Can a Christian Be a Part of Greek Life?

You may (or may not) know that I am a Christian. My father is a preacher, and I am the anomaly among preachers' kids (so I've been told) seeing as how I never had a crazy phase. Anyway, when I joined my sorority I caught a lot of grief from many of my fellow Christians. I was thinking about this tonight when my dad was teaching on how Jesus taught to achieve greatness. I decided I would write this post on being a Christian and being a part of Greek life. What many people do not know is that several Greek organizations were founded on Christian principles. I understand that not everyone who joins a sorority or fraternity is a Christian, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be friends with non-Christians. Remember, Jesus went to the house of a publican and people questioned his motives. You can't witness to people unless you are in the presence of non-believers. Anyway, I am going to break this post down into three sections because my mind works best that way.

1. Motives of the heart.
I'm not going to lie and say that there aren't parties, however most parties in my [college] town are thrown at personal residences and most aren't even Greeks.

 "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” -Samuel 16:7

If your desire to be a part of Greek life is to party, God knows. He can see what is truly in your heart. Indulging in the lifestyle of the world can hurt your Christian testimony. If you're considering Greek life and you're a Christian, evaluate your reasons for going Greek and make sure you're doing it for the right reasons.

What ARE the right reasons?

2. Friendships.
Friendships are an essential part of life. Humans were not created to be alone. While we typically associate the creation of Eve as a helpmate for Adam to marriage, it could also be argued for general friendships. While I could quote a ton of scripture, I'll just give you a link to some fantastic ones. But I will quote my favorite.

"A man [that hath] friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother." - Proverbs 18:24

We are going to have friends that become close to us they are more like family. I have found that in most of my sisters and I feel that I can go to them with any problem I may be facing and they will give me comfort and support without judgement.

3. Achieving greatness through...
Service. At my college, community service is honestly the biggest part of Greek life. We are taught in the Bible to be kind to one another and treat our neighbors with love.

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13

That isn't the verse that I was referencing in the title of this section, but I thought it would be a little added bonus to remember that the greatest gift is love. Love is the greatest gift you can give or receive. Like I said, Jesus taught us to achieve greatness through serving others.

"But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;" - Matthew 20:26

"As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." - 1 Peter 4:10

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who art in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16

Community service is a great way to spread your Christian influence. Right after I was initiated into Alpha Sigma Tau we started Greek week. Our philanthropy day was spent at the Boys and Girls Club in my [college] town. Several of the kids that I worked with at the church I attended in my [college] town were there and they were SUPER happy to see me. They ran around holding my hand telling all of their friends from the BGC that I was "Miss Erin from church." It put a huge smile on my face and warmed my heart that I was able to represent my sorority and my church in front of these children.

So what's the verdict?
Can you be in a sorority and be a Christian? Well, I highly agree with another author that this is a matter of prayer. I also agree that your closest friendships should be fellow Christians and seek friendships in campus ministries, but be wary. Just like belonging to a church doesn't make you a Christian, belonging to a campus ministry doesn't make you a Christian. If you are an incoming freshman, you have an entire summer before recruitment season. Spend it in prayer and see where God is leading you.

**All scripture is in the King James Version. That's what I was raised on.**