Collegiate Times

A Cru student raises his hand in emotional connection to a portion of the evening worship service.

In the testosterone-infused atmosphere of collegiate sports, standing up for one's faith isn't always the "cool" thing to do.

"I was the only guy on the lacrosse team that doesn't drink, and guys are OK with that but to say, 'My body is a temple' is a reason that I don't think, that takes a certain type of faith and a certain type of boldness," said Brian Fletcher, a junior mechanical engineering major who played two seasons on Tech's club lacrosse team.

Leaders of all stripes said that the question of feeling publicly comfortable with one's faith was a common struggle.

"That's understandable that people feel that way, if unfortunate ...The problem is with labels. A label means anything anything that anyone wants it to mean. That's just unfortunate," said Dave Clark, a graduate of Dallas Seminary and Campus Bible Fellowship staff.

Struggling with these issues belies pressures on the college Christian that Rice sees as inhibiting students' potential for Christian leadership.

"There is enough potential on this campus to have a profound positive effect on the world. The students who are on this campus will be the leaders of tomorrow. This is the largest age group where people fall away from their faith. Simply put, I want to change that," Rice said.

To inculcate this type of leadership, nearly every Christian group maintains some sort of service activity, from Cru's international mission projects to Chi Alpha's spring break trip to work in inner city Atlanta.

"You have to give your life away to get it back. People are seeing that we argue against a 'me focused culture.' It's not for me, it's for them. That's got to make things better," in the community as well as in the spiritual life of students, Pace said.

All of these elements of the Christian community blend together in what Highfield called "becoming a self-feeder," taking on the challenge of pursuing one's faith with total commitment. It is this personal journey that goes on within the hearts of the faithful that is so dear to the students who participate.  

"(Chi Alpha) is a place to ask questions, to be confused, to be even a little upset sometimes. It's a support group, but it doesn't want you to just blend in. It wants you to experience God for yourself," Newberger said.

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