Comments from Pastor Billy about chapter four of his summer book recommendation - a great read for high school graduates and their parents!
My Christian Morals Are Viewed as Hateful and Intolerant--Shouldn’t I Be More Loving and Accepting?
Colleges have, at least in the recent decades, not been known as places of high moral character. Not only has the idea of a sexual “hookup” culture been prevalent. But the very way that sexuality is understood has changed. Kruger states, “part is the shift in people’s attitude toward their sexual activity. No longer is sex just something people do, it is viewed as core to who they are.” The identity that many people have taken on is directly linked to their sexual activity or preferences and are “now inextricably intertwined.” Part of the challenge of a Christian on campus is how you will navigate and express your biblical worldview in the face of an accepting campus culture.
You may feel that your stance, a biblical one, is unloving or even hateful to those that identify in other ways. You may even find yourself doubting whether what the Bible says about sexuality and morality is even correct. Kruger poses two helpful questions, “Is biblical morality really hateful and unloving? And how does one determine what is moral or immoral in the first place?”
Throughout this chapter there are plenty of statements that you can use to think through how morality is determined. For a Christian it comes down to where morality comes from in the first place. One way is that “morals are the product of evolution, then that means they can change over time.” If there is an ever changing standard of right and wrong then over time those things can change. For instance, today it could be seen as evil to steal, however, in the future stealing could be viewed as morally acceptable as long as you don’t get caught or it benefits a greater number of people. However, for the Christian, “the source for moral absolutes has to be an absolutely good, transcendent, personal being...that the only coherent foundation for moral absolutes is God himself.” It is a standard that is outside ourselves.
So, no matter the topic or concern that is brought up on your campus, it is important to realize that the reason we know anything to be morally right or wrong is because of our perfect creator. A great place to be reminded of some of these ethics is in Matthew chapters 5 through 7 the Sermon on the Mount.
I hope you are enjoying the book and have gained some insight into the challenges facing Christians on college campuses. Feel free to reach out with any questions or thoughts.
In Christ,
Billy