TRUE LIBERTY? I DOUBT IT

When I went to college, I really liked living in a dormitory environment. I spent three years on the fourth floor of Mizzou's Gillette Hall. People from all over the country, were settled in pairs in tiny rooms. There wasn't much space in the tiny rooms that you were given and, unless you wanted to remain a silent recluse, the tiny spaces forced you to communicate and make friends with the people that lived on your floor.

Like almost all dorms at Mizzou, it was a secular co-ed environment. Sometimes kids, especially new freshmen, would do things that were immoral, unlawful or downright inappropriate. But except for one or two instances of when my university-chosen roommate and his girlfriend went a little too far while I was in the room and the random drunk college student that might make too much noise at night, dorm life was fun, interesting, and enriching.

Also during college in the dorms, I made many close friendships with Christian people, folks who believed that day to day decision making must be accompanied by prayer, that Jesus' death and resurrection were the two most important historical events in all of human history, and the Bible is God's written record that provides correct instruction toward righteousness and the best historical record of who God really is. It is probably because of these friendships that I am where I am today, teaching at a Christian school in Singapore.

And finally, and perhaps most shockingly, living in this dormitory environment with a diverse groups of both spiritual and nonspiritual folks, helped me live out the gospel and develop Biblical convictions. By living amongst drunkards and the sexually immoral, I was able to see that "mother was always right" about how wrong those activities were. I saw firsthand the consequences of those unwise choices, the toll that it took on kids' academic progress, and the helter-skelter social lives that those kids chose to lead.

However, I was also able to learn how to show grace and love to those people, something that is probably more important to God than simply doing the right thing. Holding the trashcan while somebody vomits in it teaches more humility than hours of Bible study. Helping a friend deal with the real world consequences of his sin does more to help you stay out of trouble than dozens of sermons. And doing something sacrificially to someone who scoffs at your values helps teach you to love like Jesus. Moreover, while everyone has their flaws and sins, living in a blatantly diverse and sinful environment helps crush the American myth that "everyone is a Christian." While even the most righteous people will sometimes screw up, you learn in the Mizzou dorms that there are clear distinctions in actions and attitudes among those who are at least trying to do God's will and those who just don't give a crap.

Of course I've made a lot of mistakes. It is impossible to go through your entire life, maybe even an an entire day, without doing something selfish or deceitful, losing control of your tongue, being lazy, gossiping, criticizing unnecessarily, feigning religion, being prideful, or acting with mixed motives; and I've done all of these things. In fact, in God's eyes I may be a little worse than the naive college drunkards; some of the most idiotic things that I've ever said and done have been in the name of religion. However, at some point in time, I'm not sure when (probably in high school), I realized that I was a pretty opinionated person and I became paranoid that I would be viewed or become a hypocrite. I spent summers working at Boys Scout camp; even when I didn't have an authentic faith and was a little more cynical, I've always been a church attender; I also have some pretty critical people in my family, and if I realized that if I did make a mistake and experiment with sin, I'd probably never hear the end of it. Whatever they may be, these factors have helped me live a pretty clean life and avoid so many of the socially unacceptable sins that can so easily entangle.

So what is the point of all of this? Why are these reflections necessary. Well, I have been looking at and thinking about getting a graduate degree in the next two or three years, and I have been looking at different colleges and universities. Naturally, I am semi-attracted to the idea of attending a Christian university. I've liked teaching at a Christian school; and if I am paying good money for my own education, it would be good to go to a graduate school with professors who seek to build up my faith as well as my mind.

Unfortunately, one thing I've found is that most so-called Christian universities heap tons of unreasonable living expectations upon their students. While surfing on Digg.com I found the code of conduct of one of the most renowned Christian universities, Jerry Falwell's Liberty University.

If the things on this list weren't real, some of the items would be funny. The code includes a system of incremental fines and reprimands for their students for each offence. There is apparently such a thing as a "music violation" that gets you a whopping four reprimands and a ten dollar fine. "Horseplay" makes the list. Showing up late and breaking the curfew is apparently a big deal at Liberty. There are four different items on the list dealing with that. Watching "R-rated" movies, deception, "entering the residence hallway of an opposite sex," and "entering the space above ceiling tiles" (what the heck!) are all sins on the same level of Falwell's Inferno and will give you twelve reprimands and a fifty dollar fine. Apparently, while living at Liberty going to see Michael Moore documentaries and most action movies and art films is out, but watching Dude, Where's my Car?, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and the upcoming Simpsons movie would be a perfectly acceptable activities. Don't misunderstand me, I've watched lots of movies, and movie ratings can be a good hard and fast tool for parents to decide what is and isn't acceptable, but after the kid starts to think for himself or herself their usage becomes pretty limited. Why should a secular organization like the MPAA with its superficial standards help set what is and isn't morally acceptable to Christians?

The two most troubling items on the list are also the most ridiculous. A $250 fine and an incredible 18 reprimands will be given to college students who "associate with those consuming alcohol" or "enter the residence hall or apartment or home of the opposite sex." Notice the key words: "associate" and "enter." On the Liberty University scale of morality, these offenses are apparently equal to racial and sexual harassment, exposing yourself, vandalism and threatening violence. It boggles my mind that "associating" and entering homes would even make the list. Clearly if you read the Bible, without a doubt, undeniably, and without question Jesus would be doing these things. You live in a fantasy world and must read a fantasy Bible if you don't see this. In my mind, I think that living in the Liberty University environment and following this code must make it harder to imitate Christ than living in the secular, beer-laden, co-ed Mizzou dorms.

As I walk with God, sometimes I become more sure about certain aspects of faith, sometimes I learn more about God's grace and character, and sometimes through prayer, Bible study, reflection, and teaching I learn that ideas that I have previously held are wrong. It is a slow process of spiritual and mental growth that has to be conscientious and is sometimes painful. But when I consider grown people (eighteen and up college students that we would send to war and allow to marry), I can't imagine requiring someone to submit to this superficial moral code that has been imposed under the auspices of authentic Christianity.

I know that spiritually I am nothing special. I've met people who have made much greater sacrifices for the gospel of Jesus Christ than I might ever do. I've met some who have risked their lives and lived in poverty to pursue God's call for their life. However, it makes me sad that if I were to attend a school such as Liberty, even if I were to receive the best education money could buy, my thoughts if not my actions would cause me to be labeled as some kind of intellectual rebel or rabble-rouser. This is absurd, considering that when I am in almost any other company I am seen as some moralistic purist and I sometimes fear being labeled a "church nerd." I do have problems and face temptations with my own sin and personal attitude, but I guarantee that living under this code of conduct would hinder, not help my spiritual state. And things about my spiritual walk that I view as negatives would only be exacerbated in such an environment.

But I guess I shouldn't get too worked up about this stuff. Going to a place like Liberty probably helps some people, and I've met several dedicated missionaries who have attended that institution. The thing that makes me the most frustrated is that Christian institutions need to learn that we aren't the military; we need to have a rigid code of conduct, but grace and love should trump superficial boundaries every time. We also aren't politicians or fortune five hundred CEO's that need to be constantly worried about our self image or what the lawyers and media might say. Our outward testimony is important, but what is more important is the testimony of our hearts and the way that we show love to our neighbors, even if they are so brazen as to be "of the opposite sex" or "consuming alcohol."