Stephen Kellough is Chaplain Emeritus for Wheaton College. At twenty-five years, his was the longest tenure of any chaplain at Wheaton. In this book, he reflects on what he believes are the ten most important issues facing Christian college students today.

I love where he begins. He starts with what he thinks the most significant challenge, which he believes is that students know that they are loved by God and invites them into a relationship of growing in love for God, in discovering the love that casts out fear and that dispels false guilt and deals with true guilt.

Other chapters deal with weakness, perfectionism, doubt and depression, sabbath, sexuality and singleness, servanthood, safety in community, revival, and living as an apprentice to Jesus. Each chapter includes reflections on one key biblical passage. For example, the chapter on doubt and depression begins by frankly discussing symptoms of depression and other mental health issues. He explains why he discusses doubt and depression together, because these are often connected at an emotional level, he considers David’s lament in Psalm 13 and how it reflects the dilemmas of doubt (being in two minds) and depression and its debilitating character. He helpfully encourages seeking care and also talks about how doubt actually is a form of faith, indeed that we cannot know what faith is without having doubted at some point.

One of the most fascinating chapters is that on revival in which Kellough narrates the unfolding of the 1995 revival at Wheaton. It began when a student leader of the World Christian Fellowship confessed openly, calmly, and briefly his sin of pride as a leader. Here is what followed:

After a pause, another brave student came forward to a microphone and confessed his own sin of pride. Others came forward; and lines grew on each side of Pierce Chapel. After someone would honestly and vulnerably share a public confession, friends would huddle around and pray over that person while another student began speaking from the other side of the chapel.

What was confessed? There were confessions of pride, hatred, lust, sexual immorality, cheating, dishonesty, materialism, addictions, and self-destructive behavior. There were tears, and there were smiles. There was crying and singing. People confessed their sins to God and to each other, and there was healing. It was biblical. It was orderly. It was sincere. And it honored our Lord.

This went on nightly Sunday through Thursday of one week, involving as many as 1500 people a night. He describes powerful and ongoing racial reconciliation and forgiveness.

His concluding chapter is on being apprentices of Jesus–for life. He quotes Canon Andrew White of St. George’s Anglican Church in Baghdad, Iraq, who said, “Don’t take care. Take risks.” He proposes that this is the life of faithful and obedient stewards of God’s gifts.

I recognized that Kellough is writing from a place of wisdom and yet there was nothing stuffy or stodgy about his writing. He speaks with deep compassion for students and admiration of students he knows. He freely quotes younger writers like Rosaria Butterfield and Wesley Hill in his chapter on sexuality. His work combines grace and biblical truth.

I’m not sure this is the book for the “churched” student who has never personally embraced the faith for him/herself and wants to get as far away from it as possible during college. I think this makes a good book for the committed Christian student who wants to live for Christ in college to understand some of the practical issues this involves. It could be a book first year students might discuss together and the reflection questions at the end of each chapter lend themselves to this. It’s a good book for parents of students as well, and it raises the question of whether we want our students just to be successful, or do we want them to whole-heartedly, and sometimes riskily following Jesus. It will certainly give parents ideas of how they might pray for their students.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review e-galley of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Institutes of higher learning are places of diversity. Ideas are shared. Perspectives are debated. Knowledge is shared. Friendships are cultivated. Yet, college years are also times in which one could experience stress, loneliness, emotional highs and lows. For believers in Christ, there is an added pressure of keeping the faith in a world of conflicting ideas. As college chaplain, author and pastor Stephen Kellough has seen a lot of things happening on campus. He has walked with different people from all walks of life. He not only understands the challenges of students going through their academic pressures, he knows how it impacts their faith. How do we care for our soul in our college years? It all starts with this one big question: "What is the most significant spiritual challenge on campus these days?" Is it a lack of Bible knowledge? Is it the anti-Christian climate? Is it secularism? Idol worship? The answer might surprise readers. It is something so fundamental and basic. The author finds out that it is essentially "to know that they are loved by God." Taking this as a central focus, author Stephen Kellough, a campus chaplain at Wheaton College for over 25 years shares from both knowledge and experience with students through the years. He looks at love from the viewpoints of the Bible to help us recognize that God embraces us with his love. He also draws from the experience of spiritual writers like James Bryan Smith, AW Tozer, John Stott, and others, to probe and ponder about the movements of love. This most significant challenge is just the first out of ten other challenges that Kellough mentions in this book that is soaked in his experience as a campus chaplain. Other challenges include:

