By Alysa TeichmanThe Daily Northwestern
After Pete Avery arrived at Northwestern his freshman year and attended a Campus Crusade for Christ Bible study in his dorm, he and a friend decided to start their own Bible studies. Born Catholic, the Weinberg senior is now an Evangelical.
The board of the National Association of Evangelicals passed a resolution this year condemning the “epidemic of young people leaving the Evangelical church,” but the Evangelical community at NU continues to thrive, said Avery and other members of Cru, NU’s chapter of the nationwide organization Campus Crusade for Christ.
“I think the Evangelical movement at Northwestern is growing slowly, and it would be our hope that the growth would increase as time goes on,” Avery said.
Along with about 120 other students at NU, Avery attends Cru meetings. Cru is an interdenominational Christian organization, but it shares many of the same beliefs as Evangelicalism, such as spreading God’s message. Members try to spread their beliefs through weekly Bible studies in 11 dorms on campus.
Although the NU branch continues to grow, members often ask why more and more young Evangelicals stray from their faith, especially during a time when Evangelicalism has attracted a flurry of media attention in movies such as “Saved” and “Jesus Camp,” a documentary currently showing at Century Theatres in Evanston that depicts young children at an Evangelical camp in rural North Dakota.
Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, makes a short appearance in the film but condemns the movie on the group’s Web site.
“You can expect to learn as much about the Catholic Church from ‘Nacho Libre’ as you can learn about Evangelicalism from ‘Jesus Camp,'” he said.
But brushing off the message of the film could be tricky. At a recent showing of “Jesus Camp” in Evanston, movie-goers gasped at the image of dozens of young children wearing tape over their mouths with the inscription “Life,” to preach the depravity of abortion.
“I think this is absolutely true that we should target children,” said Hanell Allison, Weinberg ’06, a Cru intern who grew up in an Evangelical family.
Jonathan Syu, a Cru member who grew up atheist and turned to Christianity after his brother contracted leukemia, said a Christian and non-Christian would likely disagree on the film’s message.
“Being a soldier for Christ means something different for a Christian and a non-Christian,” the Weinberg junior said.
Reach Alysa Teichman at [email protected].
