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Tag Archives: christianity

Why I Renounced Membership in a Greek Sorority and Why I’m Compelled to Tell Others – Part 1

30 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by michellestimpson1 in Uncategorized

≈ 42 Comments

Tags

christian life, christianity, divine nine, renounce sorority, sorority life

greek alphabet

This change of heart and mind started with a trip back to the yard with my line sisters for homecoming weekend in 2013*. Friday night, we attended a Greek Show. Afterward, I stood with them watching some fraternity guys do their dance. I watched one guy’s face morph from that of a perfectly normal human being to the exact imitation of a dog—tongue hanging out, neck twitching, panting. I thought, “Wow. That’s amazing how he just did that!”

Something in me said, “That’s not natural.”

But since I’m obviously not in a men’s fraternity, I brushed off the thought.

The next day, there was a meeting of the sorority sisters in the dance hall. There must have been about 150 or so of us in the room. Some of the women were yelling a chant that I never learned, and there was a line in the song about how we would show St. Peter our sorority pins and be admitted into heaven. Mind you, that’s not an official song of the sorority, but again, it gave me pause. It caused a restlessness in my spirit that I couldn’t shake.

So I began to ask Him questions: God, what do You think about sororities and fraternities? Did these organizations exist in biblical times? Would Jesus join a fraternity? Can I imagine Him throwing up the hand signs? What does the Bible say about what I pledged to 21 years ago?

That last question led me to do something that I had not done since…ever! I didn’t actually know what all I had pledged to because, as secret societies go, you can’t completely know what you’re pledging to until you’ve already pledged. You don’t get to read “the books” until you’re already in. It’s like signing a blank check based on the fact that so many other people you admire signed it blind, too.

To be honest, the night I “went over”, I put on my T-shirt, pranced around campus with my new sorority sisters, and rejoiced like crazy. When we finally received our sorority books, I didn’t actually sit down and read them. I put them on a shelf. Admired them. Smiled at them. The only time I pulled them out was when I had to go to a ceremony and read a portion of text. Otherwise, I didn’t read those books any more than I read every single page of my car insurance policy or my student loan papers. In fact, ALL of the sorority members who have sincerely asked me about my renouncement have admitted to me that they’ve NEVER read their books completely, either.

Truth be told: When I really started to think about it in 2013, I didn’t want to read the books. Not prayerfully. Not with my growing knowledge of the Scriptures. Not with the Holy Spirit’s magnifying glass handy. I didn’t want to find out anything that would cause me to lose connection with my line sisters, make me have to renounce, make me have to risk people thinking I’m “too deep” spiritually, or even cause people to stop reading my books if they found out I had renounced. And what was I supposed to do with all that paraphernalia?

Despite the fact that I didn’t want to re-examine what I had pledged to, there was no way I could quench those burning questions without reading “the books”. Even more, I had to question myself: Why am I resisting this? If it’s all good, there shouldn’t be a problem, right? Why am I trusting all these other admirable Christian women’s interpretations rather reading the books for myself?

So I did it. When I returned from my weekend at the yard, I read all three of my little books from cover to cover in one sitting for the very first time ever. The result: I no longer agreed with what I had pledged to.

As I read some of the passages from our intake process again, I remembered how (back in ’92) I’d had an uneasy feeling with some of the vows. I remember thinking, “This kind of sounds like a Scripture…but it’s…different.” Yet, I’d carried on. I wasn’t going to abort the process. Back then, I didn’t recognize the “uneasy feeling” as the Holy Spirit’s check. Secondly, I didn’t want the disgrace of having “dropped” the line. People at my small college would look at me crazy from that day forward. Last but not least, I sure wasn’t going to waste all the hard-earned money I had spent to pledge. No ma’am!

We were in one of the first lines to go through the membership intake process since strict new anti-hazing laws had been passed. We were pretty certain they weren’t going to hit us or make us drink ‘till we passed out or get with some guys we didn’t know. I figured, “If all we have to do is say some words, I’m in there!”

I didn’t understand the power of words.

Needless to say, after reading the books decades later and researching the disturbing history of secret societies, I could no longer remain a member of a Greek letter organization.

