The semester began with a fresh Campus Community theme: Built Different. The title holds a double meaning for students, mixing a popular pop-culture reference and the biblical calling to be set apart as Christians.
The theme was selected by Vice President of Spiritual Life Josh Rutledge and Chancellor Jonathan Falwell. According to Rutledge, he and Falwell sat down and talked about what they thought the student body needed to hear when working on creating the theme. They settled with this theme because they felt it encompassed a concept that Rutledge passionately wants students to grasp: what it means to actually follow Jesus.
Rutledge said the university was “founded on God’s Word and who He is,” and Built Different is about helping students refocus on those guiding principles.
According to Rutledge, Liberty is fundamentally different from other universities, and he wants students to “understand why we do the things we do here at Liberty.”
From class, to Convocation, to community groups, Rutledge recognizes that Liberty’s culture is set apart, and he wants students to understand the intentional reasoning behind this.
“Being here at Liberty, we are structured in such a way that has your spiritual formation as a student in mind,” Rutledge said.
The aim of this Campus Community series is to dive into these different spiritual disciplines to discover their purpose and how students can engage with these disciplines. Rutledge said that his ultimate goal is to prepare students for the days when life feels like a checklist.
His hope is that when that day comes, when it does not feel authentic anymore, students will remember that the greatest thing they can do is to “just be faithful to that habit … not because you feel like it, but because you don’t,” Rutledge said.
On the second Campus Community gathering of the semester on Aug. 27, Rutledge spoke on discipline as the basis of spiritual formation. Rutledge believes that discipline in all aspects of spiritual formation is essential “to grow” as a person.
He said that all disciplines require practice that you must commit to.
“What you commit to today is going to grow,” Rutledge said. “If you run a mile for a month, don’t be surprised when you get to the day you feel like you can do more … it’s the same thing … get into the routine, in the Word, in prayer, belonging in the context of community … don’t overthink it.”
Rutledge also acknowledged that discipline alone does nothing.
“Discipline is the means by which you devote yourself to God,” Rutledge said.
He explained that he was personally “one of those kids with the head knowledge.” After college, Rutledge said he began to feel convicted, in that he needed to learn to live out that knowledge. He began to read the Bible differently and learned how to be a faithful follower of Jesus.
Rutledge ended the service by encouraging students to do the same and devote this year to God.
Join thousands of students weekly for Campus Community in the Vines Center at 7 p.m. Wednesday nights.
Smith and Gentry are news writers for the Liberty Champion.