“If I can get through chapel without sleeping, it is a true miracle of the Lord.”
“Time again for the tri-weekly Twitter criticism fest.”
Apathy. Flippancy. Irritation. These are only a few of the opinions expressed in the article “Some Anonymous Thoughts on Chapel (from Twitter and Beyond)” from the Asbury Collegian’s Oct. 17, 2018 edition. To say that many Asburians are not fond of chapel is putting it mildly.
The university website hails chapel as “one of the rich traditions of Asbury University” that “provide[s] an opportunity for our campus community to gather together to hear from God and to worship corporately.”
Rich tradition?
Rich in boredom.
An opportunity to worship corporately?
An opportunity to Tweet corporately.
An opportunity to hear from God?
I’m sorry, God, what did You just say? I was asleep.
This attitude begs the question: Why have mandatory chapel at all? It’s clearly not benefitting the campus community. It’s a burden and a nuisance, a chance to snatch an extra hour of sleep, if we can avoid the ever-watchful gaze of the dreaded chapel checkers.
But is mandatory chapel really the problem?
I would like to submit a radical proposition. What if the problem isn’t with chapel, but with us?
When I was a prospective student, one of the main qualities I looked for in a college was a vibrant Christian life. For my family and me, chapel policies proved a vital indication of an institution’s spiritual health. At that time, I did not see a mandatory, three-day-a-week chapel as a burden. Instead, it was an indicator of a college that was serious about its Christian mission, making sure students were getting spiritual as well as academic nourishment. On the contrary, an optional or “honor system” chapel policy caused me to question an institution’s commitment to Christ. I wanted a college with mandatory chapels.
And to be honest, I still do.
We can debate the quality of chapel – the speakers, the music, and such – and discuss how it can be improved. But the truth of the matter is this: mandatory chapel is only a burden if we let it become one. Are our hearts open to the benefits of chapel? Or have we closed our ears and eyes out of spite – a distrust of all things, no matter how good they may be, that are forced upon us?
Make no mistake: Mandatory chapel is a good thing. It forces us to pause, to take a moment in the midst of the crazy-busy madness of life on a college campus just to breathe. There is no homework due for chapel. No required texts. No long, wordy syllabus to page through on the first Monday of classes. The only requirement is to be there.
Chapel isn’t just a moment to catch our breath literally. It’s a spiritual moment, too. It helps us to remember why we are here, at a Christian university. It lets us take a deliberate moment out of our lives to experience God.
And lastly, it is communal. Perhaps the word “community” is overused on campus. If so, it is for a good reason. Community is a real and important part of the Christian life, and at Asbury, community has many layers. Our halls. Our dorms. Our classes. Our clubs and athletic teams. But when do all 1,300 Asbury undergraduate students come together as one whole community?
You guessed it.
Chapel.
If we take away mandatory chapel, we lose the only time we all come together as one in the body of Christ. Is that really a sacrifice we’re willing to make for something as fleeting and forgettable as an extra hour of sleep?
The good news is, hope is not lost. We can make a conscious decision to open ourselves up every time we step through the doors of Hughes Auditorium. We can open our eyes and see. We can open our ears and hear. We can open our hearts and learn. And we can do these things as one.
Fellow students of Asbury University, will you join me in appreciating the great value of mandatory chapels?
