7 Notable Quotes from Surviving Religion 101

This article is part of the Notable Quotes series.

Give an Answer

The college years can challenge your faith and belief in the Bible, so it’s important to equip yourself to engage secular challenges with intellectual honesty, compassion, and confidence. Be challenged to do that with these quotations from Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College by Michael J. Kruger.

“Christianity is not just intellectually defensible but also intellectually satisfying at the deepest of levels. Yes, we believe God with our hearts. But we can also enjoy him with our minds.”

“Opposition to your faith will change you. . . In addition to sharpening your mind, it will also hone your character. It will force you to trust the Lord in new and even radical ways— to lean on him and not your own understanding. It will give you a patient spirit and calmness under pressure. And most of all, it ought to give you love, compassion, and sympathy for those who don’t know Christ.”

Surviving Religion 101

Michael J. Kruger

Writing in the form of a letter to his college-age daughter, Michael Kruger’s Surviving Religion 101 takes a topical approach to examining some of the toughest questions Christian students encounter at secular universities.

“Is it arrogant simply to believe what Jesus has said about himself? Not at all. It is his claim, not our claim. We are merely passing it along. The real objection, then, is about Jesus. Everything comes down to what people think about him, not what they think about us. Is he arrogant to claim that he is the only way to God? Well, that depends on the identity of Jesus. He didn’t claim to be a mere human or simply a prophet but rather the divine Son of God. And as such, he would certainly have the authority to tell us about how one goes to heaven.”

“We are not saved by obedience. We are saved for obedience. The bottom line is this: we cannot be good enough to repair our broken relationship with God. Moralism is not the solution. It’s the problem.”

“The God of the Bible is love but not only love. He is also holy, righteous, and pure. He is not a one-dimensional God but a God who is just and compassionate, wrathful and gracious, separate from us and intimate with us.”

“We are not Christians so that we can be part of a cause; we are Christians so that we can know a person: Jesus Christ.”

“In the midst of all the challenges and difficulties of life, and even in the midst of competing worldviews that seem to offer more satisfaction and fulfillment, the amazing good news is that Jesus is worth it. He is glorious enough, wonderful enough, worthy enough to spend your entire life on. He is where abundant life is found.”


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