“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good,...”

In the last few weeks, at the round of receptions, convocations, and introductory gatherings for our new students I've enjoyed asking people, “What led you to Duke?”

My mother went to Duke.  I like ACC basketball. I want to get in a good graduate school in four years.  I couldn't get in Stanford.

I'll tell you faculty, very few told me that they came here for the faculty.  Of course, absolutely no one told me that he or she came here for the preacher!

Nearly all, whatever reason they give, interpret their reason as either a matter of choice -- I narrowed it down to three or four good schools and then chose Duke because it was the farthest from home, or some chalk it up to mere chance -- I was looking at Duke, Georgetown, and Princeton,…