\u00a0worldview. \u00a0I want you to feel like you\u2019re readily on\u00a0your toes, confidently equipped for what to expect and how to respond. p. 23<\/li>\n
  • \u201cBut test everything; hold fast what is good.\u201d 1 Thessalonians 5:21 p. 27<\/li>\n
  • While your professor is academically competent, he is not academically omniscient. p. 33<\/li>\n
  • Your professor is certainly smart, but\u00a0there are other\u00a0scholars in his field of study who are just as smart as he is, who may\u00a0fundamentally disagree with his conclusions. p. 36<\/li>\n
  • You should\u00a0always respect your professors with your heart, but you should not always feel obligated to believe them with your mind. p. 37<\/li>\n
  • Be alert, but not alarmed. p. 38<\/li>\n
  • \u201cFor the time will come when people\u00a0will not put up with sound doctrine. \u00a0Instead, to suit their own desires, they\u00a0will\u00a0gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.\u201d 2 Timothy 4:3 p. 39<\/li>\n
  • The human heart can often screen information that is presented and choose information that is preferred. p. 40<\/li>\n
  • You\u00a0should expect your\u00a0professors to interpret and\u00a0present information in a narrow, particular way. p. 41<\/li>\n
  • Scholarship is essentially a\u00a0mixed bag of\u00a0\u2018relevant\u2019 information about a subject, not necessarily\u00a0\u2018right\u2019\u00a0information about a subject. p. 43<\/li>\n
  • Christians\u00a0don\u2019t look to the Bible to get their preferences reinforced, but transformed. p. 45<\/li>\n
  • What the heart most wants, the mind will find most reasonable. p. 46<\/li>\n
  • \u201cThere is enough light for those who only desire to see, and enough obscurity for those who have a contrary dispotion.\u201d Blaise Pascal p. 47<\/li>\n
  • For too many college students, not\u00a0believing in Christianity has more to do with their\u00a0lifestyle than their scholarship. \u00a0Intellectual objections are more often smokescreens than the main issue. \u00a0Their faith objections are not intellectual in origin, but preferential at the root. \u00a0They are not a matter of the mind as much as they are a matter of the heart. p. 50<\/li>\n
  • \u201cWhat the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies.\u201d Thomas Cranmer, English Reformer p. 51<\/li>\n
  • \u201cBrothers, do not be\u00a0children in your thinking. \u00a0Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.\u201d 1 Corinthians 14:20 p. 53<\/li>\n
  • A dramatic response to doubt\u00a0would be to make doubt a bigger deal\u00a0than it actually is and to give it\u00a0more significance\u00a0than it actually deserves. p. 54<\/li>\n
  • Doubt can simply represent a fundamental gap in your overall understanding of something. p. 55<\/li>\n
  • An apathetic\u00a0response to doubt would be to make doubt a smaller\u00a0deal than it actually is and to give it less significance\u00a0than it actually demands. p. 57<\/li>\n
  • When doubts\u00a0urge towards you in great strength, you can respond by doubting your\u00a0doubts\u2014using the power it poses against you, against it. Indeed, by doubting your\u00a0doubt, you will essentially cause your doubts to trip over its own momentum. \u00a0And as a\u00a0result, you will feel more in control, more at peace, and not as unsettled. p. 62<\/li>\n
  • Don\u2019t\u00a0give\u00a0your\u00a0doubts unfair advantage by not doubting them just as much as they\u2019re causing you to\u00a0doubt what you\u00a0believe. p. 63<\/li>\n
  • When you screen your doubt and when you doubt your doubt, you put\u00a0doubt back in its rightful place. p. 63<\/li>\n
  • \u201cPut your finger here; see my hands. \u00a0Reach out your hand and put it into my side. \u00a0Stop\u00a0doubting and believe.\u201d John 20:27 p. 65<\/li>\n
  • We don\u2019t become\u00a0spiritual giants by never doubting. \u00a0We become spiritual giants by experience how God deals with us when we doubt. p. 66<\/li>\n
  • The Conservative culture doesn\u2019t do justice to the doubter because it says you cannot be emotionally or intellectually authentic while at the same time being a genuine Christian. p. 69<\/li>\n
  • The Liberal culture seems\u00a0to put a premium on free thinking over truth finding. p. 70<\/li>\n
