How to Keep the Faith in College - Part 5

Welcome to God First, a program committed to encouraging you to put God first while viewing life through the window of the Bible. Now in honor of the one and only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, please join us for today's episode. It is a joy and honor and a privilege to join you each week.

And I want to thank you for tuning in. Well, if you have been with us over the last several weeks, you know, we have been running a series on how to keep the faith in college. And we have just been blessed by some wonderful college students who have came on and share with us how they are staying true to the faith, even while on college campuses. And so today we're going to wrap up the series by having two elders join us, and they're going to share with us in the way in which they help students to keep the faith in college.

They are both with the Church of God in Christ and lead campus ministry. So I want to first welcome elder Andy Bogard, who was ordained as an elder on May 23rd of 2010, and he is the founder of the Church of God in Christ College Campus Ministry. So elder Bogard, I want to welcome you to the program and if you will speak to your responsibilities as head of the Church of God in Christ College Campus Ministries.

Absolutely. And I just want to thank you for giving us an opportunity just to share and to minister to young people. And I just thank you for your heart and your vision that you've had for young people on the college campus.

It's truly a very strategic mission field. But as my role pertains in the Church of God in Christ College Campus Ministries, my role is to oversee the implementation and the establishment of COSI Campus Ministries on every campus possible across the globe. The Church of God in Christ, through the vision of our Presiding Bishop, Bishop Jehu Sheared, wants to be present during this pivotal moment in the lives of all of our college students.

This is a time where, as our President of the Department of Evangelism, Bishop Eliza Hankerson, as he would call it, he calls it while they're in the valley of decision. When a student arrives on campus, we know that they're going to be flooded with every organization possible, from political groups and organizations to fraternities and sororities. So we want to, when our students arrive on campus, we want them to be able to stay connected and rooted in the principles of holiness and godliness that their parents instilled to them while they were at home and living at home. So our mission as the Church of God in Christ is to win souls on college campuses around the globe, and we do so by seeking the empowerment of the Holy Ghost and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. I truly believe that the college campus is one of the most strategic evangelism fields you'll ever find.

When you look at statistics, statistics will show that seven out of ten college students have no relationship with Jesus Christ. I believe that we are in a position, with the help of God, to turn those numbers around and see a revival take place on the university campus like never before. And so that's our goal in the Church of God in Christ. That's our goal as the Department of Evangelism, that you evangelize and to win souls on the college campus. Well, I want to thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to join us today to speak on this topic. And we are also honored to have Elder James Fason, who is an elder at the Upper Room Church of God in Christ, and he heads the God First Campus Ministry. So it is always a joy and an honor to have you. You've been with us many times in the past. So will you also speak to your responsibilities as head of God First Campus Ministries? God bless everyone, and thank you again, Brian, for having me on.

And man, I'm so excited to have our chairman, Chairman Bogard, on the call with us as well. And I tell you, it's a blessing to be able to go out to the college campus and to share the good news of Jesus Christ. And what we want the college students to have is a biblical worldview. We want them to be able to go onto the college campus and to be able to defend the faith. But at the same time, be outstanding students. Don't be the student that's getting involved and being late to class and that student that's making a bad name for themselves.

But that student that they're not letting their good be spoken of. And so if college students can keep that biblical worldview and they can keep Christ first, I mean, that is the most important thing that we want them to do. And then on top of that, as Elder Bogard said, evangelize and share the good news of the faith. How many of you know that it's important? We share what we love. Whatever ice cream you like, whatever type of food you like, you're going to share that with somebody. But it's so important that we share what we believe and we share our faith with the college students and the college students likewise go out and share their faith with other college students, their roommates, whoever it is. Teachers, whoever it may be, but they share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And I want to thank you once again, also elder facing for taking time out of your schedule to come on and speak with us today as well. So I want to begin with Andy and this movement that is just sweeping the nation, I guess even sweeping the world, is this woke movement. And I remember years ago when I first heard about it, I had no idea what they were talking about. I had to go and do some research and analysis to figure out what this is. But would you talk to us about campus ministry and how it is addressing what is called this woke movement? Sure, sure.

And Brian, I'm a lot like you. When I first heard that, you know, I just thought it was some slang term that people were using until I realized that it was a whole movement behind it. And looking at the woke movement, initially it came about to create awareness about racial prejudice and discrimination.

