Movement 102

Morag Foster explains her retuctance reveal that she was a Christian in recent
University elections. Does the [abe[ 'Christian' do more harm than good?
How much do others reatty need to know about you?
Stand u
an
e categorfsed
trffi"v*r*,ffii#'
becoming a bit of a political prostitute.
People I hadn't seen for weeks became
suddenly fascinating; I went to every
obscure society that I'd joined six months
ago and faked faithful attendance. I even
went drinking in the Union for a couple of
nights.That wasn't the major struggle of the
last fortnight, though. What bothered me
the most was how much the voters needed
to know about me. Was it wise to come out,
and did they need to know that I'm a
Christian?
It's an interesting debate. Someone
once told me that coming out as a Christian
in the gay community carries almost as
I don't buy the lie that students
are open-minded, compared to
the rest of the poputation.
Most of them are just younger.
much stigma as coming out as gay in the
church. My experience to date has tended
to find the gay community a little more
hospitable than the church, but I know
that's not true for everyone. However, this
University is neither the church or the gay
cornmunity. And I don't buy the lie that
ffi
lssue 109
Summer 1999
Moyement is the
termly magazine of
the Student Christian
Movement, distributed
free of charge to
members and
dedicated to an openminded
exploration of
Christianity.
students are open-minded, compared to the
rest of the population. Most of them are just
younger. I study in a fairly rural area, in an
institution that is known for its sports based
courses, a place that's not particularly gay
or Christian friendly. I had the feeling that
mentioning
either
attribute
wasn't
going to go
down too
well.
I came out
at hustings
in the end,
by accident. I was asked for the one person
who I would take to a desert island. I
answered honestly. Some people applauded
but the atmosphere in the room changed. I
wasn't sorry I'd done it, but I don't doubt it
affected the final result. ln the end, I never
mentioned my faith. I could argue that it
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movement 1
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in
Movement are those of the particular
author and should not be taken to be
the policy of the Student Christian
Movement.
didn't come up among the candidate's
questions, but it made me feel a little
ashamed of myself. We've been taught,
particularly those of us who are survivors of
evangelicalism, that God is to be trumpeted
in every area of our lives; everyone we know
should know what we believe. I'm still
shedding that sense of what I 'should' and
'shouldn't' do, but my parent's faith still
casts a long shadow.
I lost the election. lt wasn't as upsetting
as I thought it would be, although it would
have been nice to see how good I would
have been at thejob. I'm still left, though,
with some nagging questions. lf I was
standing again, would I use the word
'Christian' of myself? And why is it easier to
admit to having a girlfriend than to mention
that I'm quite fond of God? They both carry
roughly the same amount of baggage, as
labels go. But it was easier to admit to
being a sexual deviant than it was to
confess to having a set of beliefs that many
regard as archaic, or simply irrelevant. I'm
frequently on my soapbox about gay rights
- but the days when I would get up in public
and shout about my faith are long gone.
That's not necessarily a bad thing,
considering the reaction that shouty
Christians generally get. But I do still wonder
how God feels about my reluctance to stand
up and be counted. I can't help feeling that
He would have voted for me, though.
,1t
Morag Foster was standing for an Executive
position at Glamorgan University,
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