Doing Battle with the Campus

A second meaning of engagement is that of a military engagement or battle. This, too, has a strong dimension of commitment to it, but the emphasis is more on struggle and conflict. Loving the campus does not mean that we agree with everything that happens in school or that we are assimilated into all aspects of campus culture and its belief systems. Rather, we are to stand up for truth and issues of righteousness in all of our campus relationships.

Jesus put it very succinctly when He prayed that His disciples would be "in the world, but not of it." Regretfully, too many Christians invert that statement; they are of the world, but not in it! Our calling, however, is to follow both the example and teaching of our Lord -- by being in the world, but not of it. We need to love the campus, but if necessary, do battle with it as well.

Let me illustrate this with the issue of racism. Most campuses today are facing some type of racial tension in the administration, among the faculty, or in the student ranks. We need to confront racism at all levels, including within our own chapters, and provide a community that demonstrates racial reconciliation. This is hard work and may not always be popular, but it is definitely the calling of Christ.