University Daily Kansan
Friday, April 5, 1974
3
Josh Refuted. Then Accepted Christ
By MARK D. MITCHELL
Kansan Staff Reporter
Josh McDowell really didn't want to become a Christian.
McDowell, a 33-year-old Christian activist, is at the University of Kansas this week as a lecturer for the Campus Crusade for Christ. He said Wednesday he spent over two years trying to intellectually refute the principles of Christianity.
"As a student, I was quite a political-societal activist," said McDowell. "I was interested in tearing down all of the social institutions around me, but then I began to see the same bad characteristics in my own life that I wanted to change in society."
He said about eight of his college friends challenged him to examine the Christian faith in detail, and he took this challenge "to prove that they were wrong more than anything."
McDowell said he spent two years of careful research trying to dig up historical proof that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a box or at least historically inaccurate. He said he found no such evidence, and he was converted to Christianity.
"My entire life was transformed in a matter of months," he said, "I saw that the answers I had found were the answers that others were seeking."
Today McDowell is busy with an international lecture series sponsored by the Campus Crusade for Christ. The stop at KU is part of a three-week tour during which McDowell will speak at eight college campuses.
"It's been my life goal to share the claims of Jesus Christ with others," he said. "I want to clean up the misconceptions and the biases associated withChristian for so long."
One of his primary goals is to present as much documented evidence supporting Christianity as he can, said McDowell. He also said he tried to be personal with his audience, to share with them some of his own experiences with Christianity.
"What ever I teach is colored by my own beliefs. You can't get away from that," he
McDowell said he always treated his
Council Elects New Officers
Members of next term's University Council yesterday re-elected Gerhard Zuther, professor of English, as their presiding officer. Richard Paxon, Baxter Springs senior, was chosen assistant president by the council-elect.
The new council will take office on May 20, the day after commencement.
audiences with respect. This is important, he said, because Christianity is "not something you shove down someone's throat."
According to McDowell, Christianity isn't a religion, it's a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He said he used to think Christianity was a "long list of do's and don'ts," but that was only another misconception about being a Christian.
The present nationwide trend on college campuses is one of total apathy, said McDowell. According to McDowell, all of the social issues are dead, so there is no longer the student involvement so prevalent in the 1960's.
New faculty members of SenEx include Arthur Breiphel, professor of electrical engineering; Joe Gold, professor of mathematics; and Jon of instructional resources, and Zutter.
McDowell said he noticed a "magging emptiness" on most of the campaigns he had visited during the past year. This emptiness has its roots in the late 1960's, when "everyone was talking about the problem but no one had any solutions," he said.
He said Christianity was more of a life style, and he said Jesus Christ had relevance to every segment of everyone's life.
He said he had a great deal of admiration for Christians who had the courage to stand up against bullying.
in Christ. Four years ago this "exercise of free speech" wouldn't warrant much attention because so many groups were expressing themselves in this way.
"Today anything that goes against the trend is considered uncouth," said McBrowny.
According to McDowell, there is a greater trend of conversions to Christianity than ever before. He said there was a "phenomenal" worldwide movement toward the Christian faith, but there were also some drawbacks to the movement.
He said people had the right to free speech, and he termed this sidewalk preaching as "very appropriate." He admitted that sometimes these speakers, because of inexperience, came off as "obnoxious."
McDowell said people had the choice of listening to these preachers or walking away. He said peruah was something they wanted, but it irritated by the preaching of "Jesus freaks."
He said various fringe groups had sprung from the Jesus movement, including such fanatical religious sects as Satanism and Naziism. He said these are examples of this exploitation, he said.
He said the current state of affairs in the U.S. political system was further proof that he remains a conservative.
"Satan is very much alive, and he has used the Jesus movement to put across a counterfeit in people's lives," said McDowell.
"Watergate is a very healthy thing for America," he said. "It certainly shows that America has fallen short, that we're not a Christian nation."
McDowell said that from an existentialist's point of view, the Watergate affair was a good thing; these men chose an act and they did it.
"Of course, Hitter was good by the same reasoning," said McDowell.
Mdowell's philosophical views differ markedly from the existentialist viewpoint.
unwellened said it was the "greatest privilege in the world" to speak at colleges and universities. He said he enjoyed speaking in an intellectual atmosphere, and he said KU was one of the top universities in the midwest in this respect.
People needed for committees on the following SUA spring trips:
SPRING ESCAPE!
