If colleges came with warning labels, they would probably look something like this book. University of Destruction: Your Game Plan For Spiritual Victory on Campus begins with the true story of the author, David Wheaton. His idyllic pre-college life trained him well for standing tall as the top-ranked junior tennis player in America, and valedictorian of his high school class, but did not prepare him to withstand the temptations, pressures, and pleasures of the college campus.
Quoting a recent survey, Wheaton maintains that as many as 50 percent of Christian students say they have lost their faith after four years of college. According to the author, the reason for this high figure is that most students are simply not prepared for the transition from high school to college, from living at home to living on campus, and from living as a child to living as an adult. Wheaton uses the lessons learned from his student experiences at Stanford University to develop wise warnings and good advice for students to help them navigate the hidden minefields of their college or university.
While many students--and their parents--are more concerned about managing time, money, and homework, Wheaton names three more insidious enemies of the college student that he calls the three Pillars of Peril: sex, drugs and alcohol. He believes that every sinful temptation (that a college student faces) falls into one of these three categories.
It is important to note that while this is a book of principles, advice, and warnings, it is also a book that explores these perils and the hidden implications. Wheaton uses Gods Word as the sole basis for his guidelines and as the framework for the positive game plan that he proposes: interaction with God, peers, and authorities. His eye-opening look at life on college campuses is recommended reading for all students, along with their parents, so that the campus experience may be one of instruction rather than destruction. Readers should be cautioned that achieving spiritual victory is the primary message of this book. What God has already done to win our spiritual victory through Christthe message of His forgiveness, unconditional love, and mercyis implied, but is not emphasized.
If you are looking for a book that will enable you to overcome the adversities of college life, read your Bible. If you are looking for encouragement to follow that Biblical advice and further instruction in discernment and maturity, then University of Destruction is an excellent choice. -- Susan Hammond, Christian Book Previews.com
