Symposia Christi 2024 – Purdue University Chapter

One by one, professor after professor stood on the stage and in a few sentences confessed Christ. Each of them began by referencing their area of study. A professor of meteorology who grew up devoted to science ultimately discovered “It’s not the how’s or the what’s, but the why’s” that are important. A professor of mathematics looked warmly at the audience and said, “Jesus is the king, and he saves anyone who trusts that his promises are true.” A professor of engineering stood silent for a minute, then gathered himself together. God had “served him well through many trials,” he said. “If you are a skeptic, as I was, I encourage you to not wait, and research him for yourself.” 

 Every year Members of our Ratio Christi Professor ministry have an opportunity to take their faith public to show students, and the world, that smart people believe, and that it is smart to believe, in Jesus.  

Symposia Christi is an annual event held at Purdue University that consistently draws a packed house with tens of thousands of people watching online. At its heart the conference is about faith and reason—even life itself. Students and faculty, as well as people from the surrounding region, gather together to take part in panel discussions, debates, and dialogue about topics ranging from God’s existence to sex trafficking.  

Academics such as William Lane Craig and James Tour have been main speakers, and this year Dr. Frank Turek, a world-renowned Christian apologist and popular speaker, began the conference by addressing the topic “I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist,” based on his co-authored book by the same title with the late Dr. Norman Geisler.  

In the end, thirteen people came to Christ that night. People lined up after Turek’s talk to ask questions. Two students who stood at the mic were close to tears as they spoke.

Many others wanted to engage with Ratio Christi’s local chapter or order books from RC Press, our new publishing arm. Once more, we are in awe of the goodness of God.  

The event has been a historical success because Ratio Christi isn’t the only ministry organizing it. No single ministry could pull it off. When Christian organizations are kingdom-oriented, pray together, and gather shared wisdom, inevitably there will be fruit. Symposia Christi is always apologetically evangelistic, and as such, reveals that at its core Christianity is not a head problem but a heart problem. It’s telling how often the conversation turns to the heart—where we all stand when it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

 
When we do these sorts of events, we not only see souls saved on the university, we contribute to saving the soul of the university. While Christians founded them for the pursuit of truth, the original ethos of the university has changed. Symposia Christi is a voice of genuine viewpoint diversity. Students and faculty witness first-hand “thoughtful Christianity” contending for truth on so many of today’s hot topics, all while seeking to generate more light than heat.

Symposia Christi is a large-scale Ratio Christi campus ministry event to explore and debate some of the most probing questions about faith, reason, and life via panel discussions, lectures, and debates.

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