Inferiority: Fear of being seen as weak of not getting good grades; Hiding oneself because of the fear of being seen as weak; etc.
Perfectionism: distinguishing between excellence and being trapped in the pursuit of perfection; need for contentment;
Doubts: How to trust God in the midst of depression and doubt?
Sabbath: In the midst of a busy schedule, how do we take regular time to rest? Learn to set aside time alone with God and to celebrate the gift of Sabbath;
Sexuality: Many struggle with the pressure to get hitched and dealing with questions surrounding marriage. Other issues include pre-marital sex, unwanted pregnancies, same-sex attractions, and the need to think rightly about sexuality.
Me-ism: Many tend to behave as if the whole world revolves around them and their needs. In order to address this, Kellough recommends servanthood.
Community: Build a network of friends who belonged to one another in Jesus; for accountability; and for helping one another grow in faith; never walk alone.
Revival: We need a revival for a renewed longing for God; seeking forgiveness and showing forgiveness;
Apprenticeship: making disciples as a way of life;
These ten challenges, other than the biggest challenge of love, are not necessarily arranged in any order. In fact, these nine points that Kellough highlights are not necessarily the only points for the college student. Many are inter-related, such as me-ism and community; perfectionism and sabbath; revival and doubts; sexuality and holy longing for God. Some might appeal more while others may not even figure in the lives of individual readers. That said, what is important for now may take a different priority in future. If we have a spirit of openness to learn, it would be good for us to consider these pointers humbly with an eye for a future application. It should not surprise anyone that these challenges might even remain relevant after graduation.

Kellough is a trusted voice for campus matters. Many things happen over a span of 25 years. That is a range of experiences to be learned for someone who had seen many things happen from 1989 to 2014. What really strikes home for me is the single biggest challenge of love. I like to nuance this matter further. While the author may say that this has to do with students needing to "know" they are loved, what is more relevant is they "feel" they are loved. I say this because of our current culture's emphasis on feelings as the primal instinct for living. In an insightful book about campus environment, "The Coddling of the American Mind," authors Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt highlights a major orientation toward letting feelings rule the day. Thinking such as "if it feels right, it must be right" is something we must be wary of. This might be a small detail, but to say that people needed to "feel" loved (instead of knowing) is closer to the heart of the issue. This could spawn another book of its own.

I appreciate the way Kellough goes through each of the challenges, allocating a chapter each to deal with its description, the struggles, the biblical references, and where appropriate, a way forward.He also brings to life the particular issue by sharing an example of how some respected spiritual leader has done. For instance, on the follies of seeking perfection per se, readers learn about the life of Thomas Kelly, who in spite of his academic brilliance, failed his oral defense, and was not allowed to retake. Out of this failure arose an amazing encounter with God which catapulted his spiritual revival. On sexuality, he shares from Lauren Winner's open and honest book for Christian singles, linking the sacredness of sexuality to be under the protection of marriage. These real stories are compelling and bring the issues to us up close and personal, and relevant.

While different people might resonate with different kinds of issues, it is possible that we might experience any of them at different stages of life, not just during the campus years. This book deals honestly the range of difficult issues and does not pretend to know all the answers. By listing the issues out, I believe it is already a helpful first step for any college student who may be asking similar questions. From my dealings with college students, many do not know what exactly bothers them, until someone brings it up to lead them toward their "AHA" moments. This book does exactly that and more. It connects us back to God and the start thinking of the challenges not simply from how we feel but from the truth of God's Word. While perfection may not be possible in this lifetime, at least, we see the path toward perfection more clearly. I highly recommend this book for anyone in college or who has college people in their community.

