Harding University attracted national media attention last week when it blocked a website created by gay students.
But Harding, affiliated with the churches of Christ and located in Searcy, Ark., isn’t the only Christian university to be confronted with the issue of gay rights in the last few months. Belmont University in December terminated the contract of the head women’s soccer coach, who is a lesbian; last month the university changed its non-discrimination policy to include “sexual orientation” and has officially recognized the first gay student organization.
The issue has prompted discussion of homosexuality, sexual behavior and tolerance among the student body and even in the president’s office at Lipscomb.
“Even though we want to be a Christian university, and we seek to be and we are, that doesn’t mean that topics like [sexuality] are inappropriate,” President Randolph Lowry told Lumination. “In fact, they’re very appropriate. And we believe that, in the context of a faith environment, they must be held.”
Lipscomb’s student handbook points out that sexual contact, including but not restricted to intercourse, between students is a moral violation and is subject to discipline.
Lowry emphasized that this code applies to any behavior—heterosexual or homosexual—and that all sexual contact outside the marriage relationship of husband and wife is “inappropriate and inconsistent with the community we seek to be.”
The president said he does not foresee a change in policy but expects that the university will continue “being gracious, being in conversation, being of help and assistance.”
Patrick McAnally, a law, justice and society major, said he thinks dialogue about the topic is one benefit of the Harding controversy.
“I think that what is happening at Harding is a great thing,” said McAnally. “I think first and foremost as a Christian community, we should be welcoming all people no matter what. As institutions of higher learning, I think it’s very critical that we promote dialogue on every subject.”
Prohibition of dialogue is what caused the stir at Harding last Wednesday, when the university blocked a new website created by a group called HU Queer Press. The administration at Harding said the site had been blocked because it did not comply with rules in the student handbook.
The site, which details the struggles of several gay students, states its purpose is to “bring attention to the lives and issues of demoralized minorities.”
HU Queer Press also distributed physical copies of the publication to nearly one third of the campus, which has about 6,800 students total.
Sarah Kyle, a senior at Harding and editor of the university’s student news site The Link, said she thinks most of the student body responded positively.
“I feel like all in all people were pretty supportive,” she said. “They love the people, and they understand that they’ve gone through a lot of pain.”
Kyle said that some of the attitudes from HU Queer Press seemed to be promoting conversation while others simply seemed angry. She noted that some gay students on campus don’t agree with the views expressed on the site. “They don’t feel like they’re being neglected,” Kyle said. “They don’t feel like they’re being abused.”
After denying access to the site a few hours after it was launched, the university issued a statement explaining that they blocked it because of a policy against sexual conduct, not because it contained homosexual content. The administration also stated that the students had not followed university rules about producing and distributing publications.
Kyle said students have created underground publications in the past, but HU Queer Press is different. “Never before has it come from students this strongly or this organized,” she said. “This is the first real student-led effort to promote understanding about it.”
According to Kyle, the students behind HU Queer Press have taken a step back and are allowing their audience to process what has been said.
Lipscomb student response
Members of Lipscomb’s Student Government Association said they have heard several students here talking about Harding’s situation.
Jackson Sprayberry, a senior in political science and SGA president, said most of the students he has spoken with seem supportive of HU Queer Press’ attempt to initiate dialogue.
“It’s refreshing to see them have courage,” he said of HU Queer Press. “It’s good to know that we’re moving in that direction to where people can be open to who they are.”
Amy Estepp, a junior in public relations, said she thinks this issue very clearly applies to Lipscomb.
“It’s not so much about Harding and their story but about gay rights, especially in a more conservative setting,” she said. “It kind of just gets pushed under the rug, but it’s something that‘s very real.”
Estepp, who is from Kingsport, Tenn., said she thinks the staff and students at Lipscomb try to be welcoming but that gay students still feel left out. She said this is because of the history of condemnation that has surrounded homosexuality in the past.
“I think that people do feel ostracized, especially the gay community because it’s a very in-your-face topic, and it’s very close to people’s hearts,” she said. “There’s just a lot more emotion that goes into it.”
Sprayberry, originally from Chickamauga, Ga., said he doesn’t think bullying or violence toward gays would happen on Lipscomb’s campus.
“I don’t have any friends or know of any administrators who would bully homosexuals,” Sprayberry said, adding that he hears growing numbers of students criticize friends who make gay jokes.
Lipscomb’s current policy
Estepp said she is aware of Lipscomb’s student handbook policy and thinks the university may soon need to address the topic of homosexuality.
“The administration has done a good job of vocalizing issues,” she said. “I think the issue of homosexuality and gay rights is something that will be the next topic of discussion.”
Page 18 of the student handbook lists Lipscomb’s policy on sexual conduct: “All students should practice the highest standards of modesty and sexual morality. Sexual immorality of any kind including homosexual behavior, whether intercourse is or is not involved, will be subject to discipline. Spending the night with a member(s) of the opposite sex, and/or being in any state of undress with members of the opposite sex- even if acts of sexual immorality have not occurred- are also actionable offense.”
McAnally, a senior from Decatur, Ala., said he doesn’t think Lipscomb will condone homosexuality, but he said that a change in policies might help the university seem more welcoming.
In regard to the university’s statement of non-discrimination, McAnally said, “With the amount of things Lipscomb does and being in a city like Nashville, I think we’re going to have to make that policy include homosexuality.”
Lowry said that addressing homosexuality is a matter of respect and that the university will not permit intolerance.
“The university, as part of recognizing that everyone is God’s creation, will not tolerate bullying and harassment,” Lowry said. “That’s simply inappropriate, and we will respond as we learn about it. We will respond swiftly.”
