Fall 2005

Seeking the Spirit

Student religious leaders tell us why they participate, what they believe,
and why they still ask questions

Email Story

Chris Redding ’06

Redding is a founding member of En Route, whose mission statement reads, “We are a student-led Protestant Christian group, celebrating the presence of the Spirit and pursuing a relationship with God in Christ. We are committed to being an open, accepting, affirming, and loving community where students can ask and explore questions of faith.” He spends about ten hours a week with En Route.

A few years ago, Kara Olson ’07 and I began talking about how there was no Protestant group like this on campus. We brainstormed together and with other students. We talked to K. P. Hong (associate campus minister) about our ideas, and he was very enthusiastic.

In November 2004 we had our first worship service, Praise and Pie. In February 2005 we began a weekly worship service, a biweekly discussion group over dinner, service events, and fellowship activities.

I took the initiative to begin En Route because I felt Wooster needed a group to explore our faith in community. It can be hard — with so many ideas, experiences, and people — to process everything that is happening at college. At times it is challenging, while at other times it is very enriching.

It seems like the majority of Wooster students come from religious backgrounds, but most of us are in the period of our lives when we are independent for the first time and trying to figure out what we believe for ourselves. If you were to ask most students, my guess would be that they would say they are exploring spiritually but not religiously.

As with the larger culture, most students are fine with people believing what they want as long as it does not infringe on their personal beliefs. With the constant demands of numerous classes, activities, and people, religious activities or practices usually get forgotten.

I have been fortunate to have many opportunities to discuss religious and spiritual issues with professors and other staff members. My Worthy Questions mentor, Paul Edmiston (chemistry) and I have talked about these issues. His interest in the science and religion dialogue led him to create The Edge of Knowledge as a first-year seminar, and I am his teaching apprentice for the course.

When I participated in the sophomore research program, Madeline Duntley (formerly religious studies) and I discussed religious issues, both research-related and personal. Most helpful have been my conversations with K. P. Hong. His Bible study and personal conversations have helped in challenging my perspective in how I think about religion and my own faith.

My foundational belief in God and Jesus Christ has remained fairly constant. Not to say that it hasn’t been challenged — studying religion in a secular institution, Bible study with K. P., and other experiences have changed how I think about, approach, and define my faith. While I still have lots of questions, I have found that not knowing exactly what I believe can be a good thing. I know that when I figure it out in the future, I will have stronger beliefs.