I have struggled to overcome many stereotypes since coming to college last fall, and the sad part is the two things I have been most involved in at Ohio State stereotype each other. 

Maybe all stereotypes are based in truth. Maybe they're not. That's not for me to decide. All I know is that in order to be a part of something larger than yourself, you are going to have to deal with the judgements of those around you. This is especially true in two of the most important things in my life: my church, and my sorority. 

My freshman year, I quickly fell in love with a campus ministry called h2o, and I also fell in love with my sorority, Alpha Xi Delta. So naturally, I became "the sorority girl" at church, and the "Christian girl" in my sorority. I struggle to understand why the two groups seem to clash at times but I have come to the conclusion that Greeks and Christians ultimately have the same stereotypical ideas about each other. Greeks think Christians are hypocritical, and vice versa. Christians think Greeks are judgmental, and vice versa. Greeks think Christians are too concerned with Christianity, and vice versa. The list goes on. 

Let's set aside the negative stereotypes for a second, though, and really look at what each group is all about. A very main component of both Greek Life and Christianity is community. Both groups offer a community of people to encourage you, love on you, and hold you accountable. If each group could just look beyond the slightly negative aspects of the other group, everyone would be able to see the undeniable love between members of the respective groups. 

Another very similar aspect of Greek Life and Christianity is "recruitment." Outreach is a main goal of Christians and is very comparable to recruitment in Greek Life. Although Christians are looking to reach out to anyone, whereas Greeks have a certain type of person they try to recruit, the ultimate end goal is the same: finding people who will love your God or your sorority/fraternity as much as you do. The process to bringing new members into the church is very similar to bringing new members into a sorority. It requires an outpour of love for the current members of the group, being welcoming to the PNM's (or potential new Christians?) and for Christians an outpour of love for God, for Greeks, an outpour of love for their sorority or fraternity. 

Once I get past hearing the feigned interest from my church friends when I tell them about a social event, or after I tell a sorority sister about my small group, I realize it comes down to the bonds I have made with fellow Christians and sorority sisters--and each is irreplaceable. As a strong Christian, however, I could never say that my faith in Christ is the same as my love for my sorority. But I can say that these two very different groups have a lot of the same core values and I don't see why we can't get past rash judgments and see a person as a person not just as a label.