“It’s an opportunity for the community to celebrate our dynamic, multi-faith religious community on campus,” said Campus Ministry Coordinator Max Carter of Religious Emphasis Week, a 19-year-running event which was celebrated Jan 23. through 30. With a turn out of over 500 people this year, the week-long religious rager was definitely a success.

The week was kicked off right on Monday when Shane Claiborne, author of “The Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President” (with Chris Haw) and founder of The Simple Way Community in Philadelphia led a discussion in Boren Lounge. “(Claiborne) is a man who is truly free,” said junior Martha Orhai. “He’s not being bound by the conventions of society and is free in a lot of ways people don’t usually let themselves be.”

Claiborne comes from an evangelical Tennessee background, but has decided to rise up against the anti-gay, judgmental, and hypocritical characteristics he believes most non-church-goers use to define Christians.

“I would say with confidence that he is none of those things,” said Orhai. “He is basically embodying the solution to the hypocrisy that people see in the church, and is one of the most real people I have ever come in contact with.”

Other events during the week included distribution of the Gideon’s Bible in Founders, meetings in The Hut for those interested in Catholicism, Pagan Mysticism, and Buddhism, and even a showing of “Life of Brian,” a Monty Python classic about a young Jewish man who is mistaken for Jesus.

Perhaps the most popular event was QLSP’s and Fancy Feet’s Chow Down/Center Down/Hoedown (secret Quaker code for potluck supper, Quaker worship, and contra dance).

“I haven’t been dancing in a while so it was really fun,” said junior Mary Beth Howington, an avid contra dancer. “There were lots of people there who it was their first time dancing, and a lot of people from UNCG. The turnout was good.”

Many students who aren’t actively involved in religious studies on campus, Howington said, had no idea that last week’s events were part of a larger Religious Emphasis Week.

“I’m definitely going to pay more attention to the flyers around campus in the future,” said junior Rachel McClure. ‘It’d be a shame to miss out on something that might really interest me.”

Despite its current status as something of a “cult hit,” Religious Emphasis Week remained a positive, informative, and often entertaining event on Guilford’s campus, and will hopefully continue to be held for years to come.