Education Team Administrator Emily Bourne discusses why it is becoming increasingly difficult to be a Christian at university and how students can prepare to face these challenges
We have previously explored the complex issues facing many schools and what this means for children and parents. But it is also important to consider the state of higher education as this is often a critical stage in a person’s life where they are faced with many difficult choices. Students who might have grown up going to church with their parents will have to decide for themselves whether this is something they want to pursue, whilst others might be hearing about Jesus for the first time and will have to make a choice about what this means for them.
These choices have always existed, as well as the challenges of making good friends, studying hard and planning for the future. But recent years have seen a shift in culture and new challenges which Christian students need to navigate.
Is authentic Christianity welcome in universities?
The Church has a long history of interest and involvement in education. There was a clear conviction that God could be glorified through the discipleship of children, as commanded in the Great Commission. Children were shown and given the opportunity to apply their knowledge, understanding and skills to every sphere of society. This continued into the area of higher education, with the University of Oxford choosing to have the opening words of Psalm 27 (‘The Lord is my light’) as their motto from at least the sixteenth century. Indeed many of the colleges at Oxford and Cambridge are named after key ideas or figures in Christianity, including Jesus himself.
But in recent years we have seen academic institutions fearful of how students will react to events being held on campuses where teaching on biblical beliefs – which has been recognised by the Church globally for the past 2,000 years – are discussed and debated.
In a short space of time, Christianity has gone from being central to all of university life to being ridiculed and excluded.
This leads to specific challenges that today’s Christian students face that only a generation ago would have been hard to believe.
Views may cause offence
It is particularly essential that students can discuss and debate even contentious topics on campuses. But the new Labour government is undoing important free speech provisions for universities,
Christian Legal Centre client Felix Ngole knows how much this is needed. He was expelled from his university social work course after he made comments on his personal Facebook page in support of Biblical teaching on marriage and sexual ethics. The reason given was that his comments “may have caused offence to some individuals” and had “transgressed boundaries which are not deemed appropriate for someone entering the Social Work profession.”
In a landmark judgment in 2019, the Court of Appeal overturned a previous High Court ruling, making it clear that Christians do have the legal right to express Biblical views on social media and elsewhere in public without fear for their professional careers.
Despite this victory, Felix recently had a job offer withdrawn because his would-be employer discovered his beliefs. He is continuing to receive legal support as he pursues justice. His case highlights the long term challenges faced by Christian students when they speak from their Christian convictions.
The area of sexuality and gender is often particularly contentious, especially during Pride month when universities are likely to display flags and host events in support of the LGBT community. Lecturers might wear lanyards with their preferred pronouns and ask you to do the same to show you are an ‘ally.’ You cannot be forced to participate in such events, and you should contact the Christian Legal Centre should you have any concerns about this.
Challenges for Christian and pro-life groups
As well as sexual ethics, Christian students are increasingly having to contend for the right to advocate for life. Members of pro-life societies have been subjected to death threats and calls for their funding to be cut by opponents.
Some universities are adopting pro-choice policies, aided by the National Union of students which is unashamedly pro-choice.
In 2019, a pro-life student group was finally granted affiliation by the Aberdeen University students’ union, which shows that it is possible to find success in challenging to unjust and discriminatory processes. But with freedom of speech being restricted outside abortion clinics as people are arrested for praying outside of them, there are still many battles to be faced in the years ahead.
Christian and pro-life societies often come under pressure from other students and need grace and wisdom to make the most of their opportunities.
Be equipped to stand firm and transform society
There are several organisations which have resources to support Christian students at university. For example , UCCF and Fusion have lots of advice for freshers on getting involved in a local church and joining a Christian Union as these provide critical opportunities for fellowship and to grow in the faith.
There is a real need to understand the times we are living in and be trained on how to respond on matters where the church has often chosen to be silent. We have just hosted our fourteenth Wilberforce Academy, a one-week residential conference for students and young professionals to be equipped with Biblical teaching on how to proclaim Christ in all areas of their lives. Through this, we are forming a Collective of young Christians who are passionate about seeing society transformed for Jesus.
As traditional educational institutions move further away from Christian values, we are praying that the next generation will be able to pioneer new and distinctive Christian institutions. There have been some encouraging developments in recent years with Spurgeon’s, one of the UK’s leading Christian Colleges, securing Full Degree Awarding Powers. There are also plans for a Christian Liberal Arts college to open in Oxford in September 2025.
But these initiatives are only possible when individuals seek to be faithful to God and what he has called them to do. Will you pray for Christian students, and consider practical ways you might be able to support them, so that they can be encouraged to remain faithful in challenging environments and play their part in Christian culture building for the future?
