Chi Alpha @ Stanford

I just ran across Antithesis, a site that purports to be “a voice from the emerging Christian counterculture.”

That’s overstating the case a bit: there is a real (evangelical) Christian counterculture and these guys ain’t it.

Still, their site is worthwhile. Their basic premise is that North American Christianity has so identified with our society that we cannot stand against it, for that would be to destroy ourselves. Therefore, they have decided to be a voice for true reformation and a call to thoughtful reflection on what it means to be a devoted apprentice of Jesus.

This site is coming from a Reformed tradition (definition: that sort of means they perceive themselves to be following in the footsteps of John Calvin). The reason I mention that is that I don’t agree with all their theology (and actually have some serious points of contention with them), but I still think their family of sites is worth checking out.

There are zillions of Christian books out there, and many of them are worthwhile reads. There are few, however, that are truly outstanding. Here are some that really need to appear on your reading list!

Growing Spiritually:
1) The Spirit of the Disciplines, by Dallas Willard (author, Amazon)
2) Prayer, by Richard Foster (Amazon)
3) Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Amazon)

Understanding the Bible:
1) The Challenge of Jesus, by N.T. Wright (publisher, Amazon)
2) Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals, by William Webb (publisher, Amazon)
3) Surprised By The Power of the Spirit, by Jack Deere (author, Amazon)

Reasonable Answers to Honest Questions
1) Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis (author, Amazon)
2) Long Journey Home, by Os Guinness (Amazon)

Chi Alpha (XA) is a community of students earnestly following Jesus. Our gatherings are informal, charged with music, given to humor and deal with everything from relationships to the nature of truth. We are affiliated with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, which is sponsored by the Assemblies of God, and we welcome students from all ethnicities, nationalities, and religious heritages.

If you’re still confused, try this: we’re like a Christian club at Stanford who meets once a week to learn more about following Jesus.

There’s a higher-resolution version available in Windows Media format: left-click to play, right click to download, 7 MB.

For more information on Chi Alpha, you might also want to check out these links:

• What Are The Meetings Like?
• What Does Chi Alpha Believe?
• What’s Important to Chi Alpha?
• What Does The Name Chi Alpha Mean?

We exist to provide a supportive environment for following Jesus. That means that we try to help one another emulate Jesus.

Based on a study of the Bible, we believe that there are five key things we should do corporately to faciliate our individual spiritual growth:
* We ask God to transform us and the campus, and to miraculously intervene on our behalf. We call this prayer.
* We talk about what the Bible teaches and how it applies to our lives, and we seek to understand our academic studies and our faith in a complementary way. We call this discipleship.
* We hang out together and help each other. We call this fellowship.
* We tell God thanks and express our admiration for who He is and what He has done. We call this worship.
* We help other people understand God’s love. We call this witness.

The Brief Version

Our core beliefs can be summarized in a few key sentences:

1) God is real.
2) God has revealed Himself in Jesus.
3) The Bible is God’s word.
4) God still does supernatural stuff.
5) God ought to be the most important thing in every person’s life.

The Long Version

Our beliefs can be described as orthodox, evangelical, and Pentecostal.

By orthodox, we mean that we affirm the historic declarations of the Christian faith: specifically the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.

By evangelical, we mean that we take the Bible seriously and believe that faith is something you have to choose for yourself. There’s a Wikipedia article that explains the nuances.

By Pentecostal, we mean that we believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit includes miracles, and this is an important part of the life of the church. We’re sponsored by the Assemblies of God, the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination (although we welcome students from all backgrounds). Our formal declaration of beliefs is called the Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths.

This is a plain-English version of them:
1. WE BELIEVE… the Bible is God’s message to us.
SO WE SEEK… to understand and obey its truth.

2. WE BELIEVE… there is one God who is three persons.
SO WE YEARN… to know Him in all of His complexity and beauty.

3. WE BELIEVE… Jesus is fully God and fully human.
SO WE REJOICE… that Christ can be a bridge between us and God.

4. WE BELIEVE… people, throughout history, have sinned against God.
SO WE ARE… deeply aware that we too are marked by willful disobedience.

5. WE BELIEVE… God extends forgiveness to us through Christ.
SO WE REPENT…. and rejoice in our forgiveness.

6. WE BELIEVE… God offers freedom from sin’s grasp.
SO WE LIVE… lives that are pleasing to God.

7. WE BELIEVE… followers of Jesus must be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
SO WE EXPECT… supernatural power in our daily lives.

8. WE BELIEVE… that God can heal both the body and the heart.
SO WE PRAY… with faith and hope.

9. WE BELIEVE… the mark of surrender to the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues.
SO WE PRAY… that God would grant us this supernatural gift.

10. WE BELIEVE… in the Church.
SO WE LIVE… in this community of faith, inviting others to join us.

11. WE BELIEVE… God gives leaders as gifts to His Church.
SO WE SERVE… those whom the Lord entrusts to us.

12. WE BELIEVE… God commands his followers to celebrate communion and baptism.
SO WE PRACTICE… these symbolic actions, reflecting on their significance.

13. WE BELIEVE… Jesus will return to claim His Church.
SO WE LIVE… in expectancy of his coming.

14. WE BELIEVE… Christ will one day be seen clearly as King on earth.
SO WE LIVE… as citizens of His Kingdom now.

15. WE BELIEVE… God is the ultimate Judge.
SO WE LIVE… knowing that our choices will echo through eternity.

16. WE BELIEVE… we will live with God forever.
SO WE LIVE… with hope regardless of our circumstances.

Our name was inspired by 2 Corinthians 5:20, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

Taking the concept of Christ’s Ambassadors, our founders chose to make our name sound similar to the names of honor societies popular at the time we were established (1953). Hence, Christ’s Ambassadors was rendered as Chi Alpha (XA).

Given that we have Greek initials for a New Testament phrase, you might assume that our initials actually stood for the Greek phrase in question.

Oddly enough, you would be wrong.

If you look at the Greek words in 2 Corinthians 5:20 (alternate site), you will notice the word that is translated as ambassadors is presbeuo. Being bright, you will instantly notice that this word doesn’t begin with an alpha (a).

Fortunately, some resourceful Greek-speaker decided XA could also stand for the Greek phrase Christou Apostoloi, which means Christ’s Messengers or Christ’s Sent Ones, which is really pretty similar to the idea of Christ’s Ambassadors anyway…

And it was just so that Chi Alpha got its name…