But when you look further, you'll find that subsequently it came to encompass awareness of other issues of social inequality, for instance, regarding gender and sexual orientation. So me as a Bible-believing preacher, when dealing with these matters, what I believe and what I teach is that we must hold true to biblical principles. Sin is still sin, and as a body of believers, we must continue to teach our students to do as the Apostle Paul instructed. When you look in 1 Thessalonians—and hopefully it's okay that I referenced the word, because I believe that everything we say and do should be founded in the Word—when Apostle Paul spoke in 1 Thessalonians 5, 22, and 23, he said that we are to abstain from the very appearance of evil.

And then he said that the very God of peace will sanctify you wholly. We as Christians, first of all and foremost, we're Christians before anything else. And this Christian journey that we're on should be at the forefront of everything that we say and everything that we do. For some movements and organizations, though they may have been founded with good thoughts and good principles, we must be very careful, because while they do have those good principles, they also support principles that are contrary to the Word of God, and those we must stay away from. Oftentimes when dealing with students, I tell students, support the gospel movement, because when the Word of God is preached, it will affect all facets of life. So if we're going to support a movement, let's support a movement that stands on biblical principles and godliness. And so I'll come to James with the same question.

How has God First Campus Ministries gone about addressing this woke movement? Oh, man. And he said it best, man. And I mean, the only thing I would add to it is Matthew 5 and 13, where it says, You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its favor, well, which shall it be salted? It is sent forth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden underfoot. I mean, we are the salt of the earth, and we are the light of the world as well. Look, as long as we're the salt of the earth and the light of the world, we're already woke. However, if we're not the salt of the earth and we're not being the light of the world, then we're asleep. But in my opinion, man, we are woke. We are out here sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and standing for biblical truth.

And so as long as you are doing those things, you're already woke. Don't fall prey to these slogans and slangs and everything and these different movements that are coming about. But definitely stay true to what we know. Stay true to the word of God. We don't necessarily have to know everything about those movements, but we need to know everything that relates to the scripture and how the scriptures, how we can apply it to these things and really get a discernment of what's going on during these times. And I love the fact that both of you are using scripture as a support for your foundation. And I noticed that same thing with the college students that we've had on for the last several weeks, that everyone is using the Bible. That is the foundation that we stand on.

We're not just giving personal opinions, but we are here to say what the word of God says. So I want to thank you both for sharing those thoughts. So, Andy, I want to come to you next on the topic of critical race theory and Black Lives Matter, the organization. What are your thoughts on how these things relate to college students today? So looking at, you know, critical race theory and Black Lives Matter, especially as Black Lives Matter contains as an organization, the college students that we serve, one thing that I always keep in the forefront of my mind when dealing with college students is that I have to see them for where God is getting ready to take them.

And that is, they are our future doctors, they're our future lawyers, and they're our future politicians. But I also believe it's important to remind them that our responsibility as believers and as ministers of the gospel is to all people. All people matter to God. So when they have, or when they're in these positions to effect change, they have to have a Christian-based worldview, a biblical worldview. Paul wrote to the church, when you look at what Paul wrote to the church in Galatians, he reminded us that there is neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither bond nor free, there's neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. So it's good to understand and it's good to know what affects us as a culture and us as a community, but we have to remember that we are a unified body of believers, and God loves everybody.

And so we don't want to get so entrenched in these matters and these theories that we forget that God is the God of the Bible and he's the God of everybody. And so even looking at the Black Lives Matter organization, I support the statement Black Lives Matter, but let me clarify that. When I say I support the statement Black Lives Matter, I do not support the organization.

There's a difference between the statement and the organization. The organization has been a huge supporter of the LGBTQ community and as well as the Black Transgender Lives Matter movement, which as a Bible preaching man of God that I am, I cannot and will not support. I believe that all people should be treated fairly and should not be discriminated against in any manner, but I also believe that we have a responsibility to call sin sin. And not just homosexuality, let me make that clear, but all sin. Our responsibility as a gospel preacher is not to just point out or to highlight one form of sin, but all sin, and we want to lead all people and all sinners to repentance for some of us. And so it's our responsibility to do so, and anything that promotes sin, any organization that highlights sin, is something that we as children of God want to stay away from. Anything that promotes sin is also what it does when it's promoting sin, is that it combats the Word of God and the faith-based community. So it is a combatant to what we are trying to do when we are trying to lead people to Christ. So we have to be careful when we line ourselves up with these organizations and understand what these organizations also do in the background. That may not be the forefront of what they push, but there's also some things that they link themselves to, and we have to be careful not to allow ourselves to be caught up with it.

