Interview with Mike - Vol 4 No 1

Interview with a Seventy-one Year Old College Sophomore

It's a new semester for our favorite seventy-one year old college...Sophomore!  To bring you up to speed and kick off our new semester of Diary entries, his chronicler (otherwise known as his loving wife and biggest fan, Joanne) conducted an interview. 

Chronicler:  So Mike, have you purchased your lunch box, school supplies and cool backpack?

 Mike: (smiling) No, but I have been preparing for this coming semester for quite a while now.

Chronicler:  What have you been doing?

Mike:  I’ve been reading and listening to a lot of good books that relate to the upcoming course material, in addition to listening to authors who have a good biblical worldview to develop good responses. 

Chronicler:  What would you say is the most important book, other than the Bible, of course, that you have digested to prepare you to think and respond biblically?

Mike:  Without question it would be two books, Total Truth and Finding Truth by Nancy Pearcy. I would recommend these two books to anyone who wants to frame their thinking to address our current culture from a biblical worldview. I have dissected and digested both books numerous times and always find more excellent thinking and insight. Also books by Cornelius Van Til, Greg Bahnsen and John M. Frame have helped me immensely. 

Chronicler:  What have you accomplished so far in your recent college experience?Mike:  Well, I’ve now completed four semesters of two to three classes each, 31 hours. I try not to take a full load in order to stretch out the time I’m allowed to be enrolled.   While I am on target for getting a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy and Women's Studies, my primary goal is not the degree, but to interact with the students and professors to bring a biblical worldview as an alternative to the current campus culture.   And, so far so good!  I’ve had significant friendships with professors and students.  I’ve been with these same professors and a number of these students for the last two years, so some deeper relationships have formed.  The Philosophy Department has invited me to be a part of the Philosophers Stone, led by professors, which meets once per month.  

Chronicler:  You mentioned the current campus culture.  Can you describe that to us?

Mike: From my two years as a college freshman, I have been getting a feel for the general culture of the college administration, faculty and student thinking.  I would describe it as Monist materialist (there is no spirit, everything is material),  communistic, openly anti-American, anti-Christian, and embracing of a Leninist/Marxist mindset.  Deconstruction of everything stable seems to be the goal.  Family, economics, gender, even truth, must be taken apart, torn down and openly questioned.  Nothing is stable.   They seem to think everybody is entitled.  They have no sense of legacy.  No future and no past.  They live in the moment.  The school has hired two CRT (Critical Race Theory) development and enforcement staff who have written that no one will be able to “hide behind” the first amendment right to free speech.  The school is given over to LGBTQ and Postmodern philosophies.  Truth is touted as temporary or nonexistent. We are often told that there is no such thing as absolute objective truth. I know all of that sounds exaggerated, but I assure you, it is not. 

Chronicler:  Sounds like you have your work cut out for you!  What are your goals for this year?

Mike:  To continue to nurture relationships with the students and to bring a Biblical worldview to the conversations and projects that happen in class on a regular basis.  I want to confront where possible the negative worldviews on campus with my standing as a student.  A student has full rights and privileges to speak out on  campus that a chaplain or a campus minister does not have.  I want to confidently present a positive biblical worldview of race, gender, ethics, philosophy, marriage, relationships, etc.  I have gained a reputation as a serious student who takes good notes, so I have already positioned myself as someone the students want to be in study groups with. I hope to start a study group before classes that will gain more inroads to deeper, fuller conversation and relationship for the glory of God.           

Chronicler:  What classes do you start next week?Mike:  I’m taking two classes for credit that both meet in person on Mondays and Wednesday afternoons.  The first is Biomedical Ethics with a professor I have had before.  It will be current topics and moral issues facing the medical world.  I’m hoping for good challenging conversation.  There are about 70 students in that class.  The second class is Modern Philosophy from 1596 to 1900.  This class is also with a professor I have had before, and in a smaller dynamic of about twenty students.  I have been invited by another professor to sit in on a third class on the Philosophy of Love.  I would love to be in that class, but I will have to weigh the time constraints.           

Chronicler:  So, as we follow you over the next few months, what can we do to be supportive of this important ministry?

Mike:  I appreciate that.  In addition to ministering to the professors and students on campus, I am gratified that readers of the Diary are gaining a window into current college culture.  It makes me happy to read the comments that our audience makes about the Diary entries, comments that usually talk about how they were challenged or brought to further clarity about what is going on in our colleges from a biblical worldview.  My life is dedicated to making God known to others (John 17:3), and I welcome the feedback and encouragements from our audience.  I also need and appreciate your prayers.  Ask God to help the offense of the Gospel to be overcome by the power of Holy Spirit. Ask that there would be no offense from me personally, but that any offense would be because of the sin that separates them from God not me from them.  I really want the opportunity to participate in class discussion and that God would bring revival and awakening to the students and professors. My quest is to put God’s truths out there so that my professors and my classmates think according to God’s thoughts as revealed in His Word.  After all, He is the eminent author of philosophy and the sublime architect of biomedical ethics!

Chronicler:  Thank you, Mike for all you are doing! We look forward to reading about your experiences in the coming weeks!  

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