When I meet people in my new campus ministry, they are almost always shocked to hear that I am a theatre major and in a sorority. On the surface, I understand it. I understand why Christians want to stay away from things that are secular in nature. After all, the Bible does tell us to surround ourselves with brothers and sisters in Christ, with people who will lift us up and make us better, but we aren’t completely like Jesus if we limit ourselves. You can hang out with people who aren’t religious without letting them change you. In fact, you can (and should) hang out with those people and use that time to be a good influence to them. You miss out on a lot of important lessons if you only hang out with people who already share your faith. You miss opportunities to teach and to share.
This is the reason Jesus spent so much of His time on Earth hanging out with the tax collectors and sinners. He said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician” (Matthew 9:9-13). Think of everywhere you go as a mission field. By only participating in Christian groups, you can also miss opportunities to learn (and I mean learn a lot). Both my sorority and my theatre company have Bible studies every single week, and I think the fact that the organizations are considered secular makes this time in fellowship even more special to me. There is nothing like being in the green room of a theatre where cuss words and crude jokes usually abound to talk about redemption. There’s nothing like being a sorority house where the conversation usually revolves around silly earthly things and listening to your big talk about forgiveness. It truly gives me so much strength and hope to see people in non-religious organizations come together without hesitation in the love of Christ. I think it’s because it takes that much more of God’s power to bring these groups together, and it’s so beautiful to see.
It is my prayer that I not hide my faith in these organizations, and so they have also truly taught me to be proud of my Christianity. I’ve learned so much from my theatre company and sorority already, and I’m still only in my first semester of college. I would go so far as to encourage everyone to join a secular or just non-religious organization. I’m not at all saying to forget about your churches and campus ministries. People who share your faith are vital to your growth. I’m saying that people outside of these groups are vital to your growth as well. Be like Christ. Reach out. Talk to people whom others might be shocked to see you talking to. You never know what you might be able to teach someone or what you might be able to learn yourself.
