Thinking About Pledging? Should Christians Pledge A Non Christian Fraternity or Sorority?

FINAL ANSWER

Thank You for response by Elder Pierce (Chicago, IL USA)

I really want to know why you compromised. Your original thoughts were on point. You were biblical and giving sound doctrine. Why did you conform??

I have made up my mind on this subject and I appreciate all the feedback and response I received. Elder Pierce, you were the first to reply and I thank you for your question. It caused me to dig a little deeper into the scriptures, and through that I was able to get a clear answer.

I am definitively against pledging to non-Christian fraternities or sororities.

BELOW IS MY ORIGINAL ARTICLE which I wrote on this subject. Several months later I wrote an addendum which prompted Elder Pierces response above.

I am in a place in my life now where every day of my life I am striving to know God, His Word, His Will, and hear and obey His Voice. So I am constantly growing and being transformed by the renewing of my mind as Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2.

The way to clearly get answers from the Lord on things you are dealing with in your life is to pull out a bible and a concordance or go online and look up everything His Word has to say on that subject. Then meditate on that Word until you hear His instruction to you.

So my instructions to you is exactly that, pull out your bible and begin to dig through, asking for wisdom as you do.

Here are some of the scriptures that helped me to confidently make up my mind about pledging:

Proverbs 22:26 (New King James version) Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge.

Proverbs 6:1 (NKJ) My son, if you become surety for your friend, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, you are snared by the words of your mouth. So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; for you have come into the hand of your friend: go and humble yourself; plead with your friend.

Mathew 5:34 (Jesus speaking) But I say to you, do not swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool;...nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your yes be yes and your no, no. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath.

1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler (this is someone who uses abusive language), or a drunkard, or an extortioner, not even to eat with such a person.

Proverbs 24:21-22 Do not associate with those given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly and who knows the ruin those two can bring? (KJV says meddle not- it is defined aid, support, join, make a pledge to, associate with)

Proverbs 22:24-25 Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.

1 Corinthians 7:18-24 Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christs slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

At the end of the day, everything we do needs to be all about Jesus and Him crucified at this point. I believe time is short, He's coming back, and we need to be "sold out" to His plan for our life.

If you truly have a heart to minister to people in these organizations, read this article.

Blessings to all of you who took the time to read this, I bless every one of you and may the Holy Spirit direct and order your steps and clearly make His Will known to you.

God bless!!

(Below is original article)

Disclamer: This article is directed towards the question of pledging a NON Christian organization. There are Christian alternative Fraternities and Sororities , if that is your goal, I don't see any problem with it AS long as you have prayed about it first, thoroughly checked out the organization, and counselled with a few mature Christians in the Word about it.

Read this interesting article on starting your own fraternity or sorority.

Regarding the question of pledging a non-Christian based fraternity or sorority ,

Personally, I'm against it. I can find many more reasons why NOT to pledge than reasons to DO it.

If you've seen my section on this site about chanting then you saw a brief glimpse of my freshman experience at The Ohio State University when I came to campus and got exposed to greek life. Yes, I did pledge (read that section and I think you can figure out which group), actually about 3 times, and I never crossed. And I'm not salty about it in the least.

I know that by not crossing, God was protecting me from some things that I didn't need to be exposed to. And at the same time, He took that experience from years ago and developed His gift in me that I used to help build the step ministries that I work with today.

I am not against fraternities or sororities as a general rule of of thumb. I am just FOR the Word of God, and you have to be careful not to violate the principals in His Word.

I saw this verse in 1 Corinthians 6:12 (this is New Living Translation).....

"You say, 'I am allowed to do anything'—but not everything is good for you. And even though 'I am allowed to do anything,' I must not become a slave to anything."

Like apostle Paul said, not everything is good for YOU cuz what you are wanting to do may become your master.

Is pledging this group going to cause you to be exposed to greater temptation to sin?

Examine your reasons why you want to pledge. Really pray about it and make sure you are joining for the right reasons, and even further more, righteous reasons.

As a Christian, I believe we should represent Christ at all times no matter what we doin. When Jesus ate with sinners & tax collectors, He also was winning them to God, not conforming to them and their ways.

Here are a few things that I have heard in the past:

1) This frat or sorority will has connections to have a good career when you get out of college because this frat or sorority has powerful people in many places.

Again, as a Christian, God says it's better to put your trust in Him than to put confidence in man. God needs and wants to be your source. I believe He gets jealous when we turn to other people or things for provision. He is the great provider. That's His specialty. I've seen it time and time again, He can do it with or without a frat or sorority.

Psalms 146:3 says Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. (NLT version)

2) Your fraternity or sorority does great things in community and you want to be a part of that.

I agree that frats and sororities do good things in the community. I have nothing to say against that. And that's an honorable reason if that is your motivation.

But again going back to 1 Cor. 6:12, is this the path that God has for YOUR life? And another question, is God getting the glory out of what your frat or soro. is doing or is the fraternity or sorority going to get the glory? God said He's a jealous God and won't compete wit nobody. The glory is His alone.

3) Your mother and/or father was a particular group and it is your passion and always has been.

I can understand that. I am real big on family tradition, especially in my house, and when someone wants to follow or continue the trend, I am usually all for it, as long as it doesn't go against righteousness.

In this case, you just have to be real careful not to violate the principles in

2Corinthians 6:14 "Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? "

That is of course NLT version. I like that Bible cause it brings everything to you in laymans terms.

Apostle Paul is real clear in the scriptures that "evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33).

And even King David had a similiar revelation on this..."Blessed is the man (or woman) that walks NOT in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, or sits in seat of the scornful" (Psalms 1:1)

God loves you with all of His heart and He knows the outcome of hooking up with the wrong people. He doesn't want you being influenced to do things against His desires for you. And we know that God only wants the best for us right?

After all, He's the one that designed us with a purpose, and that purpose is always in Him. He is not trying to hold anything back from you, "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Psalms 84:11). And when God gives you somethin good, His kinda good knocks you off your feet.

If you pledge and God didn't tell you to do it, you will cross into that frat or soro and still be empty and searching for something.

Find your fullfilment in Christ and His plan for your life. He does have a plan.

Whatever your reason for wanting to pledge the group, I encourage you to get in God's face big time, cuz you don't want to open yourself up to stuff you never should've been involved in and change the course of your life for the worse.

Of course, God is big enough to recover you out of any mistake, but why go through unnecessary heartbreak? And there is ALWAYS consequences for our actions, good and bad.

Check out what this Success Coach & Motivational Speaker had to say

Start Your Own Fraternity or Sorority

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