Christian Union: The Magazine Summer 2017 | Page 54

the spiritual climate on campus
three pillars of western society caused
the blurring of definitions and the
destruction of reason and logic that
have resulted in the death of truth.
He concluded with the filial, relation-
al, and eternal nature of the truth of
the Gospel as found in the familiar
passage of John 3:16.
After a standing ovation, moder-
ator Aaron Campbell invited Dr.
Vince Vitale, director of the Zacha-
rias Institute, to join Zacharias on
stage for a question and answer ses-
sion. During this time, students from
all over the Delaware Valley inquired
on various topics such as politics,
God, organized religion, art, and the
finite nature of humanity. Dr. Zach-
arias then provided his closing re-
marks, in which he highlighted the
life-giving nature of the Gospel in his
life and in the lives of all followers of
Christ.
He also expounded on John 18:37,
where Jesus of Nazareth stated the
raison d’etre of his human life to Pi-
late: “For this purpose I was born and
for this purpose I have come into the
world – to bear witness to the truth.”
As Christians, we are called to follow
Jesus in a way that bears witness to
him, the one who is “the way and the
truth and the life.” (John 14:6, ESV).
Zacharias demonstrated the necessity
and the joy of pursuing Truth that
evening, and he encouraged and em-
boldened many students to go and
do likewise. | cu
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p enn ne w s - in - b r ie f
Total Praise Café
Alumni of Penn Newman
Catholic Community participated
in a brunch and literature-themed
program following a Sunday
service at St. Agatha-St. James
Parish during commencement
weekend.
Graduates joined students
in listening to veteran journalist
and theologian Christopher
Roberts, Yale ’91, deliver a talk
entitled Literature and the Catholic
Imagination. As the spring semester came
to a close, the New Spirit of Penn
Gospel Choir staged an open-
mic night for collegiate believers
to share how God has moved in
their lives. New Spirit of Penn
(newspiritofpenn.org/) hosted
an event dubbed Total Praise
Café: My Story on April 27 at the
W.E.B. Du Bois College House.
Earlier in the month, the
choir also held its spring concert,
entitled Crown of Victory, at
Penn’s Iron Gate Theatre. Founded
during the 1999 academic year,
the organization is devoted to
spreading the message of Christ’s
gospel across campus and nearby
communities.
Literature and the
Catholic Imagination
52
Credit: Phil Anema