My name is Jon Meyer. When I moved to Kentucky after getting married in 2018, I wanted to continue my work with Ratio Christi. The opportunity to be Chapter Director at the University of Kentucky, and essentially reboot the chapter, presented itself. Through the grace of God, I was able to find a few students willing to lead and we started meeting on the steps of the student center because we were not an official organization as of yet and had no room to call our own. This is where I met Sam Herrington. Sam began attending meetings and has been to nearly every meeting since.
I have watched Sam grow and change, not only in his hair styles, but in the depth of his spiritual walk. His knowledge of apologetics and his ability to share his knowledge with others is truly inspiring. Sam has, on multiple occasions, met with people to talk about the evidence for Christianity. He and another member of our group would meet weekly to talk with a Muslim and a former Christian, now agnostic. I also talked with an individual who came to visit our group who stated that he had recently become a Christian. He said he had walked into a room with a number of Christians and started asking them questions, and Sam was among that group of Christians. These Christians, in particular Sam, providing answers to his questions was the catalyst for accepting Christ.
I am extremely proud of Sam. He is always ready to assist with any need and is also willing to share his faith with others in a winsome and informed way. His contributions during our meetings are often insightful and his questions are important, practical, and they show the amount of effort and thought he adds to the discussion. They can sometimes be challenging for me as a director as well! I am thankful for that as it presents all attendees with the opportunity to learn something new. I could go on about Sam, but I think I will let him speak for himself.
Q: Sam, when did you come to know Christ as Lord and Savior, and how did that come about?
I came to know Christ when I was 7 years old at a summer camp I attended through my local church. I had been raised in a Christian home, and in a healthy church body, but that was the first time I understood my need for the Gospel.
Q: In your high school church youth group, how much did you learn about the Christian faith and reasons to believe?
I learned much about the Christian faith in my youth group, but it didn’t really offer me the reasons to believe. I had truth after truth presented to me but it was never accompanied by the context of why it was true. The authority and inerrancy of Scripture was often used as a blanket answer to questions but I was concerned with the motivation to believe.
Q: How did you become interested in apologetics, and how did you get involved with Ratio Christi?
I became interested in apologetics slowly throughout high school and in my science classes I began to realize that origins did not seem to be a completely straightforward point of understanding for all people. That was the gateway to my realization that worldviews and persuasions were not only different with believers and non-believers, but were also up for discussion within believing communities as well. I became involved with Ratio Christi shortly into my freshman year at the University of Kentucky. One of the seniors involved with our chapter brought me along every week, and I fell in love with learning so much about what it meant to look with a biblical lense at issues I previously considered entirely secular.
Q: What impact has the Ratio Christi ministry had on your walk with God and your personal ministry?
In the environment of the Neuroscience Department at the university, conversations about biology and origins were commonplace for faculty and students. Interestingly, I found that most of these people were very interested in philosophy. Because of Ratio Christi, these conversations were a wonderful threshold for gospel conversations. My ability to stand firm in my beliefs, paired with my training in understanding the root of others’ beliefs, made for fruitful discussions, and actually led to several new believers in Christ! In my time with RC, I have, again and again, been steadied in personal wavering moments while encountering scripture that seemed to contradict the expectations I have held with my worldview.
Q: What is RC at the University of Kentucky like?
RC at UK has been surprising and growing each year as I have been involved. Our chapter has always been small while navigating the Covid-19 pandemic, our second full year of existence on campus since restarting in the Fall of 2018. However, this has never been a hindrance to us, and we have been able to learn from many experts on a vast and diverse range of topics. Our time each week is spent learning from these speakers, followed with questions and discussion.
Q: What was your favorite memory or experience with your involvement with RCUK?
My favorite experiences with RCUK have been the regional conferences attended with other RC chapters in Kentucky. Each one has been a weekend filled with incredible teaching for continued discipleship and evangelism efforts on our campuses. The first regional conference I attended had a major focus on developmental biology and origins, two of the apologetics subjects most relevant to my studies and passions. The lecture on the development process for the lens of the human eye was one of the most impactful biology seminars I have had the privilege to hear.
Q: What does your Legatus Christi award mean to you?
The Legatus Christi award is a symbol of my appreciation for the apologetic education the Lord has blessed me with through RCUK. My ability to defend my beliefs, engage in tactical and fruitful conversations with others, and teach the truth of God’s word through tangible discussion and current events is a result of my training with RC. It is also a symbol of a truly great chapter director, Jon Meyer, who faithfully postponed a multitude of family meals to answer my ceaseless questions following weekly chapter meetings.
Q: How do you envision taking the apologetics you have learned through Ratio Christi into your future endeavors?
I have already had the opportunity to use my apologetics in many settings. I am a leader in other college ministries currently and will continue to serve in these roles for the next few years. The truths I have learned and defended through Ratio Christi have been invaluable as I seek to share the gospel on campus and in discipleship settings when presented with theological questions. It has been a true blessing to see the Lord’s provision of knowledge at RC as a means of preparing me to share that knowledge with others.
Q: What are your short and long-term career/ministry/mission plans?
I am confident that the Lord is calling me to some form of vocational ministry. I have not received confirmation as to what type of ministry, but I have been praying about attending seminary once I receive my undergraduate degree and potentially a pastoral role in a church planting context. Long term, the Lord has grown in me an immense desire for international church planting efforts, and as God leads, I would embrace the opportunity to move overseas long term to further the God’s Kingdom.
Q: Would you consider coming back to work with your RC chapter, starting one at another school, or working with RC in any other capacity?
While I am passionate about what RC is doing on campuses around the world, I do not think the Lord is calling me into a career in apologetics. However, I hold my career plans with open hands and a listening heart. If the Lord reveals a need and provides the opportunity for me to serve with RC, I trust He will grow within me that desire.
Q: What would you say to other students who might be considering getting involved in Ratio Christi, whether they be skeptics, seekers, or believers?
Absolutely, do it. Whether you are a believer, non-believer, skeptic, or seeker, the fantastic platform for discussion (and much civilized disagreement), as well as the opportunities to learn from the experts is simply unmatched. There is no question that will not be met with an answer or a collective desire to find an answer! For the believer specifically, Ratio Christi will equip you for life. The Apostle Paul’s description of living in the world but not of the world is a description, I believe, built on apologetics, evangelism, and a deep desire to see the lost seek the truth they so desperately need. That’s the lifeblood of Ratio Christi!
