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By Alexander Brickey

CIU Student Writer

The С����Ƶ student body gathered together in prayer and glorifying God through worship at the annual Christian Life Conference celebrating the CIU core value of .

, chancellor of God’s Bible School and College was the keynote speaker focusing on CIU’s theme for the 2020-2021 school year, “Going Deep with God.” He examined exactly what it means to be a Christian. He warned of the dangers of “Popular Theology,” stating, “Popular Theology is like punching a hole in a card and getting into heaven … I don’t buy that.”

Avery elaborated on the fact that as human beings we cannot make ourselves holy, no matter how hard we try, it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can strive toward this goal. He also discussed the gift of grace that is offered to us through Jesus Christ, making clear that grace is not opposed to effort, but rather it is opposed to earning. Avery invited students to pursue and place their undivided faith in God.

Other activities encouraging a deeper relationship with God included CIU’s Prayer Day, 24 hours set aside from classes and solely devoted to meditating on God. Students gathered in groups and prayed through the fruit of the Spirit as they walked the perimeter of the lake at The Prayer Towers.

Business major Johnathan Sarazen called the prayer focus refreshing.

“I think it was a good exercise to meditate and focus, it felt like a reminder to focus on things that are outside of school,” Sarazen said.

Hear Dr. Michael Avery’s messages from the Christian Life Conference on CIU’s .

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