My Experience as a Christian at a Secular University
Growing up, I was raised in a Christian household. This meant I attended church every Sunday, read my Bible, and prayed before every meal. My faith has always been the biggest part of my identity and a firm foundation for how to live my life.
Before starting college at Bentley University, a small business school near Boston, I attended a small public school for my entire life, and I did not have many Christian friends and often felt very alone in my faith. While I sometimes still feel this way, meeting fellow believers in college has completely transformed my faith for the better. I remember my first week of college last fall, desperately searching for a Christian community to join. That’s when I decided to attend the first Cru meeting of the semester. Little did I know that, through Cru (an interdenominational Christian group for college students) and a college small group through Symphony Church in Boston, I would make some of my best friends on campus.
Through fellowship, church, and weekly Bible studies, I’ve gotten to know these friends on a deeper level, and I am so thankful for each and every one of them. Over a year later, they are now the first people I go to for anything and everything, my rock when things get tough. Every moment I spend with these friends, whether in worship or fellowship, is so special and something I will cherish deeply and miss when I eventually leave Bentley.
However, my faith journey has not always been easy in college, especially at a school like Bentley. By far the biggest obstacle I have faced as a Christian at Bentley has been temptation. Like most colleges, the thing to do on the weekends at my university is drink, party, and everything else that comes with it. While not all of these actions are inherently sinful, all of them can easily lead to sin. There have been some nights where I’ve felt alone, not necessarily physically, but spiritually, because I do not feel very connected to this campus culture. Don’t get me wrong; I love Bentley and the people I’ve met and I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything, but some days can definitely feel isolating.
Temptation can also take other forms, such as worldly desires and passions. Being a top business school, many students go on to work for the “Big Four” accounting firms or similar companies that offer generous salaries. While I do not struggle with this idol directly, I can see how it could be hard to not get wrapped up in the chase for money and a lucrative career. I also sometimes get exhausted because I often feel like I need to explain myself when my choices differ from the majority, such as when people ask why I don’t drink or prefer not to party on my weekends. Part of me knows every time this happens is an opportunity to share my faith with others, but I often shy away and make up some other reason because of the pressure to fit in, which is something I think about more often than not. I know that many nonbelievers at Bentley are very supportive and respectful of my decisions and lifestyle, but every time I meet someone, I have an internal gut fear that once I tell them that I am a Christian, they will turn away and find someone else. However, I know this has much more to do with my own anxieties than the culture at Bentley, because I have found amazing friends who are nonbelievers. Some of these friends have even told me that I am strong and expressed that they are proud of me for sticking to my beliefs and not giving in to the lifestyle that most people lead in college.
Despite these daily obstacles, as a current sophomore at Bentley, I am so grateful for my experience here because of what it has taught me about what it means to be a Christian. Before college, my family and I went to church every Sunday religiously (literally), but I did not have a strong desire or drive to go some days and at times, I just felt like I was tagging along to make my parents happy. But since coming to college just over a year ago, I believe I have grown so much in my faith and my thoughts and actions are much more aligned with a Christian lifestyle than ever before. I realized that, in college, no one is “forcing” you to do anything, and you pretty much have free rein over the decisions you make in life, from who you hang out with to how you spend your free time.
What I’m saying is that, as a Christian in college, I now had the option to sleep in on Sunday mornings instead of going to church, let my Bible collect dust in my desk drawer all year, and put my relationship with God on pause for as long as I choose to. But for likely the first time in my life, I chose, 100% by myself, to continue to walk with Christ, and I am so much stronger because of it. In no way am I saying that I am perfect (trust me, I am far from it); I still make mistakes and fail and sin as is human nature, but the way I choose to live my life now compared to two, three years ago is completely different. While I still face many challenges on a secular campus, I am forever grateful for the personal and spiritual growth I’ve experienced at Bentley and the caring community of believers I now call my best friends on campus, and I’ve never been prouder to call myself a follower of Christ.
