Beta Sigma Psi becomes first Lutheran fraternity at UNL
 

I believe this is a re-colonization.

Beta Sigma Psi becomes first Lutheran fraternity at UNL
By: Katie Steiner
Issue date: 9/5/06 Section: News
The Daily Nebraskan

Some say a void in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln greek system was filled Sunday when the national Lutheran fraternity, Beta Sigma Psi, was officially chartered as a UNL chapter.

While other fraternities on campus do not focus on spirituality, Beta Sigma Psi makes it a priority, and its members regularly attend church services and Bible study sessions.

Beta Sigma Psi President Tyler Jensen, a senior construction management major, said faith is what brings the fraternity's members together.

"It doesn't matter where we come from or what our different backgrounds are, we are all from a similar faith," Jensen said.

But there is more to the fraternity than religion - it also focuses on scholastic achievement and social opportunities. What is most important to the members of Beta Sigma Psi is the brotherhood formed within the group, Jensen said.

"I like having the ability to have fun with guys who share my beliefs," said Justin Peterson, the vice president of the fraternity and a senior broadcasting major.

Click on link above to read more of the article.

I am a Lutheran, and think this is stupid. For fuck's sakes, that sort of stuff is what K-Life and the like is for.

:rolleyes: At the proclaiming of religion and the language in the following sentence.

I am wondering who really worries about Relegious affiliations in Greeks anymore, maybe they they wiil do as many others do and take non Luther members.

So if it is a recolonization, I guess we can wait and see what progresses.:)

I want to be a Luther member.

As a Catholic, if I change my name to Luther, can I get in?

/Irked

From Beta Sigma Psi's national website. As you can see, they have been around since 1925. A friend of mine was a member at Mizzou.


What is Beta Sigma Psi?

Beta Sigma Psi is the National Lutheran College Fraternity, founded in 1925. The purpose of Beta Sigma Psi is to provide an environment in which the Lutheran college man can grow Spiritually, Scholastically, and Socially. To that end, Beta Sigma Psi undertakes programs to develop Christian leaders and to aid the individual in assuming a satisfying and useful role in society. Through its alumni and undergraduate leadership, Beta Sigma Psi endeavors to assist each member develop character, develop intellectual awareness, develop responsibility to chapter, college, community, state, nation, and world, develop spiritual welfare, develop brotherhood, develop integrity, promote friendship, and advance justice.

Considering Beta Sigma Psi is a national fraternity that was founded in 1925, it would seem they have a niche that works for them.

They are open to members of any faith but are founded on Lutheran spiritual principles and I'm sure that is reflected in their ritual. I believe they are aligned more with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod than either the ELCA or WELS.

We have brothers under christ on our campus, and it seems no more than K-Life. It is just christian culture trying to adapt into popular culture. It's no different then like punk or heavy metal christian music. It sounds and looks terrible.

I think this article is a load of crap--there are numerous sororities (including my own) that promote Christian values, and were founded on Christian ideas, at UNL:( . This just sounds like religious zealot mumbo-jumbo.

Did you even read the article or the rest of the posts in this thread? Yes, many fraternities were founded on Christian or religious ideals, but that is not their primary focus anymore. It is the focus with Beta Sigma Psi. They serve to fit a niche in their respective campuses (which, you'll notice are primarily in the Midwest, which also has the largest concentration of Lutherans.)

I suppose I'm rather biased, but Lutherans are far from being religious zealots. Except maybe the WELS. ;)

How can you say their primary focus if you've never been in one of them?

In what, Beta Sigma Psi or another fraternity/sorority that claims to have been founded on Christian ideals?

Beta Sig has a very active chapter at my undergrad, Iowa State, and I knew quite a few members. I believe the men were highly encouraged to be active in the local Lutheran churches, one of which was the church I attended. The chapter also had frequent devotionals and bible studies. While it is not a requirement to be Lutheran, or even Christian for that matter, to be a member of Beta Sigma Psi they are very upfront that if you become a member, Christian, and specifically Lutheran, spiritual principles are a primary focus of the fraternity. This gives a good idea of how Beta Sig involves spiritual faith as an aspect of their organization.

While I cannot speak for other NPC/NIC organizations that were founded with Christian principles in mind, I do not believe, anymore, the organizations can globally promote being Christian-centered without potentially "turning off" potential members who have different ideals. Individual chapters may have group bible studies and devotionals, but they are not required as such by their Inter/National Headquarters. Hence, Beta Sigma Psi has found a niche for their organizations on the campuses on which they have chapters.

Other Christian GLOs, such as Phi Beta Chi, have the same ideals as Beta Sigma Psi, but are not part of the NIC/NPC.