Again, like I said, I support the statement, Black Lives Matter, because our lives do matter, but the organization has some things that I do not support. You presented so much wisdom in your response, and I love how you also stated one of my favorite phrases, the biblical worldview. That is something that we stress on this radio program, the importance of having a biblical worldview, because that is one of the things that I see lacking today, even in so many who go to church.

But it seems as though when they're looking at how to carry out day-to-day issues, it seems like they're really not having and embracing a biblical worldview. So I really want to thank you and commend you for that excellent response. So we're going to take a short break, but folks, don't go away on the other side. We're going to come back and continue our discussion with Elder James Fason and Elder Andy Bogard.

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Box 266, Knightdale, North Carolina, 27545 for more information. Now, let's return to the conclusion of today's program. Welcome back to the program. My name is Brian Thomas, and I have the privilege today of speaking to Elder James Fason and Elder Andy Bogard, who both lead college campus ministries in the Church of God in Christ. So we're wrapping up our series this week on how to keep the faith in college. And they're just sharing with us things in which they are facing and addressing and how to go about encouraging our college students today. And so before the break, we were talking to Elder Andy Bogard. He was giving us a response on critical race theory and the Black Lives Matter organization.

So I want to next come to you, James. What are your thoughts concerning these two movements or organizations? The only thing I want to mention is just the inception of just Black Lives Matter and what it was founded off of and who founded it. And we know that the founders, I mean, they're lesbians.

And the whole organization itself was never really structured around to support the ideal tradition of what family is when it comes to the husband and wife. And so just thinking about how that thing started, that's something that as a believer and as a Christian and definitely as a college student, you can't line yourself up with that. But as Andy had mentioned, look, we support Black Lives Matter. We support the statement, but we don't necessarily support the group in and of itself. And so it's very important that we make sure that any group that you take a part in, finding out who created it, what was the reasoning behind creating it?

Was it around Christ? Or was it to almost in a sense to line the pockets of the people that actually started the group? That's another thing we have to think about as well, too. But with this being said, I mean, it's very important during these times that college students align themselves with biblical worldview organizations. They align themselves with Students for Life movement. They align themselves with groups that are going out and sharing the gospel, going out and also they're going out in the streets, but they're also going out and doing mission trips as well. But aligning themselves with organizations that will further promote what the kingdom has called us to do.

And that's to be the light in the world and the salt on earth as well, too. So, I mean, I thank God for my black people. I thank God for all the progress that has been made. However, we cannot be mad at what happened years and years ago. Black Lives Matter, even with the woke movement as well, it's almost putting in a sense of it wants African Americans to walk around mad. Mad at somebody who looks different than them. And we can't do that as believers. Look, the Bible told us to be angry, but to sin not. And then it also told us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. We can't walk around being mad.

And I'll never forget, I had one, a young man that he wasn't a believer, but he told me something that literally straightened me up. He said, James, he said, man, you're a believer, but you walk around looking like an angry Christian. And I was like, man, I cannot be an angry Christian. We cannot be angry Christians and line ourselves up with groups that want to make us even more angry. Yeah, you're so right, because these movements are antithetical to the Christian faith, as you said, because Christianity teaches to forgive.

But when we look at these organizations, they teach to get even. And so that that is in direct contradiction to our faith. So so no, we cannot embrace things like critical race theory and Black Lives Matter. So, Andy, I want to come next to you and ask the question of what has been your experience with with black liberation theology?

Have you had any experience with that? And and have you seen it influence Christian college students? So myself personally, I haven't really had to deal on campus a lot with the black libertarian theology. Many of the schools that I deal with here locally, they're Christian universities. Based upon, you know, we deal with a lot of Assemblies of God, which is really associated with the Church of God and Christ. So our theology and doctrine are very closely related. But I do believe theology may play a part with college students, depending on their geographic.

