Being a Christian in college isn’t easy. I know saying that while attending a university in East Tennessee may sound stupid, but let’s face the facts. UT experiences the same trend of growing liberalism that exists in all of American higher education. This is not to say that “liberals” cannot be Christians and “conservatives” must be. I am just saying that even in our corner of the world, smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt, Christianity can be looked down upon for a variety of reasons, both valid and ridiculous.
In some ways I was lucky growing up in a Christian household. I have two parents who loved my brothers and me and showed us how to be godly men. We were (and still are) part of a loving congregation at Fairview United Methodist Church, and I know that through any personal disaster there would be crowds of people busting down our doors to help us.
It may not be politically correct to say it, but even in an environment of “civility,” Christians still seem to be given a tough time of it. I have been mocked, made fun of, had my opinions discounted, etc., for what I believe just in my time at UT. I was recently hired as a Summer Youth Intern at FUMC for this upcoming summer, and I was almost immediately met with skeptical looks from those I told. They treated me as if I was somehow selling myself short. If I am blessed enough to share the Word of God to anyone I work with this summer, then I think I’ve gained more than any other summer work could give me.
People claim that Christians are often the biggest source of persecution in the United States today. According a to popular belief, we hate homosexuals because they are sinful. We want to control what women can and can’t do with their bodies and their unborn children. We believe in “traditional” gender roles that force individuals into particular lifestyles. In essence, we want to restrict the freedoms of individuals so that they fit the image that we believe God wants.
Lumping every Christian into that narrow category is simply biased and quite frankly ignorant. Those who make these blanket statements are guilty of the same hateful prejudice espoused by some Christians. Reread what I wrote above. Didn’t I just list off much of contemporary society’s, and particularly the media’s, definition of Christianity (particularly in the South) in just a few sentences? It’s certainly easier to win an argument if you can package your opponent in a box, regardless if you have to commit the same acts of which you are accusing them.
Not all Christians who don’t support civil unions hate homosexuals, as the often incorrectly applied term “homophobic” may lead the public to believe. Not all Christians who oppose abortion hate women’s rights. Not all Christians who believe that there are defined roles for men and women in the family hate those who fall outside that spectrum. These are labels that the left has been putting on Christians for political gain.
Unfortunately, there are Christians that do fall in these categories that hurt the perception of the whole group. However, there are also completely logical reasons to these ways of thinking that aren’t motivated by hate in any way, shape, form or fashion. I can acknowledge that fact, and I don’t even agree with all of those stances. If you really believe that hate is a motivating factor in all Christians’ decisions, then whoever gave you that idea clearly failed to mirror the love of Jesus Christ. For that, I apologize, and I hope that one day we can redeem ourselves. If you have any thoughts or questions on this column, Christianity or Christianity’s role in personal political choices, feel free to email me and I will be happy to discuss the topic with you.
— Hunter Tipton is a senior in microbiology. He can be reached at [email protected].
