Christianity  on  Campus  Written  by  Laura  Nash  Published  Fall  2011    Non-­‐denominational  liberal  arts  college.  Hippies.  Free-­‐thinkers.  Atheists.  The  stereotypical  Lewis  &  Clark  student  is  neutered  of  religion—considers  him  or  herself  “spiritual”  at  most.  Where  does  Christianity  fit  into  this?  Despite  all,  it  makes  a  place  for  itself.    On  Wednesday  evenings,  when  most  of  us  return  to  our  dorms  to  digest  another  Bon  dinner,  a  small  group  of  students  descends  into  the  basement  of  Agnes  Flanagan  Chapel  to  eat  Life  cereal  and  chat  about  Christianity.  This  program,  led  by  Hannah  Thompson  (’13)  adopts  a  very  casual  atmosphere.  Topics  of  conversation  swing  wildly  from  homework  to  movies  to  Jesus.  The  hour  often  ends  with  a  sing-­‐along.  Thompson  heard  (according  to  rumor)  that  only  half  of  a  percent  of  LC  students  identify  as  Christian.    As  to  how  tolerable  the  other  99.5  percent  students,  and  the  professors,  are  toward  Christianity,  Thompson  said,  “They’d  expect  people  not  to  be  Christian…  They  expect  intelligent  people  not  to  be  Christian.”    Agape  and  Fellowship  of  Christian  Athletes  leader  Dexter  Pearce  (’13)  finds  his  fellow  students  “really  tolerating  for  the  most  part.”    He  hopes  to  work  with  nonsectarian  groups  on  campus  this  school  year,  including  Unisex  and  the  Womyn’s  Center.  He  said  that  it  does  not  matter  to  him  whether  or  not  these  groups  agree  with  his  beliefs.  The  focus  is  on  “service  without  hitting  someone  with  the  Bible.”    Pearce  emphasized  his  hope  that  all  students,  not  just  Christians,  will  participate  in  Agape  activities  and  voice  their  questions  and  opinions  on  Christianity.  Christianity  makes  another  home  in  the  classroom.      "We  consider  ourselves  the  quintessential  liberal  arts  department,"  said  Paul  S.  Wright  Professor  of  Christian  Studies  Robert  Kugler,  explaining  that  that  is  because  Religious  Studies  (a  department  with  approximately  20  declared  majors)  draws  from  many  other  areas  of  study:  sociology/anthropology,  history,  political  science  to  name  a  few.    Religion  is  treated  very  differently  in  an  academic  setting  than  in  a  personal  or  extracurricular  context.  According  to  Kugler,  it  is  treated  “generally  without  regard  for  the  truth  claims  of  religious  traditions.”    Religious  Studies  does  not  deal  with  the  "fuzzy,  theological  stuff,"  said  Kugler.  It  deals  with  questions  like  "What  is  religion?"  and  "What  was  it  before  that?"  (before  it  was  called  religion).  

 As  to  the  place  that  religion  should  have  on  a  liberal  arts  campus,  Kugler  asserted,  “It  should  have  a  place  right  alongside  any  other  of  the  human  expressions  that  we  study  in  a  liberal  arts  college  and  that  people  bring  with  them  as  part  of  their  identity.”    However  you  choose  to  respond  to  it,  Christianity  thrives,  if  quietly,  on  campus.  Agnes  Flanagan  Chapel  stands  proudly,  visible  as  soon  as  you  pass  the  gatehouse.  Agape  members  moved  from  dorm  kitchen  to  dorm  kitchen  last  weekend  to  wash  dirty  dishes,  no  matter  who  they  belonged  to.  The  ladies  from  Skyline  tend  to  shrines  erected  in  the  supply  closets,  and  freshman  tote  heavy  Bibles  to  Exploration  &  Discovery.