"Harvard's historic tradition has been a Christian tradition, and although Memorial Church is not considered as affiliated with any one denomination, it has always been thought of as a house of Christian worship," he wrote.

Heimert recalls that many members of the faculty and student body were outraged by Pusey's stance; it was eventually decided that the non-Christian ceremonies could take place.

Though Pusey was able to initiate a short-lived "religious revival" on campus, he met with some hostility among the increasingly anti-religious student population of the late '50s and '60s.

Plummer Professor of Christian Morals Peter J. Gomes points to Pusey's failure to achieve his desired religious goals as evidence that administrators could have only minimal effect on the religious character of the school.

"Mr. Pusey was a very religious man, but could not impose a heightened sense of religion on campus," Gomes says.

Instead, according to Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield Jr. '58, the College experienced a decline in religious interest during the 1960s and 1970s.

"It was a product of the rebellion at the time," Mansfield says. "There was an great interest in anything that was considered anti-authority."

During this time, Harvard acquired a reputation for secularism that has remained strong to the present day.

"When choosing a college, I feared that there would not be as much support for religion [at Harvard] as there had been at home," says Denise Wang '01, one of the officer of the Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Fellowship (HRCF) "Harvard is not known for people of strong faith."

RECENT FERVOR

Since Pusey left office, the Harvard administration has taken a much more laissez-faire attitude towards religion. Despite this hands-off approach, rising diversity on Harvard's campus, together with other factors, has caused what many describe as a "religious revival" on campus.

There are now over 15 student religious groups on campus, including organizations from such previously under-represented religions as Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.

Adding to the perception that religion is making a campus comeback, groups that have long been campus presences are also seeing drastic increases in membership.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel, which moved 20 years ago from a building on the periphery of campus to one in the center, is now one of the strongest religious groups on campus. According to Michael A. Kay '01, chair of the Hillel Steering Committee, the group now has more than 150 regular members and about 500 who attend occasional events.

Perhaps most startling is the growth of Christian student groups. Christian Impact has blossomed from about 10 members to more than 50; the HRCF has seen a similar growth. Six years ago, HRCF's Asian American Bible study group formed a sister group, the Asian American Christian Fellowship (AACF), which has continued to attract new members ever since.