Whether it's in a lecture hall, a pub discussion, or during a heated debate in the dorm, university students in the UK are bombarded with tough questions about Christianity that demand a response.
By Tim Orr
University life hits differently. You're not just learning how to write essays or code but also encountering a barrage of ideas that challenge everything you've ever believed. The world around you constantly pushes for answers that fit neatly into the boxes of secularism and relativism. Whether in a lecture hall, a pub discussion, or during a heated debate in the dorm, university students in the UK are bombarded with tough questions about Christianity that demand a response.
Forget fluffy sermons and pat answers. It would help to have depth, substance, and answers that resonate intellectually and emotionally. University students need real, raw, intellectually robust answers to the toughest questions they face every day. In this context, apologetics becomes not just an academic exercise but a matter of living out the truth of your faith in every conversation.
Let’s dive straight into the gritty issues university students are asking and offer unapologetically solid defenses of the Christian faith. These answers aren’t just meant to help you survive the university experience and equip you to thrive in the midst of it.
The Challenge: The idea that Christianity is outdated or irrelevant is a common sentiment. "Why hold onto a 2,000-year-old faith when science, technology, and modern ethics have rendered it obsolete?" they ask. In a culture where "new" equals "better," Christianity's historical roots can seem like an Achilles' heel rather than a strength.
The Defense: Christianity isn't a dusty relic; it's a faith that has consistently shaped and reshaped history. It's not about retreating into the past, but about understanding that the same God who worked in the past continues to work in the present and future. Sure, cultures change, but the core questions about existence, purpose, and morality remain the same. The Christian worldview provides a timeless foundation for addressing these issues, offering stability in a rapidly changing world.
Case in Point: Universities are often seen as bastions of secularism, but Christianity has a lasting impact even here. These institutions were born from a worldview that saw knowledge as part of God’s revelation. Oxford, Cambridge, and Durham were founded on Christian principles. Look at figures like C.S. Lewis or John Lennox, who demonstrate that faith is intellectually respectable and essential to the larger conversation about what it means to be human. They remind us that Christianity is not only relevant but vital for grappling with life's big questions.
Final Thought: Science and tech advance, but human existential questions remain. Christianity endures because it speaks to the deepest longings and questions of the human soul, which no technological advancement can ever fully satisfy. The more we progress, the more the core need for purpose and meaning in life stands out. Christianity provides answers to these questions that no technological advancement ever will.
The Challenge: In a world filled with suffering—from personal tragedies to global injustices—how can Christians believe in a God who is both all-powerful and all-loving? This question cuts to the core of many students' struggles, especially when they or someone they know is suffering. It’s one of the most emotionally charged questions that demands not just intellectual rigor but compassion.
The Defense: The Christian faith doesn't shy away from the problem of suffering—it faces it head-on. Rather than offering simplistic solutions, Christianity grapples with suffering and points to a God who shares in human pain. Christianity offers something radical: God doesn’t just give a philosophical answer to suffering; He enters it. Jesus’ crucifixion is the ultimate symbol of God stepping into the mess of human pain. The cross isn't a solution to the problem of evil, but it is God's ultimate response to it—He is with us in our suffering, and He promises that suffering does not have the last word.
Case in Point: Think of Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor who wrote Man's Search for Meaning. Frankl wasn't a Christian but discovered that suffering without meaning leads to despair. People who find meaning in their suffering can endure and grow in the worst circumstances. Christianity goes further: it gives meaning to suffering by showing that there is hope for redemption and renewal through Christ's suffering and resurrection. The resurrection assures us that pain and death are not the end of the story.
Final Thought: The world tries to numb the pain with distractions, but Christianity offers a story where suffering has a purpose and where the ultimate victory over evil is guaranteed. Christianity doesn’t just give a theoretical answer to suffering—it offers real hope grounded in the reality of Jesus' victory over death. For students, this flips the narrative from "Why is there suffering?" to "What does suffering point us toward?" This is a radical, hope-filled answer that no secular worldview offers.
The Challenge: In an age where science explains the mysteries of the universe, students often ask, "Why hold on to religious myths?" With figures like Richard Dawkins popularizing the idea that science and faith are incompatible, this is a pressing question for many. The prevailing narrative is that science has somehow made God unnecessary or obsolete.
The Defense: Science hasn’t disproved God. Many of the greatest scientists were devout Christians. The more we learn about the universe, the more it points to the complexity, beauty, and order that can’t be explained by chance alone. Far from being enemies, faith and science are complementary ways of understanding the world. Science explains how things work; Christianity explains why they exist in the first place. If anything, the fine-tuning of the universe, the complexity of life, and the existence of consciousness all point to a Creator. Science explores the mechanisms of the universe, but it can’t explain the deeper questions of purpose and origin.
