Accepting GLBTQ’s affirms Davidson’s ideals

Jamie Hofmeister

Published: Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Updated: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 15:11

I am a Christian, a Presbyterian, who loves God and struggles to understand who God is and who we are in relation to God amid a cacophony of voices and interpretations in the Church and in the world. One of the things I appreciate about being in the Presbyterian Church (USA) is the ability to question, to search and discover and study, and to disagree in order to respond to these huge questions. Presbyterians do this in such a way that values the Bible as an authoritative source while calling us to interpret it carefully and thoughtfully using the best historical, linguistic, and literary scholarship. It is from this perspective that I want to call attention to and celebrate Davidson's support of National Coming Out Day, through banner signings and a panel discussion with openly gay faculty and staff.

My tradition affirms that God created everything and declared it good. Humans are created in the image of God for a purpose, and God loves each and every person. God is more magnificent and powerful than I can ever imagine, and is beyond our realm of understanding. We are called to seek justice, cherish kindness, and walk humbly with God, knowing we are not alone.

The openness of the school and its support for the GLBTQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgendered, Questioning) community speaks volumes to the heritage of Davidson in the Presbyterian tradition. Despite individual differences of opinion on homosexuality, we can stand together and affirm homosexuals. I think one of the best things about Davidson's foundations is the opportunity it provides for critical thinking, for open dialogue and for faithful response to the current context due to the Confessional tradition of the Presbyterian Church. I find the openness of Davidson to students of all sexualities to be a wonderful sign of God bringing reconciliation and love into the world.

We are challenged to be signs of these gifts, to break down boundaries around us, to welcome the outcast, the oppressed, the stranger, the hurt, the weak, and show love and compassion, following the example set forth by the law, the prophets of the Hebrew Bible and Jesus' ministry. As I walk into the Union each day and see the banner hanging with signatures of students, faculty and staff showing their support for the GLBTQ community, I am reminded of what wonderful steps we as a community are taking to answer these challenges.

This gives me great hope about what we, a community of religious and non-religious individuals, Christians, and people of various faiths, can do together to stand up against oppression and injustice of all sorts.

Jamie Hofmeister '11 is a religion major from Paris, KY. Contact her at jahofmeister@davidson.edu.

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Scott Denham

Wed Nov 11 2009 07:31

Members of the community signed a statement that will appear as an advertisement in the next issue of the Davidsonian; the newsprint edition will carry this statement, but it's not clear that the online version will. Here is that statement and the signatories (signatory list may be updated).
www.davidson.edu/academic/german/denham/communitystatement.pdf

Phil Hazel, '64 and following

Wed Nov 11 2009 04:43

It is no surprise that Davidson is divided. Back and forth like this doesn't actually illuminate. The illumination comes from watching how we actually live. If Davidson, as an institution, does not discriminate in its official policy, that is enough.

Its alumni, students, faculty and staff on both sides of this issue ("both" is a ridiculous limitation, of course) will live in a way that minimizes the actuality of discrimination and the effect of discrimination without preaching, loudly, at each other. I've watched this happen in so many ways during the nearly seven decades of my life. Humans won't fail me now - at least, not here.

May the discussion go on, but no spitting, please.

Douglas Clark-Brown '09, Religion major

Tue Nov 10 2009 11:15

Thank you, Jamie. May God's grace move our community and our nation beyond this issue, beyond homophobia, to be more open and affirming of all of God's children, to have a deeper and more thoughtful understanding of the Bible instead of just looking to it selectively in order to confirm our own prejudices, and to be humble and respectful, rather than self-righteous, in our dialogue.

Joanna Keilson

Mon Nov 9 2009 22:00

Kealy, I apologize for not initially providing my full name.

Kealy Devoy, '08

Mon Nov 9 2009 17:49

I have 3 things to say. 1) Jamie, I appreciate your thoughtful reflection, you are wonderful. 2) To "J": if you don't have the courage to say who you are when you're disagreeing with someone, then please don't share your opinion. 3) Larry, you must be confusing the Davidsonian with some other publication. Jamie's article was much better written than much of what winds up in it, sadly. And I would say that Jamie's article was quite scholarly. She did not throw around Bible verses like many of her opponents might, but looked at the overall messages of the Bible in a modern and historical context.

