Neutral-faith space

Recently, the proposed idea of a “neutral-faith space” has come under attack. The point of a neutral-faith space is to have a place where non-Christians can worship and practice fellowship; a place where a cross, easily the most Christian symbol existent, is not the focal point of the building, both inside and out; a place where the name of the building does not clearly state the principles tied to it. To this one might say, “…we are a Christian institution, and were founded on and built to promote Christian values…” or something to that end.

With that I won’t disagree, but the simple fact of the matter is that not everyone on this campus is Christian. We ought to nurture those students’ beliefs or non-beliefs, just as we ought to nurture students’ Christian beliefs, and engage all religious and non-religious students in constructive, critical and scholarly dialogue in order to learn and benefit from the different knowledge and vast experiences that constitute our community.

Andrew Nelson ‘10