Free to Be

By Luke Schumacher

Are you a young adult who is curious about what it looks like to live in the freedom that Christ gives us?

Free to Be explores the intersection of Christianity, freedom and responsibility. This book doesn’t shy away from difficult topics: shame, sex, guilt and mental health. All addressed in a raw, honest and

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Degree Press
• Release date: Feb 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781641373951

Book preview

Contents

---

Introduction

Chapter 1

What Is Freedom?

Chapter 2

First Years

Chapter 3

Free from Fear

Chapter 4

Free from Shame

Chapter 5

Free from Depression

Chapter 6

Free from Judgment…Sort Of

Chapter 7

Freedom in the Fences

Chapter 8

Free to Question

Chapter 9

Free to Work

Chapter 10

Finding Freedom in Community

Chapter 11

Freedom to Be…Free?

Chapter 12

Free to Pursue

CONCLUSION

A Third Kind of Freedom

Acknowledgments

Appendix

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

(Galatians 5:1)

Introduction

---

Have you ever lost something and spent an excessive amount of time trying to find it?

It may be a piece of jewelry that holds more than a monetary value. It could be a sentimental letter or note from a loved one. Maybe it’s a personal journal. Regardless, you lost something important and desperately wanted to find it.

Eventually, after spending hours searching, you tell yourself, "I bet it’s (insert some other place not close to your location)."

So you wait until you next go there, but by that time, you have forgotten about the lost item. This has happened to me while I was in college. For a while, I had no idea where my ring was. It was a James Avery ring inscribed with the Greek letters Alpha and Omega. I got it after I graduated high school to symbolize the ending of one period of life and the start of a new one. I looked all over my house for an entire weekend and, eventually, I thought, It must be at my parents’ house. I’ll look for it there next time I’m home.

But the next time I was home, I didn’t even think to look for it.

I completely forgot about it.

I experienced something similar during my time as a university student. I, along with many other peers, lost something that once was very important—our faith. Once I moved out of my parents’ house, I knew my faith as a Christian would be shaken. I didn’t have that crutch. I wasn’t forced to go to church, youth group, etc. (I used to work at my church, and I wanted to go to youth group; I was never forced to go to church.) I know many of my peers were forced to attend their parents’ church growing up, and when the opportunity came for them to make their own choice about attending a church, they did not want to. They may have been super involved or even a super Christian, but when given the choice, they decided to stay in their dorm on Sunday mornings.

For a short time, I would say I lost sight of my faith. I eventually found it, and I’ll talk more about that later, but some of my friends never found it. In conversations, I remember hearing some say,

•Once I start doing better in my classes, then I’ll start going to Bible study.

•Once I finish rushing and am initiated into (fraternity/sorority), then I’ll come to church with you.

•Once my job calms down, then I’ll have time to read my Bible.

However, once they were in a better spot in their classes, guess what? They had another class to improve on. Once they were initiated, they had new obligations. They did well at their job and got promoted, so they had more responsibilities. They had forgotten about that original promise. I’m not trying to bash them; we go to college to learn, so you should do well in classes. I’m just sharing what happened. They aren’t the only ones this happened to either.

The Pew Research Center published a study in 2017 that illustrates a connection between an individual’s education and how religious they are, if at all.¹ There are many dimensions to this. In short, US adults, as a whole, who have higher levels of education are linked with lower levels of religious commitment.

However, Americans who have college degrees attend religious services as often as Americans with less education. Of college graduates,

•45 percent say religion is very important.

•55 percent believe in God with absolute certainty.

•50 percent say they pray daily.

Among those who have a high school diploma or less, those numbers are:

•58 percent for religion’s importance

•66 percent for the certainty of God

•57 percent say they pray daily

Interestingly, 36 percent of college grads, 34 percent of those who have some college education, and 37 percent of those with a high school education or less say they attend a religious service at least once a week.

That was just among adults as a whole, but what about Christians specifically?

Well, the percentages are similar between Christians who are college graduates and Christians who are not.² Of Christian college graduates and Christians who have a high school education or less, 67 percent say they pray daily. Of Christians who have some college, 70 percent say they pray every day, and I’d like to think that is because of all the exams and course work they have to do.

Among college graduates:

•74 percent say they believe in God with absolute certainty.

•79 percent of Christians have some college.

•75 percent have a high school or less education.

I’m sure you’re wondering now, Why does this matter to me? You shared a bunch of numbers, and it’s confusing. That’s the point. As you try to figure out why you believe something, you will be confused! Well, if you’re a Christian (or any faith-driven person), life as a young adult will be very different from life with your parents. After graduating from high school, your faith will have to become your own, and it’s going to change. You will be free to figure out what you believe.

So what is this book really about?

•This book is about that freedom.

•This book is about things you can expect to challenge your faith as a young adult.

•This book is not instructions or a guide for How to do college.

•This book is not meant to tell you what you can and can’t do as a college/young adult Christian.

The Bible is clear about many things. However, it doesn’t directly talk about what the twenty-first century, millennial/Gen-Z, college-aged Christian can expect when they graduate from high school and move away from home for the first time. But it does give incredible insights into how we can be free to do such things.

I had no idea what to expect in college. I started journaling just before I graduated high school. In fact, my very first entry goes something like this:

05/18/15

I am so terrified of college. I feel it’s because of the pain I feel right now. It is unbearable. The thought of leaving everyone I love… Those who I outwardly show it to, and those who I don’t. I’m so depressed. I’m leaving a system and people who I have been with all my life. I know I haven’t experienced a lot, but it is terrifying. I feel like I am about to break down and cry all the time.

As I wrote this book, I had just wrapped up my undergrad career. As I looked back on my journals to write this book, my May 18, 2019, journal entry starts with, It’s only been one week since graduation. Wild. I don’t think it’s really crossed my mind how different things will be.

Now, looking back at what I was most apprehensive about before entering college, I realize the very things I feared were replaced with something better than I was leaving behind. I have experienced college from start to finish. I came into college a Christian and I left with my faith not only intact but stronger than ever. I am sharing some of my experiences in school as a Christian to prepare you for what life will be like, especially for those who might be battling some fears and uncertainty of their own.

Whether it is about struggling with mental health or with some of the hard truths in the Bible, I want this book to provide helpful guidance on a topic that isn’t talked about enough in a young adult context—freedom. This will not be a complete guide or have all the answers, but I hope it’s a springboard into wanting to learn more about what freedom looks like in Christ and how we’re called to live. I had no idea how to steward my newfound freedoms once I started college. As I went through my collegiate career, my faith matured and my ideas were challenged. And I’m still being challenged to this day.

I’m only twenty-three, so I’m still very much a young adult. I still struggle with the ideas and topics I share in this book. I want to share what I have learned and observed with you so you can experience the freedom and