The Christian Generation Y

Um ... I'm sort of divided on this Los Angeles Times article, "Crusading iPoders for Christ." The reporter talks about Campus Crusade members at the University of Southern California and how Christian college students are really liberal while being spiritual. To their credit, they are boldly sharing their faith. But they are also cited as endorsing homosexuality and have questionable understanding of the Bible. I'm not saying all Christian USC students are like this, just the ones this reporter chooses to quote. For example, this girl, who wants to be minister:

"The Bible is full of contradictions," she said when asked about the evangelical prohibition against ordaining women. "In 1 Timothy, women are told to submit to men, but in Acts, women teach men. God changes his mind all the time."

... and about the topic of homosexuality ...

"I never saw anything in the Bible that said being a homosexual is evil. It says two guys having sex is bad, but not that you're going to hell if you're born gay."

Yikes. About the first part, I'm not dead-set against women pastors and think submission is two-way street, but if this girl really thinks God changes His mind all the time, then there's a problem. And has she ever read Romans 1?

On the other hand, The Stranger article I posted about earlier did have some excellent, biblical-view quotes from Christian students. And surprisingly, look what one reader has to say about them in this week's letters-to-the-editor section:

I am not a Christian, and personally I find the most disturbing trend in America to be the growing popularity of radical Evangelicalism. Its attempt to destroy the line between church and state, its disdain for science and reason, and its intolerance towards homosexuals is dangerous to America and to the world. Because it tries to force its worldview on the rest of us (and has such an influence with the current administration), criticism of this movement should be relentless.

However, Mr. Kaushik and Mr. Burgess' article, and its criticism of the "Charismatics," is offensive in both its tone and content. As far as I can tell, these are Christians who choose to pray in public. I don't find that fact "more than a little worrisome" as the article does-they are free to do what they want, and it sounds like members of all faiths and denominations are welcome. The argument seems to be, "these people are scary because they are Christians who pray in public at the same time as the religious right is gaining more influence over secular America."

If these "Charismatics" are indeed as intolerant as the radical Evangelicals, I didn't get it from this article. I suggest the authors choose their targets more carefully next time, and leave their own intolerance at home. I for one wish the people in the article all the best on their spiritual path.

Ah, can you smell the relativism? I'm looking forward to moving back to Seattle and getting into the mix with these neo-hippies. You gotta love 'em ... God does.

Thanks, Amy, for the latimes.com link.