  • Conservative culture emphasizes truth, but doesn\u2019t give you\u00a0the grace to struggle. \u00a0Liberal culture emphasizes grace to struggle, but gives you no truth. \u00a0Conservative culture\u00a0challenges the doubt, but doesn\u2019t\u00a0welcome the doubter. \u00a0Liberal culture welcomes the doubter, but\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0challenge\u00a0the doubt. p. 73<\/li>\n
  • God welcomes our doubts as they are, but He does not welcome them to stay as they are. p. 75<\/li>\n
  • \u201cAnd if Christ\u00a0has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.\u201d 1 Corinthians 15:14 p. 77<\/li>\n
  • The Bible doesn\u2019t\u00a0resolve all of our questions or soothe all f our doubts\u2014but it does give resolution and peace to the main ones. p. 78<\/li>\n
  • It\u2019s extremely\u00a0important to understand parts of your faith in terms of primary and secondary truths. p. 80<\/li>\n
  • By making a distinction\u00a0between primary and secondary convictions, you can be open to the idea of the earth being either young or old without it shaking your entire faith. p. 81<\/li>\n
  • If the resurrection is true, Jesus is who he says he is and Christianity is objective truth. p. 83<\/li>\n
  • When doubt comes on you like a stormy gale, Lay down your anchor in the\u00a0resurrection and behind the veil. p. 88<\/li>\n
  • \u201cTwo are better than one\u2026For if they fail, one will lift up his\u00a0fellow. \u00a0But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! \u00a0And though a man might prevail\u00a0against\u00a0one who is lone, two will withstand him\u2014a threefold cord is not quickly broken.\u201d Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 p. 93<\/li>\n
  • Look at the life of plants. A small sapling and a fully-grown tree both need water. \u00a0Trees do not graduate from water based on growth. \u00a0And likewise, you do not graduate from community based on maturity. \u00a0p. 94<\/li>\n
  • The need for community isn\u2019t a matter of the maturity of the Christian; it\u2019s a matter of necessity for the Christian. p. 95<\/li>\n
  • Your resolve will eventually erode to the conditions of life if it is not firmly rooted in the soil of\u00a0Christian community. p. 95<\/li>\n
  • \u201cIn God\u2019s divine humility, He created us so that we must be fulfilled with something in addition to\u00a0himself: community.\u201d Dr. John Hammett, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary p. 96<\/li>\n
  • Don\u2019t shortchange your wellbeing by not allowing others into your life. \u00a0And don\u2019t shortchange other\u2019s wellbeing by not being involved in their life. p. 99<\/li>\n
  • It takes a community to truly know an individual. p. 101<\/li>\n
  • \u201cWe are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. \u00a0We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.\u201d 2 Corinthians 5:20 p. 103<\/li>\n
  • Our faith needs more\u00a0than just Christian\u00a0friends in order to thrive. p. 104<\/li>\n
  • The Bible tells you to go to the nations to share the gospel\u2026but in college, the nations come to you. p. 106<\/li>\n
  • Whatever you choose to do, the ultimate goal is the same:\u00a0Get to know non-Christians who are like you and who are not\u00a0like you. \u00a0Become genuine friends with\u00a0them. \u00a0Share the gospel with them. \u00a0Don\u2019t treat them as evangelical projects. \u00a0Understand that they are images of God who are able to add\u00a0unique forms of value, wisdom, and\u00a0inspiration into your life that other\u00a0Christians cannot. \u00a0And\u00a0simply delight in your unique friendship you have with them. \u00a0p. 112<\/li>\n
  • If your community is narrow, your joy will be narrow. \u00a0But if your community is broad and multi-dimensional, so also will be your joy. p. 112<\/li>\n
  • \u201cChoose this day whom you will serve.\u201d Joshua 24:15 p. 113<\/li>\n
  • Think of your core group of Christian friends as your intimate community\u00a0\u2014 whom you seek to be influenced by\u00a0\u2014 and your broader community as your\u00a0intentional community\u00a0\u2014whom you seek to influence. p. 115<\/li>\n
  • Forming meaningful non-Christian community while upholding\u00a0Christian convictions is\u00a0certainly not a dilemma practically. \u00a0But it\u2019s also not a dilemma theologically.
