7 Good Reasons and 7 Bad Ones to Campaign for the Cross on the ECU Chapel

By Tom Gilson Published on August 27, 2017

There’s an alarming video making the rounds. Twice this week I’ve been urged to share it with all my contacts. A pastor in Ada, Oklahoma tells about plans to cut the cross right off the top of a chapel on campus at East Central University. He says hoping we’ll join in a united effort not to let that happen.

People have all kinds of reasons for jumping aboard a campaign like this one. Some of them are good. Some of them aren’t. If we’re going to persuade others, we need to be able to tell the difference.

I’ll share some good reasons first, then some bad, but I’ll save the most important of both of them for last.

Good Reasons To Campaign for the Steeple Cross

A legal fight for the cross could be good strategy. If a case for the steeple was winnable on its merits in the court where it would be heard, it could set precedent to help preserve Christian symbols elsewhere.
The First Amendment is being misused in these sorts of cases.
Christian symbols are good because they point us toward the one true God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Christian symbols are good markers of American history and heritage. Though it’s not their primary purpose, Christian symbols do have that effect. Atheists and members of other religions might not like it, but our Christian heritage is a major part of what’s made us who we are and what’s made us good. To forget that heritage is to risk losing a major part of our goodness for now and for the future. Even those who disbelieve must know that whitewashing Christianity from culture will silence an important part of what’s made America great.
You want the cross to remain there for the glory of God in Christ. Non-Christians may still not understand or believe you, Christians still have an obligation to try to explain.
You know it’s good the cross is there, even if you can’t put your reasons in words. In an ideal world everyone would know exactly what was motivating them at all times. Yes, it’s better if you can do that. This certainly isn’t the best reason on the list. But it’s an okay one. This doesn’t have to be one of those ideal moments.

Those are good reasons. I have a seventh one coming, but I’ll save it for last. Here are some that aren’t so good.

Bad Reasons To Campaign for the Steeple Cross

Your friends asked you to pass the video along. I hope I don’t need explain why that’s weak.
It just feels wrong to remove any symbol of Christianity. Our feelings won’t get us far with people who say it seems or feels wrong to leave it there.
It feels wrong to remove a symbol of American heritage. That’s not the main reason reason the cross is there, is it? It could have that as a secondary purpose; see Good Reason #3 above. Again, though, feelings won’t get you far in debate when other people feel differently
Atheists annoy you with their bullying. Boy, do I sympathize with this one. Atheist groups like Americans United for the Separation of Church and State or the Freedom From Religion Foundation must really get a kick out of spoiling Christian symbols and traditions. They use their funding and the power of the courts to bully people into decisions that hardly anyone wants but them.That’s a pretty good reason to treat them as our spiritual opponents — which means to pray for them, bless them, do good to them. But we shouldn’t just fight atheists because we’re tired of being pushed around. We should only oppose removing the Cross if there are good reasons for it to stay.
I’m mad as h*** and I’m not gonna take it anymore! Take a deep breath, remember God is in control, vengeance is His and He will repay; and in the meantime He’s called us to love our enemies. Then see Bad Reason # 4. That one and this are both “Christian” versions of “You can’t do that because it offends me!” Our country needs to take less offense, not more.
Christianity in our country is going to suffer if we keep letting things like this happen. Now we’re sliding back in the direction of good ideas to stand for that cross on that chapel. In order for this to be a good answer, though, we have to be careful to show that we’re standing for real Christianity, not cultural religion. Christianity is worth supporting, not because it’s traditional, not because it’s American, but because God chose to save us through Jesus Christ. We also have to show real reasons that real Christianity will suffer for it. And we have to expect none of it to make any difference to the atheists or the courts. Just because it’s a good reason doesn’t mean it will matter to anyone but believers.

But we’re not done until we look at…

The Worst Reason to Campaign

You’re relying on old news. According to the latest news I can find, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State is trying to get the cross removed, but the college has made a firm decision to leave it there. Oklahoma’s attorney general says he will support that decision in court, if necessary. Randall Christy, who produced the video, says he is “asking followers of his Facebook pages not to contact university administration,” as he “believes the university is ‘doing the right thing.’”

And the Best Reason

Sometimes it works, resulting in real good. (I promised you a seventh good reason. This is it.) That same news article says, “University officials initially confirmed they would remove the cross and other items to avoid a protracted legal dispute, but halted efforts to comply with the demand after widespread backlash attracted national media attention.” It doesn’t work every time, but sometimes it does.

What It’s Really About: Thoughtful, Well-Informed, Spiritually Motivated Engagement

By now it should be clear that this isn’t so much about one cross on one college campus. It’s about how we Christians conduct ourselves in all public debate. We need to know what we’re talking about, first of all. We can’t afford to jump on bandwagons without knowing the facts. We need to know what we’re doing, thinking through why we’re doing it, and of course pray about it.

Our witness doesn’t depend on the volume of our PR campaigns, but on how we actually represent Jesus Christ. And sometimes it works.