This post was written by Paul Gould on April 12, 2007
At one of our Christian faculty meetings this past month here at Purdue University we had a group of four German students speak. With perfect English, these students began to paint a picture of life as a Christian in Germany: the challenge and reality of postmodernism which has become thoroughly entrenched in this post-secular society; the “personal� and therefore “private� nature of spirituality in such an environment; the radical twin accusations of “cultic� toward anyone who actually attempts to share Christ in a faithful and humble manner and “intolerant� for anyone asserting exclusive truth; the mostly dead state-churches, funded by the government and the slow but sure rise of the “free-church� (i.e., non-governmentally funded) over the last decade.
As we interacted with the students, they were struck by an interesting fact – Christian professors in America are authentic people, and they want to be used to make Christ known. This was refreshing for the students because in Germany, professors are very aloof, impersonal and are often never even present. The students were encouraged. We were challenged. Students desire to know their professors – to know what they think about important issues, about how their personal life influences their scholarship and teaching, and that the professor cares enough to take a genuine interest in the lives of those he/she teaches.
Listening to these students, I was struck with the historical importance of Germany. Germany has given the world the Protestant Reformation, Adolph Hitler, Albert Einstein, the Holocaust, Communist Berlin, Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Heidegger, Hegel, Kant, Nietzsche, Goethe, and of course, the Brothers Grimm. As these students shared what God is doing in Germany, I was reminded that as Western Europe goes, so goes Western Civilization. The reality is that Western Europe, and the great universities that sustain Western Europe, are dying. Not literally dying, but dying to Christ and to spiritual truth, Instead, postmodernism, radical Islam, the culture of death, and the confident pronouncement that Germany is a “post-Christian� nation form the cultural milieu in which this faithful group of Christians is seeking to labor for the cause of Christ.
What does this mean for us today? Well a couple of things. First, we need to re-double our efforts to reach out to Western Europe. – and to the universities in Western Europe. The great statesman Charles Malik said of the university in general:
The universities, then, directly and indirectly, dominate the world; their influence is so pervasive and total that whatever problem afflicts them is bound to have far-reaching repercussions throughout the entire fabric of Western civilization. No task is more crucial and urgent today than to examine the state of the mind and spirit in the Western university. – A Christian Critique of the University, published originally, 1982
I would simply add – no task is more crucial and urgent today that to examine the state of the mind and spirit in the universities of Western Europe. Second, we need to pray for Western Europe. As these German students shared with us, it is clear that God has not given up on Western Europe – after all God is alive and He is moving – and so we need to pray for a movement of God to awaken a continent that is both so rich in Christian history yet so determined to be so completely secular. Finally, consider how we ourselves can be involved in impacting Western Europe. If you are a professor, you may have opportunities to travel to Europe – ask God how He might use you on these trips.
In the faces of these German students, I saw both the hope of a future where Christ is boldly known and proclaimed once again in the streets of Europe and the strain of living a truly counter-culture life in a post-secular society. I also saw the faithful hand of God – if God can raise up such young and vibrant spirits in an environment such as Germany, surely God can do the same in our own universities and departments here in America.
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