Michael Hwang wants to know if you have a few minutes to talk about Jesus. A member of Korean Campus Crusaders for Christ, NYU’s largest evangelical Christian group, Michael meanders through Washington Square Park twice a week, speaking with strangers about the path to God. Or, at least, he speaks with those who will listen.
“Sometimes you walk around and just get ‘no’ after ‘no’ for an hour or more,” said Hwang, a senior studying sociology in CAS. In addition to Washington Square, Hwang evangelizes in parks around the city. “Union Square is one of the hardest places to talk to people,” he explained, continuing, “I actually had a guy laugh and tell me he was a devout apathetic.”
Devout apathy — or, at least, casual disregard — seems to be the norm for NYU students when it comes to religion. For many, the closest we get to religious practice is regularly attending brunch on Sunday mornings. Read more…