Case in Point: John Lennox, a professor at Oxford University, has spent his career debating atheists like Dawkins, showing that science leads to God, not away from Him. His debates with Dawkins highlight how science, when correctly understood, complements rather than contradicts faith. Lennox and others like Alister McGrath demonstrate that belief in God makes the best sense of the universe’s order, complexity, and existence. When we explore the cosmos, we don’t find evidence that makes God obsolete—we find clues that point directly to His handiwork.
Final Thought: The more we discover the universe, the more it points toward intelligent design. Science reveals the intricacy and design of the natural world, but Christianity gives it meaning and context. For students, the question isn’t whether science conflicts with faith—it’s about how science enhances the wonder of creation and points us toward a Creator behind it all.
The Challenge: In the current cultural climate, students often see Christianity as regressive—especially when it comes to hot-button issues like LGBTQ+ rights, gender identity, and sexual ethics. The world preaches autonomy and freedom, while Christianity is often seen as imposing outdated rules. They ask, "How can you follow a faith that seems so out of touch with modern values?"
The Defense: Christianity’s teachings on sexuality and identity aren’t arbitrary rules but rooted in a vision of human flourishing. It's not about limiting freedom but offering a framework for finding true identity and purpose. The Christian understanding of sex, marriage, and gender is designed not to repress but to reflect the deeper reality of who we are as humans, made in the image of God. In a culture of shifting values and confusion about identity, Christianity offers a vision of stable, enduring truths that lead to human flourishing. It’s a countercultural message but offers a clear and compelling vision of wholeness and fulfillment.
Case in Point: Jackie Hill Perry, a former lesbian who became a Christian, now speaks openly about how her encounter with Christ transformed her understanding of identity. Perry found that in Christ, she was called not to a list of rules but to a relationship that reshaped her desires and her understanding of who she was created to be. She argues that Christianity doesn’t hate or exclude people—it offers them a path to real freedom by calling them to their true identity in Christ. In a world where identity is often fractured, Christianity provides a way of restoring what is broken.
Final Thought: In a world where identity is fluid and often fractured, Christianity offers a stable, life-giving alternative. Christianity doesn’t just offer a list of rules—it offers a transformative relationship that leads to true freedom. The message isn’t restriction but restoration— finding who we truly are in Christ. This is a radical, revolutionary message in a culture searching for meaning.
The Challenge: University students are quick to point out the church's failings—scandals, hypocrisy, and the ways the church has harmed people throughout history. They point to historical injustices or the moral failures of Christian leaders as evidence that Christianity can’t be trusted. "How can you believe in a faith with so much moral failure?" they ask.
The Defense: Christians' failures don’t negate the truth of Christianity. In fact, the Bible itself acknowledges human brokenness. Christianity is not about perfect people; it's about a perfect Savior who redeems broken people. The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. Yes, there is hypocrisy, but that hypocrisy only highlights the need for grace. Christianity isn’t a faith of moral perfection; it’s a faith of grace, where flawed people find forgiveness and transformation.
Case in Point: Look at the story of William Wilberforce, a Christian who fought against the hypocrisy of his day—leading the charge to abolish the transatlantic slave trade. Wilberforce’s Christian convictions led him to confront injustice within the church and society. His life shows that Christianity has the power for transformation and social justice within it. The failures of some Christians are real, but they don’t define the faith—Christ does.
Final Thought: The church may be flawed, but Christianity isn't based on human perfection but on divine grace. Christianity isn’t about a flawless institution but a flawless God who redeems and restores. This flips the narrative: the fact that the church is full of imperfect people proves the gospel is necessary.
University students in the UK don’t need simplistic answers to their questions. They’re searching for something deeper, more compelling, and more intellectually rigorous. Today’s students are willing to engage with ideas that challenge the status quo and need faith that does the same. This approach to apologetics challenges the assumptions of the secular world while offering a transformative vision of life, suffering, science, identity, and morality.
Christianity isn’t just defensible—it’s revolutionary. It’s a faith that can stand up to the toughest scrutiny and emerge even stronger. When the questions come—and they will—students should be ready, not just to defend their faith but to share a vision of life and truth that’s more powerful and relevant than ever. Christianity offers something the world can’t: a hope that is real, enduring, and backed by truth.
The ideas in this article, but AI assisted in writing it.
Tim Orr is an Evangelical minister, conference speaker, and interfaith consultant with over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural ministry. He holds six degrees, including a master’s in Islamic studies from the Islamic College in London. Tim taught Religious Studies for 17 years at Indiana University Columbus and is now a Congregations and Polarization Project research associate. He has spoken at universities, including Oxford, and mosques throughout the U.K. His research focuses on American Evangelicalism, Islamic antisemitism, and Islamic feminism, and he has published widely, including three books.