Click here for the Full length interview with Dr. Lowry, produced by Ryan Malone.
As a Lipscomb University graduate (’91), I was eager to read this article. Words like “dialogue” and “communication” jumped out at me as I read the article. I think it is always beneficial to have healthy dialogue with people, but as Christians we need to remember that with all our conversations there should be one underlying goal. That goal is to glorify God. God’s word is pretty clear on the topic of homosexuality. This is not a gray area. With love and respect, we need to let someone who is sinning know there is a better way. The God-inspired scripture in I Corinthians 6:9-10 list, among other sins, homosexuality and says that those practicing it will not enter into the kingdom of God. God does not say things like this to be hurtful. He wants us to be saved! Read on to verse 11. Paul states “and that is what some of you were”…past tense! It goes on to say that they were washed, sanctified and justified. They became new creatures in Christ… giving up their old ways. What if Paul had said for the sake of tolerance “you love God so that is enough, you don’t need to change.” He would have sold short the story of redemption. Being open with someone is a good thing, but being brave enough to tell them with love what God has said on this matter is true love and true dialogue. We all need to remember to love enough to tell the truth!
After reading this article, I am so very proud to be a part of Lipscomb University. When some Christian Universities are choosing to shy away from issues regarding sexuality or altogether elect to create a circle which excludes some individuals from their student body; LU has chosen to create a larger circle that encompasses all creatures of God’s creation regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, social economic status, tradition of faith, and/or sexuality. Lipscomb still chooses to adhere by a belief to not fully embrace relationships other than heterosexual relationships. However, more importantly Lipscomb has chosen to respect the dignity of every human being where everybody, is God’s somebody. In the near future, I will hope that Lipscomb will strive to make their classroom environments more inclusive where differing traditions of faiths and those of the GLBT community feel safe to express their opinions and beliefs in order that students and professors may learn from one another on a journey into a deeper knowledge and love of God.
Tammy,
As a current Lipscomb student I’d like you to consider one thing. The bible also says in 1 Timothy 2:9-10 “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”
Yet with you reading those words, I bet you still wear a wedding ring, pearls, and braid your hair from time to time. Possibly even wear nice expensive clothes to church.
When are we going to stop picking and choosing? Timothy doesn’t seem to think this a gray area either– if you’re going to take the bible literally.
Jesus commanded us of two things: To love God with our whole heart, and to love our neighbor (our pastor, our straight friends, our gay friends, and terrorists) as ourselves. I plan on focusing on just doing those two simple things before I try to tell somebody else how to act.
I’m not condemning or accusing, just trying to let you know the truth if you feel it’s so important to tell my friends “the truth”.
Joshua,
I am so sorry to be responding so late to your comments.
I am by no means a Bible scholar, but what I have read on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 via books and commentaries is that the jewelry, braided hair, etc was part of Roman culture which suggested that a woman was open to sexually impure activities and/or idol worship. Timothy was working with the church at Ephesus when this letter was written which was primarily Gentile Christians. (Acts 19 gives background on the Ephesus’ church beginnings.)
I love the books of I and II Timothy because they are “how to books”, which I desperately need because I sin every day and need God’s counsel. I humbly believe that what Paul was saying here is that women should adorn themselves with respectable apparel. That what I wear should send the message that God is first in my life, not things, and that modesty is important to me. That is what I take from it in an overall message. I think literally it does mean not to overdue it on the jewelry, the clothes, etc.
I couldn’t help but think as I wrote this, that what Paul is saying here on apparel and the subject of homosexuality are somewhat linked together. We are to be the “salt of the Earth”… a “light on a hill”. Are we (including myself here) that scared to be different in our dress and lifestyle? Check out I Timothy 1:8-11. It talks about there being standards (law) and it lists homosexuality as being against sound doctrine. There are ideals, commandments, whatever you want to call them, in the Bible. Every one of them is God’s way of helping us to prosper and have a full life. The times in my life when I tried to do it my way instead of God’s is when things fell apart. Not at first, of course, because the Devil wanted me to get comfortable and proud. But eventually, it caught up with me.
Like any parent, God wants to save us from as much pain as possible. But doing what He says will automatically make us different. God’s type of thinking does not gel with our culture. But are we willing to trust Him on this topic, homosexuality, or any other sin that the world tells us is ok?
Please hear me on this. I love God and try to spend more of my time focusing on the proactive things I can do because I am so thankful for His grace. I would be no where without His grace!! But God also calls us to to tell the whole truth in love. I have had coworkers and friends who have struggled with homosexuality (or stopped struggling and just gone with it). I have continued to show them love even after I have shared with them what God has to say on the matter. I have always left the door open for communication. That is what God has done with me when I sin. He tells me through His word what I need to work on, gives me the strength to face it and always leave the door open for me.
Please don’t think I go around thumping my Bible and putting it in people’s faces. What I try to do (some days better then others) is live a life where people think “something is different about her”. When I am able to do that, God and Godly principles come up naturally. That is the Holy Spirit working through me, it isn’t me. That I am sure of! But when those doors open, I can have two-way conversations with love on what God says on all subjects.
If I watched someone I love suffering with cancer, had the miracle cure in a vial, but held it back from them because I didn’t want them to feel bad about their cancer, how would I be loving or helping them? The reverse is true too…I have slipped and people have told me in love that I was wrong in my sin. Those people have loved me enough to pull me from the quicksand.
We all have our issues to wrestle with. And, we need fellow Christians to help us. And yes, the whole Bible can help us..not just picking and choosing.
Thank you for your comments. I have enjoyed “talking” with you.