Mark Dever interviews Aaron Messner, the chaplain of Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Aaron talks about the cultural and spiritual challenges that college students face, and the particular need there is for local churches to invest in their lives.
Today’s students have grown up with technology and the Internet, and according to Messner, this is shaping the way students think. He references the recent article in The Atlantic, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” which all the staff at Covenant have been reading and formally discussing together.
One other issue that was helpful is the way students use the Internet and social media. Most students use Facebook to network and stay in touch with friends. Email, Messner says, is like the spam box to them. They don’t communicate much with email. Their dependance upon tools like Facebook has starved them of valuable face to face friendships. And Messner says that he sees interpersonal relationships often challenging and difficult for students.
Very interesting discussion and one you will want to listen to if your church reaches out to college students.
Faith by Hearing 