The Asbury Student Congress recently passed a bill to open the Kinlaw Library and the Luce Activities Center on Sundays from 2-10 p.m. I was one of just two people to vote against it, and here’s why:
Closing much of campus on Sundays is reflective of Asbury’s commitment to Sabbath, taking a day away from work and devoting ourselves to rest, worship and community. In doing so, the buildings on campus designed primarily for work, including not only the library and gym, but also the academic buildings, CPO and the practice rooms in McCreless, shut down. They are available only under special circumstances. Buildings designed more for community, such as the dorms and the Student Center, remain open.
I do not believe this bill is somehow an attack on the Sabbath or that the proponents of this bill do not care about the Sabbath. The holiness of our community does not depend on whether people are able to use the Luce on Sunday afternoons.
But I do not believe that by closing the Luce and the library on Sundays Asbury is “forcing” the Sabbath on anyone. It is certainly encouraging practicing the Sabbath on Sundays, but that isn’t the same thing as forcing me to take a Sabbath. I can study in my room or in common areas of the dorm and I can study with a group of friends in the Student Center. Is that an ideal situation? Perhaps not, but in my experience, it is functional enough.
The proponents of this bill point out that many students choose to Sabbath on Saturdays. I’m glad that they do. That said, scripturally speaking, as far as I can see when the practice of Sabbath is instituted in Exodus and Deuteronomy, it is given both to individuals and the community as a whole. As for why Sunday, while there’s nothing special about Sunday, it seems to make the most sense. A recent student survey conducted before the bill was proposed found that when students take a Sabbath, about two-thirds do so on Sunday, mostly Sunday, or some combination of Saturday and Sunday.
With regards to students taking the Sabbath on a Saturday, if that is what works for someone, great! But Asbury as a community has a legitimate interest in promoting a collective day of Sabbath rest, and Sunday appears to be the day to do so. As such, no one is forcing a Sunday Sabbath on anyone, but campus will not be the best place to do work on those Sundays.
I understand why keeping the library and gym closed on Sundays is unpopular. I understand that it puts athletes who compete on Saturdays at a disadvantage, as well as students who don’t have cars and can’t easily travel elsewhere. As an athlete who doesn’t have a car, I get that. In a perfect world, there would be another place closer to campus where students who aren’t taking a Sabbath could study or work out on Sundays.
Obviously, that’s not the world we live in and we are forced to deal with this tradeoff. Is the university’s encouragement of Sunday as a Sabbath day of rest worth the frustration and inconvenience of the library and Luce being closed on Sundays? With the available alternatives, imperfect as they may be, I believe the answer is yes.
Modern Christianity has a tendency to view the Sabbath as another relic from the Old Testament — a helpful guide, perhaps, but not something to be taken literally. Asbury, by letting much of campus lay idle on Sundays, stands opposed to this. I find that refreshing, and when we move beyond the tradition of shutting down most of campus on Sundays, I will be sad to see it go.
