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On Saturday night I returned from Engaging the University: Student Mission and the Christian Mind at Tyndale Seminary, Toronto.  On the way into Toronto, I encountered traffic like I've never before . . . even worse than leaving NYC around Christmas!  It was a combination of rush hour, construction, and an accident.  On the way out, I sat through border crossing for quite awhile, although I kept moving to the new lanes as they opened to the far right.  But I would have sat through more traffic as the gathering was such an encouragement as ideas were exchanged by delegates from a number of countries and speakers gave strong challenges with regard to engaging the whole university.  I'll start with my notes from The Last Word given by Daniel Bourdanné, the newly appointed General Secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES).  Note:  Daniel spoke in French, so what is below is my best rendering of what was given by the translator.  Looking forward to when audio is available!

This conference is the beginning of a rebirth of our [IFES'] responsibility to the University, to education in general . . . our century is typified by the loss of thought (e.g., genocide) . . . thinking needs to find its place again among intellectuals.  Thinking Christianly is not doing nothing.  We've lost our place in the heart of the University, which is a strategic location.  We need to reinvest in the University and education, take the road which is harder but more stable to Christian thought (note:  contrasted with politics) . . . 

Western Christianity today, although supposed to be working in a society open to debate, it closes the door to debate .  . . favors dogmatism . . . every time there is a contraction . . . we use the term heretical . . . we don't realize paradigm shifts from really strange ideas from strange people . . . we reject others who think differently, these people no longer have the opportunity for a communal hermeneutic that allows, corrects, challenges.

To be a University person is a privilege, it doesn't give us any sense of superiority over others.  A privilege accompanied by a responsibility . . . must not view University people as elite. I was the only one in my village to recieve a PhD., because of the grace of God and so I need to be humble in recognizing God's grace.  The first task of the Christian engaging the University is living in humility, allows us to live an authentic faith in the University.

[Daniel moved onto the symbolism of the beginning of the 21st century and the 60th anniversary of the founding of IFES in 2007].  The Bible is at the heart of our engagement with the University . . . [The University is] our mission field in its totality:  students, teachers, academic personnel, all that makes up the University is our mission field.  The danger for IFES is to place emphasis on one place, even its most numerous [i.e., students] and loose the organic relationships.  [Daniel shared how grateful he was for the work of God in the 150 member countries of IFES and the solid theological foundation laid by Stacey Woods.  As such, he takes on his new responsibility with a humility which celebrates and evaluates the past]. 

[It is time to] enrich the initial paradigm which centered on the individual:  one student as an island, to convert to Christianity.  We have acted to the University like a fisherman to fish, so we're coming to get our fish without worrying what the lake is about, even like an industrial fish network we've used and exploited the University without taking it seriously.  We haven't taken time to understand the University in a dynamic, incarnational way, to suffer with and transform it.  A life community, a place where we suffer and live.  The wholistic Gospel, supported by love, a sense of service and not a sense of manipulation . . . fully participate in the life of the University [e.g., campus life by students in Rwanda in which they became another ethnicity, one which bridged the warring ethnicities] . . . simple things which illustrate possibilities for incarnational living [e.g., giving gift of books to library, welcoming new students, extra help with courses].  I know it will not be easy because it requires of us and our students new reflexes, our understanding of the Gospel.  We've go to make space for an understanding of the Gospel which is not minimalist.  Evangelism must look like a whole life, including an academic life lived for Christ . . . need to be refreshed to the dynamic of Christ thought. 

History of Christianity:  center of gravity of the Christian world to the Southern countries.  The new center needs to appropriate the Gospel for itself . . . opportunity to rethink the foundation of the University.  [Daniel discussed the Greek model of transmission of knowledge through an exclusive system of grades, programs, etc].  Why this dictatorship of the University?  This is an essential question we need to ask.  What about other ways of transmitting knowledge? 

Most essential question for me as a Christian, "Why does the University, instead of encouraging us to submit ourselves to Jesus move in a secular direction?"  [Daniel pointed out research, knowledge, liberty even among Africans who don't know a sacred/secular split leads toward an attempt to be free from Christ the one who created all, in whom all converge].  We can't criticize the University without criticizing the West [Daniel briefly commented on Charles Malik's A Christian Critique of the University, Dooyewaard's critique of the form/matter split, the unbridled capitalism of the University.  Then he turned to the danger of Southern countries, despite the phenomenal growth of the numbers, falling into the same trap if the Gospel is not deeply rooted and interacting with the surrounding culture.  He noted the loss of Christianity in Northern Africa after Origin and Augustine].  Evangelism is proclaiming, suffering, living for Christ. 

IFES serves the Church of Christ.  Our agenda is first the agenda of the Church which sends us.  [In his previous role, Daniel set aside 1 day per year for IFES groups for which he was responsible to give an account to their church].  The first mission is service and humility.  Are we humble enough to go to the church and give an account?

I resolve on behalf of IFES, to be behind this initiative to engage the University in a spirit of unity, leaving competition to the side.  IFES is not here to build its own empire and I don't believe any of the other groups are either . . . the only kingdom is the Lord Jesus'.