Beta Sig used to be on UNL's campus, as well as Kearney State, which is now UNK. They were at Kearney State when I was there, and from what I remember, were a "normal" fraternity - had the same events and formals as every other organization at the time. They weren't zealots or anything like that, just a bunch of guys who either came from strong Lutheran backgrounds, or just liked the house and what the represented. I don't remember why they folded at either campus, but when I was there, they were a popular group. I should know, I married one! In fact, our first date was their formal. :D And it was a great time! What you would expect from any normal fraternity formal. And I will leave it at that!

Which would make sense, since the LCMS and the WELS are more distrustful of groups with secret rituals and oaths. Makes sense that they might start a group where members (and everyone else) could be sure that they would not be required to take any oaths that would violate their religious beliefs.

Note that I'm not suggesting that any GLO requires members to take oaths that violate religious beliefs. It's just that, since rituals and oaths are secret, prospective members typically have to rely on the assurances of a GLO that they won't be asked to violate their religious beliefs.

The reality is that, for various reasons, some religious groups are more opposed to masonic or Greek affiliations than others are. More conservative Lutherans have historically fallen into the "more opposed" camp. Shoot, Wisconsin Synod Lutheran won't even approve of the Boy Scouts, because they believe that the Scout oath of "duty to God" suggests that all religions are equally valid and that people of all religions can do their duty to God. Seems reasonable that such Lutherans might have started a group where they wouldn't have to worry about these problems and that would take into account their beliefs.

And if they're still around 75+ years later, they must be doing something right.

I don't think I ever encountered that in my LCMS church that I grew up in...but I think we were on the liberal side of the LCMS. I KNOW my current ELCA church isn't against GLOs.

I have encountered it with some LCMS folk. And I've encountered it more with Masons than with GLOs. I think GLOs perhaps suffer guilt by association.

One has to consider, too, that the "Lutheran landscape" was quite different in 1925, when Beta Sigma Psi was founded, than it is today. There was no ELCA then -- the American Lutheran world was much more, I'll say "disjointed," for want of a better word, then it is now. There were quite a few synods and groups, usually with specific ethnic or linguistic backgrounds, that over time both become less German/Swedish/Norwegian etc. and more American and have coalesced into what is now the ELCA or remained somewhat seperate and attracted like-minded Lutherans, like the LCMS or WELS. In 1925, a specifically Lutheran fraternity apparently met a need, and apparently it still does for some.

That's news to me, considering my dad and many of the male members of our ELCA church are Masons.

The LCMS governing body doesn't prohibit membership in GLOs as it does with other fraternal organziations (mainly Shriners and Masons, I believe), but it's not like you're going to be kicked out of the church if you did belong.

I present the Lutheran Slide Rule:

Conservative-----------------------------------------------------Liberal

WELS ..............................LCMS ............................................... ELCA

WELS are extremely conservative, to the point where I'm not even positive they let women hold congregational offices, or if they do they're lower-position ones.

LCMS are still fairly conservative, but are a little more forward thinking than WELS. Women can hold office and vote in church matters, but cannot be Pastors.

ELCA are the most liberal (but still fairly conservative in the grand scheme of things). They allow open communion with other select denominations and women can be Pastors.

And even within those braches individual churches can be conservative or liberal. There could be an LCMS church that seems more liberal than a conservative ELCA church.

Here ends my short lesson on the Lutheran faith and the complete hijacking of the thread.

ELCA communion is open to anyone, not just select denominations.

There's another branch too, that's even more liberal then ELCA, but I don't remember the name.

My bad -- I wasn't clear. By "both of these groups," I meant LCMS and WELS, not ELCA. Sorry for the confusion. I will correct.

Perhaps ISUKappa was thinking of "full communion" agreements with other denominations, such as mine.

Not a complete highjacking, since the thread is on a Lutheran fraternity. :)

And as I said, perhaps the situation to consider is what the feeling on masonic and GLO membership would have been in 1925 more than now.

Yes, thank you. I know ELCA communion is open compared to WELS or LCMS, but that they also have specific communal agreements wither denominations.

Most likely correct, my grandparents were WELS. They still spoke German in their services up till the '80's.

One question: what do the letters mean? NOt Beta Sig Psi, I mean the english one.

LCMS- Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
ECLA- :confused:
WELS- :confused:

ELCA - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
WELS - Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

Beta Sigs were at Illinois State while I was in school.

They were stand up guys.

I wish them the best:)

I'd like to take this opportunity to enlighten the world about what Lutherans have done for society.
It was Lutherans and not Mormons that brought you Davey and Goliath.
http://www.thrivent.com/magazine/fal...andgoliath.jpg
Which is insanely parodied by the Cartoon Network's Moral Orel. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...orel_image.jpg