Can Faith and Fraternity Really Work Together?

[Lymanm67]

Hey GreekChat fam,

I’ve been thinking about something that might hit home for a few of us. Can you really be a faithful Christian and still proudly rep your letters? I’ve wrestled with that question myself.

I’m a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and I’ve also spent years in ministry and leadership. Somewhere along the way, I noticed how often this topic gets people fired up. Some folks see Black Greek life as a conflict with their faith. Others see it as a platform to live out their faith through service, scholarship, and brotherhood or sisterhood.

I’ve heard both sides. I’ve even lived on both sides. The tension is real. That’s what led me to write my new book, Sacred, Not Sinful. It’s not a debate piece. It’s an honest conversation about how faith and fraternity can actually walk together instead of pulling each other apart.

But more than anything, I’d like to hear your take.
[LIST][*]Have you ever been judged or misunderstood for being both Greek and Christian?[*]Do you think these organizations can still serve a higher purpose in today’s culture?[*]Where do you draw the line between tradition and conviction?

No arguing, just open talk. I think we could all use more of that.

– Dr. Lyman A. Montgomery
Author of Sacred, Not Sinful | Host of the Sacred Greeks Podcast

[PrettyBoy]

I’ve never seen being in a GLO as something that automatically pulls you away from God. To me, it’s all about what you do while you’re in it. Your behavior, your motives, and how you represent Christ when nobody’s watching, that’s what matters.

If your letters come before your faith, then yeah, that’s a problem. But if you’re using that brotherhood or sisterhood to serve, uplift, and show what real godly character looks like, then you’re walking in alignment.

At the end of the day, the organization doesn’t define your salvation, your heart does. I think a lot of people confuse association with devotion. The question isn’t can you be both, it’s who are you being while you are.

[Phrozen Sands]

I think all the hazing allegations and rituals cause separation in faith and BGLOs. I also think folks like to pick and choose the meaning of certain Bible verses that benefit them at the moment. A lot of it’s hypocritical.

[PrettyBoy]

Originally Posted by Phrozen Sands

I think all the hazing allegations and rituals cause separation in faith and BGLOs. I also think folks like to pick and choose the meaning of certain Bible verses that benefit them at the moment. A lot of it’s hypocritical.

I think that’s part of the bigger problem with how people handle faith in general though. It’s not the letters or the rituals that separate folks from God, it’s the heart behind what they’re doing that does.

People do pick verses like they pick playlists, based on what fits the moment, but truth doesn’t bend for comfort. The Bible wasn’t meant to be edited around feelings or convenience.

And I’ll be the first to say none of us get it right all the time. We all fall short and that’s not just scripture, that’s reality. I’m not above it either. No one is. The difference is whether you’re trying to justify your fall or learn from it. And spiritually, falling short doesn’t make you a hypocrite, it’s refusing to grow from it that does.

And hypocrisy shows up anywhere people try to wear faith instead of live it. Whether you’re Greek, non-Greek, or not spiritual at all, the same rule applies. If your walk doesn’t match your talk, the label doesn’t matter.

[Dionysus]

I’d say do your Greek thing, and when you’ve finished sowing your wild oats ask God for forgiveness.

[Phrozen Sands]

Originally Posted by Dionysus

I’d say do your Greek thing, and when you’ve finished sowing your wild oats ask God for forgiveness.

LOL!