Dear Declaration,

I'd like to elaborate on the question posed by last week's center spread "Cruising for Christians": why we are experiencing a proliferation of student participation in Christian fellowship groups on grounds. My contention is that we as students have basic needs that can be addressed only within the confines of a personal and spiritual relationship with our Creator. These fellowship groups offer an environment where students can be vulnerable with others; they acknowledge the reality of pain in our experience, and they allow the pressures of "success" to fade away.

Let's face it -- we all have a desire to be real with one another, and in normal university life we aren't allowed. We want to put down our guard; we want to take off our masks. How many of us, though, answer truthfully to the standard greeting around grounds, "How are you?" We all know that the accepted answers are "good," "great," or "okay." How often, though, do we feel like saying "crappy," "sick," "defeated," or "Do you have a couple of hours?"

In a Christian fellowship setting, a "How are you?" usually expects more than a one word answer. These fellowships strive to mirror the patience, the understanding, and the healing presence of Jesus Christ. The Christians and other seekers who make up the fellowships know how difficult it can be here -- they are our classmates, house and apartmentmates, teammates, brothers and sisters.

The listening ears in these fellowships know about the expectations that we have all had placed on us by various people at various times in our lives. Ever since nursery school, we have been expected to be the best at whatever we try. Yet we all come to the realization at one point or another that no matter how successful we are or how much money we make, it never seems to be enough. How many fourth years have accepted that "perfect" job offer this spring, only to find themselves still unsatisfied and disappointed with prospects for the future?

In addition to the pressures of the cult of "success," so many of us walk around day to day with so much hurt inside that it weighs us down and exhausts us. So many of us have been scarred by the divorce of our parents. Others of us cannot stand ourselves -- the way we look, think, act, fail. Others have been let down by friends, family members, and mentors. Some have been hurt in dating relationships, and some have been the ones doing the hurting. Whether or not we take time to acknowledge it, we are each burdened by pain and pressure to succeed.

The pain that we carry around begins to be healed in a personal relationship with Christ. In Christ we see the only example of perfect, unconditional love that the world has ever seen. In Christ we see God made man -- the perfect gift from an all-loving God to the messed-up people of this world. In Christ we see the ultimate victory over oppression and death that we celebrate at Easter. Christ knows our shortcomings, and he meets us where we are by offering himself as a friend.

In a personal relationship with Jesus, one can be real; one can take off the mask. Because Christian fellowship seeks to embody the love of Jesus through relationships with others, students are drawn into these fellowships to explore, discover, and grow in a personal relationship.

Sincerely,
Corey McLellan