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The student union was jammed full of people at the noon hour. Some were studying, some grabbing lunch with a few friends, all unsuspecting, as suddenly a bailiff came charging into their midst shouting, "Ladies and gentlemen, the trial is about to begin! It's the people versus Christianity. The charge is that Christianity is a sexist religion that degrades women!" People stopped their studying, eating and talking. The bailiff continued in a loud voice, "What do you think? Is Christianity sexist? Does it put down women? You be the jury in this case! It's your decision!" Trailing close behind the bailiff, was a judge dressed in the traditional black robe and white wig, passing out flyers to the puzzled onlookers. The two curious characters proceeded throughout the entire Student Union building, announcing the trial to everyone within earshot.

These two curious characters were Rob Ireland, the bailiff, and me (Shawn) as the judge. Our goal was to stir up a commotion and draw people from the Union out to the Free Speech area, where we were about to put Christianity on trial. We had prepared three different cases to be tried on different days of the week. Each case was based on a widely held criticism or "charge" against Christianity. On Monday, Christianity was being charged with sexism. Tuesday, it was "Christianity is narrow-minded and intolerant of other religions," and Thursday it was, "The church is full of hypocrisy."

As Rob and I made our way out the front door of the Union, a group of students first mimicked the bailiff, then gathered to pray against the Christians. Later we discovered that they were members of the Nation of Islam. Rob reflected, "At first, I was just having fun and making a lot of noise. But after I heard some of the things they said, and saw those guys praying against us, I realized God was telling me, 'This is not a game.'"

At the Free Speech area, Rob called still more attention to the trial by doing a rap about the audience, who needed to make a decision as the jury. The prosecuting attorney (Juleah Sumpter) and the defense attorney (Mark Early) both made opening statements about what they were trying to prove. Then Juleah called a witness to the stand (Suzanne Curtis) to build her case against Christianity:

Prosecution: Miss Curtis, do you believe the Bible is true?

Witness: Yes. Absolutely.

Prosecution: Would you read 1Timothy 2:11-12,15 for the court? (Witness reads the passage). Miss Curtis, does this passage from the Bible state that women should be quiet and submissive?

Witness: Yes. But this--

Prosecution: Thank you! Does this passage also state that a woman should not have authority over a man?

Witness: Well, yes, but you have to--

Prosecution: That's enough, thank you. And does it also say that women should be silent?

Witness: Yes, it does. But Paul was addressing--

Prosecution: Yes or no will suffice, Miss Curtis. Finally, Miss Curtis, does your Bible state that women will be saved through having children?

Witness: You have to understand the con--

Prosecution: Yes or no! Does it state that women will be saved through childbirth?

Witness: Yes.

Prosecution: So according to your Bible, women are supposed to be silent, submissive, barefoot and pregnant?

Witness: No! That's not what it means!

Prosecution: Are you pregnant, Miss Curtis?

Witness: No, why?

Prosecution: Well, according to your Bible, you can't be saved until you give birth to a child! (Turning to the audience) Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please note that the witness, who is a self-proclaimed Christian, admits that the Bible states that women must be silent, submissive, and pregnant if they are to be saved and in good standing with the church.

The prosecution brought up other texts to "prove" that Christianity was demeaning to women. As Juleah passionately argued her case, people stopped to listen. They were curious, wondering why the Christian group on campus was presenting a strong case against their own religion! "I agree with a lot of what she said," one person commented. A few students from our group said, "I hope we have a good answer to all this stuff!" When it was Mark's turn to argue in defense of Christianity, he showed the context and background of the verses in question and showed the jury that the Bible gave (and still gives) equal dignity and importance to women and men.

After closing statements, the judge said, "We think that any religion worth believing in should be able to stand up to scrutiny. We hope that we've inspired you to re-examine Christianity and we look forward to hearing your verdict. The decision is yours. Of course, the best way to know if Christianity is really true is to give it a 'trial' in your own life."

On Friday night, all three cases were tried again at a "Grand Trial." Christians invited their non-Christian friends, and the audience declared their verdict by voting on a ballot after each trial. At the end of the Grand Trial, the judge addressed the entire audience:

"I would like to speak to you about a very interesting case I heard about. A respected judge was about to retire. He had only one year left of service, and then he was going to take his life savings and pursue his dream of traveling the world. But a case came up that year involving a huge embezzlement charge against a corporate executive. Since the judge was experienced and respected, he was called to preside over the case. When the day of the first hearing came around, the judge called the defendant forward. Suddenly a look of shock came over the judge's face--it turned out that the executive being charged with gross embezzlement was one of the judge's lifelong friends! This fact soon made the news, and everyone in that city was talking about it.

"The trial proceeded, the evidence was presented and, to the judge's horror, the jury found his friend guilty of embezzling a fortune. It was time for the judge to declare his sentence. By now, the whole city was waiting to hear what the judge was going to do. The big question was, 'Would he be true to the law, and throw his friend in jail for many years, or would he use his position as a judge to let his friend off easy?' This was the judge's dilemma.

"While the people waited, the judge thought hard about what he should do. Then, after a long pause, he said, 'I am ready to give the sentence.' He pause and then proceeded, 'I have always upheld the law the way I should, and I cannot betray the law today. I sentence the defendant to pay back the money he stole, and serve ten years in the state penitentiary.' The people in the courtroom were impressed with the judge's respect for the law.

"But then the judge did something very unexpected. He took off his robe, stepped down from his bench and embraced his friend. And he said, 'We have been friends since we were little boys. I love you like my own brother--and I will not forget that love today. Take my life savings and use it to pay back the money you stole. Go back to your family and earn a decent living. I am going to serve your jail time for you.' And that day, the judge ended his career and went to prison for his friend.

"You see, I am telling a story of what God did for each one of us. Just like the corporate executive, we are guilty of breaking the law. Not a single one of us is perfect. We've all broken God's perfect laws of love. And like the judge, God upholds the law. He will not betray the law. Everyone must answer for his or her moral wrongdoing. But he also upholds his love for us, because he was willing to take the sentence on himself. In his judgment, God is true to his perfect law. But in taking the punishment, God is true to his love for us. Like the judge who stepped down from his bench and took off his robe, Jesus left his place in heaven and stripped off his glory in order to become a man. And as a man, he suffered a criminal's death on the cross, taking our sentence upon himself. And finally, like the defendant, we are offered a new life. Christians are those who have turned their back on the old life of sin, and have begun following Jesus in a radical new lifestyle. And if you give Jesus a trial in your own life, believing in him and following his example, you will see for yourself that he is everything he claimed to be."

How did the campus respond to these trials? Well, the verdict was consistently for the Defense, although that may be because so many in the audience were believers already. But not all were. Some weren't moved at all, having already made up their minds even before the trials. Some thought it was the most creative way they'd ever seen to present both sides of some of the common accusations against Christianity. After the grand trial, one man said, "The story about the judge showed me how costly it was for God to forgive us. I'm going to be thinking really hard about that." Randy is another student who responded to the grace of God that night. He's been coming to the InterVarsity chapter meetings ever since.

The chapter members found the whole experience valuable. "This was the best time of the year for me," said one student, "because we really had to work hard to research our side of the trial." Most of those who took part can't wait to do something like this again.