We called him James Bond.

His real name was Charlie, but his penchant for late night parties and alcohol always seemed to interfere with his ability to get up for his classes at our prominent Christian university, The result? His grade point average was .007.

Down the hall from "Bond" was Todd*. His dad was a Bible professor at the school, and Todd really wanted to follow Christ himself. Until he met Karen*, a girl who was engaged to an old boyfriend from high school. Even though Todd and Karen were both Christians going to a Christian school, by semester’s end, they’d given in to sexual temptation on the campus.

How could these things happen at a Christian university? Aren’t things like alcohol, sex, and wild parties things that only happen at state schools?

Well, yes and no. A Christian college is a fantastic environment where you can integrate learning about faith in Jesus with higher learning —and even use the Bible as a textbook. But it’s also a place populated by people just like you and me—people prone to sin and tempted by trouble.

So what’s a student to do? How can you make the most of a Christian college experience and overcome the problems and temptations that may arise along the way?

We wanted to know the same thing, so we spared no expense to gather a panel of experts for their advice. (OK, we spared some expense, but we still came up with a panel of experts who have invested a combined 100 years in ministry and school chaplaincy!)

Joining our round-table was:

•Keith Anderson (KA), author of What They Don’t Always Teach You at a Christian College and campus pastor at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota;

•Dr. Gary Gregory (GG), assistant professor of psychology and director of counseling at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas;

•Dr. Robert Roper (RR), dean of students and chair of the spiritual life committee at Lancaster Bible College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania;

•Edwin Pavy (EP), director of campus ministries at Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky; and

•Gary Swyers (GS), chaplain at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana.

We asked these guys for the inside scoop on the problems and temptations college students face on a Christian campus. Here’s what they had to say...

•••

FamilyFans: Let’s start on the positive side. How would you describe the unique features a Christian college offers students that a secular college doesn’t?

KA: Some of the obvious features of a Christian college campus are things like a chapel program, worship opportunities, the sense of "Christian community" in residence halls, and classes with Christian faculty who encourage biblical ways of thinking.

GG: There’s also opportunity to develop a Christian world view and an opportunity to be more expressive in the Christian walk. Usually faculty and administration take a personal interest in the spiritual (and other) areas of students’ lives as well.

GS: I’ve attended state schools and Christian schools. The difference per my personal observation: Christian schools provide more personal attention, genuine concern for individual students, smaller classes, greater sense of community, and a sharper sense of purpose.

EP: In a recent survey, the vast majority of our students used the word "family" to describe their experience at Campbellsville University. Our faculty cares. Our staff cares. We have active Christian organizations on campus like Baptist Student Union and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. These organizations have a much more profound impact on the overall student body at a Christian college like Campbellsville. This campus is an extremely exciting place to be.

RR: Also, on a Christian campus, an atmosphere where the values of the Word of God are held in high esteem and the integration of spiritual truth into the life of each student are possible.

KA: True. Many secular colleges will allow you to ask and think about anything except God. A student came to Bethel recently from a large state University. In one literature class there, her papers were returned to her because she mentioned her personal faith in Jesus Christ!

GS: There’s a continual God consciousness at a Christian college. Chapel, Bible studies, prayer groups, worship experiences, prayer in class, mentoring, and ministry opportunities all contribute to this. Students have many opportunities to develop their faith in an environment that’s redemptive rather than hostile to the Christian ethic.

FamilyFans: That said, we all know Christian colleges aren’t perfect. What would you say are the top problems and/or temptations students struggle with on a Christian campus?

RR: Sexual issues (immorality, pornography, and harassment) are probably high on the list. Students struggle with premarital sexual relations, viewing of pornography, and sexual harassment.

GS: Also, pornography on the ‘Net, masturbation coupled with sexual fantasy, and sexual activity.

EP: Students will always struggle with sexual temptation. This is a college campus, not heaven! People will find themselves in relationships which require self control. The human doesn't always do well when it comes to self control.

