This will have to be a short post for several reasons: 1.) I'm borrowing a computer here from the secretary at University of Puget Sound, 2.) I have to meet a friend at 3 pm, and 3.) I waited to have lunch, and I'm getting pretty hungry.

However, I did have an interesting conversation with the advisor for the United Methodist student group here at UPS (historically a Methodist college). We talked about how hard it was for many students on a socially aware and active campus like this to tap into Christianity, mainly because they had associations with it that did not square up with their concerns for justice in the world. We also talked about how the students who had made those connections tended to feel isolated on campuses. One problem, I think, is that those of us from mainline Christian denominations feel uncomfortable talking about God. The sense is that if we bring our faith up in general conversation, people will feel like we're trying to convert them or push our beliefs on them-- something that many of us are uncomfortable with. Yet I think there is a way to talk about our faith, and how it relates to our concerns for justice for women, for the environment, and for other issues that isn't threatening.

I learned in college that talking about God is okay-- when I talk about my faith, I'm not doing it to make people believe as I do. Generally when I bring up Christianity, I'm talking about it because it is part of my identity (of course, working for the church helps with that). But because my passion for justice is so tied to my faith, it is difficult for me to explain one without explaining the other. It is unfortunate that so often, those of us concerned with those issues feel like we can't express our faith if we want to be accepted in justice communities. Sometimes, it is okay to talk about God if that is a part of why we work for justice.

Okay, I really need to go-- someone may have made off with my display by now. Until tomorrow!

"God has showed you, O people, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." --Micah 6:8

Kelsey

In response to your quote,
"It is unfortunate that so often, those of us concerned with those issues feel like we can't express our faith if we want to be accepted in justice communities."

I think it works both ways. As a Presbyterian who cares about issues of social justice, I sometimes have a hard time expressing my more progressive views in certain Christian groups on my college campus. I've found that these groups sometimes seem more concerned with morality than with embracing each other's differences and helping those in the minority.