Headlines in newspapers repeatedly tell of student revolts that are rocking college campuses. It would be serious if these occurrences were only in the United States. But they are not. They are a worldwide phenomenon. In light of these vocal, aggressive, visionary, and impatient youth who are creating so much chaos, one wonders why must evil have a corner on boldness, commitment, and dedication. Why don’t Christian young people get active, vocal, and aggressive for Christ?
Some of the greatest things in history have been accomplished by student or youth movements. The Reformation was at first a student movement. It was born on the campus of Oxford University as John Wycliff conceived the idea that the Bible was not for the priests alone, and not for the Latin language alone. Later as a professor he fired up other students with enthusiasm for spreading Bible knowledge and thus the Reformation began.
The Methodist Church began as a student movement. John Wesley and George Whitefield were students at Oxford when they first organized prayer and Bible study groups that would later grow into the Methodist Church. The American Missionary movement was a student movement. It was born on the campus of Andover Theological Seminary when its students united themselves into volunteer bands and challenged the Christians of North America to send them into foreign service. Even Christianity began as a youth movement. The masters have done disservice to the cause of Christ by painting the apostles as bald-headed, wrinkle-faced old men. They were not! Jesus was only 30 when he began preaching. We are certain that his first apostles were all in their twenties when they began following him.
So 1,900 years ago it was a group of young people under Christ who changed the world. I believe God could and would do it again if he could find enough young people who would follow him.