KA: Sexual temptations are just as strong and common among Christian college students as anyone. The temptations are normal. The most painful times come for students who become sexually active and are hurt when the inevitable break-up follows. That guy she loved desperately in September is now dating her roommate from last year! When sex is involved it becomes a painful adjustment for people and is often accompanied by guilt and shame.

FamilyFans: What else?

KA: Others problems in the top five are relationship struggles, family adjustments and eating disorders. Eating disorders are a very common on every Christian college campus—unfortunately it is a secret problem in many places. Women especially, but now in growing numbers, men as well, struggle with the desire for the perfect body to fit the perfect image.

EP: Eating disorders can happen to students on a Christian campus just like anywhere else. Students are still confronted with the desirable body type. Sometimes they find themselves doing incredibly dangerous things to get that elusive body which our culture says you have to have to be acceptable.

GS: Eating disorders are a complex problem that stems from low self-esteem resulting from any of a myriad of issues: abuse, obsession with youth and thinness, depression, and so on.

EP: Like eating disorders, depression continues to haunt students as well. You experience the loss of a boyfriend or girlfriend, feel the need for attention, feel like you’re just not going to be able to keep up, and suddenly depression sets in.

KA: What happens frequently on the college campus is that students who are now away from home begin to understand how their family both shaped and mis-shaped them. Often that results is anger, frustration, depression, and rebellion. Some need to get the help of counselors who help them understand their family system and how it worked in their lives.

RR: Family issues such as divorce as well as past verbal and sexual abuse issues within families can rise to the surface while at school. Many students struggle with these issues and how they seek to live with these consequences.

GG: And, students who come from very conservative, restrictive homes then suddenly have all this freedom at school sometimes struggle in making the adjustment too.

RR: That also affects integrity issues such as lying, cheating, stealing, and gossip. These are areas many students struggle with as they live away from their families’ influence.

GS: Issues of integrity seem to surface in a variety of ways. This may include stealing, cheating, falsifying chapel attendance, using ATM cards belonging to other individuals, and lying about weekend checkout. Integrity seems to be an area that is also compartmentalized and justified apart from the Christian faith.

EP: The truth is, our students are as susceptible to temptations and influences as are students on a state campus. Being away from home and free to make your choices, even bad ones, can find students vulnerable to the pressure others can bring to bear.

FamilyFans: What are the contributing factors that cause students to struggle with these problems and/or temptations?

KA: I believe the number one factor is that our students don’t see themselves as God sees them. They need to know that God created them in God's image, with meaning and value as God's beloved. All of our student problems grow out of this number one problem.

RR: The overall moral breakdown in our society—and especially the lack of family values within families, churches, and the public school system—contributes to kids’ struggles. The impact of relativism, materialism, and the concept of victimization has influenced many college students for the worse.

GS: In terms of the specific problem of sexual sin, I think we all suffer from the result of over-stimulation from our culture. We’re bombarded by images at every turn which push our thinking toward a steady awareness of sexuality. Whoever controls the stories of a culture controls the culture. The following storytellers have a grip on us: movies, TV, ads, commercials, and written literature that contains a strong sexual undercurrent.

KA: That means students need to learn to say no to a culture that lies to them—about their worth, their future, their importance and their needs, both sexual and otherwise. Students today have been lied to by the media, their peers and the culture around them and it’s hard not to believe these things are true. So when students arrive on the campus of a Christian college they’re already struggling to believe in themselves as young men and women whom God loves dearly.

RR: One must not ignore, either, the issues that relate to the individual’s responsibility to make proper choices.

EP: Freedom to make even poor choices, peer pressure, and incredible mobility all contribute to the struggle students face at college.

RR; College students are experiencing multiple changes that make it a very stressful time filled with new temptations and choices that test one’s faith. Still, the basic factor is the sin nature of every believer. That nature opens us to temptation. We all—students included—have a responsibility to depend upon God’s Spirit in our lives in facing these temptations.

