When I read that Gene Nichol, president of the College of William and Mary, had ordered removed from the chapel the bronze cross that had stood there for a century or so, my first response was anger. Nichol decided that the cross was offensive to non-Christian students and for that reason should be kept in the sacristy, a tiny room behind the back wall of the chapel. Whereas in previous years, the cross could be removed for any event by request, now a request has to be made for the cross to be displayed.
As I thought about the anger I felt, I realized that my resentment had been building over time. I resented that values Christians hold seem to have been replaced by the value society places on diversity and the apparently nationally-held right for secular peoples to be unoffended by what religious people value.
I was angry that when TV network programmers and Hollywood producers feature a steady barrage of immorality and profanity as normative, the offense I express is viewed as an indication of my narrow-mindedness and my need for diversity training.
I was angry that so much of our history seems to be subject to the whims of revisionists who wish to expunge any reference to Christ and Christianity from our past. Presumably a cross had been a fixture in the chapel since it was constructed more than three centuries ago. The hundred-year-old cross in question had not only been a symbol of faith, but had also provided mute testimony declaring something of the college's and our nation's history. What other historical reverences to religion will give offense to someone? Will the fact that the first president of the college was also a clergyman be revised in history books so as not to give offense? For that matter, why not tear down the chapel altogether since its very presence will surely offend the atheist students?
But I was not only angry, I was fearful. Although there is no logical correlation between the election of the first Muslim to the U.S. Congress (by the same voters who chose a mouthy professional wrestler to be their governor) and Nichol's edict to remove the cross, at the visceral level it seemed that Christianity is being handicapped and unappreciated by the very government made great by its values. Conversely, it seemed that Islam and other non-Christian systems are provided every advantage.
As I say, all this was taking place at the “feeling” level.
At the “thinking” level, I was proceeding more slowly. Fact: the College of William and Mary is a state-supported university. Fact: the constitution guarantees that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Fact: Jesus proclaimed, “Whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do ye even so unto them.” When we are most Christ-like, Christians wish to respect the beliefs of others and not cause them to feel as if they are somehow second-class. Fact: Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
But also at the “thinking” level I wondered if diversity should also include recognizing that different forces and values have influenced our development as a nation? The college's Office of Multicultural Student Affairs' mission statement asserts it will strive to “create an awareness of and appreciation for racial and cultural diversity.” The office further states that its mission is “to educate the entire campus community on issues of diversity and multiculturalism.” This being the case, shouldn't Nichols have helped non-Christian students understand the history of the college and the Christian influences that helped shape it even before there was a U.S. to have a constitution?
At the spiritual level, it was, ironically, my 3-year-old granddaughter, Brooke, who helped me process my thoughts. We were looking at a small wooden nativity scene I had purchased at the Baptist Book Store in Amman, Jordan. At some point in my travel, the glue holding the “Baby Jesus” figure had broken, allowing the figure to slide from side to side and even out of the stable. When “Jesus” fell out when she turned the nativity over, Brooke noted, “Hey, Baby Jesus won't stay where he belongs.”
President Nichol can remove the cross from the chapel if he has the authority to do so. He can put it in a back room if he wishes. But he needs to understand that Jesus won't stay where he belongs. Jesus has a habit of breaking the restraints and not staying where we put him. Nichols is fighting a losing battle in trying to keep Jesus from being offensive to some.
I do not know of Nichol's specific religious beliefs nor whether he is a spiritual person at all. But I do know this. The time will come when he will stand before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. I wonder if Jesus will say, “You know that cross in the chapel at William and Mary? I'm glad you took that out. We wouldn't want the cross to give offense.”
Meanwhile, I'm still feeling, and thinking and praying.