I remember taking a trip to the local Gurdwara when I was a student. We took off our shoes, covered our hair and were taken on a tour of a large building, a huge prayer room and bustling community spaces. It was fascinating. Most importantly, we visited the Langhar, the kitchen that serves a free meal. All Sikh places of worship offer this, as sign we are all equal. Anyone is welcome to eat at a Langhar, whether rich or poor, Sikh or not. It was moments like this where I thought my degree was amazing. I got to experience other cultures and faiths in a way that went beyond the classroom. I was exposed to ideas and concepts that I had never considered before and spent three years wrestling with everything from public policy to personal expressions of religion across the world.
But being a Christian wasn’t always easy. I had a young faith at the time, and I spent more of my week thinking about other religions than I did my own. I really clearly remember a lady at my home church saying I’d be lucky if I left my degree a Christian at all. By God’s grace, I’m still following Jesus, but there are ways I wish I’d engaged more healthily and thoroughly, using my degree to grow my faith rather than keeping the two separate. It’s my prayer that this article encourages you to do just that.
Working for the wellbeing of creation
As a Christian studying Religious Studies, you have a unique opportunity to engage with deep questions about faith, humanity, and culture. This field is not just an academic pursuit—it is a way to love God with your mind and serve the world by bringing truth, wisdom, and compassion into discussions that shape society.
Religious Studies equips you to understand worldviews that drive human thought and behaviour. In a world marked by division and misunderstanding, your studies help foster dialogue, peace, and mutual respect. You learn how religious beliefs influence politics, ethics, and identity—knowledge that can be used to bring hope and reconciliation in an increasingly fragmented culture. As you engage with different perspectives, you have the opportunity to grow in confidence in the truth of the gospel, seeing how only Christianity uniquely answers life’s deepest questions.
But why are Christian voices especially needed in Religious Studies? Many universities approach this subject from a purely secular perspective, treating faith as just another human construct rather than a living relationship with God. As a Christian, you bring something different—an authentic witness to the reality of Jesus. Your presence in academic discussions allows you to challenge assumptions, present the gospel with clarity, and show the intellectual credibility of the Christian faith.
More than that, Religious Studies prepares you to make a practical difference. Whether in education, media, charity work, or mission, your insights into faith and culture will enable you to speak with wisdom and relevance. You will be equipped to stand for truth in a world that often distorts it, to engage culture rather than retreat from it, and to live out the gospel in a way that draws people to Christ.
Worshipping the God we work for
As I’ve said, my time in my degree was challenging. It was easy to delve deep into ideologies and practices of other faiths and simply be intrigued and fascinated. Let’s be real, wondering why Sikh people don’t cut their hair, or considering the intricacies of a pilgrimage to Mecca in the modern day, is really interesting. It can be all too easy to be swept along with intrigue, and to forget that these beliefs you spend time studying are false: false gods with false religion behind them. There’s some overlap too in the Abrahamic faiths that can be confusing, so why study them? How will it help you to follow Jesus wholeheartedly?
It's hard work, but you’ll need to make time to reflect. Where Allah is capricious, remember that the God of the Bible is faithful and keeps His word. Where works prevail in so many belief systems, praise God for his grace given in Christ. Where new age spirituality and meditation seem neutral or helpful, remember that the only Holy Spirit dwelling in us brings true assurance and peace. What other false beliefs have you encountered this week that show you the beauty of your Christian faith?
You’ll need to do this for time spent studying Christianity too. It’s wonderful to be able to study God’s word on our degree time, but remember that not all our lecturers will have the high view of Scripture that the Bible proclaims (2 Timothy 3:16). Surround yourself with a church family and a pastor who will encourage you to dwell in God’s word richly. We can engage with secular studies of Christianity and with the right support (which you might find in UCCF’s Theology Network), you can thrive.
Witnessing to the world
Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God has set “eternity in the human heart”. People are searching and questioning, and have a desire to believe in something beyond them. As Religious Studies students you’ll know more than most all the ways people can do that.
Religion is at the heart of human identity, shaping societies, values, and worldviews. By studying it, you gain insights that enable you to share the gospel more effectively. Understanding different beliefs helps you engage in meaningful conversations, break down barriers, and present the hope of Christ with clarity and compassion. In a world of competing ideologies, your studies can equip you to explain the uniqueness of Jesus in a way that resonates with those around you.
Academic discussions about religion are often dominated by secular perspectives or sceptical critiques. Yet, Christianity is not just a subject of study—it is the living truth that transforms lives. Christian students have a crucial role in demonstrating the intellectual credibility and cultural relevance of the gospel. That might feel like a big ask, but your presence in this field can help reclaim it as a space where faith and reason work together, showing that Christianity is not just historically significant but powerfully relevant. What opportunities might God be leading you to where you can share the gospel with those who desperately need to hear it? A Religious Studies classroom seems like a plentiful harvest field to me (Matthew 9:37).
Imaging our Saviour
So as you study, do it with purpose. See your course as part of God’s call on your life, a way to serve both humanity and creation. Seek to glorify Him in your learning, and trust that He will use your studies to advance His kingdom. Our Saviour Jesus spent time with the religious elite of his day, and people who had other perspectives. We can image him as we move towards those who think differently to us, and as we love our coursemates.
I have never again experienced such closeness with a diversity of other faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds as I did during my degree. I hope that the opportunities you have spur you on and encourage you to speak of Christ in tutorials, lectures and group projects. Who knows what He’ll do in and through you?
Reflect and discuss
Think: Think back over what you have studied so far in your degree. Where have you seen God's fingerprints? Where have ideas presented to you challenged what you believed to be true?
Live: What do you think your coursemates would know about what is important to you from the way you live? Is there anything you want to change here?
Speak: Are there topics in your subject that are closer to talking about your outlook on life, God or the gospel? Pray for people on your course and for opportunities to share about Jesus with them this term.
