The “Me Addiction” tour will bring comedian Bob Smiley, speaker Reg Cox and a former member of the Newsboys, Phil Joel, to campus Oct. 28.
Cox, minister at Lakewood Church of Christ in Colorado, worked in ACU administration for 15 years until 2002. He said the tour is focused on helping Christians realize the “me first” mentality and understand how it needs to change.
“Christians mean well but don’t recognize how insidious the lie of self-gratification-above-all-else has become,” Cox said. “We accidentally elevate what we perceive we want or need over all else.”
Jen Rogers, director of student ministries, said that the tour’s ministry and message will speak to students and faculty alike.
“The heart of the “Me Addiction” tour is that a lot of people are asking the question, ‘What’s in it for me?’ which is a very self-focused question,” Rogers said. “As Christians, we should focus on asking, ‘What’s in it for Him?'”
Cox, Smiley and “Me Addiction” founder Glen Villanueva are ACU alumni. Rogers said the university wanted to bring both the familiar names of alumni and the nationally recognized names of Smiley and Joel.
“I’ve seen a lot of reactions to the news that we are bringing this tour to ACU,” Rogers said. “Most people either know Reg or Glen from their time on campus or Bob Smiley from his standup, and others recognize Joel’s name from when he played for the Newsboys.”
Some students, like Jesse Luebbert, sophomore math major from St. Louis, say they are looking forward to the tour’s stop in Abilene.
“I appreciate how Bob Smiley uses humor to teach Christian values,” Luebbert said. “I think administration has made a good decision by inviting the tour to ACU.”
Rogers said Villanueva will speak in Chapel on Wednesday and Thursday next week. Cox will speak Friday at both morning Chapel and the forum that will take place next Friday night from 7-9 p.m. in Hunter Welcome Center.
Cox said that this tour is an example of the mission of ACU in action.
“There’s a revolution to join, a church to plant, an inner city to save, a foreign shore to explore and a billion lives to save, but none of this is available to the Christian stuck in the me-addicted mire of self-worship,” Cox said. “We’re coming to town with a message and I pray that this message will become an invitation to many to join the ‘What’s in it for Him?’ revolution.”
Students will receive three Chapel credits for attending the full Friday night Chapel forum.
To learn more about the “Me Addiction” tour, the speakers or the message, visit meaddictiontour.com.
