Final Story, feature lead

“I’m sorry”..for what?

Ashtan Lucenti, a sophomore WSU student, could be spotted wearing a bright blue T-shirt with the saying “I’m Sorry” on it. One might find that a bit odd, however Lucenti was not the only person wearing the shirt. Other members from Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) were also wearing the shirts, which caused a lot of questioning.
Liz Walker, a junior and a member of CRU, explained what the shirts stood for. “The ‘I’m Sorry’ shirts consisted of a three day campaign with Campus Crusade for Christ. It gave Christians a chance to say they were "sorry" for the way they might misrepresent Christ.”
Walker made it clear that CRU wanted feedback from the students in how they think Christ has been misrepresented. A large cardboard elephant was placed on campus on April 12th, surrounded by members of the club wearing the shirts, available to answer student questions. “We wanted to see what non-Christian students thought of the campaign and asked them to write on the elephant,” said Walker.
According to Lucenti, “The “I’m Sorry” shirts were part of a larger movement on campus to reach out to those who have either been hurt by some one who is Christian, misunderstand what it means to be Christian or is confused about who God is in general.”
Lucenti went on to state that, “The point of wearing the shirt was to get people’s attention in the hopes that they would ask about what it meant, which would in turn would spark a conversation.”
The goal of the shirts was definitely reached. Lucenti spoke of many students who came up to her and asked what her shirt stood for, and she was delighted to explain it to them.
She did face some adversity. “I actually had one person call me hypocritical, so it made it a little difficult to believe that the outreach was for a good cause. But in the end the cynical comments were outweighed by the amazing conversations and support,” said Lucenti.
For Stephanie Jamison, a junior and another member of CRU, the “I’m sorry” shirts were important for her own personal self reflection. “There are a lot people that have been hurt by a church or even just been confused by someone that claims that they know God. I think that for me it was good to just think about what I am sorry for and the things that I have done that have misrepresented Christ. If I had confused even one person with my words or actions, then I am really sorry.”
According to Jamison, the idea of doing this on campus came from a book entitled “Blue Like Jazz.” The book took place at Reed College, and there was a confession booth that people could go in. Christians would be in the booth and confessed to the students that they have misrepresenting Christ in different ways. This has happened at other campuses and been very successful, said Jamison.
Some students wonder whether this will be an annual event. The three girls were not sure, but had a unanimous decision. “I definitely think it should be done annually,” Walker said.
“This was the first time we did it at WSU and I think it stirred up a lot of conversations and rebellion from a lot of people,” said Jamison. “There were good and bad things that came out of this campaign, which is expected. Even though there were a lot of people that went against the campaign, it was worth it to see even one person come to know and love God.”