I was out.

I was content to leave quietly, like an uncontested divorce. But in recent months, I’ve heard the buzz from my younger cousins and nieces about pledging sororities and I’m cringing because I know what they are about to agree to. They can’t know because no one within the organization will inform them ahead of time. Like me, my sweet relatives probably see the strong women on campus exemplifying sisterhood, doing good things, and they want to be a part of it. They have no concept of how these organizations are inherently bound to Greek gods.

I can’t speak for every fraternity or sorority because, obviously, I haven’t read all their books. But I have Googled and found the official lyrics of the anthems of the “Divine Nine” (isn’t that something to be questioned right there?) and I can tell you that I wouldn’t advise any believer to sing or speak those words. This is why I am compelled to share what I know now.

Thank you so much for reading this post. I welcome any comments/questions. I pray that it will help you make an informed decision about joining, leaving, or staying in a Greek Letter Organization. Please know that I have shared this in Christ’s love and a deep concern for His body. He is Lord!

In my next post on this topic, I’ll share some of the most frequently asked questions from people who have wanted more information about this decision. I’ve been hit with some hard questions – everything from “Is it really that serious?” to “Why are you trying to break up the black community?” to “You think you’re holier than my Pastor, who is a proud member of…?” I’ll share my answers to those questions and more.

If you’d like to ask something, please feel free to comment, inbox, or email me! Be blessed!

*Note: While I was only privy to one sorority’s information, I think it’s important that every believer in any sorority/fraternity/secret society read their books entirely!

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Me and My Original “Mama B”

20 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by michellestimpson1 in Books by Michelle Stimpson

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Tags

Christ, christianity, forgiveness, God's lov, mama b, michelle stimpson, salvation, spirituality

MeandGrandma

 
The older I get, the more thankful I am to still have my grandmother in my life. She is, of course, one source of inspiration for the Mama B Series. Accordingly, when I talked to her about the plot of the novella, she gave me some advice which actually resolved the conflict (thanks, Grandma!).

When I really think about it, my grandmother has given me quite a few lessons in this story we call “life.” I don’t think she’s ever actually given me a lecture. Instead, she has taught me by example.

For one thing, my grandmother NEVER spanked me or yelled at me. She didn’t have to. There was something about her sweet love that somehow made me either more attentive or more obedient in her presence.

(My uncle Fred, of course, would have a different story. He would probably say that she spoiled me. I disagree. I was really good around my grandmother!)

Another thing about my grandmother is how she chose to encourage me. I’ll never forget the day I called her to tell her that I was pregnant. I was barely 20 years old, still in college, and not married. Though I am sure she was crushed by the news, she did not express her disappointment to me. Instead, she encouraged me to keep my head up, ask God to forgive me, stay in school, and move forward. She told me that I wasn’t the first girl to get pregnant in college, and I wouldn’t be the last. And she reminded me that, despite the situation, I was still a smart girl and she looked forward to my graduation. Her choice to encourage me rather than ridicule me in that fragile moment was soooo…I can’t even give you the right word for how she re-directed me.

I’ve been around my grandmother enough to know that she is not perfect. She’s human, which is really the beauty of God’s love for mankind as well.

When I think about how He loves us, I still don’t have words. But like a grandmother who has grown wise with time, He knows that once people realize how much they are loved, their respect, reverence, and obedience toward Him grow out of the love He already has for us.

God is also faithful to encourage us when we have done wrong. For believers, He has already forgiven our sins and made a conscious decision to forget them. While sin may just be happening from our perspective, it has already happened, been nailed to the cross, and been forgiven from His point of view. When we do wrong, the Holy Spirit doesn’t come to condemn those who are in Christ (Rom. 8:1). Instead, He convicts us of our righteousness (John 16:8-11). He encourages us by directing our focus back to Christ in us.

If have a grandmother, mother, aunt, sister, or cousin who has been a source of encouragement to you, please give her her flowers! Even if you don’t currently have a “Mama B” in your life, you can have Christ. I encourage you to receive His love. It will fill you with memories that are sometimes challenging, but always loving 🙂

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