Opportunity for Impact

An Americans United for the Separation of Church and State official told Vanderbilt University Christians to "stop whining" about the institution's all-comers policy and hold their meetings in private homes like Christians in communist China.

Executive Director Barry W. Lynn said "I would suggest that people in this position – to use a phrase on a button in my dentist office that he always wears when he works, it says, 'stop whining.' I'd say stop whining here. Why not do what evangelicals do: go out into the world, out into the community and have your meetings, if you have to, off campus. Show your faith and meet with students not in a club room somewhere in the university, but in those home churches that kept Christianity alive during the darkest days of communist China."

For more than a year now, Vanderbilt University and several religious student groups have been locked in a battle over discrimination.

The university insists that groups like the Christian Legal Society, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Vanderbilt Catholic and others cannot require prospective leaders to share their faith and values. To do so would run afoul of the university’s non-discrimination policy to admit “all comers.” If the student groups don’t shape up, they’ll have to ship out.

One group already has. In March, Vanderbilt Catholic said it would pick up and move off campus, rather than sign a pledge that non-Catholics were welcome to apply for positions of leadership. To do that, the group's leaders said, would be to compromise the entire purpose of the organization.

It seems that this is a perfect opportunity for Christian leaders to join one of the 7 gay and lesbian organizations and run for leadership positions. This would allow a Christian voice to be heard in the groups that most likely have none.

Christ dined with many people who were not believers and did not compromise his beliefs. This is an opportunity for Christians to join non-Christian clubs and make an impact for Christ! Get as many Christians as you can to join these secular clubs and vote Christian leaders into positions of influence in the club.  The opportunity to spread the Word and see the impact is ready to be had at Vanderbilt. This applies to all colleges and universities as well.