Mon Nov 9 2009 15:35

As a follower of Christ, I know that love is the greatest commandment, and God indeed loves everyone, but not in the way commonly understood. There are four types of love eros - romantic, passionate love, storge - natural love for kin, phileo - tender, brotherly love, and agape - willful self-giving love, all for which we have only one word - love. God loves all men and calls us to love all men as well, but He doesn't call us to have romantic or affectionate or the like love for everyone, and neither does He himself. He does however, command us to love - AGAPE everyone, as He does. Agape loves the unlovely, the rebel, even the wicked.

I always seek to love others as Christ Himself does, but as you well know, real love isn't always telling someone what they want to hear. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend."

So although he loves (is good to) all, that does not mean He approves of sin. He is so holy that He cannot even look upon sin. And because we all sin, we are "by nature, children of wrath". God has a holy wrath against sin and when we deny it, we diminish and cheapen God's great grace in saving us from our great sin. There will always be some gray areas, but homosexuality is not one of them. "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."(Lev. 18:22) God did not provide his Word so that we should be confused! He gave it, and His own life, to show us the reality and tragedy of our sin and to save us from it, unto Himself.

Larry Sportello '04

Mon Nov 9 2009 03:06

I sincerely doubt that this argument can withstand peer scrutiny. First, you have chosen to argue your point within the syntactics and pragmatics of your opponent. This will inevitably lead to a dismissal of your position by those who view such arguments as obfuscated by various cultural lenses.

Second, academia should not be and is not constrained by the foundations of any institute other than that of humanistic reason. Invoking indiscernible entities will not contribute to a "critical thinking, for open dialogue and for faithful response to the current contex." In fact, such actions will lead to derisive attacks upon your commentary. May everyone remember that you are publishing within an academic newsletter, not a religious tract book.

I find both sides of this argument to be repulsively anti-intellectual. I can state with certitude that neither you nor Mr. Spangler have a vague understanding of linguistics, semiotics, or even rhetoric. I might add that such idiotic back-and-forths would have been lampooned viciously during my years at Davidson. There used to be a campus publication that held such matters up to intelligent scrutiny. Apparently, it has utterly imploded.

Kate Weddington, Class of '11

Sat Nov 7 2009 19:15

Hey Jamie!
Your article reached us all the way down here in Peru. Your response is so loving, so refreshing, and so free of hate. You are so graceful. I can't wait to get home and hug you.

God's Peace

Jessie Gutgsell, Indiana University '11

Fri Nov 6 2009 22:28

Thank you Jamie for providing a peaceful, loving and gentle response. We need more people in this world like you.

Alice '12

Fri Nov 6 2009 17:43

Thank you Jamie! I love your article :)

Ann Onimus '08

Fri Nov 6 2009 13:42

Thank you, Jamie, for representing what Davidson and Christianity is about: an accepting love of others that does not judge -- a space where students and others can gather in fellowship to live up to the challenges to "break down boundaries... welcome the outcast, the oppressed, the stranger, the hurt, the weak, and show love and compassion," as you so eloquently put it. I am overjoyed to have people like you at Davidson and I am proud what you have written in this piece.

Universal Salvation for ALL

Fri Nov 6 2009 13:08

Thank you Jamie for your article. I think all of us should comment here instead on Michael's horrible article.

May God's Love be with eveyone.

Ben Van Dyke, '09

Thu Nov 5 2009 17:57

Thank you Jamie for your heartfelt, thoughtful, and articulate message of love, openness, and equality. You make me proud to be a Davidsonian.

And thank you John for your equally eloquent and affirming response.

A PC (USA) youth minister and Davidson alumn

Since Michael's article seems to be drawing most of the comment traffic I wanted to just thank Jamie Hofmeister for offering the voice of Christian love to this 'Perspectives' page. As a Christian who feels compelled by faith in a loving creator God to reach out in love and welcome to all of God's Children, I add my voice to Jamie's. I worry that the struggle of for marriage equality and equal protection for the LGBTQ community has often been portrayed as a battle between religious people and non-religious people, however this is simply not the case. Almost every major denomination of American Christianity is involved in a conversation about how we are called to treat God's Children who do not fit into society's heterosexual assumption. Accordingly many denominations including my denominational home the United Church of Christ and significant parts of Davidson College's denominational home the PCUSA have embraced equal participation in Christian life and equal marriage rights for faithful, loving, LGBTQ people as both theologically and morally right. I believe as Christians we are called now to repentance for the suffering caused by our traditions hateful doctrine and language and we are called to recommit ourselves to loving as Christ loved.

Thank you Jamie for reminding us that the voice of Christianity does not cry together in a chorus of hate. Now Christians are standing up for love.

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