<p>cpk011: It’s a hard question to answer, because “Christian” means a lot of different things, socio-culturally. Some Christians feel strongly that they should avoid a lot of behaviors, people, and ideas they perceive as contrary to their belief system, and therefore, should make choices that avoid those things. Some Christians feel their faith is a personal one, and doesn’t depend on the environmental circumstances to be practiced successfully. I know many self-defined Christians who would be comfortable at Reed, and some who <em>really</em> would not. It’s not clear from your post what kind of experience you’d be looking for. </p>
<p>I strongly suggest reading the article from Reed magazine linked to in vossron’s first response. I’d also ask you to think about what sort of environment you’re looking for. The environment at Reed is geared towards questioning ideas, positions, beliefs – and as a result, I think you could reasonable expect your religious beliefs to be questioned, poked at, and challeged, by your coursework, classmates, and professors. Some Christians really value that sort of questioning. (For example, I had confirmation classes that challenged students to be able to refute the arguments against points of faith.) On the other hand, some Christians feel strongly that such questioning and challenge comes from “ungodly” sources, or that people who question and challenge believers are sinful, ungodly, and even being driven by or in league with evil/Satan. It’s my impression that Christians with the latter kind of faith might find Reed a very difficult, unpleasant, unwelcoming place. </p>
<p>If you attended Reed, you could reasonably expect to have a lot of situations occur where there were things that were contrary to your faith. You could probably avoid some of those situations, but not all of them, because irreverence towards some kinds of belief is, I would argue, a core value at Reed. Some believers find such challenges make them better believers, and so they welcome them. Only you can really know what sort of believer you are, and what sort of environment would best help you to learn and grow as a scholar and a Christian.</p>