Cool to Be Christian in College - Are Attitudes Changing on Campus?

Some are reporting that the campus is no longer hostile territory to Christian students. According to Reuters, the uncertainty of life in these troubled times, has caused ministries like the Navigators and Campus Crusade for Christ to grow rapidly. Tony Arnold, Campus Crusade spokesman attributes the interest to a need for community and connection in a world full of crisis. "Life in the 21st Century seems increasingly fraught with danger, whether its a crazy with a gun in a classroom, or at the seat of a plane headed into a skyscraper," he said.

Eight out of 10 college students attend religious services, while 80% discuss spiritual or religious topics with their friends. At least 69% say they pray, according to a 2004 survey of 112,232 freshmen at the University of California in Los Angeles.

A fair amount of students do take the long way back to Christianity though. Some grow up in church, and then stray as they enter college, particularly if they are living independently of their families. Such was the case with Brian Friske, who joined a fraternity, made new friends and generally lived it up, when he initially became an engineering student at the University of Cincinnati. "For a couple of years, I partied it up, lived like a college kid. But a couple of years ago, I decided I'm done with this," he said. He now spends 40 to 60 hours a week involved with Christian activities and friends. He joined the Baptist college ministry, and moved in with other believers. He commented, "I'm just happier. It's a good environment."

The Christian Science Monitor has a different take, in their article Campus Christians: Not Always At Ease. While some colleges are beginning to embrace all beliefs with sensitivity, many Christian college students feel they are treated with disrespect and even discrimination. Since many colleges and universities were originally founded by churches, historically the persecution was directed at non-Christians. But not so today; it is Christian believers who are asking for more tolerance.

At Harvard, Nika Elguardo, a masters student, found the professors to be respectful of her views, but students tried to shut down opinions, that went against the prevailing secular humanism point of view.

Ann Carter, a Christian, majoring in psychology at Sonoma State, also felt persecuted. In a multiculturalism class she attended, with topics as varied as Hindu theology and gun control, part of her grade depended on her participation in class. "I'd say God, and talk about Christ. People would laugh at me and the professor did nothing to stop it," she said. "But any other opinion at which students disagreed or laughed, she'd stop the class and say, 'We need to be sensitive.'"

A student attending graduate school, in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chris Gruener, commented, "The attitude here is if you're of faith, then you are intellectually inferior."

My own experience as a Christian, attending college in a small Florida town, was interesting. Enrolled in classes on The Old Testament, and The New Testament, I was shocked to hear the professor debunk every miracle we studied. Being a slightly older student, having returned to college 10 years after graduating high school, I raised my hand and defended my Christian beliefs. After class, other students thanked me for my courage. That professor would continually mark my papers with a red pen, and write opposing views in the columns, but he gave men an "A" in the course.

A sociology professor at the University of Texas, Mark Regenurus, remarked recently, "The American university system is not so aggressively asking kids to question their religion as it might have been in past years, in the 60s."

Christianity in college has been more widely accepted on Southern campuses (in the "Bible Belt"), but even that is changing. Matt Bennett founded the Christian Union in 2002, to "bring honor and praise to Jesus Christ" at 8 Ivy League universities. Five years of organizing small Bible studies and other outreaches, has been somewhat successful. He estimates that between 3 and 9 per cent of Ivy League undergraduates participate in Christian activities each week. "There's an increasing acceptance that intellectualism and Christianity go hand in hand," he remarked.

While Christians are certainly starting to feel persecution and intimidation in other aspects of life, it will be interesting to watch the trend on college campuses.

Sources: http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN0934976220071126?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0125/p12s02-legn.html