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With Campus Cross Walk
Written by: CampUs4 5/31/2011 8:06 PM
Campus Ministry and Sexual Orientation By Steven Tramel Gaines Cultures of public higher education have discussed the topic of sexual orientation for several years, so the conversation is not new to ministers at state universities. Some of the more liberal private colleges also have joined the conversation. More recently, however, students at Christian universities have begun pursuing official approval of same-sex orientation and behavior. According to The New York Times, “Decades after the gay rights movement swept the country’s secular schools, more gays and lesbians at Christian colleges are starting to come out of the closet, demanding a right to proclaim their identities and form campus clubs, and rejecting suggestions to seek help in suppressing homosexual desires.” This increased awareness of issues related to sexual orientation will inevitably influence our thoughts and conversations about campus ministry, especially as we interact with concerned members of our supporting churches. They will likely want to know what we believe and teach about homosexuality, and we will need to break down the topic into manageable pieces. Those concerned members will probably seek assurance that we share their theologies and biblical interpretations pertinent to the conversation, and we will need to maintain a healthy ratio of conviction and compassion, of unity and diversity, and of respect for scripture and acknowledgement of our limited intellects. They likely will want to know that we’re regularly and firmly teaching the “right” view of human sexuality, and we will need to remind them and ourselves that the faithful approach is the story of Jesus Christ through which God’s Spirit transforms lives. In the latest issue of The Christian Chronicle, Sally Gary, Executive Director of CenterPeace, says that “we must change the way we’re responding to this issue by simply looking to the way Jesus has always taught us to respond to people. Invite them to the table, regardless of where they are spiritually, and let them encounter the overwhelming love of Jesus there.” The same issue reports that Rich Little, preaching minister of the University Church of Christ at Pepperdine, believes that people who “deal with questions and struggles” should be able to turn first to the church. According to Little, “Unless we develop a spirit of care and safety, this will never happen.” Campus ministry is a pivotal opportunity for the church to provide such a safe place. Surely we need to seriously study our theological presuppositions, but we must never allow that constant search for truth to overshadow our ongoing enactment of Christ’s love. Before we sit down to read or argue about this or any other topic, let’s make sure we’re embracing the marginalized and restoring dignity and purpose to hurting and confused students. What are some practical ways that we can facilitate God’s transformation in students who experience same-sex attraction and those who have learned to hate? How should we provide safe, sensitive friendships while also teaching Christian morality? Click here for a related article from a few years ago. Steven Gaines, Editor-in-Chief of Campus CrossWalk, is a campus minister in Spartanburg, SC.
Cultures of public higher education have discussed the topic of sexual orientation for several years, so the conversation is not new to ministers at state universities. Some of the more liberal private colleges also have joined the conversation. More recently, however, students at Christian universities have begun pursuing official approval of same-sex orientation and behavior.
According to The New York Times, “Decades after the gay rights movement swept the country’s secular schools, more gays and lesbians at Christian colleges are starting to come out of the closet, demanding a right to proclaim their identities and form campus clubs, and rejecting suggestions to seek help in suppressing homosexual desires.”
This increased awareness of issues related to sexual orientation will inevitably influence our thoughts and conversations about campus ministry, especially as we interact with concerned members of our supporting churches.
They will likely want to know what we believe and teach about homosexuality, and we will need to break down the topic into manageable pieces.
Those concerned members will probably seek assurance that we share their theologies and biblical interpretations pertinent to the conversation, and we will need to maintain a healthy ratio of conviction and compassion, of unity and diversity, and of respect for scripture and acknowledgement of our limited intellects.
They likely will want to know that we’re regularly and firmly teaching the “right” view of human sexuality, and we will need to remind them and ourselves that the faithful approach is the story of Jesus Christ through which God’s Spirit transforms lives.
In the latest issue of The Christian Chronicle, Sally Gary, Executive Director of CenterPeace, says that “we must change the way we’re responding to this issue by simply looking to the way Jesus has always taught us to respond to people. Invite them to the table, regardless of where they are spiritually, and let them encounter the overwhelming love of Jesus there.”
The same issue reports that Rich Little, preaching minister of the University Church of Christ at Pepperdine, believes that people who “deal with questions and struggles” should be able to turn first to the church. According to Little, “Unless we develop a spirit of care and safety, this will never happen.”
Campus ministry is a pivotal opportunity for the church to provide such a safe place. Surely we need to seriously study our theological presuppositions, but we must never allow that constant search for truth to overshadow our ongoing enactment of Christ’s love. Before we sit down to read or argue about this or any other topic, let’s make sure we’re embracing the marginalized and restoring dignity and purpose to hurting and confused students.
What are some practical ways that we can facilitate God’s transformation in students who experience same-sex attraction and those who have learned to hate?
How should we provide safe, sensitive friendships while also teaching Christian morality?
Click here for a related article from a few years ago.
Steven Gaines, Editor-in-Chief of Campus CrossWalk, is a campus minister in Spartanburg, SC.
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