1.) A four year Mission Trip
Jesus commanded his disciples at the end of his life to go out and make disciples of all nations, making his name known throughout the world. College students at secular universities have a unique opportunity to use their time to spread the gospel in an atmosphere that may not have a welcoming environment towards Christians. Remember the disciples did not alienate themselves from the world, but went out into it preaching the name of Jesus.
2.) Challenges to the faith
Okay so this point may seem a little odd, but I think healthy. Whether professors or other students, a secular university will always provide challenges to the faith. If handled correctly these challenges will produce a healthy faith that can withstand tribulation.
3.) Diversity
Getting to know other people of different faiths and beliefs helps Christians grow significantly in their ability to share the gospel and build relationships. Jesus did not call us to isolate ourselves in a comfort zone of other believers, but rather to go out into the world and spread the faith. Just before his crucifixion Jesus spoke a prayer for his disciples and future disciples to come, John quotes him as saying,
I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
(John 17:14-19 ESV)
This doesn’t sound like a command from Jesus to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. As Christians we should spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth, going to a secular University provides a great way to do just that.
4.) Opportunity
This is not a spiritual point, but, I go to a school that has an abundance of opportunities. For example, last week the president of the United States came to speak! A lot of times secular Universities have great opportunities for their students. Not only does UNC bring in great speakers and host awesome events, but we also are in contention to win the NCAAB National Championship every year!
5.) Owning your faith
Finally, and most importantly, if you go to a secular University you are forced to own your faith. No one tells you to go to church! You are your on person, and you have to step up and make decisions that will glorify the Lord.
In conclusion, I’m not writing this post to trash Christian Universities, on the contrary, a post could be written to show the benefits of going to a Christian University. However, I’m just writing what I know, and the majority of the things that I have listed above have directly affected me this year.
I think the most important thing that a person can do in choosing a college is to do what the LORD tells you. Seeking direction from GOD is key when choosing a college. First ask GOD if HE wants you to go to college, then ask HIM where.
As a person who has attended both Christian and Secular Universities, I would say you make some great points. However I would also like to say that a person really needs to make the most of their situation no matter where they are. There are plenty of opportunities around us everyday if we are searching for them. The key is having a heart to serve God no matter where you are in life.
Good insights. Especially for those who come from Christian schools, and are thus in greater danger of confining themselves to the Christian bubble, there needs to be a robust defence for attending a secular university, resting not on worldly reasons but on godly ones. Everyone will, of course, have to be honest about his own motives and not simply give godly reasoning as a way to cover up ungodly choices, but I think there are certainly good reasons to go to a secular school.
The four-year mission (or three-year mission in some places) is exactly the way in which the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF) in Britain has described its work: it’s a campus missions agency whose work remains distinct from that of local churches. The same ought to be true in America of InterVarsity, UCCF’s sister fellowship, but UCCF seems on the whole to have kept this much clearer; indeed, UCCF has maintained much stronger theological clarity across the board, as even a superficial browsing through the UCCF and IVCF web sites will show. I do hope IVCF will regain a certain vitality it seems to have lost in recent years.