Upsetting readers... for the right reasons

Upsetting readers...for the right reason

A magazine that is led by the Spirit must address issues that shake readers from apathy to action.

SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI — Some readers will wonder why an entire issue of the Pentecostal Evangel is devoted to secular universities. They will question the value of sending reporters to five campuses and asking them to visit fraternity houses, tailgate parties and sidewalk saloons. And they will protest having to read about the depraved lifestyles and philosophies that pervade our institutions.

Within days their letters of complaint will arrive on my desk. But that's all right, for God did not establish the Pentecostal Evangel to close its eyes to heartache and despair. A magazine that is led by the Spirit must address issues that shake readers from apathy to action.

Chronicling the spiritual crisis facing our secular colleges and universities is timely and important for three reasons:

Many of us, tucked away in our bedroom communities and suburban churches, have forgotten to pray for universities. We must remember that if campuses are touched by the power of the Holy Spirit and the lives of students and faculty are transformed, revival will in turn spread across the nation. Universities can be epicenters for spiritual and social change.
Because they're grieved by the debauchery and anti-God doctrine on campuses today, some believers have given up. They've surrendered these institutions to the enemy. We need to be reminded that men and women have responded to the call of God to serve as Chi Alpha directors at some of these institutions. They need and deserve our support. (Chi Alpha is an Assemblies of God ministry to colleges and universities in the United States.)
There are major universities that still do not have an organized Pentecostal presence on campus. Millions of students are spiritually deceived and wallowing in immorality because they have not been exposed to the love of Jesus. May God use this edition of the Pentecostal Evangel to call men and women to mission fields like UCLA, Duke and Harvard.

Having graduated from a secular university (and later from a Bible college), I know the darkness that pervades non-religious institutions. From dorm rooms to lecture halls, Satan is having his way. Young minds are being destroyed. And we should be angry about it.

It's my prayer that this special edition will upset readers ... and prompt them to pray and offer financial support to university outreaches like Chi Alpha.

It's possible that campuses known for alcoholism and atheism today could be recognized as hubs of revival tomorrow.

Hal Donaldson