Minding the Campus is a subsidiary of the National Association of Scholars (NAS), a New York City-based secular, nonprofit organization that publishes “essays and short pieces written by professors, academics, students, journalists, and concerned citizens” in an effort to promote reasoned scholarship at American universities. [1] In an article titled “Students Need Rest; Christian Colleges Should Set the Example,” published on October 18, 2024, Minding the Campus urged colleges and universities nationwide, both Christian and secular, to make Sunday a priority for students to attend church, relax, and take a break. The essay stated that securing Sunday rest would help students feel less pressured by the rigorous academic and work schedules that leave little time for mental recovery, which can lead to stress and negatively impact their wellbeing.
Minding the Campus published the following:
• “Sundays used to signify a day of rest, reflection, and worship—now, for college students, they signify 11:59 p.m. deadlines and endless Canvas notifications. The constant pressure of online grading systems and classes keeps students in a state of perpetual stress—even at Christian colleges, where Sabbath-honoring should be prioritized. Said religious universities ceaselessly stress the significance of worship, emphasizing that weekly chapel requirements are no substitute for Sunday service, while hypocritically following the oppressive secular model of interminable technological attachment.” [2]
• “There is a constant pressure to keep up. Even when you’ve done everything required, it feels like there is something still to be done … This pressure is even greater for an online class, where such a system gives students the false impression that they must be continuously plugged in and pumping out assignments to be productive in the course.” [2]
• “Young adults are constantly warned of technological obsession through the overuse of social media, and yet, they are also trained to be ceaselessly available to respond to emails and submit assignments regardless of the date or time. This does not trivialize the threat of social media; however, it would be of great benefit to students’ mental health if educators and curriculum designers, particularly in Christian universities, abide by the Biblically derived idiom, ‘Practice what you preach’.” [2]
University students do have demanding schedules, with back-to-back classes, study sessions, assignments, and, for many, part-time jobs to help cover expenses. Minding the Campus says that the constant pace and lack of downtime leave no time for recovery and claims that if students were to take Sundays off for rest and worship, they could benefit from a structured break each week.
According to these so-called “experts” who are dedicated to researching and analyzing campus life, Sunday rest is the solution to reset mentally. Sunday is the day to reflect and connect with your values and community. Sunday would not only give them a needed physical and mental rest but also serve as a weekly anchor, helping them refocus and manage their lives. Sunday rest and worship is the answer to a healthier balance and more sustainable academic performance.
While there is a wealth of statistical evidence demonstrating that the human body and mind absolutely need rest to function well, there is no scientific or biblical proof that we must get our rest on Sunday. Students and people in general certainly need more rest to reduce stress, improve focus, and prevent burnout, but why is it that the consensus from everyone, including academia, agrees that Sunday is the solution to save society? You will find this same consensus among most Christians, labor unions, politicians, and the mainstream media who believe that Sunday, not Saturday, is the universal day of rest.
God, in His wisdom, created rest during creation week. In Genesis 2:2, 3, God “rested,” “blessed,” and “sanctified” the seventh day, meaning He set it apart for a holy or religious use and for a time of rest. Through these three distinct acts, the day of rest was established. It was committed to Adam, the father of our race, and was made into a memorial of creation. This rest was also enshrined in the moral law (Exodus 20:8–11). This holy Sabbath rest is at the same time a sign of sanctification, a sign of the believer’s rest from his own works of sin and his entrance into the rest of the soul, which Jesus promises to those who come to Him according to Hebrews 4:1–10.
Before sin entered our world, the Sabbath was a memorial to the living God. Before sin destroyed the perfect peace and unity that existed in the Garden of Eden, the Sabbath had been established, blessed, and sanctified by the Lord. And this memorial of God will live on throughout eternity in the earth made new (Isaiah 66:22, 23). Yes, after this world has been purified and all the marks of sin have been forever removed, Saturday, not Sunday, will remain for all eternity as the true day of worship for the Creator.
Today, the world has sanctified the first day of the week and is participating in a fraud, a lie, a deception. Millions believe that Sunday is the day of rest, but as long as God endures, as long as His word is true, and as long as the earth remains, the seventh-day Sabbath is a rebuke to all those who are worshiping on the wrong day. Regardless of how many times people tell us that Sunday is the Lord’s Day, the Fourth Commandment remains unchanged and requires observance of the seventh-day Sabbath.
Sources
[1] https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/minding-the-campus/
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