Customer Reviews

Chris Chrisman Goes to College: and faces the Challenges of Relativism, Individualism and Pluralism

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This book surely applied the need of help and suppport to those Christians who are facing ideological challenge. This is also suitable to those who want to understand and know the difference between Christianity and other religions. Any individual who questions themselves about being a believer of a religion whether they're in college or in a diverse religious environment, I would like to recommend this book to those who thinks it's nesscessary for them to understand about the aspects.

It could turn oneself to be a stronger Christian.

This book does an excellent job of both explaining and reacting to the *isms of the world. Sire manages to not only explain the *isms in understandable terms, he makes it interesting by using a realistic life example: going to a secular college. The book is held together by the thoughts and dialogue of Chris Chrisman and unexpected counterpart: Bob Wong. Both characters are students that go into college with opposite convictions, and through a set of similar circumstances, they both begin to doubt and question their beliefs. The book uses their circumstances to teach the reader about relativism, pluralism, individualism and more. Sire uses easy to understand logic and philosophy coupled with the each situation to convey the the truth: that there are absolutes.

The book would make a great graduation gift for a friend or family member that will be going off to college.

Sire establishes a literary style that lets average readers consider complex philosophical issues while reading a story about a diverse bunch of students facing the ideological challenges found in most university campuses.

A great read for those who don't like philosophy, but still want to know about it.

I give every young person from our church off to college this book in the hopes it will begin to open their eyes to the truth that will be shortly challenged at most colleges and universities --- absolute truth.

Sire does an admirable job of Chris' college life of the temptations and protections against the "ism's" of relativism, individualism and pluralism." One might add consumerism and postmodernism to this list. Maybe Sire will in a rewrite.

This book is winsome! Put it into the hands of the college students you know, or get and read it if you're now there.

In a world where relativism and conformity are pressured on college students in every university and college this book is a MUST read. While the issues discussed can get somewhat difficult at times, understanding the basic ideas presented by Sire will prepare every Christian student with an understanding of the world we face. If you are worried about your son or daughter going off to college and want to help them understand better how people think, buy them this book. Even better, read it with them and discuss it--you will know better how to help them and they will be able to work through these issues with you.

I am using the book in a Bible class for college singles. It directly addresses the reality of what young adults can expect from others in relation to faith in God. It is not a book on how to share your faith, but instead it is a book that reveals the actual mindset of the majority in our culture, which is: whatever you believe is good for you, just don't try to involve me, because I don't need you. This is a culture shock for young adults who grew up in a "normal family" but go to college and find out the real world does not define truth or faith at all, but instead teaches that the only truth is there in no truth at all. Eye opening book, I recommend it sincerely. Patrick Spence

James W. Sire continues to hit home runs. He writes about complicated philosophical stuff at my level and I recommend his books to the adult Sunday School class I teach. "Chris Chrisman Goes To College" is a good starter book for someone interested in apologetics. The adventures of a fictional "church kid", Chris Chrisman, demonstrate how Christian beliefs are assaulted on the secular college campus. In that context Dr. Sire shows both the force and flaws of secular humanism that permeates campus culture. I recommend it not only for high school students, but their parents as well.

Mr. Sire is right on the money with this little gem of a book about the bias on college campuses that Christian students have to endure. His descriptions of the three "isms" of relativism, individualism and pluralism are easy to follow for parents of high school seniors whose sons and daughters may be college bound in a year, and for those who have sons and daughters already in college. He skillfully blends several typical student types from different backgrounds into a believable study of freshman year on-campus life, and explains how Christian students can guard against attacks by atheistic or agnostic instructors who, lacking belief in anything greater than themselves, seek to supress all faith-based views in the classroom.
Although Mr. Sire was out in front on this issue when he wrote the book in 1993, many other voices have been raised since. One such voice is that of conservative activist David Horowitz, who has formed Students for Academic Freedom, a national movement recognizing that political partisanship by professors in the classroom is an abuse of students' academic freedom. Mr. Horowitz's Academic Bill of Rights, having been rejected by liberal college administrators and faculty who deny the existence of any problem, is currently making the rounds of state legislatures.
In my book, The China Connection, I've also touched on the issue of relativism as it affects youngsters in religously-affiliated colleges; kids whose faith should be bolstered, not weakened or destroyed during their college years.
Chris Chrisman Goes to College is an excellent starting point and guide for parents who have noticed what's being done on college campuses in the name of academic freedom and want to better equip their college age sons and daughters to retain their faith by fending off the pernicious attacks of cynical liberal ideologues posing as teachers at America's institutions for higher learning. I've purchased four copies and intend to give three away as gifts to parents of college age kids.
If academic freedom is to have full meaning, then all students, not just secular ones, must be allowed to express their views and have them heard in the classroom. Parents and alumni are irate. This issue is now on the front burner. Don't look for it to go away any time soon.

This book is typical of what you would expect from the Christian Right, as a simple look at the cover will tell you- Marx, Freud, and of course Darwin, who is holding a monkey. I suppose nobody has let the author know that the "humans evolving from apes" is just another Evangelical anti-intellectual lie. This book creates easy straw man targets- all religions are the same, yet they obviously have differences, and since "A = A" and "A = not A" can't both be true, college professors, intellectuals, and atheists are all illogical, trying to destroy the inner Gospel of Christ in favor of a philosophical system that will allow them to be self-centered and sexual promiscous. Of course, this argument has many flaws- the vast majority of atheist intellectuals do not believe all religions are true, but on the contrary are specific cultural expressions of the basic human desires; the inaccuries and contradictions contained within the Bible; etc. This book also uses the flawed logic of "Lord, Liar, Lunatic," which even many Christian theologians, such as William Lane Craig, regard as foolish and illogical, as it rests upon the a priori consideration of the Bible being a reliable, literal historical document.
This book also makes Christians look stupid, as it has several passages of Christians not understanding complex philosophical ideas, such as deconstructionism and, sadly enough, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." It also makes the assertion that Mormons are not Christians and has anti-Semitic elements (people are described as looking like Jews, there are atheist Jewish intellectuals, 2 of the 3 disparged men on the cover are Jewish).
I purchased this book for 50 cents at a Goodwill because I was bored and wanted a good laugh, so it succeeded in that fashion. This is typical anti-intellectual BS pushed out by the Christian Right. If you are an unintelligent Christian who wants to feel secure from the mean world of philosophy, sociology, history, and critical religious studies, then you will enjoy this book, as it will reinforce your beliefs while at the same time making you feel intelligent. Anyone other than that should only read this book for a laugh.