Written by Patrick Glastonbury
Colorado Springs is notable for several of its features: Pikes Peak, the Air Force Academy and the military presence, an extensive network of trails, and a small but charming downtown.
Colorado Springs is also the home of over 100 evangelical groups. While some have described the city as an “Evangelical Mecca,” the only encounters most students have had with this segment of the population are the occasional soapboxes outside Worner, where the faithful yell fire and brimstone at passersby.
Nevertheless, evangelicals are a prominent and potent force in the broader city and nationwide. Professor Elizabeth Coggins, of the Political Science Department, pointed to data from the Pew Institute that attests to this. Across the country, evangelicals are the largest Christian population in the country, and Colorado reflects these nationwide demographics.
Focus on the Family, the largest organization among these groups, moved to Colorado Springs in 1991. Russel Peters of Focus on the Family said that at the time of the move, there were only five evangelical organizations in the Springs. “Today”, he said, “there are over 100.” Russel told the story of the founding of Focus, describing how Dr. Dobson, then a professor and psychologist, left academia to protect the family values he perceived as being under attack.
Today, Focus on the Family is among the largest evangelical organizations in the world, and the largest in Colorado Springs. In addition to their American operations, Focus has radio broadcasts in 26 different languages worldwide, including Zulu. The mission of Focus on the Family is to spread the word of the Gospel and protect a conception of the family they consider traditional.
Despite this appeal to tradition, Focus on the Family is using the tools of the 21st century. The campus in Colorado Springs has a state of the art recording studio, a social media center analyzing Facebook and the Twitterverse, and a phone helpline that connects to the largest network of Christian therapists. Visitors to Focus can also fill out ‘Prayer Request Forms,’ which the employees of Focus pray over daily, or ride down the three-story slide they have in the visitor’s center.
Focus on the Family is distinct from traditional churches in the scope of its operation. Though it has an area for worship big enough for a congregation of 1,500, the organization’s resources go into supporting national and international Christian organizations, across denominational divides.
Evangelical organizations like Focus are generally viewed critically by Colorado College students. Perhaps this is because the number of CC students who identify as religious represent a small minority of the broader student body, and those calling themselves Christian even smaller. When organizations with similar missions visit campus, they are often regarded with suspicion.
Yet, there is more common ground between CC students and evangelists than is generally recognized. Many CC students identify as progressives with a liberal bent, hoping to redress issues in society understood as problematic. Focus on the Family and similar organizations have overlapping hopes for a better community, though they propose different means to this end.
Mr. Peters described his view of the political role of evangelical organizations like Focus as providing the information for citizens to inform themselves. “We’re not here to tell you what to do,” he said, “but only to let you know what’s going on from a Christian perspective, so that people can decide for themselves.”
While critical students might dismiss groups like this to the extent that they appeal to dogmatism, the worst thing one can do is dismiss the sincerity of their goodwill. Groups like Campus Ministry USA may preach hateful things to disinterested students, but this might represent the ugly underbelly of evangelical groups. Mr. Russel, a man who has worked for Focus for several years, described that kind of proselytizing as “shameful.”
Regardless of political stance or religious disposition, what is common is hope for a better tomorrow. While the nature of what a ‘better’ tomorrow is remains contested, CC students and evangelicals alike share the same intention for an improved society.