Spotlight on Outstanding RC Students at University of Michigan Dearborn – Part Two

Cody Bouse is the second University of Michigan at Dearborn Legatus Christi recipient we’re introducing to our readers (see Part One with Olivia Mensah). He was a charter member at the initial discussions about starting a Ratio Christi chapter on campus. Along with Mensah, Cody shared student leader responsibilities before they both graduated.

Chapter Director Scott Cherry gives insight to Bouse’s participation.

“We called Cody our “COO” as he took on some student president responsibilities, but didn’t want the title. I found Cody to be more reluctant about the social side of a group. In other words, he just wanted the deep discussions more than barbecues or other activities. Cody is Catholic and joined strictly to learn apologetics, in which there was nothing he found to disagree with. He liked to call Ratio Christi “the most Catholic of the Protestant groups” on campus intellectually! He was also sort of an evolutionist until we started studying Creation and Intelligent Design. Then he came to believe that they are reasonable positions. He allowed me to walk him through the theology of the Gospel as Protestants see it. He is kind and gentle and learned a great deal.”

Q. Scott says you didn’t want the title of “chapter president.” Why not?

A. I believe that my personal strengths and weaknesses better suit me to not be the head of any ministry work. While I shared responsibilities with Olivia, she was the public face of our RC chapter. She did a great job in her role as president while I was able to better serve holding other responsibilities such as Treasurer and COO.

Q: When did you find Christ as your Savior?

A. I was raised in a Catholic home, but I never allowed my religion to affect my life until I was in high school. I was very involved in my church youth group.  This was a large part of my finding Christ. I learned a ton about my faith and reasons to believe. In my sophomore year, I was on a retreat when I met God for the first time. I say that I “met God” in the respect that I talked to Him for the first time and allowed Him to touch my life.

Q. How did you get involved with Ratio Christi?

A. I was originally asked by Scott to join Ratio Christi merely to have the five names necessary to start a student organization! At this point I was a junior in college and had already perceived a need for apologetics on campus, so I helped Scott start a chapter of RC. After this, Scott kept me involved and started entrusting me with tasks.

Q. What was the dynamics of this RC chapter like while you were there?

A. We had a half dozen to a dozen “core members” who were strong Christians that attended the majority of our events.  However, we would often have other Christians and secular thinkers attending as well.  We especially tried to engage these secular thinkers in the ways that we promoted our meetings and events.  We would choose titles and promotion strategies that would intentionally engage these secular thinkers and these often led to discussions with them.

Q. How did you feel about being among the three to receive a Legatus Christi certificate?

A. Honored. Scott vetted myself and the other LC recipients thoroughly. I felt this wasn’t an empty reward but a testament to the spiritual growth which I had undergone throughout my two years with RC.

Q. What’s next for you?

A. I’ll be departing for a mission trip very soon with the mission organization NET Ministries (National Evangelization Teams, USA). We’ll be focused on leading faith based retreats for middle school and high school students. After that, I intend to attend Purdue University for graduate school, studying statistics.

Q. How do you think apologetics has enriched your life, your own faith and your witness to others?

A. It has equipped me with a valuable method of bringing the Gospel to others while also aiding me in being certain of my own beliefs. Bouse concludes,

I found apologetics to be an incredibly valuable tool, and would strongly encourage any Christians to find a basic understanding of apologetics.

Ratio Christi prays for the best things to come to Olivia and Cody, and for our Chapter Director Scott Cherry to have continued success in raising up students to be apologists and evangelists. Thanks for reading this two-parter!