Should Christians participate in interfaith activities? If so, are there any guidelines about balancing interfaith cooperation with faithfulness to core values and beliefs?
These questions became more urgent in March when President Barak Obama issued the Community Service Campus Challenge. The challenge “encourages campus-based religious and non-religious organizations to partner together with local community organizations or houses of worship to tackle specific, year-long community service” (see WhiteHouse.gov/InterFaithService). Groups that submit the compelling accounts of their work together will receive recognition from the White House.
As a campus minister, how do you respond to the president’s challenge? Is the call to interfaith cooperation one more attempt to water down religion and make the claim that sincerity and doing good matter much more than what one believes?
Or, could interfaith cooperation serve as an opportunity to see the name of Christ honored and significant relationships built in the process of doing good for the community? As Christians, we endeavor to do such as deeds in the name of Christ.
Another way to ask the question is: Would it be better to do such acts of service on our own in a distinctly defined Christian act? Or, is there a unique opportunity to heed the president’s challenge on your campus?
It is interesting to note that for the past decade, community service and outreach have been on the rise among evangelical campus ministries. In fact, during the past few years, campus ministers have noted that service projects and mission trips have become entry points for students into a campus ministry.
There already have been a number of successful interfaith partnerships on campus. Christian campus organizations purposely have joined with groups such as the Hillel Jewish Fellowship, the Muslim Student Association or even non-religious groups such as the campus LGBT chapter in order to work together on specific service projects.
As disciples of Jesus, maintaining our distinctive as Christians is vitally important. In whatever we do or say, we are to do it to the glory of Christ. However, I offer at least three interrelated ways in which engaging in this challenge could be a positive move for campus ministries:
1. To bring honor to the name of Christ: The statement, “The only Jesus many people will ever know is the Jesus they see in you” can be very true. Sadly, for most adult non-Christians, the term Christian caries primarily negative connotations (see George Barna’s data or the book UnChristian for more details about that). Partnerships offer a chance to show people who Jesus really is by spending real time together on a common task.
2. Really knowing others: Such service projects help put a human face on other groups. We live in a time when rhetoric often demonizes other groups based on social and political agendas. Swinging hammers together may help students see they are not that different from one another and open lines of real dialogue.
3. To whom are we reaching out? Perhaps it is not only the recipient of the meal or the Habitat home to whom you are reaching out. In God’s agenda, these partnerships may provide opportunities for students from these groups to encounter Christ in ways that never will happen through programs on campus.
The invitations have been offered to participate in interfaith activities. Will your group accept the invitation? Whether you join with others is your choice, but whatever your decision, may Christ be glorified in the work you do.
