Meeting Jesus At University

How does university turn students into who they become? Why are student evangelicals such a significant and controversial force at so many universities? In many countries, university has become the main Rite of Passage between the child and adult worlds. University can be enjoyable and fascinating but also life-changing and traumatic. And at the exact time when a student's identity is the most challenged and uncertain, student evangelical groups are highly organised on many university campuses to offer students a powerful identity so that the world makes sense once again. For some, these groups will protect them from the university's assault on their faith. For others, they will challenge and even change who they are. Meeting Jesus at University explores universities in six countries. Drawing upon detailed fieldwork, it examines the largest student evangelical group at each university in order to understand in depth the relationship between the student evangelical group and the university which it aims to convert. Meeting Jesus at University offers an original contribution to the discussion of Rites of Passage, examining what is experienced at university and how university breaks down and remoulds young people. It explores why student evangelicals are so active, particularly at Britain and America's most prestigious and identity-challenging institutions meaning that students at these places are the most likely to find themselves meeting Jesus at university.

Once you've met Jesus, you are never the same again. His teaching challenges your thinking. His compassion softens your heart. His love turns your life around. In this thirteen session LifeGuide® Bible Study, evangelist Leighton Ford leads you through thirteen studies from the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) that will open your eyes anew--or for the first time--to Jesus Christ.

Of the many recent books on the historical Jesus, none has explored what the latest biblical scholarship means for personal faith. Now, in Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg addresses the yearnings of those who want a fully contemporary faith that welcomes rather than oppresses our critical intelligence and openness to the best of historical scholarship. Borg shows how a rigorous examination of historical findings can lead to a new faith in Christ, one that is critical and, at the same time, sustaining. "Believing in Jesus does not mean believing doctrines about him," Borg writes. "Rather, it means to give one's heart, one's self at its deepest level, to . . . the living Lord." Drawing on his own journey from a naive, unquestioning belief in Christ through collegiate skepticism to a mature and contemporary Christian faith, Borg illustrates how an understanding of the historical Jesus can actually lead to a more authentic Christian life—one not rooted in creeds or dogma, but in a life of spiritual challenge, compassion, and community. In straightforward, accessible prose, Borg looks at the major findings of modern Jesus scholarship from the perspective of faith, bringing alive the many levels of Jesus' character: spirit person, teacher of alternative wisdom, social prophet, and movement founder. He also reexamines the major stories of the Old Testament vital to an authentic understanding of Jesus, showing how an enriched understanding of these stories can uncover new truths and new pathways to faith. For questioning believers, doubters, and reluctant unbelievers alike, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time frees our understanding of Jesus' life and message from popular misconceptions and outlines the way to a sound and contemporary faith: "For ultimately, Jesus is not simply a figure of the past, but a figure of the present. Meeting that Jesus—the living one who comes to us even now—will be like meeting Jesus again for the first time."

Marcus Borg is an internationally respected expert on the Gospels. Here he offers the fruit of a lifetime's research and reflection on the Gospel of Mark. This book is ideal both for new Christians and for those who would like a fresh perspective on Mark's portrait of Jesus. It includes thoughtful questions for group study or private reflection.

Meeting Jesus explores the nature of encounter with God through reflecting on four key parables at the heart of Luke's Gospel - the lost sheep, the lost coin, the prodigal son, and the dishonest steward. Being particularly rich in psychological content, these parables give a detailed picture of human response to God, while also portraying God's own yearning for his lost people. The fresh insights the authors offer are illustrated and considered from both a theological and a contemporary psychological perspective.

First place winner for "Popular Presentation of the Catholic Faith" from the Catholic Press Association! Thrift Store Saints is a collection of true stories based on Jane Knuth’s experiences serving the poor at a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in the inner city of Kalamazoo, Michigan. At the outset of the book, Knuth is a reluctant new volunteer at the store, sharing that her middle-class, suburban, church-going background has not prepared her well for this kind of work. By the end of the book, Knuth has undergone a transformation of sorts, and neither she nor we can ever view the poor in the same way again. Knuth’s transformation is rooted in the prevailing message of Thrift Store Saints: When we serve the poor, they end up helping us as much as we help them. Throughout the book we are introduced to new “saints,” as Knuth thoughtfully, at times humorously, describes how her encounters with the poorest people led her to the greatest riches of God’s grace. Thrift Store Saints makes clear that it doesn’t require heroic Mother Teresa-types to make a difference with the poor, and it even more powerfully shows us that working with them is not gloomy, depressing work. Knuth’s moving stories demonstrate the profound joy any of us can experience when we see serving the poor not as social work, but as a spiritual path that leads us to the heart of Jesus.

If we are honest in our search for truth, we have to take Jesus seriously. Jesus' word is the best case for who he is; it makes sense to look at the original documents of his life. These studies are designed to do just that—to help honest seekers meet Jesus. Meeting Jesus is a Fisherman Bible Studyguide with 13 studies for individuals or groups that offers: · Penetrating questions that generate discussion · A flexible format for group or individual needs · Helpful leader’s notes · An emphasis on daily application of Bible truth

Recipient of a Christianity Today 1993 Critics Choice Award! Over the last fifty years God has used InterVarsity Christian Fellowship to shape the lives of thousands of students. This fascinating chronicle begins with the early influences that shaped university witness since its founding. Eventually these influences coalesced to form InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the United States fifty years ago. From those early beginnings with only a few staff covering the whole country and a world war breaking out, the work grew and flourished beyond human expectation. From the Urbana conventions to a new approach to Christian witness called friendship evangelism to in-depth inductive study of the Bible, InterVarsity was constantly innovating and growing. From work among nurses to promotion of missions to creative use of media, InterVarsity became a multifaceted ministry. The setbacks that are part of any human endeavor are found in this book too. But here is a story of what God did through a handful of people with a big idea.