    \nThe gospel tells us that there is no fundamental difference between Christians and non-Christians insofar as our humanity is concerned. \u00a0It says all people are equally sinful, all people are equally in need of a Savior, and all people are\u00a0equally offered a Savior in Christ (Romans 3:23). \u00a0Which means you are no different, no better, and on\u00a0worse than anyone else. \u00a0It cancels everyone\u2019s pride and humbles everyone\u2019s spirit. \u00a0This means we are able to relate with\u00a0anyone at the most fundamental level\u2014one that goes beyond class, background, morality, or lifestyle. p. 117<\/li>\n
  • \u201cAnd my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.\u201d Philippians 4:19 p. 125<\/li>\n
  • Parents, if you truly love your child, then you should prioritize\u00a0attending to their long-term needs over their short-term inconveniences. p. 127<\/li>\n
  • Your child does not need more Band-Aids to\u00a0lightly cover their hurts, but stronger bones to effectively withstand the pressures of life. p. 127<\/li>\n
  • Be the great parent that you are and give them the milk of grace and truth. \u00a0In grace, sympathize with their\u00a0struggles. \u00a0And in truth, cater to their needs, not their conveniences. \u00a0Show them the grace of tender compassion by entering into their\u00a0sorrow. \u00a0But give them the truth of tough love by pointing them unto growth. \u00a0Doing so will be like a strong dose of spiritual calcium to your child,\u00a0strengthening the bones of their personal development. p. 127<\/li>\n
  • Commit\u00a0yourself more to their long-term joy than to their short-term sorrow. \u00a0Be assured, growth pains hurt\u2014but they\u2019re necessary and good. \u00a0This phase in their social development plays a critical role in shaping them into the kind of adults you want them to be anyways. \u00a0So, pray for them in their situation. \u00a0But do not pull them out of their situation. p. 128<\/li>\n
  • Whatever you situation might be, the principle remains the same: if you don\u2019t take chances, your situation will not change. \u00a0But if you do take chances, your situation will be positioned for positive changes to take place. p. 131<\/li>\n
  • You can\u2019t expect God to grow your community if you don\u2019t first do the hard work of breaking up your\u00a0complacency and planting seeds of intentionality. p. 132<\/li>\n
  • So parents: prioritize the needs of your child. \u00a0And students: pursue the means of your\u00a0growth. p. 132<\/li>\n
  • \u201cFor he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.\u201d Hebrews 11:10 p. 133<\/li>\n
  • Your identity essentially\u00a0refers to where you find your greatest sense of self-worth and significance. p. 134<\/li>\n
  • Your foundation is about your self-worth and significance. \u00a0Your direction is about your performance and circumstance. p. 136<\/li>\n
  • Basing your self-worth on your performance or\u00a0circumstance will naturally breed\u00a0comparison, insecurity, and anxiety. p. 137<\/li>\n
  • Basing your self-worth on your performance or circumstance will always make failures and disappointments worse than they actually are. p. 139<\/li>\n
  • When you base your self-worth on your performance, you might end up pursuing a career path that you never should have pursued. p. 141<\/li>\n
  • Jesus has secured for you maximal acceptance, unconditional love, and perfect security from the only One whose opinion of you really matters most anyways. p. 145<\/li>\n
  • Leaning into your\u00a0identity in\u00a0Christ essentially means finding your\u00a0greatest sense of self-worth, validation, significance, security, and\u00a0satisfaction in God\u2019s absolute acceptance and love for you, which was given most fully in the person and work of Jesus Christ. \u00a0It\u2019s an identity built on the Rock unaffected by\u00a0the waves of circumstance or human failure. \u00a0p. 146<\/li>\n
  • Find your self-worth in Christ will\u2026<\/li>\n
  • \n
      \n
    • Help you stop comparing yourself to others.<\/li>\n
    • Prevent you from magnifying failures\u00a0and misfortunes.<\/li>\n
    • Encourage you to pursue something you\u2019re actually passionate about. p. 147<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Lean in to your identity in Christ, and then follow your\u00a0natural leanings. p. 151<\/li>\n
    • With an\u00a0identity in Christ, you will be able to\u00a0\u201crun and not grow weary\u201d (Isaiah 40:31). \u00a0The yoke of your direction will be easy and the burden of your\u00a0work will be light (Matthew 11:30), precisely because your self-worth has already been paid in full and stamped with\u00a0\u201cit is finished\u201d (John 19:30). \u00a0Your self-worth is secure. \u00a0Now go live from that solid foundation. p. 152<\/li>\n
    • \u201cAnd I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.\u201d Matthew 16:18 p. 153<\/li>\n
    • \u201cAnd behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.\u201d Matthew 28:20 p. 160<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      I met Austin Gentry via email due to his friendship with an alum from my school\u2026a really awesome young man and one of my former Bible students! \u00a0There are lots of people who have written \u00a0books on the broad subject of\u00a0\u201cstaying Christian in college.\u201d\u00a0Many of them have been good, but\u00a0honestly most of them are sort […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,14,35,25,16,17,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-study","category-book-review","category-creative","category-education","category-family","category-leadership","category-north-cobb-christian"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11414\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}