Faces of faith

Of interest to the study of race relations is the decision of a Christian minority group to segregate itself from other Christian associations by creating a separate student organization.

It all began during the spring semester of 1999 when several members of the Gospel Choir decided to found a chapter of Impact — a national Christian organization geared toward blacks — at Princeton. In my opinion, the introduction of a chapter of the Impact Movement was necessitated by a desire to reach a black student body with unique worship and cultural traditions, as well as a unique "ethnic connection" to one another.

The blessing of ethnic and cultural diversity presents a dilemma for Christians trying to praise and worship God in unity. In my three-and-a-half years here at Princeton, I have fellowshipped with Agape Christian Fellowship, Manna Christian Fellowship, Princeton Evangelical Fellowship, the Episcopal Fellowship Group and the Gospel Choir. These groups introduced me to a wide range of religious styles that were all inspirational in their own respects. But one dimension of the groups was blatantly obvious — they had a lack of black participation. (The Gospel Choir was the only exception.) And yet, during my freshman year in Agape Christian Fellowship, this fact escaped me.

As one of two black students in a class of 110 at my secondary school, I was very much a minority. Moreover, the church that my family currently attends is highly integrated with people of black, white, Latino and Asian ethnicities. Therefore, the scarcity of a black student presence in Agape Christian Fellowship was an environment to which I was accustomed and in which I easily integrated. But for other black students who may have experienced a different upbringing in areas where racial awareness is more prevalent or in places where minorities represent the majority, it may be more difficult to ignore the lack of facial familiarity in Princeton's student organizations.

Impact presents itself as a group where people who are more sensitive to race can focus on the true meaning of Christian fellowship, namely God. Still, there are many black students who thrive as a scarce minority because they have a deep understanding that there are principles transcendent to race. The question to be raised, then, is whether or not race can be perfectly transcended. I believe that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. discovered the answer to this in his writings about the God-given value in every human being.

During the civil rights movement, King stressed how important it was for indigenous black groups to mobilize. He was very racially aware, preaching integration as opposed to desegregation and stressing the commonness of man. Yet, from the pulpit of his black church, he specifically called on African-American groups to come together and take action. King recognized the special connection shared among people of a similar color. This goes for all ethnic groups. Regardless of race, people share a natural connection with others of an identical coloring or origin.

There is of course a second, subsidiary factor that defines the racial fabric of Princeton — the "ethnic connection." But while people may share unique connections in language, fashion and nationality among other things, race stands alone as the one characteristic of a person that cannot be altered (expect in a few unique and questionable cases). Impact provides an environment where this "ethnic connection" is fostered in a healthy manner.

In a fellowship and church setting, worship is frequently associated with the act of singing words of praise to God and praying. It should be of no surprise that worshiping styles over the years have evolved along racial lines and that every individual ultimately loves to worship God in a form that is familiar and closely tied to his cultural heritage. I believe that the worship environments of some of Princeton's Christian groups are rooted in "white" traditions, deterring blacks from participating in their meetings. I am optimistic that leaders from these groups would be open to change. And while Impact lacks a formal period of worship in the form of song, it provides an alternative to what some have recently called "unfulfilling times of worship."

I would like to stress that while worship in our accustomed culture is a real human desire, it is a craving that can and should be transcended. Why? Because as its definition indicates, worship's most important quality is thanks given to God and not the ministering we receive from it.

Impact was founded and exists as a group that provides black Christians with the enjoyment of fellowship that is completely focused on God, fosters our natural and unique "ethnic connection" and offers an alternative to unfulfilling styles of worship. Segregation along these three lines, however, can be transcended by each person's equal innate value to God.

Regardless of the racial divide separating some students, Impact and other Christian groups share a loving union in Jesus Christ, a sentiment I have personally experienced with the members of other groups. Meanwhile, Impact has struggled to retain its black male membership and with less than 10 regular members, has been unable to achieve official University recognition. Andre Forrester is a politics major from Mississauga, Ontario. He can be reached at andref@princeton.edu.