Dr Stephen Kellough is an ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church (USA). He has served for 15 years in the parish and 25 years as a campus chaplain with Wheaton College. He retired in 2014.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

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This book has been provided courtesy of Moody Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Stephen Kellough offers a relatable look at the issues facing young Christians with his new book Walking With Jesus on Campus; How to Care for your Soul During College.

The author, a long-time campus chaplain at Wheaton College in Illinois, speaks to issues likely to find young believers on campus, from doubt and depression, to perfectionism, to servanthood. The issues are explored with some depth but are not belabored, and passages from the Bible are used throughout to support the assertions in the text.

Kellough writes from his perspective as a longtime campus minister, and while the title suggests his aim may be college-aged individuals, people of any age will find much to relate to in this book. The issues that form the basis for each chapter may be first seriously encountered during young adulthood, but it's unlikely to only occur during that season of life.

Walking With Jesus on Campus is a slight volume that Christians young and old alike will enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Summer has arrived! The sun is shining (depending on where you live in the world), kids have finished school and students have returned home. If you are a student, have been a student, are going to become a university student or if you have kids who are students you will know that university can be daunting.

University is a place where many people ‘find their feet’, they live away from home, start to cook and clean and it is often a place where they find their own feet in terms of their faith. But university isn’t always a piece of cake is it? On top of the academic work and the new responsibilities that come with living away from home, Christian students face ridicule and opposition for what they believe.

Stephen Kellough, who was a campus chaplain at Wheaton College for 25 years, has written a great book called Walking with Jesus on Campus: How to care for your soul during college.

This book is full of stories and examples of the life of a university student, the joys and the difficulties, the times of triumph and the trenches of ‘defeat’. Kellough’s goal of the book is to…

“help the Christian student set spiritual priorities – not just to survive the college experience but to thrive as a follower of Christ.”

From experience I have found that students have a tough time when it comes to living out their faith during their university years. The pull of the world is very strong, many Christian students can feel lonely and the temptation is to find their identity in their grades, not in Christ. Therefore, any materials that would inform student workers, inform parents and encourage students to prepare for life at university are well worth investing in.

Kellough gives 10 truths that should comfort, challenge, inform and transform the Christian at university. The starting point is the realisation that God loves His people. There are many people in the world who will only stop and think about faith when they are older, they want to ‘live’ and only think about Jesus once they’ve had fun. Kellough speaks about this in his own life too…

“I lived my early Christian life with the belief that God really did not like me. God tolerated me, I thought, in the hopes of improving me. One day I just might get myself together, quit sinning, and start behaving like Jesus. Then, I was certain, God would approve of me.”

Many people think this way, Kellough helps the reader understand that this isn’t true by taking them to Scripture.He touches on topics like guilt, God’s perfection, God’s love and the difference between feelings and truth.

He goes on to speak about weakness and how it is not such a bad thing, but that the wonderful news is that God uses the weak and He uses our weakness to display His strength. There are many sections in this book that you would expect to be in a book for students like relationships and sex, church community, self worth, depression, doubt and so on, but there are also parts that aren’t maybe as expected. There is a whole chapter on perfectionism, he says…

“Perfection is an unrealistic goal, to be sure. I think we would all enthusiastically agree. Yet we often put pressure on ourselves to achieve that goal and consider anything falling short to be failure. so when our efforts fall short and we fail at perfection, we can be awfully hard on ourselves. It’s called “perfectionism”‘

One of the things that I like about this book is that it doesn’t speak at you, but it is written in a very conversational way and the tone of the book comes from a genuine desire to see students grow in their faith. Every chapter contains Bible passages with the desire to see students see that the Bible is the place that has the answers. Kellough speaks about the importance of the church and community, this should not be overlooked. The students who have stood firm are often the ones who get plugged into a good local church, who desire to grow and learn about God and who are involved with Christian groups at university. Students, like every other church member, should be encouraged to serve, to grow and to walk the life that Jesus calls His people to.

