The College Fix

Western Kentucky student says he wants to help people who are looking for answers about life

There’s a different kind of social media trend that seems to be gaining traction among college students: chalking an entire book of the Bible, the Gospel of John, on campus sidewalks.

It appears to have started in North Carolina last fall, and has spread to other states including Alabama and Kentucky.

This month, at Western Kentucky University, 70 students spent several hours writing the entire book, consisting of 21 chapters and 879 verses, on the campus sidewalks, the College Heights Herald reports.

The project involved students from three Christian groups on campus: Baptist Campus Ministry, Cru, and Hilltoppers for Christ, according to the report.

Cameron Shaw, a senior and president of the Baptist Campus Ministry, told Fox News the idea came from other students on social media:

An account called “Gospel Chalk Movement” on TikTok shows similar events at several universities across North Carolina since late 2024.

“We hope to continue a chain that other colleges can [follow] as well,” Shaw said. …

“I know at BCM, we have seen an uptick in students almost every single year, especially freshmen, that are just deeply involved and interested in the Gospel and in what faith is and who Jesus is,” he said.

Posts on Gospel Chalk Movement’s Instagram page (pictured) show students creating similar displays at North Carolina State University, Western Carolina University, UNC Charlotte, and the University of Alabama Birmingham. Some of the posts have more than 200,000 likes.

Both in the social media posts and news interviews, the Christian students involved in the project talked about the search for meaning that many young adults are experiencing. They believe the Bible passages provide the answers.

“People look for answers in a lot of different things, and I think it’s really good to have answers right in front of them,” Western Kentucky senior Luke Alford told the College Heights Herald.

MORE: Over 450 students pack classroom for C. S. Lewis course at Notre Dame

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDITS: Students write verses from the Gospel of John on a campus sidewalk at North Carolina State University. Fishers of Men/YouTube, Gospel Chalk Movement/Instagram

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