The building is bouncing to the beat of the Black Eyed Peas hit “Boom Boom Pow”. Thousands of screaming college students sing along, “I got that rock and roll/ That future flow/ That digital spit/ Next level visual s***…” A circle has formed around a group of girls bumping and grinding in the middle of the floor. Men dressed as women, some only in bras and mini skirts and others wearing dresses, run by and cheer.
Later, during a dance-off, the crowd is asked to “please keep the dancing clean” and the announcer is greeted with a violent chorus of boos. Two men grab each other and begin to slow dance together, drawing wild cheers and laughs. People furiously lick a thin pane of plastic, giving the illusion of a drunken make-out party, as the crowd boisterously sings, “I like that boom boom pow/ Them chickens jackin’ my style/ They tryna copy my swagger/ I’m on that next s*** now.”
You are not at a Los Angeles nightclub, or a concert. You are not at any number of UC or state schools. You are in Chase Gymnasium at Biola University, the Bible Institute of Los Angeles.
Having been at Biola for over two years, I take tremendous pride in our reputation in the community and around the world. We are known as a “we’re-Christians-and-we-want-you-to-know-it” school. Our men and women love Jesus and wherever they go people see they are different from average college students because their behavior glorifies God.
Friends, I was embarrassed Thursday at the nationball tournament. I was embarrassed because I saw the looks on the faces of visitors who watched in the balcony, and I saw disgust instead of entertainment. I hope no one invited their parents that night, I hope no one had younger siblings visiting who were looking for a Christ-loving university to attend. And I hope and pray to God no one invited unbelieving friends.
Biola, we have compromised. If you want to cross-dress, if you want to bump and grind, if you want to feign homosexuality for entertainment, you are at the wrong school. When I chose Biola, it was not the kind of place that had to turn down “Boom Boom Pow” to open in prayer. It was not the kind of place that needed repeated reminders to prevent dancing from becoming shameless cavorting and it was certainly not a place that would respond with resounding boos. It was not the kind of place where men wore bras and skirts and women displayed underwear unashamedly in public. What have we become? If nothing changes, what will nationball look like when your kids come to Biola?
It’s not about the contract. It’s not about getting in trouble. It is about glorifying God in everything we do. It is about us being the world’s window to Christ. Moses was kept out of Canaan for misrepresenting God. People look at us as a model for a Christian university. How do we represent God? And what are the consequences?
