Christ, the revolution ?

by Chris Marshall

From Friday, April 29 to Thursday evening, May 2, 1974, VUW Christian Union will be holding a series of public meetings on campus with guest speaker, Rev Michael Griffiths, General Director of the Overseas Missionary Fellowship. The purpose of these meetings is simply the proclamation of what we, as Christian students, believe to be the truth about man, God and society. Ideally, the modem liberal university is dedicated to the free pursuit of truth, and as part of this university, Christian Union wishes to invite all those engaged in such a pursuit to investigate the claims of the most remarkable man who ever lived —Jesus Christ, who claimed to be the way, the truth and the life.

Despite the claims of most students to be open-minded and intellectually honest, we believe that few students really have the courage to personally confront the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus Christ. Some label the proclamation of Christianity as 'intellectually unacceptable' in the "liberated" university which is supposedly (and only supposedly) free from dogma, tradition and established ideals. Others flatly regard Christian belief as abhorrent — 'afterall it is based on superstition and ignorance; it is the opium of the people and fulfills no purpose other than making people forget their true social and economic plight.' The unfortunate thing is that for some people such arguments are trotted out to cover up a real prejudice and ignorance of the essence of Christian teaching and betray an irrational reaction against something they don't understand. And even the more rational and consistent students often neglect a careful inspection of the expanse of the Christian understanding.

What, then, is the justification for Christian proclamation on campus? Is Christian evangelism defensible when to "force your beliefs on others" is generally regarded as intolerant?

In the first place, it is not our intention to force our beliefs on anyone. To repeat again — we simply are providing the opportunity for people to examine the tenets of the historic Christian faith. Jesus Christ is a man who simply cannot be ignored. Moreover, evangelism is not simply (or even primarily) verbal. Rather, it is something that affects every aspect of the human situation. As a Christian Prime Minister of the Netherlands at the turn of the century once said, "in the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, 'that is mine' ", Christian mission provides the potential for a totally alternative life-style for the whole of society — if man is willing to humbly confess his need of God. The Christian message is one of God's concern for every area of human life.

Secondly, Christians are not the only ones actively engaged in spreading their beliefs. The mass media is filled with examples of different groups and individuals trying to persuade us of the validity of their convictions. Ardent "evangelism" is common, for instance, to most political groups. At varsity, Salient is a major vehicle for propagating a Marxist-Leninist analysis of the human condition and advocating a corresponding solution to the gross ills of society. The Socialist Action newspaper sometimes includes a list of people who have been most effective in selling the newspaper, and hence spreading the Young Socialist's ideology. In other words, if one believes that one's philosophy provides a viable alternative to the status quo, then it is only logical to engage in the propagation of that philosophy. Indeed, if a philosophy does not have a corporate applicability, then it is as good as useless for meeting society's needs. Because we believe that within Christ lies the only answer to the world today — we tell people!

Perhaps, however, the most compelling reason we have for declaring the message of Christ, is that we are utterly convinced it is ultimately true. For centuries, Christianity has withstood attempts to intellectually discredit it, and today it still stands as a coherent and totally reasonable philosophy of life (and death). Individually, faith in Christ is a renewing and transforming experience — a thoroughgoing reorientation of a person towards God and his neighbour and hence the most revolutionary teaching in existence today. While other alternatives such as the drug scene, the counter culture, Eastern mysticism etc, fail to bring true liberation, Jesus Christ addresses our generation with the words, "when you know the truth, the truth shall set you free". And so believing truth liberates, we proclaim the truth of the Christian gospel.

Mike Griffith's meetings: Wednesday, May 1, 7.30pm — Union Hall. Thursday, May 2, 7.30pm Cafeteria, UUB.

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