Like any good Christ-centered community, Houghton College loves to talk about unity. We latch onto the idea of coming together as a body of believers to learn, grow, serve, and worship. Discussions about injustice fascinate us because we know that the church has a duty to step up and speak out against the divisions in this world. This love for unity seems to spread across every area of our lives and to every topic that can possibly be discussed. Well, every topic except for one. For some reason, when it comes to anything relating to the LGBTQ+ community, we seem to exchange our fascination with unity for an obsession with dissent.
On the surface, it seems like Houghton has done an excellent job of trying to maintain unity. Dean Jordan’s chapel talks and special discussions are always presented with tact and respect. SGA has also been doing a great job of facilitating discussion about the language of the Community Covenant that talks about same-sex relationships. If you have been here for a few years, you have probably seen a number of chapel speakers talking about what it looks like to be gay and Christian.
However, I’m not talking about the surface. God isn’t very concerned with the surface and neither am I. I am concerned with dinner table talks in the dining hall. I am concerned about the uneasiness that many students have about talking to someone who is gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender. I want to shed light on the fact that students wish, and sometimes even pray for the LGBTQ+ community to leave Houghton College. It seems to me that if you even say the word “gay,” there is a Houghton student somewhere cringing in agony.
I have never seen more Houghton students instantly filled with anger about a topic than I have with this one. Why is that? Why does it anger us so much to think there are students with a different theological position than what is popular? Why does it bother us to think some people disagree? Are we afraid the Bible is being misinterpreted and that we are accepting lies, or are we actually just being swept away by our own biases? We cannot escape the fact that the church has a history of demonizing the LGBTQ+ community. I see it every time a Christian brother or sister says we should not think less of someone because of their race, gender, or economic status, but conveniently disregards sexual orientation. We all know that racism is bad. We all know that sexism is terrible. However, I question how many of us realize that homophobia is not actually something that is rooted in Christ.
If your belief in the sinfulness of homosexuality thwarts your ability to love a gay person, you may need to reconsider your motives. Hold true to your beliefs, but for the sake of the unity of the church in a time of turmoil, please do not let the Christian acceptance of homophobia get in the way of your Christ-like compassion. You have Christian brothers and sisters who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Shouting at them and questioning why they would even want to attend Houghton College has done and will continue to do nothing to strengthen the church. We are one student body. We are one Houghton community. We are one body of Christ. You cannot pick and choose members of that family. We one-hundred percent need to do better. The next time you are about to slander your LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters in Christ, ask yourself when the last time you asked to pray for them was. Ask yourself whether or not you even have a gay friend. Disagree and debate, but for the beauty of the Earth, do not use your differences as an opportunity to inflict pain.
I am not saying you should change your theological stance and affirm same-sex relationships. I, myself, am conservative on the topic of sexuality and I hold firm to that stance. What I am saying, though, is that we cannot look at sexual orientation as an opportunity to disrespect and disregard the LGBTQ+ community on campus or around the world. We need to do better in the area of loving our gay and lesbian neighbors. We need to try harder to walk beside our bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters. The Bible never says that if you disagree with a Christian brother or sister, you should isolate yourselves immediately. We need to be loving to the LGBTQ+ community, both inside and outside the Houghton bubble. Can that be uncomfortable if you believe that their sexual desires are sinful? Yes. Does Jesus care whether or not we are comfortable? Probably not.
Joe is a junior communication major with minors in business and Bible.