Equality Ride and proclaiming Christ

Mitali Perkins writes a wonderful little post on crosswalk.com about the Equality Ride and Chistian universities and colleges. The question: Are the schools doing the best they can to proclaim Christ in the world. Perkins congratulates Abeline Christian University for their announcement that the Riders will be allowed on campus, an act made truly in the act of Christian love:

The “Soulforce” Bus Litmus Test
Your teen is considering a Christian college, and you’re wondering how four years in a cloistered environment will equip him to serve as a diplomat for Christ in the “real” world. Here’s your chance to find out which schools excel at that task.

Track the route of 33 young adults on a seven-week bus journey with a mission “to confront colleges that ban the enrollment of LGBT students,” and consider the varied responses of the administration, faculty, and the students on each campus. If my son wanted to apply to Abilene Christian University, for example, I’d support him wholeheartedly after reading president Royce Money’s response:

(This visit) been a sobering reminder to me that it’s easier to condemn and avoid than encounter and be a Christian witness … One of the good things it has done (is) make us realize that we had not done a good job in informing our students to deal with a variety of cultural forces that they will face after college. So this has encouraged us to do a better job … The true character of an institution is shown in the way it faces certain challenges, and this visit is such a challenge. Therefore, it is important we conduct ourselves in a Christ-like manner in what we do and say — and I think we will.

A student editorial echoes Money’s sentiments. The bus arrives on that campus today, and it seems to me that members of the Church of Christ can indulge in a bit of godly pride (if there is such a thing) as their flagship University hosts these young visitors. I encourage you to pray for each college as the bus travels across the country, as well as for each of the thirty-three riders by name, and share with us what you know and think about their visits.

Click here for the most up-to-date Equality Ride news on MattHillNC.com.

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