Dear Editor,

Every Friday after chapel I pick up the first edition of the Clause available to me from the steel wired dispensers strategically placed around the exits of UTCC. After reading Mackenzie Howe’s article entitled “Separating from the secular,” I felt very disappointed.

Before I continue further I must, in good conscious, reveal that I am not a Christian, and have not been for some time. This article was of particular interest to me considering I belong to the “secular” world. As such, there is a serious objection I feel I must raise that may otherwise go unnoticed.

The major problem with this secular outreach that Ms. Howe describes is that it suffers from the arrogant menace of intent. You see, I don’t feel that love has any intent or reasons for its actions; I do not love my friends because of what I can get them to do, I just simply love them.

Similarly, I do not love my brother because of convenience, as if that were so it would be likely I wouldn’t love him at all. This brotherly love that is shared between my brother and I is something that Christians claim to model their lives after, and especially build their evangelism on.

Yet, within Christian outreach, they do not love simply to love. Instead they say “hello” to the man at Starbucks everyday, or “speak to [someone] in love even though you really can’t stand [who your talking to]” for the purpose of converting them to the faith. I don’t understand how these actions, which have a hidden agenda, illustrate love.

If we turn to I Corinthians 13, we find an excellent example of what love should be, whether between Christian and Christian or Christians and non-Christians, or even between two non-Christians.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Clearly, scripture is against the intent that is hidden behind “loving” those in the secular world. I feel that the best thing a Christian can do for a non-Christian is to simply befriend them for who they are, put aside the barriers of religion, and open themselves up to the other half of the world.

It is likely that when such a friendship is developed a non-Christian will be interested in the moral character of their friend, as opposed to hidden agenda of the person who says hello to them at Starbucks.

Sincerely,
CHRISTOPHER BARDOS
Junior philosophy major