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The Lord is my light

Is religion obsolete in Oxford? Freddie Parton investigates the two poles of apathy and evangelism

Your average student at Oxford probably views Christianity with suspicion. Images of bearded men with side partings and opened toed sandals most likely spring to mind. Perhaps even slightly bizarre memories of finding a bread roll and a gospel in your pigeon hole during freshers’ week. For most students, Christianity may not seem to play much of a role in the university at all. Oxford society seems to be thoroughly secular, and Christianity a sort of ‘club’ that only a few people join.

In many respects they are right. Oxford does seem to be a secular university – a strange thought considering its history has been shaped profoundly by Christian tradition and faith. The university’s motto: Dominus Illuminatio Mea, taken from Psalms 27.1, ‘The Lord is my light,’ once emphasised the importance of the Christian faith within an Oxford education. This principle has changed dramatically now and, since the Enlightenment, many have considered Oxford to be a very rational, sceptical and dry place.

Even the study of Theology is removed from any form of faith perspective. Students are told that the course aims to "promote a critical and dispassionate understanding" of the subject matter, something that tends to put off some Christians. One person I spoke to said, "At my interview my tutor said she was worried that my faith would cloud my vision and get in the way of studying the subject. But that to me is completely backward. My faith is my whole reason for studying theology!"

Despite the fact that Oxford presents itself as a secular institution, it’s clear that the Christian faith still plays a large part in the life of the community. Sure, the role of Christianity at Oxford has changed significantly but the traditions still live on. Chapels do still play a very important role in the life of the colleges. The number of people that attend college chapel may seem relatively few when you go to the odd evensong or Weekday service. But you have to put this into perspective. Oxford is not a large city but on any night of the week during term you can hear at least four really good choirs singing evensong. There is a church for every tradition and denomination all with a student dimension. Every college with a chapel also seems to hold alternative forms of worship such as prayer meetings, Bible readings and discussion groups. It is no wonder that outside London, Oxford fosters the highest number of vocations in both the Anglican and the Roman Catholic Church. In this sense Christianity in Oxford is very much alive amongst the students today.

Though most of us might only go to our college chapel to have a really good sing at the carol service, it is clear that they play an important role in the spiritual wellbeing of the students – whatever their faith may be. The college chapel is a place of worship for Christians, but also a sacred space for those of other faiths and a place to discuss any religious issues you might have. It is a place that you can go to, even if you are unsure whether you believe in a god, to escape from the fast pace of Oxford life. Most importantly it is a place where the whole college community can come together. When a student at our college died in a tragic accident last term, the college chapel was the natural place for the whole community to gather together, regardless of faith, and share their grief.

Saying this, Christian worship at Oxford is not so focused around the college chapels as it once was. Worship seems to have moved out to various other Churches in the town itself, the biggest probably being St Aldates, St. Ebbes and OCC (The Oxford Community Church). The head of the Christian Union, Dan Treget, said that he personally knew people from at least twelve different churches. It is difficult to know why worship for some Christians has moved away from the college chapels. Perhaps it is because of their universalistic stance – the fact that the services are geared at people of all faiths and so tend to avoid Christian stances that are difficult to understand.

One Christian I talked to said she preferred going to one of the big evangelical churches outside the University because they address issues that the college chapels are afraid to touch on such as hell, punishment or sin: "Our church is not afraid to tell us things we don’t want to hear. Christ is meant to be offensive, or at least challenging!" She went on to explain that Evangelicalism is (as its name suggests, coming from the Greek euangellion ‘good news’) about proclaiming the good news about the salvation of the kingdom of God. The reverse side of this however has to be shown, she argued, "I mean, salvation wouldn’t mean anything if we didn’t have to be saved from something." And it’s true that if you look at the New Testament that Jesus does emphasise the difficulties of coming to God. He continuously challenges the status quo and presents his followers with goals that aren’t easily achieved. This is not to say that just because some Christians choose to worship outside the colleges they to not value their importance for the community. One Evangelical Christian that I chatted to put it this way: "What is important is not the church you attend, but whether your heart is given over to God or not. Whether you express your love for God through the Anglican liturgy or through jumping up and down and clapping is almost completely irrelevant. I don’t think God cares how we worship him, as long as we are worshipping him. I’ve sat through the most Catholic of Catholic services and I’ve danced with orphans in a field in Mozambique. I found belief in both places." Perhaps the best thing about Christian worship in Oxford is that there is something for every believer.

