Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Winter 2015 | Page 56

president’s
Philip G. Ryken ’88, President

“God has a
purpose for
beautiful, broken
cities, and for the
Christians who
live, work, and
worship there.”

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W I N T ER  

2015

perspective

l

ast spring break, I made a surprise visit to one of our student BreakAway groups serving in
economically distressed neighborhoods of Denver. These students were serving good food to the
homeless, providing a safe place for victims of domestic violence, and working in a community
center that used to be a whorehouse. I had a front-row seat to see God at work through each
of these ministries, both to change the lives of local residents and to shape the hearts and minds
of our students.
But this summer I saw a different side of urban America. The Ryken family traveled on a 5,000mile road trip, making our way from the Wheaton College Science Station in Rapid City, South
Dakota, to our old hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then back to Wheaton again.
We stayed in Colorado Springs, went to a Cardinals game in St. Louis, stopped at Churchill
Downs in Louisville, and visited the world-famous Cincinnati Zoo. We stayed in gleaming
downtown hotels, ate delicious ethnic food, watched the World Cup outdoors with thousands of
other soccer fans, and worshiped at thriving churches in the heart of major metropolises.
Cities are complex and diverse. In them we see humanity at its best and worst. In my urban travels
this year I have seen what people are capable of creating, and also what they are able to destroy—
lives that are broken by sin and crushed by the structures of oppression.
God has a purpose for beautiful, broken cities, and for the Christians who live, work, and worship
there. My own thinking about the city has been strongly influenced by the prophet Jeremiah. When
the children of Israel were exiled to Babylon—a worldly city if ever there was one—Jeremiah
nevertheless told them to pray for the city’s peace and pursue its prosperity (Jer. 29:7). God did not
want his people to abandon the city to the powers of evil; he called them to serve the city for good
(Jer. 29:4-6).
Wheaton College alumni are seeking the shalom of the city. In most of the world’s major cities,
they are doing good work every day in callings that honor God by blessing other people. They are
worshiping in city churches and serving city neighborhoods. They are living for Jesus at every level
of urban society—not just helping the poor, or influencing the rich, but reaching both for Christ
and his kingdom.
We want our students to catch a vision for the city during their time in college. That’s not easy in
a sleepy suburb like Wheaton, and it doesn’t happen on its own. It takes intentionality: addressing
urban issues in the classroom, sending students out to study in global cities, and finding wa \