Where Raucous Is the Norm, Bible Study

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by laylo

Absolutely. And that wording was done by the Times. I'd bet my entire salary that no one in this interview called non-Christians "sinners." This is the way people often assume Christians think about others.

That's because far too many Christians say things and act in ways that indicate they do think that about others, including other Christians who do not think just like they do. I've been on the receiving end of the latter.

And for the record, the NYTimes does not imply that these particular Christians think non-Christians are sinners. This is the sentence in question:

The leaders urged members to stay in the thick of Greek social life, rubbing shoulders with the sinners.

In the context of the article, the implication is that Greeks are sinners. After all, just a little earlier, we had:

“Our goal is to help students lead a Christian life inside the Greek system, as contradictory as that may sound,” said Eric Holmer, the communications director for Greek InterVarsity.

As for the Times' wording vs. direct quotes, this is what caught my eye:

Kurt Skaggs, a junior at Indiana University, sees himself as something of a missionary. “Some people go to Africa or South America,” he said, explaining his decision to join Sigma Phi Epsilon. “I can go to my frat house, where my single goal is to glorify God and share the Gospel.”

As a Christian, statements like this really make me wince and groan. This statement has pressure (with a little arrogance thrown in for good measure) written all over it, I'm afraid.