This document discusses engaging and transforming entire university communities for Christ. It provides examples of how Christian students and faculty can engage others through programs, discussions, and witness across different areas of a university, including academics, staff, and campus life. The goal is to contribute Christian perspectives to all areas of study and issues facing universities, and to form learning communities where faith and knowledge are integrated holistically. Quotes and biblical principles provide a framework for understanding this call to influence universities in a way that brings about positive change.

1. UESI Foundation day celeberation
Engaging the Whole
University for Christ
- Benalin. C.R (Vimal)

2. Few Stories
A Hindu teacher taching Bible
from Hindu perspective in BHU
A pro communist teacher
teaching English lit from
communist perspective
Many Christian and other
students interested to join
Bible studies avoiding Bible
studies by giving reason
'we want to study'
A Christian alumini in
BHU avoiding EU-EGF
meeting to concentrate
in academics

3. WHY THIS DISCONNECT?

4. UESI in the 20th and 21st
Centuries
20th Century
 Success: “students
reaching students”
21st Century
 Challenge: “engaging
the whole university”
 So as to transform the
student community as
UESI's vision
statement states.

5. NOT ENGAGING THE WHOLE
UNIVERSITY. WHY?
●
What do we normally
conduct?
●
What efforts we could
have done?
● What constitutes a
whole university?

6. What constitute a Whole
University?
People
 Undergraduates
 Graduate students
 Faculty
 Research staff
 Administrators
 Workers
Programs
 Teaching
 Research
 Critical thinking
 Search for truth
 Tackling the big issues
• In scholarship
• In the world

7. Biblical Basis for engaging
university
Colo 1 : 15- 20
Gen 1 & 2, Adam naming
Lk 4 43: Establishing Christ's kingdom in
campuses

8. Theological Framework for engaging
Colo 1 : 15- 20 – God is the owner of all field
of study. He created them for His great plan
and purpose
Man with his sinful nature has corrupted
many of these fields by his fallen priorities
without any acountability to God. But God
acounted for its redemption in Christ
Our call to be responsible stewards in field
of studies

9. Problems faced by India and the
world calls for engaging

10. What hinders us from engaging
the whole university?
•
A narrow understanding of the gospel seen
only in terms of personal salvation
 A divided understanding of life in terms of
'sacred' and 'secular'
So we ended up making “Christian” students
instead of “Christian students”

11. Quotes
“God has called me to work at the university. I
can have as much influence there as pastors can
in a church, in a way. It sounds kind of mystical,
but there’s that inner urging. I think even a non-
Christian can understand that. There’s this
desire, this goal, and that’s what God puts in
people. That basically is what calls them to their
profession or where they’re to be.”
(microbiology professor)

12. 3 Diamensions of Engaging the
university
• Understanding the culture and dominant worldviews of
the modern university
• Forming learning and witnessing Christian communites
• Seeking to influence universities so that they become
more humane and just institutions, instruments of the
Kingdom of God rather than mammon

13. Forming Learning and
witnessing communities
•
Students, researchers, faculty, administrators engaging
holistically, dialogically and prophetically with the diverse
conversations, academic and the non academic.
•
This is more than evangelism and apologetics
•
It makes us open to learn from others and to make Christian
contribution to study, research, administration and teaching
•
This eventually proves as to how Christianity of the Bible is
the answer to the problem of mankind.
•
This constitutes Christian mind contributing to nation building

14. The Dialogic model of engaging
 Takes the university seriously on its own terms
 Regards the university ministry as a distinctive
calling, not a reproduction of the local church on
a university campus
 Engages the mind
 Injects faith into all conversations in the
university

15. Seven Principal Features
 It is proactive. It brings Christ to the great issues of major universities and
the great issues to Christ
 It is expansive: it nurtures the minds of Christian students and engages
Christian faculty
 It is comprehensive: it shines the light of Christ into every corner of the
university
 It respects the intellectual gifts of the students and faculty

 It is relevant – it takes on the big issues of current academic life
 It listens as well as speaks
 It enjoys intellectual community

16. Fundamental Shifts
 The Christian mind is enjoyed as enthusiastically as the
Christian soul
 Christians move from the edge of the university into its
heartland
 Christians learn “to think Christianly” about every issue
encountered by the university
 The barriers between students and faculty are reduced
 Christian students are prepared to be leaders in every sphere:
society, government, the market, the church, the media,
science, technology, public administration, sport

17. Examples of Reaching
the Whole University
 Undergraduates & Graduate Students
 Advanced Graduate Students & Faculty
 The Whole Campus
 Staff

