Written by: CampUs4
7/23/2010 6:52 PM

 Ancient Words for Students Today

By Candice Sloan

I know how most 18-to-20-year-olds feel about sitting in a classroom at 8:00 on Monday morning.  Two sons and eight years as a college chaplain have taught me that for many college students 8:00 a.m. is a time to sleep, not to think.  Students are frequently encouraged to “register early so you don’t have to take an 8:00.”  But when that 8:00 class just happens to be Introduction to Old Testament, the moans and groans increase exponentially.  “I’m an accounting major; what use is the Old Testament to me?”  “That all happened so long ago; how can it possibly be relevant today?”  “Those names are just weird; how can you expect me to keep everyone straight?” “I’m a Christian; what do I need with all that stuff?”  I know about these complaints (and many, many more) because I teach Old Testament at 8:00 on MWF.  Unlike most of my students, however, I love it!

Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that studying the Old Testament might be the best thing college students can do as they transition from the teen years into adulthood.  As students struggle with what to believe, whom to trust, the meaning of life (and their lives in particular), and what the future might hold for them, the stories of the Old Testament can be a source of guidance and even comfort.  Like the Hebrew people of old, many college students find themselves wandering in a wilderness and searching for a way out.  In the Old Testament, students can learn the costs of blindly following the prevailing culture.  They see the destructive consequences of illicit sex and violence.  But, they also hear and begin to understand that “the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever” (Psalm 136).

So, how do we as chaplains, campus ministers, and professors of religion encourage our students to take seriously the teachings of the Old Testament?  First, we have to grow in our own love of the text.  The only way that can happen is for us to commit to a faithful and passionate reading of the Old Testament.  I recognize that for some there are chapters, and even books, that are hard to get excited about (for me it’s the genealogy chapters).  But God is at work even in what we might find dull, and that is worth getting excited about.

We also must encourage our students to ask questions about what they are reading.  What does the passage say about who God is, who we are, and our relationship to God and others?  And if the passage is saying something they don’t like about God, us, or our relationship, what makes them uncomfortable and why?  If we are open to the questions, and slow to provide answers, students may begin to struggle with what it means to be children of God.  As they take those struggles to friends, family, church, and especially God, they will begin to grow.  Hopefully, these first questions will lead to lifetimes of conversation and their relationships with God will grow ever deeper.

Candice Sloan is Chaplain of Spartanburg Methodist College in Spartanburg, SC.

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