How to Stay Christian in College

by J. Budziszewski, The Navigators

How do you stay open about your faith in the face of potential ridicule? A must-read for every college student, How to Stay Christian in College will guide you through the maze of campus realities, including dating, sex, honesty, and more.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Religion, Christian Living, Christianity, Theology, Spirituality

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

J. Budziszewski (born 1952) is professor of government at the University of Texas, Austin, where he has taught since 1981. He specializes in ethics, political philosophy and the interaction of these two fields with religion and theology.

Budziszewski has written widely, in both scholarly and popular venues, about a variety of moral and political issues including abortion, marriage, sexuality, capital punishment, and the role of judges in a constitutional republic. His principal area of publication is the theory of natural law.

Apart from his scholarly philosophical work, Budziszewski is known for articles and books of Christian apologetics, addressed to a broad audience including young people and college students.

Ph.D., Political Science, Yale University, 1981.
M.A., Political Science, University of Florida, 1977.
B.A., Political Science, University of South Florida, 1975.

2002-present: Professor, Departments of Government and Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin.

1995-2002: Associate Professor, Departments of Government and Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin.

1988-1995: Associate Professor, Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin.

1981-1988: Assistant Professor, Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin.

1980-1981: Acting Instructor, Departments of Political Science, Yale University.

Reviews

[Jon Beadle · Rating 1 out of 5]

How To Stay Christian in College?

Short Answer: Straw man everything.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was ridiculous. The author took a ton of really terrible arguments (especially when concerning science) to make it seem like Christians' faith is constantly torn down. The arguments were so crafted that they were absolutely unrealistic. All of his science arguments were just wrong to begin with, so there wasn't a point in crafting arguments to his points in the first place.

And secondly, as a person who has now attended a number of different colleges through grad school, the sheer number of religious groups, churches, fellowships, open arenas to try to proselytize- Christians are not under attack in America. Not even close.

[alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad's book!

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those gift-book types you give to high school graduates. Instead of fluffy feel goods, it actually does something. JBudz utilizes all of his strengths in this little book. Some parts were underdone (the first section was a basic worldview primer) and others were rushed (the last section). Aside from those sections, it is outstanding.

College as Another World

J Bud tells his story of how he lost his faith and found it again. He used “radical politics” as a substitute religion while reading Nietzsche in grad school.

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Tips for identifying a school or its personality:

1) Research the school’s personality ahead of time.

2) Remember that homesick feelings are normal.

3) They can even be good for you, since as Christians we are strangers in this world.

4) Keep up your spiritual disciplines (or disciplines is a scary Catholicky word, so we will call them Bible study and prayers).

False Gods on Today’s Mars Hill

Naturalism. Whenever a professor says, “As we now know,” counter with “What do you mean by ‘we’” and what do you mean by ‘know?”

Postmodernism. He doesn’t say there isn’t any truth, only that it is fragmented. That’s why they emphasize stories. In fact, everything is fragmented. Personality is fragmented, which means there is no enduring self or soul.

Jbud gives some good advice on asking the right questions. We will often see people who just keep popping questions, and when you start to answer a question, they will ask another one. It’s important to stop the line of questioning at that point and have the objector ask why he is asking so many questions, some that have nothing to do with each other. The real reason is that he probably doesn’t like the answers, and it is a smokescreen for something else.

That covers the intellectual angle. When you are faced with moral demands you can’t meet (sex, money, etc), remember: “Don’t argue, Don’t apologize, Don’t back down, don’t get trapped.

Campus Myths

When someone says that “searching for the truth is more important than finding it,” he can only say that from a position of having already arrived, otherwise he wouldn’t know.

If someone advocates “communitarianism” or “the social construct of reality,” respond with “Some communities don’t accept your view of truth, so wouldn’t we have to say that your view of truth admits it is false?

If someone says “if it works for you, fine” ask them how exactly could faith in Jesus “work?” Does it give me contentment, find a job, etc.? What’s it supposed to do, exactly? Astrology is false, but if I know how to “game the system” and make it work, I can get a job at the newspaper.

Myths about Love and Sex

True definition: Love is not a feeling. It is a commitment to will the good for the other person.

Myth: you can’t know about sex until you experience. Nonsense. I can know drug addiction is wrong without experiencing it.

Myth: without trying out sex, you will never know if you are compatible. Jbud responds: if this were really true, then the divorce rate among cohabiting couples would be much lower. The essence of marriage is a binding commitment. The essence of living together is not having that binding commitment. And “compatibility” is just silly. Nobody is born with a particular sexual style. And you really can’t learn sexually outside of marriage, since there is no security and “the mistakes are humiliating because you are always on audition.”

And if we want to talk about romance: how romantic is it to stand buck naked in front of somebody who doesn’t love you? Guys, how romantic is it to give someone a disease or get them pregnant? That’s coming close to treating the girl like a prostitute.

Myth: doesn’t sex outside marriage hold the relationship together? Other things being equal, it makes it worse. You don’t do the romantic stuff (movies, dinner) as much anymore. True, you might be having sex more and more but you are enjoying it less and less. Why? Because sex is being forced to do all the work in a relationship. It can no longer enrich a relationship as it would in marriage. There is nothing left to enrich.

Myth: sex is pleasure and pleasure can’t be wrong? Why do people think this? I can do all sorts of pleasurable things that are wrong–trolling NPR, overeating, eavesdropping, drugs, etc.

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Some knock-down comebacks:

If a teacher says, “Science has shown there isn’t any meaning in life,” ask them how science could possibly show that?

When you challenge a professor in a line of questioning, only stick to one point. Never play 100 questions in debate. That’s the sign of a weak debater. In a cross-examination, focus on one point. The other issues can come later.

[Busy · Rating 1 out of 5]

A sampling of things this author does not believe in:
Premarital sex
Divorce
Abortion
Drinking
Drug Use
Mormonism
Scientology
Reincarnation
Premarital cohabitation
Feminism
Assisted suicide
Gay rights
Gay marriage
R-rated movies
Big government
Non-literal interpretations of the Bible
Self love (the self help type, does not state view on other kind)
The government helping the poor
Dating for fun and life experience
Men and women hanging out alone together
Marriage between different faiths or to non-believers
Separation of church and state
A marriage of equals where the husband is not the leader
Being childless after marriage
Kissing and grinding before marriage
Oral sex before marriage
Sororities and fraternities (implied)
Affirmative action (implied)
Liberal tolerance (implied)
That faith can stand on its own without a plethora of illogical and forced arguments supporting it.

If that sounds like your own religious beliefs, then that's your right. You have looked in your heart and have decided that is what you believe. But a world view like that, when imposed by someone else on a budding young person, is so narrow that they are bound to chafe under its constraints and will probably reject it. If these are not your beliefs, just know this author is not shy about pushing his beliefs on his readers and calling alternatives beliefs, such as being pro-choice, absolutely wrong.

Why not simply trust your college student, and when they need help figuring out their path, tell them to trust themselves and their faith. They may not end up believing *exactly* as you do, but it will make them stronger to learn and discuss ideas without shame, to get to know others without judging them, to hear perspectives other than their own, to find out that there are other ways to exist and believe. To make their own decisions and stand on their own. And that's really what college is about. It's something to celebrate, not to be afraid of.

College Transcript of the Author (based on views expressed in this book):
Logic F
Ancient Greek Philosophy D
Biology B
Debate B+
Women's Studies F
Ethics D
Psychology D
World Religions D
Government D
Sociology F
Sex Ed F

[Khari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book.

I mean it. Seriously. It was an excellent book. It was an excellent book because it was eminently practical. The writing is precise and succinct. The author gives one of the most excellent synopses of the Christian faith that I have seen in a long while and he does it in like three pages!

This book is for those who are not philosophically minded and not logically trained to teach them how to think about their faith more deeply. He doesn't just give you a list of do's and don'ts but explains why we have these do's and don'ts and always draws it back to Christ. It was excellent. I really enjoyed reading it.

Definitely a recommended book. This book is good for everyone. I would like to read more by this author.

[Charles Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for high schoolers and college age students looking to combat the secular ideologies attacking our young people. Every youth pastor needs to have multiple copies on their shelves to hand out.

[Jessica Marquis · Rating 5 out of 5]

July 2011:
How to Stay Christian in College is a terrific read that is just what it sounds like- a book that gives lots of advice on how to handle difficult situations in college.

It was interesting, and a nice refresher course on the technicalities of what I believe. The author being a college professor gave the book a nice angle- he's seen everything.

In a way, I couldn't put it down. I think because it had so much truth, not something you see a lot in many books.

Highly recommended for all my Christian friends, but especially those who will be attending college soon.

I will be reading this again.

June 2012:
Just finished for the second time. I especially love the last 10 pages or so. Beautiful. Budziszewski writes like a trusted mentor who only wants God's best for you and is gonna try to help you with the journey. He's not afraid of the controversial, he admits some things might "make you mad." But like an excellent youth pastor, Budziszewski tells you the truth with love, even if it hurts. He constantly cites Scripture verses and helps the reader solve common moral, social, and academic dilemmas.
I'm gonna type some of my favorite quotes from this book and tape them on my wall; that's how good it is. I wanna see the excellent and clear reminders about God and how to live for him every day!