18. Example:
Undergraduates & Graduate Students
in New Delhi, India
Summer Study Program
 6 weeks, 5 days a week, 5
hours per day
 Reading 2-5 books per week
 Christian readings
 Other readings
• From the Ruins of Empire by
Pankaj Mishra
• Empire by Niall Fergusson
• The Black Economy in India by
Arun Kumar
• The Ascent of Money: A
Financial History of the World
by Niall Fergusson
Topics
• Black Money Laundering
• Cloning
• Protest against
Government
• International Trade
Negotiations
• Climate Change Summit
debates
www.summerstudy2013.wordpress.com

19. Example:
Doctoral Students in U.S., Australia
Student Passion Talks,
Stanford University
 10-15 minute talks
 Student research &
intersections with faith
 Topics:
• Artificial intelligence & game
design
• Computer science and
hacking, open-source
software
• Psychology and neuro-science
University of Queensland
 Topic: Christians Engaging the
University
 20 faculty, post-docs,
graduate students
 International relations,
biochemistry, physics,
computer science, law

20. Example:
Whole Campus, University of San Carlos,
Guatemala
Arts Festival for Justice
 Christians in Guatemala mostly silent on violence, corruption,
inequality, racism
 Goal: show a different face of Christianity to the university
 Approach:
• An arts festival on campus focused on justice
• Authorized as part of campus-wide student program
• Students wrote ‘mini-plays’ to perform on stage
• Student wrote a theme song
• Students created a painting exhibition—a collage on justice
 Results: 100 people performing on stage -- 600-700 attending festival

21. Example:
Campus-wide Impact, Nigeria
NIFES Social Response Unit
 Goal: “quest for total and absolute engagement of our students with
contemporary social realities.”
 Approach: Social Response Unit
 Programs:
• HIV/AIDS tests, education
• Free medical checkups
• Stress management seminars
• Job training
• Corruption seminars
See SPAN for more . . . .

22. Example:
Project Gratitude, Singapore
 Goals
• Mobilize entire student body to express appreciate to campus workers (e.g., cleaners,
bus drivers, security guards)
• Create a “culture of gratitude and compassion.”
 Approach:
• Offer a small gift—a piece of fruit, a cup of coffee—to campus workers
• Present workers with a note of gratitude for their work
• Create a public exhibit of photo essays
 Results:
• Surprise and gratitude from workers
• Campus-wide coverage, including student newspaper
See SCAN for more . . . .

23. Future Example?
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (1958)
 Things Fall Apart, “after Ghana’s independence, for many Africans,
the most important event for a whole generation.”
 A powerful critique of Christianity
 8 million copies sold – translated into 50 languages
 How can we use this novel now to engage the university in Africa? In
the Global North? Elsewhere in former colonies?
 What conversations could we have in the university with Christians
and non-Christians about the themes of Things Fall Apart?
See SPAN for more . . . .

24. Process
“the goal of UESI
is to release the creativity of young people.”
Gideon Para-Mallam
 Exciting IFES innovations come from students
 Young people do not know that something cannot be done
 They don’t know that something is impossible
 They invent AND they act
 May we, who are older, give them the oxygen to breathe
new energy into IFES movements

25. Questions to ponder
 Why do you think your academic field is very
precious in God's sight?
 Can you write down few points as to how you can
integrate your subject with the redeeming
gospel?
 What activity can we think of this academic year for
engaging the whole university?

26. Prayer by samuel johnson
Almighty God, in whose hands are all the powers of man; who givest
understanding, and takest it away; who as it seemeth good unto Thee,
enlightenest the thoughts of the simple, and darkenest the meditations
fo the wise, be present with me in my studies and enquiries.
Grant, O LORD, that I may not lavish away the life which Thou hast given
me on useless trifles, not waste it in vain searches after things which
Thou hast hidden from me.
Enable me, by the Holy Spirit, so to shun sloth and negligence, that
every day may discharge part of the task which Thou hast allotted me;
and so further with Thy help that labour which, without thy help must be
ineffectual, such success as will most promote thy glory, and the
salvation of my own soul, for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Amen.

27. Sources
● Articles published in “Campus Link” (UESI's bi-monthly magazine)
http://issuu.com/uesicampuslink/docs/campuslink_julyaug_2013
– Engaging the University by Raj Mandol
– Students... Engage your campus as stewards by Reji Koshi Daniel
– Rethink UESI by Sathish Joseph Simon
● Audio lectures:
– Henry Martin lecture on “Engaging the University” by Dr. Vinoth Ramachandra
http://www.martynmission.cam.ac.uk/pages/centre/lectures-amp-seminars/lectures.php
– Word and World – Engaging the university by Dr. Terence Halliday
http://ifesworld.org/media/audio/wa2011-aen-engage-terence
● Some online resources:
– IFES Engaging university fb group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/193305160731645/
– http://meetjesusatuni.com/
– http://blog.emergingscholars.org/
– http://cs.redeemer.ca/derek/blog/

28. Thank you