College Ministries Might Benefit from a Ban
In a previous post I briefly talked about a Supreme Court case that may affect campus ministry. Because public institutions frown upon any form of discrimination, they are unsure what to do with officially sanctioned religious groups. Why? Because many religious groups only want leaders who have a particular religious view. Believe it or not, the Christian Legal Society only wants leaders who are Christians. Sounds strange, I know, but this is the essence of the Supreme Court case.
Why is this a problem? It's only an issue because groups like the aforementioned CLS exist as an officially sanctioned university club. This status as a university club allows the group to meet for free in university space, advertise on campus and be listed on the university's website. Here, for example, is the student org page for the University of California's Hastings College of Law -- this is the school that recently banned the Christian Legal Society due to "discrimination" against non-Christians.
This has been an ongoing debate on state university campuses. West Virginia University, where I served as campus minister for 8 years, already looks askance at Christian groups. Some felt that Muslim and other non-Christian religious groups got preferential treatment -- a type of reverse discrimination practiced in order to highlight "tolerance," a key word for most social justice offices.
Most campus ministries take advantage of club status. By submitting a constitution, electing officers and agreeing to meet regularly, almost any group of students can form a club on their campus. You can have a BBQ Club, a Ballroom Dance Club, a club for students from Southeast Asia, or a Flat Earth club. Basically, anything goes as long as it isn't offensive.
This same principle applies in the organization of campus ministries. Of course, most universities & colleges rarely have a single Christian student association or club. Most schools have multiple Christian organizations. Some of these include Baptist Student Fellowship, Chi Alpha, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Newman Club, Campus Crusade, etc. Here, for example, is a listing of all student orgs at West Virginia University. Just note how many Christian groups there are!
In many cases there is a cozy relationship between religious organizations and the university. Major schools like the Univ of Maryland even built campus chapels to house these groups. Some of this country's most prestigious schools were originally Christian institutions. Campus ministries depend on the university newspaper for free advertising and upon university facilities for free meeting space. Campus ministers have often enjoyed the benefits of faculty/staff status, even though they don't draw a salary from the school.
In return campus ministries typically provide a huge benefit to their students and schools. They give a sense of belonging and help students cope with the challenges of university life. There is evidence, anecdotal and statistical, that students involved in campus ministries are psychologically healthy and perform better academically than others.
Having said that, some campus ministries may have grown overly reliant on the academic institutions where they minister. Campus ministry in some places is one of the few vestiges of Christendom in our country. In a country marked by increasing secularism, materialism and pluralism, Christians should no longer expect the protection or sponsorship of the state. I'm not arguing for or against the current state of affairs. I'm merely stating the obvious. We used to live in a world where everything reinforced our particular Western-Christian worldview. But that world has dramatically changed.
Unfortunately, some campus pastors are still grasping onto the old world. I believe that this can result in unfortunate compromise. Instead of Christians who radically follow the ethical and moral demands of Jesus, you can end up with a campus program that gives lip service to God while following the gods of tolerance, respectability and the sports arena. In order to officially belong to the campus community, one has to play by the rules. And the rules in some places are increasingly hostile to the types of exclusive demands Jesus makes upon his followers.
I'm not suggesting that campus ministries follow the examples of extreme groups that were thrown off campus because of overly aggressive evangelistic techniques that bordered on stalking and extortion. But I mean that a group committed to Jesus has to have the ability to follow Jesus. Duh! For example, what about disciplining a student who refuses to follow the moral standards of the Kingdom? Or what about a leader who suddenly starts to teach that Mohammad and Jesus are equals? Is an official student organization allowed to throw out a student who actively pushes a non-orthodox view? Would such action be considered discriminatory by the university?
The truth is that we have to learn how to follow Jesus, university sanctioned or not. And I believe many campus pastors sincerely want to do this. They would be willing to sacrifice their football season tickets for more meaningful discipleship. They would gladly work in unofficial means if it meant staying true to their calling.
This generation of campus ministers will truly set the standards for years to come. I thank God that many of them know the meaning of the word "sacrifice" and are willing to live that out. While I pray it doesn't happen, a ban from the student org list might actually benefit campus ministries if it causes them to radically depend on God more than on their universities.
This same principle applies in the organization of campus ministries. Of course, most universities & colleges rarely have a single Christian student association or club. Most schools have multiple Christian organizations. Some of these include Baptist Student Fellowship, Chi Alpha, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Newman Club, Campus Crusade, etc. Here, for example, is a listing of all student orgs at West Virginia University. Just note how many Christian groups there are!
In many cases there is a cozy relationship between religious organizations and the university. Major schools like the Univ of Maryland even built campus chapels to house these groups. Some of this country's most prestigious schools were originally Christian institutions. Campus ministries depend on the university newspaper for free advertising and upon university facilities for free meeting space. Campus ministers have often enjoyed the benefits of faculty/staff status, even though they don't draw a salary from the school.
Having said that, some campus ministries may have grown overly reliant on the academic institutions where they minister. Campus ministry in some places is one of the few vestiges of Christendom in our country. In a country marked by increasing secularism, materialism and pluralism, Christians should no longer expect the protection or sponsorship of the state. I'm not arguing for or against the current state of affairs. I'm merely stating the obvious. We used to live in a world where everything reinforced our particular Western-Christian worldview. But that world has dramatically changed.
Unfortunately, some campus pastors are still grasping onto the old world. I believe that this can result in unfortunate compromise. Instead of Christians who radically follow the ethical and moral demands of Jesus, you can end up with a campus program that gives lip service to God while following the gods of tolerance, respectability and the sports arena. In order to officially belong to the campus community, one has to play by the rules. And the rules in some places are increasingly hostile to the types of exclusive demands Jesus makes upon his followers.
I'm not suggesting that campus ministries follow the examples of extreme groups that were thrown off campus because of overly aggressive evangelistic techniques that bordered on stalking and extortion. But I mean that a group committed to Jesus has to have the ability to follow Jesus. Duh! For example, what about disciplining a student who refuses to follow the moral standards of the Kingdom? Or what about a leader who suddenly starts to teach that Mohammad and Jesus are equals? Is an official student organization allowed to throw out a student who actively pushes a non-orthodox view? Would such action be considered discriminatory by the university?
The truth is that we have to learn how to follow Jesus, university sanctioned or not. And I believe many campus pastors sincerely want to do this. They would be willing to sacrifice their football season tickets for more meaningful discipleship. They would gladly work in unofficial means if it meant staying true to their calling.
This generation of campus ministers will truly set the standards for years to come. I thank God that many of them know the meaning of the word "sacrifice" and are willing to live that out. While I pray it doesn't happen, a ban from the student org list might actually benefit campus ministries if it causes them to radically depend on God more than on their universities.
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