Examining the role of Christianity in social action

I would like to issue an apology to Mr. Elliot Ratzman and the rest of the Princeton University campus. Mr. Ratzman's article, "White Affluent Christians Ask: 'Where Was God?'," printed recently in the Nassau Weekly described a tension that breaks my heart and convicts my soul. I certainly recognize the generalizations and stereotypes, and even the tendencies, of evangelical Christians to be concerned with the "otherworld" (as Mr. Ratzman calls it), with saving souls in the face of the graphic injustice accompanying this world. In light of this, I especially appreciate Mr. Ratzman's mention of "powerful and productive voices in the Evangelical community;" he names Ron Sider, Jim Wallis, Eugene Rivers and Jimmy Carter as examples of those who are working to resolve injustice and social problems. I hope he knows of the many others that are working in human rights and domestic and international policy, but I fear that evangelicals often go unrecognized for the work they do and are stereotyped instead in the very way Mr. Ratzman stereotypes them. But it is not my intention to debate in this piece whether or not evangelicals are substantially contributing to our world. It is not my intention to discuss whether or not Mr. Ratzman succeeds in making his case or to address any of the specific aspects of his article. It is my intention instead to apologize for the ways in which I, as one of the members of Agape Christian fellowship (one of Princeton's evangelical fellowships as defined by Mr. Ratzman) have propagated the view that Mr. Ratzman presents toward the end of his piece:

"Issues of earthly suffering and injustice – sweatshop capitalism, suicidal industrial policies, unfettered markets and unregulated power, etc. – are all subordinate to selfish soul saving. . . Where was God at Columbine? Better we should ask, where are Christians in the face of persistent and enduring social evil?"

I have chosen to be a member in Agape because I believe that it is important for people to cultivate their spiritual nature in addition to their intellect, and I believe that Agape provides a forum for this. We might all certainly agree that over the course of history, the spiritual side of man has been held in decreasing importance; as a society, we currently view it as less real and of less concern than the material world around us. In my opinion, it is for this reason that Christian fellowships like Agape exist — to provide opportunities to develop this nature, to question it, to seek truth for and on its behalf. I am a member of Agape because it is my hope that, through developing our own spirituality, learning to live in accordance with Christ's teachings and gaining a passion for God's sense of justice, students would be motivated to be consistently, continually and fervently involved with other organizations and causes.

I do not believe that the purpose or intention of Agape is to setup a Christian alternative to the Student Volunteers Council, Princeton Peace Project, the College Democrats/Republicans or any other organization. This is partly because the composition of an evangelical fellowship group at Princeton University is not, as Mr. Ratzman paints, a uniform community hiding itself as just another social type. In my opinion, Christianity is not, will not, and cannot be synonymous with a certain political party, specific positions on social issues, or a particular economic or domestic policy. Within fellowship groups on this campus, people frequently espouse numerous ideas on peripheral aspects of Christian theology itself, let alone the correct stances Christians should hold on issues in the rest of the world. This does not mean we are relegated to apathy and inaction; it means that as a nondenominational Christian fellowship, Agape does not promote singular causes, parties, or social ideologies to students. Instead Agape encourages them in their spiritual lives, and prays that all Christians on and beyond this campus will be compelled to live their lives with compassion, seeking justice wherever they go, motivated by the message of the otherworld.

But let me be the first to recognize that this is my ideal passion as a Christian — my ideal vision of what a fellowship of Christians would be and do. However, because we are very human and imperfect, we often fall short of this ideal. I have seen Christians (not necessarily those at Princeton) turn their heads when presented with some of the very issues Mr. Ratzman mentions; I have heard the honest claim made that a Christian cannot be a Democrat. I know Christians who believe that their lives should be completely separate from and unconcerned with this world, and at times it has made me want to stop allying myself with the whole lot. But I continue to believe in the power of the message of Christianity and to hope that, when students are connected to and inspired by the otherworld, they will be compelled to make a dynamic difference in this world.

And I ask for forgiveness for not doing enough as a Christian on our campus to ensure that when people think of Christianity, they think of selfless service, sacrifice and passion for justice. I ask for forgiveness that what I have done has instead seemed to provide evidence that Christians only care about the otherworld as the end in itself. Please be assured that this is not the first time many of us have wrestled with these issues, and it will not be the last. I speak for many students in acknowledging that we have not done and are not doing enough to stand for justice in this world; we appreciate Mr. Ratzman's points and hope that this dialogue will remain open.

As a final note, I wish that Mr. Ratzman had attended Darrell Scott's talk, "Where Was God at Columbine," before writing his article in the Nassau Weekly. Mr. Scott did not hesitate to talk about his faith or the faith of his daughter, but the point of his talk was not this, but to encourage and exhort people to follow his daughter's example of love and compassion for the world. In no way did he exploit the tragedy of Columbine; instead, he told stories about his daughter. Rachel Joy Scott was well known for her service to the handicapped and outcasts at Columbine High School, and in the wake of her death, high schools and middle schools around America have embraced a code of ethics and acceptance laid out by Rachel's life. Darrell Scott encouraged people to live lives of compassion, to take the time to reconcile differences and past rifts in relationships, and to thank the people who have inspired us in life. His late daughter Rachel believed that these principles would start a chain of kindness that would change the world. I strongly affirm Mr. Scott's words and his challenge to us — this is precisely what Christians and the rest of this world should be inspired to.

I commit to you, Mr. Ratzman, and to my peers on this campus that my role in discussing the place of Christianity in social action will not end with this editorial. Lisa Hess is a psychology major from Lititz, Pa. She can be reached at lhess@princeton.edu.