The Berkeley Mission -- Part 2

When I told people I was willingly taking a youth group to Berkeley, reactions were mixed.  Some were very excited about such an opportunity while others were a bit unsure of the trip.  For many, Berkeley conjures up images of tie-dyed hippies gathering in communes or wild-eyed university professors screaming at the top of their lungs.  But The Berkeley Mission is right in step with Stand to Reason's approach to false ideas:  don't isolate yourself, innoculate yourself.  I did learn a couple of things about innoculation, however.

1. Innoculation must be done carefully:  Medically speaking, when someone gets an innoculation like a flu shot, they are exposed to a controlled amount of the actual virus in order to protect themselves from it.  But too much exposure to the virus can actually make one sick and this lesson seemed to apply to Berkeley, as well.  Exposing the students to too much too quickly could easily overwhelm them.  We had to constantly gauge how students were handling the challenges set before them and we found that it was essential to debrief after each encounter, helping students think through the false ideas presented.
2. Innoculation can be risky:  Berkeley was intense.  Our presenters were typically atheists with years of reflection on these matters.  They had the advantage of being able to think through the arguments and objections over a longer period of time than our young students.  Could you imagine if one of our students decided to walk away from Christianity due to this trip?  I'd probably be looking for another job right now!  However, even though innoculation can be a bit risky two things were on our side.  First, as Greg has said before, some of the smartest people make the most basic mistakes in thinking when it comes to spiritual matters.  This occurred again and again and eventually, the students began to see this for themselves.  Secondly, if Christianity is actually true then every argument against it will be flawed by its very nature.  It was just a matter of helping our students uncover the flaws.

Even though it can be risky, I think innoculating our kids is essential.  In fact, just this week I was told about a young woman who grew up in a Christian home, attended a Christian college, and upon graduation entered the workplace.  After realizing that non-Christians seemed to be happy without God and that people weren't begging for her Christian answers, she has begun seriously doubting Christianity.  It may actually be riskier when we do not innoculate our young people.

I think there are other ways to begin the process of innoculation but ultimately, you want your kids to be able to handle something like The Berkeley Mission.

Comments

[Agilius]

This sounds like a fantastic idea. Not only does it give them a fairly safe means of hashing out their views, but it also serves to grant Christians some goodwill amongst nonbelievers accustomed to the marketplace of ideas (e.g. schools, talk radio [KFI- shameless plug]).

I would like to offer some tips I've learned from engaging the community:

1. Make the issue the issue, and you won't have need for anger or emotional outbursts.

2. There are many showboats out there. If possible, choose only to engage a showboat in a forum which imposes upon you both a high degree of restriction to addressing a single point at a time. Attempt to develop the skill to create such a forum. But this is not always possible.

3. Many people have argued your point in the past, in one form or another: not having an answer at the moment does not mean that there isn't an answer, so it's OK to admit when you believe your point just may be flawed. And say you'll be back with an answer if you find one.

[Christopher Taylor]

I'd advise any and every young person to simply avoid attending Berkley college at any time. Not only is the worldview extraordinarily hostile to Christianty, but the teaching is questionable and the academic standards are problematic. Surely you can find better ways to spend your money that don't involve attending this place.

[Matt McKinley]

The things you listed might be all the more reason to go to Berkley, assuming the student is prepared and willing.

I guess I'm thinking that young impressionable minds looking for an education should find an institution that will give them this. I'm looking at Universities more as places of higher learning than mission fields, and the young people who attend them as students, not evangelists. When they've got their education and know what they are doing, great - hit the world. But people have to be prepared before they go to battle, and an 18-year old simply is not.

[Matt McKinley]

Good thoughts. I suppose there are advantages to both. Personally, I'm looking for a college with some of the top chrisitian minds and ideas, and then going back into a "mission field" of sorts.