The Diary of a
Seventy-plus-year-old College Student
Mike returned to college because he wanted to experience firsthand what the modern classroom is like and to engage thoughtfully with the ideas shaping today’s culture. As a pastor, apologist, and lifelong student of Scripture, he studies both the course material and the broader intellectual landscape so that he may thoughtfully respond to unbiblical worldviews and point others to the truth of God’s Word.
Mike Chastain is not your typical college student. In his seventies, he sits in classrooms at a local university right alongside students young enough to be his grandchildren. Fully enrolled and pursuing a degree in Philosophy with a minor in Religious Studies, he completes the same assignments, participates in the same discussions, and studies diligently—maintaining a 3.88 grade point average.
Each day when he returns home, he recounts the conversations and discussions from class to his wife Joanne—interactions that she has now recorded in The Diary.
The Diary: What to Expect
Welcome to The Diary of a Seventy-Something-Year-Old College Student.
Diary entries offer a unique window into the modern college classroom through the eyes of Mike Chastain—a seventy-plus-year-old pastor who decided to return to the university and engage directly with the ideas shaping today’s generation.
Through the Diary, you will hear about real conversations with professors and students, thoughtful reflections on the philosophies being taught, and the ongoing effort to examine those ideas in the light of Scripture. It is an opportunity to be, in a sense, a “fly on the wall” in the classroom and to watch what happens when biblical truth encounters the intellectual currents of our time.
Along the way you may find moments that are surprising, challenging, humorous, and deeply encouraging. Above all, these reflections point to the enduring truth of God’s Word and the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ.