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Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in CollegePaperback, 241 pg. Read: April 18-25, 2021 |
What’s Surviving Religion 101 About?
The book is structured as sixteen letters to Kruger’s daughter, a college freshman at UNC (his own alma mater). Kruger remembers the challenges he had to deal with at the school in terms of faith and knows that things haven’t gotten easier for college students in the years since then.
These letters are written as encouragements for her regarding some specific challenges he expects that she will have to deal with because of things professors or peers will say—directly or indirectly—that will challenge her thinking and faith. As well as he may have tried to prepare her before she left for college, it’s different when it’s no longer a matter of preparation, but of daily experience.
Kruger’s aim is to help Emma—and other readers—know that there are intellectually satisfying defenses to the challenges thrown her way. Believing isn’t about shutting down the mind to thinking, rather, it’s about loving God with our mind.
…I am not under the impression that merely reading this book will answer every possible question a college student may have. Nor do I think any single book (or even many books) could prepare students to go toe-to-toe with their college professor. No, the intent here is much more modest. Like any complex task, eventually, you have to take the first step, even if it’s a little one. This volume is designed to be that first step, an initial orientation for Christian students about the challenges they face and (hopefully) a reason for them to be confident that there are answers to their questions, even if they don’t yet have them.
Or as the title suggests, this book is about surviving—with faith intact—one’s university experience. Now, that may seem like a strange goal, perhaps one that is far too modest. Don’t we, as Christians, want to do more than survive? Don’t we want to make an impact and change the world while in college? Sure, but that’s not where one starts. Instead, you start by not stopping. By not giving up. By surviving. You can’t “change the world” for Christ if you no longer believe in Christ or walk with Christ.
He deals with things like belief in miracles (in particular, the Resurrection), the so-called problem of evil, the exclusivity of Christianity, Christian sexual ethics, pitting science versus religion, the reliability of the New Testament (in light of Bart Ehrman’s position at UNC, this is of particular importance). Kruger sets out to show that yes, Christians have been answering these/similar challenges for centuries, these are not things that need to shipwreck a believer’s faith but can be faced head-on.
Highlights and Concerns
I thought every chapter in the book was solid and helpful—there’s not a disappointing one in the bunch. Kruger is good to show both the thinking behind the challenge to the faith represented by the various topics and the answers (or at least the beginning or answers) needed to push back. But he shows why the challenge is important, why it matters what the Christian response is (first to the believer dealing with the objection/challenge, and then to the one outside the faith), and offers encouragement to persevere in light of the issue.
I did think that Kruger perhaps focused too much on the reliability of the Scriptures and similar topics—given that three chapters when everything else gets one. Still, given Kruger’s specialty in textual and canon studies, it makes sense—particularly when you add in the importance of the topic, and the lack of exposure most Christians (of all ages) have to these ideas.
At the end of the day, however, for this reader, it all comes down to the Postscript, “What Do I Do If It Feels Like Christianity Just Isn’t Working for Me?” Setting aside the focus on the mind, he turns to the affections, concentrating on the affections the believer has for the person of Christ first and foremost, with the details of all the other issues covered in the book before this point (and more) coming in second.
Here is where many believers miss the point of the Christian life. Some are part of the church because they are excited about being involved in a “good cause” or because they love helping people or because they resonate with the idea of Christianity. But in the end, that’s not the heart of the faith. We are not Christians so that we can be part of a cause; we are Christians so that we can know a person: Jesus Christ. Don’t forget, he’s a real person, not just a concept And it is only our affection, our love, our adoration for him as a person that will keep us faithful to the end. If we are concerned only about a cause, that will fade as soon as difficulty and suffering come. Causes come and go. Jesus is forever.
So, what did I think about Surviving Religion 101?
When I left high school for college in the last century, I remember getting a couple of books along these lines and saw them all the time, too. How to secure your child’s faith during college, how to help them avoid the moral failings the surround them, etc. Memorize these facts (in a very Josh McDowell-esque fashion), stay away from booze and sex, and you might end up ushering in a revival at your college. Kruger’s approach is more of a, “it’s okay, let’s talk and help you deal with these.” Not to emerge victorious, but to emerge intact and ready to try again the next day.
There’s no fear in these pages, instead, there’s a quiet confidence, a trusting in the acre of the Father—encouragement to keep on keeping on and a reminder that the Son has redeemed his people, and they should live with humble boldness ready for with answer for the hope that liest within.
I recommend this book, and encourage readers of the right age (or beyond) give this a shot.
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