Trends in Campus MInistry & Culture

The following excerpts are from the Ivy Jungle Network's "Trends in Student Ministry, Culture and Higher Education"

Faith Gaining on Campus: Having joined the faculty at Harvard in 1970, Professor Peter Gomes may have some reference for his comment about the campus saying, “There is probably more active religious life now than there has been in 100 years.” Harvard is not the only place where faculty and administrators say they have seen a rise in religion on campus. Many professors say the enrollment in religion courses is up and more students are majoring in religion than any time in recent decades. A UCLA study showed that 80% of incoming college freshmen believed in God in 2004. Explanations for the rise of religion vary – from the insecurity of the Iraq war and the 9-11 attacks, to an increase of “red” state students at elite universities and an increase of international students on many campuses, to the children of baby boomers exploring a subject that was not forced on them by their parents as in previous generations. UC Berkley (hardly a bastion of conservative ideals) now boasts more than 50 Christian groups on campus. Some attribute the increase in community service to a spiritual longing in students. However others remain skeptical that student attitudes toward religion have really changed, but religion professors generally agree that they have at least seen greater enrollment in their classes. (NY Times online May 2, 2007)

Increasing Interest in Social Justice: As the election cycle heats up, both parties are taking notice of the increasing interest of younger Christian voters in a number of issues related to social justice. AIDS, poverty, and the environment are all of interest to a demographic long associated only with abortion and homosexual issues. One indicator is that evangelical Wheaton College (IL) boasts the second most active chapter of the Student Global AIDS Campaign – behind Harvard. Coupled with greater involvement by a number of campus ministries, today’s students see a very real connection between the gospel and social engagement. (Daily Northwestern April 25, 2007)

InterVarsity Back on Georgetown Campus: Last year Georgetown notified a six evangelical campus ministries, including IVCF that they had been “disaffiliated” as the university streamlined its “Protestant” ministries. After reconsidering the move, InterVarsity has now been readmitted. IVCF president Alec Hill is grateful – not just as a ministry leader, but as a parent of a Georgetown student too. (Christianitytoday.com May 9, 2007)

Cracking Down on Piracy: This spring hundreds of students at more than 60 schools received letters from the Recording Industry Association of America, informing them they had the choice to pay more for songs they had pirated over their school’s networks, or else they would face a lawsuit. At least 500 have paid the fines, some reaching into the thousands of dollars at a price seven times more than had they simply used itunes. Many of the culprits are now urging their schools to warn students about the cost of illegally downloading music. (Chicago Tribune May 14, 2007 sec. 1 p. 3)

Fat with an “F”: Surprising results from an ongoing study of the health of college students shows that nearly 50% of male students and 30% of female students are considered obese or overweight. The results, shared at a meeting for the American Physiological Society, attribute the increase in waist lines to both the college diet and lack of exercise. The survey followed 800 18-25 year olds and found that on average men consumed about 2700 calories a day, women about 1800. The nutritional content was lacking as well – 80% were not getting enough potassium, and most were low on vitamin D and calcium. 95% of men and 70% of women consume too much sodium. More than 1/3 of the students were “inactive” reporting less than 30 minutes of even mild physical exercise a day. (MSNBC.com May 14, 2007)

Taking Courses, But Not Ready for College: Twenty-four years ago, the Department of Education recommended a core course curriculum for students desiring to go on to college. This month, a new report shows that only about one quarter of the students who take the recommended courses are ready for college level work in all four core subject areas. Almost one in five are not ready in any area. The report by the ACT testing group demonstrates that while many high schools offer these courses, the quality may not be up to par for truly college preparatory work. (New York Times May 16, 2007 A21)

Passion Goes Global: Labeled by Christianity Today a the “most influential annual gathering of young evangelicals,” the Passion conferences have grown tremendously over the years with leading artists like Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, and Charlie Hall and gifted communicators like Louie Giglio, John Piper and Beth Moore. After more than 10 years of conferences, the most recent of which topped 20,000, movement leader Louie Giglio has announced that they will not have a Passion ’08 conference. Instead the group will take their message of the sovereignty and glory of God global. Exact details are still be formulated, but Passion tour stops will move from US college campuses to groups in places like Singapore, South Africa and Norway. (Christianity Today April 2007 p. 29-35)