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

My brother gave me this book my Freshman year of college. I actually read the whole thing, I think, if only because I spent so much time lying on my spine-crushing dorm bed in a depressive haze. I found it supremely confusing. The basic thesis seemed to be that a hypothetical future me, acquiring some sort of education in college, might have his identity defaced by ideas which aren't explicitly Christian. The author seemed to suggest that present me make a preemptive attack on future me's faithlessness. I could only think, perhaps if future me doubts the ideas I hold in the present, there's good reason for it?

Anyway, the book is absurd in every way. I went to the sort of secular university this author describes, and I've never seen Christianity attacked on this campus. As it happens, I have seen Christians attempting to proselytize others on my campus. Like, a lot. If you want to read this author making ridiculous and judgmental claims about everything from postmodernism to non-Christian roommates, you have that freedom, but it's neither fun nor interesting.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fairly well set Christian, and was not expecting to get much out of this book. But when I actually read it, I found myself learning some new things and greatly enjoyed this book. After reading so many new agey Christian books that rely on wishy-washy theology, it was refreshing to read this author's words which were confident and well-grounded.

Budjweski fearlessly states things as they are, and addresses controversial issues such as premarital sex and campus politics in a way that is firmly grounded and yet not biased to any political party.

This book brings students back to the basics about what it means to follow Christ on campus.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The perfect audience for this book would be high-school graduates going away to a secular university for their freshman year. Sometimes I found the book's language rather blunt, and some of the issues were a bit dumb downed. But I did garner some insights from the book, especially the thought that love is a commitment of the will to the true good of the other person and that there are truths that we can't not know because of how God has made us. Overall, I liked it, but I wish the author had dealt in greater depth with some issues or referred the reader to other books that did.

[Michael Lumsdaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had a lot of good advice although I felt as though I knew almost all of it already. It also had a few really interesting thoughts. I felt as though some of its explanations of other view points were poor, but beyond that there was not much that I disagreed with.

[Syd · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good read esp for myself and fellow classmates as graduation seniors. the discussion was really good in my class

Recommended ages 16 & up.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a couple of nuances about postmodernism and Christianity that I’d love to discuss with this author, but the overall scope of this book deserves an emphatic recommendation to people thinking about college, people in college, parents of those two groups, and those who guide and counsel those three groups. It’s a much-needed work in today’s world. It clearly addresses the disconnect between the portion of secular culture that thinks it has to destroy faith in order to build with science and logic and that portion of faith culture that thinks it has to deny science and logic in order to affirm faith. It’s a false choice, but it’s one in which many intellectually honest believers find themselves.

I appreciated his practical advice, starting immediately with his ideas of how much college or university turns our world-views upside-down. He expressed so well the idea that even friends who have gone into university before we get there will now have new interests and a new social circle so that we may not be as close to them as we expect. And, even when one goes to the same university as a friend, the demands of schedules and differing majors may well draw friends apart. He also indicates that schools tend to have different personalities and encourages prospective students to look at the school’s personality as well as its academic reputation. It is chock full of sound advice from a university professor who has both struggled with the idea of a believer as “stranger in a strange land” in college and university, as well as observed students struggling.

I like his advice for students facing antagonistic teachers who make demeaning, “as we know” statements. “Whenever a teacher makes an ‘as we know” statement, ask ‘Who do you mean by ‘we’ and how do ‘we’ know?’” (p. 52) I also liked his counsel to those who are accused of being “arrogant” for believing that their faith teaches the Truth. “Arrogance doesn’t come from having convictions about the truth; it comes from having the wrong convictions about how to treat people who don’t share it with you.” I was also impressed by his mention of the paradox with regard to political involvement: “Politically apathetic students are even more influenced by the political ideas raining down upon them because they aren’t thinking about them critically.” (p. 114)
And, he even takes the lack of diversity in age, race, economic level, and spiritual maturity into account when he encourages students to not only be involved in student fellowships that are largely the same demographic as opposed to a “real” church which he implies is “like a village” in that it has a range of “citizens.” (p. 140).

This book meets a lot of needs and I highly recommend it for those groups which I mentioned earlier.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do appreicate Budziszewski's humor and straightfoward approach. He does not pull punches and makes you think about your faith. I felt his arguments and advice were relevant and valid. I thought some of the things he mentioned in this book were a little "obvious" (for me, at least) but some people might not think of them and so it's good to be reminded of these elements. I'd definitely recommend for college-age youth and any person looking for ideas on how to keep their faith while in this type of environment. He definitely gives you things to mull over while leaving you room to make your own opinions and judgments.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2010...

[Tirzah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book 5 years ago - the summer before I started college (good grief, I am old!). Budziszweksi definitely gives a general idea of what young people embarking into the real world will face - Christians, atheists, agnostics, liberals, conservatives - I met them all.