Evangelicalism is probably the branch of the church which has received the most media attention in recent years. A key example would be Richard Dawkins’ television programs which have painted Evangelical priests and followers in a very unattractive light. The ‘evangelicals’ probably receive such attention because they believe in the importance of sharing one’s faith with other people. As one person I spoke to put it, "We have nothing to hide, we have the most amazing gift in the world and we love sharing it with people". It is members from their churches whom you might have seen preaching and singing on the streets. Because so many people have unfounded prejudices against this branch of the church, I decided to investigate it myself and went along to a session of the Alpha course at St. Aldates’.

The Alpha Course was founded by Holy Trinity Brompton in Kensington and is a course designed for people who are not Christians to ask the big questions in life and to help them find Jesus. You may have seen their adverts on television or at the Cinema. Having always thought of it as a sort of Christian cult run by men in sandals that lured unsuspecting non Christians in, I have to say that I was very surprised at how normal everyone was. I have always been a bit sceptical about ‘new’ forms of worship. Call me old fashioned but I like a church with old hymns, a priest in black with a dog’s collar and choir boys in their cassocks. I remember last Christmas being horrified when my family and I went to a more evangelical church and were told to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Jesus, it just seemed so inappropriate.

When I turned up at Alpha, my initial reaction was quite negative. For someone who likes a very traditional sort of church service I was in for a bit of a shock. St Aldates’ church, though a very old building, has been completely revamped inside. There is no longer an altar or organ, and all worship is conducted across the width of the church from a stage where the preacher stands. Around the stage are television screens so that everyone can see what the preacher is doing. Despite my gut reaction however, I had to admit that the church had a real sense of activity and community. Unlike many of the admittedly very beautiful old churches in Oxford which can sometimes feel more like museums than places of worship, St Aldates has a real sense of life. Everyone who is there wants to be there which creates a really positive and welcoming atmosphere.

It is easy to see why people are drawn to the Alpha Course. It is well organised and everyone is incredibly welcoming. The session begins with a meal, which always puts people in a good mood, then follows with a talk and group discussion. Everyone is put on tables made up of around ten people so that you can discuss things while you have dinner and after the talk. The whole session is, I think, designed to be highly emotive. Though I initially recoiled at the idea of there being Jesus-inspired musical entertainment, it was actually very moving. Drums and guitars aren’t exactly ‘Jerusalem’ or ‘I vow to thee my Country,’ but the songs they did perform were done beautifully.

I suppose the most striking impression that I gained from this experience of Evangelical worship was that everyone was really enjoying themselves. Even though I had come to the session with a slightly negative and sceptical attitude, and even though I didn’t accept everything they were arguing for, I had a good time. I suppose the evangelical church is simply trying to bring Christianity into this century and make it applicable to modern life. In this respect it seems to be succeeding; indeed, I have heard that St Aldates’ is moving from two to three services every Sunday because of it popularity.

The role of Christianity at Oxford has been strongly criticised by the press recently, especially concerning the University’s review of the Permanent Private Halls, most of which are theological colleges. The problem was that the press seemed to have combined two completely separate issues: the report on the theological colleges and the allegations that Wycliffe Hall’s new principle was making the college too evangelical. The report on the PPHs made by the university began last July before any trouble at Wycliffe had been made known. It was simply concerned with the academic issues concerning the PPHs, and whether they offered a "suitable educational environment" for undergraduates. The report was to review all the PPHs not just the evangelical colleges.

The really sad thing about the reports in the press was that they began to make the assumption that the subject theology itself is narrow minded and exclusive not worthy of study. But as I mentioned at the beginning of the article, the theology course at Oxford is far removed from any faith perspective so that anyone from any religious background can feel comfortable studying it. The articles in the press also implied that the tutors from evangelical churches gave one sided teaching to the students. This is far from true however, and anyone who has ever attended the lectures of Alister McGrath (once a member of Wycliffe Hall) will tell you that he always covers every theological viewpoint of a topic.Though attempts have been made by the press to devalue the role of Christianity at Oxford, it seems that it is very much a part of the community as it ever has been. Its role at Oxford has certainly changed, going to church is no longer compulsory, people can choose whether they want to believe in God and when and where they want to worship. Oxford may seem to be a very secular and rational institution, but it is firmly based in the spiritual too. For many, the University’s motto, Dominus Illuminatio Mea, still lives on.

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