FamilyFans: What advice would you give to help a student prevent or avoid the struggles that come with these problems/issues?

GG: Sadly, I see many of these kids after they’re having serious problems. We attack this issue hard during orientation week, and are still working on preventative strategies such as mentors, dorm staff, faculty and staff being friends of students.

KA: I believe that the best way to combat the struggles and temptations described include the spiritual disciplines. Study of the Word of God. Prayer. An accountability group. Worship.

RR: Without any doubt, a vital personal experience of walking in fellowship with the Savior, a regular, meaningful prayer life with the eternal God, and the intake and appropriating of the Word of God can assist any believer in facing the many temptations facing college students.

CL: And, thankfully, that’s the kind of thing that’s often encouraged on a Christian campus, right?

KA: Absolutely! The hottest thing in Christian colleges today is contemporary worship. We have over 1000 students who meet every Sunday night in our gym for a student-led time of worship with guitars, drums, pianos, keyboards and lots of joyful enthusiasm. A thousand of our students meet because they know that Vespers is the place to be!

RR: Colleges with a spiritual emphasis have daily chapels, prayer meetings, student missionary fellowships, spiritual life conferences, and missionary conferences that continue to develop a vital spiritual atmosphere. That in turn challenges students to live a godly life and have an effective spiritual life.

EP: I’d give two more pieces of advice to students about preventing some problems before they happen. First, surround yourself with positive people. Find people who display Christian character, those who, after you have been with them, make you feel as if you have been energized. They have a positive impact on you.

Second, fill your mind with positive thoughts. Let's face it, most of us don't read textbooks for fun! Find some reading material that’ll be refreshing for you. Sometimes a popular Christian author like Max Lucado or Richard Foster will be helpful. Other times, it’s good to find something that simply makes us laugh. The Far Side [by Gary Larson] as well as Calvin and Hobbes [by Bill Watterson] have always done this for me. Whatever your humor, you can find something that will allow your mind to relax and enjoy. This is good and therapeutic.

FamilyFans: What if a student finds himself or herself already struggling with one of the problems you mentioned earlier? Where can that student get help?

KA: Help is found almost everywhere a student looks on a Christian campus. Counseling centers, campus ministry offices and student life personnel are all ready and prepared to help. But students will also find help when they talk to a Resident Assistant, or an older student who lives in their dorm. Many students also find conversation with professors after classes helpful. Others have been greatly helped by a work-study boss or supervisor who listens with a caring ear.

RR: Reading the Scriptures and prayer are must, and seeking godly counsel can assist the student in solving these issues. Also, involvement of Resident Assistants, deans, faculty, staff, and fellow students as believer-priests ministering to those who are struggling are people to whom students can go for help.

EP: If a student finds himself or herself in the middle of a troubling situation, I’d encourage that student to seek out a someone he or she sees as a Christian role model for a listening ear. Finding a campus minister is also a good place to look for someone who cares.

GS: And don’t forget to go to the source of all truth, the Scriptures. Learning to apply the Word to the challenges, temptations, and victories they face will prepare students not only for problems in college, but in life beyond school as well.

FamilyFans: Any last thoughts?

RR: Remember the problems we’ve talked about represent only one aspect of a Christian college atmosphere. Many students are living vital spiritual lives and growing strong in their faith—and a Christian college environment contributes greatly to that.

KA: I would stress something else by telling you about our football team. I regularly attend a year-end football banquet and watch guys stand and cry in front of each other at the end of the season. They know this most unique experience of their lives is over. Nowhere else but a Christian college can they find a place where it’s OK to talk about, think about, ask about, and wonder about spiritual matters in every corner of the campus—in the classroom, residence halls, laboratories, gymnasium, sports fields, music rooms, everywhere!

RR: That’s what a Christian college provides: a caring community of individuals who are not only concerned about academic excellence, but also about spiritual growth and maturity as a common pursuit in the process of education.