Every chapter ends with reflection questions that will really help you think about how the chapter affects you personally. You could read this book on your own, in a youth group or as a group of students who are trying to help each other grow in their faith.

Walking with Jesus on Campus
How to Care for Your Soul during College

by Stephen Kellough

Moody Publishers

Christian

Pub Date 02 Jul 2019

I am reviewing a copy of Walking with Jesus on Campus through Moody Publishers and Netgalley:

This book shares ten truths that transforms college for Christian.

Our time at university is always a time of change, for better or for worse. Some people go into college with a strong faith, but leave it disillusioned. Others go into college with spiritual doubts and apathy towards Christ and walk away strong in faith as passionate Christian leaders. What makes the difference?

Some of the truths that Chaplain Stephen Kellough explore in Walking with Jesus on Campus include doubt, depression, sexuality, singleness, the Sabbath, and perfectionism! Whether you are the one headed off to college or have a loved one headed off to college this book is one I recommend.

I give Walking with Jesus on Campus five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Stephen Kellough was campus chaplain at Wheaton College for 25 years. Based on his lengthy experience of meeting, discipling, and counseling college kids, he has written Walking with Jesus on Campus: How to Care for Your Soul During College. Kellough's passion for college kids, love of the scriptures, and heart to build disciples come through in this practical, pastoral book.



Kellough covers topics that many--all?--college students deal with from time to time. Some are quite obvious. Every campus, from small Christian colleges to large state universities, are full of young people ready to explore their sexuality. Kellough offers biblical guidance on that hot topic. The strongest, and perhaps most important chapters, deal with perfectionism, depression, self-worth, and serving others. Kellough challenges students to find their worth in Jesus and in service to others.



With a warm, pastoral tone, Kellough describes his own experiences with college students, provides scriptural illustrations, and offers plenty of opportunity to personalize and reflect on his message. It's the voice of a warm, caring presence who must have had a huge impact on the lives of individual students and on the spiritual environment of the Wheaton campus. Walking with Jesus on Campus is a helpful sourcebook for college students and those who care about their spiritual growth.





Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

For every season of life, there are a cornucopia of possible resources that can be read with disciples in these stages. Walking with Jesus on Campus by Stephen Kellough is a great book. It is conversational, and includes questions at the end of chapter. Some of the content may be expected, discussions of Christian sexual ethics would be rarely omitted in writings to tertiary students in this climate, however it is extremely well written and filled with practical examples. Some of the content however is unexpected but extremely helpful combating modern issues including perfectionism, rest, and a shockingly challenging chapter on community. If there is any content which is American-centric, it is few and far between which is extremely helpful for international readers. Whether you are reading this book as a student in university, as a new Christian or "experienced", or if you're reading this book with your mentor, it includes practical insights and a starting point to guide the conversation.
I was provided a free eBook from NetGalley but all thoughts are my own.

This book is a great resource for those entering college especially as a new or impressionable believer. The content in the beginning can serve as a great introduction or review to the Christian faith. For those established in their faith the book will not be quite as helpful but can serve to help off-set the onslaught of opposing, anti-Christian views that are so prevalent in college communities.

I went to Wheaton College when Stephen Kellough was the chaplain. I'm very fond of Chappy K and learned a great deal from him during my four years at Wheaton, so I was excited to see that he'd written a book. After finishing the book, I think it would be a terrific book for people at secular schools working with college students who are Christians, or for college students who have an advanced knowledge of theology and Christian evangelicalism. I wouldn't recommend it for new Christians unless they're being actively discipled by someone with a background in theology and/or the evangelical church. Overall, though, this is another terrific contribution from Chappy K and I'm grateful to him for writing it!