NEVER TRUST A GOD OVER 30

If religion as an organized system of ethics has a future in the modern world, then it must have a presence on the campus right now. Does it? The answer is partially negative, and partially positive, and the purpose of Never Trust a God Over 30 is an attempt to explain that situation. Babbi Friedlander leads off with a discussion of the status of the Jewish student, qua Jew, on campus. Rev. William Starr traces the progress of the ministry from the chapel to the coffeehouse. Rev. Henry Malcolm examines the position of the campus radical vis-a-vis organized religion. Magr. James Rea reviews the role of the Newman Club at the secular university. Rev. Lyman Lundoon surveys the existence and quality of religious commitment among students. But the final essay is the important one; it is about university students and is written by university students, and its purpose is to present some insights into, and formulate some conclusions about, the present student generation. The contributors present an interesting spectrum of opinion, ranging from Rabbi Friedlander's refreshing realism to Magr. Rea's head-in-the-sand optimism, from Rev. Starr's progressivism to Rev. Lundeen's selectivism. It is a spectrum, however, the overall quality of which is characterized by the determination of the students themselves to accept religion either on their own terms or not at all--i.e., without dogmatism, jingoism, or denominationalism. In terms of that message, the book should be called to the attention of anyone engaged in pastoral work with young people.