Reformission in University – Idealistic

Idealistic

I’ve been at the best University in the country to understand this group – Sussex is renowned for it’s socialism, activism, and most other isms. The SU gives I think around £10k to fund campaigning – they ban Coca Cola, ban the Daily Mail, charge you for a plastic carrier bag and will support all the latest campaigns. It’s a pro-choice campus, feminist, and the minority groups always have the loudest voice! In reality most of the ‘hippies’, the campaigners, are middle-class, from Surrey and like to campaign because it’s a bit of excitement and rebellion!

This group is strange, their interests and group characteristics make it the easiest group to relate the gospel to and to hold a serious conversation with, although many students in this group that I have spoken to are hung up on the problem of evil and suffering, and the negative role of the church in history and in the present. Maybe around 50% (a guess) of this group have had some kind of pseudo-christian upbringing, some experience of church and/or religion usually from their school or parents. Many seem to have been presented with a little bit of the gospel in the past, this bit usually comes with bad religious connotations, or unhelpful figures of authority, and it kindof inoculates them against the true gospel – they think they get the gospel because they heard a little bit, so they don’t want to hear any more.

These people are radical or at least they think they are, but they need to be challenged by someone more radical. Can we show them that Jesus is more radical? And can we as Christians, those who testify about Jesus, can we show that we are more radical?

How we live:

• Be a Biblical activist – speak up for those with no voice (Proverbs 31:8)
• Practise true religion – look after widows and orphans (James 1:27)
• Take part in student campaigning – don’t dismiss these guys as hippies but join them in causes worth fighting for – focus on the people as opposed to the cause, politics etc.
• Be radical in supporting the unpopular causes – Pro-Life, Persecuted Church and the many causes of people around the world who aren’t noticed in big campaigns
• Be as passionate and vocal in promoting the gospel as these guys are about promoting their causes. Talk more about Jesus than you do about [insert cause here].
• Make clear the reasons why we campaign – we want justice because our God is just, we show compassion to people because they are created in the image of God and loved by Him.
• Don’t make a distinction between the ‘social gospel’ and the Gospel – it’s not one or the other, the Gospel should give us a heart for the lost, compassion for the poor, and a burden for justice.

How we speak:

• These guys often have issues with religion and institutions – Jesus saves his harshest words for the religious establishment. Not only do we need to call these guys to come to Jesus and repent, but they need to know that likewise we call the religious, the hypocrites, those who have faith but no deeds, we call them to come to Jesus and repent in just the same way… Think about the Parable of the Good Samaritan, it’s often just seen as an example of compassion, but it’s also a rebuke to the religious who do nothing!
• Acknowledge the weakness and failure of the church and Christians both now and in history – a good way to explain Sin. Speak of Jesus’ perfection (point people away from us and instead to Jesus), Grace that is a gift and undeserved, and Sin that is forgiven, not dealt with ourselves.
• Campaigners are troubled by a lack of justice. If they are an atheist then it’s even more troubling, those who commit injustice are rarely held to account. it’s worth pointing out that belief in God and in the One he has appointed to judge will result in justice (Acts 17:31).
• Activists don’t get grace because they think it contradicts justice, and they don’t get God’s justice because it involves a violent death. Can we show them that the way they see and hate the injustice of the world is a parallel to how God sees our lives and hates what we do when in rebellion against Him. So then, doesn’t a substitute, someone else enduring a violent death look glorious when he’s standing there instead of us – what an example compassion and grace!
• These guys need to know that God cares! That God hates injustice more than them, and they need to be shown that God is not passive or unable to act – can we show them God working positively through his church now and can we show that God ultimately defeated evil and the sin of man at the Cross.
• Those who campaign for charities understand the problem of earthly poverty – can we show them that Spiritually poverty is worse? Both now in terms of Knowing God, and eternally in terms of Heaven and Hell…
• Can we as Christians show that we have more compassion for those who suffer, give more to the poor, look out for those who need help regardless of who they are, be indiscriminate about speaking up for those with no voice, campaign with more passion, make greater sacrifices… and can we do all this not to make ourselves look altruistic, but to make Jesus look great!