Never have Christian college students faced a more hostile environment on campus than they do today.
Situations like that in the film “God’s Not Dead” in which college professors openly attack and even mock the faith of their students are far too common.
But one ministry is equipping Christian students to fight back, and WIN the argument for Christ.
Universities have been a setting for intellectual debate and discussion since their inception.
After all, the focus of college is to expand knowledge and understanding through questioning, debating, and testing theories and beliefs.
However, many student believers have likely never been confronted by questions regarding their beliefs in an intellectual setting and may not have the skills to address them directly.
As a result, too many Christian students are led to stray from their Christian faith, being deceived into believing the Word of God is archaic and no longer applicable in today’s world, and especially not in higher education.
Additionally, there is tremendous social pressure not only from their peers but from their professors to conform to worldly standards within the college environment, especially in secular schools.
Enter in Ratio Christi, a university-based Christian organization dedicated to bringing Jesus back into the college intellectual community.
How does Ratio Christi do this? Apologetics.
From the Greek “apologia”, the word apologetics means “speaking in defense of” and involves making the cause for Christian doctrines through debate and discussion.
It has been a component of Christianity dating back to the days when Paul himself made the case for Christ at the Areopagus in Athens as we read about in the Book of Acts.
Apologetics has experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent decades as attacks by liberal intellectuals have increased.
Ratio Christi’s primary purpose is to defend Jesus and the Truth in the university environment by equipping student believers with the knowledge needed via apologetics to be able to rationally defend Christ.
This organization is dedicated to helping students be able to defend Christ through investigation and expose weaknesses in contrary beliefs including polytheism, secularism, and atheism.
Through this approach, Ratio Christi is equipping individuals to not only be able to handle questions to defend Christianity but additionally how to question other belief systems effectively.
Born out of an apologetics club at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, in 2008, Ratio Christi grew to additional campuses in North Carolina including UNC Charlotte and NC State University, and then expanded to other states to include schools in Texas and Ohio by 2009.
Today, a decade after its creation, more than 150 campuses worldwide have Ratio Christi chapters. The long-term goal for Ratio Christi is to have chapters at every college and university.
The individual chapters meet, like many other Christian organizations on campuses, on a weekly basis to discuss apologetics and world-view subjects.
It is neither a requirement nor an expectation that all who attend Ratio Christi are believers, and in fact, individuals of other religions or atheists / skeptics are invited too. The foundational focus of the club is to share the truth of Christianity through in-depth research and debate of Christian theology.
But defense is not the sole component. Ratio Christi works to spread the love of Jesus to those who have not yet received it. By introducing Christian theology through debate and discussion, evangelism results, thus bringing more believers to the fold.
Ratio Christi’s mission is not exclusive to apologetics. The organization recognizes that it can be a powerful ally to other Christian ministries already existing on college campuses and strives to create partnerships with them.
Ratio Christi has recently branched into high schools as well, helping to establish young apologists ready to move into the college atmosphere.
Interested in seeing how your local high schools can become involved in Ratio Christi? Visit https://ratiochristi.org/partners/get-involved/start-a-high-school-club
Ratio Christi has some of the strongest apologetic minds in the country and the organization has ambitious goals for development and growth.
But Ratio Christi needs help to grow the community!
There are a variety of opportunities available from financial contributions from donating to individual chapters to joining their Excel-erate Campaign with a focus on a goal of raising money to support their core team.
Have an apologetics background? Ratio Christi would be a great place to add value.
Are you a professor or high school teacher? Provide your school with the needed faculty involvement to start a chapter at your school!
Ratio Christi is also in need of diligent prayer as it is not immune to the cultural attacks against Christianity. In November 2018, Ratio Christi filed a lawsuit against the University of Colorado regarding Free Speech / Freedom to Associate.
These attacks against Jesus were warned about in Paul’s letters, but the power of prayer cannot be underestimated, so join us in prayer for this powerful ministry!
Ratio Christi has taken a need to provide a stronger defense of Christ in the academic world and successfully provided an organization focused on making sure the truth of Christ gets out to the collegiate levels.
Please consider helping this fantastic organization today by visiting their website at www.ratiochristi.org.
