Yes, you might not believe it, but the YMCA stands for Young Men's Christian Association.
Chuck Colson brings out what many of us have observed in recent years about the YMCA: most of the time, people look at the YMCA and "just see a swim and gym."
Some are working to put the "C" back in the YMCA, which is what Colson's piece is about. I know at least two good folks in the Rapid City YMCA who have been earnestly working to do the same.
But it’s an uphill fight. At the YMCA convention, ideas like posting Bible verses on the wall or maintaining a prayer request box met with disapproval from many. Dick Blattner of the Hollywood, Florida, YMCA, complained, “I respect your religion. But when I see posters and placards on the wall that reflect Christian principles, I feel left out.... It offended me, and I don’t think it’s right for the Y.”
Only in today’s hypersensitive society could a leader in an organization with Christian in its name be offended by Christianity. But it reminds us what happens when Christians sell out our core principles and abandon our worldview for the sake of “success.”
The folks in the Rapid City YMCA that I mentioned face the same kind of resistance mentioned in Colson's piece.
Opponents of the "C" often cite inclusiveness and how that is somehow required for success. But as Colson's piece points out (from somebody who pointed it out a long time ago), "how is it successful to gain the world and lose your soul?"
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