 Have you ever signed up for something thinking it was one thing, but then you come to find out it was something completely different all along? Well, that happened to me. Let me start at the beginning. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Okay, okay, not that far in the beginning. So growing up, I was homeschooled. So school and me have always had kind of a peculiar relationship. I mean school and I, sorry mom. But on top of that, I had seven siblings that were also homeschooled. So that also played a factor in my education growing up. So to be honest, I actually loved a lot of aspects of learning and school. I'm dyslexic, so that was an issue. And still, I can't spell at all. I love learning about new things and studying. And I always had the motivation to do really well in school, if not just to top my siblings. And I like to say that I was top of my homeschool class, although some of my siblings would definitely disagree. Growing up in a Christian homeschool household where we were raised according to what the Bible said, we had biblical education. You know, you don't really realize how different what you're learning is compared to what the rest of the world believes. And that came to a forefront for me when I first went into university. It was supposedly a Christian university, and maybe to the world they seemed like it. But to a Christian like me, it didn't take more than two looks to realize that there were some major flaws in its foundation. There was really no Christian worldview to be had, and this came to a forefront in stats class. So one day I wandered into my statistics class and I sat near the front as I usually did. I'm sorry, kind of a teacher's pet, but this professor was fairly new to me, so I wanted to make a good impression. I always get there fairly early, and I know some of you are hating me right now, but this is just kind of what I did when I was in school. I've grown, you know, but I got there early, sat at the front, and I was waiting for the professor to walk in. He usually started with some sort of real-world statistic. So today's topic was all about overpopulation. Yes, he was ranting about overpopulation in a statistics class, and I was just here to learn at this supposedly Christian university. Well, it didn't take long for it to get really out of hand when he began to scold each and every one of us that we should be really careful about whether we decide to have kids or not, based on the statistics that, look, there's not a lot of resources left on this earth, and we should care about the earth, you know, priority number one, so you should be really cautious about having any other kids. He said this, and he said, hey, you know what, if I could go back in time, I would have done things differently. But you know what the crazy thing is? His son was literally in that class. We all knew it. But we all looked back, and he looked, and he said, mm-hmm, I know, that's how my dad feels, and I'm like, what is going on right now? But that was one of the first times that I really realized that, man, we're not in Kansas anymore. Moving on from that, LGBT issues and evolution weren't topics to be discussed and explored, and argued they were realities to be accepted. I know this is a very hot-button issue especially now, but I only knew maybe three or four people on campus that identified as pro-life. On a supposedly Christian university campus, I just, like, it blows my mind. Now, I don't want to give you the wrong impression. Am I bitter about my university experience? Not at all. And these are three reasons why. It gave me a good look into the progressive worldview. I was able to talk one-on-one with folks that believe what they said that were pretty much opposite to what I believe, and that was really, really helpful to get that insight. Because, look, a homeschool kid, I'm not running into that many progressive Christians these days, especially as a teenager or whatever, I just don't run in those circles. So it was a great opportunity to actually find out from the source what do you believe and why do you believe it. Second reason that I'm not bitter at all is because it gave me a great opportunity to share the gospel with folks on campus. It gave me a great segue. You know, I go up to somebody and I say, you know what? This is supposed to be a Christian university. Do you know what that's all about? And, you know, honestly, there were a lot of people that had no clue. And so that was great for me to actually bring in the true biblical gospel uncompromised. And I was able to share the gospel with a lot of folks. And the third reason that I'm not bitter at all is because they were genuinely kind and caring people. And that's why I really don't make this video to try to trash on them at all, because, you know, they were really nice and caring and kind and genuine people. They really did genuinely try to provide a place of growth for their students. And for that, I respect them. Unfortunately, a lot of what is being taught at that university and it's not just that university. It's pretty much every university out there that's not explicitly, you know, Christian Bible-believing university is that they don't hold to the scriptures, that it is counter to the Word of God, that even though they have that label of Christian or whatever else denomination it might be, are they holding to the truths of the Word of God or are they being led by the culture? Far too often it's they're being guided by the culture and the current zeitgeist of the world. I do have one kind of major regret about my time at university is I wish I was more outspoken. At the time I was pretty timid and quiet and I didn't really want to stand out. I just wanted to get in and out and get good grades and just do that, you know, not upset anybody. And that was really kind of my primary motive early on is to just try to not make a scene and not screw up. And there was a lot of anxiety connected with that. But I really do wish that I had made a little bit more of an impact in terms of, you know, questioning when a professor takes something for granted or has certain presuppositions about the world and standing up for biblical truth and saying, hey, you know, why do you believe that? Or, you know, what about this? And not being, you know, necessarily combative or argumentative because we've all been in spaces where, you know, you've seen somebody go too far and you're kind of like, please stop, you know, but just being kind of more inquisitive about it and not just accepting everything. Not that I accepted everything that they were teaching, but I kind of acted like I did by not really speaking up at least in, not just in class time, but also in group conversations. There were a couple of times where people were talking about Marxism and how great Marxism is. And I could have, you know, popped in there with how, you know, anti-biblical the ideas of Marx were. But did I? No, because I didn't want to ruin the friendship. I wanted to be accepted by man instead of God. For you, if you're attending a progressive Christian university or just a straight-up secular university, I think there's a big temptation to just kind of cower and kind of just fit in the mold of what they expect of you and just to not ruffle any feathers. And I totally understand that. Look, I was the same way. But looking back, I wish I could have been a little bit more questioning and speaking up a little bit more. Because number one, that's being authentic to your faith. You're not compromising your principles and your beliefs. But also for those of you, the people that are around you that might have a slightly weaker faith and all of a sudden they're taking this in, they're not hearing a counter perspective. They're not hearing this be questioned whatsoever. And this isn't just in class time, like I'm saying. It's in group conversations too with friends. You know, be open to ask questions and really dig to see why they believe what they believe. Because that can be an encouragement and a help to other newer believers around you that are just thrown to the lion's den pretty much without anybody speaking up against what is commonly understood as true according to the world. Three quick things if you're planning on going to a secular or progressive Christian university. Number one, make sure your foundation is solid. Don't go into it with a lousy, weak faith. Make sure you know why you believe what you believe. I don't say this to necessarily scare you, but to just encourage you to get in those theology books to get in the Word of God to really sure up those loose ends of your understanding of the scriptures. Number two, make sure your support systems are secure and active. So you want to make sure that you have that place where you can go to after a long week at university and just kind of bombarded with all these really just antithetical things to what is true about the world. You need to be able to go to a place that can build you up again and get you ready to go. So whether that's a small group, young adults group, just church group, friend group, whatever that is, make sure it's there, make sure it's solid. Number three, don't be a chameleon. I've struggled with this depending on who you're with or which class you're in. You're just kind of adapting, shape-shifting to kind of fit in. It's not something you want to do. It's not honoring to God. And I regret every time that I've done that. In those moments, we're seeking to please man rather than seeking to please God. We actually fulfill Matthew 516 when we don't go into chameleon mode, when we don't dim our light down in order to fit in. It says, My mission in this extends beyond university is to let my light so shine among men that they may glorify my Father in heaven. I don't want to be conformed to the pattern of this world, but I want to pour into Christ and stand strongly for Him, trusting Him to give me the strength I need to stand on my convictions. You know, His power and His presence is with you. I know it's challenging. I know it can be scary. But I truly believe that God will give you what you need to persevere. I would love to hear some of your university's stories, whether you go to a Christian, progressive Christian, secular university. I'd love to hear some stories in the comments down below. Thanks so much for watching this video. 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