Who censors Christians on college campuses?

In my random conversations I don’t often meet strong believers on college campuses. When I do I like to ask about their experiences when it comes to censorship and persecution. So when I met an IIT student named Preston and found out about his strong faith and background in Christian theology and apologetics, I asked what he has been experiencing. And his answer kind of surprised me.

Preston told me he really hasn’t been mistreated or censored for his faith at IIT. He said his professors rarely mentioned it, and seemed to know it was not their place to get involved. I wondered about this, as the impression I’ve been getting is that Christian students in particular have been increasingly unwelcome and discriminated against, but Preston didn’t confirm that narrative.

And it is, indeed, a narrative. We Christians are often rightly criticized for looking for persecution where it doesn’t exist, and playing the victim over perceived slights. I wonder if that’s because we want the blessings Jesus promised when He said “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Or maybe its because harassment, opposition, or ill-treatment are signs that we actually are Jesus’ followers. After all, the Bible does say “ Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

So, applying that verse to a Christian student like Preston, should I conclude that the Bible is wrong about this? Or, maybe, the life they are living isn’t exactly godly?

I’m thinking that maybe that “godly life” in Christ involves obeying His commands, and part of living for Jesus involves sharing our faith in such a public way that we do indeed invite persecution. For his part, Preston told me he doesn’t feel obligated to “Go tell” when it comes to sharing the Gospel, but he’d rather sit quietly and wait until asked.

In Preston I could see myself. That was my default position for most of my Christian life. I strove to present myself as a positive, caring person of faith, but not too radical and nothing like those caricatures of Christian fanaticism the public likes to ridicule. In so doing I was careful to watch my speech, and avoid saying anything that might cause offense or put my “witness” in a bad light.

And there, I believe, is the answer to my question, “Who censors Christians on college campuses?”

We Christians do it to ourselves.

Thanks, Preston, for allowing me to record our conversation! It can be seen at https://youtu.be/dCNIqiuyLpA on my YouTube channel.