There was an interesting article yesterday in the Michigan Daily, the UM student newspaper. They titled it, “Students Could Tip Race – If They Show Up.” They gave a list of all the former candidates for presidents who banked on students to win the presidency. But history tells the stark reality that often times students are all about hype but then when it really counts, there is no action.
This is one of the reasons why many people told Christina and me that we were crazy when we decided to start a church on a college campus. “How will you be supported financially?” “Won’t there be a lack of stability because of the transient nature of college students?” And the questions continued.
Even though, I would agree that college students are at the age where idealism is at a high point and their character is still developing, but I would never trade it for the world. The world was never transformed by pragmatist or non-risk takers (even though pragmatism is important). The world was transformed by idealists who envision a world that people were not able to see in the present – this is one of the key ingredients of a revolution.
I want to believe that young people were never given a vision that was big enough that they were willing to lay down their lives for. Seeing a favorite presidential candidate winning the White House might be great, but it is not big enough. Saving some of the endangered animals might be great, but it is not big enough.
But to see the world transformed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ is something worth laying down everything. History tells us the truth of this notion.