A fellow classmate furiously slams her fist on the table, making the whole class jump as she declares for the fourth time this semester that Christians are nothing but conservative, judgemental, non-accepting hypocrites who hate anyone who doesn’t love Jesus.
You have got to be kidding me.
The professor sits there in silence, simply keeping a watchful eye on the verbal conflict that was arising. Perhaps, in his eyes, it was a “healthy disagreement.”
Normally I wouldn’t protest. I’ve gotten used to being challenged about my faith since starting at Lang. In fact, it sometimes feels that to be openly Christian here is to be questioned, provoked, cornered. After watching that fist-banging situation, I can add misunderstood to the list.
Never did I expect this to happen here— at The New School! Too often in classroom discussions I feel hushed and shoved into a corner because of my beliefs as a Christian. I find myself dodging fights and arguments with atheists or non-believers anytime I bring up Jesus. So I have learned to stay quiet. I overlook the rolling of the eyes when a professor scoffs at the changing of water into wine. I ignore the open aversion to discussing the Bible and the works of Christ in class.
Paul had a similar situation— the disciple, I mean. In the bible, it says that after Jesus died, he and the other disciples were struck down time and again for simply believing in him. Paul was beaten, thrown into jail, spat on, persecuted and laughed at. He wrote the majority of The New Testament in a jail cell. As mistreated as he was, he never allowed other people’s resistance to Christ to keep him silent about his faith.
And therefore, I can’t either. I may not have been beaten or burned like Paul, but I have found comfort in his story as I struggle to remain true to my own beliefs.
The New School has long been a home for the refugee, the diverse and the different. It was founded in 1919 by progressive, free-thinking educators and scholars in Greenwich Village. This is supposed to be a school of receptive and liberal intellectuals. I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable about bringing up my faith in class discussions and seminars that were built on the foundation of open-minded thought.
I can understand certain frustrations that anyone could have with not only Christianity, but religion in general. And yes, the general progressive and liberal culture of The New School can often clash with the foundations of any faith-based identity. Anytime I discuss my faith, I often get the example of The Westboro Baptist Church thrown in my face. The Topeka, Kansas church is infamous for its homophobic and anti-semitic beliefs and protests. Churches who have beliefs like this make it very easy to discredit what I am saying. Allow me to apologize to you on behalf of every silent Christian in this school for the lie that Westboro Baptist Church actually follows the teachings of Jesus Christ. It does not. There is absolutely nothing Christian-like about any group that chooses to hate and hurt people.
But why, when The Bible comes up, must we bash, scoff and roll our eyes? We talk about difficult things all the time in Lang seminars. In fact, we’re encouraged to challenge ourselves and each other. I’ve never understood why of all the tough topics that come up, Christianity isn’t on the list. Being open minded has helped me realize that sometimes pieces I didn’t wish to read, or stories I didn’t want to hear have actually given me a new perspective. But sometimes I feel as if my peers don’t have the same approach.
It’s the difference in beliefs that make up a part of who we are. It’s the sharing of those differences that make that identity come alive– that make it authentic. I should be able to be my own authentic self just like anyone else, and that is to be openly and unapologetically Christian; unapologetically me.