It is a normal Wednesday morning at Grove City College, and a steady stream of college students drags its feet down the sidewalks of upper campus. They are journeying to the local holy place: Harbison Chapel. But unlike those happy pilgrims who once traveled to Canterbury Cathedral, these unlucky souls are crossing neither a great distance nor pursuing a great cause. They travel because they live under the last vestiges in all of Western society of compelled religion: the mandatory chapel requirement. So as they go, they mourn in their hearts and wail with their mouths, beating their breasts in despair at the most unjust, most undemocratic, most tyrannical regulations of their overlords in the Student Life and Learning Office. All they can do is pass on a better dream to their children, whispering softly in their ears as they tuck them in, “Son, one day, we will be free!”
Judging by the vehemence of student complaints against the chapel program, this picture of administrative oppression would appear to accurately represent reality. Nevermind that we all signed up for this college knowing it required chapel attendance, and nevermind that the chapel requirements have actually decreased over the last four years (from 16 per semester to 12), and nevermind that places like Cedarville University require chapel attendance every day.
The stated reason for Christian students’ hatred for chapel services is normally that the services are low quality. In fairness, many chapel services are. I have attended five Christian schools over the course of my life, and every one has had chapel services, and those chapel services tended to be uninspired, lackluster affairs from beginning to end. This reality alone can not explain, however, the almost universal dislike for chapel from both Christian and non-Christian students alike. Especially since the chapel program has significantly improved over the last few years at Grove City, it makes little sense that even devoted Christian students would so often turn up their noses at these religious exercises.
Rather, the best explanation for the scorn hurled at chapel programs is their compulsion. Even though everyone at a Christian college has signed up for chapel programs of their own free will, nobody wants to be forced to go to church. This is why both Christian and non-Christian students dislike chapel: even those who wish to worship God wish to do it on their own terms. In fact, Christian students may dislike it even more than non-Christian ones, because to non-Christians this is just the annoying Christian stuff you have to sit through to get a degree, but to Christians this is an affront to our free worship of God. This also explains why most chapel services are poor quality. Corporate worship requires willing congregational participation to work properly, but most students, teachers, and administrators want nothing to do with chapel. No matter how good the music and preaching are, if much of the congregation begrudgingly stands in silence and refuses to participate, the service will be a bad one.
Though there are some exceptions, the professors’ and administration’s general unwillingness to attend chapels without high profile speakers sends the clear message to the student body that this is not worth their time. In the final analysis, nobody wants to be there: not the faculty or staff, because its compulsory nature makes it low quality; not the leaders, because the students’ hostility is demoralizing; and not the students, because, in their minds, “it’s 11am, and I really need to finish my Econ homework, but those darn administrators forced me to attend a bad worship service they don’t always even endure with me.”
The sad reality is that our chapel program actually has riches to offer the student body if they would only open their eyes. The songs we sing are usually well written and led by talented musicians. The Chapel program brings in quality speakers for Wednesdays and allows professors to teach their own lessons on Fridays. It is not perfect, but our Chapel program is better than any other one I have seen, and its leaders care about making it better. If we were to accept it with open arms, choosing to receive whatever value it has and forgetting the compulsion, we would be much happier for it. We cannot let the requirement deprive us of the joy. Next Wednesday or Friday, sit at the front and put your phone in your backpack. Who knows? You may find your pilgrimage to this holy place really did help your soul.
