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Over at the main InterVarsity website, there is an exciting story about evangelism on campus in the Southeast, including my alma mater, the University of Louisville. Praise God!

There is a nice article today on the InterVarsity website about InterVarsity’s commitment to discipleship of the mind and the importance of reading to both mental and spiritual development: Leaders Who Are Readers.  It discusses a little bit of InterVarsity’s history with books and reading, including the formation of InterVarsity Press, our ministry’s publishing arm.

Here is an example from the article showing reading in action within campus ministry:

“To encourage reading in the InterVarsity chapter on campus, I have required reading that all student leaders must complete in discipleship each semester and over the summer. The Leadership Team is reading A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society by Eugene Peterson, (InterVarsity Press),” said Tim Borgstrom, campus staff member at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.

I am encouraged by hearing this.  Peterson was a strong influence in my early Christian formation, and, along with J. I. Packer, was one of two authors that led me to consider Regent College for graduate school.

One final note about InterVarsity and reading: the first time I ever considered joining InterVarsity staff was when I discovered that staff received a discount on IVP books.  InterVarsity has an “auto-ship” program by which staff can elect to have every book published by IVP sent directly to them (you can also choose to receive a “best of” selection or only academic and reference books).  I was at our staff David McNeill’s house, and he opened up a box simply stuffed with brand-new books - I think Philip Johnson’s Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds was included.  Soon, however, I came to see that a desire to get a great discount on books was not a good reason to enter campus ministry.

Two years ago, InterVarsity and five other evangelical student ministries were disaffiliated at Georgetown University.  It was a surprising move, which made the news among both Christian and secular publications. Had things gone in a different direction, the relationships between InterVarsity, Georgetown, and the students on campus could have been severely damaged. 

But, praise God, the result was that new relationships were formed and old relationships were reconciled, and InterVarsity at Georgetown was able to regain official affiliation.  Ironically, the daughter of Alec Hill, InterVarsity’s president, was a student at Georgetown during this entire ordeal.  Now, Alec has written up this thoughts about what happened, and where InterVarsity stands after a long process.

Two Year Turnaround by Alec Hill