In the church, we have student-run organizations at public schools, private schools, HBCUs, universities. So what we do is our emphasis continues to preach and teach the Word of God. Often I pose the question to students and I simply ask them, who do you think you're going to see when you get to heaven? And I remind them of what John said in Revelation, that after this, I beheld a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and in all tongues, and stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb. We don't preach a white gospel or a black gospel, but we preach the gospel to the world that the world might be saved. And that is why, even though we are the largest African-American Pentecostal denomination in the world, with over six million members, we understand that the university and college campuses filled with a diverse student population and a diverse student base, that all need to hear the good news of the gospel, and that's what Jesus says. So we focus on the gospel, we focus on the Word, we don't get caught up in trends, we don't get caught up in things that are controversial. We stick to the Word and we preach and teach and believe the Word of God. And what about you, James? Any experience at all with black liberation theology in college campus ministries? Yes, sir.

We've had some fun, and I'll say this. Going out onto HBCU campuses and evangelizing and sharing the good news of the gospel, I've definitely ran into five percenters. And then also, I mean, what we have to keep in mind is, well, too, that African color did not save us. If our skin color could have saved us, there would be no reason for Jesus Christ. But when you run into these groups, run into these organizations that really believe that, look, man, my skin color and me being black is black power, or I'm a king and you're a queen, and all these other different slings, whatever you want to call it, look, we have to point them right back to the scripture. We all were born in sin and shaken in iniquity. Look, if we could have saved ourselves, there would be no reason for Jesus Christ. And, I mean, it's so important that we, literally the scripture points right back to us and shows us our flaws.

I mean, we're imperfect creatures, but we serve a perfect and almighty savior. And so it's so important that as this black liberation theology is being taught on these different campuses, but I ran into it more at HBCU, as these things are being taught, we have to point them back to what the word of God says. And so I love the opportunity to talk with people. They even want to move in that direction of the black liberation theology. I love to talk with them and ask them, why do you believe what you believe?

And if what you believe, how is that going to make you any better, is the question that I normally will pose to them. Yeah, you're so right, because what I find today is that so many people are making an idol out of their race. And that's just so dangerous, because as you stated, we have to point back to Jesus Christ, point back to the Bible, to God, and that is what should be the center of our lives, not our race, not anything else. And so there are people out there that are doing that. And that's really what black liberation theology is rooted in. So I want to wrap things up with the final question.

I want to come back to Andy. Another movement that we see that is really just sweeping the world right now. It's always out there. It's just in our faces all the time is the LGBTQ plus movement. So how strong is that on college campuses today?

What are you seeing? Oh, man, you know, it's different. So with us having organizations on different campuses and different type of universities, you know, it differs from different geographical areas. But one thing that I've noticed is that the LGBTQ community or plus community, it seems like they add a new letter every other week.

So I forget which one they on this week. But that community on some campuses are more visible now more than ever. And one thing that I've learned about them is that they're proud to be visible on campus.

Not only that, but they will take every opportunity possible to be visible and to push their thoughts and ways of life on other students that are yet trying to decide who they want to be in life. That is why it's so important for us and for our Christian students that they need. They must be just as visible and just as proud to be saved, to be sanctified and to have the gift of the Holy Ghost and any other group or organization. We, too, must be unashamed. What did Paul tell us?

I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, where it's the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes it, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. We need to be visible, not just meeting in our rooms for Bible study or holding service on campus. But we need to be walking around the yard. We need to be handing out tracts. We need to be having prayer walks and announcing to the world that Jesus is still saved.

Just like they're visible and they wear their gear and they wear their pins and they hang their flag. We need to hang our flag to say that we're proud to be saved. We're proud to be children of God. We're proud to be Christians.

And we're just as proud of the fact that Jesus died and hung on the cross and rose again for us the third day. So I think that one thing we have to do to combat some of these things is that we have to become more visible. We can't be in the background.

We can't be in our little rooms by ourselves. But we have to become visible and be out there in the forefront and pushing Jesus the same way they push their motives. And would you say that, say if we go back a decade ago, because I think a lot has changed over the last 10 years.

