News-Record.com

I'm guessing this debate is limited to the African American community and specifically to those community members who are disgruntled former members of, or never were members but believe they know something about, Historically-Black fraternities and sororities.

I'm white and happen to know that the founders and members of those historically-Black Greek-letter organizations were high achievers, successful in life past college, and were- and are "movers and shakers" of society today.
I'm proud of the contributions made by the Alphas, the Deltas, the Ques, the Nupes and others and am thankful for the friendships I've made with the members of their pledge lines, their college members, and their alums.

I've never heard a peep (nor a whine) about this so-called " issue" nor any discussion of the subject, in my community and I'm an alumna of a historically-white, but now thankfully integrated sorority. Not that I'd give two hoots whether my membership was " compatible with christianity" in the mind of a non-member nor a former member anyhow.

“Not that I'd give two hoots whether my membership was “compatible with Christianity" in the mind of a non-member nor a former member anyhow.” Alice

I can understand, Alice, why you have such a soft and tolerant attitude about this issue, if you don’t really care about Christian principles in the first place.

You are correct, however, in stressing that not all who go through the Greek experience on campus end up as cult-following infidels, and that there are, in fact, some rather positive social skills and qualities that SOME engender. I myself was part of a Greek fraternity in college, and found it, at the time at least, pretty benign. But if I had not been apprehended by God through the Gospel several years after college, and experienced the transforming grace of God, I MAY have been more adversely affected by the frat experience. It’s hard to say.

I do, nevertheless, agree with the critique of many, that these quasi-secret organizations are generally counter to the moral and covenantal truths of Scripture. I oppose Christians joining ANY secret, oath-requiring organization for this very reason, including such groups as the Freemasons, etc.

Scripturally and covenantally, there is only one loyalty for the follower of Jesus the Messiah: to Him and to the Kingdom of God. All other loyalties are secondary. Some, such as patriotic love and loyalty are not wrong, just secondary, as long as they fit into the framework of biblical principles of government and social responsibility. Others, such as secret fraternities and cultish organizations, are off-limits to the informed Christian.

And we haven’t even touched on what these collegiate frat groups DO. Some of these things are well-known (binge drinking, initiation excesses, girly shows at parties); but other rites and activities are suppressed, lest moneyed alums of the fraternities and universities be offended – or parents overly distressed. While secret oath-taking presents its own peculiar problems for the committed Christian, the moral and social issues even more so.

My personal position, therefore, is that consecrated Christian young people stick with the Church and its concerns, or socially compatible activities and organizations - and refrain from joining secretive societies that either require or encourage anti-biblical loyalties and behavior. I would also encourage the same for non-Christians; although they are free to do as they please.

Sororities are simply social organizations, not rival religions. Might just as well talk about the Boy or Girl Scouts being threats to the Christian religion, or the Shriners or the Moose Lodge.

Folks like this remind me of the Puritans, or maybe the Amish. If something wasn't specifically authorized, it was assumed to be forbidden.

The folks who think their religion can't co-exist with a bloody frat should -- LIGHTEN UP!

Secret Pledge of Delta Fraternity House:

I...state you name

Do hereby pledge allegiance to the Frat

With liberty and fraternity for all

Amen

(From Animal House)

“The folks who think their religion can't co-exist with a bloody frat should -- LIGHTEN UP!”

Ooooo! Aren’t we nasty today. I don’t know who you are talking about - certainly not me. I tried to make balancing statements about fraternities while not ignoring the facts about their negative side. My only concerns were that the secret oaths, if there are any, might require loyalties that either contradict or superced a Christian’s loyalty to Christ. I would suspect that this is not a serious problem on the whole; but some Greek oaths may indeed have rather stringent requirements. Not to equate frat oaths with it, but anyone who has studied the theology and oaths of Freemasonry know that it is incompatible with Christian principles. And there are other extreme groups as well. Their correlation, especially with the Freemasons and Mormons, are well documented as having connections with ancient pagan rites and beliefs. I know that my fraternity had rites that tapped strongly into ancient Greek mythology.

My main concern is not so much with the nature of the oaths taken, as with the social practices of, not only fraternities and sororities, but various campus groups, including Lacrosse teams, etc. Nevertheless oaths may put extra pressure on a student to conform to negative practices. I realize that college has always been a place for experimentation and getting out from under parental restrictions. I did so myself. But there are limits, and people have different boundaries I know.

My perspective however is a biblical and Christian one; and there are distinct moral and behavioral parameters that God has set down in His Word that a Christian college student should adhere to if he is to avoid the dangers of such transgressions. I shutter to think of how close I came to either serious legal and life consequences, even death, by my youthful “indiscretions,” during and after college. Jesus put quietly plainly: “I AM the Way the Truth and the Life.” Anything that interferes with knowing and pleasing Him is very unwise to pursue, regardless of how, socially cool and attractive it is.