The book discusses worldviews (i.e., Naturalism, Postmodernism), myths about culture (i.e., sex, politics), and how one can cope through it all without losing his or her Christian perspective.

I recommend this to anyone who struggles to stay Godly in a deteriorating world, but especially to college kids. It doesn't matter if one attends a Christian, private, or public institution. This book is one of the many ways a young person can be prepared to face the scary world.

[Dottie Parish · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Stay Christian in College is beautifully written in an entertaining style. The Author, a college professor, offers practical tips on navigating most every aspect of living on a college campus including dating, sex, and roommate issues. He is a philosopher and skilled at explaining in a logical way how to stand firm in your faith and how to defend your faith in a secular environment where it may be questioned. Though this book is written for young people, parents and grandparents should read it also. I gave it to my grandson last summer before he went off to college - and read it through wishing I had a copy to mark up! It's very thought provoking and should help many students hang on to their faith while in college.

[Bobby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps Orwell's 1984 displayed the greatest recipe for maintaining faith in an idea.

Crimestop, Doublethink, Blackwhite.

If you've decided that a Christian you are and a Christian you will stay, maintaining that kind of faith is as simple as denying your mind the freedom to think otherwise.

But what kind of faith is that? An impersonal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Think the unthinkable, challenge your beliefs. No one needs a book to teach themselves how to believe what they already want to believe.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book back in the end of 2011, and just recently resumed and finished it. At first I was very confused after having such a large gap, but I quickly got back into it. Each chapter is focused one on aspect of the college experience, and they're filled with examples of situations you could face and how to deal with them. One thing I really didn't like is that the author frequently instilled his own specific beliefs are if they were fact, rather than realizing that even Christians have varied beliefs. All in all, a great book for anyone going into a secular college!

[Rhonnie Cough · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title turned me off initially, but a couple pages in I quickly realized the author is a good writer--the perfect mix of casual but still direct and not condescending or lecture-y. This is not a brainwash book! Ha. At the very least, it helps people to not feel alone as a Christian on campus; it's supportive and it's a guidebook on how to research what you believe, and how to stay connected. It isn't a way to tell you to stop thinking or to be closed-minded, but how you can "stand firm" when that's what you've already decided to do.

[Marcus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I'm just not conservative enough anymore... but I thought this was total bullshit. True, people need to be alerted to what they will encounter in college and how that may/may not impact their faith walk. But I completely denounce the idea of not allowing people to grown and change in their thinking and spirituality at such a critical time in their lives. This is unrealistic and probably more stifling than anything.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, one of the best-written, beginning apologetics books I've read. I would encourage any and all believers to read this book before they head off to the secular humanist utopia we call college.

It doesn't delve too deeply into any of the topics (and rightly so in an introductory book) but offers practical, real-world situations that people will face in college. Honestly, I wish I would've read this book before I went to college.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a Christian and are planning on going to college, you should pick up this book! Each college is different, but it gives you tips on how to handle certain situations that you may encounter at your institution. Remember that the tips may not be applicable at the time, but God has a way of utilizing what we learn in His time.

[Sergio Fesiuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

J. Budzixzewski does a great job in writing this book in a "I'm talking with you" kind of style. It's very practical and has much common sense. If you are dealing with college kids, either teaching them, talking with them, or especially if you are in college - you should have this book handy. It's a how-to for a intellectual thinking, learning person.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is very well written...I thought it was a good book when I read it in high school, but it didn't prevent me from giving up conservative evangelical views on topics like the inerrancy of Scripture and the validity of homosexual relationships while at UNC, so how effective of a volume could it have been in retrospect?

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book, highly recommended. In a nutshell, the way to stay Christian in college is to:

"Keep up your spiritual disciplines. What I mean is daily prayer, frequent Bible study and worship, evangelism, service to others, and constantly reminding yourself of the presence of God. If you stay focused on Christ, He'll make even the desert bloom."

[Polly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some good advice for young people headed to college. The author is not of my specific faith, but we share many of the same values. The current academic definition of being open-minded somehow often excludes respect for people of faith, so students need to be prepared for that.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

so far very good it brings out good new perspectives on apologetic's for the christian in college with a lot of factors you will deal with, and a huge encouragement to stand firm in the faith. wish I had read before I went to college!

[Acacia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really, really, really good book. It was thought-provoking, and it really answered a lot of questions I've had for years about how to talk to people about Christ. I really enjoyed this book, and I'm definitely bringing it to school with me for future reference! :)

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. There were a few things that I didn't agree with, but they were minor. I also found that a lot of what was said was information I already knew. It was just information that I needed to have laid out in front of me so I would actually think it through.