1) KENTUCKY DERBY
3) EUREKA SPRINGS BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL
4) NORTHWEST USA TOUR
2) WORLDS OF FUN HOLIDAY
Application Deadline: Wed., April 10, 1974 Contact SUA----864-3477
or Stop By the SUA Office in the Kansas Union
"YOU GOTTA BELIEVE"
TACOS 25° TACOS 25° TACOS 25° TACOS 25° TACOS 25° TACOS
TACO GRANDE TACOS THE MONTH OF APRIL WILL BE 25°
You know Taco Grande Tacos . . .
That's the Good Ones . .
Taco Grande:
"TACOS FOR JUST A QUARTER"
Indiana 1720 W. 23rd St.
Lawrence, Kansas
1974 THE YEAR OF THE ENCHILADA 1974
---
25° TACOS 25° TACOS 25° TACOS 25° TACOS 25° TACOS 25°
--is the nucleus of planning entertainment and services for the K.U. stud.i.t. It is unique from other campus organizations in that it aims to be as broad and varied in its functions as is its student population which it serves. Besides the Festival of the Arts, S.U.A. offers everything from
Attention: All you fun-seeking, energetic, hard-working, active involved, caring K.U. students
COME ON DOWN!
Committee Chairman Positions Now Open for Interview
S.U.A
canoe trips, planning and maintenance of the Kansas Union Gallery, chess tournaments, a reception for incoming freshmen at the chancellor's home, the Free University, ski trips, chartered trips to major athletic events (N.C.A. A., finals in San Diego, '75—Go Hawk!), sailing club, forums, student debates, Potter concerts, dances in the Union Ballroom, Poetry Hour, International Travel Fair, photography darkrooms in the Union, creative writing contests, picture-lending library . . . oh yeah, we do major concerts, too—Sonny and Cher, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Elton John—got any suggestions?
Get Into the action. Positions for committee chairpersons are now open for next year in the following areas:
Publicity
Popular
Film Works
Classical Films
Miscellaneous Films
Children's Asia
Children's Films
Films Workshop
Films Workshops
--saturday, april 6, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
make your summer and fall plans now
come look us over
follow the flags on 15th just west of Iowa
Films
Public Relations Receptions Orientation Week
Free University
Publicity
Teacher Recruiting
Cohort
Enrollment
Fine Arts
Photography
Gallery Series
Gallery
Picture-Lending Library
Travel
Travel Fair
Summer Flights
Publicity
Trip
Hawaii—January '75
Padre Island—March '73
Northwest Tour—August '74
Northeast Tour — Christmas
Break '74
Indoor Recreation
Chess Club
Basketball Club
Rifle Club
Quarterback Club
Tennis Club
Billiards Club
Taekwondo Handball and
Rocket Basketball Leagues
Outdoor Recreation
Ski Club
Canon
material engineering and Backpacking
Interviews will be held April 9, 10. & 11. Call or Contact the S.U.A. Office in the Union before Tuesday, April 9 for interview times.
864-3477
Festival of the Arts Assistant Producer
Forums
Debate Program
Major Speech
Contemporary issues
Symposium
Microscopy
PLC-Law
"If it has anything to do with student activities, S.U.A. does it bigger and better than any other campus organization."
The Marine Corps Officer Selection Team will be visiting the School of Law on the 5th of April 1974, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
If you desire additional information prior to his visit call collect at 374.3031 or 374.3616 Area Code: 816.
The PLC program does not preclude you from attending school after receipt of your baccalaureate degree. In fact, there is a special program that recognizes and rewards you for it—PLC law.
Assignments are limited in number but the Marine Corps needs the best qualified lawyers to work as judge in the challenging field of military law.
PLC members who are accepted at an accredited law school may apply. After college graduation, you are commissioned and deferred from active duty for the three years you are in law school. A benefit of this program is that you are promoted on schedule while in law school, and when you begin active duty you realize a large paycheck based on length of service and rank. This program also allows you to date you enter the college program: This freshman who joins the PLC program has a three-year advantage over the person joining the Officer Candidate Class in his senior year.
You gain valuable experience as you carry out the duties of trial and defense counsel in general court-martial cases. Or, as a staff officer, you counsel military personnel on other personal legal challenges you have a varied mix of legal challenges ranging from trial work and counseling—to torts, contracts, international and other fields of law
Upon admission to the practice of law, you begin active duty at The Basic School, Quantico, Virginia. There you acquire the military vows you have received as vital in your future as a military law specialist. After Basic School, you complete a military justice school program.
open house
meadowbrook
meadowbrook
a good place to live 842-4200
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