Protesters cry discrimination at Christian colleges

Bus Stop

BY DAVID M. HOWARD JR.

Friday, May 5, 2006 12:01 a.m. EDT

Two weeks ago, the Soulforce Equality Ride Bus came to Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn. The 33 mostly young men and women stopped at Bethel for a day, as part of a tour of 19 colleges that, in their words, "ban the enrollment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students." Using as inspiration the Freedom Rides of the early '60s (in which groups of activists would ride buses through the deep South to protest segregation), the Equality Riders say they want to raise public consciousness and effect policy changes at these schools so that LGBT students can feel more welcome and "affirmed." Soulforce is an activist group, named for one of Gandhi's teachings, whose mission is to change the minds of religious leaders about homosexuality.

The schools targeted by the Equality Ride are mostly evangelical Christian ones such as Wheaton College in Illinois, Eastern University in Pennsylvania and Bethel, but the bus has also stopped at the Air Force Academy, Texas A&M and Brigham Young.

Some of the schools barred the riders from their campuses completely. Others allowed them to mingle with students but did not permit the riders to speak in public forums. (Equality Riders were arrested at six of the 19 stops, when they set foot on campus or otherwise defied the schools' policies.) Still other schools, including Bethel, where I am a dean, decided to accommodate the Equality Ride, allowing for discussions in large-group forums, individual classes and dining halls.

On April 18, a white bus painted with slogans such as "LGBT rights," "END Religion Based OPPRESSION!" and "Learn from history" arrived on campus. After giving the riders name tags and information about our school, Bethel representatives took them on a short campus tour.

Equality Riders made three formal presentations to the Bethel community: "Letters to Mel," in which actual letters received by Soulforce's founder from LGBT people and their supporters thanking him and from opponents condemning him were read aloud; "History of Violence," which chronicled cases of abuse against gays and lesbians; and a panel discussion in which participants from both Bethel and the Equality Ride debated biblical teachings on homosexuality, academic freedom and the treatment of LGBT students at Bethel.

Only 12 students attended the first forum, but 1,200 were present at the third, where the presentations and questions from the audience were animated but polite. Riders were also invited to classes and two luncheons. They were even given a table in a commons area, where many Bethel students stopped by to pick up literature and talk.

"Overall, we accomplished our purposes," said Bethel President George Brushaber, "helping students deal constructively with some of the most profound issues they will face living as Christ-followers in a broken, diverse and pluralistic culture." Riders told moving stories of their own experiences of rejection and violence, and they were greeted with empathy. Bethel students asked the riders how Christians could respond to them in more loving ways but also challenged them on their understanding of key passages of Scripture.

Despite the cordial exchanges, profound differences endure. At issue for Bethel is its very nature as a religious institution, including its right to define the guidelines within which members of the school community will live. Contrary to the riders' claim, most of the targeted campuses do not "ban" LGBT students. Most are like Bethel, which has a "Covenant for Life Together," derived from the Bible. Among the covenant's affirmations is the following: "We view sexuality as one of God's good gifts. We believe that sexual intercourse and other forms of intensely interpersonal sexual activity are reserved for monogamous, heterosexual marriage." And Bethel is completely up-front about its policies; all members of its community--students, faculty, staff and administration--agree ahead of time to abide by these rules when they come to Bethel.

Our school does not ask applicants about their sexual orientation. Contrary to the implicit claim of the Equality Ride--that these schools do not treat students "equally"--all students at Bethel live under the same restrictions. As Mr. Brushaber explains: "We formulate our principles of ethical conduct as a result of our faith commitments, grounded in the Scriptures, not on the basis of . . . personal preference or dominant cultural themes." Alas, such sentiments are hard to fit on the side of a bus.

Mr. Howard is the dean of the Center for Biblical and Theological Foundations at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn. He was also a professor of mine, and is a man who clearly loves and lives Jesus.

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