This article in the Boston Globe Magazine, God on the Quad, hits it rather dead on.

I'm a little surprised to hear how "cool" evangelical Christianity is becoming in some of these Ivy League schools. It seems to be a pretty fair and balanced article in many respects, touching on the subculture of Christian fellowships on college campuses, the methodology and organization of many of the Christian groups, some reasons for its appeal to college students, and the subtle pressure to compromise/conform in order to gain "access" and legitimacy in the eyes of the secular academia.

A couple excerpts that really hit home:

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(Re: a controversy regarding homosexuality)

"But Chang says the incident exposes much bigger stakes, with the viability of what he calls "educated evangelicals" hanging in the balance. A native of Taiwan and 1990 graduate of Harvard, Chang says educated evangelicals feel at home in the university world and want to be considered full members. So they're quick to distance themselves from Bible-thumping, anti-intellectual fundamentalists. Instead, educated evangelicals stress their more progressive politics and nuanced theology.

"Being drawn into conflicts over homosexuality profoundly discomforts us, for we fear that our hard-earned distance will evaporate under the public glare," he argues. During the Tufts controversy, he says, he watched as other conservative Christians who share his views on homosexuality remained silent "out of fear they would be persecuted next." Three years later, he's come to believe that "the price of admission" for educated evangelicals in a place like Boston is ultimately too high.

Homosexuality is a defining issue for evangelicals, Chang says, because "it calls into question what the authority is governing your beliefs and your group. Is it changing public opinion or is it Scripture?" He argues that the debate is really a table-setter for the biggest issues to come, when genetic cloning and manipulation of human biology take center stage. "At root is: Do we all have the right to self-define?"

He fears that if evangelicals cede too much ground on homosexuality in the battle to preserve their welcome in intellectual hothouses like Boston, they may ultimately sacrifice their ability to win the war."

Re: the fellowship members in post-college life:

"...there are many more students whose intense involvement slackens after commencement. That's when all the attributes that made the evangelical groups so appealing to students -- their premium on tight-knit social circles, their student-run, non-hierarchical approach, their funky, late-night culture -- can begin to work against them in meeting the needs of the post-college crowd."

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I hope evangelicals aren't defined merely by a high view of Scripture. Weren't the abolitionists and civil rights activists considered evangelicals?

I really miss that "funky, late-night culture".