University doesn't reflect the C in TCU
Andrew Weatherford
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It was bound to come out sooner or later, but the issue of the word Christian in the name of our university has eaten at me for quite some time.
Riding in the elevator, I hear the Lord's name taken in vain. In the library, I can hear the f-word ring out while some other kids are talking about popping Adderall to help them stay awake long enough to cram for exams. Looking at some of the attitudes on campus, one has to wonder what the significance is in attending a "Christian" university.
In some of the religion course work I have taken, we read from a Bible that explains away the supernatural in the footnotes, and in another class we were taught that the Bible does not really say that committing fornication or being homosexual is sinful.
So far, the people I have found that disagree with my concerns the most are representatives of what is supposed to be the most prestigious Christian elements on our campus. Go figure.
Some will feel that what I am saying is extreme, but wasn't Jesus also extreme in his convictions and his faith? The last time I checked they crucified him for it. Jesus never made room for sin or made excuses for it, and nearly everyone who followed him understood that and offered up their very life to be able to call themselves Christian.
The word Christian was coined a slanderous term; the early Roman historian Tacitus said the word Christian was what the vulgar called the followers of Christ. As where we find it mentioned in the Bible as a label birthed in Antioch, the word itself was associated with great persecution.
I wonder if Ignatius, a bishop of Antioch, who was devoured by lions in the coliseum for identifying himself as a Christian, would take it so lightly that the word Christian is in our name. For that matter how would Christ himself react? The hard truth is that the word Christian is not an adjective, it is not American tradition, it has been and still is for many people in this world, a death sentence. According to Voice of the Martyrs, 175,000 Christians from across the globe were martyred in 2008, and in the meantime we sit back and consider it inconsequential that we do.
What I am saying is this: For a word as loaded as the word Christian, which stirs up emotion in many people, it is high time that we stop trampling it under foot and either pay it homage, or remove the name all together.
Andrew Weatherford is a junior religion major and pastor of Deliverance Bible Church in Fort Worth.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 18
Thomas Brown
posted 2/25/09 @ 6:22 AM CST
AMEN
brian
posted 2/25/09 @ 10:30 AM CST
Andrew, well said, I don't think I could have stated the case any better...I will pray for you and the Univserity, that is so far off track. A Biblical World View should be taught in all cousres in a Christian University, as to not grive the Holy Spirit. (Continued…)
James Russell
posted 2/25/09 @ 10:43 AM CST
Say whatever you want, in whatever logical or illogical way that you want, about whomever you want. But for God's sake do not compare yourself to Jesus!
Don Williams
posted 2/25/09 @ 12:01 PM CST
Very courageous! Very true. Christians and Jews are persecuted and branded intolerant and extreme by large percentages of the population while other religions, including atheism are given a pass for their more radical views. (Continued…)
Andrew
posted 2/25/09 @ 4:34 PM CST
Mr. Williams,
Atheism is not a religion. You and I are both atheists in regard to Zeus (and thousands of other gods), yet, this doesn't reveal anything about either of our personal views. (Continued…)
Bobby
posted 2/25/09 @ 4:54 PM CST
What on earth does Adderrall have to do with being a Christian? And honestly, maybe you should have gone to Baylor. It's not like the secular-ness of TCU is anything new. (Continued…)
Adam
posted 2/25/09 @ 8:19 PM CST
The penalty for taking the lord's name in vein in the bible is death btw...
Yea, we need more Christianity at the school. If Ignatius were here today he would probably think all modern Christians should be put to death. (Continued…)
Heather
posted 2/26/09 @ 12:19 AM CST
You seem to attack the religion department, of which you are a part of. Do you not realize that our department is one of the top in the nation BECAUSE we do not push a Christian doctrine, or any other for that matter. (Continued…)
Su Harz
posted 2/26/09 @ 9:41 AM CST
It is interesting that you claim to be a follower of Christ who is all loving and accepting. All sins are considered equal, therefore if you consider homosexuality a sin, are you willing to equate it to also lying, dishonoring thy parents, and coveting? Actually, homosexuality was not even mentioned in the 10 commandments and the Bible was written by different people and people are tainted by human nature, so how do you know that what is written is really the word of God and not the word of God tainted by man? I'm not trying to bash you, I'm trying to make you critically think about the life you live and how you are condemning others for who they are and perhaps what actions they take, when only GOD is supposed to have that authority. (Continued…)
Keaton
posted 2/26/09 @ 10:34 AM CST
This conversation is an interesting one. As a senior in the religion department myself I wish to describe a specific tension that I feel as a student. (Continued…)
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