In this country, there seems to be this power struggle between people of faith. There are those who are "right" and those who are not. There are those who want to make everyone else like them and there are those whose understanding of the gospel takes them down a different path.

Last semester, when I had been here exactly one month, a nationally-known group wanted to come on campus to "claim this campus (and its sinners) for Christ." Now, understand dear reader, this was not only evangelism so that people would encounter the living Lord, but also so that they would be able to expouse 27 other "truths" related to just exactly how and what they needed to believe.

As I read it, there really is only one thing you need to believe, and that is in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but I digress.

After much thought, and prayer, and discussion with folks wiser than I, I decided that this nationally known group would not be allowed on campus. One, because we are a small campus, if even one person felt coerced into believing the gospel then it would create a backlash against our other 7 groups. And two, and most importantly, I felt a fundamental disrespect from this entity because they held "secret" meetings with male, conservative clergy in town and Never.Once.Came.And.Talked.To.Me. Not once.

And so now I have a discussion with a young adult minister in town and his wife whom I invited on campus to reach the non-denominational students (our third largest "denominational" affiliation) who has taken "Claiming this Campus for Christ" to a whole new level.

It seems that at their last praise and worship meeting, the devotional began with how God hates homosexuals. Ok, not my take on it, but many have differing opinions on that subject so I was willing to have a conversation about hospitality and leave it at that.

Then, after the God hates gays discussion, they began to say that different "religions/denominations" were evil. Yes, you heard correctly, evil.

Then, (why stop when you are on a roll?) they began to speak about the evils of the university.

Two, of the four, students who went got up and left.

Now, I'm not saying this institution, or any for that matter, is perfect. We are all sinners and therefore any institution in which we gather will also be sinful. But for me there is a fundamental difference between "sinful" and "Evil."

A student involved in campus ministry had breakfast this morning with the wife of the young adult minister, and the wife said to her after my student shared frustration about a class that she has to take a final in tomorrow, "You wouldn't be frustrated with that class if you were walking more closely with the Lord." The wife then went on to say that my student needed to be more deeply rooted in the Word and that her grades would be better if she were; and then she said that the Bible study the student is going to here at school (and at church for that matter) was not sufficient and she should come to her and her husband's Bible study.

So, the husband and wife and I are having breakfast tomorrow morning. I suspect that I will be told I am not "for claiming this campus for Christ." I suspect that it will get around town that I am not supportive or zealous enough for the Lord.

Fundamentally, though, this is about this group's respect for all other 700 students on campus that come from other traditions, as well as about a fundamental respect for the university. If they cannot come to the table of campus ministry and look around at all the other religious groups there and support their right to be there, then I'm not sure there is room at the table for them.

Please pray for me - that I will have wisdom and gentleness; that I will be able to listen deeply to what is said; that I will be brave and courageous against that which may potentially be divisive; that I will love them as well as speak the truth to them; that I will not overreact; that I will gain clarity about the future of this relationship between CM and this group. Pray also that I will be grounded and centered in Christ's presence as I handle this potentially difficult conversation.

Thanks.