Did you know we have several New Life students who are now attending Christian Colleges? We would like to celebrate those who make this choice whether they are going into the ministry or not. Christian Colleges can provide an excellent education while maintaining a Christian Worldview and solid foundation of Biblical values. I asked a couple of our students to share why they made this decision. Here is the first answer I received…
Why did I decide to go to a Christian College? Well, once upon a time, I was wearing my priestly robes bowing on my knees in prayer atop a mountain when suddenly a bright light knocked me down and told me to go to Johnson University…No! That’s not at all what happened! But isn’t that what we all expect to happen when God calls us to something in our lives? Rather, I used both the mind and the soul in tandem to ascertain God’s calling. Regarding the mind, I listened to God’s calling through a myriad of factors which brought me to Johnson. Regarding the soul, I listened to the input of wise people in my life, prayed, and listened for God’s voice.
My mind played the first role in this decision to attend a Christian College. First, I probed my own desires. I discovered that I wanted to understand more about the Bible and be able to defend it adequately. Indeed, at Johnson my understanding of the Bible has skyrocketed. Second, I analyzed the effects of a Christian College. I knew it would provide a strong faith, a strong support group for a lifetime, and that it would probably not result in a high-paying job. Indeed, my faith has strengthened, my friends are one of my greatest treasures, and my internship salary reminds me that I will never be rolling in the dough. Third, I asked myself if Christian College can take me where I want to go in life. Just because a school is Christian does not mean that it is competent (or incompetent for that matter) in any given field. For me, I wanted to become a minister, so Christian College made sense. But even if I didn’t want to be a minister, there are many other degree programs at Johnson that will serve others equally well in their desired field of study.
My soul played the second role in this decision to attend a Christian College. In this phase, I asked a lot of questions. I asked other people what they thought about where I should go. I asked my parents, I asked my ministers, I asked my teacher, and my friends. Certainly, some of those opinions carried significantly more weight than other, but I sought a lot of input. I prayed to God over a long period of time and read his word in order to seek his will. I intentionally listened in everyday life in order to see his direction.
In the end, I let God’s calling determine my destination. I was called to a Christian College – you may be called elsewhere; neither option is universally positive or universally negative. For example, because I am so often around Christian people, I often long for the company of non-Christians. On the other end of the spectrum, I have heard many horror stories about the atrocities committed by students at secular universities who tend to not know Christ. There are pluses and minuses to either option. Therefore, a graduate seeking direction must go where he is led by God.
Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Pray to the Lord and he will answer. Ask for wisdom and he will give it.
-Anonymous (now serving as a missionary in a closed country)