Faith in Fashion on Campus?

When I was looking at colleges, religion was largely unwelcome on college campuses. Organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ worked to give Christians a place to go, but even they were not always welcome. Some are now saying that this is changing for the better.

Across the country, on secular campuses as varied as Colgate University, the University of Wisconsin and the University of California, Berkeley, chaplains, professors and administrators say students are drawn to religion and spirituality with more fervour than at any time they can remember.

More students are enrolling in religion courses, even majoring in religion; more are living in dormitories or houses where matters of faith and spirituality are a part of daily conversation; and discussion groups are being created for students to grapple with questions like what happens after death, dozens of university officials said in interviews.

A survey on the spiritual lives of college students, the first of its kind, showed in 2004 that more than two-thirds of 112,000 freshmen surveyed said they prayed, and that almost 80 per cent believed in God. Nearly half of the freshmen said they were seeking opportunities to grow spiritually, according to the survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA.

As quizzers start to look toward college, the way their faith will be viewed should be an important part of their decision. Are they eager to fight for their faith? Are they looking for a college friendly to religion? Are they hoping for a Christian college? This decision will likely have as large an impact on their education.