WesFest is here, and many prospective students aware of The Princeton Review’s ranking of Wesleyan among schools where “students ignore God on a regular basis.” I would like to briefly share—with the Wesleyan community and this weekend’s visitors—my personal faith in Jesus Christ and how being at Wesleyan has strengthened my faith.
I believe that faith in Jesus Christ is the most important thing. Period. Many members of the Wesleyan community do not share this belief because they do not believe in Christianity or because they are ignorant about Christianity—often assuming that outspoken conservative extremists represent the majority of Christians. These misconceptions have given me the opportunity to engage in stimulating conversations and intellectual debates about faith with a number of non-Christians here at Wesleyan. I’ve had equally stimulating conversations with Christians—students and professors—here at Wesleyan, because not all Christians interpret passages in the Bible in the same way. It is through these conversations that my views of several aspects of the Bible have changed. For instance, I believe that evolution and creation are not opposed to each other, but rather that God had a hand in evolution, something I was unsure of before. In the words of Albert Einstein, “Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.”
The main Christian group on campus is the Wesleyan Christian Fellowship (WesCF), and this group has enabled me to make friends with Christians from all over the world with different styles of worship and different worldviews. Members of WesCF are from Asia, Africa, Jamaica, the United States, and several other places. Members from the United States include Asian Americans, African Americans, Latino Americans, and Caucasians.
Thankfully, WesCF does not represent a particular “sect” of Christianity, because I don’t believe in sects. Christianity does not depend on organized religion in a hierarchical man-made system. Christianity is founded on faith in Jesus Christ—that he who was sinless died for our sins (which separate us from God), rose again (founders of other faiths are dead), and gives eternal life to those who believe and are born again in Him (saving us from eternal damnation). “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son [Jesus], that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). But the death of Jesus is pointless if we could get into heaven by ourselves—through our own good works—rather than by faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
I was raised as a Christian, but I came to a point where I needed to decide for myself if I believed this. I came to this point prior to enrollment at Wesleyan, but some of my biblical interpretations have changed since I’ve been here. However, the most important thing, what Jesus did, has remained a certainty for me. I am far from perfect, as I still sin regularly, but I have had a few people on this campus tell me that there’s something different about me. This is often because of my strong convictions or how I handle various situations, trying to imitate Jesus’ example, showing love for others.
While he was alive on earth, Jesus showed his love to many people, especially those who were sick, poor, or otherwise looked down upon at the time. But Jesus also foretold his death and resurrection and he claimed to be God, which is why the religious leaders of the time wanted him killed for blasphemy. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Because Jesus claimed to be God, he was one of three things (as my pastor often says): a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.
I believe Jesus is Lord, and I encourage non-believers to keep an open mind with regards to the Christian faith. If you do not believe Christianity is the truth, I encourage you to take a serious, objective look at the evidence. You may be surprised at what you find.
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