The Orthodox Christian
College Student
Our Coptic friends on Sunday afternoon (click to enlarge) |
The summer
months are coming to a close and many young people will be facing the
prospect of heading off to college, some for the very first time. A
scripture
passage comes to my mind as I think of these wonderful young people
preparing to leave home: "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matthew
10:16)." College professors almost universally enjoy challenging young
college students to question authority, yet are taken aback when their
own authority is questioned. They know they are addressing a class of
impressionable minds and almost make sport of attacking the positions of
their students.
When I was an
undergraduate, I clearly remember a professor contemptuously asking if
there were any students who believed in a personal God. I was the only
student who answered in the affirmative, and I was therefore subjected
to a rather humiliating taunt (it turned out there were many Christians
in the class, all admitting privately to me they thought they would do
poorly in his class if he knew). I did manage to recover from his
taunting, for unknown to this man I had been a champion high school
debater and knew one could win a debate by taking any side, even the
side of falsehood. Over the year I grew more confident, and would
routinely spar with this professor. In the end, we become friends and
he joined the Lutheran church!
My advice to Orthodox students is to
refuse to be intimidated and don't be discouraged. Most of these
professors took years to acquire the knowledge and the skill to
successfully defend their
belief system, or lack thereof, including atheism. These professors
usually only ask you to question the authority of those who have
instructed you thus far, such as your parents or your religious leaders,
but are highly indignant when someone questions their authority. Their
pattern of teaching is nothing new, for there have been antagonists like
them from before recorded history. Furthermore, their arguments are
nothing new, for there were teachers of atheism and other false
teachings who confronted the Apostle Paul when he was preaching the
gospel in Athens. The arguments may be new to you, but suffice to know
these challenges to your faith have been answered by a great many apologists since the beginning of Christianity.
Textbooks, be they geared towards
history, science, or philosophy, have always tended to expound
anti-Christian viewpoints, and it is important to remember that
publishing companies produce textbooks that will sell to such academic
mindsets. Christianity may be ridiculed as being closed minded and
backward looking, but academics can not claim to be insulated from the
same unhealthy trait. Some of the most closed minded individuals I have
ever known were academics. I find it interesting that Christian writers
expounding the Christian Faith are often accused of being biased,
while secularists thinkers expose
their own arrogance, hypocrisy and narrow mindedness, disallowing others
their freedom of opinion. Dismissing the faith of young people, these
pompous academics move to crush that which they themselves do not
understand.
Build a support system for yourself by gathering together with other college students to form a chapter of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship. Meet on a weekly basis for worship, study, and networking. Get to know your faith to the degree that you can stand up to the best of them when defending your beliefs. If you do, you may one day be the reason an atheist professor finds Christ, and becomes an Orthodox Christian.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Tuesday September 4, 2012 / August 22, 2012
14th Week after Pentecost. Tone four.
Afterfeast of the Dormition. Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia and his companions: Martyrs Zoticus, Theoprepius, Acindynus, Severian, Zeno, and others, who suffered under Maximian (4th c.).
Martyr Gorazd of Prague, Bohemia and Moravo-Cilezsk (1942).
Venerable Isaac I (Antimonov, the "Elder") of Optina (1894).
New Martyrs Ephraim (Kuznetsov), bishop of Selenginsk and Priest John Vostorgov (1918).
New Hieromartyrs Macarius bishop of Orlov, John and Alexis priests (1918).
New Hieromartyrs Theodore bishop of Penza and with him Basil and Gabriel priests (1937).
New Hieromartyrs John bishop of Velikoluk, Alexis archbishop of Omsk, Alexander, Michael and Theodore priests, Hieromartyr Hilarion, John and Hierotheus (1937)
Hieromartyr Athanasius (270-275), bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Venerable Anthusa of Syria (298) and Martyrs Charesimus and Neophytus (270-275).
Virgin-martyr Eulalia of Barcelona (303).
Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos at the Monastery of St. Alexis of Moscow (1650).
Venerable Bogolep of St. Paisius of Uglich Monastery (16th c.).
St. Symphorian of Autun (2nd-3rd c.) (Celtic & British).
Venerable Sigfrid, abbot of Wearmouth (England) (688) (Celtic & British).
New Hieromartyr Andrew (Ukhtomsky), bishop of Ufa (1937).
Martyrs Irenaeus, Deakon, Or, and Oropsus (Greek).
You can read the life of the saint in green, by click on the name.
THANK
YOU, to all of you who have been able to contribute towards the support
of the monastery. These difficult times of economic hardship have
impacted the monastery, and those of you who have been able to donate,
have been our lifeline. May God bless you for your generosity, and
kindness.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Abbot Tryphon
Donations can be made directly to the monastery through PayPal, or you may send donations to:
All-Merciful Saviour Monastery
PO Box 2420
Vashon Island, WA 98070-2420 USA
All-Merciful Saviour Monastery
PO Box 2420
Vashon Island, WA 98070-2420 USA
2 Corinthians 12:20-13:2
20 For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; 21 lest,
when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn
for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the
uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.
Coming with Authority
13 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” 2 I
have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second
time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and
to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare—
Mark 4:24-34
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but
when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and
shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under
its shade.”
Jesus’ Use of Parables
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
I invite my readers to listen to my Ancient Faith Radio podcasts.
I am Orthodox and this post is very disappointing to me. If we don't allow our children to have their beliefs questioned how can we ever expect them to learn. As much as we would love to censor everything that happens to them in life it's impractical and unrealistic. Frequently on my visits to the monasteries across America I have encountered a element of pilgrims who absolutely hate academics and any type of higher learning. This type of post fans the flame of their fire. If our beliefs are true then they should be able to stand up to any attack spiritual or verbal. And by the way my college professors were fantastic and completely understanding.
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