Christianity at Hope College

Hey Everyone!

Hope you have had a great week. I thought for my blog today I would share some about the spiritual side of Hope College. I grew up in the public school system so coming to a small, private Christian school was a bit of an adjustment for me. I had never heard people speak so openly about their faith. During my first semester at Hope, I hung out with people who had not been raised in the church. I learned a lot from them and appreciated learning about different people’s beliefs. I value that Hope accepts people from all different backgrounds with all different beliefs. I also am so thankful that this has been a place where I could grow in my faith.

However, in all honesty, there have been times where it has been hard not to compare myself with the several Christians surrounding me. Hope College is not like the real world because Christianity is highly accepted here and many students desire to grow in their relationship with God. I’m thankful for the people who I have met here that have challenged me to grow in my relationship with Christ. I also am glad that this is a place where Christianity is not shoved down your throat. Hope College does a good job of trying to seek a balance. Hope does not make their students attend chapel, but it is always packed with people. So wherever you stand in your faith, all people are welcome here.

I recently read this blog titled sexy “Christianity” It challenged me to think about why I choose Christianity for myself among a strong Christian school. Here is just the end of his blog that I believe is some good food for thought:

“I wonder, after being a “Radical Christian” goes out of style, how many radically committed Christians will remain in our high schools, colleges, and work places? And right after American culture moves on from Africa, humanitarian aid, human rights, and issues like the AIDS epidemic and human trafficking crisis, as I promise it will soon, what will our radical faith look like? When being a “sold-out follower of Jesus” and “living simply so that others might simply live” loses its cultural lackluster, what will be next? What happens when stones start being thrown at people who identify themselves with the dead man? I have no doubt that there will be a faithful remnant, but I also acknowledge that they might just be hated and persecuted just like Jesus promised. Who will remain and what will it take to stick with Jesus until the end?

I believe A.W. Tozer has said it far better concerning his generation than I may be able to concerning mine. But regardless, I find his observation to be curiously relevant:”

“I do not recall another period when ‘faith’ was as popular as it is today. ‘If only we believe hard enough we’ll make it somehow.’ So goes the popular chant. What you believe is not important. Only believe… What is overlooked in all this is that faith is good only when it engages truth; when it is made to rest upon falsehood it can and often does lead to eternal tragedy. For it is not enough that we believe; we must believe the right thing about the right One.”