J. Budziszewski - Ask Me Anything: Provocative Answers for College Students

With extraordinary clarity of vision, Dr. Budziszewski pierces the heart of todays most vexing questions, such as abortion, homosexuality, and moral relativism. Ask Me Anything strips away the misleading rhetoric and twisted logic that often surrounds these issues and shows students how the Bibles demanding moral standards reflect the careful design of a loving God who wants to give them abundant life.

J EANNE H EFFERNAN

assistant professor of political science, Pepperdine University

Heres another treasure for todays postmodern collegiansa super companion to How to Stay Christian in College. Dr. Budziszewski combines divine wisdom, common sense, and brilliant reasoning in a gripping medium that draws one into the essential interaction between competing worldviews.

D AVID C. N ESS , P H .D.
ministry consultant to university faculty

Whether youve been enjoying Dr. Budziszewskis columns for years or are a brand-new addict, youll love Ask Me Anything. Its an impressive accomplishment when so much wisdom can be brought to bearso many problems solved, so much confusion cleared upin such entertaining bite-sized pieces.

J. F RASER F IELD

executive officer, The Catholic Educators Resource Center

Ask Me Anything tackles all the tough questions from dating to faith to homosexuality in a biblical and practical manner. This should be required reading for any college student.

K ERBY A NDERSON

national director, Probe Ministries

G o A h e a d:

Faith isnt just an act; its something you livesomething huge and sometimes unimaginable. By getting into the real issues in your life, TH1NK books open opportunities to talk honestly about your faith, your relationship with God and others, as well as all the things life throws at you.

Dont let other people th1nk for you...

TH1NK for yourself.

www.th1nkbooks.com

TH1NK

P.O. Box 35001

Colorado Springs, Colorado 80935

2004 by J. Budziszewski

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from NavPress, P.O. Box 35001, Colorado Springs, CO 80935.

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ISBN 1-57683-650-9

Cover design by Arvid Wallen

Cover photo by Matt Wallen

Creative Team: Terry Behimer, Candice Watters, Arvid Wallen, Kathy Mosier, Glynese Northam

Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Additional version used: the Revised Standard Version Bible (RSV), copyright 1946, 1952, 1971, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, used by permission, all rights reserved.

Budziszewski, J., 1952

Ask me anything : provocative answers for college students / J. Budziszewski.-- 1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-57683-650-9

1. Christian college students--Religious life. 2. Christian college students--Conduct of life. I. Title.

BV4531.3.B825 2004

248.8'34--dc22

2004011619

Printed in Canada

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My first thanks are to Sandra, without whom Theophilus would be mute. Gold there is and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

I am grateful to all those who wrote to Theo, whether with questions or in anger, for they provided an opportunity to give back a tiny part of what has been given to me. Special thanks to those who wrote back, sometimes years later, to say that he had helped. They refreshed my spirit.

A monthly column in an online magazine is an odd thing for a professor to write. I owe the odd thought of doing it to the visionary founder of Boundless webzine, Candice Watters, who not only edited the column for the first three years but came back to edit this book.

This book is dedicated to all those I have never met who have become students of mine through Theophilus. May they become friends of the One from whose friendship he takes his name.

Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.

L UKE 1:3

Dear readers:

Allow me to introduce my friend Professor M. E. TheophilusTheo to his wife, friends, and a few of his older students. Theophilus is a college professor at Post-Everything Universitynot what you would call Christian-friendly territory. The division in which he teaches is called the School of Antinomianism, and he holds a position there called the Chair of Pre-Modern Studies.

Theophilus got his position by a fluke. When he was hired, he was a very different person than he is today. In fact, he was an atheist, and it was only afterward that he became a Christian. As you might guess, that changed the schools feelings quite a bit. Some of his colleagues would love to get rid of him. They wish now that they hadnt awarded him the PMS Chair. Lucky for him, hes tenured.

Students seem to be in his office all the time, confiding in him and seeking his advice. As a college professor myself, I can tell you that this is far from common. My students dont talk with me like that. Five years ago, I began publishing some of Theos conversations in a student magazine called Boundless. Its online; maybe youve seen it at www.boundless.org. One thing led to another. Soon the published conversations were getting thousands of visitors, and mail began pouring in. As you can see from the table of contents, this book contains a fair sample of both his conversations and his letters.

Ive called these dialogues Theos conversations. Are they word-for-word transcripts? Some parts are, but to make them suitable for publication Ive had to take liberties. You can think of them as fiction in the service of real life. A lot of readers also ask if Theo and I are the same person. Let me set that notion to rest. As anyone who knows both of us can tell you, hes much cooler. I knew youd want to know more about him, so the other day I passed on a few questions. Heres how our conversation went:

Budziszewski: What does the name M. E. Theophilus mean, and where does it come from?

Theophilus: Luke addressed his New Testament writings to someone named Theophilus. The name means Lover of God. An early bishop named Theophilus was also known for enlightening the Gothssort of what yours truly does, dont you think? But I dont know how my family got the name