I mean, things are happening fast now. Would you say there have been any adjustments that you have had to make as the head of the college campus ministries and how you address these things that we're seeing now? Man, I tell you, the Bible says that the counsel of the Lord stands forever in the thoughts of his heart to all generations. And what that meant to me was that times may change, theories, groups, and organizations may come, and some of them may grow large. But one thing that has remained the same is the Word of God. And we continue to stand on the principles of holiness and godliness. And that's what we teach our students. That's what we live our lives out as. And despite what changes, despite the hot topics that come and go, if we remain true to the Word of God, we don't have to adjust to them.

They should adjust to us. They should adjust to the preached Word of God. The more we preach the Word of God, the more we stand true on godly principles and holiness, and we let our light—what's the Bible say to the light? The Bible says, let our light so shine among men that they may see our good works and then glorify God which is in heaven. We teach our students to be examples. We teach them to be light on a hill so that they can be a beacon of hope for someone who lost their way.

And that's important, because many of these students that are living this lifestyle and living this way truly have lost their way. But we want to be a beacon of hope for those who have lost their way so that they can come and recognize that despite what you've done, despite what you've been through, despite what type of lifestyle you may have been living, we still serve a God that can save anybody. And that there is no secret what God can do, what He's done for others, He's done for you. So the same way He can save us, He can save you and turn you from that life of sin. So that's what we stand on and that's what we believe in.

We believe that we serve a God that can save and change anybody's sinful nature and not just homosexuality, not just the LGBTQ plus community, but any sin they may find themselves living in. We know a God that can make you whole again. And that's what we stand on. Amen, brother. Amen. We serve a God who can save anybody from any sin.

I love that. So, James, I want to come to you with the last word. What about your experience with the LGBTQ plus and how have you had to make adjustments over the last few years with these different things that are going on with college campuses today? Brian, I believe Andy said it best, man. He summed it up and when he said just really being that beacon on the hill, being that light on the hill and definitely being in that forefront and letting others see us just like all these organizations are. He said it best, man. And I'm not going to add anything else to it.

I'm going to just leave it right at that. Man, I really enjoyed what the comments that he said and it was right on point with what we need to do in these days and times. And so, man, my thoughts are with his thoughts as well, too. So thank you. Thank you, Andy, for those words, my brother. Amen.

Amen. So, Andy, I want to thank you for joining us today. How can anyone out there get in contact with you if they want to find out more about the college campus ministries and just get to know what you're doing and maybe how they could even start participating in what you're doing?

Absolutely. So if you're even if you're a college student or you're an evangelist or you're, you know, you're a worker, you're interested in evangelizing on college campus ministries, but especially if you're a college student, you're listening today and you want to participate in what we're doing within the Church of God in Christ. You can text KOGIC at C-O-G-I-C to 84576. Again, you can text KOGIC, C-O-G-I-C to 84576 and we will be able to connect with you. We'll reach out to you and we'll make sure that we can help you to be set up and established. We can connect you with churches in your area that believe in the same godly principles and teach and preach the Word of God.

You can also follow us on Facebook or Instagram at Church of God in Christ International Department of Evangelism College Campus Ministry. And we can connect with you there as well. All right. Well, thank you, sir. And Elder Faison, would you like to give out your contact information as well? Yes, sir. You can definitely follow us on Facebook as well.

And we're God First Campus Ministry, God First Campus Ministry. Thank you again, Brian, for this opportunity. Definitely looking forward to talking more a lot later.

Absolutely. Well, I want to commend both of you guys. You're doing great things and it's so greatly needed. So I want to commend you and I just pray God will bless you as you continue to go forth in leading the young generation to just continuing to stand on the word of God. So God bless you both. God bless you, sir. Thank you again. Thank you, sir. So I just want to thank again Elder James Faison, Elder Andy Bogard and all the college students that have participated in this series.

It has been such a joy and such a blessing. I would love to continue, but we are all out of time. But please, folks, come back and join us next week as we continue to encourage you to put God first while viewing life through the window of the Bible. Until then, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless God's great nation of Israel. Till the only wise God be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Thank you for tuning in to the God first program. Please come back and join us next week as we continue to encourage you to put God first while viewing life through the window of the Bible. Until next time, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless God's great nation of Israel and seek first the kingdom of God.