The influence of higher education on my faith cannot be understated. Christian faculty and campus ministries heavily influenced my faith while I was in college. God used my experience at a secular university to draw me to salvation and help me grow as a believer.
I grew up in a Christian home in rural eastern North Carolina, but was very far from Christ until I went to college at UNC-Wilmington. During my sophomore year there, God started pulling on my mind and heart. I began reading a Bible that someone had given me as a high school graduation gift, never thinking much of it until God put it on my mind to start reading it.
By Myself
After reading the Gospels and truly understanding for the first time who I was and what Christ did for me, I got on my knees and gave my life to Christ, by myself, on the floor of my college apartment.
As a new believer, I didn’t know any other believers, as my friends were not Christians. My faith needed support. I felt God pulling me to a new place to help me grow. So after prayer and encouragement from others, I transferred to East Carolina University (ECU). There, he gave me the support that I needed through the Baptist Campus Ministry.
Living Out My Faith in Higher Education
God used that ministry in a life-transforming way for me. He brought me to people who loved Jesus, pursued God’s Word, and who lived out their faith. I grew so much and matured as I learned to follow Jesus within that university environment. That is also where I met my wife of 15 years. We now have two wonderful children who love Jesus.
After finishing my undergraduate degree, God connected me with a Christian faculty member in graduate school at ECU who showed me how to live out my faith as a professional in higher education. This led me to pursue a doctoral degree at the UNC-Chapel Hill. Now I’m engaged with impactful public health nutrition research and teaching students as a tenured associate professor.
Awesome Opportunity
During my higher education journey, I have had the opportunity to have many deep, meaningful conversations with others about my Christian faith. I can’t imagine how I would have ever interacted with many of these people without God providing those opportunities at a secular university.
God used higher education to redeem me and give my life purpose, and to then reach people.
My story is one of the importance of the Christian community engaging with public higher education – in a time when many are pulling away. It saddens me when believers don’t see the tremendous opportunity in our universities to lead people to Jesus.
I was a nonbeliever whose life was changed in a secular university setting. My hope is that everyone will see the influence that Christians can have in public universities. We have such an awesome opportunity to help change the lives of young adults through living out and sharing Christ, mentorship, and discipleship.
